Harry was back in his room with Ron. He had just finished explaining why he was in a child’s body; Hermione was nice enough to explain to Ginny elsewhere. Harry sat on his bed, starring at Ron, waiting for his reaction.
The story sank into Ron and he stood up from his bed. “I just can’t believe Dumbledore did this to you. He never punishes you.” Harry had no response to this and just sat motionless on his bed. He was still a little shaken up from what had happened that morning.
Ron had moved closer to Harry’s bed and suddenly smiled evilly. “Hey Harry. What’s this?” He had picked up the stuffed rabbit and dangled it in front on his friend. “Does little Harry sleep with a bunny?”
Harry hardly thought this was as funny as Ron apparently did. He stood up on his bed, trying to pull the toy from Ron, who held it just beyond his grasp. “Come on Ron! Give me that! Stop it!” Unfortunately for Harry, his futile attempts only made Ron laugh.
“Does little Harry want … agh, Ginny …” Ron’s voice went unnaturally high as Ginny’s knee connected with her target. He fell to the floor, his eyes watering. “Ginny … that … hurt!”
Ginny shot him a contemptuous look as she snatched the rabbit from the floor. “Well you deserved it. Harry’s your friend and you tease him?” She handed Harry the rabbit and picked him up. Harry stuck his tongue out at Ron as she carried him from the room.
Ginny carried Harry into her room and put him on her bed. She sat down next to him. “There, my meanie brother won’t tease you now Harry.”
Harry couldn’t help but laugh as he let go of the rabbit. “Ginny, I’m not really a four-year-old, I just have the body of one. I didn’t want this toy, I just wanted Ron to shut up.”
“Oh, well I knew that. But he wasn’t listening to you.” Hermione walked into the room with a frown, followed shortly by a slow-moving Ron.
“What did you do to Ron, Ginny?” They both sat on Hermione’s bed.
“I couldn’t let him pick on some one who is so small and defenseless.” Ginny pinched Harry’s cheek as she spoke. He brushed her hand away.
“I was only joking,” Ron hissed, his voice still high.
“Well you shouldn’t be so mean to Harry right now,” Hermione scolded.
“Knock it off! I’m not a little baby! I don’t need any of you looking after me. And Ron, if you do that again, I’ll repeat what Ginny did.” Even Harry was laughing with the rest when he finished. He realized how ridiculous and futile it would be for him to try to hurt Ron in any fashion.
The four decided to play some card games for a while. They would have done something else but none of them wanted to exert the effort. So they played cards for a few hours.
“You four are awfully quiet.” All four jumped as Mrs. Weasley entered the room. “Ron, Ginny, Hermione, could you help me in the kitchen?” The three got up hesitantly and walked toward the door.
“What about me,” Harry asked standing up on the bed.
“Well, Harry you’re too little to help.” Mrs. Weasley had walked over to him and was trying to not sound demeaning.
“I am not too little!” It was not that he really wanted to do chores, but Harry did not want to be alone. Mrs. Weasley lifted him off the bed and followed the others.
“Alright, I can find something you can help with. You’re a little cranky, aren’t you?”
“He does usually take a nap before dinner,” Hermione commented to Mrs. Weasley. Hermione noticed Harry glaring at her. “Of course, he did sleep most of the morning today.”
The four children helped Mrs. Weasley clean and sanitize the kitchen then make dinner. Harry, determined to prove he was not just a little child, ended up being the most helpful. They ate dinner and after cleaning up, Mrs. Weasley joined the four in more card games.
It was soon well after nine o’clock, as Mrs. Weasley did not know this was Harry’s bedtime. She did however notice he was yawning at an increasing rate. “Are you tired Harry,” she asked, moving close to him.
“No,” Harry lied defiantly through another yawn. He was having fun and did not want to go to bed early anymore.
“How about I go ahead and give you your bath? You can stay up, but I don’t want you to fall asleep without your bath.” Mrs. Weasley picked Harry up and carried him into the bathroom before he could even struggle or protest. Mrs. Weasley bathed him, much as Mrs. Granger had, and dressed him for bed. She told him to brush his teeth then asked if he was tired yet.
