Harry Potter 1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A four year old Harry Potter was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast for his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. He had cooked a packet of bacon and sausages already. The boy scurried across the kitchen and picked three eggs from the fridge.

Harry cracked the first two eggs into the pan and as he went to crack the third.

"Well what are you waiting for, you ungrateful cur!"

Harry felt the intimidating presence of his uncle standing right behind him beadily watching him cook. Immediately his hands started to shake, but he carried on regardless, cracking the last egg on the sides of the pan. Because of the way the hand that held it was shaking, the contents of said egg slipped over the side of the pan and onto the floor causing Harry to inwardly grimace. He was in big trouble now.

"Dirty, nasty, ungrateful little brat!"

Small flecks of spittle hit Harry's face as Uncle Vernon shouted.

The pan containing the breakfast Harry had been cooking left the stove and its contents were deposited over Harry's small malnourished form. Firm hands grasped the small boy's frame lifting him into the air. Harry offered no resistance, and even if he had his cause would have been hopeless.

The air was suddenly thick with the foul smell of burning cloth and flesh. The terrible anguished screams of a child in pure agony rent the air as Uncle Vernon held his nephew in a seated position upon the still red hot hob.

HPHPHPHPHP

Two boys were due to start at Kirnot Gardens Primary School for the first time today. Mrs Williams waited in her office for the parents to arrive with her two new reception pupils. On the dot of nine o clock a silver family car arrived containing what she considered the most unlikely looking family.

In the front of the car sat two adults. One was a large man, possessed of very little neck. Sitting next to him was presumably his wife. She was very tall, thin and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck. According to Mrs Williams' notes these would be Vernon and Petunia Dursley and the two children in the back of car, one very large and the other rather scrawny would be Dudley Dursley and Harry Potter, nephew and resident of the Dursley household.

Mrs Williams watched, through her office window, as Vernon and Petunia got out of their car.

"Duddy darling, we're here now. All ready for your first day at school popkins." Petunia crooned, opening the back door in order to coax a very large child out of the car.

"Shan't! Not going. You can't make me Mummy, I'll kick my bunny rabbit again." The child stropped.

"Out you come Duddikins. Mummy will buy you lots of sweeties for when you get home." There was no firmness, or hint at reasonable discipline, and that disgusted Mrs Williams. It was blatantly obvious who held the reigns in the Dursley family and that person was Dudley. Finally Petunia coaxed the humungous child out of the car with yet more bribery.

Mrs Williams was shocked. She was used to all sorts being a teacher, but never in her thirty years of teaching had she come across a brat as obviously spoilt as this one. Spoilt children were nothing new to Mrs Williams, but there was something odd, and rather disturbing, about this family. In her experience were one child was spoilt rotten other children in the house were normally equally spoilt. Judging by the scene in front of her though this was definitely not the case here. The disparity in the way the two children were being treated was painful to the eye.

Vernon Dursley had opened the other back door at near enough the same moment that Petunia had opened the child called Dudley's door. There was no coaxing and bribing going on at that side of the car though.

Mrs Williams could just make out a very small looking boy who was shaking and crying in the back seat before he was manhandled from the car. The boy had literally been pulled from the car by his shirt collar. No thought for the boy's obvious distress had been shown, he had simply been removed as if he were an inanimate object. The words that came from Vernon's mouth filled Mrs Williams's heart with sadness and indignant anger.

"OUT! Disgusting pathetic waste of a life as you are boy… You will not do anything to spoil Dudley's first day at school…" The threat was left hanging and the little boy just gave a frightened nod. Harry didn't seem to need it to be completed, he was clearly terrified.

Whatever the child had done, there was no reason to _ever_ speak to _anyone_ in that manner. Least of all a four year old. Could that child really be four years old? Mrs Williams thought. He didn't look it.

The family made their way towards the front doors, although it took them a while to get there. Petunia had stopped many times to bribe Dudley with sweets. Harry, looked to be in some pain. For every time the boy took a step he winced and the tears continued to fall. As the family reached the steps to the front door Harry actually cried out as he climbed the first step. Mrs Williams's mouth dropped in shock when instead of comforting the child, or even attempting to find out what was wrong, Vernon Dursley struck the boy. Not gently either hard enough to assuredly leave a bruise. It was at this moment that Mrs Williams decided she was very glad she hadn't waited at the gates for this pair as if she had she would probably not have witnessed these actions.

As much as any teacher hated to see a child abused or neglected. She was now in a position, especially with the CCTV the school had installed, to do something about it. To get at least one, if not both, of these children away from the Dursleys and into a safe environment.

Rather than going straight to meet the two boys in the reception area Mrs Williams wrote a quick note of what she had seen and took the tape from the CCTV recorder, leaving them in an envelope on her desk. When she saw Mr and Mrs Dursley get back into the car she made her way out to meet her two new pupils.

