Happy Birthday

What a way to spend his birthday.

"Happy birthday to me." Harry sang quietly, reaching up and grasping the nearest, thickest branch and hoisting himself up. He dangled for a second, before he used his legs to swing back and forth. His palms and fingers burned against the tree bark, but he ignored the pain. He swung his legs and managed to catch his right leg on a branch slightly further up and a bit to the side around the tree. He hooked his left leg on the branch after a few more tries. He let go of the branch and hung from the branch.

Blood rushing down to his head, Harry looked down. He was halfway up the tree now, looking down at his cousin Dudley who stood at the bottom, glaring at him. "You can't stay up there forever!" He shouted.

"Bet I can." Harry mumbled. He pulled himself up, until he was sitting on the branch. He was never more grateful than in that moment, that he was a very skinny, and very short, boy. He glanced back down at Dudley, who was angrily circling around the tree like a very determined fly buzzing around a cracked window.

"Listen here! Come down now and I'll go easy on you!" Dudley screamed.

"Nope." Harry said, knowing his cousin couldn't hear him. He scooted across the branch, adjusting himself around until his legs were swinging and his back was against the trunk. His butt hurt in his new position, he didn't mind though.

'I don't understand why you won't just fight back.' A muffled, deep voice crept out of the back of his head. It was very strange, but he was used to it by now.

"If I do, things would be worse. You know that, Voldemort." Harry said.

'Listen to me and you wouldn't have to fear the consequences. It wouldn't be very hard to do.' Voldemort said.

"Not going to hurt my relatives." Harry denied. He looked at his hands. The redness, the cuts and blisters, were already fading. "Thank you."

'I won't allow my container to be permanently injured.' Voldemort dismissed the gratitude. 'I despise your relatives. It makes it a struggle to ensure your survival and proper care.'

"People have it worse." Harry said.

'Most don't.' Voldemort said.

"Oh well." Harry smiled. He looked down. "Dudley's gone."

'Astonished he lasted as long as he did.' Voldemort said. Harry could hear the sneer in his voice, envisioned annoyed red eyes and laughed.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Well, think we should get down and get back?"

'I'd support the idea if you listened to me.' Voldemort said.

"I listen to you all the time, just don't do what you tell me to." Harry said. "Help me down?" He asked.

Voldemort didn't reply. The air around Harry moved and he felt himself lifted just an inch above the branch. A breeze shoved him to the size and he floated down, conveniently adjusted now and the to avoid smacking into any branches. He landed safely on the ground.

"Thanks!" Harry chirped. He bolted back towards 4 Privet Drive.

'To show your appreciation, you could always just let me kill your aunt and uncle. I'd spare your cousin if I have to.' Voldemort said.

"Nope!" Harry yelped out, nearly tripping over a rock. He heard Voldemort groan and he grinned.

Most of the things I post are drabbles. I am sorry.

I actually expanded on one my drabbles, creating a short 2.2k fic that I'm actually pretty goddamn proud of. So, who knows? Maybe this story will get something like that. I tell you what, I really do like the idea.

See, in here, the Horcrux uses Harry's magic to protect him but cannot do anything without Harry's permission- conscious or subconscious. The Horcrux does have some of its own magic, allowing him to contact Harry as a voice in his head, but he only uses it enough to access Harry's mind and magic. I presume he could use it to cast magic, but he has no desire to drain himself so.

All the Horcruxes we saw in canon had some form of protection in them, a way for them to protect themselves or have contact with the world. The Diary could suck the life and magic out of someone who work in it. The Locket manipulated emotions and thoughts to whoever wore it, when it was opened it could defend itself. Nagini could bite an attacker. The Ring had a curse that slowly killed whoever wore it. Whose to say Harry's Horcrux couldn't have some sort of instinctual protective sense?

Harry is the container to a piece of Voldemort's soul. The Horcrux, thus, has to use its knowledge and abilities to protect Harry and take care of him. Add an actual human brain with a piece of soul that can talk, a friendship can bloom. The Horcrux isn't Voldemort, not really, and it can easily grow fond for its container. Better than sitting somewhere, like a damp cave or somewhere in Malfoy Manor with no contact whatsoever.

In this story, it's obvious the Horcrux is more powerful. I believe in canon it was so weak and tiny, that was why Voldemort hadn't realized. Should Harry ever come in contact with the real-life Voldemort, our favorite Dark Lord would be able to realize what Harry is and would either 1. attempt to remove the Horcrux or 2. place efforts to protect Harry. I've gone on for too long! Sorry, lmao.

So, yeah, I might expand this in an actual fic? I don't know yet.

p.s. this was only like 600 words and a chunk of the word count comes from the author's note sorry

p.s.s. TWELFTH THING I'VE POSTED Y'ALL WHAT IS UP BITCHES