Harry Potter - Hurt and Comfort

Chapter One - Losing Himself

Harry groggily opened his eyes to darkness and sighed. Another nightmare. Harry was used to having these now, but they still hurt so badly. He reached his right hand to the bedside table and reached for his glasses. After putting them on, he looked over hastily to the digital clock on the wall. It read : 3:28am. Harry groaned and slowly got out of bed. He snuck out of the dormitory, the common room and through the portrait hole. Finally, reaching to his destination ; in the forest, Harry found a small tree which he sat under all morning, and watched the darkness become light as the sun rose through the sky. Harry liked when he was alone, because he could let his tears fall and not have to stifle his sobs. He missed Sirius so much, the only family he had left, murdered by Bellatrix, and now he had no one. No mother, no father, no siblings and now....no godfather. It hurt, it stung his insides, and yet he kept his composure by forcing smiles and laughs out of him that sounded nothing like him.

On a Tuesday morning, where the sky was covered in grey clouds and the sun was blocked by them, Harry was in for another day of torture. Harry, Ron and Hermione headed to breakfast. Ron instantly devoured stacks of toast and eggs, Hermione occasionally taking bites of her food while discussing their exams and Harry, looking down at his food with disgust...no not disgust... hopelessness. Hermione looked up at her friend and asked " Harry? Are you feeling alright? You haven't touched your food". Harry immediately snapped out of his trance and stammered " Y-yeah I'm fine! Just a little full, you know?". Hermione smiled softly " If you say so, c'mon Ron, we gotta head to potions". Ron moaned while being dragged away by Hermione " Noooooo!". Harry couldn't blame him, 2 hours of Snape antagonizing him. He didn't think he would even make it through the door ; yet he did. Harry sat next to Hermione, Ron and Neville. Snape cleared his throat and spoke in his usual creepy voice " 10 points from Gryffindor for being - annoying at 9 in the morning". The students of Gryffindor groaned while the Slytherins cheered and snickered. Harry leaned his head into his hand and listened vaguely to what was being said by Snape " Alright, class. Today you will be learning about poison, and it's side effects. Take out your books and turn to page 394". The class quickly grabbed their supplies and opened their textbooks to the correct page. Snape asked
"Longbottom, tell us, one of the side effects of poison will you?". Neville nodded, visibly trembling, and answered " N-nausea and Vomiting". Snape nodded, with a smirk etched on his face. He turned to Harry. " Potter, tell us how do we treat poison?". Harry opened his emerald green eyes and shrugged, much to everyone's shock " Dunno". Snape even was surprised, Harry usually answered questions with more than 'dunno'. Snape then sneered " Oh Potter, honestly, trying to get more attention?". Harry shook his head " N-no sir!". Snape snapped " Well then ANSWER THE QUESTION!". Harry flinched from the yell then said " I don't know, sir". Snape growled " Meet me here, 7 sharp, for detention, because your being ignorant and stupid". Harry nodded, and tried to ignore his heart pounding against his chest and his thoughts becoming darker. Harry endured the entire lesson, in grief and pain, and now had Transfiguration ( with the Slytherins) with Professor McGonagall. The minute he entered the classroom, he found a tabby cat, with golden eyes, glaring at each student as they sat at their desks. The cat finally transformed into Professor McGonagall, and the class went silent. The tall, grey haired woman began to speak in her usual smooth tone. " Good morning students, today we will be exploring how we can turn an object into an animal, or more particularly a person. Now I will give you a partner and wait for your next instructions". Her voice ended with a more sharp tone, yet her kindness was still in it. Harry yawned, a little too loud from sleep deprivation, and the entire class stared at him. Professor McGonagall glanced at Harry confusedly but carried on talking. Harry muttered an apology before listening to her next words. " Ron, you are with Neville". Ron shrugged and thought to himself, better than alone. " Hermione you are with Parvati". The girls grinned at this and sat next to each other. It seemed minutes before she finally said " Harry Potter, you are with Draco". Harry stared at her in shock but recoiled under her intense glare. The 2 boys were practicing the spells when Draco whispered to Harry. " I heard you still cry about your parents at night, is that true Potter?". Harry groaned and ignored him. He was about to retry the spell 'Bongardum Lettensia', when Draco said something that made something in the green-eyed boy snap. " Potter, your parents were a bunch of idiots that never loved you. They probably died so they didn't have to see your horrible face every day. Isn't that right?". Harry furiously shook and a look of anger replaced his frown. He could see his classmates staring at him with fear and shock. But Draco taunted " Awww does Potter miss his Mummy and Daddy?". Then he added darkly " Too bad they aren't coming back". That was the final straw. Harry seized Draco by the shoulders, screaming and pointed his wand at his pale neck, panting in anger and sadness. Draco visibly flinched and stared wide-eyed at Harry. Harry was about to shoot, when he realized where he was, and embarrassedly sat back down. Professor McGonagall shouted " Potter! What has gotten into you today? Come see me after class". Harry nodded and watched the clocks hand slowly, but surely, turn clockwise. At last, class was finished and Harry walked up to Professor McGonagall's desk. She frowned worriedly " Is everything alright Harry?". Harry sighed and nodded again. She asked " Well, you've been off today and I want you to know if something is wrong, you can talk to me, alright Potter?". The boy replied " Yes, Professor McGonagall". And with that, he left, leaving a very surprised teacher at her desk, staring at the now-empty door.

During Lunchtime, Harry didn't eat anything, he just went back to his dormitory. Hermione and Ron were starting to get worried now, was he alright?. After scoffing down some food, the two distraught teenagers also returned to their dormitory. They found him in the common room, sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. From a distance, you couldn't notice anything wrong, but as they edged closer, muffled sobbing was heard. Harry was crying, with his head buried in his knees. Hermione, followed by Ron, rushed over and sat beside the boy. Hermione asked " What's wrong Harry?". Harry looked up, his brilliant green eyes now filled with heartbreak. Ron hugged his best friend and Hermione held his shaking hand. She said " Please talk to us, Harry!". Harry stifled his sob and cried " It's just.. I miss him. He was the only family I had left, but now he's gone! I d-don't know what to do without Sirius! He loved me and I loved him. He was murdered because of ME!". Harry screamed and the whole dormitory went silent. Everyone in there suddenly froze and listened to what was going on. Ron soothed " Harry. It's not your fault. He died because he wanted to protect you. He loved you Harry. And so do we". Hermione nodded with a sympathetic smile and added " Were always here for you, no matter what. So stop lying to yourself and have some fun! You deserve it". Harry looked at them for a minute before sharing a small smile. He hugged them both and let more tears fall down his pale face. Maybe they were right, perhaps it wasn't his fault. He felt a little happier now, and followed them to his next class.

Little did they know, he had far worse problems then that. Problems that only his glamour charm can hide.