Shake it, Bake it, Brew it

Sticky Fingers

Harry bolted upright in his bed dripping with sweat. The 11 year old was haunted for the passed few nights. He simply couldn't get the images of Quirrell dissolving when he touched him out of his mind. The agonizing screams echoed through his ears. It was self defense and he knew it. The former DADA professor had tried to help Voldemort get the Philosopher's Stone and tried to murder the young student, but Harry couldn't help but feel ... lost? Sad? Confused? Scared? ... he wasn't sure.

He killed someone ...

No one has said anything beyond praising him for stopping the Dark Lord ...

He took someone's life ... didn't that matter?

And what now?

Just go back to the Dursleys?

The icy feeling of panic swept through the boy. Harry looked around at his sleeping roommates before quietly sneaking off to the bathroom. With a few splashes of cold water on his face he calmed down a little and sat down on a closed toilet.

"What the bloody hell do I do? If I go back ... they might ..." Harry tried to swallow, but the knot in his throat made it tricky. It was scary to think about. His aunt, uncle and cousin hated him more than anything. For the first few years of his life he actually thought his name was 'Freak'. That it was normal for a five year old to cook breakfast. That he was sick in some way, but now he knows about magic and that he isn't the only person with it.

While being as quiet as possible he rolled up his sleeve revealing several fine scars running down his left wrist and forearm. Cool shaking fingertips gently caressed the scars. There were several scars all over his body not including the fact that he was too small from constant periods of starvation and malnutrition resulting in his small stature. Various burns, crisscrossing marks from a belt on his back and other marks from the many beatings he endured.

"I ... can't go back" Harry gasped as he yanked his sleeve down to cover the scars that his family gave him or forced him to inflict on himself. The abuse was bad to begin with, but once he got his Hogwarts letter it got so much worse. If he returns now, after learning some magic, it will only get even worse. They might just kill him ...

But he can't avoid it. When he was sitting in the infirmary bed after stopping Quirrell and Voldemort he thought he could get a chance to talk to Headmaster Dumbledore about it. He did and even tried to show him some scars, but for some reason the kind grandfatherly wizard told him it was not an option!

Why?!

Didn't Dumbledore care? Did anyone? Harry has been trying to subtly drop hints about his treatment, but no one was paying him any mind. He was sure Hermione would get it, but she wasn't saying anything.

It was like they were all in on something ...

Harry's eyes suddenly widened as an epiphany basically smacked him upside the head. Was this a plot? Come to think of it why was this all too easy? Why would Hagrid make an important delivery in front of a kid? Why would Dumbledore leave that mirror that had the Philosopher's Stone where he could easily find it and talk to him about it? Did the headmaster intend for him to get the stone? If so then Dumbledore put his life at risk on purpose and made him a target!

And what person makes the defenses around the stone so weak that three kids could get in without alerting anyone?!

Professor Snape was bitten when he tried to get passed Fluffy, but they could conveniently get through.

A groan passed Harry's lips at the thought of the potions professor. If Quirrell was the one behind everything then they blamed Snape for nothing. Quirrell was the one who was casting the curse that nearly threw him off the broomstick during Quidditch ... Snape could have been chanting the counter curse!