THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG
by Alatarielrose
Summary: After 5th year, Harry goes home to Privet Drive and things are worse than ever. His Godfather is dead, his friends seem to have abandoned him, how will he make it through the summer? A new friend is in danger, can he keep them safe? How will he deal when his darkest secrets are revealed and he is forced to place his trust in someone completely unexpected.
Rated M
Warnings: Violence, Noncon/Rape, Torture, Slash, Multiple pairings (VD/HP, HP/SS)
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, they belong to J.K. Rowling and I am just borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) amusement, enjoy!
Chapter 1
It was summer, the sun was bright, it was warm but not uncomfortably so and most people were out enjoying the weather. A young man named Harry Potter should have been out enjoying the sun like a normal 15, almost 16, year old would, however Harry Potter was not a normal. If he had been any other student home on holiday it might have been different, but he was not a normal boy, he was a wizard, and not just any wizard mind you, but the boy-who-lived.
Harry sat on his bed in the second bedroom at number 4 Privet Drive staring morosely off into space both remembering and trying to forget the events of the past year. He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his hand where small, white lines rose up from the delicate skin proclaiming 'I must not tell lies'. He jerked violently as a sudden pounding on the door startled him out of his revere. Sighing at his uncle's yelled order to 'Write a letter to those freaks and bring it to me. I want to read it before you send it of with that damn bird. You have two minutes', he replied, "Yes Uncle Vernon."
Harry looked down at his hand and snorted, 'I must not tell lies' as if... that's all he'd been doing all summer in his letters. He appreciated the thought behind The Order and his friends intimidating his uncle at the train station upon their return but really it had just made his life that much more difficult. Now Vernon thought that he had told them how he was treated. 'Yeah right, like I'd ever let that slip' he snorted, which turned into a groan as he pushed himself off the bed and over to the desk where a small stack of papers and a pen were kept for just this reason. As he penned the short note saying: 'Summer's been fine, miss you, let me know when we can hang out – Harry' he thought to himself how ironic it was that the fate of the wizarding world seemed to rest on him, 'How the hell do they think that I'll be able to defeat Voldemort when I can't even defend myself against my MUGGLE uncle? The world is screwed.'
More pounding and then a hollered "Boy! The letter, NOW!"
Scrambling as quickly as he could, he limped over to the door as he heard the last of the locks release. He stood there, paper held out, head down as his uncle snatched the note out of his hand and read over the scratchy writing. "No funny business boy. Send this letter to those freaks then I want the garden weeded and the shed cleaned."
"Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry replied quietly. It was a month into summer break and he still hadn't heard anything from The Order or his friends on when he could leave. He knew it was 'for his own protection' that he was stuck with his relatives but surely there was somewhere else he could go. The Weasley's always had room and seemed to want him to come over but there had been no word from Ron or even the twins, and really he wasn't sure how keen Molly would be to have him in her house after he almost led her two youngest into a trap that could have gotten them all killed.
Hermione was also silent, he had received one short note in response to his first letter saying that they would try and get him out of Privet Drive as soon as possible and to 'hang in there' – that had gotten him a few bruised ribs and a split lip when Vernon read that – and she wrote that they would let him know more details on when they could come for him but so far no word.
Carefully going down stairs he crossed the lawn and made his way to the shed. His back was already protesting movement after last night's beating. He had accidentally dropped a glass after dinner when he was taking the dishes to the kitchen. Dudley had stuck his foot out as Harry passed and he hadn't been paying close enough attention. He had ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor, the glass having flown from his hand, had smashed on the tile floor. Of course it was his fault that the dish had broken and Vernon had quickly dragged him into the living room and thrown him over the back of the couch. He had been pinned down by his uncle's massive hand on his thin shoulders and given a thrashing with a belt.
It wasn't the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last time that he was punished with it, he was sure, Vernon liked the belt, mostly because he could use it multiple ways. Harry definitely preferred being whipped than the other methods that his uncle used, but he tried never to think of that. He'd take a stiff and painful back any day over the other.
He didn't mind doing the gardening, he always got into a routine and so long as he didn't disturb his Aunt's flowers it was kind of relaxing. This was one of his regularly assigned chores and therefore didn't require a ton of work, just maintenance once he'd done the hard part the first week home in the summers. Petunia always hired a gardener to come once a month to keep her yard looking good during the school year but always took advantage of Harry's free labor during the summers and wanted it looking pristine. He was also frequently given repairs and odd jobs that they didn't want to hire someone for and he would have to complete them if he wanted to eat and avoid a beating. It was rare that it actually worked but Harry always tried to delude himself. 'If I finish these chores maybe I'll get something for dinner.' It had been two days since he was last given a slice of bread as a reward from his uncle.
He ran through the items he would need to grab, hoping to make quick work of the weeds that had begun sprouting in the last week. As he opened the back door he heard Dudley and his gang's laughter coming from near the shed.
Situated in the furthest corner from the front of the property the shed was really only big enough to hold the few landscaping tools the Dursley's owned. Most of the clutter inside was from leaves and debris that accumulated during the year when no one bothered to clean it. The gardener always used his own tools which he kept in his truck.