“I’m not tired. Can’t I stay up later?” He was visibly tired, but Mrs. Weasley did not press the issue. She took Harry back to his and Ron’s room, where everyone was still playing cards. She then left telling the four not to stay up too late.
Hermione and Ginny headed to their room around eleven and Ron dressed for bed. Harry pulled his covers over him, finally admitting to himself that he was tired.
Ron had just left for the bathroom when Ginny walked into the room. She was in her pajamas and carrying Harry’s stuffed rabbit. “You left this on my bed earlier Harry.”
“That’s ok, you can keep it.” Ginny looked at him skeptically. “I want you to have it.”
“Is this because Ron was teasing you?”
“No, it’s because … I like you.” Harry turned red; unable to believe he had just said his true feelings. Ginny smiled, turning just as red, hugged Harry and left. Harry drifted to sleep smiling.
Despite his falling asleep happy, Harry woke up terrified in the middle of the night, screaming again. He was back to having dreams about Sirius and awoke in a cold sweat.
Ron, caught entirely by surprise, rolled over and fell to the floor. He quickly stood up, but began to panic; he had no idea how to stop Harry. He was about to go get somebody when his mother entered the room. She picked Harry up and began to calm him. As a mother of seven, Mrs. Weasley expertly calmed Harry’s cries and fears quickly. He was now lying against her, still crying silently, with an occasional whimper.
“It’s alright Ron. I can handle this, go back to bed.” Ron climbed back under his blankets and Mrs. Weasley turned her head to face Harry. “Are you alright Harry? Did you have an accident,” she asked pulling down his pajama pants to check his Pull-Ups. Harry shook his head, unable to distinguish his sweat from his urine. “Was it just a nightmare?” Mrs. Weasley saw no reason to alarm him further. Harry nodded and buried his head in her nightgown.
Mrs. Weasley grabbed a change of pajamas and another Pull-Ups and carried Harry out of the room. She took him to the room she was staying in. Harry noticed the room was similar to most of the others at 12 Grimmauld Place. It had one large bed, unlike the two smaller ones in his room, but the other furniture remained the same. The big exceptions were a wooden rocking chair and wooden cradle.
Mrs. Weasley laid Harry on the bed and changed his clothes. He was already beginning to drift back to sleep when she picked him up again. Harry gripped her tightly as she sat in the rocking chair and proceeded to rock him to sleep. Once he was asleep, Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in some blankets and laid him in the cradle, finally going to bed herself.
Harry awoke the following morning feeling warm and secure. He kept his eyes closed, just happy to feel so good. He could tell he was tightly wrapped in a flannel blanket and being carried by somebody.
He felt himself being set down, and his head laid on a hard surface; the blanket was too thick and soft to feel through. His head was soon lifted and a pillow laid under it. Harry turned his head to the side and went back to sleep.
Harry awoke again some minutes later to Mrs. Weasley calling him and the smell of bacon heavy in the air. Not really hungry, Harry turned his head away and tried to sleep.
“Why isn’t he getting up,” Harry heard Hermione’s voice ask.
“He’s probably tired,” Ron’s voice yawned. “I know I am. The ‘baby’ woke up screaming last night.” Ron’s cruel words hurt Harry, but he wanted to sleep.
“He is not a baby,” Ginny’s voice yelled indignantly to her brother.
“Ginny, shush,” Mrs. Weasley’s voice whispered. “If he wants to sleep, we’ll let him.”
When Harry next awoke, he was lying in a cradle. He was tightly wrapped in the same blankets. After a few minutes he managed to extract himself from the blankets and climbed over the side of the cradle. He was very upset that he had been put in such a babyish thing. He was even more upset to discover his belongings had been moved into this room.
Harry changed his clothes, ever resentful of the childish, cartoon underwear that was his only choice. He then left the room, searching for his friends. It took him a while to realize which floor he was on. Once he did, Harry headed for his and Ron’s room.