Mrs Williams opened the door to the reception area to see the smaller of the two boys hyperventilating. Immediately she rushed to Maggie, the receptionist's, aid to assist her as she tried to calm the boy down.

HPHPHPHP

Harry watched nervously as Uncle Vernon went to the front desk to speak to the receptionist. The school's receptionist was a tall women with a rather severe face but despite that she had a kind smile, especially when she noted the way Harry was shaking and that he was struggling not to cry.

"It is best if you leave now. Vernon, Petunia. We are used to settling new children here, and we find it is only more stressful for the child if the parent lingers for long." The receptionist stated eyeing both boys with her kindly smile.

Aunt Petunia gave Dudley a big hug and a kiss before she and Uncle Vernon left. Harry didn't get one though, not that he expected one. After all horrid little brats like him didn't deserve cuddles, or any kind of affection for that matter.

The receptionist took Dudley's hand and went to take Harry's too. Harry heart rate started to rise and he struggled to keep his breath steady. He couldn't touch her. He wasn't allowed to touch an adult. He'd make them dirty and then she would have to wash herself. Then he'd get punished, again. Harry didn't want to be hit. Not when his bottom was hurting so badly from this morning's punishment, and then getting hit when he cried out on the steps. So instead of taking the hand she offered backed away not letting his eyes of the women who was trying to take his hand. His hasty backward steps made Harry trip over the overly long trousers he was wearing and he went sprawling landing on his sore bottom. That really really hurt!

Harry started to breathe really fast because it hurt so badly. He wasn't allowed to cry out though. The lady would tell Uncle Vernon and then he'd get hit again. The thought of that made Harry breathe even faster and before long dark spots started to appear in front of his eyes. Panic was coursing through Harry's small frame and made the world start to go black. He slipped out of consciousness mere moments later. The last thing he heard before he went under was a whispered and panicked conversation.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I tried to take his hand, he shied away from me and fell. Then he started hyperventilating."

"Come on Harry, calm down. Try to breathe slower."

"Maggie call an Ambulance and Social Services. Something is seriously wrong here this is far more than pre first day nerves. I think we may have a severe case of abuse here."


	2. Chapter 1 - Awakening

**A/N I would just like to say a big thank you to all those who have reviewed, favorited, or are following this story. My inbox has been inundated with notifications and it was truly heartening to see just how many people appear to like this story. I had not intended to post this until next weekend but felt I really ought to given the unexpected response the prologue achieved. Please I love to read reviews and will attempt to take any advice or suggestions given so please do not hesitate to leave them. **

**DISCLAIMER - I can't believe I forgot to do this for the prologue so I better put it in now. This is not mine, I am just playing in J K Rowlings fantastic sandbox. **

**Chapter 1 – Awakening. **

Harry awoke to a steady beeping sound coming from near his left ear. For the first time in his short life Harry actually felt remotely comfortable. With substantial effort the small boy opened his eyelids and took in the scene around him. The room was bright and airy. A slight smell of disinfectant hung in the air.

It took Harry but a few moments to realise that he was lying in a bed. The moment that happened the boy sat bolt upright. A wave of nausea swept through Harry as intense pain racked his body. He suppressed this pain, forcing himself to his feet and out of the bed. He took a few steps before the pain of movement overcame his system and a small boy dropped in a crumpled heap on the floor.

HPHPHPHPHP

Natasha Stevens had been put in charge of the four year old boy in intensive care bay seven. She had just completed reviewing the boy's notes. Notes that after today's basic examination were worryingly extensive. Apart from the first degree burns on the boy's bottom, Harry Potter was severely underweight and suffering the effects of malnutrition. There were plenty of other signs of abuse and neglect but they would not be able to say for sure what the effects had been on the young body until a full medical examination had been authorised.

Natasha walked down to bay seven to check on the boy. As she approached she heard the continuous tone of a flat lined heart monitor. The middle aged nurse ran into the bay, her heart in her mouth. The scene that she saw filled her with an equal sense of relief and horror. Relief at seeing the leads pulled out of the heart monitor, and the obvious fact that the boy was breathing steadily. The horror came from seeing an empty bed and a four year old boy crumpled on the floor.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry awoke to find himself once more lying in the bed. The last, and only time he had been caught trying out Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia's bed, whilst he changed the sheets, had earned him so many belt lashes across his back that he couldn't lie down for a week. Harry had only wanted to know what a real bed felt like. All he had ever had was a few old pillow cases stuffed with straw. But he was a dirty little animal and as such he would soil a bed, and make it unfit for people, as such he could not be caught lying in this bed.

Summoning what little strength he had Harry once more begun the process of getting out of the bed. He slowly rose up and once more was greeted with that overwhelming nauseous feeling. Next he lifted his legs to swing them over the side of the mattress but as he did so his weight shifted onto his burnt backside. The pain was intense. This caused him to let out an involuntary cry of pain.

