62Chapter 2
Miscommunication and New Information
Remus sighed as he waited for the next student. They'd made their way through the first through third years before lunch. He was impressed at how efficient the whole process had been. He thought they may actually get through the whole student body before dinner. Albus had brought in a few extra healer's that Poppy knew from St. Mungo's to help get the student's their exams. They were all given a basic diagnostic unless they said something or there were concerns on the exam.
He had stationed himself near the door to introduce himself to the students as they left. He had a planner in front of him for appointments. The students all seemed to be pleased with his return, which was making him feel more confident. He hadn't made very many appointments, but the students seemed comfortable with him.
He hoped Sirius was also having a productive day. The heads of house were meeting with the students to set their schedules. The younger years' schedules were all mostly the same. Third year students needed to submit their choice of elective. Fourth and fifth years were typically still in the same classes they'd picked in third year, though some opted to switch. NEWT level students had more say on their schedules and usually took the longest. All of the students were also getting the option to take the new classes offered this year.
Remus imagined Sirius was probably with the sixth years now. He hoped that this would be the easiest part of the day since most of the year were Harry's friends.
"Hello." A voice said, pulling Remus from his musing.
Remus looked up and found a Gryffindor child in front of him. Remus smiled and held out his hand.
"Hello, I'm Healer Lupin." Remus said.
"Colin Creevey." The boy replied with a big smile.
Remus smiled back and shook the boy's hand. Remus already had a file for Colin and had written a few notes to try and meet with him in light of what had happened this summer.
"Um… Madam Pomfrey said I should make an appointment with you…I Er…I'm not sure how to do that." Colin said hesitantly.
Remus nodded reassuringly.
"I'll just add your name to my schedule. You're a fifth year, right?" Remus asked, though he already knew.
Colin nodded back.
"All right well, looks like fifth year Gryffindors have a break after first class on Friday. Will that work?" Remus asked, taking a quick look at the timetables the Heads of house had provided.
Colin shrugged a little and nodded.
"All right. My office is on the third floor near the tapestry of the wildflowers." Remus said, handing Colin an appointment card before jotting down the time in his schedule.
"Okay. Have a nice day Professor." Colin said with a half-smile as he shoved the card in his pocket and headed out of the hospital wing.
Remus continued to meet with the fifth years for the next hour and managed to schedule a few more appointments. The first two weeks of school looked like they were going to be rather full.
He smiled when he saw the Gryffindor sixth years filter in. He was looking forward to seeing Harry. He had seen him last night at the welcome feast but hadn't seen him at breakfast this morning. Then he'd been stuck in the hospital wing the rest of the day.
He knew that his schedule was going to keep him busy, but he would make time for Harry. He still had a lot to work through. Remus also just missed him. Though they'd called a few times while they'd been on there trip, they hadn't spoken since Harry had gone to the Burrow.
"How's your first day back going?" Hermione said happily as she walked to the end of the hospital wing with Ron.
Her exam had gone quickly. She'd not had time for a checkup when she'd gone home this summer, but it seemed everything was fine, which was a relief. Ron was grumbling about some potion or other that the healer had recommended though he didn't seem inclined to explain further.
"So far so good. I'll admit I'm looking forward to the end of the day." Remus answered.
Hermione gave the man a soft smile. She knew the last moon hadn't been long before the start of the year and wondered if it was still effecting him.
"Did you get your schedules all sorted out with Siri...Um Professor Black?" Remus asked with a small shake of his head.
Hermione laughed softly. It was a strange thought that Sirius was one of their professors now.
"Yes, this year is going to have quite the workload." Hermione said, thinking of her long class schedule. She almost wished she still had the time turner just so she could occasionally grab a nap.
Remus smiled back at them and nodded.
"Yes, your NEWT years are very busy." Remus replied.
Hermione could hear footsteps behind them and knew they should go.
"Well, will let you be Professor." Hermione said politely.
Remus nodded but Hermione could see something in his eye and hesitated.
"Was there something else?" Hermione said, halting in her steps.
Remus looked into the hospital wing and Hermione followed his gaze. The rest of their grade seemed to be finished.
"Do you know where Harry is?" Remus asked, pulling his gaze away from the other students.
Hermione's brow furrowed.
"He said he had an exam just before school with Madam Pomfrey, so he was going to head to the library." Hermione answered, though she could feel a knot of worry growing in her stomach.
Remus nodded a little shakily and forced a smile.
"Of course. Well, Hopefully I'll catch him at dinner." Remus said, his voice slowly tapering off.
Hermione knew something else was going on, but they weren't really in a place to ask more.
"Alright professor. We'll let him know you want to see him." Hermione said with a soft smile like she hadn't seen the concern in his eyes.
Remus nodded distractedly and Hermione took Ron's hand before heading out of the hospital wing.
Harry flew high over the pitch, lost in his own thoughts. He'd mostly avoided everyone today. Feeling too overwhelmed and not wanting to face any of it, he'd decided to make himself scarce. No one really seemed to notice or mind. He'd initially gone to see Hagrid, but the man hadn't been home, so he'd come to the pitch.
