A/N: Agghh! I know, I know, I really should update my sasunaru fic, but this plot bunny was jumping around in my brain and wouldn't leave me be, and I have really bad writers block for that fic so... ANYWAYS! Here is my first full-length Harry Potter Fanfic! I'm so excited for this, I really hope you guys like it. I'm open to any suggestions and constructive criticism. Please no flames, they will be used to bake cookies.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and never will. All rights go to J.K. Rowling, one of the most amazing writers of all time.

Warning: Mentions of abuse.

*Note* Eventually this will be a yaoi.

Enjoy!

Dudley always knew that there was something wrong about the way his scrawny cousin was treated. He wasn't just the stupid lug that others thought him to be. In fact, he was quite perceptive. He noticed how other parents doted on their children, himself included. The fact that his cousin was kept in a cupboard under the stairs and was regularly starved and beaten caught his attention.

"Can't you do anything right, you worthless piece of trash!" Dudley heard a small whimper as the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh met his ears.

"I-I'm sorry Aunt Petunia! It won't happen again!" He peeked around the corner to see his knobby-kneed, black haired cousin shaking and cowering at the sight of his infuriated aunt. Petunia raised her hand and smacked him once more across the face, sending the malnourished boy to the floor. He watched silently as Harry struggled to hold his tears back, his emerald green eyes full of fear and pain. Dudley looked down at his hands and steeled himself for what he was about to do. He knew that interrupting his cousin's "punishment" was never a good thing to do, but he could no longer watch.

"Mummy! I'm bored, make him play with me!" Dudley said, stomping his foot in a petulant matter. Petunia whipped around to face him, a simpering smile crossing her face. She abandoned Harry and gave Dudley a big hug and kiss.

"Oh don't worry Duddy-kins, mummy will make it all better." Her face turned sour as she marched over and pulled Harry up by the collar of his too-big shirt. "Boy! You will go upstairs right this instant and entertain my baby. And don't make him unhappy or no meals for a week." Harry nodded meekly and trained his eyes somewhere near Dudley's feet.

"Well come on then!" said Dudley. The black-haired boy nodded numbly and followed Dudley up the stairs. Once Dudley was sure that no one was coming, he shut and locked the door to the bedroom. The nine-year-old clambered onto his race-car themed bed and patted the space next to him. Harry eyed him suspiciously.

"I-if you're going to hit me Dudley, I'm s-sure you could do it standing." Harry said in a somewhat defiant manner. Dudley shook his head.

"Harry, I'm not going to hurt you. I…I want to help. What mummy and daddy do to you isn't fair." His pudgy fingers played with the slightly frayed end of the pillow case. "I want to help you. Will you let me?" Harry's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Y-you.. You want to help me?!" His large green eyes shimmered with tears and he launched himself at his large cousin. Dudley, unsure what to do, patted the smaller boys back.

"Look, I know I haven't been the nicest, but I really do mean it. I'll do my best to make the other kids leave you alone and I promise to try and distract mum and dad when you're home." Dudley felt a warmth spreading across his shoulder as his little cousin cried. He shifted uncomfortably, still unsure of how to soothe the crying boy.

"Th-thank you Dudley. That means a lot. Do you think they know what really happened to my mum and dad?" Harry asked his voice a soft whisper. Dudley just shrugged.

"Honestly, they probably do, but I wouldn't count on them telling you." Harry nodded into the larger boy's shoulder to show he was listening.

"That's ok, I suppose. I'll learn what really happened one day." Dudley pulled Harry off his lap and patted his back.

"That's the spirit!"

~4 Years Later~

"BOY! Get your ungrateful arse down here! NOW!" Harry rolled his eyes and stumbled out of the bathroom. He pulled off the rubber cleaning gloves and made his way downstairs.

"Yes Uncle Vernon?" He said, eyes looking anywhere but his whale of an uncle. Vernon Dursley glared at Harry, his face an ugly shade of purple. "Your aunt has been waiting for you in the kitchen. Now get out of my sight and go make breakfast." Dudley rolled his eyes from the sofa, his dark blonde hair flopping into his eyes. He had grown out of his "fat-stage" and was now at a healthy weight, his body riddled with muscle from being on the wrestling team. Harry, on the other hand, had gained some height and was no longer considered malnourished. His body was lean and muscled and his skin lightly tanned from years of doing grueling chores.