A nurse came running into view summoned by Harry's cry of pain.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

A wave of panic rose in Harry's throat, he was for it now! He'd probably be unable to do his chores. He would be unable to earn any food for ages after the punishment he would get for this. What the hell was he going to do?

HPHPHPHP

A shrill cry of pain permeated the air of the intensive care ward. The cry was clearly that of a child, and as there was only one child on the ward, Natasha Stevens dropped what she was doing and ran to find out what was wrong with little Harry.

The boy was trying to get out of bed again. Despite the obvious pain the attempt was causing him he stubbornly persisted.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Natasha screamed causing Harry's eyes to widen in fear.

The monitors started going berserk as Harry's pulse rate and blood pressure shot through the roof. The boy was hyperventilating again. Despite the paper bag Natasha held over his mouth and nose Harry did not calm down, if anything he was panicking all the more. Before long Harry once again lost consciousness and slowly his stats returned back to a more normal level.

Natasha was shocked. Her tone had been exasperated not angry when she shouted at Harry. Yet it had caused a full blown panic attack. Knowing it would not be that long before Harry regained consciousness, Natasha decided to remain at the bed side until he did. She reached for his notes hoping to glean some insight into how she should react when her patient awoke.

_Other Observations_

_Ambulance phoned by school due to panic attack after staff member attempted physical contact. School suspect emotional abuse on top of the obvious unexplained injuries. Social Services now involved. _

Natasha had not gained much insight from the notes but what she had gained would hopefully be enough to stave off another panic attack. A few moments later Harry's eyes flickered open.

"You are to stay in that bed young man." Natasha's tone was not harsh but it broached no argument. She could feel fearful eyes watching her and once again Harry started to rise. "Are you trying to be naughty? You are not getting out of bed."

Harry immediately blanched and collapsed back into his bed violently shaking his head. Natasha went to lay a comforting hand on the boy's chest but stopped mid action when the boy violently flinched. It was at this moment that she realised this wasn't defiance, it was fear.

"Harry I'm not going to hit you." Natasha said the shock obvious in her voice. Deciding that actions were probably better than words she finished her action and gently laid her hand down on Harry's chest causing a brief spike in pulse rate and blood pressure to register on the monitors.

Harry lay still for a few minutes wide eyed and wary, but gradually he started to relax. Before long Natasha felt him try to sit up again so she just gently shook her head and pushed him back down. Before long a small voice piped up. "P Please miss - Got to get up – not 'lowed in beds."

"You're not getting out of that bed no matter how hard you try."

"P p p please miss – not 'lowed in beds."

Harry was starting to panic again and his breathing was getting steadily faster so against her better judgement Natasha removed her hand. Harry immediately tried to get up. He winced in pain and all of the little colour he had drained from his face. Natasha revised her decision there and then and pushed him back down. "No," she said simply.

"Not 'lowed…" Harry started but this time Natasha cut him off. Four year olds were stubborn yes but this was not normal there was more to this than stubbornness.

"Explain," she sighed, and at the look of confusion on Harry's face, with a small chuckle "tell me what you mean."

"Horrid dirty little animals like me are not allowed to touch things that nice people wear sit or lie on," Harry stated in a way that showed he had much practice at those particular words.

Natasha was boiling with rage. Those were not the words of a four year old. Someone had put those despicable words into Harry's mouth, and he was spouting them like a parrot. The worse part of it was how clear it was that Harry actually believed this was right. Very carefully so as not to let any of the anger she was feeling into her voice she looked the child straight in the eye and held his gaze before speaking.

"You are not horrid, and you are not an animal. You are a little boy who is hurt and needs to lie in that bed so that we can make you better."

"I is dirty, I spoil things." Harry pleaded

Natasha thought for a few moments, there might be a way she could keep Harry in bed, at least for a bit, but the psychiatrists would not like it at all. Deciding it was worth the ear bending she would get later so that Harry could at least get some time to heal she winked at him and said.

"Then let's give you a wash then. Then you'll be clean and can stay in that bed." Unwilling to leave her patients side yet, knowing full well that Harry would be up and out of bed the instant her back was turned she called out to a passing colleague and got them to go and collect the bed bath kit.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Process Starts

**A/N - Once again thank you to everyone for the positive reviews. I hope this chapter is up to standard, this is not an area that I am an expert in so please tell me if something I write seems unrealistic. Once again reviews are welcomed with open arms.**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from the series. **

Chapter 2 – The Process Starts

Albus Dumbledore sat reclined in an armchair next to the warm flickering glow of his office fire. Dumbledore was certainly relaxed, that is until the fire turned green and the head of Arabella Figg swam into view. The message she brought with her left him feeling anything but relaxed.

"Albus, the Dursley household was just raided by the police. Vernon and Petunia were arrested and taken away."

