Chapter 11

Harry woke up again several hours later. He slowly pushed himself up, ignoring the pain from his shoulders. He could tell the bruising was deep just from moving his shoulders a little bit. He looked around the room for Bill. Harry watched him, bent over parchment on the desk he was working at. The man was so engrossed in what he was doing he hadn't noticed Harry. The younger man lowered himself carefully back onto the bed, content to wait until he was done with whatever he was working on. Harry laid there, on Bill's soft comfortable bed, listening to the scratch of a quill on parchment. Harry allowed himself to drift a little bit. He was out of it enough that he didn't notice the scratching had stopped. Harry opened his eyes to see Bill smiling down at him.

"Hey Kiddo," Bill greeted quietly.

Harry offered a tentative smile which Bill returned before he moved to help Harry sit up. He inspected his shoulders again. His big brother let out a sad sigh as he reached for the bruise balm again. He gently smeared the cream over Harry's shoulders gently, apologizing softly at the soft hiss of pain from Harry.

"It's okay," Harry replied softly.

"No," Bill refuted quietly. "None of this is okay. This is about as far from ok as you can get."

Harry nodded without saying anything else on the subject.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Bill asked as he capped the balm and put it back where it belonged.

Harry hesitated slightly before asking "Do you know who all is going to be there?"

Bill thought about it for a moment before saying slowly "I think the usual people from the Order."

Harry nodded his head.

"Would you mind summoning me some clothing for me?"

Bill just smiled and did as Harry asked him. A minute later a pair of jeans, a nice button down silk shirt, an undershirt, a pair of boxers and a nice robe flew into the room. Bill turned his back on Harry so he could change in pseudo privacy. It took Harry about five minutes to change. His shoulders were still quite painful.

"I'm ready Bill," Harry said as he walked over to the other man.

Bill looked up from the parchment he was holding. He smiled as he put the paper down on the desk.

"Are you sure you are up for this?" He inquired quietly.

Harry took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then said "Yeah, let's get this over with."

Bill shrugged on his own robe before gently ushering Harry out of the room, shutting the door behind them. He threw up several wards to make sure no one else would be able to get in. Harry looked up at his guardian, his emerald eyes meeting deep blue, finding comfort and strength in them. Harry offered a hesitant smile at Bill so he wouldn't worry quite as much. The red head reached out and stroked the messy black hair back from Harry's pale face. Harry squared his shoulders as his chin came up. He nodded once then strode toward the kitchen as he muttered to himself.

"This was Sirius' house, now it's mine and nobody will chase me out. Nobody."

Bill allowed a smile to cross his face, happy to see the boy's inner strength coming out.

The two men made their way to the kitchen and paused outside the door. Harry took a deep breath before pushing it open. He strode into the room, taking quick stock of who was in there already. Moody, Kingsley, Tonks and Remus Lupin were sitting together, talking about something in hushed tones. On the other side of the table Charlie, the twins and Ron were talking and joking around together. Hermione and Ginny were huddled together next to Mr. Weasley, who seemed to be lost in thought. There were about six other members of the Order that Harry wasn't as familiar with. Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Hestia Jones and Emmeline Vance were talking among themselves. Harry went over to the seat beside Charlie, ignoring how a lot of the chatter died down. Charlie greeted him warmly, as did his other brothers. Harry looked up and cringed at the look of anger and disappointment on Mrs. Weasley's face. He lowered his eyes quickly, not wanting to see that look anymore. Bill gave a soft greeting to the whole room before giving a warmer one to his brothers. Mrs. Weasley gave her oldest a severe look. Bill settled comfortably into the chair beside Harry. There was a tense silence as everyone waited for Mrs. Weasley to start serving dinner, as she does every evening. The Weasley matriarch just stood there, hands shaking and eyes spitting anger. Finally Kingsley cleared his throat, eyes darting between Mrs. Weasley and Harry. The older woman shook her head slightly then hurried to get the rest of the meal on the table. Slowly everyone began talking again.

