Chapter 5 – The Truth
'filth! Scum! Blood-traitors, half-breeds, mutants begone from my fathers…' screamed the portrait of an old horrible looking woman dressed in all black. The curtains had shot open as soon as Harry made enough noise tumbling down the stairs and landing in a heap at the bottom on the first-floor landing. Harry put his hands over his ears as the screaming was so piercingly loud as Mrs Weasley and Remus tried to close the curtains.
"Out of my way!" someone with long shaggy hair came running past him, stunning the other portraits that had joined in the screaming. "SHUT UP! YOU EVIL OLD HAG!" they continued, Harry recognized the voice as Sirius' and was glad that he was very well groomed compared to the last time he had seen him.
'YOU! SCUM OF THE EARTH, BLOOD TRAITOR! SHAME OF MY FLESH!' the painting continued to screech as
"SHUT UP!" yelled Sirius and with Remus' help managed to close the curtains and silence the woman. "Ah Hello Harry, I see you have met my mother"
"Your mother?"
"Yes, why hasn't anyone told you? This was my childhood house, grim isn't it?" Harry nodded.
"Lets get you up Harry, are you hurt?" asked Lupin as he lifted Harry up from behind placing him back on his feet. Harry shook his head in answer to Remus' question.
"Quite a trip you took there?" commented Sirius
"Yeah, tripped over something waist height, didn't see what it was though" replied Harry
"I think I know who what was, our old house elf, doesn't look where he's going half the time" growled Sirius, his dog like nature coming through. "What happened to you?" he asked concerned.
"Perhaps it would be better if I explain to everyone at the same time as it doesn't look like anyone knows what has happened" replied Harry. Sirius and Remus nodded, Remus more sympathetically. The three made their way down to the kitchen where Bill and Mr Weasley were sat talking at one end of a long table. Chairs were everywhere as the meeting had just ended. Mrs Weasley cleared a path through the chairs and allowed Harry to sit down.
"Hey Harry!" Exclaimed Bill as he rolled up the parchment from in front of him and Mr Weasley. "What happened to you? though that brace does look cool"
"I think we would all like to know that" Shouted Ron from the other side of the room as he was placing cutlery down for everyone. Tonks had not been recruited to help, she had already smashed two plates and so was benched for being clumsy.
"I think we should all eat before we start asking Harry questions!" screeched Mrs Weasley over the babble. After that everyone went back to their conversations. Remus who had taken a seat next to Harry watched as the twins picked up their wands and tried to magic the breadboard and the knife over the table.
"WILL YOU TWO STOP THAT!" yelled Mrs Weasley as the knife and breadboard dropped out of the air, the knife landing on its point right where Sirius' hand just laid. A smelly man who had just woken up in the corner fell off his chair making everyone laugh. Harry didn't laugh, he smiled and went back to his gloomy thoughts. Remus who was still observing Harry gave him a sympathetic smile.
Soon everyone's plates were laden with warm beef stew and home cooked bread had been sliced and placed in the middle for whoever wanted it. Harry looked around, Tonks was changing her nose into different shapes, one his greasy haired potion professors giant nose, the a pig snout, it looked like Hermione and Ginny were used to it and was normal dinnertime behaviour. Harry didn't want to speak so he spent the time trying to eat bites of his stew, it had only just occurred to him how full he felt, even though he had not eaten properly for weeks.
Harry managed to eat his portion of stew and afterward rhubarb and custard crumble pudding for dessert. Everyone else seemed to manage three portions each but Harry barely managed his one. Once everyone was finished the dishes were magically washed in the sink leaving everyone on the table with a cup of tea ready for questions.
"So, what did happen to you Harry?" asked Ron again impatiently. Mrs Weasley gave Ron a scowl. Harry desperately didn't want to tell but with everyone waiting he decided not to disappoint.
"I was trying to make my way back to my Aunt and Uncles house before my cousin, I managed to get in front of him, he started at my parents, I couldn't ignore him so I threatened him with my wand, I did not do any magic." Harry was careful to say about the no magic "as I was threatening everything went cold and the street lights in the alleyway turned themselves off I thought I was performing accidental magic, but then I saw two dementors coming towards me. I attempted the patronus charm, it was unsuccessful, nothing came out of my wand, there was no evidence of magic. As a last ditch attempt to get away I started running out of the alleyway and onto the road, I didn't know there was a car coming, next thing all I heard was my bones cracking in my leg and the smash of glass. Before I lost consciousness, I heard someone apparate and perform the Patronus charm before the dementor kissed me. All I remember after that is waking up in muggle hospital." Harry finished, the entire room in an eerie silence.
"Your Patronus was unsuccessful?" asked Lupin from beside him. Harry nodded "Harry give me your wand a second"
"Remus what are you doing?" asked Sirius and Arthur at the same time.
