Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, possibly children would not get to read it... Also, I rather don't expect to ever earn money with what I write here. :P
Warnings: Child abuse, mentions of rape (no explicit description). Major character death. Suicidal, self-harm. Heavy abuse of clichés. Super!Harry, of sorts. Near-criminally rresponsible treatment of the subjects of mental illness, rape, imprisonment, suicide and murder.
A/N: Please, please do not take this fic seriously! It has a few serious undertones, but overall, it's really just meant to be a bit of whacky fun! ...This started out as a drabble that ended at "COME THE HELL BACK", but then I had so much fun with the idea that I kept adding a few words here and there over the years. I was quite surprised to find it pretty much completed when I opened the document again yesterday. Seriously, who wrote all this?! XD
Looking Grim
by Dime
1. Going slightly Mad
Draco Malfoy moved soundlessly like a shadow through the silent house.
The moon cast a feeble light trough the kitchen window. Following his pointing wand, Draco frowned when he came upon a closed wardrobe. He was just about to recast the locator spell when he heard silent laughter.
Bending down to press his ear against the wood, he listened.
"How I know you are the real thing?
"That is easy.
"First of all, I know what a dog animagus looks and feels like and there's worlds between my godfather and you.
"Secondly, you are inside my wardrobe, standing on thin air no less.
"Me understanding your growling doesn't help your point very much, and let me tell you: appearing to people when they are closer to death than life is simply a dead give away."
...
"So, are you going to take me?"
...
"That's so... not fair! You take people that don't want to go and leave those behind that do?! What kind of a sadistic creature are you?
"- No, on second thought, don't answer that. I could tell even without your lolling tongue that you are laughing at me, and you're right. It was a silly question. You're an omen of Death, you're not supposed to be compassionate.
"Can you at least tell me why you're here?"
...
"Glad I was able to provide entertainment. "
...
"Yes, there is a reason I'm talking out loud. I mean, I figured you'd be able to hear my thoughts, but where's the fun in not talking when one can? After all, he beat my teeth in bad enough to make me unable to talk, like, ever again. But. Hermione gave me that neat charm for Christmas which they are incapable of removing. It speaks for me when I can't.
"She got it for me after the ferret hit me with that silencing charm, you know, and nearly managed to drag me off without anyone noticing."
Draco stared at the door in bewildered, mild anger. He had not been about to attack Harry that day. Well, not to harm him, anyway.
"...So, I'm basically just making my voice be heard because I shouldn't be able to and it just might anger Vernon enough to make an end to this sad story that much faster."
...
"No, not particularly. I actually enjoy living quite a bit. "
...
"Why I would...? Well, can you call this living?! You look more alive than I do, and you are the cursed Hound of Death!
"You know, I think people did me a great disservice when they cursed me with that title, the 'boy who lived'. Cause it's true that I indeed lived, as in past tense,until that day, and ever since I've been only half alive.
"Ever since they got me into this hell-hole disguised as the epitome of normalcy."
...
"True. But at least if Voldemort had gotten me first, it would probably be over by now."
...
"No kidding!"
Laughter rang out through the doors.
"No, seriously, if I was given the choice, I'd much rather be captured by Death Eaters, possibly crucioed to death, maybe tortured in other ways before that, humiliated by the Dark Lord and whatnot before going back here for another 'vacation'.
"But I never was given that choice, now was I?
"With that protection charm from Dumbledore, I can't even off myself, though for some reason, my relatives are excluded from the 'no lethal damage' rule.
"Then again, maybe none of the injuries are lethal per se. It's the combination that really...
What? Oh no, that's alright. Don't worry. I like talking to you, and it's not like I could feel any more pain. Or still feel ashamed in front of anyone.
"So, you sure I can't convince you to take me?"
...
"Begging, huh? I don't know about that. I think my parents wouldn't want me to. Sorry. "
...
"Nah, I'll be fine. I don't really see myself surviving these holidays like I did all the others, so there really is no point in arguing. I'll just wait until it's over, and then you won't get off so easy. Believe me, next time you will take me with you, because no matter how you look at it, there won't be enough of me left to still call the whole mess a 'living creature'.
"-Bah, at least his creativity is running low. You know, he used to come up with new stuff every day, but now we're down to some sort of a routine.
"I'm guessing my mind can take a few more days until my body completely falls apart, so I'll let you go now, right? I'm sure you have other work to do, and I feel another faint coming on..."
...
"No really, I'm okay, it's not like it could get any worse, could it?"
...
"Yeah, to you too. Bye."
...
Draco decided it was a good time to make his presence known. Slowly he turned the door knob and pulled the door open.
"WHAT?! YOU!
"...I take that back. It can get worse!
