Harry sat on the train staring morosely at his hands; he flinched as the sliding door to his compartment hissed open and stopped with a resounding crack. Hermione bustled in her arms full of heavy tomes. Harry blinked up at her owlishly before going back to staring at his hands. The bibliophile frowned at the fact Harry had the train's moth eaten curtains drawn. She wrenched them open, the bright light bursting in; Hedwig twittered in annoyance and Harry gave a low moan of pain and closed his eyes. Hermione was taken back at how thin and pale Harry looked.

"Harry?"

He was usually so happy and full of life, ready as always to return to Hogwarts. But… The raven had changed, she could see it in his eyes, which strangely enough, looked greener than normal; she could see it in how he moved and his expressions. She knew it was Sirius, she knew it had to partially have been about him. Harry was hurting, the only relative he had come to love, had been cruelly snatched away from him. She hated that Lestrange woman, fiercely thinking of how she would kill the bitch herself, the bushy haired teen sat down across from her friend. Harry looked up, his reply was delayed. His eyes were watering slightly from the pain of the light entering his retina. His eyes weren't just greener, they glowed.

"Yeah?"

"Ron is coming; he's a bit occupied… Prefect work… He had to sort out a spot of violence between some Slytherin and Hufflepuff second years."

Harry grunted in response, Hermione frowned. This would not do. As she was about to open her mouth, the door slid open and Ron came in holding a woebegone handkerchief to his bloodied nose and split lip. Hermione noticed that her raven haired friend had sat up and was immediately alert- like a hunting beagle pricking its ears. Mumbling something about second years and dangerous hexes, Ron slipped into a seat next to Harry, who curiously flinched and seemed to be restraining himself. Ron then turned and his eyes widened, moving the cloth away from his nose he exclaimed:

"Bloody hell mate! What happened to your neck?"

Hermione saw it and the green eyed teen unfortunately wasn't fast enough. Harry snarled and his pale, slightly wasted looking hand flew to his neck to cover; what Hermione knew to be bandages. Ron was still staring and Harry had now edged away from Ron, the bloody kerchief sitting in the middle of the seat.

"N-nothing!"

Harry was edgy, he sounded like a cornered animal, snappish, skittish and definitely lost. Ron inched forwards, intending to prod some more about it, cursed as his nose decided to spurt a new wave of blood. Hermione dropped her pile of heavy books and in the confusion could not find her wand. She stifled a cry as her excellent mind put the pieces together. She was horrified.

As Ron reached forwards for the bloodied hankie, Harry intercepted him halfway with lightning speed and had the redhead pinned against the train carriage window. She pressed herself into the corner of the compartment, hoping that creature wouldn't see her. She was no match for something like this. Not even stupefy would work when it was this riled. Hermione was paralysed with fear as she watched Ron's expression contort from curiosity, annoyance and worry to pure terror.

Harry lent in breathing heavily, his eyes, bright green, flicking back and forth between Ron's petrified face to Hermiones' equally appalled. Harry gently lapped at the blood staining Ron's chin- Ron's pupils had contracted- as he soundlessly pleaded for help; Harry gripped his best friend by his shoulders and forced his mouth, no- lips and teeth on to Ron's- The redhead struggled and let out an audible gasp as Harry's tongue slipped into his mouth. When the raven pulled back his lips were smeared with blood- like a cheap lipstick. He let out a low snarling, guttural noise, wrenched Ron's head to one side, exposing his neck and Hermione's own cry was lost as Ron's shrill, panicked screams rang in her ears. She watched white faced as the thing that was Harry dropped Ron's body and turned to her- quickly, like a lion who didn't want to share. She kept very still. Harry… Wasn't Harry.

He was a monster. With scarlet blood dripping down his front; his bright green eyes wild with an animalistic stare and his lips drawn back in a snarl. Hermione felt faint, felt her world slipping away and everything going black. As she succumbed to the faint, she glimpsed his teeth- they were mockingly smiling, the pointed fangs taunting her.

BANG!

Harry woke up to find himself in chains. What. The. HELL! He struggled to sit up and found that he was in fact chained to a bed in the Hospital Wing. Cursing Harry was shocked to see screens up round another bed a few mattresses down. He was even more so when he recognised the blaze of bright red hair. What had happened? He shuddered, feeling dreadfully weak. Groping round for his glasses the raven located them and Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall swam into view. He groaned, loudly.

This caught their attention; McGonagall was looking at him with slight alarm and a great deal of sympathy. But she was wary. Dumbledore was highly troubled; he appeared to be deep in thought. Snape however was emotionless as ever, but Harry swore he caught a glimpse of… pity?

"This is why we should've let someone OTHER than that USELESS Mundungus Fletcher to watch over him during the summer!"

McGonagall was arguing, her teeth clenched as she hissed quiet profanity, Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"It was not in my predictions that Tom would have… those kinds of folk. As allies."

"But to have targeted the boy specifically! He's… That's inhumane!"

Snape drew up a stool for the Gryffindor head to sit down; she did so hurriedly her hands clutched over her heart, her face chalk white.

"The Dark Lord is not known for kindness, mercy or humanity."

Snape swept over to Harry, and knelt at his bedside. The boy-who-lived shuddered as Snape's cold black eyes swiftly analysed his form. He flinched as Snape took his wrist- as if taking a pulse. Dumbledore and McGonagall watched, apprehensively.

"Nil."

Snape's calm low voice announced and Harry blinked. Nil? What? McGonagall buried her face in her hands and harry strongly suspected she was crying. Dumbledore however smiled sadly down at Harry.

"Professor… Could you… Please mind telling me what has recently just happened?"

Dumbledore sat on the edge of the hospital cot and gently ruffled the unruly jet black hair. Harry then moved a chained hand to his neck and Dumbledore sighed- it was a sad sigh, quiet and full of pain.

"It's… It's about what happened in Little Whingeing isn't it Sir?"

Snape had turned away now and was gazing out over the grounds, at the Whomping Willow. Dumbledore took off his half moon spectacles and began to polish them on his rich plum robes. His brilliant blue eyes surveyed Harry intelligently.

"Yes. Yes it is Harry."

"I…I attacked Ron didn't I?"

"…Yes. You almost had Ms. Granger too, but an unlikely opponent and ally stepped up and faced you."

Snape's mouth was twisted into a small bemused smile as Dumbledore continued. Not waiting for Harry's next question, the silver haired man answered for him.

"Who was that opponent and ally? He came in the form of Draco Malfoy. He put up a very gallant fight,"

Harry was sure his jaw was travelling all the way down to the dungeons by now and with a wry smile Dumbledore stood and moved aside. Harry for the second time that night was shocked; there behind the screens next to Ron was the unmistakeable platinum blonde of Malfoy.

"Wh-What did I do… to him?"

"After Malfoy managed to get both Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger out of harm's way, he attempted to subdue you. But you made short work of him. You nearly strangled him to death."

Snape's piercing gaze was not helpful to Harry at the moment, the words ringing in his ears as Snape finished- he had tried to kill a fellow student… Harry had never dreamed of ever killing someone, even if that someone was Malfoy.

He felt sick.

He was, violently.