Albus jumped up from his chair in a panic and was soon crouching in front of the fire. "What of the children?"

"Neither returned home from school today. All I know is that Harry appeared to be in pain this morning when he was taken to school. The police will not tell me anything."

Dumbledore raised his wand and brought it through a series of complicated swishing movements. This allowed him to remotely check on the condition of the charms he had cast to protect Harry.

"Arabella, I can say for certain Harry is still alive, the fact the protective wards still stand tells me that much. The condition they are in though is alarming! They are on the point of collapse which can mean one, some, or all of three things. Harry is close to death, the Dursley's are close to becoming incapable of looking after him, or Harry barely considers Privet Drive home."

Arabella was horrified, any of those conditions was terrible for the little boy who was her neighbour and she knew young Harry led a hard life. Dumbledore though, was close to panic stricken by this news, he was one of very few people in the world who realised just how important Harry Potter was for the entire wizarding world. The fact the wards were now so weak had put the child prophesised to pull the wizarding world from darkness in grave danger. For the first time in his long life Albus Dumbledore was at a loss as to what to do. He desperately needed more information and hoped it would soon be forthcoming.

The next day saw Albus receiving some more information in the form of a muggle newspaper forwarded to him by Arabella Figg.

_Midnight Raids in Little Whinging. _

_Last night police stormed a house in Little Whinging and arrested a young couple. The couple were later charged with several counts of wilful neglect and assault on a minor. The police have issued a statement saying that, in the interests of child protection, they will not be releasing any names at this point. _

_ A local school recognised that a child starting at the school yesterday was showing signs of an abusive home life, and appeared to be in not inconsiderable pain. The child in question collapsed from a panic attack when approached. An ambulance was called to the school and the unnamed child was hospitalised. _

_ A spokesperson from the hospital has informed The Little Whinging Gazette that the child is currently stable but requiring intensive care due to severe physical and emotional trauma_

It did not take long for Albus Dumbledore to put two and two together. The couple who had been arrested had to be Vernon and Petunia. Arabella had after all witnessed their arrest late last night. This meant that the child in hospital had to be either, Dudley or Harry. Albus had never been a gambling man. At this point in time though, he would be prepared to bet his entire Gringotts vault that it was Harry Potter who was in that hospital.

Tracking Harry was not going to be an easy task. Most wizards would think tracking a magical minor in the muggle world to be an easy task. Sadly they could not be more wrong. Because Harry had not yet produced accidental magic, nor did he possess a wand, the ministry trace had not yet applied itself to his magical signature. Even if it had it would be of little help. Unless the child actually performed magic. Because of this the wizarding world were no more equipped to find a missing child than the muggle world.

Whether or not Albus would be able to have any say in what happened to Harry now he was unsure. For the moment, he would simply put all his efforts into tracking the boy down and making sure he was indeed safe.

The old wizard had more to worry about than just Harry's safety. When word of this disaster got out into the wider wizarding world there would be a public outcry. The ministry would be out for the blood of anyone who had allowed this to happen. Albus Dumbledore now had some serious thinking to do if he was going to protect both Harry and himself. Harry had to be Albus' priority but he would never be able to protect Harry or any of his students if he was up on a negligence charge. He had to come up with a plan, and he had to do that fast.

HPHPHPHPHP

It had taken several hours of gentle coaxing to keep Harry from scrambling out of bed every time Natasha had her back turned. Even after the bath he had still been insistent that he was too dirty to be allowed in his bed. Thankfully she did eventually manage to persuade him to stay put but it had been no easy task. A relieved Natasha had left the boy sleeping soundly in order to go to this meeting. She was hopeful that she wouldn't have to rush out of the meeting in order to coax Harry back into bed. Harry was after all on a cocktail of painkillers that would make anyone drowsy. Now that the consultant had added a sedative to the IV, Natasha was fairly certain that Harry would not wake up again before her shift ended.

Three people were sitting in the meeting room when Natasha arrived and one of them signalled for her to take a seat before beginning the meeting.

"Now that we are all present we can get this meeting underway. But first I think some introductions are in order. For those that don't know me, I am Henric Von Rickman, the paediatric consultant in this Hospital. This is Andrew Crawley, senior social worker with Surrey Social Services children's team. Sitting to Mr Crawley's left is PC Alun Davies. Lastly of course is Nurse Natasha Stevens, Harry's named nurse." Henric gestured to each person involved as he spoke, before passing around some documents for each person.

"Now we all know why we are here," Mr Crawley started. "A four year old boy is currently lying in a bed on the intensive care ward at this hospital. It also appears that these injuries may well have been deliberately caused. No medical attention was sought by the child's legal guardians. At the very least here we have a case of neglect. At worst, and I strongly suspect this to be the case, we have an abuse case on our hands. I would ask those on Harry's medical team to please give us some idea as to the severity of Harry's condition."