Harry didn't want to go over there, he knew that Dudley's laughter was never a good thing especially when with his friends. If there was a muggle equivalent of Death-Eater-in-training it was Dudley and his gang. They were the neighborhood bullies and everyone knew to avoid them when they were in a group.
Sighing and bracing himself for the confrontation he knew would be inevitable when they saw him he made his way over toward the front of the small outbuilding determined not to let them get to him. When he heard a growl and the pained hiss of a cat followed by more laughter Harry felt sick, he knew the boys were twisted, but to pick on a defenseless animal, the thought made him sick. It shouldn't surprise me though, they'll pick on anything smaller than them. Gritting his teeth and preparing him self for a confrontation as he walked past the door to the shed and around the back. There he found the boys looming over a box, Dudley pointing something stick-like into it causing more pained meows and hisses.
Harry couldn't make out what Dudley was doing because his bulk blocked the box from view as well as what state the cat was in, but it was obvious that the poor creature was in pain and Dudley was the cause. Piers elbowed Dudley and nodded toward Harry, drawing his whale of a cousin's attention to him.
"Let it go Dudley." Harry ordered.
Dudley turned, puling the rod out of the box, Harry could see that it was one of the ones that held an electric charge on the end. "What if I don't? What are you going to do, huh scarhead?" Dudley taunted.
Harry knew that if he could distract his cousin and friends that he stood a chance of knocking the box over. If he did that, then the cat could escape. Yeah that'll only work if the cat isn't injured too badly, and what if it can't get away... what if it simply crawls out and into the bushes and dies. It'll probably needs medical attention. He realized that the best option for the cat was for it to either escape or for him to get it to Ms. Figg. He knew the older lady loved cats and would be able to see that it got the proper care it needed.
He just needed a distraction. "Wow Dudders, your a big man aren't you. Picking on an animal that can't defend itself... and needing back up? Really? Is the cat that scary? Must be a lion you have there for you to need 2 people to back you up..."
"Nah... Big D don't need back up, we was just bored." Piers cut in stupidly.
"What are you doing out here anyway Potter? You bored too? Looking for some fun are you?" Dudley leered.
Harry's breathing sped up but he tried to ignore the implications of what Dudley said, there was no way the other teen could know about that. "Got tired of picking on children? That 10 year old at the park not enough for you anymore?" Harry pressed.
Dudley took a step forward, and away from the box just as Harry had wanted. He noticed a slight movement from Dudley followed by a quick movement from both Piers and Jake as they blocked him in from the sides, his back was now to the shed, the entire confrontation was going to be blocked from view by passersby on the street.
Not that anyone'd stop and help or anything. Harry thought morbidly.
"You're right." Dudley agreed quickly, his eyes glinting maliciously, "I've thought of something better to do, thank you for volunteering." The two boys on either side took that as their cue to make a grab for Harry's arms. Harry evaded them and rushed toward Dudley hoping to take him off guard. It worked, but before he could do more than glance into the box and make a grab for the cat, he was hit hard across the back by the rod that Dudley wielded. Gasping in pain as the metal came down across his already battered back he collapsed to his knees, his upper body half falling on the cardboard and crushing the side a bit as it was knocked over. There was an aggravated hiss and Harry felt pain erupt on his arm as the cat scratched him viciously in defense of itself. Panting from the pain in his back he looked up in time to see the cat make it's way quickly into the nearest bush. 'At least it get's to leave... wow I'm jealous of a cat...great I've completely lost it...' He hoped the cat would be alright. From what he saw as it limped away, it seemed to have broken it's front leg, 'probably had it broken is more likely' Harry thought bitterly before his attention was taken off of the beautiful but lean black cat that disappeared as if into thin air, by another blow, this time to his lower back.
Stifling a cry, he tried to push himself up so he could defend himself. Dudley didn't give him the chance though and turned the rod on, putting it to it's intended use by pressing the charged end against Harry's shoulder blade. Harry let out a sharp cry of pain before quickly cutting it off, not wanting to give his cousin the satisfaction of hearing him, or his uncle a reason to punish him later.
Pain always seemed to last forever to Harry, even though this wasn't the most painful thing he'd ever endured, it still hurt and time seemed to stretch into an eternity, even though it was probably less than five minutes before Piers got bored. Tired of watching Harry twitch on the ground, only giving the occasional small outward reaction to the tool, Piers complained, "Come on Big D, let's go to the park, this is boring."
With a final jolt Dudley shrugged, "Sure, I need a smoke. I think I have some cigarettes left, but I'll probably need to go get some more tomorrow."
"That'll be good," Jake cut in, "I gotta pick up some more whiskey from the store too."
The three boys turned and left as if nothing had happened, leaving Harry laying there panting and trying to clear his vision as darkness tinged the edges. He needed to get up and clean out the shed so that he might get something to eat. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to make do on the few items he had secreted away under the loose floorboard. He knew the food he brought home was almost gone, but he held out hope that The Order might come and get him soon, after all it had already been a month. Surely they would be coming to get him soon.
Trying to push himself up, he gasped as the world began spinning sickeningly, his hearing faded and, as if in slow motion, he lowered his head back to the ground. Unable to fight the pull unconsciousness had on him caused by his injuries and lack of food, Harry slipped into darkness.
To be continued...