He'd managed half a slice of toast in the great hall at breakfast just to establish that he'd gone. There had been a few students at each table when he'd finally come in from the lake. A few teachers and the headmaster had already been in the hall talking quietly, but otherwise it had been quiet.
Harry had passed Ron and Hermione on their way to breakfast and made an excuse about needing to head to the tower. When he had arrived, the dorm was thankfully empty. He'd put a few things up on his side table to look like he'd moved in. A framed picture of his parents, the sneak-a-scope from Ron, which he always kept in their room to make sure they'd not been infiltrated by another rat, and finally the small terrarium from Draco. He'd blushed slightly at the gift as he'd pulled it from his bag.
He'd studied on his bed for most of the morning. He could hear plenty of chatter down in the common room and figured Sirius was down there helping everyone get their schedules figured out.
When Neville had returned and said it was time for the sixth years. Harry had hastily packed everything back up and slipped down the stairs. He'd said a polite hello to Sirius and had just handed him his list of classes.
Sirius had smiled and thanked him for making his job a little easier. Hermione had stepped up and done the same. Unfortunately, Ron apparently had no idea what classes to take. When he'd finished Sirius had told them all to head to the hospital wing.
Harry had no intention of doing that and made his excuses as they walked. It had been hard to see Sirius again. Thankfully, Sirius had been busy and distracted, not drawing much attention to Harry. However, Harry couldn't seem to push the thought of how scary last night had been from his mind. He still was mostly sure it had been an accident. His mind couldn't help but whisper that it might not have been. He couldn't face Remus, and he wasn't going to let Pomfrey check him over.
He'd had enough poking and prodding this summer. He also didn't want to explain his injuries. Admitting only to himself that he was afraid. He didn't want to get punished for being out last night. He didn't want to face the anger or worse the disappointment. Not to mention how embarrassed he felt about how bad his self-harm had become in the last week.
Harry shook his head of the thoughts as he made another lazy loop around the pitch. There was a bite to the air today and nearly no one had come out to fly. A few other students had tossed a quaffle around near lunch time but they'd long since left.
He sighed, knowing he'd need to head to dinner soon. He'd skipped lunch and while he felt a tinge of hunger, mostly his stomach felt sour.
He steadied his broom and let his hands go to scrub at his face. He needed sleep tonight and hoped he might be able to sleep as Akela.
Looking out at the setting sun over the grounds he relented. Tipping his broom down, he quickly found himself landing on the soft grass.
As Harry shrunk his broom and returned it to his bag he heard a shuffling noise behind him. His ribs throbbed and he hoped it wasn't a threat. Nevertheless, he dropped his wand into his hand from the wand holster strapped to his wrist and turned around.
Draco stood a couple yards away with a raised eyebrow.
Harry flushed a little and relaxed his shoulders before stowing his wand away. It felt strange to use it again, but he didn't want his wandless magic to be too well known.
"You're harder to find then I thought you would be." Draco said walking closer.
Harry kept his eyes averted and shrugged.
"Busy day." Harry mumbled.
Draco snorted and Harry looked up through his fringe at the other boy. His heart raced a little and he bit his tongue. He wished he understood why this was so hard. Nothing in his life could be simple. His friends could flirt and date like it was nothing. He couldn't for so many reasons. Despite the ever-increasing evidence that, he did in fact like Draco, he would do nothing about it. He shouldn't…couldn't.
"Little cold for a fly. I brought my broom all the way up from the dungeons before I decided I didn't want to freeze my fingers off." Draco said casually looking around as if he was assessing the pitch.
Harry shrugged. He felt mostly numb. Inside and out. Though now that Draco mentioned it, he could feel the chill deep in his bones. He shivered slightly and then winced when the motion caused his ribs to throb painfully.
"What's wrong?" Draco said walking closer, worry clear in his voice.
"Nothing. Probably just sore from flying. I've been up there for a while." Harry brushed off.
Draco stepped closer and Harry longed to lean into his side. To just sit like they had become comfortable doing, their music quietly playing. He sighed and shook his head. It was a disgusting thought.
"Sorry if you went looking for me last night. Snape found out and I didn't want to get in trouble." Draco said.
Harry groaned when he remembered the meeting he'd completely forgotten in the chaos outside the hospital wing.
"I forgot, so don't worry." Harry said honestly.
He pulled up his mental shields and straightened himself a little before looking at Draco. It sounded like the other boy was going to talk about his friends, and Harry needed the distraction.
"Gryffindors." Draco muttered and shook his head.
Harry shrugged and Draco smirked.
"They're worried. I…well, I thought maybe we could try for tonight after dinner." Draco said.
Harry nodded. It sounded like a better idea then facing his friends, who no doubt wondered where he'd been all day, or worse Sirius and Remus coming to find him.
"Sure." Harry said with confidence.
