Okay this is a warning to the fans who cannot read angst. This may be a rewrite of Harry's third year, but it is dark so for those who like light-hearted stuff, this is not for you. This chapter still needs editing, failed to find a betareader on this site. Thanks to Shizuku_Tsukishama for betareading this for me.

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Chapter One: Broken

It was crystal clear that Harry Potter was only considered a boy-wonder in the Wizarding World and that, at the Dursleys' place where he spent his summers, he wasn't considered human—which obviously meant the notion that he was a 'hero' pushed the envelope too far.

However, things at his legal home had never been as horrible as they were this summer. Sure, he had been locked in a cupboard his whole life before Hogwarts, and the Dursleys had put bars on his bedroom windowthe previous year, but this summer was much, much worse.

Dudley Dursley was discovered to be a homosexual and had gotten together with one of the members of his gang. Harry didn't have any objections, and Petunia was also supportive, but Vernon was secretly having a hard time accepting the fact that his son had fallen for someone of the same gender.

This morning opened up to just another breakfast in the Dursley household. Harry was preparing fried eggs, Petunia made toast, Dudley was munching on candy, and Vernon was reading the newspaper. Harry set a finished plate beside him on the counter, and Dudley instantly ran over to snatch it before anyone else could.

Harry rolled his eyes, clearly irritated, and he retorted without even thinking of the impact his words might have on Dudley.

Or on his Uncle Vernon.

"You know, now that you're in a gay relationship, you might want to control your diet a bit." His voice was more teasing than mocking, for Harry was under the impression that no one in the family thought anything of Dudley's sexuality.

But when Vernon let out a loud roar and lunged toward the bespectacled boy, he found out just how wrong he was.

He didn't have any time to react before huge, meaty hands became clamps about his neck. Petunia let out a startled cry and rushed forward to try to steer her husband away, while a shocked Dudley's food-filled mouth dropped open.

"Vernon! Vernon, stop!" Petunia screeched, expression horrified as Harry's eyes began to bulge and roll back. She screamed as Vernon knocked her headfirst into the wall. Bleeding head rendering her unconscious within seconds, she slumped against the wall and to the floor.

"Mum!" Dudley yelled, running to his mother's side as Vernon threw Harry against the opposite wall.

Harry gasped for breath, eyes wide as his head pounded and blood trickled down his face. Still, when Vernon turned on Dudley he knew he had to do something. He was tempted to use his wand, but he knew if he did he would be expelled from Hogwarts without a second thought. But...what other option did he have right now?

"Why couldn't you have been normal?" Vernon snarled at his son, who was terrified of his Father for the first time in his life. Harry suddenly became worried for his cousin's safety as his Uncle reached forward to attack his own son.

Options flashed through his mind. He knew that if he interfered, the consequences would be brutal…but he also knew that if he didn't, Vernon was more than capable of killing Dudley. If Hermione were here, she'd be scolding him for his 'Saving People Thing,' and Ron would be blowing a worry-gasket…but his decision was made.

Rushing between the two in hopes of drawing his Uncle's fire, he ordered, "Dudley, take your mother and run!"

Behind him, the gaping teen snapped to attention, lifted his mother onto his back, and ran out the door, unwilling to stay a moment longer.

Harry, however, wasn't so lucky.

Tears began to fall down his cheeks as Vernon got crueller with his torture, one hand pressed against the boy's throat while the other ripped away his clothes. Harry had never felt dirtier as Vernon brutally raped him. The boy lay there, taking it, knowing if he used magic the situation would be worse than it already was and he would have no way to escape.

Unable to take much more, Harry took advantage of the looser grip on his throat and inched backward, grabbing a plate from the table and smashing it over Vernon's head. It wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, knocking out his Uncle, but it was his only choice if he wanted to get away.

Dudley had been right to listen to him. It was still so unbelievably beyond him that Vernon had rejected and attempted to kill his own son simply because he loved someone of the same gender! Harry had always known Vernon to be extremely narrow-minded, but this took the cake!

Harry struggled to his feet, breathing heavily as he leaned almost fully against the wall and blurry, bloody, black-spotty vision made him stumble constantly. Each step he took reinforced the feeling that he'd suffered under the Cruciatus Curse or been stabbed a thousand times over.

He longed to see his best friends, Ron and Hermione, or anyone from Hogwarts—even Snape would do! He knew Snape hated him, and this would only give the Potions Professor a perfect opportunity to laugh at his misfortune, but right now Harry felt he deserved to be mocked. He was a weakling who couldn't even protect himself from his insane Muggle Uncle! He just hoped that Petunia and Dudley had gotten somewhere safe and that Vernon wouldn't try to follow after them.

As Harry staggered drunkenly out the open front door and crashed to his hands and knees in the grass in falling down the porch steps, his splitting head wouldn't allow his already hazy mind to form a single coherent thought. He could barely see his hand in front of his face, and he could feel his consciousness quickly leaving him. He swore he was slowly dying from both physical and emotional pain.

"Ron...Hermione...anybody…" he managed somehow, voice raspy and little more than a whisper, "…please…get me...out…"

His world went black, and his bloody, naked body crumpled on the front lawn.

Now, this sort of thing normally draws a sizable crowd, and sure enough a rather large group of people was gathered around the child. One woman suggested getting the boy to a hospital, and though there were several murmurs of agreement no one moved to take any action.

Just then, a young boy around Harry's age pushed his way through to the middle of the congregation.

His gentle, light-brown eyes accentuated his concerned expression as he knelt down beside the battered boy and felt his pulse. Extremely fast, but there, much to his relief. His cousin and his Mum's niece, Hermione Granger, would have his head if he didn't take care of her best friend.

He, Aiden Sean, was a half-blood wizard with a Muggle-born witch for a Mum and a full Muggle for a Father. He'd heard all about Harry in his cousin's Owls, and although he'd been homeschooled all his life and therefore had never been to Hogwarts, he was hoping his Mother would make an exception this year now that he was fourteen.

The murmurs at his back reminded him of the mass of people he still needed to get rid of if he intended to get Harry to St. Mungo's. He bit his lip. He was anything but good at socialising, and even before he began speaking his face flushed slightly. "Um...Harry's a friend of mine. I'll take care of him."

Much to his surprise and luck, the people only needed to peer into his honest, kind face to believe him, and soon they were back to going on their way, though some shot worried glances Harry's way from time to time.

Once the coast was clear, Aiden laid his jacket over Harry and gently placed an arm under his thin shoulders and bony knees. Lifting him carefully into his arms as he stood, the boy stumbled a bit and frowned upon noticing how light the thirteen-year-old was. It wasn't right for someone of his age to weigh so little. He'd never known the boy was so badly off…

He shook his head. Never mind that now. It didn't matter. He would floo to St. Mungo's from his house and then send an Owl to Hermione to let her know what was happening. A light anger rose inside him at the thought of his cousin. Wasn't she supposed to be Harry's best friend? How could she not know what he was going through?

But he pushed those questions aside and started to walk in the direction of his house. He just hoped St. Mungo's would be able to do something to help poor Harry.