A/N- Ever since I was introduced to the idea of Harry being abused by the Dursleys instead of just neglected, I've toyed with the idea of Petunia and/or Dudley not knowing, then finding out, and what their reaction might be. But the real inspiration for the first few chapters comes from Constant Vigilance's Punished. She's got some stories here of under the penname VCCV, but you can find all of her stories on under the penname Constant Vigilance. All of her stuff is good: you'll enjoy the 10 sentence drabbles and you'll love the longer or multi-chaptered fics. Again, this is an awesome author. She is a must read.
Warnings- this will contain violence, rape, & abuse. I try not to get too graphic, but that may not always happen. You have been warned. Also, I try to keep everyone in character, but I suck at it on some characters, and am purposefully taking others out of their comfort zone. Sorry if it gets really bad. I'm trying!
Relationships- established HG/RW, and if I stick either Harry or Draco in a relationship, they'll be together (although I sincerely doubt the fic will go that way and if it does it'll be well near the end of the fic).
Also, this is mostly OoTP compliant. I don't know if Sirius is dead yet or not, it'll depend on where this goes later in the story, and Lucius Malfoy did not go to Azkaban. Don't ask me how he weaseled his way out of that one 'cause I have no clue; he just did.
Disclaimer- J.K. Rowling owns everything. I'm just playing on her playground.
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"We'll see you later this summer, mate. Try not to let the Dursleys get you too down." Ron said as he clapped Harry on the back.
Harry smiled, "Yeah, I'll see you later. Bye."
Harry held the smile long enough for Ron to get out of sight, then dropped it with a sigh. Once more into the fire. Please let the Headmaster let me go to the Weasleys soon. Closing his eyes briefly, Harry straightened his shoulders and gathered what was left of his courage, then pushed his trolly through the barrier between Platform 9 ¾ and the muggle world. Harry got maybe ten steps before he felt his stomach plummet. Vernon was already waiting for him, and he did not look happy. Oh, shit, this is not good. Gripping the handle of his trolly so tightly his knuckles turned white, Harry moved towards his uncle.
"Where the hell have you been, boy? I've been waiting ten minutes for you to get your worthless arse out here!"
Oh, lovely. He bitches about ten minutes when he's left me sitting here for over an hour? Fat bastard. Harry didn't let his thoughts show in his expression and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Vernon. The train only just now got in."
Vernon growled and grabbed Harry by the back of the neck when he pulled level with him, and began shoving him towards the exit. "Not yet, but you will be." It was said low enough that Harry was the only one who heard him. He barely repressed the shudder.
Within ten minutes they had Harry's things in the car and were headed for Number 4 Privet Drive. Feeling like a prisoner on death row being lead to the execution chamber, Harry sent up another prayer that Dumbledore would get him out of here soon.
Later that night Harry was sitting on his bed, working on his Transfiguration homework. He had gotten home and been surprised when Vernon had allowed him to take his homework out to work on over summer before locking up the rest of his things, but he supposed that Professor Dumbledore had said something to the Dursleys. Whatever had caused the change in routine, Harry was grateful for it; at least now he would have something to do during the hours he was locked in his room. Dinner had gone the same as it usually did, with Harry cooking, serving, and cleaning up afterwards before being locked back up in his room with a handful of scraps to eat. But Harry could honestly say he didn't mind the treatment. He had been ignored for the most part, something he actually preferred. Being noticed meant getting attention he would just as soon do without.
Harry was just recapping his ink and rolling up the parchment with his half-finished essay on it when he heard the footsteps outside his door. Dread pooling in his stomach, Harry quickly put his things away and made sure his glasses were somewhere safe- he had learned long ago that glass shards in the face were even less desirable than the blows that caused them in the first place- then turned towards the door as the locks clicked open and Vernon stepped in. Harry nearly whimpered at the malicious smile gracing Vernon's face.
"Welcome home, freak. I've missed our time together."
Harry moved with the first blow, cheek throbbing as he hit the ground. Curling into a protective ball, Harry prayed that Vernon would get bored soon, and that serving as a punching bag was all that would be required of him. Neither prayer was answered.
