Chapter 21

How to Help

Sirius paced back in forth in the small living room of the cabin. He couldn't settle. He'd let the greasy git take his pup. How had Albus managed to manipulate him again? Something was really wrong. What was he supposed to do now? Albus had contacted Amelia before they left and inquired about getting a meeting. She had a rather full schedule but had agreed to come to Albus office on Friday morning. Albus had scheduled the next Order meeting for Friday night. Once Albus had set the meeting's he'd dismissed them.

Sirius had paced around the house since they had returned.

"Siri you're wearing a hole in the floor. Talk to me. Please." Remus said from the couch.

"Why did you agree with Snape? You think it's right to let Snape punish Harry? For running away from probably a bad situation?" Sirius growled.

He heard Remus sigh.

"Harry needs to learn to think through his choices. He needs to reach out for help. He could have been killed. He could have gotten us killed At the Ministry. He…"

"Stop Remus. He was not responsible for what happened at the Ministry. He did what he could." Sirius snapped.

"I know." Remus said holding his hands up.

"He reached out to Severus though. We knew the situation. He didn't need to act. I think having some reasonable consequences might help him to remember next time that he needs to stop and think. Plus, I agree with Albus. Harry needs to be somewhere safe. If Severus' house is the safe place for him to be right now, I'm not going to argue with him. Severus will have Harry do some detention tasks and it will be over. Harry will be safe. Severus will be over his snit." Remus said.

"I don't like this either. I want Harry here with us. I can't explain the worry I have felt over this last week looking for him. What I want most though is for him to be safe. I can't guarantee the wards here. I love Harry…I love him like a son, but I won't make the mistake of assuming being here with us is what's best just because it's what we want." Remus sighed.

"I know you love him Remy. He's our pup. Always has been. I just don't like this. He wasn't okay. I tried to explain what had happened. I don't want him to think I blame him or have him blaming himself. He was so closed off when we talked, I don't know if he was even listening. I know you think he needs to learn to think before he acts but, this isn't the time. He needs us." Sirius sighed.

Sirius flopped down on the other end of the couch and dropped his head into his hands.

"What are we going to do?" Sirius asked.

"We just need to be patient. Albus contacted Amelia. Will meet with her on Friday. They already have Peter in custody. You can give memories and testimony under Veritaserum. There's no way they can send you back Sirius. You'll be cleared and then will plan our next step." Remus tried to console.

"I don't give a fuck about myself right now. It's Harry. Something's not right with him." Sirius said as he jumped up from the couch and resumed his pacing.

"Why do you think something's wrong. Maybe Severus is right, and Harry's just upset that we found him?" Remus said although he didn't sound to convinced with that answer.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Remus." Sirius pleaded, kneeling down in front of Remus. He looked into his eyes and shook his head.

"Something is wrong. You and I both know it. Harry didn't say a single word in that office. It was like he was in shock. I…Have you ever given Harry a hug?" Sirius asked.

Remus cheeks flushed lightly in shame, and he looked away from Sirius and shook his head.

"Remy, you're not a monster. Harry loved Uncle Moo when he was a baby. James and Lily trusted you with him just as much as they trusted me. Ok?" Sirius said.

Sirius reached out and squeezed Remus' hand.

Sirius bit his lip.

"I've given Harry a couple of hugs. He…He always goes stiff as a board." Sirius explained.

Remus looked back at Sirius and listened.

Sirius sighed rubbing his face. He sat back and leaned against the armchair.

"Today…today he didn't do that, but he wasn't leaning into the hug either. It was like hugging a rag doll. Like he wasn't even there." Sirius muttered.

"You think he was dissociating?" Remus asked.

Sirius looked at Remus with a questioning look.

"It's when the mind disconnects from the reality of a situation. It's a type of coping mechanism. If you're right, he might have dissociated because of the stress of the situation. Or it could have been something that happened while he was on the run." Remus said.

Sirius nodded his understanding.

"Maybe. His eyes just looked so dead, and he just felt limp in my arms. Then he didn't say anything. You saw his face. It was all bloodied up. He needed us to take him, and I just let Albus hand him off to Snape." Sirius tried to explain, frustration clear in his voice.

