Chapter 4: The Mental Break

Harry's POV

"Lestrange, Harry!" Gasps erupt in the hall at my last name. 'God, I love that.' I giggle and skip up to the hat, placing it on my head with grace. The Sorting Hat gives an inhuman screech before shouting my house.

"Please just stick him in Slytherin!"

I laugh and skip off to the Slytherin table, a wide smile winding its way onto my face. The other Slytherins clap politely and wait for the rest of the first years to be sorted.

When Neville's called, he falls over on his way to the stool. He waits impatiently with a worried expression on his face. When it finally shouted 'Hufflepuff!', Neville runs off still wearing it, and has to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to 'MacDougal, Morag.'

My cousin walks up with a swagger to his step and, as I expected, the Sorting Hat barely had to touch his head before it shouts out 'Slytherin!' He comes back with a confident air, sitting next to me so I can lay my head on his shoulder. "I love you, cousin," I whisper, and he smiles, answering in kind.

The Weasley boy and Blaise are the last to be called up. Ron goes to Gryffindor with the rest of his family's enormous brood, and Blaise comes to sit with us. "Hey, Harry," he says, "Did you have to scare the Sorting Hat?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's fun."

"What'd you say?"

"If I don't go to Slytherin, I'll boil you. Then I'll serve you to the Gryffindors on a bet."

"That's sick."

"You don't think they'd do it?"

"I know they would. That's the disgusting part."

"I'm glad you think so. Makes it more fun for me."

"Everything's fun for you."

"Doing homework isn't."

"Okay, besides that."

"Cleaning and picking up my messes."

"Stop making the…'

"Enough," Draco growls, cutting the boy off. "You are directing attention to us."

"Okay, Dray," I mutter and bury my face in his robes. "I want Snakey."

"He'll be in the Slytherin common room. Now just play with Kali, and you'll be okay. Alright?" I nod. "The feast itself will start in a little bit." I nod again.

We direct our attention to the headmaster and his speech. "Welcome!" he says, annoying me within moments. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words." I giggle when a few first years lean in closer to hear what he has to say, "And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

The table suddenly fills with food, and the other Slytherins politely ask around for the dishes. I look over at Severus and smile. He returns it before returning his conversation to Professor Quirrel, but every few minutes, he looks back at me.

After lots of prodding by Draco, I begin to eat what he shoves onto my plate, worried again that I will make myself starve again. I take a few bites and stop, setting my fork down and look away disinterested. "Harry," he says, "just eat a bit more. Please?" I shake my head and lean into him. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel good, Dray. I feel sick again."

His eyes open wide, and he mouths at Sev 'Harry feels sick.' Severus' eyes dart to me, and he gets up from the table. He lifts me into his arms and takes me out of the hall; Draco following behind. Whispers start up in the hall behind us, but I don't care. I bury my face into Sev's shoulder and cry out when I realize I left Kali behind.

"Dray! I left Kali! I left her!"

"It's okay," he says turning around, "I'll go get her."

Draco's POV

I walk back into the Great Hall, making a beeline for the table where Kali sits, pristine as usual. I pick her up and walk back out, ignoring the questions being thrown at me by my peers. I run after my godfather and cousin, worried that I'll get lost, and Harry'll suffer another mental breakdown. It wouldn't surprise me. He goes hysterical when his doll's missing. It's all he has of his mother.

Finally, I catch up with them and pass Harry the china doll. His face relaxes slightly, and he clutches her to his chest. "Harry, better now?"

He nods. "Thank you, Dray." He smiles weakly as Severus takes him into his separate bedroom. Tom wanted him to be away from the other boys where Severus could check up on him. My godfather sets him onto the bed and spells him into his bedclothes. I pull the covers up around him and watch as he falls asleep, the pained expression falling away.