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Harry must have fallen asleep on the train as it was no longer moving and he could not see anyone near him.
Usually he would share with Draco and the rest of his friends in slytherin, but this time his injuries were hurting too much for his feet to move any further than the first empty carriage he found.
His chest was the shade of the bottom of the ocean at night time; black. The bruises were spread across his sternum, concentrating around the area of his ribs. Vernon hadn't been happy with Harry's early letter mentioning that he had passed all his OWLS with flying colours, nor the attempted kidnapping in the middle of the night to take him to the Weasley's despite them hating him.
They didn't mind that Harry had been kidnapped, more that he had been returned after Remus had noticed how hostile it was in the house.
Harry had tried to reason with the headmaster. He pleaded to be allowed to stay with Draco, Luna or Severus; he mentioned that Minnie wouldn't have minded him or that he could just go to hogwarts early. In a final desperate attempt he had even mentioned staying in diagon alley like he had done in third year, despite how much he loathed the people there.
But Dumbledore was as stubborn as his gryffin door said he was, and all the pleading ended him placed back in the Dursley care with two weeks left of the holiday.
Hence the broken glasses, sprained wrist and bruises everywhere.
Harry winced as he straightened up from his position hunched over, leaning against the window, as he realised that if he didn't get off the train soon it would return back to platform nine and three quarters with him still on it.
Draco would never let him hear the end of it.
"Harry, we have arrived. I was looking for you, did you fancy being around the Wrackspurts."
Luna was standing in the doorway, Spectrespecs surrounding her eyes as she stared at something just above Harry's head.
"Hi Luna. Um- I couldn't..." Harry stammered, trailing off. He hoped Luna understood as she did every year as he could not get the words out to admit to why he was in the cabin by himself. Maybe later, when he was curled up in Draco's warm arms with a hot chocolate as he watched the new hogwarts kids jump at Severus's silent approach into the common room.
Her eyes softened in understanding as she dragged Harry's trunk off the seat next to him before starting to walk out the cabin.
Harry slowly stood up, his knees clicking along the way, as he followed Luna off the train and started walking down the station.
"How was your summer Luna?" Harry asks, relieved when she slows down to match his hobbling pace.
"It was good, Harry. We discovered the boxes in our attic were infested in Nargles which took weeks to rehome. Father and I made a whole quibbler page on it which was interesting. Would have loved if you had come round though." Luna said, as Hogwarts slowly appeared in the distant. She didn't ask about his summer, for which he was grateful. They all knew he didn't like talking about it that much, always being forced to recount it for Severus and Poppy during his check up.
Having always gone in carriage, or the boat in the first year, Harry had never appreciated the length from the station to the castle. It was a lot further than it looked and his chest was killing him along with his knee. He was even more grateful that she had taken his trunk for him as his wrist was not reacting well to the cold September weather.
"Harry," Luna suddenly stopped and Harry stopped, looking inquisitively at her. "Would you like me to fix your glasses for you? They don't look very comfortable right now."
Harry was about to say no, when he found himself pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. His face went red, but he nodded as he took them off and passed them to Luna.
Everything had gone blurry to the point that, if she wanted to, Luna could walk off and Harry would have no idea. Not that she would, but it left Harry feeling slightly uneasy.
"Here, these should be better."
The glasses were placed on his face and the blurriness disappeared giving him his sight back. With a slight sigh of relief, he hugged Luna who was still standing close to him.
"Thanks Luna." Harry muttered as he felt a tear slowly fall down his cheek.
"You are welcome Harry. I know Draco and Severus will mention this later but you are deserving of kindness. No conditions or expectations attached. It's okay," she wiped his tears as he pulled back. "Come on, the rest will begin worrying."
They kept walking but as they got the gates Harry suddenly realised something.
"Luna, why were you on the train that late?"
"Oh, I was on the station stroking a thestral that had been left behind and directing it to the forest when i saw movement on the train."
"Oh, well thanks."
"Of course Harry - look there's Professor Flitwick."
They walked up to the professor, eyes falling on the parchment he held in his hands.
"Miss Lovegood, slightly late but I shall let it pass. I hope you had a good summer, wait here for a teacher to escort you to the feast please. Leave the trunk, the house elves will bring it to the correct place after." he said, ticking off a name from somewhere down a long list before looking up again at harry. "Name?"