"I don't know Remy. I can only guess as to what happened. I'm guessing something happened with his relatives that sent him running. I can't even imagine what has happened to him over the last couple of weeks while he's been on his own. Anything could have happened to him…." Sirius trailed off in a whisper.

"Sirius try not to make it bigger in your head. Ok?" Remus murmured.

Sirius nodded but he could already feel tears welling in his eyes. All the thoughts of all the horrible possibilities.

"I know we talked about it before but, I think when we get Harry, we need to confront him head on. No more of this beating around the bush and hoping he'll just come to us. We're fairly sure he has been mistreated by his relatives. We can't help until we know for sure. Plus, there are a lot of different things mistreatment could mean. How we handle Harry will have to be around what his issues are. We can try and talk to him about his time on the run too. For now, you need to remember that he's safe. You might not like Severus but he's not going to let anything happen to Harry. I…I got the impression when Severus kept helping me look for Harry, that even if he hates that Harry is James' son, part of him looks out for Harry for Lily." Remus said, reaching out and running his fingers through Sirius hair.

Sirius nodded and felt the first tear slide down his face.

"I should have done things so differently. Why did I let Hagrid take him that night? Why didn't I just bundle him up and take him to the flat." Sirius cried and buried his head in his hands.

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen Siri. Peter betrayed us all. You were hurt and you weren't thinking clearly. We can't go back and change it now. But we can be here for Harry now. We can help him heal." Remus said as he continued to softly comb his fingers through Sirius hair.

Sirius wiped his face and looked up at Remus. He was right. They couldn't go back. They needed to look forward. They wouldn't have Harry right away but maybe they could start getting things in order for him to join them. Sirius realized what he really needed was a task. If he didn't find something to set his mind and body to, he'd be emptying Remus' liquor cabinet by sunset.

Sirius scrubbed his hands over his face.

"You're right." Sirius sighed.

"We'll talk to him when he gets here. He needs to talk about whatever is going on. He's been getting worse all year. I think something was happening at school too that he wasn't telling me." Sirius said calmly.

Remus nodded.

"Do you…Do you think we can get the house prepared for him to come here. I know will have to wait on Bill to check the wards but maybe we can get a room ready for him…I…I Think I need to stay busy right now. I'm feeling old demons rearing up and I…I want to stay sober. For myself, for you, for Harry." Sirius whispered.

It was a challenging thing to admit out loud. He'd enjoyed drinking and partying at Hogwarts and when they'd first been out of school. However, After Azkaban it had become a crutch. His nightmares haunted him and this last year especially he'd felt trapped not only in that house but in old memories. He'd sobered up over the last few months as he'd researched werewolves. And as he planned how he might eventually get Harry and get out of that house. Now the draw to drink felt strong again. He felt out of control in this situation. He couldn't help Harry right now. He couldn't go to the Ministry and get his name cleared. He couldn't even work on his research as everything was at Grimmauld.

"Yeah, we can do that. I think staying busy is a good idea. Maybe it'll help get your mind off everything." Remus said giving Sirius shoulder a squeeze.

"I'm always here if you need to talk." Remus added.

"I know." Sirius whispered.

Sirius knew Remus was smart and levelheaded. He was a great person to talk to when you needed to sort out your thoughts. He'd studied Mind Healing and muggle psychology. Which had been helpful for Sirius as he tried to put himself back together after Azkaban. Sirius suspected it would come in handy when they started to help Harry with his issues too.

"I…I know I gave you that…" Sirius said pointing to the ring.

"But are you going to be okay with us staying in the same room. The house only has two bedrooms…If you're not comfortable with that I…I can just stay out here on the couch." Sirius mumbled.

He chanced a look up at Remus and saw a smirk on his face.

"We did share a bed last night…. And if I'm being completely honest, I had missed it." Remus said. His cheeks blushing a little.

Sirius smiled back.

"Me too." Sirius whispered back taking Remus hand.

Sirius sighed and rested his head back on the chair. He hoped that his waiting was nearly over. He wanted to move on with his life. He hoped Harry could wait a little longer. That he would be okay a little longer.

"Do you think we should try and talk to Severus about Harry?" Remus asked softly.

