Love, Lies & Loneliness

Chapter 2
(Suspensions and Explosions)

Warm sunshine caressed Harry’s face when he next awoke. His body ached but the pain he remembered had gone. Squinting into the sunshine Harry attempted to look around him but between his lack of glasses and the bright light he could see little but hazy shadows about himself. Finding his throat sore Harry attempted to sit up and find some water but almost immediately a shadow fell over him and a firm hand pushed him back onto the bed.

“Good morning Mr. Potter.” Harry groaned at the familiar sound of his potion masters voice, and was surprised when he heard Snape chuckle above him. “Yes not a nice surprise to wake up to me in the morning is it Potter?” Harry knew without seeing that Snape was smirking smugly at his sarcastic comment. Surprisingly however the bed to his left yielded and Harry found a thin pair of hands placing his glasses onto his face with some gentleness. Adjusting to his returned vision Harry glanced curiously across to where Snape was balanced on the edge of the bed silently observing Harry down the end of his crooked nose. “How are you feeling?” Harry shrugged suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable with Snape’s presence in the room. “Well at least we know this incident hasn’t affected your ability to communicate in your usual infuriating way.” Snape seemed to ignore the boy’s unease and merely reached forward his hands gently inspecting the wounds on Harry’s face. Harry winced as the potions master slide his hand along his cheek, his expressions giving nothing away as he completed his observation.

“Where….” Harry trailed off his voice raw and his throat swollen from the screaming.

“Here, drink this.” Harry stiffened in concern as Snape reached behind Harry’s shoulders and helped the boy to sit before offering him a foul smelling orange potion. Harry sniffed at it cautiously, which ensured another contemptible laugh from his potions professor. “I’m not going to poison you Potter,” Too sore to argue Harry merely downed the liquid surprised at the tangy orange flavor. “Well at least not having spent 12 hours manually picking glass from your body, what a waste of my time that would have been.” Having watched Harry take the potion, Harry was laid back down on the bed much to his relief. Harry now took the opportunity to glance around the room, smiling as he remembered having stayed in the same room last summer holidays. “Well now you’ve awoken I’ll fetch Dumbledore and the mutt.” Snape rose from the side of Harry’s bed and made his way to the door out of the room. Harry watched him suspiciously but said nothing as the potions professor opened the door to leave. Snape seemed to have an after thought half way out of the door and paused to address Harry. “Oh and there’s a letter for you from the Ministry on the side table.” With that Severus Snape swept from Harry’s sight in his characteristically menacing way. It was only after the professor had gone that Harry realized Snape hadn’t been wearing his staff robes. Not that Harry had taken much notice of what the professor had been wearing anyway; the greasy git was still an arsehole in Harry’s opinion with or without robes.

Sighing Harry cautiously reached up and grabbed the ministry letter from the side table. There was little doubting what the letter would be about and Harry, although reluctant, opened it and began to read.

Dear Mr Harry James Potter.

Unauthorized use of magic by an underaged wizard was detected at 1.30pm on the 1st of July, at number four Privet drive.

Under Section 389 of the underaged wizarding act, an underaged wizard may not use magic until such time as he or she graduates from a recognized ministry education facility or reaches the age of majority.

This is the third time such an incident has been recorded by officials, and as such will be dealt with, using the full extent of the law.

Further more the magic in question was used to injure with intent to kill, a muggle, a Mr D. Dursley. Acts of this nature are strictly forbidden under Section 1098 of the protection of Muggles act.

This incident in accordance with the laws will be investigated by a panel of Wizards from the ministry. You will be notified shortly of the hearing date, and assistance in legal representation may be arranged at your request.

Until further notice you are officially suspended from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are also forbidden to practice and partake in any magic until your hearing is concluded.

Yours Sincerely.

Mr. C. Fudge
Minister of Magic.

Harry’s eyes swam with tears as he re-read the letter for a second time his mind refusing to believe they had actually suspended him from Hogwarts. Surely Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it. It had been in self-defense really. Harry tried to justify his actions to himself but the more he did, the angrier he became at the holes that had begun to appear in his defense. He really had been in no danger from Dudley; it had just been anger over the picture. Finally the tears broke free and rolled down his cheeks. The salty liquid stung his cuts and only served to irritate him. Scrunching and ripping the letter up Harry threw it across the room. However instead of just hitting the wall and falling into a heap the entire letter blasted a hole in the wall, making the entire house shake with its force.

Stunned Harry sat up and stared at the hole, the wallpaper still smoldering around the edges of it. Not half a second later the door to his room flew open and the entire membership of the Order along with Albus Dumbledore were in his room wands drawn ready to attack. However when there appeared to be no visible threat all of them relaxed their attention firmly on Harry in question.

