Darker Shades of Grey

STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY

Chapter Two: Enter-Stage Right

~~~~ He crossed the street after deciding to look both ways this time, and approached Potter\'s house. Hesitating for a moment, he knocked on the door.~~~~

Upstairs, Vernon ceased his actions mid slam, and let Harry’s head crack on the floor.

“Petunia! Dudley! Get the door!”

With that, he dragged Harry’s unconscious form across the hall to his bedroom. Throwing him haphazardly on the bed, he stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

Vernon made his way down the stairs, only to see Petunia and Dudley shoot him nervous glances, stepping aside to reveal what Vernon was convinced was one of those ‘damn freaks’ stag ing in his doorway.

“I don’t know what you want, but get off my yard before I call the police on you. I don’t want any of you freaks around here.”

“And what,” Snape said, leveling Vernon with a cool gaze, “pray tell, will they be able to do against me?”

Vernon gulped, before helplessly stepping aside to allow the stranger to enter.

“Now, where is Potter?”

“Dunno, that fre—boy isn’t here.”

“Then you had better find him. I have plenty of time to wait.” Snape settled himself down into one of the sitting chairs, and conjured up a cup of tea.

“Now see here—“

“I won’t put up with your muggle insolence.”

Vernon staggered back into the wall, and the fled upstairs to Harry’s bedroom. Throwing open the door, he raced to his bed, and slapped him across the face, desperately hoping to make him wake up.

“Petrificus Totalus.”

Vernon found himself petrified. Quite literally in fact.


Snape marched to the bed, eyes widening in what would’ve been a comic gesture, had Harry’s form not been so still. Snapping into action, Snape gathered the boy’s still form in his arms, racing out of the house. Pausin Har Harry’s doorway he muttered to Vernon “I’ll be back for you Dursley!” Accompanied by a glare that would have even made the Dark Lord think twice. And then he was gone.

Once the outside the house away from the wards, Snape immediately apparated to Hogsmead. The thought crossed Snape’s mind that his students would lose some of their fear if they saw him sprinting towards Hogwarts, the Potter Boy in his arms, and his wizard’s robes flying behind him. He threw open the doors to the Great Hall and rushed to the Infirmary. Using the Sonorous charm to magnify his voice he shouted for Albus and Poppy to “get their bloody asses to the infirmary. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!”

Seconds later, though Snape had no idea how, Albus suddenly appeared at his side. Poppy emerged from her office a moment later, glaring at him and holding her ears.

“Good heaven Severus--” trailing off, she caught sight of Harry and gasped. Her nurses instincts kicked in, and she set about caring for her patient, leaving the two men to talk.

That damnable twinkle was absent from Albus’s ass as he sadly asked “What happened to the poor boy?”

“His uncle happened. That damn muggle uncle of his,” Snape muttered between clenched teeth. He was struggling to keep his Slytherin pride in place, squashing any desire he had to hover worriedly over the Potter boy. The irony in the situation was obvious. Trusted the muggles to keep him safe and now look what had happened. The Golden Boy was no longer Golden.

A horrified gasp brought the two men out of their silent reveries. Poppy managed to stutter her way through one sentence before bursting into tears.

“Oh no…OH ALBUS!!! They, they…they raped him!!!”

Albus and Snape stared at her with shock and horror in their eyes.

“How…..how recently?” was all that Snape could manage.

Taking a moment to calm herself, Poppy finally answered, “The most recent time was yesterday.”

No one missed her choice of the words ‘most recent’.

“Most recent?” Albus asked, his voice uncertain.

“From the looks of it, he’s been sexually and physically abused ever since his arrival at his caretakers,” she answered, hissing out the last word and making it known her opinion of those that had done this to Harry.

Albus sighed, his age showing now more than ever. “Will he be all right?” the old man inquired?

“With time his body will be fine. I can only make educated guesses as to how his mental state has been affected.”

“What do we do with him then?” Snape’s voice was uncertain at best.

