Pure and Simple

Summary: The Dark Lord’s return is the beginning of the war. Harry meeting a certain auror is the beginning of something else entirely. Harry/Kingsley

Main Pairing: Harry Potter/Kingsley Shacklebolt

Genre: Romance/Adventure

Rating: M/NC-17

Warnings: Mature themes, slash, gay (male/male) relationships, violence, some angst, attempted noncon (just in one chapter), possible threesomes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters…but can you imagine the possibilities if I did…

Author's note: Petunia's explanation is pretty long in this chapter but its necessary.

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Harry woke the next morning without the help of the alarm he had set the night before. Instead it was the persistent ache that permitted through most of his body that had Harry awaking with a wince, followed by a low pain-filled groan.

"Ow," he muttered, slowly sitting up in the bed. He gingerly flexed his arms and let out a quiet moan as a throbbing pain ran up the left side of his ribs and through his arms. Harry rotated his jaw hesitantly to try to determine the damage on his face and cursed silently at the sharp twinge that seemed to travel directly to his skull.

Harry knew however, that pain was nothing compared to what it would have been had his magic not been spreading throughout his body last night in an attempt to heal him. Not really wanting to see what would doubt be an artistic display of colour spread across his torso but knowing it was necessary, Harry lifted his top to inspect what was causing that damn pain. He grimaced at the dark purple and blue that adorned his body from just under his left nipple to his hips and continued across his middle and lower back. Harry sighed wearily, aware that his face probably didn't look much better.

Standing and stretching the stiffness from his limbs, he ignoring the pain caused from the act. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only 6:30. The other occupants of the house wouldn't be awake yet, and Harry took small pleasure in the fact that he would be able to avoid Aunt Petunia and Dudley's questions for a little while longer. He changed into similar clothes to yesterday's for his jog and quietly left the room, tiptoeing as he made his way toward the bathroom.

Sipping on glass of orange juice in the kitchen, Harry contemplated on how best to hide his face from his aunt. He had seen it in the bathroom mirror and he had to admit it looked pretty bad. The flesh on his cheek was swollen, though thankfully not as badly as he had imagined. His lip was still slightly puffy, and a hand-shaped bruise spread across the side of his face, contrasting sharply with his pale skin and emerald eyes.

Leaving the house in silence, with his relatives still asleep, Harry began jogging at a tentative pace. He gained more confidence when he only felt a slight pain burning in his ribs but it was nothing he couldn't deal with. Still he kept his speed lower than normal as he planned on joining Dudley in the gym that afternoon, and exercise tended to be a rather painful ordeal when one could barely walk.

The time passed quickly as he ran passed row after row of houses and Harry soon found himself arriving back at the house, albeit he was breathing relatively harder than normal. Harry sighed with relief when he spotted the empty driveway, thankful that he would have a few hours before having to face Vernon again. His food-deprived stomach made it's presence known as he entered the house and decided on breakfast before a shower this time.

Aunt Petunia was at the stove frying eggs and there a stack of fresh toast piled on a plate at the table. Harry had a moment to decide whether to grab a some toast and run in the hopes of her not seeing his face, or face the music. The decision was taken away from him when his aunt handed him a plate of eggs without looking at him and gestured towards the table.

Harry thanked her cautiously, still trying to get used to this new Aunt Petunia. He sat at the table ready to dig into the mouth watering breakfast and appease his complaining stomach when he heard a gasp. Great. There goes breakfast. He peeked through his bangs to see his aunt frozen near the table with another plate of food in her hands, that was slowly slipping as her grip on it slackened. Her eyes roved over his face again and again, almost like she was hoping when she looked again that the discoloration on his face will have disappeared. But when it didn't her face became torn between horror, disbelief and regret as she raised a shaking hand to her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes.

Shocked at her reaction, Harry was quick to comfort her. "I'm ok, Aunt Petunia." Harry grabbed her as her knees gave way and guided her to a chair, thinking desperately of anyway to calm her down. "I just tripped." His aunt merely gave a sob at the bare-faced lie. Too anxious trying to calm her, Harry didn't hear the front door opening.