“Sorry.” Harry managed to croak out as he pointed shyly to the wall, his eyes instantly lowering to his lap in shame as muttering broke out. Mad Eye, Tonks and Dumbledore instantly went to inspect the hole, while Sirius quickly asserted himself on the edge of Harry’s bed, his hand coming up to sooth over Harry’s bandaged back.

“Harry what happened?” Lupin sat himself down on the other side of Harry’s bed as Harry curled instantly into his godfather’s arms. It hurt to move but Harry needed the warmth and comfort his godfather provided.

“I got angry,” Harry paused his voice still quiet as it recovered from his screaming. “I’ll fix it.” Harry quickly added on, glancing up guiltily at his godfather.

“No need Harry, already done.” Harry glanced up from Sirius chest to see Tonks already performing the necessary spell to fix the hole. Dumbledore had in his hands the Ministry’s letter, and Harry inwardly sighed as he watched the headmaster charm the letter back together so he could read it. Harry watched as Dumbledore’s expression went from warm to seriously cold as he came to the end of the letter and glanced up at Harry in concern.

“I didn’t mean to, I’d just had enough.” Harry bit his lip trying to hold back the tears he knew threatened to fall again in front of everyone in the room. “Those things were mine, and they take everything away from me. It was just a picture, but it was mine!” Harry clenched his fists tightly together, angry again over what Dudley had done, and also at himself for being so foolish. Almost instantly the house shook again, dust falling from the roof and settling over the members of the Order who all seemed astonished. Even Sirius backed off from Harry as the house shook. Sirius looked at his godson with a look, Harry could almost say was fear. Dumbledore was the only one who didn’t look at all phased by the movement of the house and merely folded the letter and put it safely into one of the pockets on his robes.

“I think perhaps some tea is in order. You need rest Harry and I have some things to see to.” At Dumbledore’s words the order began filing from the room, the only people not moving were Sirius who had returned to holding Harry against his chest and Snape who stood stoically by the door. “We will discuss this Harry when you are feeling a little better.” Dumbledore was the last to leave the room his gaze warming again as he smiled at Harry. Harry watched however as Dumbledore paused by Snape, the headmaster sharing a look with the potions professor who acknowledged it with a nod of his head. “Meet me downstairs Severus, when you have attended to our young friend, I would like to have a word with you before I leave.” Harry watched Snape nod again before Dumbledore left the room, leaving him alone with his godfather and the potions professor.

“Well get on with it Snape, I want to talk to Harry without you mooching around like death.” Sirius spat nastily at Snape who merely glared at the man with his usual sinister stare.

“I do not mooch Black, but I hear you’re very good at skulking with your tail between your legs.” Sirius growled low in his throat at Snape’s sharp retort. Harry just smiled to himself at his godfather’s habits, content with the familiarity of the two men exchanging insults around him.

“Here Potter, it’ll help you rest.” Harry cautiously sat up from Sirius as Snape opened a small case that rested on the window seat, and removed a small vial of viscous fluid. Unlike the orange potion he’d taken that morning, this potion tasted absolutely rotten, and Harry gagged as the goopy substance slid awkwardly down his throat.

“Eh, Yuck. That’s foul.” Harry shuddered as he handed the empty vial back to the professor.

“Not every potion is made to suit your tastes Potter.” Snape replaced the empty vial in the case on the window seat and sealed it shut with a quick wave of his hand. Straightening himself Snape moved swiftly from the room, muttering an insult to Black on the way out. With the door to the bedroom closed again Harry relaxed back into his godfathers embrace, his eyes closing as Sirius brushed a stray lock of hair from his godson’s face.

“Tell me what happened Harry.” Sirius allowed Harry to lie back down on the bed, the boy’s body already beginning to relax as the potion began to take affect.

“Dudley took the picture of mum and dad and threw it down the garbage disposal. He’d have done it to my wand as well if I hadn’t…” Harry trailed off his eyes focusing on the bed sheets that Sirius had tucked around him. Sirius sighed clearly restraining his anger in front of his godson. “I wasn’t trying to kill him, I swear.” Harry looked up desperately at Sirius, yet again trying to hold back tears. Never in his entire life had Harry cried so much. “I just got angry, it was only supposed to be a simple hex but it came out all funny.” Harry shook with tears as he rolled over into Sirius side the older man holding his younger charge as tears flowed easily down the boys face. “I don’t want to leave Hogwarts.”

“I know Harry, I know and Dumbledore will sort it out I promise.” Harry nodded quietly, his heart feeling heavy as Sirius brushed the tears from his face with his thumb. “Get some sleep Harry, we can talk more tomorrow.” The potion Snape had given Harry had finally begun to kick in, and before long Harry’s eyes closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep, his godfathers arms still wrapped around his prone form.
TBC>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

A/N) To those devoted readers of my LOTR fic, I will update them as soon as work allows me, my applogies for it being such a long time. Hope you enjoy this as much as you enjoyed them.