WARNING

This chapter contains dark themes, such as mentions of child abuse. You have been warned.

Turns out, the Dursley's intended to leave Harry outside all night. And in all that time, Jewel and Harry talked, getting to know each other. But it wasn't long before the cold started to affect Harry. He had started shivering and his teeth would clatter while speaking. Yet Harry didn't complain once.

It showed proof of what the little boy had to endure before. He was in obvious distress, but didn't dare to speak up.

"You're getting too cold, Harry. We need to warm you up, otherwise things could get bad for you."

"I-It's alright. I-I've had worse than t-this. I c-can handle it." Harry answered, while trying to make himself as small as possible to keep the remaining heat he had to himself.
"Besides, it's n-not like we can do m-much about it. The door is l-locked. I could g-get inside if I really w-wanted to, but if they k-know I did that…"

"They'll hurt you even worse." Jewel finished, knowingly. "I don't know if it'll work, but I can perform some magic. I'll see if I can do something to warm you up."

Jewel closed her eyes and concentrated. She never had to do something like this, since she, herself, was immune to the cold.

She reached out to her magical core, inside herself. Every magical creature had one. It was the source of their magic.

She tried different things, she even tried to start a fire. But her magic wasn't strong enough to battle the low temperature.

Harry seemed to sense she couldn't do it and reassured her. "It's a-alright. I'm glad y-you tried."

"No. I can do this. There is one last thing I can try, but I need you to keep this a secret."

"O-Of c-cour-rse." The shivering became even worse and Jewel worried that Harry might get hypothermia if she didn't hurry.

Once again, Jewel closed her eyes. But this time, she succeeded in what she wanted to do.

She transformed herself back into her human form.

Harry was dumbstruck, as he clearly didn't expect that to happen.

Jewel was a small girl, smaller than Harry even. She had long black hair, that was tied in a really unkept pony-tail. Her eyes were a cold dark brown and reflected determination for her next task.
She finally had a friend now, and she wasn't about to let him down. Besides, they had already promised each other to trust the other. She held on to that promise as she tried to warm Harry up again.

Jewel gathered her magic into her hands and willed it to heat up.

Harry was still dumbstruck and could only watch as Jewel's hands began to glow.

It was clear that it took Jewel a lot of effort, but she was able to expand the glow until it surrounded both of them.

"Better?" Jewel asked, this time in normal English.

"M-Much. But what?"

"Like I said earlier, I can do a little bit of magic. As a snake it's even more limited, so the only way this was going to work, was for me to turn back into a human."

"But, I thought you were a snake." Said Harry, clattering gone, now that he was warming up.

"That's what I wanted you to believe." Answered Jewel, worried that Harry was going to make a big deal out of it.

"That's really clever. Can I do that too? Turn into a snake? That would be so cool." Harry replied with enthusiasm.

Jewel was silent for a second before answering. "Sure. You have Parselmagic, after all. But I think it would take you a very long time to learn. Since you didn't know about magic before."

"Yes, about that. Am I really a wizard? Are you a witch then?"

"Yes, you're a wizard, Harry. And, no, I'm not a witch." Jewel said, getting amused by Harry's eagerness.

"I have so many questions, I don't know where to start. I can't even believe this is real. Maybe, I'm just getting delusional from the cold." Harry said, getting sad again.

In response to that, Jewel pinched Harry's arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"If you were dreaming, that wouldn't have hurt, now would it?" She said in a matter of fact voice.

"I guess you're right. Does that mean that, when I repaired that plate, I used magic?"

"Yes. It's called accidental magic. All wizards and witches experience this before they receive their wand. Now, before you ask, let me finish." Jewel said, seeing the questions practically pouring out of Harry.

"Since I'm not a witch, I didn't had that. But you did, so that's why I know for sure you are a wizard. Magical creatures, aside from witches and wizards, don't experience accidental magic, unless they are really, really powerful magic users, which I'm not. And about the wand. Once you get accepted into school, you can buy one for yourself. All young witches and wizards will be invited to attend one school or another when they turn eleven, you won't be an exception."

Harry's attention was completely devoted to Jewel and he listened to every word she spoke.