"What's going on?"

Dudley had come into to see his mother shaking and sobbing while being held in a firm grip by his cousin. Taking a step forward he gave a gasp when Harry turned towards him and Dudley saw the reason for his mother's distress. The bruise, the hand-shaped on his cousin's face that could never have been caused by a fall and Dudley knew exactly who had put it there.

Harry gently released his clutch on his sobbing aunt and left his cousin to comfort her while he made her a strong cup of tea. He calmly returned to the table and placed the cup in her trembling hands, then returned to his abandoned breakfast shifting uncomfortably when he felt their eyes on him.

Silence resided in the room with Harry ate his cooling breakfast and Dudley held his slowly soothing mother. Despite that the blonde’s eyes were fixed his smaller cousin. When Petunia had calmed down enough to speak coherently her reddened eyes, which has been previously focused on her nephew's face, began to roam across his covered body. She took a deep breath as Harry finished eating.

"Take off you shirt Harry."

Both Harry and Dudley stared at her as if she had two heads…and one of the heads wasn't human. Petunia didn't so much as blink at the incredulous gazes she received and stared unfazed at the squirming Harry.

"I want to see where else your hurt," she clarified. "Now take off you shirt."

Harry froze as he thought about his bruised torso and began to pull at the hem of his t-shirt anxiously while Dudley tried to reason with his mother.

"Mum, you can't be serious. I doubt Vernon hit Harry anywhere else. He probably just got mad and acted without thinking."

Petunia's eyes gained a furious fire, suggesting that she did not find this a reasonable excuse.

"And Harry just went for a jog. He can't be that badly hurt."

Petunia's eyes had never once strayed from Harry's frozen form.

"Off," she repeated firmly. "Or I'll do it myself."

Harry fidgeted again and then seemed to resign himself to his fate. He stood and tugged his top over his head, scowling when he heard his aunt and cousin simultaneously breath in sharply.

"Oh my god," Dudley muttered. His bright blue eyes concentrated on the ugly bruises that covered his cousin's upper body.

Aunt Petunia's eyes had refilled with tears and she left he room hurriedly, with her son and nephew staring anxiously after her. Dudley and Harry looked at each other nervously.

Dudley opened his mouth to speak and found he couldn't. Clearing his throat he tried again.

"What happened?"

Harry shrugged dismissively. "He just got a bit mad last night after Aunt Petunia went to bed. He seems convinced that I'm turning your mother and you against him. He hit me and I fell against the wall…hard." Harry smiled wryly at his cousin who was now frowning.

"You don't need to turn us against him. He's doing a pretty good job of that himself."

They both looked up when Petunia walked back into the room with a first-aid kit in her hand. She opened it out on the kitchen table and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a large tube.

Harry gave her a curious look as she moved to put in on his face.

"Its a bruise salve," was the short explanation.

Harry nodded and let her proceed, biting his lip when she rubbed it across his face and then across his ribs and back. Harry shifted at the unpleasant feeling but made an effort not to wince when her fingers brushed across the more tender areas. She was quick and efficient, trying her best not to cause more pain than necessary, but as she turned away Harry grabbed her wrist.

"I've had enough," Harry said. "I want answers now. I want to know why your not looking at me like I'm Satan's spawn anymore. I want to know why I've been treated like I'm human since I arrived two days ago. I want to know why Dudley is suddenly so-so. . .nice." Both Dudley and Petunia winced almost like they had been burnt, and Dudley actually looked pained.

Harry knew how demanding he sounded, however he wasn't going to back down. Years of loneliness and despair gave him the right to answers and he wasn't leaving until he had them. What would cause a woman, who had treated him so harshly for fourteen years, to suddenly change? While Dudley had a more reasonable excuse, after all he had been brought up knowing no differently, Harry was still curious about his major personality transformation.

