Chapter 9

Walking into the Great Hall for dinner that evening, Draco was stunned when Ginny stormed up to him and slapped him hard across the face. "Ginny, I can explain," gently touching his sore cheek.

"Don't 'Ginny me!" Ginny snapped, pointing her wand at Draco, hurt and angry tears in her eyes. "How dare you!"

Realizing that she must have heard about the incident in Potions class, Malfoy started to speak quickly. "I didn't start the—"

"Shut. Up." Ginny said, coldly, her hand trembling as she pulled her wand. How could Draco have betrayed her like this? She should have known there was no way Draco Malfoy would ever really change. Everyone had told her but she had been too blinded by her feelings to listen. "I defended you," she said, disgusted. When Draco reached out a hand to her, she backed away, her gaze livid. "Don't touch me! I can't believe I was so blind to actually think you cared about me."

Ginny lowered her wand and turned, running down the hallway, sobbing as Draco stared after her. "Ginny, I didn't do it! Neville started it! I'm actually serving detention!"

xxxx

"You're late, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said when the teenager arrived at the potions classroom later that evening. "Mr. Longbottom has already started his punishment."

"Look…" Draco said, dully. He'd thought about asking for forgiveness, but what did it matter? Ginny hated him and honestly, it was all his fault "I… Have me serve two detentions, Professor. Mine and Longbottom's."

Snape studied Draco and after a while, noticed the hand-shaped bruise starting to form on his face. "Who did that?" Snape asked, curious.

"Ginny," Draco muttered, walking into the room and sitting at the first empty desk. "She thought I started the fight. Now she won't even look at me." Looking at Snape with a hurt and angry expression, he said, "Happy now? I proved you right. I haven't changed at all."

"Mr. Longbottom," Snape said to Neville, even though he was still looking at Draco. "You are dismissed."

Neville stood from where he'd been starting to scrub the potions cauldron. He was surprised at the sudden show of… benevolence, for lack of a better word. "Professor?" he said, still wondering if this was some sort of a trick.

"Leave," Snape ordered, looking at Neville before turning back to Draco. "Mr. Malfoy has volunteered to take your detention along with his own."

Neville looked shocked by the news, but he nodded quickly and left the room as swiftly as possible.

Pointing to the cauldrons that the Gryffindor student had begun scouring, Snape said, "Start scrubbing, Mr. Malfoy."

xxxxxxx

Curled up on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny couldn't stop crying as she thought about how stupid she'd been. She'd truly started to believe that Draco was trying to become a kind, decent person—that he'd actually started to change.

She was such a fool. She should have known it was all an act. No doubt Malfoy was laughing it up with his friends in the Slytherin common room.

"Ginny?" Hermione said, softly, as she came down from the 5th year dormitory and sat down next to the younger girl. "Are you okay? Did you and Draco have a fight or…?"

"He lied to me," Ginny said, quietly. "He picked a fight with Neville. I thought he'd changed but he's still the same mean, heartless—"

"Draco didn't start the fight," Hermione interrupted, quickly. "Neville attacked him first."

Looking up, Ginny blinked in confusion and disbelief. "N-Neville? Neville Longbottom?" For some reason she couldn't match the idea of Neville viciously attacking anyone.

"It surprised everyone," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Neville punched Draco and the next thing we knew, the two were going at it and… Ginny?"

"Oh, God…" Ginny said, burying her face in her hands before starting to cry again. "What I said…"

"You broke up with him?" Hermione queried, taken aback. Ginny had seemed so in love with Draco the last time they'd been together.

Ginny was still crying as she went on. "He… he looked so defeated… like I'd…"

"Struck him?" Hermione supplied, putting a comforting hand on Ginny's back. "I'm sure he knows it was all a misunderstanding."

"You don't understand. I actually slapped him," Ginny said, uncurling. "Hard. Oh, he'd never want to be with me after this." Getting up, she slowly headed for her dormitory.

xxxxxxx

It was almost midnight when Draco finished the cleaning. Tired and sore, he headed for the classroom door, fighting back a groan when Snape stopped him. All he wanted was to go to bed, get some sleep, and try to come up with a plan to beg Ginny's forgiveness. "I think tonight should prove sufficient, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, a faint smile tweaking the corner of his mouth.

"I'll do both detentions," Draco insisted, dully. "It doesn't matter anyway. Ginny hates me and I deserve the punishment."