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It was two weeks later that Harry got the letter. He was outback tending the garden when an owl landed on the fence next to him, a letter in its beak. Curious about who was writing him, as he didn't recognize the owl, Harry stood, the various bruises and wounds on his body protesting the movement, to relieve the owl of its burden. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any owl treats," he said as he took the envelope and caressed the owl's head. It bobbed its head once, then took off. Turning his attention back to the mystery letter, Harry opened it.
Dear Harry,
I'm sorry to tell you that you will be staying with your relatives longer than usual this summer. Voldemort has been getting steadily more active and I cannot risk removing you from your relatives' house and its blood protections until absolutely necessary. I am sorry about this, my boy. I will try to arrange for you to stay with the Weasleys towards the end of the summer, but as of right now I cannot make any guarantees. I will contact you as soon as anything changes.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry sank to the ground, feeling numb. I'm stuck here the whole summer? Harry realized he was hyperventilating and forced his breathing back under control, taking slow, deep breaths. Calm down. It'll be okay. You've survived before, and you'll survive again. He firmly ignored the voice in the back of his head that was fair gibbering in terror. Knowing it would be better to just get it over with, Harry went inside to tell Petunia the news.
Needless to say, she was less than happy, but she knew as well as he did that there was nothing that could be done about it.
"Fine, but I'll not have you disturbing my Dudders. You can continue to come out to do your chores and cook, but I don't want to see you out of your room otherwise," she snapped, scowling.
Harry nodded, never taking his eyes off the ground.
"Well? Get back to your work. I'll not have you lazing about, taking advantage of our generosity." Harry felt her glare on his back until he was outside and working on the garden again. Petunia's reaction was about what he had expected, and he wasn't upset by it. It was Vernon's reaction that he was dreading. As if to remind him why, the lash marks on his back flared in pain as he once again leaned over the plants. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Harry kept working.
Petunia waited until dinner was finished to tell Vernon that Harry was going to be staying the whole summer.
"He's what?!" Vernon bellowed, then stormed into the kitchen. "Boy, how dare those freaks of yours just assume we'll be happy to have you here longer than necessary! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
Harry hadn't put the dish he was rinsing down to turn in time, and Vernon grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around sharply. The worst possible thing that could have happened did- Harry didn't drop the dish he was working on in the sink soon enough, and when Vernon hauled him around the dish went flying and shattered upon hitting the floor. Harry felt all the blood drain from his face as his eyes widened and he began to shake. Vernon turned purple.
"Clean that up, finish the dishes, then get up to your room. I'll deal with you later," Vernon whispered.
Harry swallowed hard and nodded shakily. Vernon glared, then stalked into the living room. By the time Harry finished in the kitchen and got to his room, the shaking still hadn't stopped.
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qpqpqp Warning- fairly graphic violence and rape ahead qpqpqp
The door opening and closing softly had Harry shooting off of his bed before the light turned on. Vernon moved fast enough that Harry didn't have time to prepare himself before the blow caught him in the stomach, making him double over. The next one caught him in the head and he hit the ground. The blows seemed to go on forever, with Vernon taking sadistic pleasure in hitting his back, making the lash marks from his last "lesson" for the freak open back up. Harry couldn't help the tears of pain that started leaking from his eyes when Vernon got tired of kicks and punches and ripped Harry's shirt from his back, sliding his belt off to start whipping Harry's back, the metal corners of the buckle tearing into his skin. This particular belt was Vernon's favorite precisely because of how much damage those corners could do.
