Protecting Harry

Summary: One night Vernon gets drunk and takes "punishing" Harry a step to far. Petunia can't let it go on. Two months later Harry, Petunia and Dudley are living in a run down apartment in New York and then Harry turns 11. The Wizarding World needs it's hero but what if they can't find him? What if he is lead into it by none other than Petunia Dursley, who is a actually a witch? How will the story change? Snarry. Good! Petunia. AU

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of it's characters, settings, etc. I am not making money off this work of fiction.

Note: This first chapter can be considered as disturbing, you've been warned. Also I have no beta and while I try my best to catch my mistakes I may miss some, forgive me if this is the case.

Chapter 1

To understand why she let it go on for so long you have to understand abuse victims and that they all react differently. Petunia Dursley was terrified of her husband, scared for herself and her son. Fear is a petrifying thing, it makes you be someone you never thought you'd be. It scares you into ignoring the signs, into pretending that nothing untoward was happening. Some people could go against such fear to protect what needed protecting, like Lily did all those years ago - but Lily was a different matter all together. Lily didn't have her soul and dignity crushed for years by a man that told him that he loved her. Lily wasn't isolated and bullied through school even before that. Lily was loved every day of her life but Petunia, Petunia wasn't. And it was almost funny, because Petunia could have lead a different life if not for the fear she harbored in her heart against herself.

Magic scared her.

Lily loved it but it scared Petunia, it was another thing that made her strange and weird. Another thing that would get her bullied in school and so when she heard a snake speak for the first time she cried. She cried into Lily's arms and begged her not to tell anyone. Lily and Petunia didn't get along, they weren't best friends, but Lily loved her all the same so she kept it quiet. While Lily embraced her magic Petunia hoarded it away in the deepest parts of her heart. She bottled it up and pretended it didn't exist.

When Lily got a letter to go to Hogwarts Petunia didn't and despite the small bitter envy she felt when their parents congratulated Lily, Petunia felt an overwhelming wave of relief.

She'd been allowed to live a normal life.

"Come 'ere fr-freak!" Vernon slurred as he half stormed, half fell toward Harry.

Harry tried to dodge him but he'd fallen earlier in the day and his ankle looked to be twisted – he couldn't move fast enough. Harry let out a pained yelp when Vernon slammed him into the wall. He called him a freak a few more times, slamming him into the wall viciously every time he did so. Harry's head had hit the wall a few times and his vision was going fuzzy when Vernon fisted his shirt collar and began dragging him toward his "room", the cupboard under the stairs.

Harry tried to get out of Vernon's grip. He fought – kicked and struggled to no avail, all did was make him nauseous from moving so much. When Vernon threw him onto the merger space between his bed and the door Harry was weak and panting. He hadn't eaten in so long, he'd wasted all his energy, on top of that he felt so light headed and sick to his stomach. He knew he had to move but his body wouldn't cooperate.

Vernon didn't relent, not that Harry's pathetic state would have stopped him any other time, especially not when he was out of his mind intoxicated. Vernon started to beat Harry, calling him a freak, fifth, a beast in between kicks to his ribs and any body part in reach. Harry curled into a ball and cried, prayed to be saved, prayed that Vernon would pass-out soon enough or leave.

A particularly hard kick came in contact with Harry's fragile wrist and the horrible pain left him screaming. His eyes watered, his mind drifted, in shock maybe, and although he couldn't hear his own screams he knew he was making them by the hoarse, raw pain in his throat. Then movement stopped, Harry was in so much pain he hardly noticed. It wasn't a reprieve though, a grubby fist took hold of his forearm and threw him onto his bed so hard it left him gasping for breath.

His mind drifted off so he didn't notice right away what Vernon was doing, crawling over Harry's prone body, ripping at his clothes...

It was the harsh tug at his too large pants that brought Harry back. He squinted (he must have lost his glasses, when was this?) at Vernon. Harry took in their position, he took in Vernon's glazed over eyes, the ugly snarl, the frustrated pulling at Harry's clothes and fear built up at the back of Harry's throat. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, dazed and afraid and so, so young as he was but he knew he had to get out. Harry struggled again, his top had been torn and twisted making it hard to move his arms properly. He pushed against Vernon's chest and neck weakly but Vernon was in some sort of daze and didn't even react to it. Vernon was muttering something nonsensical to himself, too low for Harry to even attempt to understand and then he let out a loud victorious noise when he pulled Harry's pants and underpants down in one hard downward pull.