Sirius gut reaction was no. No, he didn't want to discuss anything with the git. He especially didn't want to talk about Harry with him. The man seemed to want to take all of his hate and distain for James out on Harry and it was completely unfair. Harry was a sweet kid. He didn't deserve what Snape laid on him. He and Remus had spoken about it several times. Who bullies an orphan about their dead parents? It was cruel and completely out of line. Especially for a teacher. However, Sirius was very concerned about Harry. And for the time being he was going to be with Snape. Perhaps trying to expose a little of Harry might keep the git from making things worse.

"I don't know. Will he even listen to us? The man seems pretty set in only seeing Harry as a miniature James." Sirius sighed. His best friend didn't deserve that either. James and Severus had fought like cats and dogs for years. James had definitely started it, but Severus had learned to fight back. He could be just as cruel in a duel as the four of them any day.

"What would we even tell him. We know something is up, but we don't know anything for sure. The man has known Harry for five years. If he hasn't picked up on it by now, I doubt us telling him to look for it is going to change his mind." Sirius spat.

Remus nodded.

"I spoke with all of Harry's teachers and several of his friends while he was missing. I wanted to see if any of them had any idea where he might be. Honestly Sirius, I don't think any of them know him at all. The teachers talk about an average student with lots of friends. That he's well-adjusted but a troublemaker. I don't know what to make of that. I only taught at the school for a year. But Harry's essays, while needing improvement with penmanship were thoughtful and engaging. He showed great interest in the work and was curious how one lesson applied to the next. In his practical lessons he was amazingly well above the other students. I mean for crying out loud the boy produced a fully corporeal Patronus at thirteen." Remus said a little exacerbated.

"He's gotten into trouble but almost none of it was trouble for troublemaking's sake. He seems to think no one will help him when something really goes wrong. So, he doesn't even bother asking for the help and just does it himself. As for friends, He's friendly with his classmates and he's definitely closest with the Weasley's and Hermione but…" Remus cut himself off in thought.

"It's a mask. He doesn't want people to see him Remy. They've already decided who he is. And it's the boy-who-Lived. All Harry has to do is lean into it a little and people buy it. The night Harry learned about his Metamorphmagus abilities, and I helped guide him to his base form…" Sirius swallowed down his emotions. He could see that night so clearly in his mind.

"He told me he wished he could just be himself. The look on his face was heartbreaking." Sirius said biting his lip a little.

"I told him he could be himself with us, but I never saw him shift again. I don't know if he felt uncomfortable with it or if it's just a different mask that he wears with us." Sirius sighed.

"What does he look like?" Remus whispered, a touch of sadness in his voice.

Remus had loved Harry just as much as Sirius had but he'd always feared being too close to anyone. Fear of hurting them or being exposed and rejected. He had such low self-esteem and it killed Sirius. Remus was the kindest, most gentle person he'd ever met.

Sirius gave him a tight smile and then smirked.

"Harry described it as Lily with James hair." Sirius laughed softly.

Remus laughed a little and smiled back.

"Honestly, it's just a better balance of the two of them. The way his eyes lit up when he first saw himself though. It was honest and hopeful. I'd bet anything if he used his metamorphmagus abilities while he was on the run he hid out as himself. It's all he's ever wanted. To just be seen as himself." Sirius sighed.

"Maybe that's how we change Severus temperament towards Harry." Remus said thoughtfully.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that.

"How do you mean?" Sirius asked looking to Remus for explanation.

"I don't think Severus sees Harry at all. I think he sees James. It's hard not to. When I first saw him, I thought I was dreaming. He'd passed out on the train because of the dementor. I was worried about all the kids, but I felt like my brain had stopped working when I was standing there looking down at a thirteen-year-old James. It was when he opened his eyes that my brain seemed to start working and I realized who I was actually looking at. That was almost more painful. I left the train car as soon as he was sitting up. I couldn't…" Remus cut himself off with a long sigh.

"I know what you mean. The first time I saw him he was running away from his relative's house. I thought I was watching James for a moment." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"So how does that help us with Snape?" Sirius asked.