Harry's whole body was one big ache by the time Vernon paused for breath, but he had yet to make a sound. He had learned early on that Vernon didn't like a lot of noise- the neighbors might hear and start asking questions Vernon didn't want to answer. But he couldn't help the whimper that sounded low in his throat when he heard the zip on Vernon's pants go down. More than anything else Vernon did, Harry hated this the most- but knew there was nothing he could do except endure. He was confused though, when Vernon didn't haul him to his knees but pushed him facedown onto the mattress, wrenching his arms around and pinning his wrists in the small of his back, making the open wounds scream in agony. His intentions became clear, however, when Vernon yanked Dudley's too big pants and trousers off. Harry started to struggle, knowing what was coming and desperate to stop it. Vernon cuffed him on the back of his head, stunning him so that he didn't struggle as Vernon yanked his legs open. The blunt probing at his entrance brought him back to himself and he started struggling again, just as the searing burn started. Harry couldn't help it this time. Burying his face in the sheets under him, Harry screamed.
It took seemingly forever for the horrible pounding to end in Vernon groaning and collapsing on Harry's back, nearly crushing him. He lumbered to his feet before Harry could suffocate, and Harry prayed to god it was done.
Vernon hauled him around, glaring into his eyes. "Breathe one word of this to anyone, freak, and I'll hurt you like you've never been hurt before. Do you understand me?" Somehow Harry forced himself to nod. "Good." With that, Vernon turned and left.
Harry took a few minutes to collect himself- Vernon had never beaten him this badly before- then hauled himself to his feet to get something, anything, to cover himself. He had just finished pulling on his pants and was searching for a shirt that wasn't shredded and covered in blood when everything caught up with him. A sharp wave of vertigo as his vision exploded with stars, then everything mercifully went black.
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Passing the freak's door the next morning, Petunia undid all the locks on it and pounded on the door to wake him up.
"Boy! Get up! Dudley will be wanting breakfast soon!"
Knowing the worthless freak would be up shortly, Petunia made her way to the kitchen for her morning tea. It took a while before she noticed that the boy hadn't shown up yet, and she frowned in annoyance. Moving to the bottom of the stairs, Petunia yelled, "Boy! I said get up! Get your lazy hide down here this instant!" Waiting a few more minutes for a response and not getting one, Petunia made her way back upstairs to the freak's bedroom and pounded on the door again.
"Are you deaf boy? I said get up! This instant!"
When all she got was more silence, Petunia scowled and grabbed the handle, then yanked the door open. She got two steps into the room before stumbling to a halt with a gasp, one hand flying to her mouth.
"Boy?" Her voice was no more than a strangled whisper as she stared at the sight in front of her. Harry was lying on his side in a heap on the floor, his face and torso a mass of bruises and welts, with a pool of dried blood under him.
"Harry?" she tried one last time before rushing to his side, uncaring when her knees landed on the dried blood. Then she got a look at his back and understood where all the blood had come from. Feeling lightheaded and nauseous, Petunia gently laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly.
"Harry?" She didn't know quite what to think of the rush of relief and joy she felt when the boy in front of her whimpered and stirred.
"Come on Harry. That's right, wake up for me now," she coaxed, keeping up the gentle shaking.
"Wha…" Green eyes slowly blinked open and stared at her in grogginess and confusion. "Aun' Petu'ia?"
"Shh, Harry, just lie still. I'll be right back, okay? I want you to just stay here. Can you do that for me?"
Petunia smiled when Harry nodded slightly, then stood and rushed for the first aid kit. She was almost back to Harry's room when she ran into Dudley.
"Go downstairs, Dudley. If you want me to make your breakfast for you I will but it will be a while or you can make your own breakfast, but Harry won't be able to today. I'm sorry sweetums. Now off with you, and I'll see you in a bit."
Dudley looked at her in confusion. "Where's the freak? I don't wanna make my own breakfast. And who's the first aid kit for?"
"I don't have time for this Dudley. Go downstairs and make your own breakfast or you can wait for me, but do as I say. Now."
Not accustomed to his mother being so forceful with him, Dudley nodded dumbly and moved past her. He got two steps down the stairwell when his brain caught up with him. What the heck is going on? And, completely disregarding his mother's orders, Dudley turned right back around and followed his mother into his cousin's room. He was shocked at what he saw. His mother was kneeling at his cousin's side, gently helping him to sit up. And his cousin… Dudley was suddenly grateful that he hadn't eaten yet as his stomach threatened to empty what little there was in it. Being in wrestling, he knew what severe bruising looked like, but the shape his cousin was in…
"Mum?" he asked shakily, "What happened?"