He still wasn't sure this wasn't a trap, but there was only one way to find out. Hopefully, this would also help him on his road to neutralizing the houses a bit. He wouldn't use this to force them to join the DA. Just as he'd told Snape that he wouldn't help Dumbledore use the Werewolf potion to bring people into the Order. It was manipulative and wrong.
"They're going to want to know what you want for doing this." Draco said softly.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Nothing. Just like you and Snape. I doubt they all just woke up one morning and decided to be branded as slaves." Harry spat.
Draco frowned slightly.
"It's a very Gryffindor way of seeing this. They're Slytherin's…no one does something for nothing." Draco stated.
Harry sighed. He knew how that felt. Every kind gesture he'd received as a child had been a trade. Clothing for cleaning the house well enough not to anger his aunt. Being let out of his cupboard for a little longer because he'd stayed quiet while the company was over. Food for….
Harry shook his head as bile raised in his throat.
"I don't want anything from them." Harry said firmly, looking Draco in the eye.
"I want them to be safe. I want the children of this world to not have to fight this war. I want my classmates to know that kindness can be offered without anything in return." Harry said with conviction.
Draco smiled softly at him and nodded.
"Very well. Though know that they will see it as them owing you. So, I guess keep that in mind if you need a few snakes to do something cunning." Draco said with a smirk.
Harry blushed as he thought about reaching out and cupping Draco's cheek. The smirk showed just a slight dimple on his right cheek and Harry wished he could touch it. Wished he could run his thumb along Draco's chin and feel the slight stubble that had grown over the course of the day.
His heart ached at the thought. He wished he could just take Draco's hand, drag him to the Room of Requirements and just hide away in there. Tell him how much he was hurting and just be close to him. Draco seemed like someone who would comfort him.
Harry shook his head and cleared his mind.
Draco's stomach growled loudly, and the boy blushed.
"We um…should probably head to dinner." Draco said, looking away from Harry.
They walked quietly back to the castle. Harry's mind felt like it was going to explode with too many thoughts. He needed to try and repair more of the damage, but he was worried about how overwhelming it would be. He knew once he started any thoughts could come up and he couldn't manage that right now.
Instead, he pulled the stone wall higher around his mind and settled into the comfortable numb it offered.
Harry slipped from the boy's loo wrapped in his invisibility cloak. Draco walked slightly in front of him guiding him down to the dungeon.
The halls were buzzing with post dinner activity. Harry hoped that this would go quickly and that he could go back to his dorm and sleep. Hermione had hounded him at dinner, and he just hadn't been in the mood for it.
Once she'd exhausted herself about Harry disappearing all day she started in on homework. Apparently, Ron hadn't finished his summer assignments and Hermione assumed that Harry hadn't either. Harry didn't know what had gotten her in such a mood, but he'd flatly told her his was done, then left the table.
Hermione had looked like she didn't believe him, but Harry couldn't blame her. This would be the first year it was all done before school returned. However, it was also the first summer the he hadn't spent most of it at the Dursley's.
Harry sighed and shook his head. Being back to school was not the relaxed familiarity he had been hoping for.
Harry's brows furrowed as Draco turned and led them down a hall that Harry had never been down before. Despite his wandering's he'd never spent much time in the dungeons. The dark and dank feeling made Harry feel trapped. After years of being locked up, he tried to avoid spaces that made him feel that way.
Taking a deep breath and shaking his head of the thoughts, Harry watched as Draco knocked quietly on a door. Harry kept his distance, feeling unsure. When the door opened, Harry saw Pansy poke her head out and look down the long dark hallway past Harry.
"He didn't come. I thought you said he would." Pansy said with a slight wobble in her voice.
Draco turned and seemed to know exactly where Harry was. With a deep breath Harry pulled the cloak off and quickly shoved it in his pocket.
His side twinged painfully as he moved but he kept his face blank. Don't let them see a weakness, he reminded himself.
Pulling his shield up full he looked to Draco and Pansy.
Draco had a small smile on his face and Pansy looked startled.
"Get in here before someone see's you." Pansy hissed before stepping back into the room.
Harry took a deep breath and followed Draco in. The door closed abruptly behind Harry, and he fought not to show any sign of distress. He was already feeling a little claustrophobic in the dungeon, but being closed in a small room with half a dozen Death Eater's had his heart pounding and his palms sweating.
"You guy's okay?" Draco asked, walking over to where the others were sitting.
Harry watched as Draco sat in a chair next to Teddy and looked over at Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noticed Draco's hand gently touching the back of Teddy's hand.
There was some very soft talking, and Harry couldn't make out what they were saying. Harry wasn't sure what the room was. It was far too small to be a classroom. Perhaps it had been a staff breakroom at some point. There was a couch against one wall where Pansy, and Bulstrode were sitting and talking in hushed tones, then on the other side of the room were two round tables that held the sixth-year boys. Harry noted that this was not all of the sixth-years. He wondered if the others were not marked or weren't interested in defying Voldemort.
Harry wiped sweaty palms on his trousers and watched the room. The other students all seemed stressed, but they weren't even looking at Harry. With a deep breath he walked towards the couch where the girls were sitting. He knew that Pansy meant a lot to Draco. He would offer to remove her mark first.