"Harry," his aunt began shakily. "You have no idea how sorry I am about what has happened since you were a baby." She held his hands in a desperate hold and her eyes were wide and pleading, but Harry coldly shook her off.

"Answers," he said resolutely.

Aunt Petunia nodded and visibly began to gather herself, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs while she did so. Dudley moved up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder in a show of moral support.

Although tears continued to run unchecked down her cheeks, but Petunia's voice was calm and steady when she spoke.

"Firstly, I want you to know that I did not hate your mother," her watery eyes were centred on Harry's emotionless ones. "At least not how you think I did. I was older than Lily by nearly two years and when she was born I never felt jealousy or anger or any negative emotion you might expect from an older daughter when her parents attention is taken away by a new baby. I loved Lily unconditionally from the moment I saw those big green eyes staring at me. You know her eyes almost immediately turned green after birth. Most babies eyes stay blue for a few weeks. Not Lily though and according to the letters she wrote to me after you were born, not yours either."

Harry eyes softened at the love he heard in his aunt's voice and he rejoiced in the rare information about his mother.

"Apparently, I had been a strange baby when I was born. My parents told me when I was older that I used to cry or even flinch when I touched certain things. I would laugh or cry at times for no reason. At that time I couldn't remember what had caused my behaviour. My parents were concerned and took me to different doctors but were told that they had a beautiful, healthy baby girl and that they should be happy, so they reconciled themselves to my small quirks.

"Then Lily was born, another beautiful baby girl but even more unusual than me. This time there was no doctors involved. What would my parents say? That when she was two years old she made all her toys levitate over a foot off the ground? That one day when she was five and I was cold her new soft toy became a fluffy blanket? My parents knew that Lily would have become a science experiment so they continued to accept my little oddities and Lily's slightly larger ones."

Petunia's eyes had slowly gained a faraway look until Harry realised that she barely knew they were there anymore.

"Then one day, Lily met a young boy in the park. He lived in a rough neighbourhood across from us and it was plain to see that he lived a hard life. He was nice to Lily but he seemed to dislike me and to be honest he scared me. I was so jealous when Lily slowly became friends with him. I tried hard not to show it though. Lily was mine, but she was happy with him so I was willing to accept it. However, the moment I heard him tell her about magic all I could see was Lily surrounded in bright green light. For the first time in my life I felt complete and utter fear. "

Harry had kept almost entirely emotionless so far but now he could not help the widening of his eyes when he heard the last part. Petunia ignored her nephew's reaction and proceeded.

"I had had little flashes like that as I grew up. I would see images of people I didn't know, an event I had never witnessed and would tell my parents about them. They would laugh at my vivid imagination. Before that day I had never seen an image so clearly and any jealousy I felt at the idea that my sister might possess magic disappeared. All I felt was the overwhelming need to keep Lily as far away from the Wizarding World as possible.

"I tried to convince her that it was a bad idea but Lily didn't understand and she didn't want to. She was so happy. Instead, I wrote to your school and asked them if I could join Lily so that I could be there to protect her. I knew before they replied what the answer would be, so I told Lily about what I had seen. She knew about my little abnormalities, how I would get little flickers of images, more often when I touched a specific item. She spent her free time that first year researching in the library at Hogwarts and writing to me whenever she thought she might have found something useful.

"Lily continued to spent her time looking for anyway to help me, but I began to get angry and spiteful. The "visions" as we decided to call them, started to get more and more frequent and I rarely enjoyed what I saw. I would see murders and rapes and…once when I was with Mum in an antique shop looking from a Christmas present for Dad I brushed off an old musket gain when I was reaching for a book. All I could hear were screams of pain and terror while I watched a battle unfold in front of me. I awoke on the floor of the shop and discovered I had collapsed screaming over ten minutes ago. I began to black out for seconds, then minutes in school every time my skin touched somebody so I tried covering every inch of my body. I even wore gloves. Eventually the stress I felt began to show in my grades. While Lily was learning her spells and potions I began to fall into a pit of despair. It wasn't until the end of her fourth year at school that Lily discovered what was wrong with me."