"If Harry's base form looks less like James perhaps Severus will finally see Harry as just another kid. I know it's a bit of a long shot. If you're right and Harry is wearing masks to placate people around him. He may not be willing to shift and show a truer version of himself to Severus, but it might help them. If Severus is meant to teach Harry to close his mind, there's going to need to be trust. Right now, there isn't any on either side of that relationship." Remus explained.

Sirius considered this for a moment. He wasn't sure but it was worth a shot. He'd really like to talk to Harry and not just push him into that situation.

"How about we just ask Severus on Friday how Harry is doing? Then we can decide what to do next. If Harry is doing okay maybe we just let it be until we get him. If things aren't going well then will try and discuss things with Severus." Remus offered.

Sirius nodded. He didn't like it, but it sounded like it was the only option at the moment.

"Come on. Let's go see what we can do in my old room to get it fixed up for our pup." Remus said standing and holding a handout to Sirius.

Sirius gave him a tight smile and took his hand.

Bill stepped into the small cottage his family had rented for their visit with Charlie. He sighed deeply. He was glad he could tell his family good news. They'd all been worried sick about Harry. Parts of the interaction were sticking in his mind though and he didn't like unanswered questions.

He could hear talking and laughing coming from the sitting room and made his way there. He stood in the doorway and observed them all for a moment. His mum was sitting with Percy talking quietly. He was thankful his brother had seen sense. The family was close and having one of them pull away had been painful.

His dad sat with Charlie and was speaking animatedly. No doubt telling him about the latest muggle contraption. Charlie had always been closest to their dad and had shared his interest in muggle things. After nearly losing his dad last year it warmed his heart to see his brother and father talking. It made their family feel whole.

Fred and George had their heads together in a corner like always. Those two had always been trouble but the house looked like it was more or less as he'd left it, so there likely hadn't been any pranks while he'd been gone.

Ginny and Ron sat on the floor with Hermione and Dean. A game of exploding snaps laid out in the middle. Hermione hadn't been much of a surprise. From everything he had seen and heard it was rare for them and Harry to ever be apart. He was saddened to hear that she'd basically been chased from her home but was thankful that his family could take her in.

Dean was a surprise. The boy had practically walked to their house seeking sanctuary. His mother had just swooped in and taken him in. He had heard there had been several conversations with the four of them, about what was expectations with having a boyfriend or girlfriend staying in the house.

Bill laughed a little when his father had told him about Ron turning bright red at the conversation. As far as he was aware the four of them hadn't caused any trouble. They had mostly sat and stewed about Harry. He hoped the news would lower the stress that seemed to have infested his family.

Bill stepped into the room and cleared his throat.

Everyone looked at him quietly.

"What is it, son?" His father asked. His brows furrowed in worry.

"Harry has been found. He's safe." Bill said evenly.

The room erupted almost as loudly as the order meeting had when it had been announced Harry was missing.

Bill observed everyone seemed to be overjoyed by the news. He did notice Fred and George didn't seem as excited by the news as the rest. He'd noticed a lot of looks when Harry had been brought up. He'd talk with them later.

"Where is he?" His mother's voice cut above the rest.

"I took him to the headmaster. I'm not sure where they'll have him stay. Dumbledore said there would be a meeting on Friday. I imagine will find out then." Bill replied.

His mother huffed.

"Albus should have just let you bring him here. Where else is he going to go?" His mum said waving her hands.

Bill knew that Harry was likely going with Sirius. However, he'd agreed not to share that information for now. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to light that he knew before them. His mother didn't care much for Sirius. She thought he was too reckless. However, he knew that his younger siblings had gotten to know the man over the holidays and seemed to take his apparent death fairly hard.

"I'm not sure mum. McGonagall and Snape were there when I brought Harry in. I'm sure they'll figure something out. I'm not sure it would be safe to have Harry here. We've got wards but they won't hold against much of an attack. They're mostly alarm charms. I will focus on the wards at home, ok? I'll make sure it's safe for him to be there when we get back." Bill tried to reassure.

"What do you mean 'when you brought him in?'" Ron said, standing up and stepping away from his friends.

"I got called away to the bank. I found Harry there." Bill answered.

There were a few mumbles and then everyone seemed to settle back in. The conversations picked up and Bill felt like he was intruding. He glanced back at the twins and saw that they now looked like they were ready for a fight. He caught Fred's eye and gestured out of the room. He saw them look at one another and then stand and follow him out of the room and into the kitchen.