"We're in England, so it's probably going to be Hogwarts for you. How old are you now?"

"I'm ten. Then that means I'll get my invitation next year? Oh, I can't wait." Harry said happily. Until he seemed to remember something.

"But I'll never get to go. The Dudley's will never let me leave. They may not want me, but I'm still useful to them. And they probably wouldn't let me go, just because that's the opposite of what I want."

"You always mention them. But who are the Dursleys?"

"My family. It's uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia with their child Dudley. They're the only ones I have left."

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked, not really liking where this conversation was going.

"My parents died in a car crash when I was a baby. The Dursleys had to take me in, since I somehow survived. They never wanted me. I was mostly ignored at the beginning. But that was before I started doing freak things, like they call it. I didn't even knew what I was doing wrong. But ever since then, they started calling me a freak. They took away the few things I owned, and they put me in the cupboard under the stairs. They make me do the chores in the house. When it isn't up to their standards, they won't let me eat."

"Harry, just stop talking if you don't want to tell me this." Jewel interrupted Harry, seeing that he was getting upset again.

"No, I want to tell you. I never had someone to talk to and I need this. Please. Let me trust you, like you trust me."

Jewel thought about it for a moment. Harry looked at her desperately. She didn't know when he changed his mind about telling about his life, but if he really wanted to open up like this, then she wouldn't stop him.

"Okay, but should there be anything you don't want me to know, just say stop and I'll interrupt you. Otherwise, you won't stop until you're done."

Harry nodded and began speaking again. It was clear, though, that it affected Harry a lot, talking about his past.

Jewel was horrified as she listened to the things Harry told her. Not only would the Dursleys disallow Harry to eat, but they also abused him.

First with words, calling him a freak and worthless and a burden. Then, as he got older the abuse turned physical. They would hit him when he did something wrong in their eyes. It was the worst when accidental magic was involved. Then the abuse would increase in tenfold.

Harry told about days on end, where he was starved and locked in the cupboard. And how in the last year, his uncle Vernon started using his belt as a weapon to beat Harry up with.

It didn't end with the verbal abuse from his aunt and the physical abuse from his uncle, no, it passed on to their son.

Dudley grew up with being the good son and Harry being the freak. He thought it was normal for him to get everything, while Harry was beaten down. He even engaged in it himself. Never at home, though. There he would behave like a 'perfect' son. But at school, that was a different story.

Because of Dudley, Harry didn't have any friends. Everyone was scared away when they tried getting close to him. So Harry was left all alone, with no one to come to his aid. Even the teachers didn't seem to care.

"Is that why you are in pain, now? I could smell the blood on you in my snake form. It's because of the beatings, isn't it?" Jewel asked softly.

"Yes. It was brutal. But I'll be alright, my wounds always seem to heal fast."

"It's because of your magic."

"I figured that by now."

"Let me teach you about magic. I won't be able to teach you everything, since I can't do the things you will be able to do. But I can teach you the basic of magic and I can teach you about the wizarding world."

"That would be awesome. Maybe then I can get back at my 'family' for what they did to me." Harry said with anger and malice clear in his voice.

Jewel was taken aback. Until now, Harry seemed like a friendly boy, even with all the things he went through. Yet, Jewel understood Harry more than anyone.

She observed Harry, while he was deep in thought. Gone was the small frightened boy she met a few hours ago. Instead, she met with a stone cold face that promised pain and destruction.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts and instantly he reverted back to the scared boy from before. He looked panicked at Jewel.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I…I…" he was lost for words.

"I understand, Harry. There's no way that what happened to you didn't have consequences. If I ever meet the wizards who killed my mother, I will make their death long and painful."

This time, it was Harry who was taken aback. Jewel's face changed, just like his own.

They looked at each other and words weren't necessary, for they understood each other perfectly. Harry didn't know Jewel's story yet, but he was sure that it wasn't pleasant. She looked like his age, yet she was out in the cold on her own. Whatever happened, she had a dark side, just like him.

The two stayed in silence after that, each processing what just happened. They didn't notice that the sun was starting to show herself on the horizon.