Petunia's voice was very quiet now, her eyes glazed as she recalled the past. Harry couldn't help leaning forward, anxious to hear what his mother had found. He noticed that Dudley was only vaguely listening, his eyes concentrated on his mother's expressions. He had obviously already heard this story before and was watching her carefully as though she might break. Her voice only held the slightest of quivers when she began to speak again.

"I was a squib. I had the potential to perform magic, except it was blocked inside me. I couldn't channel it properly so it developed in the only it could: I was a Seer of sorts. I had the power of premonition in that when I touched something or someone I usually received a vision. It's a type of psychometry but it usually involves only retrocognition, which means to see the past, but rarely it includes precognition, where I can see the future."

Harry gaped at her with his mouth open. He had never heard of such a thing in his entire time spent in the Wizarding World. Was it truly possible? The sorrow and bitterness in his aunt's voice couldn't be anything but sincere and he felt a pang of compassion and sorrow for a young girl who lived her life never truly knowing what she was. He allowed his emotions to show in his eyes and was given a small smile in return.

"Lily was delighted. She was so happy that I was magical, that I was like her. But she didn’t understand. That's not how I saw it. I wasn't a magical, but I wasn't a muggle either. I didn't really belong anywhere. I saw myself as a freak."

Harry flinched at the harsh word and the reminder of a childhood spent locked in a dark cupboard, knowing that despite the fact that he lived here, he still wasn't wanted here. Petunia's eyes caught the movement and her eyes darkened in grief.

"At that moment I hated Lily, hated that she was what I could never be. So during the summer before her fifth year I cut off all contact with her. I never replied to her letters no matter how many she sent and when she returned home for the holidays I locked myself in my room and refused to speak to her. Lily used to spend hours outside my door during the summer, crying for me to speak with her. It was so hard to hear her pain but I was determined to ignore her and the world that had caused me such hurt. I distanced myself from my emotions and if I began to have visions I suppressed them. I blocked them until eventually they just stopped and I-I felt nothing."

"I met Vernon when I was eighteen. He was so ordinary and so against everything abnormal. When he found out about Lily he vowed to protect me from her. I never had the courage to tell him what I was. Soon began to regret my decision. I was sure that Lily would have found away for me to control my visions but Vernon kept me grounded to his ideas. He prevented me from writing to Lily and from begging her to forgive and help me."

"Before I knew it I was married at the age of twenty-one despite my parents vehement protests against Vernon and was pregnant less than a year later. I vaguely recall getting an invitation to Lily's wedding and then a letter about your birth but I burnt them. My life now consisted of rules and appropriate manners, of remembering what the neighbours would think if I did this or said that. It was like a dream and the only reality was Dudley. Despite the hope I had previously held to get away, this changed when Dudley was born. I knew I couldn't leave him fatherless and I had no way of supporting us. So my goal in life became Dudley's happiness, no matter what cost."

Petunia paused and took deep, shaky breaths as though physically preparing herself for what she was about to say next. Harry chanced a fleeting look at Dudley and was stunned to see that his cousin looked…angry. There was no other word for it. Dudley was gazing at his mother with fury prominent in his eyes, his arms folded tightly across his muscular chest.

"Then one morning I opened the front door to get the milk and the first thing I saw was Lily's eyes staring at me. I was so scared in that moment, terrified of what she would think of me and then I was so relieved when I realised it was you Harry. I cried while I read the letter tucked in your blanket, I cried as I fed you that morning because I had never ask Lily for forgiveness. And as selfish as it sounds, I cried because I knew now that Lily could never rescue me. I was alone now.

"Of course Vernon found out and the momentary lapse I'd had in my perfect world was gone. I just sat there as he ranted about abominations and freaks and felt my hatred and grief grow. All those years of pain and anger I took out on you. I watched as Vernon and I mistreated you and Dudley grew spoilt and selfish, knowing nothing but what his father told him and I didn't bother to correct it. I heard you cry with hunger at night and cried with you because I did nothing, because if I knew that if I broke down my walls and just felt, I would never be able to put them back again and I could never go back to the pain of those visions."

