Okay so here is the second chapter. I'm glad people like my characterisations as writing Harry having something so awful happen to him wasn't easy without going a little OOC from canon. Poor Petunia and Harry. Please do give me some constructive criticism though please because while I've read about how victims react, I do think with your feedback, I can write Harry's trauma a bit better.

2. A Call for Help

Petunia knew even as Harry was taken inside that she needed help. That Harry needed help. The police could take Vernon away but she was too frightened to even live in that house anymore. But would Harry's people help her? Would Dumbledore help her? After the way she had treated Harry all those years, not making a move to help stop her husband out of fear that he'd hit Dudley - the way she had treated Lily before marrying Vernon...did she really deserve help? She didn't think she was any better than Vernon but right now, she wasn't the only one that needed them. Harry needed them, he needed help. But how was she supposed to get a letter to them?

Currently, she was sitting in the hospital room and wished the time would pass already so she could go see her nephew or at least borrow his owl to send a letter to Dumbledore or those Weasleys Harry always talked about. Even if they didn't help her and Dudley move to a safer location, they'd at least be able to help Harry recover. Luckily, she didn't need to wait too long as the doctor finished his check-up on her and happily dismissed her. She headed out, hesitating a bit in front of Harry's door before pushing it open and entering. Her heart clenched from the pain when she saw Harry staring blankly at his hands, gaze glassy and as if he weren't really there. She gently extended her hand, placing it on Harry's and the boy looked up at her, looking almost startled.

When Harry had first come to and opened his eyes, he had wished the darkness would engulf him again because the stench he felt leaving his body made him want to vomit. He hated this feeling. He didn't want this, he didn't want this to happen to him. He was disgusting - why hadn't he just died too that night his parents killed Voldemort? Would Ron and Hermione shun him now too considering what Uncle Vernon had done to him? He didn't know...he just knew this feeling needed to go. The feeling that someone had drenched him in the dirtiest swamp water wasn't going away. That was why when he felt the touch, he had been startled. Since the incident, he hadn't been feeling much of anything in particular.

"Harry," Petunia said softly. "Please say something."

Her voice sounded pleading but Harry didn't understand why. There was no point on being upset now, everything was over. You're just a thing to be used and played with. Those were Uncle Vernon's words when he had been hurting him and he knew it was true. Dumbledore and the Wizarding World was using him as a weapon against Voldemort, hoping he'd be able to kill the Darkest Wizard of their time. The Ministry of Magic was playing him, calling him a liar and turning him into an outcast because he wasn't follow their label of being the Chosen One and the Boy-Who-Lived. And what about the Weasleys and Hermione?

If he failed in the mission that the Wizarding World had set for him, would he really even have Ron, Hermione and the other Weasleys still support him? If they knew what Uncle Vernon had done, they'd turn the other way and decide that being friends with him was not worth the effort. He looked at Aunt Petunia. She seemed to be crying but he didn't know or understand why because it didn't make any sense that she should be crying over him. She couldn't protect him, she could barely protect herself.

"Harry," Petunia spoke again. "You don't have to go back. Neither do I. I'm going to send a letter to your people. You need your friends right now."

Friends? Harry stared at Petunia as if she had grown a second head when she mentioned contacting them now of all times. Honestly, they wouldn't care, they would want to stay away from the stench as much as they could.

"They won't come," he finally said flatly. "If you tell them I was raped, they won't want anything to do with me. No one deserves to be tainted, Aunt Petunia. If you don't want to keep me anymore, I'm sure you'll be forgiven if you strangle me. I feel dead anyway." He heard his Aunt sobbing and was so confused at why she was crying.

"H-Harry, I won't tell them the details," Petunia whispered shakily. "Just let me get their help. Let me borrow Hedwig and send your Headmaster an owl. I don't want to take Dudley back into that home either."

If the situation had been normal, Harry would have been marvelled at the fact that his aunt knew Hedwig's name but since she did seem so desperate, he shrugged. "If you want." He didn't care either way whether his aunt told or not. He knew he was simply a stain on the Wizarding World now no matter what anyone said so it didn't matter what happened next. All he wanted was to sleep, to let the darkness embrace him because everything else was much too painful to even think about.

"I just want to sleep," Harry said shrugging. "If I let you borrow Hedwig, will I be allowed to sleep?" His voice was steely but his expression was completely blank, no sign of any emotion on his face. Once Petunia nodded, he sighed. "Hedwig's outside, she flew here after us." One thing that did help was the fact that Hedwig still loved him no matter what had happened to him and that did bring some relief but it didn't stop the fact that his legs were so sore that he could barely walk. He watched Petunia leave before allowing the blanket of darkness (that was much more comforting than this fake light) to envelop him once more.

Albus Dumbledore was in his office, working on some things for Hogwarts since it was pretty late in the morning, 3am and he was finishing off some official documentation when he caught side of a familiar owl fly towards him and a frown covered his features. What was Hedwig doing here at this time? This was odd because there was still time before the school year had to start and he was concerned. Was Harry alright? He had been keeping the Ministry under control from here so that couldn't be an issue.

However, he dismissed his own thoughts opening the window and taking the letter from Hedwig's mouth as she flew inside and opened it, seeing from the downcast look on the owl's face that something was seriously wrong. It was a letter from his Aunt Petunia.

