Author's Note: Okay first to get this necessary evil out of the way we, that is to say Ice (co-author); Mercie (beta); and Remi (myself and co-author), do NOT own Harry Potter the story or any of its contents. Welcome to our fic! This fic contains: HP/DM relations, Dursley Abuse!, resorting (not until later though), Original characters, begins in 7th year, and established friendship. This chapter was written by me Remi; enjoy! READ AND REVIEW!!!!! (Please!) ((My friends prodded me to add that.))

Chapter One: There for You

Platform 9 ¾ was packed as usual when Harry Potter stepped through the barrier that separated the Platform from the muggle station on the other side. Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World Twice, The Boy Who Lived, The Boy Who Lived Again, The Boy Who Wouldn't Die, The Golden Boy, etc.; was looking forward to his seventh and final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Not because he wanted to go back to a place that held so many painful memories, but because he'd at least be able to escape the last memories he'd received from his "loving" family over the summer.

The Dursley family that resided at Number 4 Privet Drive, were an almost abysmally normal family. Mr. Dursley, Vernon, a large man with hardly any neck, a purple face, and a bushy mustache is a temperamental man who along with his son, Dudley, had strived to make Harry's summer the most miserable yet.

Harry's aunt, Petunia Dursley, was away practically all summer leading around American tourist groups who'd come to London on holiday. Normally, the absence of his aunt meant that Harry was free from the other two Dursleys as well; however, while Harry had been away to Hogwarts the previous year, Vernon had been laid off from his job at Grunnings Drill Factory. Apparently, this didn't sit well with Vernon as he began drinking and allowing his hate of his nephew to grow throughout the summer…

Flashback(s)

Harry had just finished placing the remaining items he'd been allowed to take upstairs to his room with him away when his uncle had called for him. Knowing that it would be a mistake to delay his appearance in front of his uncle he quickly made his way down the stairs. He only paused briefly at the top of said stairs before taking a breath and going to see his uncle.

Upon seeing Harry, Vernon crushed the empty beer can in his large hand before tossing it in some unknown direction behind him and stalking over to Harry, who had stopped when his uncle began to advance on him. He waited to see what his uncle would do once Harry was in reaching distance.

He'd shut his eyes just before one of those hands came harshly across his face, and not being prepared for the force of the blow, Harry was sent sprawling to the floor. Harry could do nothing but stare in shock as his uncle brought his hand up for another swipe. Harry went for his wand, realizing half-way through the motion that his wand was locked away in the cupboard. The second blow made Harry's head snap uncomfortably against the floor, causing Harry to his and wince in pain.

For three weeks Harry's routine went as follows: Get up, make breakfast for Vernon and Dudley, do whatever chores Vernon wanted him to do, Fix Lunch, Do More chores, Be a boxing dummy for Dudley, and a nightly beating from Uncle Vernon. It wasn't until his seventeenth birthday that Harry was finally relieved of such activities.

The day had started off normally enough with Harry doing a list of what was described above, the only exception being that Dudley had been away with his gang. With Dudley out of the way, Harry was able to finish off all of his chores before lunch. An amazing fete considering he could barely move thanks to all of his broken bones and bruises.

Harry had just finished putting together a roast for dinner, when he heard his uncle get in. Upon listening closer, he realized that his uncle wasn't alone. In fact, he could hear two other sources of drunken laughter ringing in from the living room. Harry wasn't given more than a second to think on the identity of the visitors before he was grabbed roughly by the back of the neck. It didn't take him long to realize it was Vernon. Harry barely struggled. Knowing it would only make it worse if he did, as Vernon practically dragged Harry into the living room.

When Vernon had taken a step into the room he threw Harry down to the floor. Harry was propelled downward at such an angle that he cracked his head on the coffee table. His eyes became spotted, and laughter rang in his ears. He could hear their voices as he lay there on the floor, and they scared him, more than Voldemort ever had.

"So this is the boy then, eh Vern," a short balding man asked on his place on the couch.

"Yeah this is the little freak," Vernon said, and Harry could hear the hatred behind the words as Vernon spoke.

"Bit scrawny, isn't 'e," the other man, a smaller but beefier man than Vernon, said.

"Yeah, but when ya get ya turn wit' 'em, you'll see wha' I mean," Vernon slurred.

Harry didn't like the direction the conversation was going in, but he couldn't seem to move.

"Well then, why don' ya show us then," the first man challenged Vernon, an almost evil glint in his eyes.

Harry watched in dazed horror as Vernon stumbled over to him. He struggled as Vernon hauled him up by his shirt only to have a fist shoved in his gut. Having had the wind knocked from him. Harry curled in on himself gasping as Vernon dropped him to the floor. He didn't even have time to bring more than an ounce of air back into his lungs as a foot connected where the fist had been. Vernon kicked him repetitively until a thick trickle of blood began to fall from the corner of his mouth. When Vernon stopped, Harry lay there covered in a sheen of sweat and drying blood running down his chin and neck.