Petunia's voice came in gasps and pants now. Her eyes were full of anguish and pleaded with Harry to understand, her face was blotchy from the continuous stream of tears that poured relentlessly from those pain-filled eyes.

"I was surviving, but not living. I only woke each morning so I could insure that you and Dudley were as safe as was possible. Then you got your letter and I couldn't help feeling relieved and happy when you left the cabin with that giant that night. You could finally escape. Instead they returned you to us every year. You would come back healthy and happy and leave skinny and ragged. Vernon got angrier every summer and I could tell that at some point the was going to blow up.

"Then last November he finally snapped. I think being demoted was the last straw in his seemingly perfect world. He came home that night in a rage and beat me. He just kept hitting me until I passed out."

Harry and Petunia started at the sound of pure, unadulterated rage that Dudley emitted. His face had turned red and his fist were clenched tightly at his sides. Clearly, Dudley hadn't been told this part of the story yet. Petunia winced, rapidly starting to talk again in an attempt to ignore her son's rage.

"I woke where I had fallen and after all these years I could feel. The pain wasn't just an echo in the back of my mind that I absently acknowledged. It was real and the haze that had surrounded me for so long had faded. I was alive again, but with it came the visions. They weren't nearly as bad as they had been when I was younger. Still they were there. I told a doctor that I found my attention constantly wandering and he recommended meditation. After that the visions became easy to control depending on the object I touched. The older it was, the more vivid the vision, but eventually I was the one who controlled when I got my visions even if it was only the ones from the past. My premonitions from the future are incredibly rare and I can never block them."

"Now that I was free I had so many things to put right. You were safe for the time being in Hogwarts, so my first priority was Dudley. He was far too much like his father for my liking and I knew that if I was ever going to have a possibility to escape with the two of you I would need to change that."

Harry sat silent and immobile, his mind swirling with the information he had received in the past few minutes. There was so much to take in and Harry felt a headache coming on as he tried to make sense his aunt's words and his feelings on them.

He started slightly out of surprise when his aunt spoke again and noticed that her voice had become more steady and assured.

"When Dudley came home that Christmas he immediately recognized the change in me and I saw, really saw my son for the first time and he was an arrogant, spoilt, selfish brat."

Dudley protested against her words against him, but Harry saw his sheepish and faintly ashamed grin and knew that he agreed with his mother's judgment of him.

"Of course, I knew that he only had Vernon's example to follow and I had never bothered to rectify that but he needed to change and fast. At the first opportunity, I talked with him honestly for the first time in his life. I told him about what had happened the night Vernon had been fired, and while he was reasonably enraged at his father he still didn't get it. So I told him the same story I just told you as well."

Petunia paused and turned in her chair to give Dudley a questioning look. Harry didn't understand, but after raising an eyebrow he gave a small nod and lifted his eyes from his mother's face. Harry has never seen or even imagined such a look of vulnerability or anxiety on his cousin's face as he began to speak,

"Over the next few days I watched my father closely. I had always assumed that I knew my father. After only a week I realised I didn't. He was so harsh and aggressive. I heard him mock people he didn't even know because of their sex or race or anything he found different. Abnormal." Dudley sneered at the word.

"He would come home bragging about how many people he had bullied at work that day and I watched Mum cower away from him every time he came near her. Reality was making itself known and I felt disgusted when I compared myself to him and realised how alike we were. I began to correct everything in me that was anyway like him, but I still needed another push. When I returned to Smeltings in January, I was told that I had been signed up for a volunteer programme that the school ran and found out that Mum had signed me up. The aim of the programme was for teenagers to be sent to places that required help every weekend."

"I was sent with five other boys, three who had signed up willingly and two who were there as punishment. We were sent to an orphanage and child abuse centre in London. The minute I entered that door my entire life was turned upside down. The centre itself was wonderful and the people who owned it did everything in their power to help the kids, but I had never imagined such looks of fear and hate and loneliness. Especially on people so young. Do you know what hit me the most?" Dudley's face was pained when he looked at Harry who could only shake his head in silence.

