Birth of a Nightmare Man

Chapter Five

George had been staring at Harry's hair for the last ten minutes and finally Harry looked up from the book he was reading.

"What?"

"You don't want a haircut?"

"No," Harry said, dragging a hand through his locks that now reached past his shoulders. "It's easier to manage when it's longer."

"So it doesn't look like a rat's nest?"

"Yeah, that's one way of describing my hair," Harry replied with a laugh. "Did I ever tell you that my aunt once shaved me, with the exception of one lock that covered my scar?"

"No way!"

"Oh yes way. It looked horrible and I was really upset. It grew back overnight."

George laughed.

"What look did she have on her face then?"

"Uncle Vernon I remember had a purple face. But then again, he always had a purple face. Aunt Petunia was angry, I know that but what could she do?"

"I'm trying to imagine it," George said. "Little you with no hair. Oh dear god, it's hilarious!"

It actually was. Harry wasn't sure what aunt Petunia had been thinking, that would look better than his usual rat's nest. Actually, that might even have made teachers worried and have them call and annoy her, so perhaps it was a good thing he grew it out accidently. It saved him a lot of grief that would have come if aunt Petunia's precious time was wasted by teachers who were worried about Harry.

"You look good with longer hair," George said. "That, or it could just be that your hair is the only thing on you that isn't a walking skeleton."

"Hey, I resent that. I have been gaining weight."

It had been three weeks since he was set free. Three weeks of pure bliss. He hadn't ventured outside of the wards, hadn't left the house much either but he could bath whenever he wanted, eat whatever he wanted. He had clean robes, casual clothes, books and nothing to worry about.

Well, he supposed the Order was planning something but they weren't there. They hadn't tried to contact George, or harass either of them. He was ready to let them be too. He needed to get his strength back up before he faced anyone of them again. That, and Occlumency shields to protect himself from Dumbledore.

But… it felt like he had protection. Was it because he wasn't as reckless as he used to be? Sure, he was angry and hateful but Harry had learnt patience and caution. One had little else to do in a small cell, in a freaky prison, in the middle of the sea. He wouldn't fall for Dumbledore's lies any longer, and certainly wouldn't let the man inside his head.

-o-

George spent a lot of time making potions. Experimental potions, which meant sometimes they had to run when a cauldron exploded. Professor Snape was surely weeping somewhere at the idiocy of the new generation. Either that, or yelling proper instructions.

Either way, Harry had a tendency to sit with George, unwilling to be left alone for long periods of times. He had dragged a comfortable chair with him too.

"Do you know what the magical society is good at?" Harry asked George one day, roughly a month and a half since his release.