Harry was the first one to recover from their stupor. "We need to come up with a plan. They can't see you and they can't see this." He gestured towards the warm glow that still surrounded the two.

"You're right. I think it's better if I turned back into a snake. That way I can hide under your shirt, so that I can go inside as well."

Harry nodded. "Make sure they never see you. We'll both be in serious trouble if they do."

"Don't worry, I've had years of training to stay out of sight. They won't find me if I don't want them to." Jewel answered, confident in her hiding abilities, before cancelling the magic surrounding them and transforming back into a snake.

"Do you know what's going to happen now?" she asked once fully transformed.

"No, I don't. It depends on my uncle's mood. This is the first time they left me outside for the entire night. I don't know how they'll react."

"Then we'll have to adapt to the situation."

"Just… stay out of sight and let me handle it, okay? It most likely won't be pretty, but I know how to deal with it."

Jewel nodded her tiny head and the two, once again, fell into silence, waiting for the Dursleys family to wake up.

"Inside! Now!" screamed Vernon when he suddenly slammed the door open.

Without saying anything, Harry obeyed hurriedly with his head hanging low.

Once inside, Harry's uncle gave him the order to start making breakfast. And again, without a word, Harry began his first chore of the day.

While he was preparing the omelettes, the other family members appeared downstairs and settled themselves at the table.

"I see he's fine." Said Petunia against her husband with disgust, when she saw Harry.

"Yes, I thought that the cold would at least bother him somewhat, but no such luck." Said Vernon in disappointment.

"We should punish him different next time. This clearly didn't affect him as we hoped and I can't imagine what the neighbors might think if they saw him. We shouldn't take that chance anymore." Petunia continued.

"You're right. I'll think of something."

They would do this most of the time, talk about Harry as if he wasn't present. They probably wanted Harry to hear what they would say about him.

Harry was used to this treatment, though. It was mild compared to the others. Jewel, on the other hand, was very tense with anger. She has heard the story that Harry had told her, but to witness it first-hand, was another matter.

She couldn't wait to teach Harry magic and turn the tables around. But for now, she calmed herself and stayed still under Harry's shirt.

She hoped that it wouldn't be long before they had some time for their own. Jewel still hadn't had anything to eat yet. And she suspected that Harry had been without food for a while as well.

She began forming a plan. She inconspicuously poked her head out, to map out the layout of the house.

"You do that." Petunia said, before she shifted her attention to her son. "Good morning, darling. How did you sleep? Is there something you want specifically to eat for school today?"

"I don't care what I get, I only care that it's plenty." Replied Dudley in answer to his mother.

"Very well, sweetheart. You heard him, boy. Do as your told." Petunia said, directing the last towards Harry.

"Yes, aunt Petunia." Replied Harry.

Now that put a slight damper on Jewel's plan. She didn't account that Harry still had to go to school. It must be a week day then.

"Harry." Jewel said softly.

"Shhh. They'll hear me talking to you." Replied Harry instantly.

"Then just listen. They won't hear me from there, if I speak quietly enough."

Harry glanced at the Dursleys at the table, and indeed, they hadn't noticed anything. Harry let Jewel continue.

"I have a plan, but first I need to know how important school is for you. I assume you're going to a muggle school. Education is important, but I doubt that they will teach you anything of importance at your school right now. Nod your head if you still want to go to school today. Shake your head if you want to ditch school with me to work on our plans."

Harry thought about it for a moment and then shook his head.

"Alright. Then just pretend you're going to school, to get the Dursleys of your back and then find a way to get away."

Harry nodded and resumed cooking.

Ten minutes later, the Dursleys had eaten, but Harry still wasn't allowed to eat. He was still being punished from yesterday.

Another ten minutes later, the bus arrived that would take them to school. In that time harry had been allowed to wash up a bit. They wanted him to keep up appearance after all.

Harry boarded the bus with Dudley and took his place in the front.

The ride to school only lasted about twenty minutes, and as always, Harry was tormented by Dudley and his friends. But it wasn't anything unusual for Harry and he ignored them.