"I was wrong about you, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, the smile growing. "I believed that this was an act but I know that you do not have the discipline to lower yourself unless there is a sufficient reward." Seeing that he was catching Draco's curiosity, Snape went on. "Even with no reward you still committed to the task and insisted on the further punishment. And that is very much unlike who you were."

"It doesn't matter," Draco repeated. "Ginny will never forgive me for what I did."

"The emotions of females can change rapidly," Snape said, shrugging. "If you give her time she might be willing to give you another chance." Although, he also knew from experience that sometimes girls could hold resentments for an exceptionally long time.

Draco shook his head doubtfully as he left the room. "No, I blew it," he muttered, heading for his dormitory.

The next few days, Harry noticed that Ginny became very withdrawn and didn't want to talk to anybody except Harry or Luna, and even then, she didn't say much.

On the second weekend after the start of term, Harry was sitting upright in his bed, talking with Ginny while an IV bag of packed red blood cells was dripping into his veins. Anna had noticed that he was still slightly anemic and therefore decided to keep up the transfusion treatments for at least one more week. "You need to talk to Draco," Harry said, looking Ginny in the eye. "He's moping around and even I can tell he misses you."

"I can't face him," Ginny said, shaking her head. "I-I know he's not a saint. I forgot that he's as human as anyone else." Feeling tears sting her eyes she tried putting on a brave expression as she said, "I'm sure he's moved on. He probably hates me for… for not believing in him."

Harry sighed and silently prayed for patience. This had to be one of the strangest years ever… "Ginny, Draco has been miserable. He's skipping classes; he hasn't been playing well at all during Quidditch practice." Taking Ginny's hand he added, "The two of you are miserable. Just talk to each other." Seeing that Ginny wasn't going anywhere, Harry sighed again. "Okay, How about this? Draco's coming here in a minute." When Ginny started to get up, Harry held her hand tighter to stop her from leaving. "Ginny, you've never run away from anything. Don't run away from this. What if something happened to one of you? Don't do something you might regret."

"I meant what I said at Christmas," Draco said, as he stood in the bedroom doorway, looking at Ginny when she whirled around to look at him. "I have no regrets about my time with you."

Ginny pulled her hand from Harry and started to make a break for the door but Draco intercepted her and pulled her close before kissing her deeply on the lips.

"Draco, you…" Ginny stopped trying to get out of the kiss when Draco gently rubbed the back of her neck. It was something that had always calmed her. She even remembered her mother doing the same thing when she was young. After a few moments, she pulled away, tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Gin Blossom," Draco replied, smiling as he used the nickname Fred and George had told him about over Christmas. "You were right to think the worst of me. Longbottom thinks of you as a friend. He was defending your honor."

"Still…" Ginny said, not quite letting go of her guilt. "I should have let you explain. I just assumed…"

"Why don't you guys go take a walk?" Harry suggested, screwing up his face in mock-disgust as Ginny and Draco started kissing again.

Draco smiled at Ginny, the two taking each other's hands. "A splendid idea," Draco agreed, grateful that Ginny was giving him another chance.

Arm in arm, they left the room as Luna drifted in. "Looks like your plan worked," Luna observed as she sat next to Harry on the bed. "It's always nice when people find love, isn't it? It's like its own special brand of magic."

Pulling Luna closer, Harry smiled as he agreed, "It really is." As the two kissed, Harry wondered what he'd done to deserve such a wonderful girlfriend.

The end of the year arrived on a warm summer day and as Harry limped onto the Hogwarts Express, it felt strange to actually be happy about going back to Privet Drive. Sitting in his compartment and waiting for Luna and his friends, Harry looked at his reflection in the window, frowning slightly at his bald head, Anna had assured him that his hair would start growing back within a month or so and Harry couldn't wait. Every time he saw his reflection and the absence of his unruly black hair it was another reminder of the fact how his body had turned against him.

"There you are, Harry," Hermione said, cheerfully as she entered the compartment with Ron, Ginny, Draco, and Luna in tow "We were wondering where you'd got to."

Sitting down and taking Harry's hand, Luna said, "You're not hiding or anything, are you?"

"Just thinking," Harry said, giving his friends and girlfriend a smile.

"Your hair will grow back soon, Harry," Luna said, knowingly, as she touched Harry's head. "But if it bothers you so much we could always get you a hat or something."

"You don't understand," Harry muttered, shaking his head. "It's… my hair was one of the few things that connected me to my dad. His hair stuck up in the back the same as mine…" After a moment he added, "And because of losing my leg I don't even know if I can play Quidditch anymore…"

"Harry, I'm sure there's more that connects you and your dad than hair and Quidditch," Ginny said, encouragingly.