Bill waved his wand and cast a silencing charm over the room. Then he stared at Fred and George.

"What is going on with you two?" Bill asked.

Bill watched as they looked at one another and shook their heads. He wasn't going to get anything.

"What? Is one of you shagging Potter?" Bill joked but glanced at George.

Bill suspected that if one of his brothers was going to run off with another wizard it would be George. He smirked a little as George blushed furiously.

"No, no it's not that at all." George said shaking his head.

Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Then what? Every time Harry gets brought up you too look like you've had a constipation hex cast on you." Bill said.

Both just shook their heads.

Bill sighed.

"What if I take a wizards oath not to say anything." Bill offered.

He didn't think an oath should be necessary to share secrets between siblings, but something wasn't sitting right.

The twins looked at one another. Bill was surprised to see they seemed to be disagreeing. Most of the time they acted as if they were one person in two bodies.

Fred sighed and eventually nodded to George.

"No wizards oath. We might need your help and if you take a wizard's oath your hands will be tied. But you need to keep this to yourself. Do you understand?" George said with a harshness Bill had never heard in his brother's voice.

Bill felt his stomach tighten. He didn't like the feeling he was getting. The twins were never involved in anything serious. He'd assumed it was something mildly problematic, but he was getting the feeling that wasn't the case.

Some days he hated being the big brother. With a sigh he nodded.

Fred and George walked to the kitchen table and took a seat. Bill followed and sat across from them. If this was something serious enough that the twins felt like they needed to sit, than no doubt Bill would be thankful for the seat.

"Where do you think Dumbledore will have Harry stay?" Fred asked.

Bill thought about Sirius. He assumed Dumbledore would just send Harry and Sirius back to Grimmauld. Should he tell them about Sirius? He wasn't sure yet. He needed more information before he broke the headmaster's confidence.

"I'm not sure." Bill answered.

"Do you think he'll send him back to the Dursley's?" Fred asked with a hard tone.

"I doubt it. They left the country. I suppose he might if he thinks he can pull the wards back up. You heard him, it was the safest place for Harry. I don't think it's possible to fix those types of wards though. Once there broken they're gone." Bill said.

A dark look overcame both of his brother's faces as he talked.

"Harry was never safe there." George spat.

Bill was taken aback by the outburst.

"He was if what the headmaster told me about the wards is true. You-know-who and any of his followers wouldn't have been able to enter the property. That's better than anything I could put up to keep him safe." Bill tried to explain.

"It doesn't keep him safe in that house though." Fred growled.

Bill felt a little sick. What were his brothers talking about?

"What do you mean?" Bill asked a little hesitantly.

The twins nodded to one another and turned back to him.

"Harry has been abused his whole life in that house." George deadpanned.

Bill felt like his ears were ringing a little. That couldn't be right.

"What…What do you mean?" Bill asked.

"We've been patching him up for the last four years after the 'care' the Dursley's give him." George growled.

Bill sucked in a sharp breath.

That was not what he was expecting. Then he thought back to seeing the look on Harry's face when he'd walked into that office. The fear in the boy's eyes. Ducking away from his hand when he'd reached out to him. Merlin. The kid probably thought he was getting taken back to his relatives.

"Why didn't you guys tell anyone?" Bill asked.

"We promised we wouldn't. Harry didn't want anyone to know. We agreed as long as he let us know when he needed help." Fred answered.

Bill closed his eyes and shook his head.

"He needed an adult." Bill replied, giving the twins a disapproving look.

"We are adults." They chorused.

"You weren't four years ago." Bill snipped back.

"Something could have been done. They could have gotten him out of there." Bill growled.

George just shook his head.

"Harry tried to get out of there. Dumbledore told him he had to stay for the stupid wards." George shouted back.

Bill considered that for a moment.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Bill asked cautiously. Bill could except a lot of the old man's manipulations but if he knew that Harry was being abused and was sending him back, he didn't know if he could continue to support him. He would go with Fleur to France if he needed to. He wouldn't stand around and be a part of something that allowed a child to be hurt for Dumbledore's greater good.