Pansy looked up and sneered as he approached.
"What?" Pansy snipped.
Harry took a deep breath.
"I…Er…Draco said you had been marked…I…Um…I can remove it…if that's what you want." Harry said softly.
Pansy's face pinched a little and she stood from the couch. Bulstrode quickly followed. Harry stood tall; despite his stuttering he didn't want to look weak in front of them.
"And what does the 'oh so powerful chosen one' want for doing this for us slimy snakes?" Pansy asked in a high mocking voice.
Harry swallowed. Pansy was a little taller than him and her tone painfully reminded him of Aunt Petunia's. Maybe he should bring up the lordship now. He didn't want to meet with the Slytherin students like this again if he didn't have to. He didn't know what they all knew and didn't want to announce it to everyone. Perhaps he could just talk to Pansy and separately Teddy.
"Just a few minutes alone." Were the words that came out of his mouth.
Pansy's face scrunched and some kind of fear flickered in her eyes, before it disappeared, and a cold mask replaced it.
"Fine, but you have to remove it first." Pansy said, her jaw set in anger.
Bulstrode stepped up and whispered something in Pansy's ear. Harry could see tears in her eyes. Pansy shook her head and whispered back, before taking Bulstrode's hand.
Harry glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Draco was deep in conversation with the others. Hopefully, this would go quickly. He was feeling very uncomfortable and outnumbered should things go wrong.
Turning back to Pansy he was confused to see Bulstrode glaring at him. Her hands were clenched at her sides and there were tears in her eyes.
Pansy shook her head and held out her arm muttering something.
Harry looked down at the mark. His heart clenched at the red ring around it. It was obviously very irritated from what he would guess was pansy rubbing at it. He bit his lip when he noticed fine white lines, not unlike his own, decorating the inside of her forearm. Harry wondered if Snape knew. Snape would help her if she needed help.
With a deep breath he reached out and gently took her wrist. His hand was shaking slightly, and so was hers.
"It won't hurt." Harry whispered softly, looking up into her eyes.
There was still fear in the blue eyes looking back at him. Harry tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he wasn't sure it was any help.
He covered the Dark Mark with his other hand, then hissed out finite incantatem. When he removed his hand Pansy gasped softly and brushed her hand over the clear patch of skin.
"You can't put it back, right?" Pansy asked, surprising Harry.
Harry looked up and shook his head. He'd read the book and knew how to cast the spell; however, he would never do that. He also couldn't cast it to link to Voldemort. The mark would not be the same. He would be binding that person to himself.
"No." Harry said.
Pansy got a smug look on her face and whispered something to Bulstrode. The girl took a deep breath and held out her arm. Harry repeated the process.
Harry shoulder's relaxed slightly when he realized he only had the three boy's left and then he could leave.
"You know you don't have anything to use now, right?" Pansy sneered.
Harry cocked his head sideways in confusion.
"Our marks are gone and you just said you can't put them back. Always knew you were stupid, but I never knew you would try and use something like this to get what you want. You're just as sick as he is." Pansy spat.
Harry blinked at the sudden verbal assault. He was so confused.
"What?" Harry whispered out.
"You wanted to get me alone. You don't have anything Potter. I'm not doing it." Pansy growled.
Harry felt like he'd seriously missed something.
"He looks clueless Pansy. Probably a blushing little virgin. Thought he'd have a chance with something so valuable to trade. Too bad he forgot he was trying to manipulate Slytherin's." Bulstrode said, a mocking smile on her face.
Harry's face felt like it was burning. What were they even talking about?
Pansy laughed.
"You're right Millie. Look at his face. Probably could have gotten him with a quick touch." Pansy snickered.
Harry felt all of the blood rush to his feet. Why would they touch him? He didn't want to be touched at all. Certainly not like that.
Then the crushing realization hit him that they thought that's what he wanted. That they thought he was trying to get sex out of removing their marks.
"No…I…No!" Harry gasped in horror.
The girls just laughed again.
Harry could hear the blood pounding in his ears and forced his legs to move away from them. He needed to finish this and get away from this room.
Draco turned when he heard Pansy and Millie laughing. He clenched his jaw when he saw Harry turn away from them and walk towards the table they were sitting at. Draco knew Pansy could be mean and hoped that she hadn't said anything too horrible to Harry. Though given the look on his face, Draco suspected whatever she had said had upset him.
Draco stood when Harry reached the table. He'd been talking to the boys about what they could do to try and help some of the younger students. Vince and Greg didn't have many ideas, but Teddy had apparently been thinking about it quite a bit.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked softly, stepping closer to Harry.
Harry swallowed hard and nodded before holding out his hand in the middle of the table.
"What are you going to want for this Potter?" Teddy asked in a calm matter-of- fact way.
Draco had already told them Harry didn't want anything, but understood why they wanted to ask for themselves.
To Draco's concern Harry got even more pale before shaking his head.
"Nothing. I don't want anything." Harry whispered out.
Draco looked Harry over in concern.