"Is there?" Harry asked, thinking that the fact that a history of cancer didn't count. "I don't really know anything about my parents… other than I look like my dad and I have my mum's eyes."

Driving to King's Cross station, Petunia was trying not to let her worries be noticed by Dudley but she was sure her son knew something was going on. The past two weeks, Vernon had been driving slowly past #4 Privet Drive and while Petunia didn't think he'd be so stupid as to attack them, one never knew. A few days ago, she'd gotten a restraining order and while it had stopped Vernon's drive-bys he was now calling then hanging up the phone. For the first time in her life, Petunia found that she was afraid of her ex-husband.

Dudley knew something was bothering his mother and it didn't take a genius to guess what it was. "What's Dad done now?" he asked, looking out the window. He knew about the drive-bys and the calls and while a part of him wanted to talk to his father, he also understood that Vernon was dangerous, especially lately.

"Nothing… yet," Petunia replied, stoically. She didn't want admit the fact that Vernon was scaring her more and more these days.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Dad scared me," Dudley admitted. "Even when he yelled at Harry, I never thought he'd hurt us." Looking at his mother he asked, "What if Dad tries to… do something? Attack us?"

"I don't know," Petunia said, shaking her head. "I'm scared that he'll… Vernon is dangerous when he's angry. And right now he's very angry with me for divorcing him and getting a restraining order."

"Does he know about Grimmauld Place?" Dudley asked, curiously.

"I don't think so," Petunia replied, glancing at her son. "Why?"

"Maybe we should go there instead of home," Dudley explained. "If we lay low for a while, wait until he calms down. At the very least, we'd be someplace safe."

"I refuse to go into hiding," Petunia said, stubbornly, even though she was thinking that it might be a good idea to get away for a while. "Vernon is not going to scare me away with a few drive-bys or threatening phone calls."

Walking through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, Harry gave Luna a long kiss good-bye before she skipped off to join her father and he followed Hermione, Ron, and Ginny to where the rest of the Weasleys were waiting with Hermione's parents and Petunia and Dudley.

"Ready to go home and weed the garden?" Petunia said, smiling to let Harry know that it was a joke.

Harry let out a weary laugh and asked, "Can I go home and sleep instead?"

"All weekend if you want," Petunia said, brightly as she took Harry's bag and Dudley took the trunk. As they headed for the car, Petunia asked, "How was the train ride?"

"Quiet," Harry said, shrugging. "Didn't get to sleep as much as I wanted, though."

"What's wrong, Harry?" Dudley asked, hearing the depressed tone in Harry's voice. "Thought you'd be happy to be going home."

"It's nothing," Harry said, trying to convey that he didn't want to talk about it. He might be closer to his cousin and aunt than he had been in years past but that didn't mean that he was ready to share his deepest secrets and fears with them.

"You're still in remission, right?" Petunia asked, automatically assuming the worst.

"I'm fine," Harry assured her. "Anna gave me some potions and medications to help with my recovery. I just… Let's talk about it when we get in the car, okay?"

"Okay," Petunia agreed, leading the way.

Once they were on the way back to Privet Drive—Harry in the front seat and Dudley sitting in back—Petunia again asked Harry what was wrong.

"It's stupid…" Harry muttered, as he looked at his reflection in the side window. Seeing that Petunia wasn't going to let the issue slide, Harry sighed. "It's… my hair. Or lack of, I guess. My hair just made me look that much more like my dad, you know? Now that it's gone…"

"It'll grow back, though, won't it?" Dudley asked, looking at his cousin's bald head.

"In another month or two," Harry replied, still looking out the window. "But Anna said that it could grow back different, you know? Different color, or texture…"

"Your hair isn't all that connects you to your father," Petunia said, trying to cheer her nephew up. "You have his talent for getting into trouble. You have a fierce loyalty to your friends… And according to Sirius you love that girl, Luna, as much as your father loved Lily."

There was that, Harry admitted. Maybe he had been thinking too much on his physical resemblance to his father.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

As Petunia turned onto Privet Drive, Harry sat up straighter and even gave his aunt a smile when #4 suddenly blew up, the explosion and blast wave rocking the car.

Turning sharply away from the blast and heading back the way they came a bit so that they were out of danger, Petunia parked in the middle of the street and got out, shocked at what she'd just seen. The house she'd lived in for the past 20 years was now a fireball. Everything her family ever owned—all the mementoes from her childhood and Lily—it was gone forever.