He was about to open the door when he heard giggling through the door. He pressed his ear to the door, listening for who was in the room. He wished he had an Extendable Ear as the voices were muffled through the door.
“… Come … Ron. Stop it.” It was Hermione. She had been the one giggling too.
“But … haven’t seen … in … weeks Hermione.” That was Ron’s voice!
“What if … mum finds …”
“… You didn’t … problem with … school. We could … been caught … professors or friends.”
Harry could not stand the muffled conversation anymore. He was about to open the door when somebody cast a shadow over him and the door. He turned to see Mrs. Weasley, who bent down and lifted him into her arms.
“How did you get out of bed?” Harry starred at her confusedly, but she broke into a smile that let Harry know she was only teasing.
“Why was I in that cradle? And why is all my stuff in that room?” His questions were out of curiosity not anger. He had forgotten his anger while listening to Ron and Hermione.
“I just thought you’d feel more secure in that environment. You might not have as many nightmares if you felt safe. If you want to go back to yours and Ron’s room though, you can.” Mrs. Weasley was carrying Harry back upstairs.
“Well, if you think it will help my nightmares.” Ron’s cold behavior toward him was still on his mind. They were now back in the room he had woken up in. Mrs. Weasley sat him on the bed and gave him some of his toys.
“I want you to stay here until lunch Harry. I don’t want to worry about you hurting yourself in this big house.
“Ok.” Harry was already playing with the toys. He could not believe how much more fun they were than being with his friends. He sat on the bed, completely content to play with the toys. He played for about an hour before Mrs. Weasley returned.
“Harry it’s time for lunch,” she announced.
“I’m not hungry,” Harry replied. He was happily playing with some toy cars, making engine sounds.
“But you didn’t eat breakfast. You need to eat something.” She took the cars from his hands and set them aside. She carried Harry down to the kitchen and sat him at the table. The others were already there and eating. Harry starred at the food on his plate but did not eat. He truly was not hungry, and even though he loved Mrs. Weasley’s cooking, none of it looked appealing to him.
Harry went to get up as the others were leaving after lunch but was stopped. “Hold it,” Mrs. Weasley called, approaching him. “You’re not going anywhere until you eat something. I don’t care if you sit there until dinner.”
“But I’m not hungry!” Harry did not know why he was not hungry, he supposed he should have been, but he just did not want to eat.
Mrs. Weasley took the chair next to him. “Well, how about some soup?” She waved her wand to reheat the chicken soup in his bowl. The twins had been hopelessly picky eaters when they were young, so she adopted a time-tested strategy. Mrs. Weasley took a spoon full of soup and turned toward Harry. “You have to eat something. Please.”
“I’m not hun…” Mrs. Weasley lunged the spoon toward Harry’s open mouth, but he reacted too fast. The result was he sloped soup down the front of his shirt.
“Oh my!” Mrs. Weasley cleaned as much soup as she could then stood up and walked out of Harry’s sight. “Somebody needs a bib.” Mrs. Weasley had the bib tied to Harry before he even realized what she had said. Harry struggled to pull the bib off, but Mrs. Weasley had tied a secure knot and made it so he could not pull it over his head.
“Now. Are you going to eat by yourself, or do I have to feed you?” Harry crossed his arms over his stomach and glared at her.
“Fine! We’ll both just sit here until you decide to eat something.” Harry looked over what was in front of him, hoping something would make him want to eat. He did not want any of it.
He picked up his sandwich and took a bite. Mrs. Weasley had given him his favorite, but Harry could barely stomach the taste now. He swallowed his bite and put the sandwich down. Hoping that was enough he stood up. It was, of course, not.
“Acting like a baby will only cause me to think you need to be treated like one.” To prove her point Mrs. Weasley conjured a highchair and strapped Harry into it. He resisted and struggled but to no prevail; he was stuck now. He was now very angry when Mrs. Weasley put his food back in front of him. If he were in his regular body she would not force him to eat if he was not hungry.