Bill scooped some dinner onto both his and Harry's plates before passing it on to Charlie. He did that with everything that came around. Harry looked at his plate with a slight grimace before gradually digging in. Harry listened to the conversation his brothers were having. He could feel the glares that Hermione, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were sending his way. He did his best to ignore it. He could see his two oldest brothers giving him concerned glances out of the corner of his eyes, but he ignored that too. He knew this wasn't the time. Finally the group of wizards and witches Harry didn't know too well left after thanking Mrs. Weasley for their dinner. She replied with a tight smile. The room fell into awkward silence once more.

"It might not be any of my business," Kingsley started after he took a sip of his wine. "And you can of course tell me to mind my own business, however I can't help but notice something seems to be going on between all of you."

Harry looked up from studying his plate at Kingsley, before darting a glance at Bill, clearly asking how to handle the situation. Bill sighed softly as he placed his fork on the table and turned his attention onto the Auror.

"We had a bit of an issue this afternoon. I'd like to think that, given enough time, we will be able to work through this," Bill explained diplomatically.

"Work through what, exactly?" Moody questioned.

Bill paused as he thought about how he wanted to phrase it. Harry was looking at him with wide eyes, unsure about how this was going to go. Bill was just about to answer Moody when his Mother started yelling.

"That-that boy broke my Ginny's heart, that's what happened! He is ungrateful for everything we have done for him. She was supposed to marry him and be Lady Potter! He belongs to her! She deserves him!"

Harry was staring at the woman with wide, hurt eyes. He quickly looked away from the raving woman, gaze darting to the group sitting on the other side of the table. All he could see from Remus and Tonks was shock. Mad-Eye and Kingsley were inscrutable.

"And that is not his fault," Bill said coldly. "You seem to conveniently forget that Harry owes you, Dad and Ginny nothing. You owe him everything. In fact Dad and Ginny both owe him life debts! As I told you earlier, you and Ginny are both to blame. She is old enough to understand that, while she may be infatuated with Harry, and yes, that is all that it is, Harry is under no obligation to return her feelings. She cannot be in love with him. She doesn't know him. You, Mother, told Ginny stories about him while she was growing up, making him into some prince and you made Ginny his princess. However she is old enough to know the difference between reality and fantasy! You spoiled her and because of that she has grown to expect that she will get anything she wants!"

"How dare you?" Molly shrieked as she waved a wooden serving spoon around.

Harry shrunk slightly in his seat, uneasy with her anger as he thought about what she had done earlier. Harry jumped slightly as he felt a hand grasp his own beneath the table. He darted a look up at his second oldest brother to see him smiling gently down at him. He offered a tentative smile in return before turning his gaze back to Bill and his Mother. At some point Bill had stood up.

"How dare I?" Bill whispered dangerously as he placed his palms on the table and leaned toward her. "How dare you. How dare you lay your hands on a child. How dare you leave bruises on a child. And you" He almost spat, turning to his Father. "You did nothing to stop her from hurting him. How dare you…" He paused to take a deep breath and when he spoke next his voice was disappointed. "You did nothing to stop her. You knew she was hurting Harry and frightening him and you did nothing. Nothing. I've known for a long time now that Mum is the one who is in charge in the Weasley family but I never thought you would allow her to terrorize a child, to hurt a child. For the first time in my life I have to say I am ashamed to be your son."

There was a shocked silence for several long moments. The Aurors and Remus processing what Bill had said while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were gaping at their oldest son. Ginny was sitting beside Hermione sobbing softly.

"You did, what, Molly?" Mad-Eye demanded with a glare.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head as she replied "Bill is exaggerating!"

"I am not," Bill refuted calmly. "I've treated his bruises twice already and it will probably take several more days."

Kingsley took a deep breath before asking quietly "Do you want to press charges?"