"What the HELL was that?" Dudley said, getting out of the car along with Harry. "Mum? You okay?"

"I… am going… TO KILL HIM!" Petunia roared, her anger almost overwhelming.

"You think Dad did this?" Dudley said, shocked at the very idea. "But… he doesn't know anything about explosives or…" Or did he? Had his father really blown up the house on purpose? What if he, his mother, and Harry had been inside? Dudley's stomach turned at the thought.

"Something you guys haven't told me?" Harry asked, looking curiously at his aunt and cousin. Had Vernon been threatening them while he'd been at Hogwarts?

"Vernon was driving past the house a lot… making phone calls…" Petunia looked at what had been her home for the past 20 years and the anger inside her gave way to fear at what might have happened and relief that she, Harry, and Dudley weren't inside the house when it blew. "I never imagined he'd do something like this."

"And I bet you never imagined he'd drive drunk and nearly kill us all," Harry said, looking at the burning house.

Sirius was surprised when the doorbell rang at almost midnight that night. Voldemort was dead so there was no real reason for anyone to be coming to headquarters. Perhaps it was Dumbledore or Molly Weasley coming by for a late night chat.

Looking through the peephole, Sirius was even more confused when he saw Harry, Petunia, and Dudley standing on the front step. Even stranger still was that only Harry's luggage was visible. Opening the door, he asked, "What's going on?"

"Vernon blew up the house," Petunia said in as calm a voice as she could, though Sirius could tell that her rage was dangerously close to the surface. "Do you mind if we stay with you?"

"Not at all," Sirius replied, stepping aside. "Are you all okay?" But Petunia's words suddenly started sinking in and as he closed the door, his eyes grew wide. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, Vernon apparently blew the house up just before we pulled in the driveway," Harry replied, grimly. "We're all okay, Sirius… I guess. It was really scary, though."

"Harry, why don't you and Dudley go upstairs and get some sleep?" Petunia said, cutting Harry off. Once the two teenagers were out of earshot, she let Sirius lead her down to the kitchen. When she was sitting down at the table with a glass of firewhiskey, she said, "I wanted to kill Vernon for blowing up the house. I'm just so angry!"

Sirius nodded and pulled Petunia to her feet and into a friendly hug. "I know," he said, quietly, his voice full of understanding. "When I saw James and Lily's home after… I wanted to kill Pettigrew for what he'd done. When I found Harry alive, I just wept in relief as I held him. I tried to kill Pettigrew for what he'd done and I spent 12 years in Azkaban." Looking at Petunia, he added, "I know you're angry and right now finding Vernon and beating the bloody shit out of him seems like a good idea but trust me…" Looking in the direction of the stairs, he said, "You've got more important things to worry about right now."

Wrapping her arms around Sirius, Petunia couldn't help but like the way the two of them fit together. Without meaning to or knowing why… she looked up at Harry's godfather and kissed him. It wasn't anything romantic, but rather a 'thank you for being there for me'. Sirius didn't respond to the kiss, but he didn't pull away either. Rather he just held Petunia close, understanding that she needed some genuine comfort at that moment.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Petunia was up early the following morning and was clattering around the kitchen making breakfast when Sirius came down. "Tea?" Petunia offered, pointing to the kettle on the stove.

Sirius nodded and started brewing the tea as he watched Petunia cooking. Thinking about what had transpired the night before, he asked, "Are we going to talk about last night?"

Petunia didn't meet Sirius's gaze. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about the situation, but rather that she was uncomfortable with the memory of kissing her nephew's godfather. "I've been lonely for months now. I haven't even thought about dating since the divorce. I've just been too wrapped up with Harry and Dudley."

"Petunia… I may not like how you've treated Harry in the past, but… I liked that kiss. Would it be so bad if we were together?" Sirius asked, waiting for Harry's aunt to look at him. "We would both be available to help take care of the boys and until we know for sure that Vernon is dead, it would be safer for you all to stay here."

"Let's just… stay friends. Alright?" Petunia replied, looking at Sirius.

"Fair enough," Sirius muttered, disappointed. "I was thinking of taking the boys out today."

"Fine," Petunia said, working on the bacon sizzling in the pan. Thinking of the phone call she'd received earlier that morning, she said, "The police want me to come to the precinct later today to answer some questions. I'd appreciate it if you made sure nothing happened to Harry and Dudley."