"Please, come back! Come back! I AM BEGGING YOU, WILL YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN AND COME THE HELL BACK?!"
Footsteps sounded from the hall as soon as Harry seriously started yelling for the Grim. A shocked Draco Malfoy retreated to the shadows as Vernon Dursley thundered down the stairs with heavy, foreboding steps. The man was only wearing pyjamas and looked exceedingly unimpressive with his hair in disarray and one button open on his nightshirt, revealing the disgusting, sagging flap of skin the man called his belly.
"WHAT is the meaning of this, boy?!" the fat man yelled and his walrus moustache vibrated in anger.
Draco couldn't believe his ears as Harry's only answer was a highly amused snigger.
The muggle, beet red and literally foaming at the mouth, pushed the cupboard doors the rest of the way open with angry, strong hands and grabbed the boy that lay inside.
Draco winced at the sight his once-enemy presented in the light of the kitchen lamp spilling out into the hallway. Harry Potter was clad in rags, but even the oversized clothes couldn't hide the fact that he was painfully thin. His whole body was covered in angry red, blue, violet and yellow bruises, as well as cuts; burns; whip marks;... the list seemed to go on forever and it took all of Draco's well-learned Malfoy self control not to gag and vomit over the very neat and clean kitchen floor of number four, Privet drive.
Harry! Oh Merlin, what has this monster DONE to you?!
One might wonder why Draco Malfoy, enemy of Harry Potter from day one and Death-Eater-to-be, would be in any way concerned about the Boy-who-lived. The reason was simple enough.
He loved the fucking bastard.
Draco had taken more than a year to come to terms with his feelings for the tiny, yet powerful Gryffindor, but when he had, he had devoted his every waking hour to scheming how to get back into Harry's good graces.
That day when he had silenced the black-haired boy and tried to drag him off, he had been equipped with a dose of Veritaserum, which he had intended to take in front of Harry and make him listen to his true feelings for him. It was a desperate measure, but he just hadn't been able to come up with a better plan. Also, he still had to keep a low profile so his father wouldn't get suspicious - he couldn't simply come out and tell the world he supported Harry. That would have been the signature on his own death warrant.
Shocked and unable to move, Draco watched as the fat muggle dragged his Harry over to the kitchen where he deposited the beat-up boy bent over the table. When Harry's legs threatened to give in, Vernon cursed and beat him again, then he got two lengths of rope out of his pyjama pocket and deftly tied the boy's way too slender wrists up against the table legs. Then he proceeded to beat the rest of his life out of the boy-who-lived-and-wasn't-happy-about-it.
All this time, Harry had his eyes fixed on Draco. The Slytherin had disillusioned himself, there was no way on earth Harry or his muggle uncle could have seen him. And yet, Harry seemed to know exactly where he stood. A little, ironic smile played around the once-heroic boy's lips as if he wanted to say: Happy now?
The muggle put aside the spoon he'd been using to beat his nephew with and grabbed a bread knife. Finally, Draco snapped out of his stupor. But just as he was about to throw himself at the muggle bastard, the sound of apparition was heard from outside and interrupted Vernon.
He frowned at hearing a knock on his door and checked the kitchen clock. It was only four in the morning. Vernon was not amused - he had to put up his toy for now. Without any care in the world, he stuffed Harry back in the cupboard and went to answer the door.
Draco backed out of the room towards the veranda when he heard the headmaster's voice from outside.
"The wards have had a rather peculiar reaction tonight, Mr. Dursley," he heard the old man explaining his visit to the nicely purple-shaded muggle in front of him. "It took me a while to understand the message, but apparently, a wizard got into your house, not with the intent to harm your nephew, but rather to abduct him. I do not quite understand how the wards would have analysed such a visit as 'not harmful', but I decided after some thought that closer investigation was in order."
Draco had heard enough.
He could not afford to be found in Potter's house, seeing how he was the son of an evil Death Eater and it had been made clear that he had planned on kidnapping Harry. He had to go. He did not want to leave the house and apparate home, still that is precisely what he did. But he was sure that Dumbledore's 'closer investigation' would be enough to get Harry out of this rotten place once and for all.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
Draco was not to know it, but Albus Dumbledore was happy enough to be told by Dursley that Harry was alive and kicking; that was all he had asked for. Suffice it to say that in this light wizard's book, hatred would be the way to ensure that Harry was able to actually kill Voldemort when it came time; he thought it good practice.
However, no one but Voldemort was supposed to get close to Harry Potter until it was time to fulfill the prophecy. Therefore, the benign headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry placed stronger wards around the Dursley residence, quite effectively shutting out Draco Malfoy as well as any other potentially well-meaning wizard who might have come to rescue Harry Potter.
And the rest, as they say, is history.