The bus arrived at the gates of the school and everyone got off. While the other students made their way into the school, Harry stayed behind by the bus and waited.

Nobody payed attention to him anymore and Harry saw his chance.

"Don't run, that will draw attention to you. Just calmly walk away." Jewel advised him.

Harry did as told and got away without a problem.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Harry said, more to himself, though.

Harry made his way towards the local park and found a secluded spot that was difficult to spot them from.

Once they were hid away, Jewel transformed back into her human form. And once she did, she did the same thing as yesterday. She made a warm sphere of magic around both of them. She had noticed that Harry wasn't wearing a coat and she didn't want him to become cold again.

"You said you had a plan?" Harry asked after they settled down.

"Sort off." Jewel answered. "First we need to get our hands on some food, because we both need it. Then we can start on learning magic. So, do your aunt and uncle have jobs? Do they leave the house today?"

"Uncle Vernon has his day job, so he won't be home until this evening. Aunt Petunia leaves the house this noon to go to her botanist club. She'll also be back this evening."

"Then we go back to your house at noon. I can get us in and then we'll have access to food. Do you think they'll notice if some of it goes missing?"

"I'm fairly certain they won't. I'm the one who goes groceries shopping and I'm the one in the kitchen, making food for them. So, if we don't take too much, they won't notice."

"Alright. You said you were the one that goes shopping. How come you don't buy yourself some food in a way that they won't notice?" Jewel asked curious.

"They always give me a list of things I need to buy, and they always check the bags I bring home. If I don't bring home exactly what they told me, it'll have consequences."

"Well, there's an easy solution for that. Buy a little extra, so that it isn't suspicious. And then give it to me. I can sneak it into the house. But you have to tell me where your room is."

"I don't have a room. I sleep in the cupboard."

"What? You told me that they would put you in the cupboard for days as punishment, but you didn't tell me that is where you actually sleep!"

"Must have left that out. But, yeah, my 'room' is the cupboard." Harry said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh, Harry. I promise you, once you know how to use your magic, things will change."

"Really?" Harry asked hopeful.

"Yes. Right now, you still need them to survive. But once you know your way around the magic world, you can leave your 'family' behind." Jewel said, saying the world 'family' with disgust. "You would never have to see them again."

"Are the laws in the wizarding world that different from the muggle world in legal age and stuff?"

"Not really. It won't be legal that you leave, but if I can live on my own for two years, then it should be easy for you. Plus, you won't be alone, we would be together."

"Why can't I leave right now?"

"Like I said, you still need them to survive. And besides…" Jewel wanted to say more, but suddenly stopped taking.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked worried.

"Not really. Harry, the Dursleys are all muggles, right? I suppose you won't know if you had any other magical family?" Jewel asked pensively.

"They're muggles, yes. And no, I wouldn't know, the only other family I know are my parents and how they died. I don't know if they were also muggles or not."

Jewel was deep in thought for a moment.

"We could find out."

"What?" Asked Harry confused, not knowing what Jewel was talking about.

"We can find out if your parents were wizards. And if we're lucky, you inherited things from them."

"What are you talking about?"

"There is this place, I'm pretty certain it's in London, it's called the Gringotts Bank. The bank is run by goblins. They control the money in the wizarding world, I think. But I know that I we could get there, we can ask if they know who your parents are. They could also tell us if they left you anything. If they were wizards, then they would have left you some wizarding money. If that's the case, then, depending on how much you inherited, you could be independent. Then you wouldn't have any need of your muggle family anymore. But that's if we're very lucky and if you're parents were indeed wizards." Jewel ranted.

"It's possible that my parents weren't wizards?"

"Sure, you could be the first in your family to be a wizard. It's called being a muggleborn. If that's the case, then you'll have nothing."

Harry was quiet and thought it about it.

"Well, only one way to find out, right?" He said.

"You're right." Jewel said hesitantly.

"Is there something the matter?" Harry asked, noticing her reluctance.

"Gringotts Bank is located in a place called Diagon Alley. It's a place that only magical people can access. It's also always very busy, from what I've learned. Many shops are located there and the place is really popular."

"I don't see the problem." Harry answered unsure.