The look of disgust that was firmly plastered onto Henric Von Rickman's face spoke volumes. He pointed to the pile of paperwork in front of him, "Take a few moment to read through those notes and then I will talk of Harry's condition." Every person in the room eyes progressively widened as they read, heads started to shake and there were several sharp intakes of breath.

"As you can see, Harry has first degree burns, is about half the weight he should be for his age and build, and has multiple scars from previous injuries. Blood results have shown he is dangerously short of potassium, calcium and iron. For those of us who are not medical professionals I will make this quite clear. The levels of vitamins and minerals in this child's blood are so dangerously low he is constant danger of cardiac arrest. He will also be highly susceptible to infection and will break bones with alarming ease.

In all honesty it is a miracle that Harry is still with us! As you can also see I have recommended full body MRI and CAT scans, which I cannot do without a parent or guardians permission. We also have serious concerns for Harry's psychological well-being which Harry's named nurse is in a far better position than I to explain."

Taking her cue Natasha then took up the mantle of speaking.

"I am as disgusted as anyone here by the state of young Harry's physical health but I can tell you I am far more concerned for this child's emotional health. I have spent near enough the entire shift trying to keep this child in bed and not because he is being belligerent either. Harry is absolutely terrified. Every time I catch him I put him back in the bed and spend the next twenty minutes with him pleading and begging me to be allowed to lie on the floor. He repeats over and over again that he isn't allowed in a bed. I think I've finally got through to him that he can stay in that bed and the moment I turn my back he is out of it and back on the floor. We have actually had to sedate him because he is putting his life at risk getting stressed like that. With his blood minerals so low the last thing we need is a raised pulse rate that could lead to a heart attack.

Harry doesn't really respond to his name, it's as if he is not used to being referred to by name, and has no sense of self-worth. He keeps getting out of bed because he thinks he is spoiling it by lying in it. You know that boy actually referred to himself as a dirty little animal in front of me."

That last statement was too much for the kindly nurse. Tears started to flow and no matter how hard she tried to continue Natasha just couldn't say anymore. She just hoped she had said enough.

"Mrs Stevens, I am so sorry but I'm going to need to ask you for a statement. If what you say is true, then we have more than sufficient grounds to charge Harry's guardians." Alun Davies did indeed sound very sorry to be asking this but it was essential to do so, as the first medical professional to speak to Harry, Natasha was in a unique position to offer evidence that might just get the Dursleys convicted of their crimes.

"I think from Natasha's words and the medical report provided by Mr Von Rickman, we can safely say that Harry cannot return to the Dursley's care at this time." Several growls of dissent came from various people in the room at Andrew's words, but PC Alun Davies came to his rescue.

"None of us here want to see Harry returned to those people but we must abide by the law. We cannot permanently remove a child from their guardian's custody without convincing evidence and a court order. We will need to gather the appropriate evidence to have that application accepted by the courts. Not something I think will be difficult to do I must say."

"Worry not, Harry will not be returning to the Dursleys if it is not safe for him to do so." Henric's reply was aimed at everyone but he had primarily been speaking to Natasha. "Social Services and the Health Board have a duty of care here. Harry is in no state to be discharged anyway and I do not see him able to be discharged for a couple of weeks minimum. Andrew has already applied for a temporary care order which should give us consent to perform the medical examinations we need to gather evidence. As soon as that is done he will be applying for permanent custody."

The sound of the monitor alarm sounded as the meeting concluded. Natasha and Henric jumped up to find out why the alarm was going off and flew through the door. "You know he has probably just got out of bed again pulling the leads out of the monitor. That alarm has been going off all day," Natasha said. Henric wasn't convinced though, the boy was heavily sedated he should not have been waking up for a while yet. Henric had also been worried about using sedatives because of Harry's poor health, but had decided to anyway to keep the boy in that bed and to try and reduce his stress levels.

The consultant and nurse rushed through the door to find a little boy still in the bed and the monitor leads still attached to the monitor even if not to the child in question. That same child was sitting up chewing his hands. The bed sheets were crimson with blood were Harry had pulled out his cannulas and he looked deathly pale, he was also visibly shaking. Whether those shakes were caused by blood loss or by fear needed to be determined quickly.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry was feeling very confused. There was noise everywhere and two people had come running into the room before he could get out of the bed. But they didn't look angry, they didn't look happy either though.

Having had very little experience of adults showing concern Harry had not recognised the looks of concern for what they were. He didn't understand why these two were staring at him or why they were not telling him off. Harry was scared by this, he could cope with them being angry, he might not like it, but he could cope. But not knowing why they were looking at him like that terrified him and this was why he was trembling. He would very much have liked to try and get away but he was feeling dizzy and just didn't have the energy to move.

