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Book One: Darkness Rises

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Severus Snape would not have died and Harry Potter would have been a very powerful wizard, a Slytherin, and not have ended up with Ginny Weasley (among many other things, of course).

Warnings: AU. Slash. OCs and OOC. Mentions of other media (i.e. Naruto, etc.) and religious material. Vulgar language. Child abuse and more. Rated M for a reason. You have been warned.

Chapter Song:

"Return of the King" by Immediate Music. The song can be found on the Prince Caspian Soundtrack.

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"One night, a man had a dream…." –From Footprints

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Chapter One: The Prince's Return

"Stupid, boy. He's not working!" Petunia lowly screeched to herself as she looked out her kitchen window hatefully, though making sure she was quiet enough so that the neighbors—though they would understand—and that, wouldn't hear her.

She couldn't believe at the scene she had just seen when she saw that pause for ten seconds before going back to work on the garden she worked so hard to have and maintain.

"Might as well teach the thing a lesson and give the whelp a piece of my mind."

She resolved on giving him a piece of her mind indeed, but with a little…extra something before her dear husband, who was at a game with their son, Dudley, took care of the situation.

"A waste of my time he is. And, to think, making me do the same with him!," she continued to mumbled to herself in distain as she made her way towards him—the Freak.

Who else would be the Freak? Her or someone in her normal and perfect family that consisted of Vernon or their precious Dudley?

No, it was that…that thing who was lower than a slave and dog, than dirt, feces and urine put together, a fact that both Vernon and Dudley agreed on. They always made it a point to mention that fact to the Freak.

'And to think, he will be receiving his dreaded letter any day now. His birthday is fast approaching. Oh, but I'll make sure he doesn't get it…. He'll think he is better than us and use his…magic," she thought as she cursed the word, "on us no doubt if he does get his letter."

She knew, after all, what was so special about the Freak's upcoming birthday.

It was only one more month until Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, July 31st. Normally, Petunia and her family would not care that the Freak's birthday was approaching—only the chores and punishments ever increasing each day the cursed birthday was approaching being the only indication her family would give acknowledging the fact—but, this time, it was different.

She knew from having a freak of an…acquaintance…and witch sister (not that she considered her –the vile woman— sister) that, with the Freak's eleventh birthday approaching, it meant only one thing: his letter from Hogwarts was about to arrive.

'And, not you,' a voice viciously said. She shoved the voice quickly and violently out of the recesses of her mind.

'But, no, I will not allow it. Vernon will take care of everything; of the magic using and the letter…as always. Besides, they can't make him go…. They haven't come for him all through the years…especially when he has gotten his…punish-corrections!'

For the past half a year, the entire Hogwarts situation made her only more mad, jealous (not that she would acknowledge and admit to feeling this sentiment towards the Freak) and on edge towards the Freak, which only made her take more of her stress and frustration on the Freak.

Not that she alone was wearier as the trash's birthday approached. Vernon was as well; though, her darling's methods were different from hers which consisted of more chores, less nourishment, "bandaging" and more backhanding.

Her decision on the entire…magical…issue involved her keeping the Freak from getting the letter one way or another. If all else failed, Vernon would think of something else to get the situation under control. As always.

"Boy!" his Aunt Petunia yelled disdainfully at him once she reached the yard, her dark brown hair becoming a bit in disarray.

Harry had known his aunt had come outside. But, he continued working on the weeds, as if he was not expecting her. No need for suspicion after all.

He quickly hissed to Garuini, his snake, as he continued to work on his Aunt's garden when he first detected his Aunt approaching from inside the house.

::My Aunt is coming. Go hide under my coat quickly before she comes and sees you.::

::Let me know when she leaves so I can come out:: Garuini replied back, though worried for her man-child since she knew that good nothing would come from his Aunt.

The semi-long green snake slithered into his grey, obviously second-hand, coat just in time. Harry stopped picking the weeds with his bare hands and slowly turned and stood up to face his Aunt after she called him.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," the Freak answered unemotionally, his eyes looking at her heated gaze.

Petunia covered her shudder that she almost let out once she took a look at him—after all, why let the Freak think he scared her? No, no need for misinterpretations—and sneered at him and continued to look at his eyes.

Oh, but how she hated those eyes, the same color as his freak of a mother. She hated it even more because his eyes always had a certain emotion in them…such a human expression just did not—could not—belong to something like him.

"Hurry up already and finish the gardening! I have many other chores for you to do!"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," came the same unemotional reply with a ting of coldness. He remained stoic as always.

'How dare he use that tone with me! After permitting him to live under our same human roof and eat from our normal human food! Ungrateful little Freak!'

She narrowed her eyes at his lack of respect. After all, she could have abandoned him someplace else where he would have a worse life.

'And this is how he thanks us?'

"See that you do that! And, need I remind you imbecile to watch your tone with me? A retard, that's what you are, even more so than your own mother, if you can believe that… not that I ever can."

"And, just for your day dreaming that I know you did—don't deny it— I'll give you extra chores and no food for another day!" she continued to say as she grabbed him roughly by the neck, semi-choking him again—wishing he would die in the process—before abruptly letting him go.

After all, how could she explain to the neighbors who knew that the Freak lived with them that the retard had died of natural causes when his neck would be bruised with finger prints printed on his dead neck?