It was silent for a moment and then the first man said," Ya weren't kidding there Vern! That was the most incredible thin' I've ever seen," the man paused before asking, "Do Jon an' I get a go at 'im then?"

"Course you get a turn. I said you'd be able to didn' I," Vernon asked.

"Just check'n mate," the second man said.

Harry could feel the men walking slowly towards him, while he tried and failed to rise from his space on the floor. He could feel their eyes practically drilling holes into him as Harry lay frozen in fear of the unknown.

"I'll take 'im first. Hold 'im up for me," the second man asked the two other men, and not even a second later, Harry was hoisted up by his arms, dangling between the two men that held him in what felt like a death grip.

He heard the belt before it snapped on his skin. It came down on him again and again with enough force to knock him off his feet, but the hard grips on his arms held him in place. The belt was slicing through his shirt, digging into him, but he refused to cry out. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. The whipping continued until Harry's knees threatened to give out. All at once it stopped and he was allowed to fall.

Harry shuddered as the cool air hit his burning back. He could hear the men whispering excitedly, but his pained mind was drifting elsewhere.

'Why? What could I have done this time? Why am I always such a fre-'

Harry was broken from his thoughts by a burning pain on his back, and weight on his arms holding him to the floor. Harry could feel new blood pooling in the small of his back as the second man continued to drag, what could only be a knife, across his back in long lines. A particularly deep gash caused him to react by bucking up trying to fight off his attackers for the first time since they'd started in on him. All his efforts were abruptly put to an end, however, as his head was shoved forcefully into the floor. Harry gasped his head reeling. There was a moment where all the pressure and pain stopped; then Harry was turned over.

Now it was Vernon who reached for Harry again, and this time he straddled Harry, covering and gripping his throat in his large grip. Harry felt like all the air that had been in his lungs was being squeezed out of him involuntary. This theory became more likely as Vernon continued to add more pressure to his grip; strangling Harry with a vice like hold. Spots dance before Harry's eyes as he clawed and hit every square inch of his uncle he could hit. He could hear his uncle and his friends laughing maniacally as his vision began to fade.

None of the men in the room heard the door opening and closing or Petunia's shocked gasp, but even Harry heard her screaming as he allowed sleep to take him with Vernon' grip slackening as Petunia began to hit him over and over.

Harry woke up a week later with his aunt sleeping at the foot of his bed. He hurt all over and even the slightest of movements caused bright white spots to dance in front of his eyes, and nausea to build in his stomach. Fighting the urge to throw up his stomach, since that was currently the only thing left to come up, Harry attempted to sit up only to fall back heavily into the pillows he'd been resting on. A sniffle to the right of him caused Harry to turn his head at the sound only to see his aunt staring at him with tear-filled eyes. The same eyes that for the first fifteen years of his life, that had held such contempt, especially when it came to Harry, were now filled with absolute worry and sadness.

"I-I don-don't kn-know what to s-say," Petunia stuttered as she began running her hands up and down Harry not touching, afraid to touch him, and then she said quietly, "I-I am so sor-sorry Harry. I am so sorry." After that she completely broke down.

A week later, Harry began tentatively moving around for short periods of time, and his aunt was always by his side. She helped Harry get from place to place, and got him appointments with some of the best physical therapists around much to the chagrin and surprise of her nephew. Soon enough, Harry was moving around without the help of anything but a cane, and they'd taken up residence at a small cottage that Petunia's parents had left to her after their death.

During this time, Harry and Petunia became closer than they ever would have been with Petunia teaching Harry several of the recipes that her mother had shown herself and Lily, while Harry grudgingly told his aunt about his escapades at the school. She had actually badgered him, wanting to know more about Harry's life that she'd obviously missed. When he'd told Petunia about hearing the basilisk talking and his face-off with Lockhart in the chamber she'd gasped, and called Lockhart a lot of choice phrases much to Harry's amusement. Her eyes became wide, however, when he'd told her about coming face-to-face with Voldemort and the basilisk. He decidedly left out the near-death experience with the basilisk's venom, not knowing how his aunt would take the news, instead skipping to the point where he'd freed Dobby from the Malfoys. His aunt had laughed herself to tears when he told her about how Dobby had sent his previous master flying and the promise he'd made Dobby take up in return for Harry freeing him.

About a month before Harry was due back at the school, his aunt called him into one of the small bedrooms that she'd converted into an office, and once Harry was seated in a chair she told him, "I've decided to divorce Vernon. I sent him the papers yesterday," she paused a moment before asking him, " Harry I know we've gone over this time and time again, but I you sure you don't want to press charges on Vernon and the others?"

He sighed and said, "I really don't think I could ever face him with this… Not now, anyway."

Petunia pursed her lips, but quickly changed subjects away from Vernon with, "Have you decided about when and how you'll be getting your books and money for the year?"

"Yeah, I've already talked to Draco and Pansy, and they've both agreed to get my things for me," he told her.

After Petunia straightened out a few more things in the office, she and Harry went down to prepare lunch talking animatedly.