Fred shrugged and George bit his lip and looked at his hands.

"We don't know. We think he knows some. Harry doesn't talk about it much. He tries to joke it off and lighten the mood when it gets brought up. He doesn't want to be seen as weak. We don't really understand why Dumbledore gets to have so much say in Harry's life anyway." Fred answered.

"He is Harry's magical Guardian. He petitioned the Wizengamot after Sirius was imprisoned and Alice Longbottom was hospitalized. Since they were his magical godparents and would have become his guardians after his parents died." Bill explained.

Fred and George gave each other questioning looks.

"Surely Harry knows that." Bill said.

They both shook their heads.

"No, I don't think he does. Harry didn't even know about the wizarding world until he got his first Hogwarts letter." George answered.

"How is that possible. Surely Dumbledore was checking in on him. Teaching him about his place in this world. He's an heir for Merlin's sake." Bill ranted.

The twins both shook their heads again.

Bill groaned and rubbed his face. Why was this really not that surprising? Dumbledore had gotten guardianship to keep anyone else from getting it but then had more or less left the boy on his own.

"Sirius was teaching Harry this last year. But…" Fred cut himself of from stating the obvious.

"Does anyone else know. Ron and Hermione? Sirius?" Bill asked.

"No, all they know is that he doesn't like it at his relatives. Harry is very embarrassed by what he views as a weakness. He doesn't want them to think he can't take care of himself. There are a lot of expectations on him. More than should be on a kid's shoulders." Fred explained.

"We tried to talk him into telling Sirius about what was going on last summer. It's gotten worse since he ran away last time. Before we went to the world cup, I thought we were going to have to take him to St. Mungo's, but he wouldn't even hear us out. Last summer was even worse. Plus, he was an emotional wreck dealing with Cedric's death and the return of you-know-who. I can only imagine how much worse it was this summer after losing Sirius." George murmured.

"He's not dead." Bill whispered.

The identical shocked looks on their faces would have been humorous if the situation wasn't so serious.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything. I don't know any information. When we got to Dumbledore's office it wasn't just McGonagall and Snape. Remus and Sirius were there too. I was told not to say anything so keep it to yourself." Bill said in a no-nonsense tone.

The twins nodded.

Bill sighed. This was a mess.

"Do you…Do you think Sirius took Harry?" George asked quietly.

"I don't know." Bill mumbled.

"Was Harry okay?" Fred asked.

"He looked pretty rough." Bill admitted.

Bill caught sight of George's hands balling up. He'd never seen his usually easy-going little brother get so upset.

"You said you thought I could help. How?" Bill asked.

"We need you to find out where Harry is. If he is hurt, he won't ask for help. He probably would have walked around with a broken arm in his second year if the whole school hadn't seen him break it during the game." George said.

"Might have been better than having that creep Lockhart vanish all of his bones." Fred countered.

"Surely if he's in pain he'll ask for help." Bill said.

George shook his head.

"We cornered him about some things we saw after we picked him up in dad's car. We didn't even know he was hurt until we pushed. Kid was just going to walk around with welts and bruises like it was normal." Fred said.

"It was for him." George added in a whisper.

"Okay. So, what? Find out where he is and then sneak you two into see him to play Medi-witch? This isn't a solution guys." Bill tried to get them to see reason.

"What solution would you come up with big brother? Run to Dumbledore and hope he cares now? He's using Harry. Harry's just a poster boy. All that 'Boy-who-lived' crap." George growled.

Bill rubbed his face and sighed into his hands. Massaging his temples he tried to think of a solution.

"He had marks on his face. Surely whoever takes him in will treat them. If Harry has other injuries maybe, he'll speak up when they treat his face." Bill offered.

"You could see marks on his face?" Fred asked.

Bill nodded.

"Not his relatives then." Fred said, turning to George.

George nodded back.

"He's been away from there for over two weeks. I doubt he'd still be marked up. Plus, the bruise looked faded, but he had deep scratches on his face. Road rash I think." Bill put in.