A pair of hands grasped Harry's hands and gently, yet firmly, pulled his hands away from his mouth. As his hands moved a wave of nausea came over Harry and a paper bowl was held under his mouth. When Harry didn't throw up he found himself being gently laid down whilst someone applied pressure on the back of his hands. Harry didn't know what to make of any of this. He had been bad, he'd made all the sheets dirty, he'd covered them in blood. No one was beating him. They were being nice, like Aunt Petunia was to Dudley if he scraped his knee. "S sorry," Harry squeaked.

After seeing that Harry was alright Henric had left to continue his ward round so now Harry was with just Natasha again.

"Alice, can you get me a fresh set of cannulas please," Natasha called to another nurse who was passing the door. A few moments later the nurse returned with the requested items, handed them over and left to continue whatever she had been doing before she was called away.

Natasha went to refit the cannulas into Harry's hands. As soon as he saw the needles, Harry tried to snatch his hands away with a terrified squeal. "Please, please no, I be good. I be good."

Harry's begging broke Natasha's heart but he had to have intravenous drips, if he was going to recover any time soon, and for that he needed to be fitted with cannulas. So with a heavy heart she reached out again and grasped the little boy's hand.

Tears flooded down Harry's face, his begging had never worked before, so why would it now? He couldn't stop the tears though, as when Uncle Vernon used needles, it really hurt. This was one punishment he just couldn't cope with. Harry had learnt that if he struggled it hurt much more, so he let the lady take his hand and just sat there shaking with fear, while constantly pleading for this to not happen.

Natasha cleaned the back of Harry's hand and then took the cannula out of its sterile wrapper. The boy was trembling and biting his lower lip so hard it started to bleed.

"This may hurt a little," Natasha said. As gently as she could, she fitted the cannula and reattached the drip. Confusion crossed the boy's face and finally the cries of "no" and "please" ceased.

"See Harry, that wasn't so bad was it?" Natasha said in her most reassuring tone.

"It no hurt?" Harry questioned, he was eyeing the needle and the drip apprehensively as if expecting it to suddenly make him hurt terribly. "Please don't make me hurt bad. I be good now."

Something had just clicked for Natasha and she had to be sure before it could be put in her report, but if she was right the people who had made this boy so scared were absolute animals. "Harry, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to make you feel better. Harry, did anyone ever put a needle like that in you that made you really hurt?" The nervous nod of the head was all the answer Natasha needed. "Now be a good boy and promise me you won't pull that out again."

Harry replied with another shaky nod of the head and quite little, "yes miss."

Natasha ruffled Harry's hair. "Good boy, now get some sleep." The look of shock on Harry's face was both wonderful and terrifying at the same time. Natasha made a little note to give this boy as much positive re-enforcement as she could. She even went as far as to get permission from Henric to give him a little treat of a square of chocolate for good behaviour.

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry was very tired and was finally alone. He liked being alone, when he was alone nobody saw him being bad, so nobody hurt him.

Natasha had told him to be a good boy, and she had basically told him taking the thing out of his hand was bad. Harry might be a nasty little brat but he was never bad on purpose, despite what his aunt and uncle said, nor was he stupid. It had taken him a little while, but he had realised he was allowed to stay in this bed. He had been caught in it several times now and no one had hurt him, so it must be allowed. Every time he had been got out of the bed he had found himself back on it. So here he lay trying his very best to be good. He had also left the thing in his hand like he had been told.

Harry must have fallen asleep, because he was woken up by Natasha the next morning. He'd been bad again. He was supposed to be awake and ready to work when Aunt Petunia came to the cupboard. "S sorry miss. I be good now, sorry." He readied himself for the blow he was sure he was going to receive, but it never came.

"You haven't been bad Harry, so you don't need to say sorry." Natasha didn't look cross at all. In fact she was smiling at Harry. "I spoke to the night nurses, and they told me you were a very good boy all night and did everything you were told." Natasha then handed Harry a square of chocolate. "This is for you, because you were a good boy." The smile on Harry's face was priceless. "Now what do you say?"

"Sorry miss," he tried to hand the piece of chocolate back again.

"No I gave you that so I don't want you to give it back. What you forgot to say was thank you."

Harry's eyes were wide and hopeful, "th thank you," he stammered.

"Good boy," Natasha smiled and handed Harry a second square of chocolate.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head he was so surprised. People weren't nice to Harry like this, but he didn't let his surprise make him forget the manners he had just learnt, so with a slightly more confident voice he said "thank you miss."

"Good boy."

Natasha thought she had made some real progress here as she watched the wonder and joy emanating from the little boy. What she had said to Harry was no lie either, the night staff said he had behaved impeccably overnight, despite waking several times in pain. They would have liked for him to have called for help but no one had expected that. What had them so impressed was how polite and well behaved he had been each time he woke. How anyone could treat this sweet child the way he had been Natasha would never know.