Harry looked up into Bill's eyes, trying to figure out what he was going to do. Bill reached out and stroked Harry's hair and he leaned into the soothing touch. Bill let out a tired sigh as he lowered himself back into his chair.

"Not today. Should she ever do something like this again… I will then push for the harshest punishment our laws allow," Bill explained. "I have already told her that she is not allowed to be alone with him for any reason. She can only talk to him if Charlie or I are present. I will not allow him to be abused again, and not in his own home. Although I still need to discuss with Harry if he wants them removed from the house and only allowed back for Order meetings."

Everyone's eyes turned to Harry and he floundered for a moment before he cleared his throat and said "I don't know right now. I'll need to think about it. I do know that I no longer trust her. I also don't trust Mr. Weasley anymore either. He allowed her to do that, he stood there and watched, which is almost worse."

The group across from him gave him understanding looks as they nodded. There was a tense silence in the room, punctured only by Ginny's crying. Harry jerked violently as Bill slammed his hand down on the table top.

"For Merlin's sake Ginevra Molly Weasley, will you be quiet! I am out of patience for you!" Bill snapped.

"Don't yell at her! That boy broke her heart! I don't understand how you can defend him!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked again.

"Molly," Kingsley broke in sternly as Bill started to snap back. "That is enough! Harry is under no obligation to return you daughter's feelings. You are being completely unreasonable. Also as Bill pointed out both Author and Ginny owe him life debts. Harry owes you nothing. He owes your daughter nothing. She needs to get a hold of herself."

Harry slowly pushed himself to his feet. He clenched his jaw so tightly together that the muscles bulged on either side of his face. He met his guardian's eyes and said softly "I am done. I am not going to sit here and listen to this. I don't know if it is real… Heartbreak… or simply designed to make me feel guilty. Either way I don't care, but I'm done listening to it. I am sorry that you are hurt Ginny, but I am not," Harry's voice lowered and intensified as emerald green eyes speared into the young lady. "I am not going to pretend to love you when I do not. I have never, ever, made you think you had a chance with me romantically. You are the little sister of men I consider my brothers. Nothing more. Bill, you still have a chance to rescind your offer of guardianship-"

"I don't want to rescind my guardianship Harry," Bill cut in firmly as he reached out for Harry.

"Please allow me to finish," Harry responded and waited for the redhead to nod before he continued seriously. "You still have time to rescind your guardianship and it is something you should think about because as of now I want nothing to do with those three members of your family and I do not see that changing any time soon. I do not want you in the middle. I don't want you to have to choose a side. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. You need to give it some serious consideration because if there is a next time, regardless of what you want, I will press charges. The only reason I am not now is because of the love and respect I have for you, Charlie, George, Fred and Ron." Harry paused to take a deep breath and blink the moisture out of his eyes as he turned to the elder Weasleys.

"I will never trust you again, either of you. I want nothing more to do with either of you. You will know by tomorrow at noon whether or not you will be welcome in my house when there aren't Order meeting in session."

Harry nodded respectfully to the other four Order members at the table before he turned on his heel and strode purposefully out of the kitchen. As soon as the door shut behind him, Harry brought a trembling hand up to cover his mouth as a breathy sob escaped him.

Harry entered the first floor parlor, shut the door and sank down onto his bum in front of it. He pulled his knees to his chest, bowed his head over them and worked on controlling the sobs trying to escape him. Finally, he leaned his head back against the wood behind him. A few tears slowly trailed down his cheeks to fall off his jaw. Harry's chin trembled until he clenched his teeth together to stop it. He ran his hands through his hair and gripped it tightly, pulling sharply. He swiped his arm across his eyes then ran both palms over his face briskly to get rid of the last of the tears. He stood gracefully, dusted off the seat of his pants, and made his way to one of the sofas in the room. He plopped onto the chair and threw his feet up on the far end. Harry took several deep breaths and forced his painful shoulders to relax. Harry closed tired emerald eyes and allowed his mind to drift as he tried to calm down.