Harry kept his eyes down and went to the kitchen, helping his aunt prepare breakfast. He sighed and looked out the window at the beautiful coastline. It was his favorite thing to do since moving to the States for Vernon's job when he was ten. In fact, he was surprised that he was even taken along and not left with their frumpy neighbor Mrs. Figg. The girls at school loved his accent, which he guessed would have been a good thing if he liked girls. He shook the thought away and dished up some breakfast for everyone but himself (as was expected) and waited for them to finish eating. As per usual, Dudley took way more than he could eat and left a healthy amount on his plate for Harry as his cousin was only allowed to eat leftovers.

As Harry was doing the dishes, he noticed a rather regal looking owl land on the window sill. The proud looking bird tapped his talons against the glass and Harry gave the room a once-over to make sure no one was in the kitchen with him. He opened the window and let the bird in. He frowned thoughtfully at the letter in its beak.

"Hey, what've you got there?" He said quietly as he fed the owl a bit of leftover toast. He took the letter and his eyes widened.

Mr. H. Potter

Smallest Bedroom

6010 Rosswood Drive, Hermosa Beach CA.

He hastily tore open the letter vaguely noting the wax seal of a badger, a snake, a lion and a raven with an ornate looking H in the middle and pulled out two pieces of thick paper.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are very sorry that it took so long for you to receive this letter. We weren't expecting you to no longer live in England. You are cordially invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. We hope that you will be able to attend and we will send a representative to speak with you as you have missed two years of schooling already. Term begins September 1st and we await your owl by no later than July 31st.

Best Regards,

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster.

He re-read the letter three more times and let out a deep breath. He shakily read over the second piece of paper which seemed to be a list of school supplies. A magic school. He was accepted to a magic school. He thought back to every bizarre thing he'd ever done (re-growing his hair after a horrible hair-cut being on of them) and it made sense. He didn't know if he was just being gullible, but he desperately hoped it wasn't a joke and that he was really going to escape his hellish life. He scampered upstairs as fast as he could, dishes forgotten.

"Dudley!" He panted as he skidded into his cousin's room. Dudley yelped in surprise and scowled at Harry.

"Oi! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?" He cried out, one hand over his heart. Harry chuckled.

"Look what came for me. It was delivered by an owl." He thrusted the papers at the muscular blonde. Dudley read the parchment, his eyes going wide.

"What in the hell are you going to tell mum and dad?!" Dudley whisper yelled. Harry gave him a small smile, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Dudley, this could be my chance to be something and finally find my place int the world. This could be the clue to what happened to my parents!" Harry said, his eyes shining with happiness. Dudley sighed and put away his summer homework.

"Alright, alright, but I want to be there to see their expressions." Harry did a fist pump into the air and ran back downstairs to inform his relatives.

"Aunt Petunia? I have something for you." He said, cautiously stepping towards his temperamental aunt. She may have stopped beating him (well, that was Vernon's job now) but that didn't mean she liked him.

"What is it, freak?" She pursed her lips, her arms crossed over her too-thin chest. He handed her the letters and her eyes went wide and her face pale. She took a few calming breaths before leaving the room to talk to Vernon. A few minutes later, they re-entered the room, faces drawn and pale.

"Well boy, this should get rid of you. You'll be out of our hair. Good luck paying for it you freak, because I refuse to spend a dime on this rubbish." Vernon said, barely restrained anger visible on his face in the form of a red flush. Harry gulped and took a step back. Vernon nodded sharply, his double chin jiggling repulsively and turned on his heel to leave the room in a huff. Petunia followed suit and Harry let out a sigh of relief. He went back to the kitchen and saw the owl was still waiting for him. He hastily scrawled out a response and gave it to the owl. Dudley grinned at him.

"Blimey, Harry. Magic." Harry grinned back and whistled happily as he finished up the dishes. September first. He only had to wait until September first and then he was out of this hell-hole.

A/N: So? What did you think? Please drop me a review, I love getting feedback. Next chapter should be up soon, and I will try to update From London to California as soon as possible.

Xoxo,

JustWriteforYou