In blind anger, Harry overturned all of his food onto the floor, resulting in a huge mess of food and broken plates. He realized as Mrs. Weasley banished the mess he was in real trouble now. She calmly removed him from the highchair and carried him upstairs. Her silence scared Harry more than if she had been yelling at him.
Mrs. Weasley placed Harry kneeling in a corner of his room. “If you were my little boy, I’d give you a spanking. Now, you stay in that corner, or I just might.”
Harry’s mind was dwelling on anger. He was furious with Mrs. Weasley. He was not a little kid. “You sure are acting like a little kid,” a voice scolded in his head. Strangely it was not Hermione’s, like the one that usually scolded him. It was Ginny’s voice!
Harry heard the floor creak and turned his head. It was Ginny who had spoken. “Mum sure is mad at you,” she whispered sitting next to him. Harry’s knees were already becoming sore and he shifted his weight. Ginny grabbed his waist and stood him up. Harry tried to tell her what would happen but she shushed him. “I’m going to go read out in the hallway. When you hear me knock on the wall, then kneel back down. Your knees won’t hurt then.”
“Thanks,” Harry whispered as Ginny left. He could handle standing in a corner.
Harry was very thankful to Ginny, because Mrs. Weasley did not come back for over two hours. Had he been kneeling the whole time, his knees would have truly been in pain. “Alright Harry, you can get up now. I expect you to be better behaved from now on though.” She left the room and Harry did too.
Harry went to find his friends and discovered them in Ginny and Hermione’s room. Ginny smiled as Harry sat next to her on the bed and he returned the smile. The four spent their time just talking and playing some games; thankful they did not have to sanitize the entire house like last summer.
Eventually, Mrs. Weasley called them to dinner. Harry was only a little hungry but followed the others to the kitchen. He got there but stopped when he saw the highchair still at the table.
“Are you going to be a good boy?” Mrs. Weasley had her hands on her hips and starred down at him. Harry nodded and she picked him up and put him in a chair.
Harry ate slowly; none of the food was to his liking. He ate a piece of broccoli and promptly spit it out, absolutely repulsed. Ron, Hermione and Ginny giggled as Harry downed a gulp of milk, trying to wash the taste away; Mrs. Weasley glared down the table.
Harry ate the rest of his food but left his vegetables on the plate. After clearing everyone else’s plate, Mrs. Weasley gave them ice cream. Harry saw the ice cream and sat up excitedly, suddenly hungry. But Mrs. Weasley did not give him any. He looked up at her, puzzled.
“No dessert until you eat your broccoli.” Harry might have been content to get no dessert, but was truly hungry for the first time all day. He ate the broccoli quickly, doing his best not to taste it and drinking after every bite. Ron was laughing the whole time, despite Ginny elbowing his ribs.
“See, you can still act your age, even if you are in a little body,” Mrs. Weasley commented, setting a bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of him. Harry was so enthusiastic about eating his ice cream that when finished, his cheeks were sticky. He was not trying to be messy; it just worked out that way.
Mrs. Weasley sighed and got a wet washcloth once Harry was finished. She sat next to him and was about to clean his face when he spoke. “I can do it.” Mrs. Weasley handed Harry the cloth and he cleaned his face before going upstairs with the others.
That night, Ginny and Harry were playing a game of chess in Harry‘s room; Ron and Hermione had disappeared somewhere. Ginny had just beaten Harry for the third time in a row; he was letting her win, when Mrs. Weasley came to the doorway. “Harry, bath time.”
“It’s only nine,” Harry whined looking at his loose-hanging watch.
“Yes, and Hermione told me that was your bedtime. I didn’t know that last night and that’s why you slept so late today.”
Harry stomped out of the room after Mrs. Weasley and was soon in the bathroom. He was quickly bathed and dressed for bed. He brushed his teeth and went back to his room; Ginny had already left. Mrs. Weasley tucked him in tightly, turned out the lights and left.