Harry forced his mind back to the present and sat up when he heard the door behind him being pushed open. He darted a look behind him and saw Mr. Weasley coming into the room. Harry's shoulders tensed up and he got to his feet to face the other man. He watched with narrow, wary eyes as the older man pushed the door shut. Emerald and shappire eyes clashed and held. Finally Mr. Weasley looked away.

"I would like to talk to you Harry," He announced firmly.

"I don't believe I have anything left to say to you Sir," Harry shot back stiffly.

"You could do me the courtesy of listening to me young man,"

"Why exactly should I do that, Mr. Weasley?" He asked arching an eyebrow.

"I know you care for my sons and your actions are tearing my family apart." Mr. Weasley announced.

Harry laughed scornfully before snapping "I beg your pardon? All I did was refuse to go along with your wife and daughter's scheme of her becoming the next Lady Potter! They weren't even talking dating. They were talking marriage. I'm not nearly for that type of commitment! I'm not even seventeen and she is even younger yet!"

Mr. Weasley looked at Harry severely. "You could have taken her on a few dates then gently told her it wasn't going to work. You did not have to be cruel about it. It's a good thing your parents are dead otherwise they would be ashamed of you! I know I am."

Harry flinched back as though he was struck. Green eyes opened widely and filled with tears. Harry forced them back, not willing to give the man opposite of him the satisfaction of seeing them.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Sir," Harry spat angrily. "And as for you being ashamed of me, well honestly, Sir, I couldn't care less. Your opinion means nothing to me anymore. You are weak, and now I have another example of the type of man not to be. Get out."

Mr. Weasley stalked forward several paces, his face turning red from anger. Harry backed up a few steps before planting his feet and raising his chin.

"How dare you talk to me like that young man!" the older man yelled. "What you need is to not be able to sit comfortably for a few days, maybe that will teach you to respect your elders. Maybe Severus is right about you, young man."

The redhead reached out, grabbed Harry's wrist tightly and started dragging him over to the sofa. Harry started trying to pull away, having no intention of letting the older man go through with his intent.

"Release him at once Arthur," a cold voice spoke up.

Harry looked up, still pulling desperately on his arm, trying to free himself. Kingsley stood in the doorway, sever look on his face, arms crossed against his chest. His wand was in his right hand.

"I will not tell you again Arthur. Release Harry or you will not like the consequences," he stated.

"The boy needs to be disciplined for what he has done to my family, Kingsley, surely you can see that. He is tearing my family apart. Not only has he hurt both Molly and Ginny, he is also turning my sons against me. I cannot allow this to continue," Mr. Weasley implored. "A smarting bum never hurt anyone and it has always worked with my other children to get them to see the error of their ways. He needs to adjust that attitude of his and since he is not and William is not, it falls to me to do so."

"You seem to be operating under the delusion that you have some say in Harry's life. You do not. What you are doing right now is battery and assault. Battery because you are grabbing him with enough force to be painful and assault because you are threating physical harm. Now, release him in the next two seconds or I will act to defend him. This is your last chance." Kingsley's deep voice rumbled angrily.

Mr. Weasley hesitated for once second, eyes darting between the angry Auror and the sofa, before throwing Harry's arm away from him. Harry, who had still been pulling on his arm to get the older man to let it go, stumbled and fell. He landed on his left side and part of his back and his head connected to the hardwood floor with a sharp crack. Harry laid there, blinking his eyes rapidly to get rid of the black spots. He was aware of Kingsley's sharp voice then a thud before the man was in his line of vision.

"Harry, are you ok?" He asked, dark eyes concerned.

Harry just nodded as he struggled to sit up. Kingsley slowly reached out, stopping when Harry flinched away from him.

"I just want to help you sit up," he reassured soothingly. "That's all. I won't hurt you."

Harry just nodded shakily.

"O-okay." He whispered.

Kingsley took Harry's biceps gently in his large hands and helped Harry sit up. Harry offered a shaky smile to the older man.

