Author's Note: Alright I thought this would be a one-shot, but the wonderful DZ2 has proven my mind is easily changed. In my five years or so here I never did a WBWL story. I decided to rectify this mistake and this is what came of it.
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: Harry James Potter was the symbol of hope for the Wizarding World in these dark times. He was what the people needed, what was craved. So what does this have to do with the mysterious Evan Alec Crouch nee Black? Easy the people's hero didn't exist, he never had. Inspired by Fallen and Le Strange But True by DZ2. Wrong Boy Who Lived. AU.
Warnings: Eventual Slash, Borderline disturbing graphic violence. Swearing, AUness.
Dedication: I've made great friends on this site, but none greater than DZ2 and Primavera15. They have both supported my work and encouraged me to better myself and my writing and without them my writing wouldn't be what it is today. So thank you friends. My recommended reads should be obvious. Fallen and Le Strange But True by DZ2 inspired this in so many ways. But I'd also like to add I hope He finds Me by DZ2 as well. All of these are great Non-Light Harry stories and excellent reads in their own way.
Harry Potter: No More than Fiction
Bells and whistles began to clang loudly on a busy September first. The clouds in the sky were a pleasant eggshell and there wasn't a hint of a storm. All the Wizarding world knew dark times were coming, ever since the Quidditch World Cup over summer. The populace wouldn't soon forget the marching of dark robe wearing Dark Wizards terrorizing the event. Nor would they be able to remove the ghastly Dark Mark from their minds. It had been made quite clear that they were on the fast track back to dark days long thought gone. Some adhered to the rumors and whispers of the Dark Lord's impending return. Others called out his remaining forces for trying to stir up fear and panic. These things hadn't been thought of since the war. Since Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Lord at the tender age of one. But none the less when Harry entered the station to bored on platform nine and three quarters, those wizards with more traditional dress stared at him. These looks only intensified once he left the muggle world and actually stepped on to the platform itself.
His view was filled with wizards and witches staring at him. They looked at him as if they were waiting for something. What, Harry didn't know but as he moved forward their eyes followed. He had been engulfed by the mess at the World Cup. He had seen the mayhem and fear. So he would suppose they were looking to him for comfort and guidance, but he's fourteen! How in Merlin's hairy ball sack was he supposed to comfort grown men and women when he was still a child. He hadn't asked for this life. He hadn't asked to be viewed as a protector or savior for something that happened when he was one years old. He certainly hadn't asked to be abused and treated like a house elf growing up. Where was his adoring public then? As much as they claimed to love and worship him none of them had even tried to look him up? No. These people didn't care about Harry. They cared about making it though the days ahead. About the protection they thought he could offer. The minuet it's over they'd go back to normal.
Unfortunately for Harry the likely hood of that happening anytime soon, wasn't too high. He slowly shuffled his way through the horde of people and on to the train. His eyes began to tear up as his mind wandered to he morning he had. The memories of the latest beating the 'freak' out of him session flooding his mind. He hurriedly searched for a compartment to be alone before the tears fell only to be surprised by the one he opened first. Inside. Alone. Was the last person Harry thought he would see that day. Draco Malfoy was seated by the window with his nose buried deep in that years Potions text. In fact he was so concentrated Harry doubted he'd even heard the door open. However when his stormy gray eyes looked up and met his emerald green ones and his pale lips parted he was proven wrong.
"Hello Potter. I wasn't expecting to see you back here, don't you know by now Slytherin uses the back of the train?" He said. His voice tinged with the usual drawl he dealt with from Malfoy.
"Oh um sorry didn't know someone was in here." Harry paused to wipe tears away. "I'll just be going." He finished.
Malfoy was stunned. Normally he wouldn't have even greeted Potter like he had. But he had seen the boy's tears and couldn't help his curiosity. After all he and most of the rest of the population was under the now possibly mistaken impression that he was well off with servants at his every whim somewhere. In truth that idea alone was probably the thing that had bugged Draco about Potter. If it wasn't true. If Draco was misinformed he had to know. It was something that even though he loathed to admit it he had in common with Granger. He thirsted for knowledge. Not only that but if the boy was in trouble, it could be in Draco's favor to help. It might give him the opportunity to rectify the mistake he made three years prior. The mistake his parents never let him forget. But if he was going to get answers he needed the boy to stay to do that he'd need to give him a shock.
"Harry wait." He called after him.
Harry paused in the doorway and did a double take.
"Did...did you just say my name?" Harry asked his eyes as wide as saucers.
"Yes. I did. I wanted to ask you, Potter are you alright?" Draco asked cautiously.
"I...why does it matter? You hate me." Harry replied entering the compartment and letting the door shut.
"I've never hated you Potter not even for a second. I've been occasionally annoyed by your existence, but never hated you." Malfoy replied his eyes shifting to the now obvious tear tracks he continues.
"I also know enough about you to know you don't cry easy. After all the shit you've gone through I haven't seen it, or even heard tell of it once. So I ask again. Are you alright Potter?" Draco finished.
Harry didn't know what to say. This was Malfoy of all people. Draco Malfoy, the Ice Prince of Slytherin. He had just asked him if he was okay. Harry was very much starting to wonder if this was a bizzare dream or even a horrible alternate reality. But as he stood there Draco's eyes never wavered he waited for the answer to his question patiently. This also confused Harry. Something in his mind though was telling him he was safe here. Something deep in his being said safe. That Draco wouldn't harm him. So Harry cracked he fell to the floor and began sobbing. Draco had never dealt with anything like this. He sat his book down and moved to his knees and awkwardly patted Harry's shoulder. This only caused Harry to cry harder. Here he was receiving comfort from his worst enemy, when his blasted 'best friends' couldn't even write him.