“If it were anybody else, I would suggest St. Mungo’s. But considering his past, I believe that would be one of the worst things that we could do to the boy.” Poppy sounded thoughtful. “We could always send him to the Weasley’s.”

Snorting, Snape made his opinion known. “That would be one of the worst possible places you could send the boy next to St. Mungo’s. He’s having trouble dealing with people at the moment. Placing him in a house with 9 other people will do nothing to calm Potter’s frayed nerves. His friends obviously don’t know, and I’m sure he wouldfer fer to keep it that way. His shame is probably almost too much to bear right now,” realizing his words were turning into a speech, he fell silent.

“So then,” Albus said quietly, “what exactly do you suggest?”

Snape was caught off guard. He honestly had no idea what to do with Potter. “Minerva perhaps?” he offered. Shaking his head, “no, that woman is worse than a mother hen. He needs someone to be there for him, not attach themselves to his hip. You’re out Albus,” adding iu }he man’s protesting look, “and before you say anything, you’re too old and too busy. Think as well, of the press that this would attract. He needs nothing of the sort right now. I refuse to let him come with me. Our…”he paused as he searched for a tactful word.

“Animosity?” Poppy offered helpfully.

Snape sneered at her before finding the term he was looking for, “turbulent past,” he corrected, “would not be conducive to what we are trying to do here.”

“And just what are we trying to do here?”

Snape stared at Albus incredulously. “We’re trying to fix the Potter boy!!” he sputtered.

“Fix how?”

The question once again stumped Snape. It was more than healing him physically. Healing his severely agitated mental state would prove a Herculean task. But who was up to the task? Who would keep it quiet as well? Whose presence would cause the least amount of suspicion?

Poppy suddenly gained a look of enlightenment. “What about Hagrid? Merlin knows he loves the boy. He would be good for ”
”

Snape mulled this new piece of information over in his mind, and he noticed Albus doing the same. He had a few misgivings about sticking Potter with that great oaf, but nodded his consent. Albus followed a moment later.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll bring him to Hagrid,” Albus said brightly.

Snape groaned quietly. That damned twinkle was starting to come back. He stalked off, robes billowing behind him. “I’ll be in my quarters if you need me,” he called over his shoulder, “And before you even ask, NO! I do not want a bloody lemon drop!”

Poppy k hek her head firmly, and Albus dropped the tin he had been holding towards her.

“No? In that case, I’ll be going. Notify immediately when Harry awakens.” Shoulders drooping at bit at the candid rejections of his beloved lemon drops, he drifted out of the room and headed out to the grounds to inform Hagrid of his new charge.

“Poor boy, you’ve been through so much. When will it end for you?” and with
that Poppy walked off to her office.

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Dream Sequence:
Harry found himself walking down the Charm’s corridor. Everything seemed to be in order. But it was so very quiet. He wondered if everyone hadn’t gone home for the holidays. But then, why was he here? Whirling around at the sound of a dog’s whimpering, he was able to brace himself for Snuffle’s enthusiastic greeting. “Snuffles! It’s great to see you! Don’t sneak up on me like that, you scared the living daylights outta me!” Snuffle’s looked appropriately chastised for a moment, and then proceeded to thoroughly slobber Harry’s face. His demeanor changed however, and Harry found himself being dragged along into the Room of Requirement. Snuffles quickly transformed back into the infamous Sirius Black.
“We need to talk Harry.” His eyes were anxious, boring into Harry’s.
Harry looked back, taking in the face that he hadn’t seen for months.
“How’d you manage to find you way here?”
“That’s not important right now Harry. We need to talk about what you did.”
Puzzlement distorted Harry’s features. What did he do? Then he noticed the smudge. “Hold still Sirius, you have something on your face,” he said as he reached up to wipe it away. Sirius’ skin slid down his face at the contact. Startled, Harry pulled away his hand as if it had just been burned. Before his very eyes, Sirius seemed to melt away, skin sliding over muscle, muscle falling off of bone, until all that was left was a gleaming skeleton, and pile of dust at his feet.
