Within You

Chapter Five: Lies and Alibies

November dawned, and Harry, Remus, and Headmaster Dumbledore all mutually agreed that he could be seeing a therapist to get out all of his issues. It was not snowing yet, but there was plenty of frost on the grounds, which signified that it would likely be a cold winter. It always seemed to snow at Wartsmoth, and, in the days leading up to Christmas break, Harry recalled having snowball fights with Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers.

The walls in the office Harry sat in were a pleasant apricot with cream accents, and there were plenty of natural flowers and plants throughout the space. He was sitting on the couch, waiting for his first-ever therapy session to begin; Dr. Bones, who told Harry that he could call her Amelia, was saying goodbye to Remus in the waiting room, before she came back into the room with a smile on her face. She was around five foot nine and wore a pleasant and kind expression, looked about thirty, had pale brown hair, engaging brown eyes that reminded Harry of Hermione, and was dressed smartly in black trousers, a white blouse, a charcoal-colored cardigan, and black ankle boots with two-inch heels.

"Would you care for some tea, Harry?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, please, Amelia."

"Splendid; I normally have a cup right about now anyhow," she said, walking over to the small kitchen area in her office, and put the kettle on to boil. "I drink black tea myself, which I have, but I also have Earl Grey, English, Scottish, and Irish Breakfast, along with chamomile, green, jasmine, peppermint, and oolong."

"Black's fine, thank you," Harry told her.

"No problem." As Amelia waited for the tea kettle to go off, she took two mugs out of the pantry, popped a teabag in each, and walked over to the fridge. "I have milk or cream, and sugar, honey, or lemon."

"Milk and sugar, please. Two, if that's all right, for the sugar."

Amelia nodded. "Not a problem at all." She got the milk out of the fridge, turning off the stove once the kettle whistled, and poured the hot water into their mugs. She added milk to each, plus two spoonfuls of sugar to Harry's, and squeezed some lemon into hers. Lifting the cups carefully, she crossed the room and set them onto the walnut table, which separated the couch from a stuffed wingback chair, which Amelia had left her clipboard on. "There you are. I'd wait a couple of minutes; wouldn't want you to burn your tongue."

Harry chuckled at that, and settled back into the couch, content to watch the steam plume over the edge of the cup. "Thank you, Amelia."

"It's no trouble," she assured him with a quick smile, picking up her clipboard and sitting in her chair across from him. "I have, of course, been debriefed by both Headmaster Dumbledore and your guardian, Professor Lupin. But, I'd like to hear from you why, in your own words, you're here today."

Harry swallowed. "My aunt and uncle's trial began a week ago. It's... It's been a big adjustment, going back to school right after everything happened..."

Amelia nodded. "Do you believe they deserve to be on trial for what happened?"

Harry nodded back, his motions emphatic. "Of course. It's bad enough that my cousin Dudley gets to walk free..."

"He's been sent to a reform school, Harry," Amelia informed him gently, and Harry swallowed, well-aware of the information. "Granted, he gets to return to his aunt each evening, but it will go on his record what happened, and he will be re-evaluated to enter society once he reaches the age of eighteen. If it doesn't go well, house arrest until he is twenty-one."

Harry sighed. "I know. But I wish that those medieval boys schools were still commonplace. I want to make sure that Dudley never hurts anyone again."