Petunia whipped her head around to look over her shoulder at her son as she helped Harry into a kneeling position. "I thought I said to get downstairs Dudley. Go."
Hearing his mother snap at him for the first time in his life was almost enough to make him do as she said. But he didn't move. He was about to ask again when his cousin whimpered and doubled over.
Petunia grabbed his shoulders, but removed her hands just as quickly when Harry flinched away and whimpered again.
"Harry, what's wrong? Can you tell me?"
"Hurts."
Petunia looked back at her son. "Go get a glass of water and the extra strength aspirin." Dudley didn't need to be told twice.
When he got back to his cousin's room Harry was again sitting up, though he was leaning heavily into the hands Petunia had on his shoulders.
"Here you go, Mum." Petunia took the glass and bottle of pain-killers with a grateful smile and turned back to Harry.
"Here Harry, this will help with the pain. Can you swallow these for me?" Petunia had to help him hold the glass to his lips because his hands were shaking so bad, but Harry managed to swallow the pills. Petunia was about to suggest he lay down on the bed when she saw the bloodstains. Okay, not there. "Harry, do you think you can stand?"
When Harry gave a shaky nod, Petunia turned to her son. "Come here and help me support him."
Dudley rushed to obey her, dropping to his knees on the other side of his cousin, then as gently as he could he moved Harry's arm up and over his shoulders. He was about to wrap his other arm around Harry's waist when he finally saw his back. Barely suppressing the urge to gag, Dudley carefully searched for a spot that wasn't a bloody mess. He finally found a place low on his cousin's hips. On the count of three, they helped Harry to stand, then slowly walked him into Dudley's room and laid him down on the bed. Petunia tried to move him onto his stomach but Harry's frantically shaking head and whimpered "No, please no. Don't make me," stopped her.
"It's okay Harry, it's alright," she shushed him. "It's okay, you don't have to lay on your stomach. Stay on your side, I just don't want you to lay on your back, okay?" Harry gave a weak nod and Petunia smiled, then turned to her son. "Go make some toast, just one or two pieces, and bring it back up here."
Dudley nodded and left and Petunia turned to the first aid kit she'd brought with them. Pulling out the bruise salve Petunia looked at the amount they had and knew it wasn't going to be enough. Oh well, Dudley can just go get some more. She turned to Harry.
"Harry, I've got some ointment for bruises that I'd like to put on yours, okay?" Harry nodded and pushed himself into a sitting position and Petunia got started, beginning with his arms and working inwards. She didn't get very far, but by the time she ran out of salve Dudley was back with the toast.
"Thank you Dudders. Honey, you know where I keep my purse. Get some money and go to the store. We need more bruise ointment. Get a lot."
Dudley nodded and was gone. Petunia turned back to Harry.
"Here's some toast. I know you're probably not hungry, but you need to get some food into your stomach, so at least try, okay?"
Harry nodded and took the toast. "Thank you." His voice was scratchy, and the whisper was barely loud enough for Petunia to hear, but hear it she did and she smiled at her nephew.
"Your welcome. Harry, how did this happen?"
Harry's frightened eyes snapped up to look into hers and he shook his head.
"Harry, it's alright. You can tell me. You won't get in trouble. I'm pretty sure I know what happened, but I need to hear it from you. What happened? Did Vernon do this?"
Harry's head had been shaking the entire time she was talking, but he froze at her last question.
"It was Vernon, wasn't it? Why did he do this Harry?" She paused at a horrible thought. "You were doing magic weren't you? That's why Vernon did this. You attacked him with magic!"
Harry shook his head frantically. "I wasn't doing magic, Aunt, I promise! I can't do magic during the summer or I'll get kicked out, remember?"
She stared hard at Harry before finally deciding that he wasn't lying. That's when she noticed how bad he was trembling and began to sooth him again. "Shh, it's okay. I believe you. You weren't using magic. It's alright if you don't want to tell me, I'll just ask Vernon why he did this when he gets home. You don't have to tell me."
