It Had To Be You

Chapter Three: I'm Thinking That Maybe, Baby, I'll Go Away

"Well, you obviously care for Harry very much," Remus said softly. "I fear it would bring more harm than good to not allow this. I assume there's a wedding date in mind?"

"Harry has asked for it to be in June, so that the two of us can have a honeymoon over the summer months," Severus explained carefully.

"Sounds quite reasonable, to be sure," Remus put in.

Severus sighed. "I also came here to ask if Harry has mentioned to you the extent of what has happened to him during his time at the Dursleys."

Remus swallowed. "Yes, he has mentioned it to me. As far as I'm aware, only I, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Albus know the full extent of what has happened, with Molly and Arthur knowing a great deal of the tale. Harry even mentioned it in passing to Tonks last summer when we were at Grimmauld..."

Severus felt something akin to rage awake inside him. "Remus, do you mean to tell me that Albus knows what has befallen Harry?"

Remus blinked. "Of course he does. Sirius tried to take custody of Harry as soon as he made Harry's acquaintance back in third-year, but Albus blocked it. Then, after Sirius died, I stepped up and attempted to get it, but Albus blocked it again..."

Severus swallowed bitter bile that had enclosed around his throat. "You mean to tell me that Albus was aware of the abuse that Harry was suffering from, and that he refused to remove him from the toxicity of the environment?"

Remus sighed. "Yes. He said something about blood wards, and attempted to convince me that the abuse was just a misunderstanding, with Harry rebelling against their rules. But once I saw the marks on him, I knew it couldn't be..."

"Excuse me, Remus," Severus said, and turned on his heel, leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, his appetite for lunch lost; he was suddenly hungry for confrontation.

~*~

Harry left his charms class with Ron and Hermione, and hesitated for a moment before going down to the Great Hall for lunch. Ginny, who had astronomy, joined them soon thereafter, and Draco immediately finished a conversation with Professor Flitwick and moved to join them when he saw her, making Ginny blush.

"Come on, Harry," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. "Can we go to the Room of Requirement instead?" he asked. "It'll give us lunch if we really want it, but I need to tell you all something."

"Sure, mate," Ron replied, putting an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

Ginny offered her hand to Draco, who took it with surprise, and they showed the Slytherin the way to the room.

When they got there, Harry was relieved to see Neville and Luna there as well. "How did you know?" Harry asked.

"The Wrackspurts told me," Luna said with a smile.

"Bloody hell, here we go," Ron muttered, but was silenced immediately by Hermione and Ginny elbowing him in the ribs.

"Come on, then," Harry said, pressing his hand to the stone wall, and a door immediately appeared, and he slipped inside, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, Neville, and Luna following in his wake. As they crossed the threshold and the door closed behind them, Harry noticed that there was a Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin flag in the room, plus a round table set for seven, each plate boasting their favorite dish.

"Holy hell," Draco whispered.

Harry walked over to the table, his friends behind them, and sat down before the plate of roast chicken and potatoes, knowing it was for him. As everyone sat around him, Harry made no move to eat, wanting to get his conversation out in the open before he did no. "Listen, I needed to talk to all of you urgently. Can we wait on lunch for a moment?"