It startled him as he stared bewildered into the eyes of his professor.
"Professor, you have taught me for five years." Harry says. A person walks up over to Luna but he's too focused on Flitwick pretending not to know him to check who it was.
"No exceptions Potter."
His mouth dropped even further as the teacher literally just said his name whilst asking for his name.
He closed his mouth before taking a breath, which hurt his ribs in a way that made him flinch. "Harry James Potter, sir."
"Ah Mr Potter, well if you would like to wait with Miss Lovegood for a teacher to escort you up and-"
"I can handle it from here Filius." A voice from next to Luna caused Professor Flitwick to jump, dropping his scroll which started unravelling.
The man looked up as he started gathering up the paper. "Severus, well I will leave these two with you."
"Indeed," Severus said as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder and guided the boy round. "Come on, Miss Lovegood would you like to begin and explain why you and Harry are late."
They had started walking up the short stretch to the castle from the gates.
"I was helping a thestral sir, and then I saw Harry still on the train surrounded by Wrackspurts. We stopped to fix his glasses before meeting Professor Flitwick." Luna said, staring at the moon. "The stars are saying that the moon is disturbed tonight."
Severus sighed, "Thank you Miss Lovegood. You can enter the hall through the passage on the right to avoid attention. Try to correct this tardiness before lessons or I shall take points." He waited for the girl to go before gently nudging Harry down the stairs to his office. "Now Harry, would you like to have this next discussion in my office, Minnie's or the hospital wing?"
"Yours please."
"Of course, I will alert Minerva where we are."
The walk was done in a peaceful silence, Severus's hand staying on his shoulder lightly the entire time. The warmth was welcomed when they reached the coldness of the dungeons that Harry had grown accustomed to.
Severus's office was down a hidden corridor that was opened by touching a wand on a brick on the wall. Even then, the only three people's wand which would be let in (without being checked first by Severus) was: Severus, Minerva and Harry. The actual office was cozy, with two fireplaces already roaring and multiple sofas in a dark green. The entire room was either green, black or silver but it suited the man who lived here. The kitchen was off to the left and the living quarters on the right. Harry immediately walked to his seat, curled up at the edge of the sofa closest to the fire and furthest from the door.
"Okay Harry, I'm going to get Minerva as she should be finished with the main part of the welcome speech and Poppy." He sent a patronus out before crouching own beside where Harry was already sitting. "Do you need Draco here right now or are you going to wait till later? Either way is fine and not an inconvenience to anyone. It just depends if you would like to have this conversation twice."
Harry looked down at his hands, he had already grabbed a pillow to fiddle with rather than picking the skin of his fingers. "Um- I would like him here now if it's not too much trouble please."
"Of course," Severus said as he floated the premade letter they always used whenever summoning any of Harry's friends quickly from busy areas. There was also a lot of hidden doors next to the slytherin table that led straight to the dungeons. "It's no trouble, they will all be here quickly. In the mean time, I am rather surprised at what you told Professor Flitwick."
Harry's head snapped up, which caused everything to blur slightly. Severus's question put him on edge in a way that only happened after long periods of time with the Dursley's. "I didn't mean to be rude Severus honestly! I am sorry. His question just surprised me, but I wasn't trying to be arrogant or anything I -"
"Calm down Harry, you are not trouble. Not yet at least, knowing you I will be forced to take at least a couple points by the first day. I mean that when Filius asked for your name, your response surprised me." Severus had moved to hold both of Harry's hand gently in one, whilst his other hand softly brushed his hair away from his eyes.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused, leaning into the touch he had been denied for two months.
"I don't know, I just expected you to mention how he should know you as you are Harry Potter, but I guess I should have known better. You don't like the fame, you prefer moments like these, hidden in the dungeons away." Severus had moved, letting go of his hands to open the door. Minnie and Poppy walked in, smiling at Harry as they saw him.
"I mean, I just thought he should know me considering he had taught me charms for five years." Minnie sat next to him and he cuddled into her side, being mindful of his ribs. "He said no exceptions but he didn't ask for Luna's name. Not that it matters that much."