"Potter. What the fuck happened to you this summer?"
That was a loaded question. Without warning and seemingly on it's own. Word vomit erupted from Harry's throat. He started at the beginning with what he could remember from 'that night' and he continued through his early childhood. The beginning of the house work, to school and Harry hunting. He spilled every moment of his life to Draco Malfoy. For his part Draco looked like he swallowed one of Dumbledore's blasted lemon drops.
"You didn't grow up in a manor in London? That's what...that's what everyone thought...What we were led to believe. Mother and Father tried to find you after the Dark Lord fell, they tried to petition to adopt you. Saying that you needed guidance. But Dumbledore. Oh he stopped them at every turn. Saying you were quite safe and properly cared for by a rich family in London. They even petitioned the Ministry to get your situation looked into after you vanished over night. But well Fudge and Dumbledore wouldn't have it." Draco explained as a single tear pricked at his eye.
"How could he let the person our world was supposed to love most grow up like that? Beaten, starved, abused, Raped. When my Father hears about this..." He was cut off.
"No Draco please...Please don't tell anyone... no one else. I don't want anyone else...to know what...happened." Harry sobbed.
"Alright Harry. It's alright, we'll be at Hogwarts soon yeah? We can figure out what to do about your home situation later." Draco soothed.
Draco didn't know why but hearing what he had gone through, hearing his voice crack as he spoke. He felt bad for Harry Potter. His friends were complete rubbish and he had no one to talk to. He felt he needed to change that. He felt that Harry Potter deserved one decent friend after what he just listened to. If he Draco Lucius Malfoy needed to be that friend so be it. He helped Potter of the ground and mad sure he was stable on his feet before letting go and stepping back to a respectable distance.
"Do you need help with your robes, you look a little shaky." He asked the other boy.
"No I'm...fine. Could you step out for a moment while I change?" He asked Draco politely.
"No problem I'll come back in five yeah?" He said before heading out to see what his blasted goons were up to.
Honestly he couldn't leave them alone for a second. They'd take off and have themselves in some sort of trouble before he could say Quiditch. After walking a bit with no luck he figured he'd see them at school and headed back to his compartment. He saw that Harry was just about dressed when he walked up so he slipped inside, what he hadn't seen through the glass made him gasp. Down his back were welts and scars. The word 'Unwanted' carved into his flesh in large letters with a smaller 'Freak' written below. Harry turned to face him at the sound and Draco almost lost his Pure Blood composure. It was plain to see the boy hadn't been fed properly and why he ate so little. His ribs stuck out sharply through his skin. His stomach had to be the size of a peanut. That's why he barely ate even at school. He'd get sick on more than that. It simply had no place to go.
"I thought you said five minuets!" Harry said looking panicked as he pulled his school shirt over his head.
"Dear Merlin. You weren't exaggerating even a little bit! If anything you were down playing things. It's out of my hands now Harry. As a Prefect I am honor bound to report this to the Head Master, since he placed you there in the first place, the board. My Father. It's the rules. I'll only tell him directly I promise, no one else." Draco said calmly explaining things while brandishing his Prefect's badge.
"Oh okay...I wish I had known you were the Slytherin Prefect this year. I wouldn't have said anything. No one needs to worry about a unwanted...freak..." He said.
"Harry Potter you aren't unwanted and you most certainly not a freak. Your friends are rubbish it has nothing to do with them and everything to do with the kind of people they are. They aren't good people Harry, Ronald just wants your money and fame, and it wouldn't surprise me if Granger wanted access to your vaults for more bloody books. You need to drop the dead weight before they drop you!" He ranted angrily.
"Who exactly would replace them? Who would want to be friends with me besides them? You?" He said tears beginning to form again at the thought of loosing his two friends.
"Yeah for starters. Once that get to know you you'll have a lot of friends Harry. You don't need that, you don't need them." Draco replied sticking out a hand he offered long ago.
"Alright." Harry replied grasping it tightly.
Just as the train rolled into Hogsmead station the unthinkable happened. The two sworn enemies shook hands in friendship and unbeknownst to them the Golden Trio died at that precised moment. Even though he didn't realize it from his chair in the Head Master's office the war had just changed course, and Albus Dumbledore had just lost his secret weapon.
Author's Note 2: This chapter was shorter than the future ones will be, but I thought this was a decent end point. That last paragraph just seemed so finale that I thought it best to make it so.
Harry: Yes he's a little bit of a whiny bitch at the moment. That will change, it starts in chapter two and continues to unfold so when he becomes a dark lord your left like 'When did he get character development.' It'll be subtle enough that you won't notice it at first.
Chapters/Length: The number of chapters this will have is up in the air. Depends on how much I feel there is to tell in this story and how long I feel it'll take to get there. Length, I try to aim for it least two thousand ac (Actual Content) words a chapter. This one was 2057 and I consider this a light chapter. It all depends on like I said how much of a dent I make into where the story is going.
Wrong Boy Who Lived: Just so it's clear it's Neville. He's the chosen one and as such is the only one who can slay Tom. More on that later Mwahaha.
Try to enjoy this and stay tune for chapter two. It should be up by Monday.