Disclaimer

I Own NOTHING of this story, the characters or my mind, the only thing that i lay claim to is the plot and some of Snapes OCness

This is my first FF so please be nice

Harry looked at his clock for the fifth time in as many minutes but the hands weren't moving any faster. He would become 18 in just 13 minutes time. He sighed and turned over on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, slowly counting down the time until his birthday and until he would be out of these four small walls for the last time. He looked out of the window, his green eyes sweeping the horizon trying to find the speck that would mean pigwidgeon, a school owl or even Draco Malfoy's eagle owl was coming to wish him a happy birthday. As nothing was winging its way towards him he fell back to the lumpy mattress, sighing softly to himself at his hope and looked at the clock again. 5 minutes to go. The cracks in the ceiling swam in front of his eyes, sliding in and out of focus. As soon as the clock started to chime Harry's body bowed, his back leaving the mattress completely. His mouth opened in a silent scream and his hands clawed into the sheets, ripping long tears into the already fraying blanket. His jaw worked and suddenly his teeth fell from his mouth onto the sheet and new ones forced themselves through the raw and bleeding gums. Harry found his voice and let out a piercing scream that seemed to reverberate around his room.

A bellow started from down the hall and increased in volume until the actual words the uncle Vernon was saying was lost in the hatred. He slammed his meaty fists on the door, making the hinges screech in protest. He grabbed the handle just as Harry fell back onto the bed. Vernon forced himself into the room and advanced upon the panting boy. He glared down at the pathetic waste of space that was his nephew; he reached down and grabbed the shock of dark hair. As soon as he touched the ebony locks Harry started writhing in pain. At this he raised his fist and brought it down upon the body before him. A large bruise blossomed on this stomach, Vernon smiled down at the mark on the pale form, the contrast between the angry blue black of the mark and the pale tan of his nephew's body. He raised his fist again and began to rain blows down on the vulnerable body on the bed. During the attack he continued to berate the boy for his freakishness and for making unnecessary noise, waking the sleep of the normal in the house.

Once Vernon had beaten the boy until there was unmarked skin left on his body he left the room shouting over his shoulder as he locked the door, a manic look in his eye.

"No leaving this room boy and no food until you learn your lesson. And that ruddy owl won't leave this house for the rest of the summer."

Laughing, he shut the door turning the locks with decisive snaps. The Boy Who Lived curled up on his bed whimpering at the pain, squeezing his eyes shut trying to block out the pain. His uncle had been uncaring and cruel to him but never to this extent before. He opened his eyes hissing at the pain that erupted from the small movement. He gazed over at the frightened bird in the cage on his desk, the only friend that he could claim and shuddered as a fresh wave of agony washed through his battered frame.

Harry, new teeth clenched against the pain tried to rise from his mattress only to fall back down again, crying silently. He looked again at Hedwig and found new strength. He raised himself from the bed and stumbled across the room. Falling against the desk, he clutched the top for support praying his uncle hadn't heard the movement. Thankful, for probably the first time in his life that his uncle was who he was as he hadn't bothered to lock Hedwig's cage yet. Harry prised open the door, the job harder than ever before with 3 broken fingers and a fractured collarbone. Once the cage was open he moved out of the way or the opening and motioned the bird to fly, murmuring as he did so, "Go Hedwig, go, please get to somewhere safe, away from here, please"

However just as Hedwig was flapping towards the window Uncle Vernon barrelled back into his room and with a snarl grabbed Hedwig from the air and threw her back into her cage. Shutting the cage door he snarled to his nephew,

"You'll need her to tell your 'friends' that you are ok and are spending the rest of the holiday abroad. Ill be watching you then we will be having a talk!"

Harry cringed at the tone of Vernon's voice, whimpering slightly as a meaty fist swung at his head knocking it against the wall.

Vernon backed out of the room holding Hedwig's cage. Hedwig, who was as still as the proverbial mouse made no noise as she was taken away from her master seeming to somehow sense that she could do nothing for him at that time. Just as the door shut Aunt Petunias voice could be heard shrilly asking Vernon what had happened and whether that boy had hurt her dinkydiddydums.

Harry dragged himself back to his bed and lay back down on his blanket, shivering with pain and fear, not knowing what the next day would bring and hoping that his uncle wouldn't go further than he already had. While he had been cuffed around the head before or punched by his cousin he had never been beaten as badly as this before. That coupled with the pain that he had experienced before his uncle had found him caused Harry to fall back on to his pillow and to pass into unconsciousness.