"I'm… not really comfortable around wizards and witches. The place will be crawling with them. I don't think I can go there." She said, the last sentence almost in a whisper.

"Why not?" Harry asked cautiously.

"It's a long story." Jewel answered after a few seconds.

"We have until noon before we go back to the house. There's plenty of time to tell me."

"Are you sure you want to know? It isn't a happy story."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? My story isn't exactly a fairy tale either." He said, trying to get her to open up.

Jewel hugged herself and didn't look at Harry. Harry waited patiently for a response, which came a minute later.

"Okay, I'll tell you. It's only fair." Jewel took a deep breath and began her story.

"When I was born, it was just my mother and me. I haven't told you this yet, but I'm not a normal human. I'm a creature called a Monarus. My mother was one as well. I don't know who my father is, but I suspect he is, or was a wizard. It would explain why I have the Parselmagic.

Anyway, being a Monarus means that we are a hunted creature. For as long as I can remember, me and my mother were always on the run, always on the move. She taught me everything I know, including all the things about the wizarding world. She always told me to know your enemy."

"Does that mean that you were hunted by wizards?" Harry asked in utter disbelief.

"Yes"

"But why?"

"I told before that I have a unique ability that compels you to tell the truth. I also have the ability to speak any human language. Because of those abilities, we were considered dangerous and the wizards sought to extinct us. From a certain age, we also gain the ability to transform into our true form, which is quite a change."

"I still don't understand. Why would those be the reasons for hunting the Monarus? Sounds to me like a Monarus could be a great asset."

"You're only one of the few who think that way. Did you know that it is legal in the wizarding world to kill a Monarus on sight? It's an old law, but it still exists."

"That's horrible!"

"I know. And it doesn't end there. Two years ago, when I was seven years old. Me and my mother encountered a group of wizards who had been on our tail for quite some time." Jewel had to take a break, as she tried to keep herself from crying, the memory of what happened was horrible to recall.

"I'm sorry. I tried leaving that behind me, I've never talked about it before and I never allowed myself to think about it again. My only concern should be surviving." She said, trying very hard not to cry now.

"It's okay. Take your time. I'm here for you. You need to get this of your chest someday. Might as well do it now." Harry said, while he got closer to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder in support, not quite daring to give her a hug, despite wanting to.

Jewel nodded and took a moment to calm herself down.

"The wizards caught up to us and we had no choice but to fight back. I say we, but it was my mother who fought the wizards. I was petrified and I couldn't do anything. The battle raged on and my mother was losing. She…" she said, tears falling from her eyes.

This time, Harry left his worries behind and pulled Jewel into his arms. She immediately buried her head into his shoulder and cried.

Harry could already guess what happened next, but he stayed quiet as he wanted to give Jewel all the time she needed.

"She told me to run." Jewel said after a while. "She made me promise that I would survive and she told me to run and never look back. And I did."

"It's okay." He reassured her.

"I ran, and I didn't look back. And I've been running ever since."

"That's why you were all alone." Harry said softly.

"Yes. I didn't trust anyone and I stayed away from any human contact."

The two stayed silent after that. Harry was still holding on to Jewel as he processed what he had just been told.

Harry didn't have an easy life, but now he knew that Jewel hadn't had one either.

"Then why did you come to me?" Harry asked after Jewel calmed down again.

"I'm not sure myself. I saw you in the cold and I could smell blood on you. It made me curious. I had every intention to run away when you saw me. But then you spoke to me in Parsel. It had been such a long time since I last talked to another human being. And you being able to talk Parsel, meant that I didn't have to reveal my true self to you. So I took the chance. And after talking to you, I realized that we had so much in common. That's why a proposed the promise of trust to you."

"I'm glad you did."

"Me too." Jewel answered, while wiping her tears away.

There was still some time left before noon and Jewel took that time to explain Harry what a Monarus looked like. She hadn't seen one other than her mother, so she described her to him.

When harry asked if Jewel could show him her true form, Jewel informed him that she was too young to be able to transform. There were also some requirements that needed to be fulfilled in order to achieve the transformation. All of which weren't possible to do right now.