Harry let out a fearful shriek.

"N-no! Let me go, let me go, let-"

Vernon looked up sharply, crazed, and grabbed Harry's chin. "Shut up freak, you filthy piece of unwanted trash, y-you should be grateful that I'd even touch you, you horrible beast-"

"Stop!"

Harry just barely took in that it was Petunia's voice before the room filled with light.

What happened next was a blur, all Harry remembered was the harsh sound of police sirens and ambulances, lots of arms touching him (to which he fought against despite the soothing tones), being put onto something and restrained and Petunia's soft terrified voice.

"Don't be too rough, you're hurting him, you're scaring him-!"

When they moved Harry would not speak to anyone, he was terrified of everyone and held onto Petunia's skirts whenever he could. She wasn't suddenly an angel but she never pushed him away and sometimes she'd lace her finger's in his unruly hair and left it there until he fell asleep – it soothed Harry, those nights he didn't wake up screaming.

Their new place was a small one on the other side of the world, or so it felt like anyway. They lived in America now, New York city to be exact in a dingy, small, two bedroom apartment hidden away in a quiet part of the usually alarmingly loud city. It was such a change, well not really. Harry was used to cramp quarters but everything was so different. The small bathroom they all had to share, sharing a room with Dudley (who had gone sober and quiet), eating at the table with Petunia and Dudley – a table that was against the wall only a few feet away from the cabinets and stove. In some ways it was so much better, he wasn't beaten, he had his own clothes now (though they were cheap and still baggy on him), Dudley didn't try and hurt him, he ate three meals everyday. Though in other ways it was worse, the new school was the roughest. He was a new kid that didn't speak, ever, and flinched whenever anyone got too close. He was bullied constantly but surprisingly Dudley intervened whenever he saw then bullying Harry. His face would get all red and he'd threaten them – he never raised a fist though. Not even once. Though Dudley wasn't around all the time and since he didn't fight them they kept coming back. All and all it wasn't too bad.

He was turning 11 today. Petunia even alluded to a cake – no presents though, not even Dudley got presents anymore they couldn't afford them. Harry didn't mind though, he never got presents anyway. But a cake. That was new, that was exciting. Harry, who was sitting with Dudley at recess in a quiet little corner let out a soft smile.

Maybe everything would be alright.

Across the world though everything was anything but alright.

"What do you mean you can't reach him Albus!"

The headmaster turned grim eyes onto Minerva, "The owls can't find him. I've gone to 4 Pivet Drive myself but the house has been sold, I've looked into it and..."

"Go on Albus, tell them," This came from a furious Severus Snape.

Albus seemed to grow tired. "There was... an incident there prior to the move. The police report stated-"

"It stated that Harry Potter, our supposed safely kept away savior, was being abused at that residence. Abused. Neglected, beaten, almost sexually assaulted-"

"Sexually assaulted, our 'Arry?!" Hagrid interrupted Snape's furious rant, clasping large hands heavily on the table causing the room to shake, "But he's just a boy! Only eleven today-"

"Yes our Harry." Snape sneered. "I'd assumed he was being kept like a bloody prince seeing as he's ever so important to you lot but no-"

"Severus settled down." Albus commanded quietly. "I understand your anger considering the circumstances however rage will not help us find him. The police report also stated the Vernon Dursley was the one conducting the abuse-"

"Where is he, I'll handle that bloody beast meself-"

"Dead, Hagrid," Albus reported grimly. "Killed by magic."

"The killing curse!?" Minerva asked fretfully.

"No, Severus and myself looked over the body personally, it wasn't a spell. It looked like accidental magic."

Minerva paled ever so slightly, "So Harry was protecting himself? It would make sense, that poor boy."

"No, it was not Potter's magic," Snape replied, crossing his arms. "It was too... mature. Too powerful for his age."

The room grew quiet.

Albus folded his hands in front of him took in a breath and spoke. "Harry Potter is missing, he was abused and his abuser killed by accidental magic that was not Harry's own. Severus has deduced that the owner of said magic is older. No one in that household has magic besides Harry Potter. We cannot track him, there is a... wall almost, a magic wall keeping his destination from us. From this we have concluded that Harry is under the protection of a witch or wizard, their reasons unknown to us, how they are hiding him is also unknown to us"

"What do we do?" Minerva asked, almost desperately.

"Right now? We research. We must all look for ways that will allow us to find Harry Potter and pray for his safety until we do."