There were some glances between his friends before Greg set his hand in Harry's hand.
Harry hissed and immediately pulled his hands away. Draco watched as he repeated the process with Vince and Teddy. The boy's smiled and Harry stepped away from the table and wrapped his arms around his stomach.
Draco wanted to reach out to Harry and find out what was going on. Harry had been acting strange on the pitch earlier and now he seemed really upset.
"We should head back to the common room. Snapes not going to be pleased if were out after curfew." Pansy said, walking up and giving Draco a half hug.
Draco smiled slightly at her.
"You okay?" Draco whispered.
Pansy smiled and nodded.
When Draco looked back up Harry was disappearing out the door.
"Bye Potty." Millie sneered.
Draco glared at the girls.
"He just did something no one else can do. Why are you being so rude?" Draco growled.
Pansy scoffed.
"He was trying to trade his services for some alone time. Don't get attached Draco. He's a perv." Pansy spat.
Draco's brows creased. That didn't sound right to him.
"What did he say?" Draco asked turning his full attention to Pansy.
Pansy flipped her hair over one shoulder and glared at him.
"I asked what he wanted for removing the damned thing from my arm. He got all quiet and then told me he 'Just wanted a few minutes alone.' He's an idiot. He agreed to remove the mark first, then when I pointed out he had nothing to bargain with he started stuttering and blushing. Clearly, he didn't think it through." Pansy said with a mean laugh.
Draco shook his head.
"Did he say why he wanted to see you alone?" Draco asked.
Pansy sneered.
"What else could he possibly want? After what happened to Millie I wasn't going to let Potter anywhere near her. He's a creep." Pansy shot back before reaching out and taking Millie's hand.
Draco shook his head. He really doubted that's what Harry wanted. They'd spent half the summer together and He'd never noticed Potter even mention girls. Or Boys. Or relationships. Honestly for a teenage boy he was pretty mute on the subject.
"Let's head back." Draco said shaking his head of the thought.
He knew that he wasn't going to be able to convince them right now. The boys looked angry and suspicious, and the girls looked annoyed, like Draco just wasn't getting it.
Walking down the hall, Draco heard a noise and held back. He watched as the others disappeared around a corner towards the common room.
"Harry?" Draco called.
Draco listened for a moment before he heard a noise from the direction of the stairs out of the dungeon. Walking that way Draco found Harry leaning against the wall with his arm wrapped around himself.
"Harry? What's wrong?" Draco asked, walking around in front of Harry.
Harry straightened and his face went from pained to blank, but he couldn't hide the slight shine of tears in his eyes.
"Nothing." Harry said shaking his head and looking past Draco.
Draco felt anger boil in his chest. He didn't know why Harry was shutting him out. He thought they were getting closer and now he seemed so distant.
His jaw clenched and he thought about what Pansy had said.
"Pansy said you were trying to get sexual favors in exchange for removing their marks." Draco accused.
He didn't believe it, but he was feeling hurt and he just wanted to get a reaction out of Harry. Antagonizing Harry was a familiar dynamic between them.
Harry's face paled, though he hadn't had very much color to start.
"No…I would never." Harry said in a choked whisper.
Draco frowned at the despair that appeared in Harry's eyes. He didn't understand it but clearly Pansy's accusation had really hurt Harry.
Harry clenched his jaw a little and took some deep breaths before he spoke.
"When I went to the bank, I was informed that I now hold the Nott and Parkinson Lordships. I don't want them. I didn't mean to kill them." Harry said quietly.
"I wanted to talk to Pansy about transferring the Lordship to her. Teddy too. They don't deserve to suffer for what their family has done." Harry said shaking his head and blinking back tears.
Draco sighed. That did sound like something Harry would do. Stupid chivalrous Gryffindor.
"I just didn't want to announce it in front of everyone. I don't know if they know I'm the one that killed them. I'm sure they are hurt by what happened. I know it's unforgiveable but…I just wanted to try and fix some of the damage I caused." Harry said as a slight sob slipped passed his lips.
Draco's heart clenched at how hurt Harry was by this. It wasn't his place to tell Harry that neither of them was upset. That if anything they were relieved. That Harry hadn't only saved Susan and her aunt, but likely saved Pansy and Teddy as well.
Draco stepped closer to Harry, who winced as he stepped away. Draco's brows furrowed.
"What's wrong? You're grabbing your side again. I thought you said it was strain from flying." Draco asked.
Harry shook his head.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Harry said.
Draco was going to worry about it. He cared about Harry, and he didn't want to see him hurting. There was little he could do for the obvious emotional pain Harry was feeling, but he could maybe do something about whatever physical pain he was trying to hide.
"Harry, let me see. If your hurt, you should go to Pomfrey…or Sev's office is just around the corner." Draco tried.
Harry looked at him with a concerned look and shook his head. There was a mask that slid into place and Harry glared at him. Draco felt like they were traveling back in time.
"What business is it of yours? Just leave it alone." Harry growled.