Next they talked about their plan to get to Diagon Alley. Jewel knew it was located somewhere in London, but she didn't know the exact location. However, she knew of a bus for wizards that could show up anywhere and everywhere to take you where you wanted to go, but she didn't know how to summon it.

"If we could get to London we could just ask people if they know where it is." Harry said.

"Maybe. You have to be careful with that, though. Muggles won't know what you're talking about."

"Then we just keep talking to people until we encounter a wizard, simple."

"For you, maybe. But, now you know why I don't like being near wizards. So, don't expect me to talk to strangers, especially ones that could possibly be wizards."

"Then, how about you travel with me as a snake? You can hide under my clothes, like you did this morning."

Jewel thought about it, but her face told him she wasn't convinced.

"Think of it as practice. Once I go to Hogwarts, I plan on taking you with me. You promised we would stay together after all. You might not be a witch, but you're still a magical being, so you're coming with me." Harry said determined.

Jewel didn't have a response to that. She knew Harry was right, she had made the promise that they would stay together. But she hadn't thought that far ahead when she did. Yet, she still didn't answer.

"Think of the things we will learn at Hogwarts. You can't use magic like I can, but you can still do magic. Aren't you at least curious about what else you could learn? I'm pretty sure they will teach us things that could be useful in day to day survival."

"You're being too reasonable, you know that? And it all makes sense, too. Fine, I'll go with you. But that doesn't mean that I like it!" Jewel said with a huff.

Harry gave her a broad smile. "I knew I could count on you." He was happy that she wasn't crying anymore.

"You're also pretty manipulative, I didn't notice before." Jewel said amused.

"Oh, really? I didn't notice, either." Harry responded, feigning innocence.

It made Jewel giggle, which in turn made Harry smile. The mood was considerably better than before.

Before they knew it, noon had arrived. To be on the safe side, Jewel transformed back into her snake form and crawled back under Harry's clothes when they made their way back to the house.

When they arrived, they found the door locked, like expected.

Looking around the street, they discovered that is was devoid of any other human life, which was perfect for what Jewel had planned.

She transformed once again. She was about to perform some magic and she needed to be in her human form to be able to do it.

She leaned against the door and whispered. "Open." And like magic, pun intended, the door opened.

When they went inside, Harry let out a sigh of relief, glad that it worked.

"Okay, you know what the Dursleys won't miss, so you go ahead and take what you can. Be sure to get some extra food to stash away in your cupboard." Jewel said.

"Will do." Harry answered and got to work.

First he gathered some things and put them away in the cupboard like Jewel had said.

Next he went back to the kitchen and grabbed some pots and cooking utensils. Then, he grabbed some ingredients.

"What are you doing?" Asked Jewel, while she watched Harry.

"Uhm, cooking?" He answered, not sure what Jewel was getting at.

"Are you sure that's okay? Won't they notice?"

"Not if we clean up. Don't worry about it, I've done this plenty of times. Do you like chicken with rice and curry?"

"I like chicken, but I never had rice before. And what's curry?" Jewel asked.

"Wait, you never had rice before? How come? And how can you not know curry?"

"I told you that I've always lived on the run. I usually hunt for my food, or gather things from the wild. When my mother was still alive, we would sometimes steal food. But, once it was just me, I never had the courage to do so." She said sadly.

"Well, that's about to change. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll introduce to you a whole new world, called a delicious meal."

"You're pretty confident about that."

"I've been cooking for as long as I can remember, so I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing." Harry answered cocky.

"We'll see about that." Answered Jewel amused.

True to his word, when Harry finished preparing the food, Jewel took one bite with wide eyes, before hastily shoveling food in her mouth.

"Hey, slow down! You're gonna choke yourself."

"Don't care. This has to be the best meal I ever had."

"It's a pretty basic meal, but I'm glad you like it."

After they had eaten, they cleaned up the kitchen. There was no trace left that they had ever been there.

"I've been thinking, Harry." Jewel said as she put away the last dishes. "I think it's better to wait to go to Diagon Alley until you receive your Hogwarts letter."

"Why?"

