Disclaimer: If you can recognize it, I do not own it. I apologize for the slow updates. I will try to do better. No promises. This isn't a super large update but hopefully, you enjoy it.

Lee saw some of the bruises on the younger Gryffindor and was pissed. These were caused by stinging hexes. That point was obvious by the slight swelling in the center of the bruises. It was a medium level stinging hex but definitely painful. Perhaps a bit more powerful by the severity of the bruising. There was one on his kneck where the shoulder met his kneck, just barely uncovered and a couple on his arms. Lee guessed that if he had taken off his robes more would be visible. He wondered how many there would be.

He knew Harry would not appreciate them being noticed, but he was not letting the kid stay in pain when he could stop it. "You going to tell me how you got these bruises," Lee asked.

Harry flinched back slightly. He had not noticed Lee was so close to him. "It doesn't matter."

"These are stinging hex marks," Fred said realizing what his friend saw. "Medium to high powered ones to cause bruising."

Harry just pulled away even more. "Come on up to our rooms," George said not wanting him to run off. He would let himself be angry after. Right now, he knew they needed to heal them. The sooner it was done the better. "We got some potions in our stores that will help heal them up."

Harry hesitated but they hurt badly enough that he agreed and followed them up to there dorm room. "You have potion stores in your trunk," he asked slightly surprised. He had never seen any student with there own potions stores. He wasn't aware they were even allowed to have them.

"Yeah, we do enough pranks and things that it is best we have it just in case something goes wrong. It's always better to be safe than sorry, it also helps us get away with more since we don't go to the infirmary with the evidence should we mess up," Lee stated as the twins riffled through them. "Here, take off your robe."

Harry's eyes widened at the request. He should have expected it but he hesitated. He really did not want the older boys to see just how bad things had gotten. He was afraid they would think he was as pathetic as everyone else seemed to. "I...I." He could not think of what to say or how to refuse.

"Harry, we aren't dumb. If those are the ones visible, they are surely hitting you elsewhere too," Lee said, he was a Gryffindor and figured blunt would be best. "If you won't let us beat the gits senseless for doing this, the least we can do is heal you up properly."

Harry nodded hesitantly before taking off his robe. He hesitated a bit more before removing his shirt. All of them gasped slightly. He had a lot of bruises and stinging hexes. They had thought it would be bad but this was on an entirely different level. They couldn't find a blank piece of his back that wasn't covered by overlapping bruises. "Harry isn't the staff doing anything," lee asked worriedly. Some of these had been layered on his skin. Hex after hex hitting in close proximity. Someone had to notice something. A prefect, head boy or a member of staff. It was impossible for them to get him this many times without a witness.

Harry shook his head. "They usually do it when the staff can't see...and they never stopped the comments so why would they stop this. Some of the staff seems to think that I am opening the chamber so I doubt they'd help me."

All three of the pranksters wanted to protest and argue that fact but they realized they couldn't. The staff was absolutely useless against bullying. Some of the staff was even worse bullies then the students. Snape would probably encourage it. "Okay, we won't argue that," Lee said. "I want to but I really can't. Fred, George, swelling reducer or bruise paste first? We can only do one at a time."

"Swelling works quickest, we can take that off in half an hour," Fred said bringing over a jar. "Hold still Harry, we will put this on. It will be cold but it should numb the area and reduce the pain your in."

He let them though he did hesitate slightly when they touched him. He couldn't hold back the flinch but they said nothing on it. "Thanks," he said. The potion they had put on him did work fast. The pain was already fading much to his relief.

"Look, we will play a game of exploding snap then do the bruise paste," George offered.

Harry nodded his agreement and the bruise paste went on a short time later. He put his shirt on over it so he could leave. "Thank you," he whispered gratefully. "For healing them. They feel better already."

"Names," Lee demanded, he was not going to let them get away with this. What they were doing was criminal. One thing the three pranksters were good at was revenge. "Whose doing it."

"I don't know," Harry admitted. It wasn't a lie. He had a few ideas on who it could be but most of them were too scared of the evil parselmouth to do it to his face. They usually hit him from behind. "Most of the time its in the hall or common room. I don't see who does it."

There was not much they could say to that. Only that a coward hits from behind. "We will keep an eye out," Lee promised. "Make sure you wash that all off in two hours. It won't remove all the bruises but a good amount of them."

He nodded thanking them again scurrying off. As soon as he was gone, the twins turned their attention to their roommate and best friend. "Soo, Lee Jorden," Fred said.

"What is your interest in our honourary little brother," George asked taking over for his twin.

Lee looked quite startled but Fred just continued where George left off. "I mean, we have interest in him because he is our seeker,"

"He stayed with us a few weeks,"

"And we rescued him from his relatives,"

"But what is your interest in him," they finished together challengingly.

Lee started blubbering slightly as both just glared at him, arms crossed. "Jorden," they both growled.

He took a breath. Despite being his friends, the twins could be scary when they chose to be. "I don't know okay," Lee admitted collapsing into his bed. "I just, he's nice okay. He's cute, nice, strong considering I'd probably have collapsed at that. He's way too nice for what's happening to him. I don't know." He really didn't. Before this year, he had not put too much thought into the boy who lived. But now that he knew Harry, it was hard not to think about him.

"Do you like him."

"Of course I like him," Lee countered. "He is a friend."

The twins glared. "Do not play dumb, we are the kings of wordplay," Fred said.

"You know we want to know if you like, like him."