Draco felt his heart clench at the venom in Harry's tone. He knew Harry was just lashing out, but Draco felt entitled to know if Harry was okay. He grit his teeth and snarled back.
"It's been my business since I had to help scrape your bloody body off your bedroom floor." Draco snarled back.
His throat went dry as soon as the words left his mouth.
Harry's face crumpled and he went to push past Draco.
"No, stop." Draco cried out, reaching for Harry's arm but ending up with a handful of his shirt instead.
"Don't touch me." Harry screamed, yanking away from Draco, and ripping his shirt in the process.
Draco was startled by the scream and let go of the shirt, but it was too late. Draco stared at the black and blue bruise that covered Harry's now exposed side.
Harry also looked down. Draco could see tears in Harry's eyes again as he looked back up. The hurt and betrayal in Harry's eyes crushed Draco.
He stepped towards Harry but in a moment, Harry was gone. He ran down the hall before turning and disappearing from sight.
Draco just stared down the hall. What the hell had happened to Harry? Had he gotten into a fight? Was he attacked on the train?
Draco's head spun as he just stood there. He couldn't believe everything he'd said to Harry. He knew he'd just blown any chance of keeping the other boy as a friend. Any chance of more was little more than a dream at this point.
"Draco?" Severus called. Draco turned to see Severus walking down the hall. His face was a blank mask. Draco assumed he'd missed curfew. Though right now he couldn't care less.
Severus eyes scanned the great hall. Dinner was nearly over and many of the students had already left. Severus was waiting for the Slytherin table to clear a bit more before he headed back to his quarters. He was thankful that today had allowed him to get his student's timetables in order. He'd had a few longer meetings with a few students who had concerns, but he felt that the year was finally ready to start.
"Severus." Poppy called from over his shoulder.
He looked back to find Poppy standing behind him with folders in her hand.
"These are the records for your student's." Poppy said holding out one folder.
"Sirius. These are yours, and Remus these are the student's I recommended should speak to you." Poppy said holding out her various files though she still held one.
"I've also got a list of the students who didn't show up today." Poppy said with a sigh.
Severus nodded. He was sure there were a few that felt uncomfortable with the new set up. His students were used to him being an option for their exams if they weren't comfortable. With the new standardized exams everyone was sent to the hospital wing and seen by Poppy or a healer from St. Mungo's.
Severus was surprised when Poppy handed him and Sirius both lists. He wondered which of the Gryffindors thought they were above an exam.
Sirius sighed.
"Harry was the only one who didn't show up?" Sirius said rubbing his face.
Severus brow creased. Why wouldn't the boy have gone?
"Hermione told me that Harry said he'd already seen Poppy. Did you say he didn't need to go?" Remus asked.
Sirius shook his head.
"I told them all to go down." Sirius answered.
Severus looked down at his list. There were a few younger years that he hadn't expected to see on the list. The more surprising part was nearly the whole sixth and seventh years had not shown up. Draco had told him that many had been marked and wondered if that was the reason.
"Please have them come in tomorrow." Poppy said before rounding the table and heading out of the great hall.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. He was not looking forward to the confrontation with the older students.
"Severus?" Remus called from beside him.
Severus looked up and found the mutts both looking at him.
"Could we have a word in private?" Remus asked.
Severus sighed and nodded. He hadn't spoken to them much since they had returned and knew that they had things to discuss.
Severus stood and swept out of the great hall, Sirius and Remus following him.
Severus briefly stalled when he stepped into the hall. He'd initially planned to head to his quarters, but he wasn't very comfortable having them in his rooms.
"Our quarters are closer." Remus commented and began leading them up to the third floor.
When they were settled in the sitting room Severus looked to Sirius and Remus, who were sitting on the couch.
"We believe Harry is avoiding us. We've not had a chance to talk to him since we have all returned to the castle. Sirius talked to him briefly the first night but even today when he was supposed to set up his classes he just handed him a list. Not that he was the only one but still." Remus said with a sigh.
Severus brows creased. He'd hardly seen the boy since they'd been back.
"Arthur contacted us and informed us that Harry hurt himself while he was staying at the Burrow. I'm concerned that this behavior is happening, but I'm equally concerned that Harry might be avoiding us out of some kind of misplaced fear that we will be angry or disappointed." Remus explained.
Severus sighed and leaned back in his chair. He didn't like hearing that Harry was struggling. Perhaps he should have pushed more after his encounter with Merrick. Harry did seem to recover far quicker then would be expected.
"We would like to talk to you about what happened while he was staying with you this last week. I plan to schedule a meeting with him soon. Albus…." Remus started before he shook his head and grit his teeth.
"Albus told us what Harry did. Those objects never should have been anywhere near a child. I'm concerned that we may have missed a major factor in Harry's mental health." Remus sighed.
Severus looked away from the couple and into the fire. He could hear Lily's voice as the Horcrux had screamed. He couldn't imagine what Harry had been forced to see. Not once but four times.
"I will do what I can to help you." Severus said softly, not turning back to look at them.
Severus thought back to the day they had gone to Diagon Alley. Harry's terrified eyes as he appeared in front of them. The heartbroken sobs as he had cried into George's chest.