	4. Chapter 3 - Tests

**Disclaimer in chapter 1**

**A/N Sorry for the lateness of this chapter I got hit by a severe case of writers block and had to write something else before I could get back to this. **

* * *

Chapter 3

Harry lay relaxed in the hospital bed. He felt like crying but did not understand why. The nurse lady had been really nice to him. Not once had he been hit, or really even shouted at. He should've been, he knew that. He was lying in this bed and hadn't done any of his chores. It couldn't be real though, people didn't give dirty little brats like him treats. No he must have been dreaming. It had been a nice dream though and he didn't want it to end.

"Wake up Harry."

There, that was the proof it had been all a dream. Uncle Vernon wanted him up and doing his chores, he didn't want to get up though. Now he was being lightly shaken. Strange, Uncle Vernon had never been gentle with waking him before.

Harry opened his eyes. There were people all around him and he wasn't where he was supposed to be, worse than that, he was where he absolutely mustn't be, on a bed!

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry's care team had received word earlier that day that the courts had now appointed Harry a Guardian ad Litem. This was fantastic news for the boy as it meant they could now get the child properly assessed and start building a case to have Harry placed in safe and caring environment. It was for this reason that Henric, Natasha and a child psychologist were now with Harry.

When Henric, Natasha and a child psychologist had arrived Harry had been soundly asleep and unfortunately they had to wake the child up. The courts had just appointed him a guardian ad litem, and as such they now had the consent to perform the various medical and psychological evaluations Harry needed. It took a few attempts for Henric to wake the boy, but finally Harry's eyes flickered open.

Upon waking disappointment was evident in Harry's body language but almost instantly the child was radiating fear. Quick as a flash Harry was out of the bed and cowering in the corner, shielding his face, as if expecting a blow.

"Harry," Natasha said as she cautiously made her way over to Harry who flinched violently at the sound of her voice. Kneeling on the floor in front of Harry, so as to make herself the least intimidating that she possibly could, she moved the boy's hands away from his face so that she could see his eyes. Wordlessly she took the boys hand, surprised but relieved when he accepted it, and lifted him back into bed.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

Harry couldn't believe what was happening. He had panicked when he woke up and had forgotten that he had been told to stay in bed. Nat hadn't hit him though. She had just picked him up and put him back in bed. She hadn't really looked cross either, which she should've. He'd done what he was told not to do. No she had just looked sad, and now she and the two men were just standing there watching him.

"Harry…" The big tall dark haired man started.

"Sorry," Harry squealed scooting backwards on the bed, completely ignoring the pain such movements were causing. The doctors, they said that's what they were anyway, were frowning all the more.

Nat raised her hand and Harry flinched violently. He should have known better, grovelling like that always made things worse. What had he been thinking? She didn't hit him though. She just rested her hand gently on Harry's shoulder. Harry, unsure what this meant stayed tense as ever, fearfully flicking his eyes from one person to the next.

"Harry, calm down. We aren't going to hurt you." Natasha's voice was low and soft and somehow it did help Harry to relax, enough at least to be able to think a little more coherently.

"But I was bad. I was s'possed to stay. I got up?" The questioning tone was evident in Harry's voice as he spoke as was the undisguised confusion.

The tall man had come to stand right next to Harry and his tone left no room for argument. "You are right that you are not allowed out of bed child, so why were you?" Although the man had sounded stern he didn't sound cross, which was probably the only reason Harry felt brave enough to answer. He couldn't meet the man's eyes though so just mumbled into his covers. "Got scared 'n forgot." A few seconds later he turned over and threw back the covers. "I get hit now."

HPHPHPHPHP

In all his years as a child psychologist Aiden Hughes never got used to scenes like this. The small boy in the bed before him had just stated plain as day that he expected to be struck and rather than fight it, or even try to get out of it, the child had just accepted what he thought was coming. That just wasn't the way four year olds should behave, especially not with strangers.

Aiden saw the shocked faces off Henric and Natasha and saw they were just going to stand and do nothing. Some action needed to be taken now though, or the boy would just lie there getting stressed, a situation that would not be helpful. Aiden took hold of the covers the boy had discarded, watching the boy stiffen at his movement. He firmly placed those same covers back over the child. "No you don't!" He stated.

Harry lay still for a few minutes, obviously trying to comprehend what had just happened and failing. Finally he turned over, looking Aiden directly in the eye. It was quite clear that Harry didn't dare vocalise what he was thinking but luckily for Aiden the question was clearly written all over the child's face. All three adults found themselves sitting down on Harry's bed as Aiden tried to explain in a way an emotionally traumatized child might understand.

"Were you told not to get out of bed?" Aiden asked

"Yes."

"But you did because you were scared. Why were you scared?"

"I was gonna get hit."

"Why did you think that?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "Cause I was in a bed sir. Not 'lowed in beds."

"But you were told not to get out of bed."

"Yes sir… I forgot 'cause I was sleepy."