"I'm going to run a quick diagnostic spell, to make sure your head is alright. You hit it pretty hard," Kingsley explained as he pulled out his wand.

Harry gave a very slight nod as his head throbbed. Kingsley chanted something under his breath as he waved his wand. A piece of parchment popped into view beside him and Kingsley plucked it from the air. His eyes darkened as he read the parchment.

"Ok Kiddo. You have a slight concussion and nasty bump and bruise forming. There is a spell Aurors use for concussions in the field. If you want I can use it on you."

"Yes please," Harry whispered. "My head really hurts."

"I am quite sure it does," Kingsley answered softly. "However if I do this spell, which is the most effective treatment for concussions, you won't be able to take anything for the pain, bump or bruising until tomorrow morning."

"I can deal with that," Harry returned after a moment of thought.

"Ok, here we go," Kingsley said before he cast the spell.

Harry sighed in relief when a lot of the pain in his head disappeared. There was still some localized pain around the bump and bruise but, as he had told Kingsley, he could deal with that. As the last several minutes caught up with him, Harry's eyes filled with tears and his chin started to tremble. He ducked his head, hoping the other man wouldn't notice.

"Harry?" Kingsley asked.

Harry looked up at the man who had saved him, fear and stress clear in the green eyes. Harry saw Kingsley's face soften as he reached out for him. Harry allowed the man to pull him close. A big hand found its way to the back of his head, both stroking soothingly and using it to keep Harry's face lightly pressed to the top of Kingsley's chest. Soft sobs shook the small body as he worked through the last several minutes. Kingsley let him cry for a few minutes before he started to move. Harry dew away as soon as he started. He didn't get very far when he was scooped into strong arms and cradled against an equally strong chest. He was gently deposited on the soft. Kingsley stroked the messy ebony hair away from the pale face.

"I need to go get Bill," he informed Harry softly. "I will be right back with him. Arthur isn't going anywhere. Just in case, however, I will leave the door cracked open. If you need me, just yell and I will come running, with or without Bill."

Harry just nodded, suddenly exhausted. He closed his eyes and listened to the big man leave the room in search of his guardian.

Harry wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard footsteps coming into the room. He opened his eyes when he heard a sharp intake of breath. Suddenly Bill was there and Harry was in his arms. As soon as he felt his big brother wrap his arms around him, the dam was broken and deep wracking sobs tore from his chest.

"Oh, baby," Bill whispered as he gathered him into his lap. "What did he do to you?"

Harry clung to Bill, desperate for some comfort, to feel safe again. Bill started to shush him as he started to rock.

"How bad is the damage Kingsley?" Harry heard Bill ask.

"He was struggling pretty hard to get away when your father released him so he fell pretty hard onto his left side and back. I'd recommend some bruise balm tomorrow morning. Maybe a warm bath tonight if he's up for it. I healed his concussion so unfortunately he can't have any potions tonight."

"Why was he struggling so hard?"

Harry allowed himself to drift as he listened to Kingsley explain how it sounded like Mr. Weasley had every intention of disciplining him. Bill sucked in a sharp breath and stiffened with anger. Harr whimpered softly drawing his big brother's attention back to him.

"No, baby, no," he whispered, tenderly kissing the messy hair. "You are ok. I have you. You are ok. Close your eyes for a little while. Everything's going to be ok."

Harry drifted off to sleep, listening to Bill reassure him that everything was ok. Harry's last thought was how he really didn't want to lose his big brother, but was so afraid that he was going to.

Author's note:

Well everyone, if anyone is still reading this that is, it's been a very long time. I have no idea if this is any good but inspiration struck so I figured I'd post this. It is not beta'd so I apologize for all the mistakes that are in it. I hope you enjoyed the turbulent ride! I've learned from my mistakes so there will be no promises for when the next chapter will be out. Thanks for taking the time to read. Have a good one guys! Until next time!

Lynn