"You plan on asking random people where the place is, who knows how long that'll take. If we wait, then our chances of finding a wizard are much bigger. Think about it, you're not the only one who's going to receive a letter. So the new students will all go to Diagon Alley, because they also need their school stuff."

"I get what you're saying, but that doesn't mean I like it. it means that I have to spend more time in this prison."

"Well, we don't have the time today, but from tomorrow on, I'm going to teach you the basic of magic. You need to understand it before you can properly use it."

"Is it going to be difficult to learn? Magic, I mean." Harry asked worryingly.

"That depends on your magical core. Each magical creature has one, and depending on how big it, magic will come more easily to you. My magical core isn't very big. That's why I can't perform more than just some basic spells. Being a Parsel mouth helps, but not much."

"I see. I'll guess I'll find out then. How are we going to do this? We can under no circumstances let the Dursleys find out."

"We have to find time to spend alone, like today. It's not going to be easy, but I'm sure we'll manage. And worst case scenario, we'll run away."

"I guess you're right."

The pair made their way back to Harry's school, they needed Harry to keep up appearance after all. There was only an hour of school left, but it seemed like nobody missed Harry.

Instead of feeling sad, about not being missed and being overlooked, Harry felt relieved that he wasn't going to be reported to his aunt and uncle. It was one less problem to worry about.

The bus ride back home was similar to this morning, with Harry getting bullied by this nephew and his friends. But Harry felt hopeful about the future and it was easier to ignore them this time.

When the bus dropped the three of, Harry already know what was expected of him and without greeting his family, who were also home by now, he began making dinner.

Even though he had a good meal at noon, Harry still hoped that he was allowed to eat this time. But it seemed like the Dursley's were still not through with punishing him.

"When you're done, you're going to clean the house. And so help me if I find even one speck of dust when you're done." Petunia said.

Normally, that would have been it, but it seems like today Vernon had something to add as well. "And when the house is clean, you're going to report to me. We're going to have a another lesson in discipline."

Harry dreaded what Vernon would have in store for him today and he really didn't want to, but nodded anyway.

"Good." Said Vernon darkly, before settling himself in front of the television.

Harry resumed making dinner when Jewel poked her head out of Harry's sleeve.

"What did he mean by that? You tensed up when he said that. What's going to happen?" She asked worryingly, in a husked voice.

Compelled by Jewel's ability Harry answered in a equally husked voice. "He's going to beat me up."

Jewel was seething with anger by his answer. Oh, how she wished Harry could perform magic, then he wouldn't have to go through this any longer. But sadly, she knew she wasn't strong enough to protect him and she couldn't risk revealing herself, lest they both got into more trouble.

"I'm so, so sorry. I wish I could help you. But I'm not strong enough to keep you from harm."

"It's alright. You being here will make this more bearable. And I know you want to protect me, but you're already doing so much for me, so let me protect you this time." He said determined.

"What do you mean?"

"After I cleaned the house, you'll go to my cupboard and wait for me there."

"And let you go through that all alone? I don't think so."

"Please, if you stay with me, there's a good chance you'll get hurt as well. Or even worse, you'll get discovered. There's no need for both of us getting hurt. It will ease my mind, knowing that you are safe."

Suddenly, Jewel got a flashback to what happened with her mother. Her mother died protecting her, and now her new friend was going to take a beating. And once again, she can do nothing but watch. She quickly realized that she hates not being able to do anything. She hates it, and she hates herself for not being stronger.

For the rest of the evening the two didn't say a word to each other. Harry still wasn't allowed to eat, not that it came as a surprise. Only after Harry was done with all his chores, late in the evening, Jewel felt the need to say something, but she couldn't find the right words.

"H-Harry…"

"It's okay. I know. I'll see you soon, okay?" And with these words, Harry left Jewel in his cupboard to go face his uncle alone.

AN. So what do you think? I would love to know.

I know this is a dark chapter, things will look up for the pair soon (probably, then again, knowing Harry's luck...). XD

I'm still looking for a beta for this story. I have tried contacting some people, but I haven't gotten much response. So if anyone's interested, don't be shy to PM me. ;3