Aiden felt he was getting somewhere now so he finished the questions and started to explain. "We woke you up Harry, and scared you. It is I that need to apologise not you." Harry started shaking his head. "You are a little boy Harry and little boys get scared sometimes, and when they do they forget things. You weren't trying to be naughty so you are not in trouble."

"But I was bad sir."

"Maybe, but you didn't mean it, and you said sorry. You are not going to get hit because you didn't do anything to deserve it. Do you understand that Harry? You don't deserve to be hit, so you shouldn't be."

Natasha watched the exchange with interest. It was clear Harry expected to be punished. The boy was quite intelligent and he really thought he should be in trouble. Aiden was trying very hard to teach Harry that being hit was not an appropriate punishment.

"Harry," Natasha said, "you remember I have been giving you a treat for doing what you are told?" Harry nodded silently. "Well you aren't going to get one now because you got out of bed. That's why you are not going to get hit you've already been punished." Her face split into a huge smile as she watched the relief, mixed with a little disappointment, flood through Harry's features. Good they did seem to have got through to Harry and he did seem to be learning.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

He hadn't been hit, and he wasn't going to be. Sure Harry was sad he didn't get more chocolate but that was much better than being hit. He could believe them now though because they had done something. A very rare smile had crept onto Harry's face at the thought that there might just be someone out there that didn't hate him.

Harry was pulled from his daydream by the adults talking to him again. Another massive surprise, they were talking to him rather than just about him it felt really nice.

"Harry, I am Mr Von Rickman, and this is Professor Hughes. We need to ask you some questions but first we are going to need you to do some tests for us. If there is anything you don't understand I want you to ask and if you are scared or something hurts I want you to tell me." Mr Von Rickman wasn't that tall but he looked strong and he certainly wasn't fat. He seemed kind though even if Harry did find his appearance rather intimidating.

Harry found himself being wheeled along through long corridors the like of which he'd never seen before. There were lots of people around, many of them were in uniform. The corridors themselves were bright, airy, and scrupulously clean. Harry found he was really enjoying the experience and let out a delighted squeal as the bed went around a corner to be met with lots of people turning to look at him.

He couldn't believe he'd just done that. He was supposed to keep quiet and only speak when someone asked him a question. He'd broken the most important rule and he'd already been bad earlier. He wouldn't just get hit for this, no being that bad would get something much worse. How could he have done that he still really hurt and now it was going to get a lot worse.

HPHPHPHPHPHP

That little squeal that Harry had let out, and the smile, Natasha found it heart-warming. It was delightful to see this quiet and terrified little boy actually having fun and behaving like a four year old. She turned wanting to see Harry smiling. The sight the greeted her shattered her heart into a million pieces. Harry wasn't smiling anymore. He was shaking all over and had pulled his covers up to his chin. He had gone from happy little four year old squealing in delight, to terrified child hiding from the world in the blink of an eye. The worst part of it though was that Natasha could see no reason for this shift. So what had scared the boy so much?

"Harry, what's wrong." Natasha asked hoping beyond hope that Harry would recognise the concern in her tone for what it was.

HPHPHPHPHP

Lights flickered in front of Harry's eyes. Noise surrounded him, Nat was talking to him but he couldn't make out a word she was saying. He knew she must be really angry. She had to be shouting at him. But he was panicking so much now that his ears were ringing and she sounded like an angry dog barking at him.

They had stopped moving. Lots of people were shouting now. They were all going to beat him. He was going to be gagged and made to drink something that made his throat hurt. He could already feel it burning in his throat. His hands shot to his throat. He could feel his heart beating there. It was going much faster than normal. His head was feeling funny and he thought he was going to be sick. They were still shouting at him. It was getting too much. He couldn't cope. Why didn't they just start hitting him? The world started to go blurry around the edges. Someone was putting something over his mouth. Now he was seeing stars. The world was going black. His chest was really hurting

HPHPHPHPHPHP

The oxygen wasn't working. Harry was still breathing far too fast.

"Slowly Harry. In through your nose, out through your mouth. In. out. in. out."

Harry's hands slipped from his purple throat as his consciousness started to slip.

"Harry, stay awake." Someone shouted. It didn't work. Harry relaxed completely and stopped breathing. Henric placed two fingers against Harry's throat now that he had access and felt no pulse.

"Someone get a crash trolley here now! He's gone into cardiac arrest!"

* * *

**You'll have to wait for the next update to see what happens. Thanks to all the reviewers, as you can see a child psychologist is now involved. The reason it had to wait was that one cannot be involved without parental consent, and the Dursley's would not had consented to medical or psychological evaluations. As such before anything could be done further than emergency medical care authorized by the school under loco parenti the courts would have to appoint a Guardian ad Litem to act in Harry's interest. Id love it if people would like to tell me where they would like to see the story going next as long as it fits into my planned plot line.  
**


End file.

Harry Potter, Angst, Hurt-Comfort