“What’s the matter Harry? Can’t face the truth? You did this to me.”
Stumbling backwards, a choked scream worked its way out of Harry’s throat. It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t have done that. A bony hand reached for his throat, and Harry then found himself surrounded by darkness. He couldn’t breath. There was a flash of green light, high cackling in the background. Crimson eyes flashed evilly at him. Opening his mouth to scream, nothing came out.

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Jolted awake from his dream, Harry found himself panting and covered in a cold sweat. He didn’t realize that his hands were shaking until he reached for his glasses and ended up knocking them off the night table. Wait a second. He didn’t have a night table. Squinting, he winced as leaned down to pick up his glasses. It was then that he noticed that he was in the hospital wing in his favorite bed. Back row, third from the left. The last bed to feel the blinding light of the sun in the morning. He took a moment to ponder how in the world he had ended up in the hospital wing in Hogwarts. Apparently his movements had awakened Madam Pomfrey, and she bustled out of her office and hurried to his side.

“Well Mr. Potter and here the school year hasn’t even started yet. Imagine that.” Her eyes crinkled in amusement, and she looked at him warmly.

“How are you feeling Mr. Potter?”

“Like I was run over by Buckbeak,” he muttered in reply.

Madam Pomfrey laughed, “I don’t think Mr. Malfoy came out of that quite this bad, no matter what he says.” She proceeded to check Harry’s vital signs, “Well it seems that you will make it through this, Mr. Potter.”

“Lovely,” he muttered under his breath.

“What was that Mr. Potter?”

He blinked. She wasn’t supposed to hear that. Shrugging, he answered, “I was wondering how I’d gotten to Hogwarts.”

“Professor Snape brought you here.”

Harry did a double take. Snape? What the hell? Why would Snape bring him here? How much had he seen? How much had he been paid for that matter?

Quietly, he heard Madam Pomfrey say, “We know Harry. About it all.”

Fear gripped Harry. “All of it?” he whispered.

“All of it.”

“Are you going to send me back?”

“OH!” she cried, and the burst into tears.

It was then that Harry noticed Dumbledore standing in the doorway. He looked away, ashamed.

“Why do you think that we would send you back, Harry?”

Those words seemed to enrage Harry. In a voice killed with quiet fury he said, “I don’t know…” taking a deep breath, he screamed, “YOU’VE ONLY SENT ME BACK THERE SIX YEARS IN A FUCKING ROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Poppy gasped, and Albus blinked several times. Both were frozen in shock.

Harry barely stopped himself from chuckling as he realized that he had just managed to shock the Headmaster. Head-master. Thinking about it now, he realized that it was such a dirty word. He also wondered if Dumbledore had earned his namesake. This new thought sent him into a gale of laughter, as his thoughts took a very interesting turn. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore in the Charm’s classroom, that thought alone was enough to quell his laughter.

He heard Madam Pomfrey discreetly whisper, “Albus, I think he’s hysterical.”

Just as discreetly he whispered back, “I think you may be right, Poppy.”

Harry merely stared at both of them. “I’m not hyscal,cal,” he said in a rather indignant tone, “just had a funny thought. And before you ask I’m NOT going to tell you what it was. And I don’t want a lemon drop either.”

Dumbledore’s face fell and he sniffed sadly. It was then that he seemed to remember what he had come for in the first place.

“We need to talk about happened to you at the Dursley’s.”

Harry stiffened, and jerked away as he felt Madam Pomfrey try to put a comforting hand on his back.

“Don’t touch me. Just don’t touch me. Either of you.”

“Okay. Let’s just talk then. Would you like some tea? I’m sure that Poppy has some work that she needs to do,” Dumbledore shot a meaningful glance in her direction. With that dismissal, she hurried out of the room, with one quick glance in Harry’s direction, and then a mouthed ‘be careful’ to Dumbledore.

