The Boy Who Was Given Up

Chapter twenty- two: Inheritance...

Harry stumbled to the ground. Confused about what had just happened and what had happened to him, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. In the distance, he saw the familiar castle, Hogwarts, and about fifty meters in front of him, the Whomping Willow. He stumbled closer to the tree, knowing, thanks to Sirius and Remus, that there was a secret room below its roots.

He crawled closer, his entire body aching, but he knew he had to get there. He could feel in his bones that a storm was coming, both metaphorically and literally.

With that in mind, he cast a notice-me-not spell and quietly crawled through the entrance, falling with a bang onto the ground. He rose slightly, only to have his body scream in protest, but he knew he was not safe. He crawled for what felt like an eternity until he found some steps. He made his way up, hissing in pain at each step, until he was inside. He reached the couch and promptly screamed. Much to Harry's dismay, instead of the pain lessening, it grew worse and worse with every second he stayed awake, the darkness threatening to pull him into unconsciousness.

Freaking out, Harry fumbled around, desperate to find a solution. Luckily, he felt cold metal against his chest. Excitedly, he grabbed his familiar owl necklace and called out, "Mom!"

At Malfoy Manor

"Sirius! Remus! You came! Thank gosh, help us!" Petunia yelled as she saw the two men emerge from the Floo.

"Of course we came. Is he okay?" Sirius and Remus asked.

"We don't know where he is. He apparated away, and we can't find him," Dudley said, panicking.

"Calm down, we are looking now," Lucius said, trying to soothe the boy.

"Calm down! We don't know where Har - " Dudley was cut off by a faint, "Mom!"

Everyone gasped. Petunia pulled out a small phone. "Harry, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know. I am at the place Sirius and Remus told me about. Mom, what's happening to me? It hurts..." came the faint reply.

"Hang on, Harry! We are coming!" Petunia yelled. She and Dudley latched onto Sirius and Remus, and they all apparated away.

Sirius and Remus led the way, as they were the only ones who truly knew where they were going.

Snape immobilized the tree, and they all crawled down the hole. Once they reached the door, everyone poured into the room with great haste.

They were met with a whimpering Harry lying on a couch. His eyes tiredly drifted to the adults, and he let out a shaky, "Help me..." before a blood-curdling scream escaped him.

Dudley was the first to react. As the adults froze, Dudley ran to Harry and instantly located where the pain was coming from...his back. He helped Harry onto his front to relieve the pressure.

Harry stopped screaming but still panted heavily. "What's the diagnosis, Doc?" he whispered.

Dudley let out a shaky laugh. "You'll live. You have to."

The next scream seemed to break the adults out of their trances. They all ran to Harry. Snape swished his wand around, muttering spells before mumbling something about being stuck.

He then swished his wand and created a deep vertical cut in Harry's back. Petunia gasped and glared harshly, while Dudley spun around and punched him straight in the arm. Snape reeled at the reaction, about to speak, when another scream from Harry broke their attention.

"Harry..." Dudley whispered as he returned to kneel by him.

Suddenly, two large black wings erupted from the cut in Harry's back. A series of gasps sounded around the room before it went silent as Harry passed out from pain.