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“He’s small for a five-year-old.”
“I know, me and Mione thought he was three or four.”
“Definitely malnourished; he’s skinny and underfed.”
Harry sat on the floor, looking at a picture book that Hermione had found somewhere. His three new friends were discussing- well, him, for some reason. He wasn’t sure why they all seemed familiar to him, or how he knew he was at Hogwarts, but he did.
Hermione jumped up from her seat, drawing his attention. “I’m going to go get Ginny,” she told them, and went up the stairs opposite of the ones leading to the room Harry had woken up in.
“Who’s Ginny?”
“My sister,” Ron told him.
A few moments later, Hermione returned with a girl who had long red hair; yet another person who Harry thought he should know. She looked tired, but when she saw Harry, she snapped awake. He studied her curiously with his bright green eyes.
“Is- is that-”
“It’s Harry.”
Ginny sat down, staring at him. “He tried to cast a spell on himself,” Neville explained.
“So, he- he tried to-“
“No, no! He didn’t.” Ron placed a hand on her shaking one.
“We thought that too, till we found the potions book open next to him. There was a spell, with a note next to it that said, ‘To bring back one’s childhood innocence’,” Hermione told her. “I don’t think he would have done it if he knew it would- well, it would turn him into this. I think he just wanted to escape all the… the grief, and the tragedy he’s been through.”
Hermione picked Harry up. He struggled to get down, and so she set him on the floor. He immediately ran over to Neville, who picked him up instead. “I see how it is,” she told him. Harry giggled.
Ginny nodded in understanding. “He’s been through too much for a 16-year-old.” She looked at Neville. ”He doesn’t remember anything?”
“He remembered Ron’s name, and he knows we’re at Hogwarts.”
“He might remember mine, then?”
”You’re Ginny,” Harry announced, taking off his glasses to study them. This, of course, failed, since he couldn’t see without them.
“You remember me?” She asked hopefully.
“No- well, maybe. Hermininnie saids that she was going to get Ginny, and Ron saids that Ginny is his sister, and you both has red hair, so you’re Ginny, but I don’t know if that means I remember or nots,” he said matter-of-factly, trying to put his glasses back on his face. He failed and poked himself in the eye instead. “Ow!”
“Hermione,” Hermione corrected, gently placing the glasses back on his face.
“Hers-me-no-ee?”
“Her-MY-oh-nee.”
“Hers-MIIIII-no-ee!”
She laughed. “You know what? Just call me Mione.” She shook her head. “He’s just like Viktor, trying to pronounce my name.” She saw Ginny’s expression and squeezed her hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
“We should probably get him out of the common room,” Neville said suddenly. “It’s 6:45, people will be up soon.”
“Sh-” Hermione glanced over at Harry- “shoot. How are we going to get him breakfast?”
“Can’t we just call Kreacher?” Ron asked. “No, no,” Hermione responded, as Harry, who had, at the mention of breakfast, gotten up and started wandering around the room. “He only listens to Harry because he has to, and he’s in no shape to give orders.”
“We could go down to the kitchens?” Neville suggested.
Harry turned to Ginny. “There’s no door! Are we trapped here forever?!” Ginny laughed quietly and showed Harry how the portrait swung open. He gasped. “It’s a-” he lowered his voice to an excited whisper- “a secret passash!”
“To the kitchens!” Neville announced, and Harry reached up to Ginny, now comfortable with and used to the fact that people wanted to hold him.
Ginny hesitated a moment. This was the boy she loved, and who she thought might love her, and now he was a five-year-old wanting to be held. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. He was a five-year-old, just that, and knew nothing, really, about love. Ginny picked him up and he rested his head on her chest, his fist curled up beside him.
He made his palm flat and whispered, “I can feel your heart.” She smiled. “It’s beating for you.”
Harry considered this bit of information while they walked out of the common room. “Because you love me?”
“Yes. Because I love you.”
/*/*/*/* *\*\*\*\
After a close run-in with Filch and Mrs. Norris (it was a good thing Ginny was athletic and could run fast), they finally made it to the kitchens. Harry attempted to knock on the barrel that led to the Hufflepuff common room as they walked past, and Ginny quickly walked away from it.
Hermione tickled the pear and the painting swung open, revealing the hundreds of House Elves swarming around, preparing food.