“Tea would be nice,” Harry finally answered, to break the growing silence.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, than Dumbledore was pressing a cup into his hands. Harry took the drink gratefully and took a long sip. Grimacing, he ran his burned tongue over his teeth, and then took another sip, blowing to cool the liquid this time.

“We’ve decided to place you with Hagrid until term starts. I hope that you find that agreeable?”

Harry nodded. A comical image of the big giant came unbidden into his mind. Harry smiled to himself, and memories of his year flashed through his mind.

“Yes, I think that would fine.”

“So when did it first happen?”

“The first night I got back,” Harry answered without thinking. He promptly slapped his hand over his mouth in a childlike gesture of surprise.

“Who did it?”

“Uncle Vernon,” he answered, after lowering his hands.

Dumbledore leaned forward to look into Harry’s eyes, and then checked his pulse.

“Tell me what your uncle did to you this summer.”

And he did. He told Dumbledore everything. The words spilled from his lips unbidden, like water from a fountain. As the tale wore on, Dumbledore found himself starting to shake with rage. When Harry reached the part about Hedwig, Dumbledore felt sickened and disgusted that anyone would do that to a child. Finally, Harry came to an end.

Dumbledore bowed his head and waited for the truth serum to wear off. It did so a mere fifteen minutes later.

“Harry?” Dumbledore’s voice was uncertain.

The teacup in Harry’s hand shattered. Blood dripped from his hands, though he didn’t seem to notice. Looking at Dumbledore, Harry’s emerald eyes were shining with a fury that reminded him of another young man he failed so long ago, Tom Riddle.

Harry started to speak, but his voice failed him. He tried once more, and the words were filled with so much animosity and loathing that Dumbledore shuddered.

“I hate you.”

Jumping off the bed, he stumbled, falling across the floor. Picking him self up, he ran out the door. Dumbledore made no move to follow. He was too lost in the memories he had forgotten about years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snape had decided to come back to check on the Potter boy. Hearing voices, he slowed at the doorway and listened. From what it sounded like, Dumbledore had dosed Harry with a truth serum. Snape doubted Harry had acquiesced. After a few moments of silence, he heard Dumbledore’s voice, uncertain. A shattering noise followed, and Snape watched coldly as Harry stumbled past him. Stepping into the infirmary, Snape regarded Dumbledore with distrust.

“You shouldn’t have done that. You just shattered any faith the boy had left in you. He would’ve come about in his own time. Who are you, to make him face what he can’t even admit to himself yet?”

Dumbledore stared numbly ahead, unable to speak.

“I thought you would’ve had more sense than that. You, the headmaster for Merlin’s sake! Do you want another Dark Lord on your hands? If Potter joins with him, we are doomed. Not only that, he obviously wasn’t ready for what you made him do. Foolish Gryffindor!” he hissed the last words.

“Well, aren’t you going to answer me? Or has your Grndorndor bravery failed you?” Snape walked over to the bed, and picked up a shard of the porcelain teacup, turning it over and over again in his hands.

Sneering he said, “That’s what I thought. I have nothing more to say to you, except that I hope you realize just exactly what you have done here. And may Merlin help you if Harry ever decides to exact his revenge.”

Dumbledore looked up, catching Snape’s slip. He said nothing, but watched as the Potions Professor turand and stormed off in the direction of his dungeons, his robes once again billowing around him.

He sat there for several moments, contemplating all that had just come to pass. He wondered where to go from here. Standing up, he walked out of the infirmary, the words “What have I done?” gently echoing behind him.

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Authoress\' Note:
We hope that you are enjoying the fo fao far. There is a method to our madness don\'t worry. Bear with us and all will become clear. We\'re trying very hard not to rush this, and to make sure that we\'re developing the plot in a manner that we like. This is our very first Harry Potter fic, as well as the first time we\'ve come together to write anything of this magnitude. If anyone has any tips for formatting, such as putting in italics, bolding and such, could they please email us? Tigeress has fried her brain, first formatting at the evil website, and now trying to figure out how to do everything here. Any help would be greatly appreciated. ^____^ Thanks so much!!!