Harry awoke with a smile on his face and a thumb in his mouth. He liked waking up feeling happy, but was annoyed to find his thumb in his mouth, yet again. Mrs. Weasley was still asleep, so he rolled over to go back to sleep, making sure his hands were under him.
This did not help. Harry opened his eyes in Mrs. Weasley’s arms, his thumb once again securely between his lips. He quickly removed it, now very annoyed.
“It’s not good that you continue to do that,” Mrs. Weasley commented, setting him on the bed. She went to get him some clothes.
“I know that! I can’t help it!” Mrs. Weasley looked up momentarily when he shouted, but went back to getting clothes.
“You don’t need to shout at me,” she finally said when removing his pajamas. “Apparently you need some source of comfort. For many children, sucking their thumb is comforting, but it’s not sanitary. How would you feel about a pacifier?”
“No way! No! Look, I’ll stop, it won’t happen again.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you doing it Harry. You’ve been through a lot and must need to feel comforted. It’s perfectly understandable.” Harry glared at her as she slipped his socks on his feet. “Anyway, let’s get some breakfast. And please stop shouting at me.”
After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione remained in the kitchen to play Clue. Mrs. Weasley was reading the newspaper. While the girls were setting up the game board, Ron was reading the box. He was still tired, but smiled as he glanced over the suggested age.
“Hey Harry. You’re too little to play. See, it says ‘ages eight and up.’ But you’re only five.” Hermione glanced cautiously at Ron, who was grinning and Harry, who looked rather cranky. Ginny scowled at her brother.
“Shut up Ron!” Harry was now standing on his chair, his fists clenched.
Mrs. Weasley lowered her newspaper to stop the fighting. “Ronald! That wasn’t very nice. Now apologize, and Harry, sit down before you fall and hurt yourself dear.” Harry grudgingly complied as Ron muttered an apology.
They played three games; Ginny winning the first and Harry winning the other two. He sneered at Ron each time he won. “I guess I’m not too little to play,” he scoffed as they set up for another game. Ron just rolled his eyes.
Before they could begin again however, an owl brought Harry, Ron and Hermione letters from Professor McGonagall. They contained a list of the classes each was eligible for. They each filled out the reply of which of these they would take. Mrs. Weasley snatched Ron’s before he could seal it. Scowling, she took his quill and filled in the ones he had not.
“Mum,” Ron groaned. “I don’t need to take those classes.”
“Oh, you’re taking them! It never hurts to have a few extra N.E.W.T.s!” She sealed the envelope as Hermione was sealing hers, Harry had just finished writing. “Harry, could I see yours dear?” Harry handed his to her. She quickly scanned it and smiling, sealed it. “Good boy.” With all three letters re-attached, the owl left.
Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong Harry,” Ginny asked.
“I doesn’t matter that I filled that out. I won’t be able to go back this year.”
“Oh, don’t talk like that Harry,” Hermione scolded. “You’ll figure it out and get your body back.”
“Yeah,” Ron added. “And even if you don’t, you’ll get to be a first year again in six years. You’d know all the answers.” Harry didn’t think this as positive as Ron did. He kicked Ron in the shin, under the table. “Ow,” Ron shouted, standing up. “You little brat!”
“Ron!” Mrs. Weasley had not even sat back down, but had her newspaper in hand.
“He kicked me!”
“Oh, he couldn’t have hurt you.” Ron sat down, but this comment only made Harry’s blood boil. “Now Harry. No kicking, you be a good boy.” Her placating, childish tone only made Harry angrier.
“Shut up! You’re not my mother!” He kicked Ron again. Ron stood up, growling at Harry. Hermione gasped. Ginny assumed a look of utter bewilderment.
Mrs. Weasley calmly laid her newspaper aside and walked closer to Harry. She spoke with her hands on her hips. “Now Harry, if you’re going to act like a baby, I’ll …”
“Do what? Treat me like a baby? You already do! All of you do! I take naps … I sleep in a cradle …” Harry was on his feet, shouting out whatever entered his thoughts. “I’m bathed and dressed by somebody … I’m carried everywhere I go. I’m just a baby to all of you!”
Ron was sitting again, with a guilty look on his face. Both Hermione and Ginny had tears in their eyes. Mrs. Weasley looked furious. Harry was still ranting, emptying all of his thoughts that he had cried silently about for the past week. “… I’m tired of it! I want to be sixteen again, not five!” He was breathing heavy, when Mrs. Weasley forcefully lifted him off the chair he was standing on.