"It was how much they reminded me of you. The expressions on their faces were almost identical to yours when you were home. Except you didn't have anyone willing to help you like they did. I remember realising one night as I held a little girl while she cried because she couldn't sleep in fear of recalling her father molesting her, that there was a choice between good and evil and I hated myself for being part of the latter. Eventually I asked for a long-term place on the programme and then began to concentrate on my own health as well. The recruitment agency came to our school in late February looking for anyone talented in sports. I didn't bother joining them but I took up boxing after one of the other boys had introduced me to it. He said it helped him with his anger problems." Dudley gave a chuckle in remembrance. His face became instantaneously sombre again and he tightened the hold he had on his mother's hand.

"When I came home from the summer holidays with my new…awareness I suppose you could call it I had no more false illusions where Vernon was concerned. Mum's fear was almost palpable when they were in the same room and I hated that he could cause such a reaction in her. His anger is becoming more uncontrollable everyday. I mean just look at what he did to you!" Dudley gestured wildly at Harry's body in general and Harry pinned him under an intense stare.

"I don't need to look, I can feel it just fine." Harry replied dryly. He fell silent then and a contemplative expression lined his face. Dudley and Petunia shifted uneasily as they waited for his response.

Harry leaned forwards in his seat and resting his head on his folded arms on the table, absentmindedly blowing a stray piece of hair out of his eyes. He had listened to everything his aunt and cousin had said but now he had to really think about it and what exactly it meant. He truly believed his aunt about her trance-like state during the years of his neglect. The self-hatred and remorse in her eyes were too sincere to be anything but true.

Harry could easily recognize the need to numb yourself from the outside world when situations got to much to bear. He barely recalled parts of his second year or the summer after that and he had been close to completely isolating himself following the end of the Third Task. He was sure he would have succeeded had it not been for Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Aunt Petunia had had no one to bring her back from her state of seclusion and for that alone Harry could forgive her.

There was also this manifestation of magic in different forms thing. Harry had never heard of anything of the sort during his time spent in the Wizarding World. Then again he wasn't exactly the most knowledgeable person when it came to the magical world. Hermione on the other hand would know if he asked, and if she didn't he guaranteed she would within an hour of him asking.

Dudley on the other hand was an entirely different matter. Although Harry felt that it would take time before he could forgive either of them fully, he believed that it would be easier to forgive his cousin than his aunt. A child brought up in a world full of hate and prejudice could never know anything else. He practiced what was preached. The fact Dudley managed to break away from everything he knew, was nothing short of miraculous to Harry. He doubted many people could ever find such willpower.

Harry lifted his head from his arms with a sigh and rubbed both hands over his eyes in a weary gesture. He opened eyes he hadn't realised he had closed and was greeted with the sight of a wary aunt and cousin, both looking at him with various amounts of trepidation. Harry only barely held back a laugh at the sight of the muscular, blond boy chewing on his lip and instead sighed.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry began softly, "its obvious that you loved my mother despite your falling out and for that alone I could probably forgive you. Plus you haven't been exactly," Harry struggled to find the right word before deciding to be blunt, "sane for the past few years."

Dudley snorted at the rather apt description of his mother's condition over the past few years, but fell mute as bright green eyes turned to him.

"And Dudley I'm just glad you managed to break away from the beliefs you've been brought up with since birth. Not many people could do that, so I guess I forgive you too."

Harry smiled as he saw the looks of disbelief he was receiving.

"What? Just-just like that we're forgiven?" Dudley stammered. "You can't be serious, after everything we've put you through."

Harry shrugged dismissively and gave them a tight-lipped smile. "You apologized and you've both made attempts to change. It doesn't mean that I've forgotten how I was treated here but I can't hold a grudge for something your both obviously trying desperately to change." Harry gave them a breathtaking smile.

