This Chapter was Revised 8/29/09

Harry Potter, the Guardian, and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter One: Worst Birthday

It wasn't for the first time, that an argument had broken out over breakfast at Number Four Privet Drive.

Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew, Harry's, bedroom.

Though for once, it wasn't from Harry's own owl, it was from Draco's, and Vernon had no reason to know this. And so, Harry was taking the punishment, now that his Guardian wasn't around as often, it happened more and more often as the new school year approached.

"Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"

Harry tried and failed to explain. "She's bored," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night-"

"Do I look stupid?" Vernon snarled. Harry bit back a 'yes', knowing it would piss off his uncle further. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out." The highly overweight man exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.

Harry would have argued back, if his words weren't drowned out by a loud belch from his cousin.

"I want more bacon." he said.

"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums." Petunia answered, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance…. I don't like the sound of that school food."

Harry drowned out the rest of the conversation, at least until Dudley's horrid breath reached him and he realized he was being talked to.

"Pass the frying pan." he ordered.

Harry, who still wasn't all there with them, muttered mutinously, "You've forgotten the magic word." The moment this passed his lips, and he realized what he said, his eyes dilated a bit in fear of their reaction.

It was horrible and as predicted.

Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen and probably the better portion of the hallway.

Petunia gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth.

Vernon, however, took an aggressive action.

"I meant 'please'!" Harry said desperately. "I didn't mean-"

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," Vernon thundered, making Harry's ears ring. "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?!"

Harry sighed.

'Everything alright, young one?' Tarana asked, her voice sounding far more distant than he ever remembered.

Harry's eyes lit up a bit at his guardian's voice. 'Sorry, Tarana, I said the 'word' again.' He said sarcastically along the link.

Tarana chuckled. 'Warn him that if he touches you, I will tear off his limb.' she said.

'Alright.' he said, feeling the comforting feeling leave him as she left his conscious mind, leaving only a small caress to reassure him that she was returning home from wherever it was that she was.

Every since Harry had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been acting like this. Like he was a bomb that could go off at any moment, because Harry Potter was no normal boy.

He was a wizard, fresh out of his first year at Hogwarts. They only truly spoke to him, when Tarana wasn't with them. Otherwise, they avoided the boy like a plague.

However, despite that Harry preferred life with the Dursleys when Tarana was there, it wasn't the reason he wanted her back.

He missed her.

This was the first time that he'd ever truly been without his guardian in the general vicinity him, even when he didn't know who she was.

To add insult to injury, Tarana being gone, also meant that Vernon had padlocked Hedwig into her cage, only to be let out when she returned, snarling viciously at the sight of her friend behind the bars and threatening to tear off limbs of the Dursley family. It had become obvious that as much as she disliked the humans, if they weren't harming her charge, there was no way that she could take physical action against him.

It also seemed to mean, that no one wished to write to him. The only one he received letters from, was Draco. The newest unread letter was on his desk, and the owl, who was awaiting his reply, sat on the top of the wardrobe, out of his relative's sight.

Draco was fighting Harry tooth and nail (figuratively) to use magic on the muggles he lived with.

Harry wouldn't budge, because despite how horrible they were to him, they were still family.

Harry desperately wanted to get away from the table so he could write his friend. But he was forced to listen to the plans being made about some business dinner with the Masons that evening.

Finally, he was allowed to leave.

He almost sprinted upstairs to his room, closing the door and watching as the owl fluttered down to the top of Hedwig's cage, the large eagle owl the Malfoy's owned, had become Hedwig's major source of entertainment, in the time between the letter writings, Cleo would bring live mice to her, and Harry would watch as Hedwig killed it, enjoying the figment of freedom with more than a hint of sadness.

Cleo watched with large amber eyes as her master's friend opened the letter she'd brought.

Harry,

I still don't understand why you won't use magic on the abusive excuse of human waste you call family, but I'll stop…for now. Anyways, Happy Birthday. It's not nearly as quiet here as I want it to be, it makes me miss Fallen in the worst way. Father's still pressuring me to cut all ties to Weasley and Granger, Granger especially. One of the house elves has started acting oddly, wincing when one of us speaks your name. Have you gotten any visits from him? Can't wait for Hogwarts to start, it means more time with you, Blaise, and the others when Fallen's not around and less time with my Mother and Father. Oh, and Katelyn's been telling some awful lies about you, I wouldn't be surprised if she starts spreading the nonsense around the school.

Write soon,

Draco

PS. Are you sure you haven't gotten anything from Ron? He swears that he's written you like 12 times over the summer.

Harry shook his head at some parts of the half rambled letter.

It was something that Draco did only with him, Blaise, and probably with Fallen.

Tilting his head to the side, Harry recalled something that happened a couple days ago, he'd been sitting, staring at the hedge when he could've sworn that it had begun staring back.

Shaking his head again, he began to write out a reply to his only contact in the Wizarding World.

He was just finishing it, when his aunt banged on the door, telling him to come down immediately and eat his dinner. His stomach grumbled and he glanced at the clock. He had been up there for more than 6 hours, watching Cleo and Hedwig in between his letter.

---

Going downstairs, he ate the pitiful supper of two slices of bread and a wedge of cheese before he was whisked back up to his bedroom, a final threatening glare from his uncle before he closed the door, turning to go lay on his bed.

The problem?

Two beings were already there, one of which, he had hoped never to encounter without more than a little backup or a 7000 foot pole.

He swallowed.

"Shit."