Then again, they might well think that it was the idiot's fault since they did sympathize with her and her family for dealing with a delinquent, troubled and special…child.

But, the authorities and hospital would be a different story altogether.

'Good, on the ground where an animal—though they're certainly above him—should be,' she happily thought as she saw him on the ground, trying to catch his breath discreetly after letting him go roughly.

"Sorry, Aunt Petunia. But, I was not daydreaming. I was only working on the garden as you ordered me," Harry replied back after she commanded him to stand up sharply. His voice was a bit short with a low rasping voice, lacking the bit of his characteristic hollowed coldness that characterized his voice.

"Watch your cheek, boy! Or, I'll tell Vernon and we all know that you don't want that," Petunia with once again narrowed eyes quietly hissed, though with a sadistic gleam within her eyes.

"One more mistake and you're off early to your bedroom again, which is just waiting for more of your tears and blood, you F-R-E-A-K!"

Harry nodded once and continued to face her with his back perfectly straight once again.

She felt her message being heard loud and clear, but she continued look at him for a bit longer when she saw his barely there contemplating expression on his blank face.

She knew he was up to something, he always was; but when he did something, he covered his tracks nicely. Not that that released him from his punishments. He was always polite and he seemed to paint himself as a perfect gentleman and normal to others; though, she, her family and the neighbors knew he was not.

The only time he was not his prim self was when he thankfully was being "corrected" or when she was bandaging him when he hurt himself.

Whatever it was he was up to, it would not be tolerated.

With a hard SMACK to Harry's left check as a warning, Petunia turned around and very slowly walked back to the kitchen room window to continue on to spy on him and the neighbors. She had wasted enough time and energy on him—no use in wasting anymore on a lost case, after all.

With her head in the air in a superior manner, a sneer plastered on her face directed at him once more, she continued on her way to her house.

"You better not try something, Freak. Vernon will punish you, though he already will with you lazing around doing nothing."

An echoing sound was heard once she slammed the kitchen door. The threat and promise hung in the air and echoed into the darkening day.

Harry slowly turned towards the garden and continued to work immediately.

::You can come out now. She is gone:: Harry said to his coat.

::What did she tell you?::

::Nothing.::

::Don't dare lie to me! Are they going to harm you again? And, what did she do to you! I felt the fall when you almost squashed me with your weight!::

::Nothing.::

::Don't lie! Are they going to harm you again? Tell me what exactly did she do to you.::

::Nothing. Now, drop the matter and let me finish my work before it gets even more dark:: He coldly commanded her.

:: I do not have time to talk right now as I still have other chores to do. If I do not finish quickly, they will make me stay in that cold and dark basement, again.::

::We'll talk about this later. I should bit them with the way they treat you. Yet, you never let me:: the snake lamented.

::You should have your revenge on them for how they treat you. And, don't think that I will let this matter drop.::

Harry listened seemingly uninterested, though she knew better.

::Don't worry, Garuini. I will get my revenge soon enough:: he uncaringly, but knowingly said.

Nothing further was said as Harry released his pet snake from his coat that he freed at a zoo on Dudley's birthday a few days ago. He had decided to keep her. Why not? It was not difficult to hide…at least for him. He simply wished for her to be smaller. Besides, he could always use an ally….

Garuini decided to watch Harry under the only tree in the backyard and in the entire Dursley Residence, which was located in the right corner from where Harry was working.

"Might as well finish weeding the garden," Harry murmured lowly, touching his left check nonchalantly. His face not used to any injuries since it was one of the few places his relatives avoided injuring him since it was visible.

Garuini narrowed her eyes at Harry when he touched his check.

A long line crossed a heart cut that was made by Petunia's ring when she had dragged her hand across Harry's face after she had backhanded him across his elegantly black marked right cheek.

While Garuini was concerned about the added wound, Harry was not. He was thoughtful of another matter all together as he immediately continued to do his garden chores.

Had Petunia looked back after her final warning, she would have worried herself with what she would have seen and would promptly tell Vernon as soon as he would get there; because, as she left, Harry's facial expression changed.

She did not see his emerald eyes turn sharp and cold for a second, before an unusual and, for him, unnatural smile appear on his face just right when she turned her back to him after giving the bastard her last warning….

…with one thought on his mind: 'Hogwarts.'

Days, weeks, months, seasons and years had been counted down since he had been five years old. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he received his Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry letter. That would mark his return to the Wizardry world at last.

And, with his upcoming eleventh birthday, he knew he would receive his letter at any possible time now….Not that he told anyone that he knew, of course….

As Harry continued to work on the garden, he smirked as he thought of the events that were to come, his eyes gaining a lively spark as he commanded his magic to reduce the pain the wound inflicted on him, glad that the wound was not deep enough that it caused him as much pain.

Garuini saw Harry's expression. She knew that she would be there for Harry every step of the way and would help him, no matter what he wanted and why…he had after all freed her.

But, she wondered what Harry's expression could mean…and whether if it was for the best… or for the worst…and, for whom…as dark shadows shadowed Harry's face, eerily enhancing his emerald eyes.

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Author's Notes:

Welcome and I hope you enjoyed it and continue to read. Check my profile as well for announcements and status. Please review!