"But I am curious about your gift Aunt Petunia. I've never heard of Squibs possessing any type of magical talent. I wonder if there are more of you. You could probably be trained in order to let your powers develop to the highest lev-," Harry's ramblings were cut off as his aunt grabbed him and proceeded to attempt to break his already bruised ribs.

"Thank you Harry," Petunia sobbed into his neck.

Harry rubbed her back soothingly while still trying to breathe past the crushing hold she had on him. He had become rather accustom to dealing with hysterical females, after being best friends with two girls and having a friend like Ron who never knew when to shut up. However, the pain was rapidly becoming a bit much.

"Aunt Petunia," Harry gasped, "not that this isn't great but my ribs are not at their best right now."

Petunia jumped away from him in surprise, then immediately began fussing over him. Harry protested when he was pushed back in to his chair but his aunt was adamant and Harry soon found himself resigned to his being coddled with a roll of his eyes.

A low chuckle turned his attention away from his aunt who was holding a cold compress to his face in hopes of bringing down the swelling, to his amused cousin.

"You look like this happens all the time," Dudley explained after seeing Harry's questioning look.

"It bloody well does," Harry grumbled. Attempted to remove the compress only resulted in a sharp slap to his the arm. Nursing the stinging kimb Harry spoke to a highly amused Dudley.

"Two of my three best friends are girls and they think I can't take care of myself. I get in to trouble quite a bit and they're like fuck- I mean bloody mother hens. Last year when I tripped and fell down a flight of stairs, Ginny wouldn't even let me dress myself for a week! I wasn't even hurt, just humiliated."

Dudley's chuckles had now turned into full blown laughter, earning him a scowl from Harry who could not find anything funny at the situation. Then again Ron had taken to flying into laughter every time he had seen Harry that week, claiming that it had been priceless. For this he had received a hard smack over the head courtesy of Hermione who had said that Harry's health was not a laughing matter. She had left two rather petulant boys behind her.

"What do you mean, getting into trouble quite a bit?" Aunt Petunia's voice broke through Dudley's mirth. "Have you been breaking school rules?"

Harry pushed down the feeling of bitterness that welled inside him at her sudden concern, reminding himself that technically it wasn't her fault she didn't know anything about his school life. Dudley's abating laughter started anew at Harry's sheepish expression and his mother's stern one.

"Rules are there to be broken," Harry defended himself half-heartedly. Alright perhaps he had broken slightly more than his fair share of school rules but he couldn't help being curious or as Hermione put it "nosy".

"Are you going to tell me how much trouble you've got into this year or do I have to contact your school?" Petunia's tone was unyielding.

Harry frowned, mumbling an indistinguishable answer.

"Fifteen detentions?" Petunia gaped. "How on earth did…"

Harry winced but quickly interrupted. "No, not fifteen. Fifty. At least that's what it was in May. I can't remember getting any after…" his voice faded away as he caught sight of his aunt's expression and he rolled his eyes unnoticed at the achingly familiar lecture that followed. He had received it enough times from both Hermione and Professor McGonagall. Harry swore that the two had to be somehow related.

"Aunt Petunia. I'm going to have a shower," Harry said, after listening patiently for over fifteen minutes to reprimands and scowling at Dudley's grins. He needed a shower badly, although there wasn't really much of a point. He would be going to the gym with Dudley later, so it wouldn't be long before he stunk of sweat again.

Harry smirked at Dudley's wide eyes as he left the kitchen, leaving his cousin to listen to Petunia's admonishing him about getting better grades in school.

Stepping out of the shower and feeing thoroughly refreshed, Harry dressed in a pair of loose cotton pants and an old t-shirt that fit surprisingly well considering it had once belonged to Dudley. He hastily re-tied his slightly damp hair in the bun he had used to keep it of the water and hurriedly left the room, knowing that if Dudley had managed to escape from his mother he was probably already waiting. Harry grabbed a small, raggedly duffel bag and threw in a pair of shorts, a spare t-shirt and the bottle of water Aunt Petunia had left in the fridge for him.