Severus took a deep breath and pulled up his shields slightly before turning to Sirius and Remus.
"As far as what happened last week, I told you Harry broke away from us when Tonks informed us that Mundungus was selling what she believed were items from Grimmauld. I'm still not sure what prompted him to take off." Severus stated.
They nodded and he continued.
"I lost sight of him in the crowd for a few minutes as we tried to make our way to the Leaky cauldron. He appeared in front of us…he…He looked terrified." Severus said shaking his head in an attempt to rid himself of the sight.
"He forced us to apparate. When we landed back in Cokeworth, Harry started crying. I had no idea what had happened. I was concerned that he'd seen Death Eaters, or that there might be an attack in progress. I went to reach out to him, and he flinched away from me and then took off running for the house." Severus continued.
Severus could see the worry on Sirius and Remus' faces.
"I called George, and after a while they both came down to the sitting room. Harry was still upset but he seemed to have settled a little. George told me that Harry had seen the man who had been attacking him. He was encouraging Harry to tell me who it was. He agreed at first and then seemed to struggle. It was understandable. I offered to let him show me." Severus explained.
"What do you mean? Legilimens?" Remus said leaning forward.
Severus nodded.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need to tell this story a little out of order to fully explain. Harry explained to me that he has been suffering some memory issues." Severus said only to be interrupted by Remus.
"What do you mean memory issues?" Remus asked worriedly.
Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sorry." Remus said, settling back in his seat but still looking worried.
"It's fine. I'm not fully aware of what the memory issues fully mean. Harry explained that he's had a lot of memories coming back to him that he didn't remember. He said that many of them were bad memories." Severus explained.
"Perhaps the trauma forced his mind to hide something from him, and being confronted with it this summer he's started to remember?" Remus said in thought.
Severus shook his head. He had seen the boy's mind and knew this wasn't some kind of self-defense mechanism.
"No, something has happened to the boy's mind. An obliviate or other mind manipulation. I've seen the mind hide things from itself." Severus said looking sadly at Sirius.
Sirius's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Your brother's mind had what I can only describe as a mix of occlumency shields. His outer mind was nearly defenseless but behind that it was like a house of mirrors." Severus said.
Pain flashed across Sirius face before he lowered his head and nodded his understanding.
Severus' heart clenched slightly. This wasn't about Sirius or Regulus, but he knew that those kinds of mental shields came from a long history of abuse. He and Sirius had briefly touched on the subject when they'd made their peace. He wished so many of them had not had to face those kinds of hardships.
With a shake of his head, he refocused on the topic at hand.
"Harry informed me that he had a memory come back the day he was attacked by the Boggart. I asked him to let me see the memory. When I entered his mind, I found that it has effective shields. However, there is a large hole in the middle. I'm not sure who or what has caused it. I think it would be possible to repair. However, my concern is what might be hidden in there. I think pulling all of those memories forward could retraumatize him. It's something that should be discussed though." Severus explained.
"What was the memory?" Remus asked softly.
Severus sighed, his stomach churning uncomfortably.
"It was a memory of Harry as a child. I didn't ask but I imagine he was likely around six." Severus said with a sigh.
"Did…" Remus started but stopped abruptly to clear his throat.
"Was it a memory of him being abused?" Remus asked sadly.
Severus looked away from the broken gaze.
"I didn't see any specific abuse, but it was obvious what was happening." Severus began.
"Harry was at his primary school, in the kitchen. The man had given him food. When he sat down next to him, he started touching Harry's leg. It was obvious that Harry was uncomfortable." Severus said.
He could feel bile rising in his throat and rage pounding in his veins as he thought back to the memory he had seen.
"From my understanding of how the abuse progressed, I would guess that this was a common occurrence before the first assault." Severus explained.
Severus could see the anger in Remus' eyes.
"Harry looked like he was starving even then. I don't think I've ever seen a child so desperate for attention…or something to eat." Severus admitted sadly.
"I know that Harry feels, in his words, that he was trading himself for food." Severus said softly.
"What!?" Remus asked in alarm.
Severus closed his eyes and sighed. Clearly Harry hadn't shared that with Remus. He thought the boy had explained his food issues to Remus, but clearly it had been an abridged version.
"I would appreciate my telling you that, not getting back to Harry. I feel he and I have just managed to mend fences over my last betrayal of his trust." Severus said.
Remus sat back and stared into the room for a moment.
"I won't mention it. Though that certainly adds another layer to the food issue. I hate to ask but is there anything you want to add to that?" Remus asked.
Severus debated for a moment. He didn't want to betray more of Harry's trust, but it was clear that Harry wasn't being honest, and Severus was concerned about Harry's continued food issues.
"He was drugged the first time he was attacked. I believe this is the reason that he checks his food. I think a combination of these things is why he prefers to be the one to cook." Severus said.
Remus nodded.
"I had forgotten you mentioned that." Remus said with a sigh as he lowered his head into his hands.
Severus watched Sirius lay his hand on Remus' back.
