A Creature's Justice

Chapter Five; The Truth Comes Out

      ~Harry Potter~
Grappleclaw didn't respond, merely handed me a pin, so I pricked my finger and allowed a couple drops to fall on the piece of parchment he placed beneath my hand, before I stuck my finger in my mouth to stop the bleeding.
Grappleclaw took the paper as it began to form words, and he read it silently before setting it down in front of me and saying, "Read it, Harry, and then I'll explain."
Name: Harry James Potter
Age: 11
Birthday:July 31st 1980
Mother: Lily Ann Potter Nee Evans
Father:James Charlus Potter
Blood-Type:Creature
Creature Rarity:Nearly Extinct
Creature title:Hound of Hell
Abilities:No Known Record
I gaped up at Grappleclaw and screeched, "I'm a what!?!"
Grappleclaw covered his ears, as did all three Malfoys, and said, "It was rumored that Ignotus Peverell, one of your fathers ancestors, had gained the loyalty and bond of one of Deaths own minions, but it was never confirmed. I am just as surprised as you, Harry."
Lucius looked stunned as he cut in, "Minion of Death?? Hell hounds are not Minions of Death! Hell hounds are some of the most pure creatures in existence. Yes, they come from hell, but that does not define them. They are the truest form of justice and trust. To have gained the loyalty of a hellhound, Ignotus must have been a truly extraordinary person."
Draco's face lit up as he exclaimed, "That's why you burned your cousin, Harry! Because everything they did to you was unjustified, when your birthday passed I bet your creature woke up, and that's how you burned him, you're a creature of fire!"
Narcissa sounded curious when she said, "What are you talking about, Draco?"
I flushed and said, "When um, when Lord Malfoy, when he...well when we were in his wings, Draco asked if I had any bruises because he thought he saw them when Lord Malfoy picked me up, and so I said yes and I had explained the situation to him. That's what he's talking about."
Grappleclaw cleared his throat and said, "Would you mind explaining for us?"
I looked down at my hands and began, "My aunt and uncle hate me, sir. I'm a burden, a freak, to them. Dudley, my cousin, he likes playing a game with his friends that he calls Harry Hunting. They chase me and if they catch me, they beat me up. One time they even broke my left leg and almost put my hips out of place because he jumped on me and he's so much heavier, I'm glad he was on my legs and not my hips or chest."

My hands clenched into fists at the memory, so I relaxed them before continuing, "Anyway, that day, it was the day before my birthday and I still had some bruises from when they had played Harry Hunting before Uncle Vernon took us to that shack in the middle of the sea, so I couldn't get my letter. Dudley thought it would be fun to try and push my head under the water, since he had no video games. Except when he went to push me under the second time I-I just got so angry that they were just letting him nearly drown me that..." I broke off, taking a deep breath to calm myself before I continued, "I don't know, I felt this sort of-of anger welling up inside me, an anger that was different from any anger I've ever felt, and when he reached to push me down under the water again, I shoved him away. I burnt him, pretty badly. His shirt was on fire, and there were two hand prints, exactly like mine, on the places I'd shoved him. Uncle Vernon didn't like that, he was so-so angry, that he used his belt on me, and left me outside in the storm for a few hours." I didn't dare to look up, I didn't want to see the anger and disgust for me written across their faces.

A gentle, manicured finger lifted my chin, and Narcissa, with her pretty hair, and beautiful face, was crouching down next to me, her face sad. She had a wand, or what Hagrid described as a wand, and she said, "They had no right to hurt you in such a way, Harry. They had no right. You were protecting yourself, and you shouldn't have had to. That was wrong, and I'm terribly sorry for what you've been through. If you'll allow me, I know quite a few healing spells, I was studying to become a healer when I became pregnant with Draco and decided I wanted to be a full-time mother, even if it meant that I would give up being a healer. As a mother, I can't stand the idea of a child, any child, dealing with the pain that you're so used to enduring." I nodded, and she said, "Thank you, I will need to see the wounds, Harry." 

I bit my lip, looking at the others in the room before I said, "O-okay." Grappleclaw cleared his throat once again and said, "Before we do that, Harry, do you ever want to go back to your aunt and uncle? If I had a way to make sure they paid for what they and their child did to you, and they could never touch you again, would you like me to?" 

I nodded immediately, and Grappleclaw looked grim when he said, "We need photographs of the damage, Harry. It'll give credible evidence that no one could ignore." A lump formed in my throat but I nodded again, carefully taking off my shirt, wincing as it pulled on the scabs. Narcissa helped me pull it over my head, but looked shocked when I reached for the button on my jeans. I scowled and said, "He wanted me to hurt, ma'am." I looked away as another witch or wizard came in with a camera, and I finished taking off my clothes, holding my boxers to cover my groin. I could hear the gasps of horror and shock, and Lucius muttered, "You poor child." I knew what they would be seeing. Lashes covered my back, my butt cheeks, my sides, my legs, and if I had the courage to turn and face them, they would see the ones covering my chest and lower. I squeezed my eyes shut as I began to hear the camera go off, the flash highlighting the wounds.