บท 16: Chapter 016

Still smirking in the direction of the VIP stand, Memory-Harry continued.

"You've now seen all the information about what has happened over the past three years that is otherwise public information; if anyone had bothered to go and look for it," he said. "Now, I'm going to show you memories that hold information that Dumbledore - your so-called Leader of the Light - has worked hard to keep hidden. If you haven't already figured it out, your so-called Leader of the Light isn't as 'light' as he would have everyone believe.

"First, we go back down the memory lane of my memories, back to when I was a small child. Then, we'll work our way forward again.

"This first memory was from when I was about five years old. But first, as you don't know who all the 'players' are, I'll set the scene for you.

"The overweight fat middle-aged male muggle is my Uncle, Vernon Dursley. The skinny horse-necked middle-aged female muggle is my aunt, Petunia Dursley. She's the older sister of my mother, Lily Potter née Evans. And the overweight male muggle child is my cousin, Dudley Dursley; who is often called Duddikins, little Dudley-Wudley and other pet names.

"I give you full warning," he firmly stated. "This will be difficult for you to watch. If you have a weak fortitude - stomach - you might want to block your ears and turn away, or be violently ill."

He gave them a moment before he said, "Let's begin."

Memory-Harry faded out and a memory from when Harry was about five years old began to play. The scene was of the lounge at 4 Privet Drive.

Harry was cowering on the floor with Vernon towering over him at his full height; he was wielding a leather belt, angry and shouting. Petunia and Dudley were standing in the doorway to the dining room. Petunia was scowling at Harry while Dudley watched with glee.

Harry was pleading about how he didn't do it. That, whatever it was, was not his fault.

Vernon was shouting at him, calling him a freak and brandishing the belt, before he suddenly began thrashing Harry with it with his full weight behind each swing. The beating went on until Harry stopped writhing about and seemed to have fallen unconscious.

Then Vernon flung the belt to the side and began kicking the small boy hard enough to bodily lift him from the floor and throw him partway across the room. It would be considered a vicious beating on anyone, let alone a small child.

After a long few minutes of that, and when Harry appears unconscious, Vernon dragged him over to the cupboard under the stairs by his hair, and bodily threw him within before slamming the door shut; which then slammed back open again as the latch didn't catch.

There was only a long moment as Vernon turned to look at his family, his chest heaving with the results of the obvious exertion he put into the beating. Petunia gave a haughty sneer and was about to turn away as Dudley looked positively joyous at what he'd witnessed.

Suddenly, there was a crack of apparation as Dumbledore appeared in the middle of the lounge. He had also apparently side-along apparated Poppy Pomfrey, the school resident medi-wizard with him. As the Dursleys reeled back in shock Dumbledore appeared thunderous, while Pomfrey appeared confused.

"Poppy," Dumbledore firmly said, "You'll find young Harry inside the cupboard under the stairs."

With a gasp of horror, Pomfrey quickly hurried to the small cupboard, drawing her wand at the same time.

A quick duck down to her knees and she was then levitating Harry out. Levitating him no further than out onto the floor just outside the cupboard door she began her diagnostics.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore was berating Vernon. "You disappoint me, Dursley." Spinning to glare at Petunia he said, "As for you, Petunia - as I have had to repeatedly remind you - Harry is of your blood! He is your only sister's son. Your responsibility is to his safety. When are you going to remember that?"

The scene suddenly paused and Memory-Harry quickly faded in. "Did you catch that? Did you catch what Dumbledore said? He said, 'As I have had to repeatedly remind you' - with emphasis on the 'repeatedly'. And listen to how, by their own words by both male adults, it is clear there was a number of times this sort of discussion was held in the past.

"That means Dumbledore had to have gone to the Dursley residence on quite a few occasions before what you're currently watching. And, in this memory, I'm only five years old."

Again Memory-Harry faded out and the paused memory returned. Suddenly, it restarted.

Neither Dursley replied until Vernon snarled, "Then take him! We don't want him here! When are you going to remember that?"

Dumbledore's mien took on a pained expression before he more quietly replied, "And I've repeatedly told you the boy needs to remain here for the blood wards to work. If the blood wards fall then you will no longer remain safe from... as you put it... freaks like me."

Vernon was about to angrily snap his next retort when Pomfrey piped up. "Albus, he has a great many injuries; not the least of which is three broken ribs and a severe concussion!"

"Do your best, Poppy," replied Dumbledore.

"I'll need to get him back to Hogwarts," she began.

"No," Dumbledore almost snapped back. "He must remain here."

When a horrified Pomfrey went to argue back he continued, "He must remain here for his safety. Heal him as well as you can and his magic will fix the rest."

"Albus!" she gasped back. "He's just a child!"

"Nevertheless, Poppy, he must remain here," replied Dumbledore. "Heal him the best you can and we must be leaving."

Clearly horrified by what she was hearing, Pomfrey healed young Harry as best she could.

By the time she was finished, clearly magically much weaker from the effort, Harry was quietly watching her work while keeping an eye on the others. He never made a peep of sound from his injuries, even when it was apparent he was in a great deal of pain.

When she was done, Dumbledore magically forced Harry and his relatives into a group in the middle of the lounge floor.