"If there's any sign of Vernon I'll keep them safe," Sirius promised.

"Thank you. Call the boys for breakfast, will you?" Petunia asked as she finished the toast.

Upstairs in the last bedroom on the left, Sirius found Harry and Dudley still in their beds asleep. "Come on, boys!" Sirius said, cheerfully, rousing them. "Breakfast."

Harry grabbed his glasses and slid them on, blinking for a moment as he tried to figure out where he was. After a few moments, it all came back: #4 exploding, the police coming… and showing up on Sirius's front step in the middle of the night.

"10 more minutes…" Dudley grumbled, not even opening his eyes as he rolled over to go back to sleep.

"Petunia's got breakfast ready," Sirius said, insistently. "Come on."

Harry sighed as he sat up and once his prosthetic was on, he and Dudley got dressed and headed down to the kitchen where Petunia was setting the table and pouring orange juice. "Morning Aunt Petunia," Harry said, sleepily as he sat down at the table.

"Morning, Mum," Dudley muttered, pouring himself a cup of tea and adding 4 spoons of sugar to it, hoping the combination of caffiene and sugar would help perk him up a bit.

"Harry, do you and Dudley mind staying with Sirius today?" Petunia asked sitting opposite Sirius. "Just… to be safe?"

"Sure. Why?" Dudley asked, eating quickly. It felt like it had been weeks since he had a proper meal. But maybe it was just an after-effect from the previous night.

"I have to go out today," Petunia replied, not wanting to add that she was afraid Vernon might attack the boys. "Maybe the three of you could go to the zoo," she suggested, trying to keep her tone casual.

Harry and Dudley exchanged a look as they heard the worried tone in Petunia's voice but they said nothing before nodding in agreement.

Once at the zoo, Dudley thought back to his 11th birthday and said, "The last time we were here you set a snake on me." Grinning at Harry he gently bumped him with a shoulder. "Remember?"

"And I then magically trapped you in the enclosure," Harry replied, nodding. "Scared the pants off you that day, too."

"I always wanted to know…" Dudley said, quietly, as they approached the reptile house. "What was going on that day? What were you doing with that snake? It was like it could actually understand you."

Harry stopped and waited until Sirius gave him a wink before replying. "You really want to know?"

"Wouldn't be asking if I didn't," Dudley said, looking curious. Wait, his cousin couldn't actually talk to snakes, could he? That was crazy!

Inside the building, Harry looked around and grinned as he saw a familiar Burmese python lounging in its enclosure. Walking over to the snake, he spoke in Parseltongue. "Nice to see you again. Don't suppose you recognize me, do you?"

"I remember you," the snake said, looking interested as he studied Harry. "You set me free before."

"I take it they caught you after you escaped," Harry said, regretfully. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's fine," the python said, slithering closer. "It's not so bad here. People tried to attack me when I was out." Looking at Dudley, the snake recognized the boy and turned back to Harry as he asked, "Do you mind if I scare him a bit?"

Harry glanced at Dudley who was hesitantly approaching the glass. "Go for it," Harry hissed with a smirk, turning to his cousin.

Dudley practically jumped out of his skin when the python reared up and lunged at the glass, fangs bared. After a moment, Dudley realized that Harry was laughing at him. "Yeah, yeah… real bloody hilarious, cousin," Dudley muttered, keeping his distance from the snake enclosure. "Git."

"Hey, I haven't really had anything to laugh at in a long time," Harry said, his smile fading a bit.

As Dudley looked over his cousin, he nodded, somberly. "Yeah… I guess so."

Realizing that he had ruined his cousin's fun as much as his own, Harry tried to smile more as he said, "Hey, once my hair starts growing back I won't look so bad. Come on… let's go look at the lions."

At the local police department, Petunia sat nervously with one of the inspectors. The man had seemed nice enough and had been very polite as he asked her to recount the events from last night as part of the official record. "Ms. Evans, has Vernon Dursley had any dealings in the Middle East lately?" Inspector Thomas Sawyer asked after the standard questions about the blast.

Petunia froze as she realized what the inspector was asking. "Last year… he was promoted. His bosses were expanding business into that area. Are… are you saying my ex-husband is a terrorist or something?" The thought almost made her heart stop as she thought about what she'd seen on the news about terrorist sleeper cells in the United States.