"No, Fred is saying if the marks were from his uncle, you wouldn't have seen them. He…well I'm not sure how it works. It's accidental magic, I think. When we see him at the end of the summer he looks fine. I think it's some kind of glamour. Like we said he's really embarrassed and fears people finding out and I think his magic is protecting him from that fear by covering the marks. So, the marks are probably from something that happened after." Fred explained.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have other wounds from his relatives. They're not above doing real damage to him. He's even shown up with broken bones a couple of times." George said softly.

Bill could see tears shining in George's eyes. Fred looked pissed.

"Alright, I'll find out where he is. See what we can do for him. You guys know he probably needs more than just getting patched up physically. He probably needs a mind heeler. Like the one Mum and Dad took Ginny too. Long term abuse isn't going to be just fixed up with some potions and plasters." Bill murmured.

"We know. No one has ever looked out for Harry. He's nearly died every year he's been at Hogwarts. No one even bothers to check and make sure he's ok. Dumbledore just checks in, gives him some points, and sends him back to his relatives. I…I don't think he even got proper physical care after the tournament." George said, his voice breaking.

"We did what we could for him this year. Made sure we were checking in. Making sure he hadn't…" Fred started but cut himself off.

"Hadn't what?" Bill asked, looking between Fred and George.

They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Nothing." Fred whispered looking down at his hands.

Bill felt unbelievably frustrated.

"I'm trying to help. You can talk to me. If it's important talk to me." Bill tried.

"It's not our place to talk about it. If Harry wants to share more about what's going on in his life that's his choice. We just want to make sure he isn't walking around with broken bones, or actively bleeding out." George said defensively.

"Okay, I'll try and find out where he is. It might take me a few days, but we'll figure this out. Ok?" Bill said confidently.

"I'm sorry you guys have had to carry this around for so long. It's a lot." Bill said giving them each a gentle squeeze to the hand.

"I know you want to keep your word to Harry but I think we're going to need to tell someone. Not the Headmaster. Clearly, he's got his head to far up his ass to do anything. But I think we should tell Mum and Dad. Or Sirius. Harry needs someone to help him. We also need someone to advocate for him. Make sure that Dumbledore doesn't just send him back." Bill said.

The twins gave him equally sharp looks.

"Not that I think he will. His relatives have left the country. I don't think Dumbledore wants Harry that far away. It also seems like the wards were the biggest reason to keep him there and they have fallen." Bill said holding up his hands in a placating manner.

"So, Sirius or Mum and Dad? Or Someone else? I know you two feel like adults, but you just aren't really prepared to handle this on your own. I…I don't think I can do it either. We're going to need some help." Bill said, feeling a little hopeless. He hoped his brothers would agree to get more help. He was not prepaid to be the adult in this situation.

Bill watched as the twins silently conversed.

"Sirius then. Harry will be hurt that we told anyone. But I…I think Sirius already suspects. He never said anything, but Harry spent a lot of time with him. I think it will be more confirming suspicions then telling." Fred said.

Bill nodded.

His quiet vacation with his family was becoming rather stressful.

Bill rolled his neck and it creaked.

"Have you guys been in contact with Harry at all this summer?" Bill asked.

"We sent him supplies. Dumbledore made it pretty clear that he intended to keep Harry there all summer. Then told us all not to contact him. We wanted to make sure he had food and potions." Fred said.

Bill nodded. His brothers were good kids. A little misguided with their actions but they were still growing up.

"All right, well we better vacate before mum comes storming in hear thinking we're looking for food." Bill said with a smirk.

The twins nodded.

Bill watched as they stood and headed out. They both looked a little like kicked puppies.

"We'll help Harry. Okay? Don't worry too much. We'll get him taken care of. He's safe for now." Bill offered words he hoped would be comforting to his brothers.

They both gave tight smiles and left the kitchen.

Bill waved his wand and cancelled the silencing charm.

This was not good. He'd need to talk to Dumbledore to find out were Harry was. That shouldn't be too hard. His whole family had been demanding to have Harry the whole summer. Then he would need to speak with Sirius. He hoped Harry was with him. If not, things might get even more complicated.

Bill lowered his head to the table and groaned. He just wanted to enjoy his family time and then go meet up with Fleur.

Hearing the family headed to the kitchen he straightened himself up. He masked his worry about the situation with a feigned smile and greeted his family as they swarmed the kitchen.