Harry flailed his arms and kicked his feet. One of his feet caught Mrs. Weasley in the stomach. He stopped struggling and looked into her glowing, angry eyes that told him he was in worse trouble than he had ever been with her.
Mrs. Weasley promptly sat in the chair she had just lifted Harry from and laid him across her lap, stomach down. She had already given Harry a firm whack before he realized his pants were around his ankles. With each spank, Harry screamed in pain and kicked his feet in the air. After his spankings, Mrs. Weasley laid a heavily crying Harry over her shoulder and carried him upstairs.
Both Hermione and Ginny, turned and looked accusingly at Ron. “What? It’s not my fault. I didn’t do anything.”
Mrs. Weasley laid Harry on her bed and removed his clothes. He was still crying heavily, sniffling every few moments as she dressed him for bed in one of the footed-sleepers. Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in the blankets and laid him on his stomach. Harry now cried into the pillow. “If you move from that cradle, you’ll wish you hadn’t!” She left and Harry cried until he was asleep.
Harry awoke on his side, his backside stinging as a painful reminder. He pulled his thumb from his mouth, aggravated. He was hungry, owing to the fact he slept through lunch and it was almost dinnertime, but knew better than to move. He did lift himself on his arms to look around the room.
Mrs. Weasley was sitting in the rocking chair reading, but put her book aside, hearing Harry move. She knelt next to him and even though she was not smiling, her voice was cheerful. “How’s my little baby doing?”
“I’m not a baby,” Harry whined. His eyes were filling with tears again.
“Well, you certainly acted like one downstairs. So, until I see your behavior improve, you’ll be treated how you act.”
“But-but-but … please, no.” Now he was crying. “I’m sorry.” Mrs. Weasley did not respond and lifted Harry, carrying him back to the kitchen.
Harry was strapped into a highchair. He laid his head on the tray and just cried. Mrs. Weasley was busy making dinner. Once dinner was nearly ready, she went to get Ron, Ginny and Hermione.
Harry looked up through his bleary eyes as they arrived. Their lack of reactions told him they had already been told of his punishment. As the others started to eat, Mrs. Weasley pulled a chair next to Harry and began to spoon feed him. Harry ate everything she put on his spoon, until he felt he would burst. He cried the whole time, but did not want to get into anymore trouble.
Mrs. Weasley seemed to be satisfied that Harry had eaten enough when the others started to get up. He was in fact feeling like he would burst. She picked Harry up and walked to the others. “Hermione, would you mind giving Harry his bottle while I eat?” Harry was quite sure this was a joke, until he was in Hermione’s arms and Mrs. Weasley gave her a bottle of milk.
Harry tried to refuse it, but the bottle was soon in his mouth, warm milk trickling down his throat. Ron started giggling madly. “Look at the little baby, drinking from his bottle.” Harry closed his eyes as Ron continued to laugh at his punishment. Harry’s eyelashes were glistening with tears.
Ginny was about to punch her brother when Mrs. Weasley looked up from her dinner and sighed. “Seems I have another little boy to feed tomorrow.” Ron stopped laughing immediately, his mouth hung open, accompanied by a look of horror on his face. “Maybe you’ll stop picking on Harry then. I think you should go on to bed too!” Ron slumped up the staircase to his room.
Harry laughed to himself, but this did nothing to relieve his anger, which had escalated since he woke up. Hermione held him after he had finished, until Mrs. Weasley had cleared the table. Hermione then gave Harry back to Mrs. Weasley and she and Ginny left.
Mrs. Weasley then took Harry upstairs and gave him a bath. She did let him brush his teeth and go bathroom by himself, but put him to bed as soon as he was finished. As it was a lot earlier a bedtime than usual, Harry lay awake in the dark brooding over his anger and the day.
Harry was very angry with everything that had transpired since his O.W.L. exams. He seriously contemplated getting up and leaving, but remembered he had nowhere to go. Furthermore, a child walking alone in London at such an hour would likely be stopped by police. So he laid still, fuming over his punishments and the loss of Sirius.
He had finally just closed his eyes when the nightmares began. It was not the same dreams he had been having. In fact it started somewhat benign. He opened his eyes to find himself lying in the dark and for a few moments thought he had not even fallen asleep yet.