End Flashback(s)

The Hogwarts Express' scarlet engine let out a shrill whistle alerting all the families on the platform that it was time to make their goodbyes for another year. All at once people, Harry included, began rushing onto the train to find an empty compartment before they were all taken up. Once Harry had deposited his bags in the baggage compartment, he headed off down the train to find his friends.

Harry moved quietly amongst the crowds around the train, until he came to the last three compartments on the train. Before he could check the next one, however, a tall boy came out of the end compartment with a shock of red hair and freckles, and suddenly Harry wished he were somewhere else.

Spotting Harry, Ron sneered, "What are you doing here Potter?"

Ron steadily began advancing on Harry, and Harry had to wonder why Ron was acting like this after all they'd been through together. He just couldn't believe that Ron was being like this and all because Harry had agreed to a truce with the Slytherins.

Last Flashback (I swear)

Parts of the castle lay in ruins after the final battle causing the remaining students to occasionally trip over the broken pieces of ceiling all around the school especially in the long corridors and hallways. There was a promise by the headmaster that renovations would be made on the school, but unfortunately said renovations wouldn't be made until the summer.

It was while Harry and Ron had been fighting their way through some of the debris, after visiting Hermione in the hospital wing, that they heard shouting behind them. War-trained paranoia had their wands in their hands within a second turning around to come face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. Before either of the other two could do anything Draco held up her hands in surrender.

"What do you want Malfoy?"Harry had asked him warily, lowering his wand while Ron kept his own wand trained un-movingly on Draco.

Draco looked taken aback for a moment before he schooled his features, and held out his hands saying, "'What I want,' is to perhaps… Start over… I mean since we're no longer on… Opposite sides of the war it seems foolish to continue a rivalry. Well, what do you say Potter?"

Harry stared as Malfoy went from calm to flustered in a matter of moments. 'He almost looks- Woah Potter! Do NOT go there!" He stared down at the hand Dra-Mal-Draco had outstretched toward him before he finally grasped it with his own.

"Harry Potter and yourself," Harry asked, keeping eye contact with Draco the whole time.

"Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure, Harry," Draco said smiling tentatively at Harry.

"Harry couldn't help but smile back, and say, "The pleasure is all mine, Draco."

"See you in the Great Hall later," Draco asked Harry.

"Sure, if I don't kill myself over these boulders in the corridor," Harry said back jokingly.

" 'Til then."

It was after Draco was out of sight that Ron had exploded.

"I can't believe you Harry! After everything my family's done for you! How could you betray us, me, them?! I mean, how in the bloody hell can you possibly forgive the ferret after everything he's done to us over the years? Or you forgetting about all things he's said about Sirius? I'll love to think about what Sirius would have to say about-" Ron was cut off abruptly by a fist to his jaw from a now furious Harry.

"How dare you talk about what Sirius might have said or done?! How do you know? You didn't know him! You're just so stuck in the past that you don't want to face the fact that people change Ron! Besides that, 'what I've done to your family,' I haven't done anything to them except stick by you-"

"The hell you did! More like nearly got me killed year in and out!"

"I never once asked you to come along! You came on your own, and told me you would've anyway if I tried to stop you!"

"Yeah well, I obviously regret that now, don't I!"

"Whether you regret your own stupidity, or not, has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

"Fine, whatever, why don't you go find some of your obviously precious snakes!"

"Maybe I will!"

With huffs of anger, each boy stomped off in opposite directions, tripping over stones as they went.

End Flashback (Yeah!)

A sharp clip to his jaw, bringing Harry sharply back to the present, sent him backwards a couple of steps not in pain but surprise. He couldn't stop the fear that seemed to rise from nowhere, freezing Harry in his place, even as Ron began another advancement. Harry could see Ron saying something to him, but everything was muffled, like Ron was trying to talk to him through water.

Everything moved in slow motion for a moment when another voice joined Ron's watery talking, and then Ron's wand was up. However, before he could use it a flash of purple light streaked through the air above Harry head hitting Ron smack in the chest before he could even think of reacting.

Looking back Harry saw Draco's white-blonde hair, and knowing that it was Draco who'd sent the spell at Ron, turned back to see what it had done. Except Ron wasn't where Harry had last seen him, and instead in his place was a bright red haired weasel.

Harry tried to move towards Ron only to be grabbed and gently pulled back by, he assumed, Pansy and probably Ginny. One look towards the arms owners confirmed his suspicions, and he allowed them to drag him towards one of the other compartments.

Before they could get inside, however, Draco's sneering voice over-shadowed the rest of the crowd, consisting of students who'd heard Ron yelling at Harry, and each of them could clearly hear him say, "Granger, you seem to need to keep a tighter leash on the weasel. He'll get lost if he's left by himself."

At that point they'd made it inside the compartment and shut the door, blocking the noise of the train out from the compartment's occupants. Many of them sunk down on the compartment seats; Harry included. He closed his eyes allowing relief to flood him in a wave. He could feel all of his friend's eyes on him.

Sighing, he said, "I'm alright. I just- I didn't want a fight today."