Chapter 027

"Yeah. And I figured it'd be better to stay here where I could be around more often. But I've been trying to look into some things and…" she sighed and pulled him back into a much shorter hug. "Look, Harry, if I can get you away from those people would you be up for it?"

Harry froze completely. He pushed back and stared at Shiva. He looked her up and down, taking in the stiffness of her body, the set of her jaw, and the slight sheen to her eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, Harry nodded. "I would do anything short of killing somebody to get away from the Dursleys for good. I don't believe you can. I've tried before. But thank you for asking."

"You've…tried before?" Shiva asked carefully schooling her features into a neutral expression even while her voice dropped into a dangerous monotone.

Harry kept staring at her. For a full minute he stayed completely silent and still. Eventually, Harry took a deep breath and started talking. "I talked to one of the teachers at school when I found out I had a name like the other kids. He didn't believe me when I said I hadn't known it before that day. I asked the school nurse about why we got to eat so much during lunch and how much most kids get to eat. She didn't believe me when I said I usually only had one or two means a day with half portions. I talked to the Principal who said that the Dursleys were upstanding members of the community. A few months later I talked to a police officer who never came back after the first visit. I asked some shop owners in the area and they said they would never believe the words of a 'delinquent' – which was one of the stories the Dursleys liked to spread about me. I asked the parents of one of the girls at the school who promised to look into it but did nothing after that. So, yes, I've tried. And I've given up. Because nothing ever happens and I've learned I can't trust any adults. So thank you for offering, Shiva, I really do appreciate it. It's the first time someone else has said something first. But I don't believe that anything will happen this time either."

"Harry," Shiva's asked, voice still completely flat, "do you trust me?"

Harry shut his eyes and turned away. "Yes," he whispered. "I don't want to because I'm pretty sure that sooner or later you are going to hurt me just like the others but…yes."

Harry found himself enveloped in another bone-crushing hug. "I swear to you, Harry," Shiva whispered, "I am going to do my absolute best to make sure I never hurt you. I am going to figure out a way to get you the hell away from your relatives and I am going to help you with whatever else you need. You hear me, kid? I'm here for you, no matter what."

Harry nodded and some of the tension drained out of him. "Thank you."

The school year started off relatively normal despite the fun of the first day. After Ron had finally shown up – via crashing into a tree which tried to beat him and the car into paste – Amelia Bones spoke with him but let him off with a stern warning after it was confirmed that no Muggles had seen anything. Though she did promise the young Weasley that if he ever did something so stupid again…the consequences would be far more severe. The Howler from his mother was painful to listen to. Harry knew it was mostly deserved and he had no love for the redhead but…berating him in front of the whole school for something done in a panic seemed a bit harsh.

Tonks had followed through with her promise to let her boss know about the hover charm incident and by the end of the first week, Harry had received two letters from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The first was an official – if somewhat biting – apology and retraction letter from Mafalda Hopkirk which had Harry smirking. The second was one from Amelia Bones herself personally thanking Harry for letting her know about the barrier and car before it could become a problem as well as apologizing for Hopkirk's behavior. Bones had also assured Harry that Hopkirk had been placed on probation and if he had any further problems to let her know immediately and if he wasn't comfortable with that then to inform Tonks who would get in touch instead. Harry wasn't quite sure how to deal with that. Tonks was one thing as she almost seemed less mature than himself but Amelia Bones…a reasonable authority figure in an actual position of power was…something entirely new. He could be generous and say that Professor Flitwick was nice and seemed perfectly reasonable but the man had no real power. Even Shiva didn't have any actual say in the school. Amelia Bones however, did. Harry eventually resolved to wait and see how things played out.

Shiva had stayed quiet on just what she was doing concerning the Dursleys but he noticed she had started disappearing on weekends for several hours every few weeks. When asked, she just said that she was 'doing Muggle paperwork and it's far more involved than I had expected'. It gave him a warm feeling inside to know that someone besides Hermione and Neville actually seemed to be completely on his side; that someone besides them actually seemed to care.

Hermione herself had stopped trying to defend Professor Lockhart – or Flophart as Harry started calling him – after his first lesson. Once the man ran and hid from a swarm of pixies Hermione lost any potential respect for him. It was actually rather amusing. Harry and Neville had simply been content to ignore and insult him. Hermione however had gone a step further.

"Look at these dates!" Hermione said throwing two of Lockhart's books onto the library's table. Her slamming had Harry and Neville jump. It even started two girls at the next table. Harry idly noticed that they were the ones from the bookstore who had been as annoyed with Lockhart as he had been. "See here?" Harry turned back to his friend and saw her pointing at two sections, one in each book. "He says he fought the yeti at the end of August in 1989 and in this one he says he wrestled that river troll during the Algerian flood. The Algerian flood was the last week of August in 1989! These two events can't possibly have happened at the same time! He's lied!"

The blonde from the other table twisted slightly and raised her eyebrows at Hermione. "Does that really surprise you, Granger?"

"Well the man is obviously incompetent but…he's written about these things! To use inaccurate information is one thing but to outright lie? In a book?! Oh I wish I could give that man a piece of my mind!"

"Books aren't always all they're cracked up to be," the blonde's friend said hanging her head.

"Well, yes I realize that but still!"

"Hermione, there's no point in getting worked up about it. You're never going to get Flophart to admit to it and nobody is going to take our word over his," Harry said trying to placate his friend.

"Yeah, Hermione, anybody who actually talks to the man knows not to take him seriously," Neville said with a shrug. "Even Lavender has stopped gushing over his hair and is starting to grimace in his classes."

"Lavender? Seriously?" Hermione's eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

The blonde also looked intrigued. "Really, Brown isn't infatuated with fool anymore?"

"No, she isn't, Greengrass." Neville snorted. "His last test, the one that asked about his favorite color and birthday? Lavender sneered at it and muttered that the class was utterly useless for teaching any sort of defense and she might as well just go to Hermione to learn the actual material. Then she muttered how she hoped the curse got Lockhart so that they could get a competent teacher."

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