Inspector Sawyer nodded, gravely. "Grunnings has been working with Iraqi terrorists for more than 25 years, providing supplies, funds… We found the remnants of a bomb in your house. It looks like Vernon Dursley was working on finishing it when it detonated. Whether the detonation was intentional or not is yet to be determined."

Thinking of the death of her ex-husband, Petunia tried not to sound hopeful as she asked, "Was he killed in the blast?"

"We're not sure yet," the inspector replied. "No human remains were found but if he was right next to the bomb it's possible there wouldn't be any remains…"

Petunia's heart started racing at the thought that Vernon could still be alive. "So he could still be out there…"

Sawyer took Petunia's hand in his and gave a squeeze. "We'll do all we can to find him. Is there someplace safe you can stay?"

"Uh… this townhouse. 12 Grimmauld Place," Petunia said, her mind still reeling. "The place belongs to Harry's godfather."

"We'll station a patrol nearby just in case," Sawyer promised. "One more thing…"

Afraid of what was coming next, Petunia was surprised the inspector asked, "May I take you to dinner sometime?"

Arriving back at Grimmauld Place, Sirius wasn't quite sure why Petunia was furiously scrubbing the already scrupulously clean kitchen. "Petunia? What's wrong?"

Pausing in her cleaning, Petunia looked at Sirius, angry and fearful tears in her eyes as she said, "Everything is wrong!" Sighing she threw her rag onto the countertop and sat down at the table, trying to will herself back into some semblance of calm.

"Care to elaborate?" Sirius asked, gently, as he pulled out two small glasses and a bottle of muggle Irish whiskey. Pouring two glasses, he handed one to Petunia.

Once Petunia had her drink, she downed the whole glass in one gulp before starting to talk. "The day of the car accident… Vernon told me that his company—Grunnings—was expanding into the Middle East. What he didn't say… was that the expansion was a terrorist cell in Iraq."

"What?" Sirius said, shocked at this revelation.

"How could I have missed the fact that my own husband was a terrorist?" Petunia burst out, unaware that Dudley and Harry had been listening.

"Dad was a what?" Dudley said, as he and Harry entered the kitchen, looking alarmed at the news.

Petunia wasn't sure how to deal with Dudley finding out so she decided to go with honesty. "It looks like Vernon was constructing an explosive device when the house blew up. The police and the American FBI were looking at him as a potential terrorist threat."

Dudley sat down at the table along with Harry. "That big promotion he got… My father is a terrorist. I can't believe it…" With a sudden stab of horror, he said, "Mum, he tried to kill us!"

"I hate to admit it," Sirius said, looking at Petunia gravely. "But Dudley's probably right. I don't think the explosion was accidental."

"Will it never end?" Petunia said, pouring herself another glass of whiskey.

"Okay, listen to me," Sirius said, firmly, as he took the whiskey bottle away despite Petunia's protests. "After this drink you are going to get a grip and—"

"MY EX-HUSBAND TRIED TO KILL US!" Petunia shouted, angrily. "First he gets mixed up in God only knows what! Then he nearly kills us all by driving drunk! Then he blows up our house! I think I have a right to lose it right now!"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be angry or hurt or… whatever…" said Sirius, trying to call her down. "But you have to think about this. Okay? Obviously Vernon's part of something dangerous. So the first thing we need to worry about is making sure that—if he's still alive—he doesn't harm Harry or Dudley." Turning to the teens, Sirius added, "Until we're sure Vernon's not a threat, the two of you are not to leave here without someone with you. Understood?"

"Yeah, Sirius," Harry said, nodding. He had no intention of presenting himself as a target anyway. Voldemort had been bad enough, but Vernon was a muggle and wouldn't have to hide.

"Dudley?" Sirius asked, waiting for the teenager to agree to the conditions.

Dudley just nodded, vaguely. "Yeah… sure…No problem."

xxxx

That night, as Dudley and Harry lay in their beds, thinking on everything, Dudley said, "I can't believe my dad is evil."

Harry sighed as he thought about it. Although truthfully, he just wanted to get some sleep. "Could be worse…"

Dudley sat up, looking at Harry in disbelief. "Are you mental? We're basically homeless because Dad blew up the house!"

"He says to the teenager missing a leg because of a car crash and who happens to currently be in remission from cancer," Harry sneered, sitting up as well. "I've battled Voldemort himself. I've killed a 50 foot snake. Trust me—things could be far worse than this."

"I don't know if you're making me feel better or worse," Dudley replied, lying back down to try and go to sleep.

As Harry lay back down as well, a strange thought occurred to him. He was starting to sound like Dumbledore.