"If the spell was unsuccessful, then it would not register when his wand is checked for previous spells, this could give Harry a huge advantage" Harry gave Remus his wand "Priori Incantatem" muttered Remus, an image of something being summoned to the wand holder appeared out of the tip of Harrys wand. "The last spell performed with this wand was the summoning spell on the 30th June"
"You are in the clear Harry, the Ministry cannot prosecute you if you did not perform the spell"
"and Mundungus can BACK YOU UP! HE WAS THE ONE WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TAILING YOU, PROTECTING YOU FROM HARM! HE LEFT YOU TO FEND FOR YOURSLELF AGAINST DEMENTORS TO GO POKING AFTER STOLEN CAULDRONS! AND THEN WHEN YOU RETURNED AND PERFORMED THE SPELL HARRY WAS ACCUSED OF PRODUCING AND LEFT HIM LAYING IN THE ROAD AFTER BEING RUN OVER BY A CAR! YOU WAIT UNTIL DUMBLEDORE HEARS YOU'VE LIED TO HIM!" shouted Mrs Weasley, never in Harrys life had he seen her this angry, it was a hundred times worse than when they returned to the burrow after driving a flying car and the howler that followed after their trip into school in the same car.
"Sorry Molly, but Figgy told me to leave him, leave him to the muggle services since he was run over by one"
"BUT YOU DIDNT TELL ANYONE WHAT HAD HAPPENED! YOU DIDN'T CARE TO INFORM US THAT HARRY WAS HURT! MADE YOURSELF LOOK LIKE A REAL SAVIOUR! I AM ABSOLUTLEY DISGUSTED! GET OUT, OUT OF MY SIGHT! I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU HERE UNTIL THE NEXT ORDER MEETING! I WILL BE INFORMING DUMBLEDORE OF YOUR ACTIONS. NOW OUT!" continued to shout Mrs Weasley. The smelly man from the top of the table jumped up and left as fast as his legs would carry him. "Oh Harry Dear" exclaimed Mrs Weasley hugging Harry from behind and stroking his hair, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Molly dear, let Harry go" asked Mr Weasley softly. Harry didn't know what to do or say at this point, everyone was looking stunned at Mrs Weasley's reaction but also staring at Harry, his story obviously not what they had expected.
"Harry, would it be alright if I had a look at your leg?" asked Remus quietly so that only Harry and maybe a few around them could hear "see what damage there is, we will inform Dumbledore and he will probably send Poppy over to fix you, for now lets see if we can get you more comfortable" Harry nodded.
"Right Bed" Everyone, no excuses, let's leave Harry in peace, I'm sure he doesn't want all you lot crowding round him when he's in pain." Exclaimed Mrs Weasley
"But Mum" started Ron
"But mum what? Bed!" called Mrs Weasley again. Without hesitation the young Weasley clan made their way upstairs, obviously not wanting to be on the end of their mother's wrath. This left Mr Weasley, Bill, Mrs Weasley, Sirius and Remus left in the kitchen. "Let's get you comfortable then Harry" said Mrs Weasley summoning some cushions to go under his leg which she had placed up on an adjacent chair.
"Right, I am going to unstrap your brace and unbandage your leg okay, tell me to stop right away if it hurts too much" explained Remus, Harry nodded. Remus slowly unstrapped the brace from Harrys knee before slowly taking it away from behind his leg, Mrs Weasley was quick to replace that support with a cushion. Harry put on a brave face as Remus undid the many bandages keeping Harrys leg stiff, once he was done Remus allowed Harry to relax his leg onto the cushions for a break. Mrs Weasley gasped. Remus sighed sadly; Harry had a look at his leg too. His knee was all black, blue and swollen, as he looked further down, towards his ankle there was a large stitched cut cross his leg and bruising surrounding it, there was barely any healthy skin left, only above his knee and t select points down towards his ankle. "What did the muggle Doctor say?"
"Um, I think they said something about all ligaments being damaged and an open fracture of the two bones at the bottom of my leg. They said I would need a lot of surgery to fix it" replied Harry
"Well if that is the case Madame Pomfery will not be able to fix this overnight, ligaments do not grow back on their own, you will need her to place some new ligaments in, then it will be a lot of rest before a lot of practice, if they are all torn like the muggles say you won't be able to walk or put weight on for weeks, months maybe, can I do a couple of tests see what we are dealing with so I can inform Poppy?" asked Remus gently. Harry nodded, the hope that someone would be able to help him quickly was quickly diminishing.
Remus gently picked up the lower part of Harrys leg with both hands and wiggled it back and fourth and side to side. If Remus wasn't holding it securely his leg would have allowed the bottom half to completely bend in the wrong direction. It didn't hurt too much, much less than Harry was expecting but was glad when Remus put it down sighing.
"I really hoped the muggles were wrong, but it does look like everything has snapped. I'm sorry Harry"
"It's okay" replied Harry. This had been all too much for Mrs Weasley who was now crying, sobbing into her husband's shoulder. Harrys dark cloud just got heavier, everything seemed to have gone wrong, and there was so little hope left.
"Ill bandage you back up, place a cushioning charm on your brace and a silencing one on your sticks, Ill then inform Dumbledore of everything that has happened. Try not to worry Cub" Remus said softly. Remus worked quickly and gently, before Harry knew it he was back in his brace, it was much more comfortable now, especially since Mrs Weasley insisted Harry taking a pain reducer potion. Harry sighed, making to go up to bed, but Sirius stopped him.
"We have all questioned you tonight, you have been left in the dark, do you have any questions from us before you go to bed?" asked Sirius