Of course, Lee knew what they were asking, he just did not know how to answer that. "He is twelve," Lee said. Whether or not he liked him, the kid was only twelve years old. Even the thought of liking him as more than a friend was sickening. "Maybe. I think I do but he is twelve. So you don't have to worry about any of this. I just...don't want him to be hurt anymore."

The twins looked at him for a moment making him twitch slightly. "Fair," they decided together sharing a look. "You hurt him we hide your body in the forbidden forest."

Lee nodded knowing how well the twins liked the younger boy. They truly did consider him family and the twins were protective of family. He had no doubt that if it came down to it, his body would be fed to the acromentula.

It was the next day when Harry went to the fourth years' dorm hesitantly. The only one present was Lee and the second year almost left but Lee stopped him. It was pretty obvious that something was wrong and he came up here for a reason. "What's up Harry?"

"I...I was hoping you had more bruise cream and the swelling reducer," Harry asked hesitantly. He hated to ask but it had worked so well last time and the stings were hurting him badly enough it was asking them or going to the infirmary.

Lee quickly got him sitting. "How many," he asked barely holding in his anger. No one deserved this. Hadn't they already done enough? They'd have not even fully healed even with bruise cream and now he had more.

"Six," he admitted as Lee pulled everything out. Harry took off his clothes and rolled up his pant leg as well. lee repeated the same motions as they had done the day before putting the swelling reducer on the injuries first.

"This is ridiculous," Lee growled. Harry flinched slightly at the growl making Lee feel even worse but he was never one to hold his tongue. "Honestly, a bunch of pricks. Who does this to someone? We prank people but we don't cause any lasting injuries. We don't target any one person unless they deserve it."

That sadly was just the thing. "I think they think I deserve it," Harry admitted though the idea that so many people he had at least been friendly with could think that, it hurt. How could one tiny part of him, the ability to speak to snakes make so many people hate him? "They think I'm the one hurting people."

"Anyone with half a brain could tell you're not, just shows how brainless Hogwarts students are," Lee said.

"Why...why are you so angry," Harry asked hesitantly. "I mean, it's not you who's being attacked with them and we barely know each other."
"You don't deserve it so of course, I'm angry, no one should be treated like this," Lee said. It wasn't the full reason and Lee was honest enough to admit that to himself. He really liked Harry and to see him suffering like this, it wasn't fair. "You are being bullied and it is not right."

"But you seem angrier than anyone else about it." That confused Harry. They had not been close before he had begun helping him. He couldn't figure out what changed or why the older student cared.

Lee decided that it wouldn't hurt to answer his curiosity at least partially. "I was bullied," lee admitted. "Rather badly. My sister Karmons got it even worse. I hate bullies. I know a lot of people consider me and the twin's pranks to be bullying but we don't bully people. We prank but we don't target one person unless we think they've done something to deserve it and we never make it hurt. I got beat up a bit in primary school. I went to a muggle primary. I get what its liked to be picked on, no one deserves it."

"You went to muggle primary," Harry asked shocked. "Wait, are you a muggleborn. Is the thing going to...it won't attack you will it?" The idea of Slytherin's monster hurting Lee was terrifying.

"Halfblood," Lee said surprised at that worry coming from the twelve-year-old. "But my parents do a lot of business in the muggleworld and honestly prefer it in a lot of ways. They sent us to muggle primary so we understood the muggle world and weren't one of those crazy witches and wizards who run about in ridiculous outfits."

Harry smiled slightly. He was relieved that he wouldn't be in danger from the monster. "That seems smart. I went to a muggle primary too...I didn't much enjoy it though. People thought I was different so I got bullied."

"So, in other words, you never catch a break," Lee noted.

"It's not that bad."

"Harry, don't try to downplay these injuries. it might be stinging hexes but they do hurt, especially layered on like this and these are other hex marks. I know they've done nothing so far but maybe we should go to a professor."

Harry knew better. Years in a muggle primary school taught him tattling was never the way to stop getting picked on. "So I'll be a tattle tale and a traitor," Harry said. "Telling always makes things worse."

Lee couldn't deny that either. It was a sad truth he wished he could challenge but if he was a known nark he would get bullied for that alone. "Get us names," Lee said. "We will make them pay for it." If the teachers wouldn't step in, at least they could make the students pay in some form.

Harry was startled by the request. They had said similar things the day before but this seemed so final and a bit more threatening against his attackers. "You don't have to."

"I don't have to do anything," Lee said. "I want to. I hate bullies. I hate it even more when people pick on my friends. You're my friend."
Harry hesitated for a moment longer before deciding to answer him. It could do no real harm if he told Lee who was doing it. "Cormac McLeggen, Earnie McMillin, Malfoys been shooting hexes at me too for the fun of it, he has before but not like this, probably because everyone is getting away with it. I don't know any other names."

Lee gave harry an encouraging grin. "Thank you."

"Why...why are you thanking me."

"For trusting me with that," Lee said. He knew it was hard for him to say which made it that much more gratifying that he trusted him enough to actually answer.

"I think I owe you thanks instead," Harry said. "For believing me and wanting to help. For healing these."

What friends are for," Lee said brightly. "So, how do you think we will do in the quidditch match next week?"

"We'll win," Harry said brightly appreciating the subject change. "At least I hope. Maybe...if I win some of the Gryffindor's will lay off."

"I hope so," Lee said though he had some doubts. They ended up talking a bit before Lee put on the bruise cream and even once it was on, Harry remained and they chatted a bit trying to get to know each other a bit better.