After two weeks stuck in Grimmauld Place there was still no sign of Vernon and Harry and Dudley were starting to become stir crazy from not being allowed out of the house. Sirius had been adamant about the two not going anywhere without an escort and Petunia was equally adamant that no one go anywhere period.

"Petunia, the boys can't just stay inside all summer," Sirius said as the two of them cleaned up after dinner. "I know that Vernon is still in the wind but Harry and Dudley are going crazy staying here all the time."

"Well, what can we do?" Petunia said, finishing scrubbing the last pan and rinsing it before handing it to Sirius to dry. "I don't want to run the risk of Vernon finding them. He hates Harry and even though Dudley is his son who knows what he'd do?"

"True," Sirius admitted, thinking. Suddenly, he had a brilliant notion. "We could always send them to the Weasleys."

"Would Molly be okay with that?" Petunia asked, hesitantly. "I know she invited Harry but would Dudley be welcome? I just hate splitting the boys up when they've only just started becoming so close."

Sirius grinned at the idea. "You tell the boys to pack. I'll handle Molly Weasley," he promised. As he left the room, he gave Petunia a smile and a light hand squeeze. Heading upstairs, he found the door to Dudley and Harry's room open. Not wanting to bother them if they were talking, Sirius just glanced inside but stopped when he saw that the teenagers weren't there. "Oh, bugger!" he said, immediately started searching the room and the rest of the upstairs. "Harry! Dudley!"

There was no answer and Sirius grew frantic as he searched every inch of the lower levels. Running back into the kitchen, he said, quickly, "Harry and Dudley are gone."

"What?" Petunia shrieked, dropping the pile of plates she'd been holding. Her mind was racing as every horrible situation started to run through her mind. "W-we have to find them! Did they just leave or…?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think so, though. Come on. We have to call the muggle police."

"I always knew you were no good, Potter," Vernon Dursley said, his beady eyes alight with a scary madness. "Because of you now everyone knows about my business dealings. You turned my own family against me!"

In the dingy basement of an abandoned warehouse, Harry lay on the floor with Dudley, both of whom were tied up and gagged. Harry cursed himself mentally for forgetting his wand and tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. Of course even if there was a plan there was still the problem of not being able to walk as Vernon had removed Harry's prosthetic.

"Well, no matter," Vernon said, pacing along the floor. "Once I fake my death I'll be able to forget all about this place. And I'll finally be rid of you once and for all, FREAK!"

Dudley mumbled something angrily that sounded like "Don't call Harry a freak" earning him a hard kick in the ribs. But to his credit, Dudley didn't make a sound, even though he felt like at least two ribs were broken.

Sneering, Vernon kicked Harry as well, although he missed Harry's side and Vernon's foot collided with the IV port still in Harry's clavicle making the teenager give a muffled cry of pain. Looking down and seeing the blood soaking Harry's t-shirt, Vernon bent down and undid Harry's gag. "What's that, Potter?"

Harry glared at his uncle, but replied, "IV port. Doctors did it while I was having chemotherapy treatments. What do you care?"

"Going to die?" Vernon asked, in a hopeful tone. "Cause if you are, maybe I'll just let you live. Slow painful death, rather than what I have planned for you."

"Sorry to disappoint you… but no," Harry replied, a half-baked plan starting to form. If he could only make this work without his wand… "Though the cancer is a small part of why I lost my leg if that makes you happy. Magical healers couldn't regrow my leg because of a tumor."

"I'd be happier if you were dead," Vernon said, pulling a gun out of his pocket. "Say hello to your freak parents, Potter! You're about to join them!"

Dudley pulled his legs up to his chest as best he could and just as he heard the gun being cocked, he kicked out as hard as he could at his father's legs, making the portly man fall backwards. Finally relaxing his arms from when he'd flexed when his father had first tied him up, Dudley gave a short sigh of relief as the ropes loosened enough to wiggle free.

"Dudley!" Harry shouted as Vernon got to his feet and pointed the gun at his own son. 'Please work, please work, please work…' Harry thought as hard as he could as he shouted the word, "Expelliarmus!" To his delight and relief, Vernon flew backwards, hitting the wall hard and falling in a crumpled heap.

Dudley laughed as he managed to free his hands and remove his gag and quickly went to untie Harry. "Nice one, Harry. Didn't know you could do something like that without a wand?"