"You ready Harry?" Dudley yelled up the stairs.

"Yeah," Harry shouted back as he reached the top of the stairs.

Petunia came out of the kitchen as he reached the hall and frowned when she saw Harry's clothes.

"We'll have to go shopping later in the week Harry." She was gazing disapprovingly at his top but he detected a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Harry's mouth opened in a sense of horrified shock, recalling his brief shopping experience with Ginny in Hogsmeade a few months ago. He had vowed never to suffer through such an experience again. He turned to look at an equally horror-struck Dudley who muttered a soft "Run" and they both vanished through the doorway before they could be subjected to anymore of Petunia's suggestions.

"Nooooo," Harry moaned, as they came to a stop outside Number Twenty.
Dudley shot him a miserable look.

"I hate shopping for clothes with Mum," Dudley said, shivering at the mere thought. "She acts like she's possessed. Its bloody creepy."

Harry nodded his agreement and Ginny came to mind. The glint that girl got in her eye when shopping was mentioned was anything but human.

They reached the gym quickly and Harry bounded through the door in a flurry of limbs and hair.

"Hey Alexi," he greeted the receptionist, genuinely glad to see the other boy who was once again scrawling absently on his notebook.

Alexi glanced up at the sound of his name and grinned happily when he spotted the excited black-haired boy, followed closely by his fairer haired cousin.

"Harry," he replied, smiling. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. Miss me already?" he teased, eyes flashing briefly to Dudley and then back to Harry.

"You know I did," Harry played along, a smile on his face. "Couldn't wait for today to arrive. Do I get a hello kiss?"

Alexi blushed but laughed with him, until a slight movement of Harry's head beneath the artificial lights brought his attention to something he hadn't seen earlier. His chocolate eyes narrowed in concern as he took in his new friend's appearance.

"What happened to your face?"

Harry looked confused for a moment before realisation flashed across his face.

"I fell," he lied smoothly.

Alexi chanced a fleeting look at Dudley, remembering the rumours he had heard about the boy being a bully but was relieved to see his eyes were also on Harry and full of concern and anger. Alexi nodded his reluctant acceptance, allowing the suspicion to leave his face and changed the subject.

"Are you still going to kenpo tomorrow?"

Harry leaned forward over the cluttered desk and winked at the darker-skinned boy. "Wouldn't miss it for anything. See you tomorrow Lexi."

Harry waved goodbye and followed Dudley through the bright blue doors at the end of the hall. They swung open to reveal a cream coloured room packed with people using treadmills, exercise bikes, weights and an assortment of equipment Harry had never seen before.

Dudley easily made his way through the room, and Harry followed close behind him. Although he couldn't see his face, Harry knew from the distinct tension in his shoulders that his light flirting with Alexi had caused the intended reaction in the other boy. He grinned internally, removing his cotton pants and pulling on the shorts and tight t-shirt.
Leaving the changing rooms before Dudley, he was oblivious to the appreciative glances his long, slim legs garnered from both men and women as he headed towards the treadmills.

Harry switched between machines every twenty minutes to fully benefit his body, taking small breaks to rest his exerted muscles and to prevent cramping. After nearly an hour and a half, Harry gave into his body's demands to stop as sweat poured down his back and chest and made his way back towards the changing room where Dudley had entered shortly before him. He forewent changing back into his original clothes until he returned to Privet Drive where he could shower again.

Harry watched Dudley fuming out of the corner of his eye when he bid Alexi goodbye. He could see that Alexi was enamoured with Dudley, but was too shy to approach him probably uncertain of the reception he'd receive. Harry was unsure about whether or not Dudley had acknowledged his feelings towards the pretty receptionist, but it wouldn't be possible to ignore them for much longer. Especially if Harry continued blatantly flirting with Alexi in front of him. Dudley would probably pluck up his courage and ask Alexi out before the end of the week. Harry smirked his satisfaction as he watched Dudley clench and unclench his fists. His cousin had always been so confident before, why should this be any different?