Poppy sat down on the chair opposite Harry as Severus perched on the edge of the sofa, knowing he would have to get up. "Who is he talking about Severus?" she asked as she began to get some tinctures out her bag. "Is Mr Malfoy joining us?"
"Yes, and he was talking about Filius and his name checking at the gate." Severus sighed slightly, "Harry what would you like for dinner?"
"A cornish pasty please."
"With vegetables and some soup?"
"Maybe."
"Okay, though your lunch tomorrow will have vegetables on it."
Severus got up again and opened the door letting Draco in. The boy had his hair perfectly combed back without the excessive use of gel he styled it with in first year. His face was pale as always but his lips kept their rosy tint that Harry loved so much.
He reached his hand immediately towards his boyfriend, having missed his presence over the last two months and Minnie smiled moving to allow Draco onto the sofa. The boy sat down, and Harry immediately crawled into his lap, still facing the others. Draco put one hand in the birds nest that was Harry's hair whilst the other very gently wrapped around Harry's waist; it put no pressure on his ribs.
Draco had learnt after multiple years of the same dance that, at the beginning of the term, he had to be very careful with any part of Harry that could be injured.
"Well, now that we are all here. Harry would you like to discuss your summer with us, take all the time you need there is no rush." Severus said as he sat on the other side of Harry, resting a hand on his ankle.
And with a deep breath, Harry talked.
He talked about the first few weeks where he was woken up by nightmares. Images of Sirius falling into the veil still plagued him, and how each nightmare was punished by a beating and shove into the cupboard that was now much too small for him. He talked about the words used, the belittling or how he was denied food for days at a time because the Dursleys suddenly felt like he was undeserving. He talked about the false hope of getting away from Dumbledore, the fail of the Weasleys and the denial to go to anyone else's house. With a slight shiver he talked about the final punishments the Dursley gave him when he came back.
He was shaking by the end, and a silent, small tear slipped from his cheek. Draco kissed his hair as he wiped the tear with his thumb. Severus was gently rubbing his ankle. Poppy had her stern face that she always carried when Harry shared his summer, her wand was out along with about ten more tinctures, some of them Harry recognised from previous escapades with Poppy. Minnie's face showed her fury, but her gentle touch on Harry's arm reminded him that she wasn't mad at him.
"Well, I believe it's time to fix the damages that vile family caused. Shirt off young man, we will start with your ribs you have been gingerly moving this entire time. Then your head for that concussion I almost certain you have as every year you do. Then the wrist and back before checking your knee." Poppy said as Draco carefully pulled his shirt off.
Everyone hissed as his chest showed the artistic painting of blacks and blues, swirling around his ribs and curving round to his back where the welts from Vernon's belt would show. As always every bone was visible on the 16 year old's chest despite the weight gained last year to become healthy.
"Harry," he looked at Severus. "It wasn't your fault you know. It is never your fault and by next year you will be out of that house forever and Albus will pay for this treatment.
The boy nodded as he settled further into his boyfriend's chest and waited for Poppy to fix all the cracks the Dursleys' had caused him over the last two months.
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"Draco?" Harry said as he snuggled deeper into his boyfriend on the sofa in the common room, waiting for Severus to appear and make his regular speech. His hand was gripping a hot chocolate Minnie had made him, with a relaxing potion slipped in to help with his sleep. His head was in Draco's lap as he played with his black hair and the rest of his was sprawled across Pansy and Blaise.
"Yes darlin'?"
"Thank you."
"For what my love? I have done nothing yet." Draco asked as he leaned down to kiss his head.
"For accepting Tom's offer to try and kill Dumbledore." Harry murmured half asleep.
"Now who told you that my love, that was meant to be a surprise later." Draco asked, a slight humour to his tone.
"Tom sent the message on with Severus. Oh and thank you for being here with me, now and every other time." He nuzzled in deeper as Severus walked in and startled the first years. "I love you."
"And I love you, my love. By the end of this year we will have got you out of that house and with Severus and I. Until then, we will fix those cracks they cause and we will get through this year." Draco said with another kiss to his hair.
And with the drone of his father figures voice, Harry fell asleep with the comfort that he had people fighting for him.
He had an entire army on his side of the war.