"Yeah, well… don't celebrate yet," Harry said, darkly as he used the rag that Vernon had been using to gag him to press against the bleeding IV port. "The Ministry of Magic doesn't like underage magic performed in front of muggles."

"He was going to kill us," Dudley argued, gently pulling Harry's hand away from his clavicle. "I think they'll let you slide on…"

Harry started to ask what was wrong, but as he looked at his upper chest, he understood. The IV port was partially ripped out and bleeding heavily. Harry tried to focus but he was feeling lightheaded now. "Hospital… now."

Dudley threw the ropes aside and looked about quickly, finding a roll of duct tape nearby. After securing the bloody rag with the tape, picked Harry up easily, pulling his cousin's arm around his shoulders before the two .headed out of the room. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Harry nodded and hoped he didn't bleed out before Dudley could get him out of the warehouse.

Once outside, Dudley looked around the deserted street, not sure of exactly where they were, let alone where the nearest medical facility was. "You doing okay, Harry?" Dudley asked, concerned at how quiet Harry was.

"Okay… I think…" Harry said, weakly. "We need help."

"Trying to do that," Dudley replied, still looking around. "Come on." Still practically carrying Harry, Dudley hurried towards what looked like a shopping center.

"I need help!" Dudley shouted, as he got closer to a pet shop with its door opened. Looking at the woman behind the counter, he added, "Please!"

"God Lord, son!" a saleswoman said, as she ran outside to the two boys. Looking at the makeshift bandage on Harry's clavicle, she asked, "What happened?"

"My dad, he kicked my cousin hard. Harry has a central line and it started bleeding. My cousin needs an ambulance. Quickly!" Dudley said, starting to panic as he noticed Harry's eyes closing. Setting Harry down on the ground, Dudley pleaded, "Hold on, Harry. Help is on the way."

On the one hand Petunia was relieved that Harry and Dudley were alive.

On the other hand, hearing that they were in the hospital made her panic even more.

Sitting with Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Inspector Thomas Sawyer in the waiting room, Petunia tried to be calm when Anna Rion approached her. Her hospital scrubs had blood on them and she looked weary. "Harry and Dudley…" Petunia said quickly as she stood. "Are they okay?"

"Dudley's got some bumps and bruises and a couple cracked ribs, but he's fine," Anna said, smiling. "He'll have to stay overnight but you can take him home in the morning."

"What about Harry?" Sirius asked, looking worried. "Is he alright?"

"The blood loss wasn't as bad as it could have been," Anna replied, her smile fading. "But it's still not good. We had to remove the central line and Harry's currently in surgery to repair the vein but he should be just fine. He'll need to keep his right shoulder immobilized for about a month." Looking at Petunia and Sirius she added, "What the hell happened, anyway? Dudley said that he and Harry were kidnapped?"

"Petunia…" Sirius said, warningly, as he saw her heading for the nearest exit. He grabbed her arm to prevent her from running out the door and added, "You can't go after Vernon. Not now."

"Probably not ever," said another police detective as he joined the group. "Inspector, we just found Vernon Dursley's body in the warehouse."

"He's dead?" Petunia said with a sigh of relief. She didn't care if everyone knew she was happy about the idea. The bastard had nearly killed Harry and Dudley for a third time now!

"Not yet," the detective said. "But he has severe head trauma. It looks like he's in a coma and the EMTs aren't holding out hope for a miracle. He's probably got only hours left."

"If he's lucky," Lupin said, an uncharacteristically dark look on his face. It was a pity the full moon was still two weeks off.

"Can I see my son?" Petunia said, looking at Anna.

"Sure," she replied, nodding. Flagging down a nurse, Anna asked, "Can you take Ms. Evans to see her son in exam 1?"

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Right this way," she replied.

"I'm coming, too," Thomas said, taking Petunia's hand. Looking at the other woman, he explained, "I need to take Dudley's statement."

Once the three were gone, Anna looked at Lupin and Sirius. "Come on… we can watch Harry's surgery from the observation deck."

As Anna started to lead her friends up to the surgical floor, Sirius grabbed her arm and pulled her into a deep, lingering kiss. "I've missed you so much," he said, smiling.

Anna laughed. "I know," she replied, taking Sirius's hand. "It seems like lately we're only together when something happens to Harry. Remember when we used to ditch classes and make out down by the lake."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Sirius said, flashing the most charming, winning smile he could muster. "We could start dating again. New start for both of us."

"I think I'd like that, Padfoot," Anna said, smiling back as she took his arm and they headed up to the surgical floor.