He couldn't imagine how painful all of this was for them. He was hurting for Harry, but the boy was not his child.
"Who is he?" Sirius asked, his jaw clenched in anger and hurt.
Severus thought about the devastated look on Harry's face when he thought Severus had told them. He hoped that Harry had taken his words to heart that they would not doubt him. He also hoped he wasn't wrong.
"I will tell you. However, I need you to understand that Harry is very concerned about not being believed." Severus said.
Remus' brows scrunched together, and he sat forward.
"Of course we will believe him." Remus said firmly.
Severus nodded.
"I tried to reassure him of that. However, he apparently was hesitant to tell you after the memory came back because he realized he'd heard you two talking about this person. I informed him that we all knew him but that it didn't matter." Severus said calmly.
Remus felt anger and worry warring in his chest. Severus seemed very hesitant to tell them who had hurt Harry. Reaching out Remus took Sirius hand. It didn't matter what Severus said, there pup would always come first.
"Merrick Fletcher." Severus said quietly.
Remus took a minute to let that settle into his mind. He hardly knew the man. Mundungus had brought him around a few times, but to know that he'd been so close to the man that had hurt Harry so much lit rage in his heart.
Sirius hand tightened around his.
Looking over he could see the same anger in Sirius face.
"Son of a bitch." Sirius growled.
Remus couldn't help but agree.
Severus raised his hand slightly.
"I don't think given Harry's high profile and the state of the ministry, attempting to make a formal report would be wise. Honestly, I don't think Harry is stable enough for something like that." Severus said.
Remus jaw clenched, but he nodded in defeated agreement. It was unfair that Harry might never get justice for what he'd been forced to endure. There was still a chance that at some point the Dursley's would face charges. Perhaps if things went their way with the war, they might be able to go after Merrick as well.
"He deserves to die for what he did." Sirius hissed between clenched teeth.
Remus looked over as Sirius let go of his hand and stood from the couch. Remus watched as Sirius paced. His hands fisted at his sides.
"I don't disagree. It's deplorable. However, hunting him down and tearing him apart isn't what's best for Harry, and you know it. Harry needs you here." Severus said as he watched Sirius pace.
"He raped my son!" Sirius snarled.
"How can we just continue to let him go about his life? Like what he did was nothing! Like what Harry has suffered doesn't matter!" Sirius yelled.
Remus felt his stomach twist painfully. Nothing about Harry's life had been fair or just. Harry deserved to know that what he had suffered was wrong. That what had happened wasn't his fault.
Stepping in front of Sirius, Remus took his hands and looked into his eyes.
"We'll keep Harry safe. We will make sure he knows he's safe. That has to be enough for now." Remus said gently.
Sirius jaw clenched and he nodded before walking back over and collapsing on the couch.
Remus sighed and tried to relax his shoulders. He knew Severus was right there wasn't a good way to go about this.
"We need to talk to Harry." Remus said softly.
He had hoped Harry would reach out but that didn't seem to be likely at this point.
"I'll keep an eye on him. I have the Sixth-year potions in the morning." Severus said, running a hand over his face.
"He's not taking potions." Sirius commented.
Remus' brow creased. Harry had said last year he wanted to be an auror. He'd need potions to pursue that career.
"What do you mean he's not taking potions?" Severus said sitting forward.
Remus looked between the two of them.
Sirius just shook his head.
Severus made a frustrated noise before standing.
"I need to go check on my house and make sure they're all in for the night. I'll pull the boy aside tomorrow. He's too talented not to be in a potions class." Severus said, exhaustion thick in his voice.
Remus nodded. He hoped to talk to Harry tomorrow as well.
Severus said nothing else before slipping out of their quarters.
Remus stared at his hands for a moment as he tried to digest what Severus had told them.
"Merrick" Sirius growled as he began pacing again.
Remus just nodded. They'd need to discuss what could be done to keep Harry safe. Simply trying to avoid him obviously hadn't worked. He'd not let Harry come face to face with that monster again. His heart hurt that Harry had run into him alone again. Severus description of Harry's frantic escape from the alley broke his heart.
"Come on Moony." Sirius said, pulling Remus from his thoughts.
Remus looked up and found Sirius hand held out in front of him. Remus nodded and took the offered hand without a word and let Sirius guide him to their bedroom.
Remus head was spinning with too many thoughts. He slowly added a little pressure to his occlumency shields and felt some relief.
Sirius wrapped his arms around him and Remus pulled Sirius close. They'd known for a while what had happened to Harry, but each new bit of information felt like a blow to the heart.
Sirius leaned his forehead against Remus' as they stood holding one another.
"I'll talk to Harry in the morning when I hand out schedules. Let him know he needs to go for his check-up and go see you. Maybe after we can have him here for a little while. Have dinner and catch up." Sirius suggested softly.
Remus nodded. He needed some time with Harry. To know that he was okay. To see him whole and well. This evening had been difficult, and the weight of the day felt like it was crushing down on him.
Tomorrow would be better, he tried to promise himself.