As the painting swung closed behind them, Dobby the House Elf immediately rushed forwards. “Hello Mr. and Ms. Weasley, and Ms. Granger, and Neville, and tiny child! How can Dobby help you today?” he asked excitedly in his squeaky voice.
Harry was trying to climb out of Ginny’s arms. “Not yet, bud,” she told him, but he continued squirming. “I wanna get down!”
Neville turned to Dobby. “Can you and the other house elves make sure that Ha- that he doesn’t get out?”
“Yes Neville!” came the unanimous answer from the elves that had heard. As Ginny set the boy down, Dobby turned back with wide eyes. “Is that- is that Harry Potter, sir?”
Neville was quick to respond. “Yes Dobby, it is, but you cannot tell anyone, ok? We’re keeping it a secret until we can figure out how to undo it.”
Dobby nodded furiously. “Yes sir, Neville. Not even Harry Potter when he is returned to normal?”
“No, Dobby, not unless he remembers,” Ginny told him.
Hermione stepped forward. “Dobby, if- if it’s alright with you,” she began hesitantly, “and if you and some other house elves aren’t too busy- can you perhaps make us some breakfast?”
“Dobby would be delighted to! And Dobby is very glad Ms. Granger finally worked up the courage to give a House Elf an order! Dobby knew she had it in her!” Beaming, Dobby rushed off while Hermione turned slightly pink.
Ginny laughed and clapped her on the back. “It’s alright Hermione. If you hadn’t given one, the house elves would probably start ordering you around,” she laughed.
Hermione shook her head and looked over at Harry. He was running around the kitchen with glee, exploring. Dobby appeared again, joined by another House Elf. “This is Jo,” Dobby introduced her. Jo curtsied and walked towards Harry while Dobby led the others to a table.
It had five chairs around it, one with a booster seat, and was set with bagels, donuts, and oatmeal. Jo put Harry in the booster seat and buckled him in while the teens sat down. “Dobby and Jo are sorry they could not get more food, but it is almost breakfast time,” Dobby told them worriedly.
“It’s fine, guys, don’t worry about it,” Ginny told them. The two smiled and bowed before hurrying away. Neville put a bagel and bowl of oatmeal in front of Harry, and he delightedly began eating it.
“Usually I hafta help make the breakfasts, but here I don’t! And I never get this much!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Neville shook his head. “Like I said earlier, malnourished. I think I could feel his ribs when I picked him up.”
Ginny frowned. “Now that you mention it, I could too.” She slammed a hand on the table. “What are they doing, starving him?!”
“What’s ‘starving’?”
Ron gave Ginny a look and she sighed. “Have you ever gotten really big rumbles in your
tummy because you’re hungry?”
Harry nodded. “Yeah, lots of the time, ‘cept now cause I had food. But I’m still kinda hungry.” He suddenly looked frightened. “I’m sorry, thanks for the food. I wasn’t trying ta be un-grape-ful.”
Neville ruffled his hair and placed another bagel on his plate. “That’s alright bud. Just let me know when you get hungry, ok?” The boy nodded cheerfully and began eating the food in front of him. “Where will we take him after this?”
Hermione sighed and put her head in her hands. “I don’t know. I had planned to get Luna on board, but besides eating meals here, I didn’t plan any farther than that.”
Ron opened his mouth, as if to say something, than closed it again. He repeated this. “You look like a fish, Ron,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
He glanced back at Hermione. “It’s- nothing. Probably a bad idea.”
Hermione looked up at him exasperatedly. “We’re looking for anything right now, Ron. Just spit it out!”
He threw up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine! But it’s not my best idea. I was thinking,” he said carefully, “what if we took him to Hagrid’s? I know he’s not that great at keeping secrets, but he kept Sirius a secret, and Grawp, and where else are we going to keep Harry?”
Neville looked at Hermione. “He’s right. I know that’s probably a bigger group than you’d like, but where are we gonna keep him all day?”
Ron looked slightly proud that he had had a good idea. Hermione looked up. “I suppose you’re right. If only we had Sirius, he might know what to do.”
Ginny stood up. “I’ll get Luna and explain. The House Elves can keep Harry entertained until we decide if needed, so when me and Luna get back, we can figure out if we’re going to Hagrid’s or not.”
The three nodded and she ruffled Harry’s hair once before exiting the room