Petunia had meant it to be calming and so was surprised when Harry went rigid at her saying she would ask Vernon what happened.
He dropped the toast and grabbed her forearm in both hands, his grip vice-like. "Please, you can't tell him you know. He'll be so angry. Please, please, don't tell him."
Petunia frowned. "Harry, I have to talk to him. I need to know why he did this."
Harry shook his head again. He was starting to verge on hysteria.
"Please, you can't talk to him! He'll kill me if he finds out you know. Please, I'm begging you, don't talk to him!"
Petunia placed her free hand on his. "Okay Harry, it's alright. I won't talk to him. Calm down now." Keeping her voice and movements as gentle as she could, Petunia took one of his hands from her arm and gestured towards the other piece of toast. "Why don't you try eating? If you turn around I can start bandaging your back."
Harry had been reaching for the other piece of toast, but froze and looked up at her again.
"You can't. He'll know you know if he sees bandages and he'll be mad at you for helping me. I don't want him to be mad at you."
Petunia pursed her lips. "Now Harry, I'm sure you're over-reacting. Your back needs to be cleaned up and bandaged, so just relax and eat your toast while I take care of it."
Harry shook his head. "No!" It was said with enough force that Petunia pulled back, startled. Harry softened his voice, but his expression remained fierce. "You can't bandage it. He can't know that you know, or that you helped me. I'll let you put the bruise stuff on me and clean up my back, but no bandages."
Petunia faltered under the hard stare, then gave in. "Alright, Harry, no bandages. But you will be resting the rest of the day. Is that understood?"
Harry shook his head with a small smile. "Can't. He'll know if the chores don't get done. I'll take it easy if you insist, but I have to do them."
"Harry-"
"No, Aunt Petunia. I appreciate the offer, but I have to do some chores; it'll only be worse if I don't. Trust me."
Petunia hesitated for a long moment then nodded.
"Thank you."
"Harry, how long has this been going on?"
Harry froze in the act of raising the toast to his mouth and took on a hunted look.
"I won't talk to Vernon about it if you really don't want me to, but I need to know how long this has been going on."
Harry just shook his head.
"Harry, I need to know. How long has this been going on?"
Harry stared at her for a long moment before caving. "Just this summer."
"Why don't I believe you?"
It took everything Harry had in him to maintain an open, honest expression. "I'm not lying Aunt Petunia. It really has been just this summer."
"Then why do I remember him smacking you around from even before you went to…your school?"
Harry shrugged. "Sure he's always knocked me around a bit, but that's no big deal. This summer's the first time he's ever really hit me. It's really not that big a deal you know." And now to change the subject, he thought to himself. "I appreciate all you're doing, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I can go get breakfast started. I'm feeling a lot better now." He put the toast down and moved to stand up, but Petunia caught his uninjured shoulder and pushed him back down.
"Nonsense, Harry. You're in no condition to do anything, and I'll not have it be said that I forced someone as injured as you to work when they clearly needed to rest. Now eat your toast and turn around so I can clean up your back."
Harry stared at her, an uncertain expression on his face. Finally Petunia just picked up the toast and handed it to him with a smile.
"Turn around, Harry. I'll clean your back while we wait on Dudley to get back."
It took a moment, but Harry eventually nodded and turned around.
Once Harry couldn't see her, Petunia let herself wince at the carnage his back had become. Taking a fortifying breath she grabbed the disinfectant and got started, being as gentle as she could, all the while trying to figure out a way to get the boy to agree to spend the day resting. She may not like him, but she would be damned if she would let it be said that she had forced him to work when he was in this condition. Although, she mused to herself, if he really does want to work today, I won't mind not having to do everything myself. Well, we'll see what happens. Shaking her head slightly, Petunia brought her attention back to the task at hand.
It was going to be a long day.
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Well, that's it for now. Let me know what you think. Also, I do not know when I'll get the next chapter out. It could be within a week, it could be a month. It depends on my schedule. Here's hoping. ;)