To Professor Dumbledore

This is Petunia Dursley soon to be Petunia Evans again. There has been a major incident in Privet Drive involving myself, my son Dudley and my nephew Harry. I, under the request of my nephew will not disclose many details of this incident other than the fact that Vernon has crossed his limits and hurt Harry in a terrible way. He has been taken into custody by the Muggle Police but Harry needs to be out of here and I need protection. Not for myself but I'm fearful for Dudley in case Vernon ever gets out of prison.

I know you have no reason to help me so I'll accept any scorn I receive from you due to the way I have treated Harry and never raised a voice to stop my husband's treatment but please help Harry. He's become so distant that he doesn't even seem to see what's happening around him. He needs your people now. Please. Help me for Lily's sake. I'm alone and I have nobody to support me and my son but I know I won't let my son suffer from Vernon's abuse if he ever gets out of jail. Please help us.

Yours sincerely

Petunia Evans Dursley

Dumbledore didn't know how to respond for the moment but he knew if Harry had been hurt in such a way that Petunia Dursley wanted to take action, the situation was quite serious. He looked at Hedwig, motioning the owl to follow as he lead the way to Severus Snape's dungeons where he was asleep which was normal like he said, considering the time but this was no time to sleep. He moved over gently.

"Severus," He spoke in a calm, yet composed voice and Severus stirred, opening his eyes and upon seeing who it was sat up immediately.

"Headmaster," Severus said, his tone calm yet a hint of surprise could be heard in them. "Is everything well? You don't usually come here at such a time."

"Unfortunately not, Severus," Dumbledore said with a solemn air about him that usually didn't surround the almost always optimistic Headmaster. He handed Severus the letter who quickly scanned. "I need you to bring Harry over to the Burrow and his Aunt and Cousin will be brought with him for now too until tomorrow morning where they will be placed in a house under the Order's protection. I will be going to the Burrow to inform Molly Weasley myself."

Severus nodded swiftly and the two of them headed towards the Floo channel to get to a place where Severus could apparate and for Dumbledore to contact the Weasleys and inform them that Harry was coming over to stay.

Ron Weasley had been asleep until his mother started rapping on the door rather loudly and he yawned sleepily. Honestly, how could anyone disturb him at such an ungodly hour of the day? He was tired and the sun wasn't even out yet. However, by now he knew better than to question his mother and simply opened the door.

"Mom?" Ron said sleepily. "Have you seen the time? It's way too..."

His mother cut him off. "Ron, dear, make space in your room. Harry's coming right now."

Ron woke up immediately at that, all signs of sleep gone from his face at how frantic his mother sounded and the fact that Harry was coming here right now. "Mom? What's going on? Is Harry alright?" His heart had begun to race in fear, worried about what could have possibly happened to his best friend that he had to come here immediately and the tears that had come into his mother's eyes didn't tell him anything positive.

"I'm not sure dear," Molly said sniffling. "But Professor Dumbledore came here and he says Harry's uncle has hurt him and his relatives in a horrible way. His Aunt and cousin will be spending the remainder of the night here before Dumbledore will move them to a safer place."

Ron's heart sunk when Molly said that Harry had been hurt in a terrible way and he couldn't imagine what it could be. Had Vernon physically abused Harry? He always knew his best friend's uncle was verbally abusive and neglected him but what could possibly be worse. Either way, Harry needed him right now so he would think about and ask Harry in the gentlest way possible on what had happened to him. Right now, he simply nodded to his mother.

"There's always room here for Harry," The redheaded boy said fiercely and knew even if he didn't have room, he'd make it for his best friend. He bit his lower lip, trying not to let different scenarios fill up inside of him because that was just scaring him half to death. He leaned into his mother's hug, taking her comfort and offering her some too but for some reason, he had a bad feeling about all this, a feeling he didn't like at all.

Severus Snape had never expected to be seeing Petunia Dursley again, considering his meetings with her had never been pleasant because she had been horrible to Lily and he had always defended his friend before he got caught up in the wrong company. He would never forgive himself for letting Lily down which was why he tried so hard to help her son even if he did look like his most hated enemy back at Hogwarts. However, what he saw when he entered the Muggle hospital and Harry's room where both Petunia and her son were, he stopped in his tracks, seeing the last thing he expected to see. Harry's eyes were distant and empty while Petunia had tears running down her cheeks as she held Dudley, face white as a sheet.

"Petunia," Severus spoke, clearing his throat but unsure of what to say.

Petunia looked up for a moment, eyes widening in slight recognition. "You're Lily's friend...I remember you but I contacted your Headmaster."

"He's the one who sent me," Severus said not looking up at her because he couldn't see that broken look on her face. It was all too familiar and reminded him of his younger self being abused by his father and he didn't want to see that. "We're getting all three of you to a safe place."

"What if Dad comes out of jail?" Dudley said fearfully and this made Severus snap his head up but before he could say anything, Petunia spoke.

"I won't let him touch you," Petunia said fiercely. "I'll die before I let that happen."

Severus had to cringe at the resemblance between the two Evans sisters right now. Lily had given her life to make sure Harry would live and now Petunia was willing to do the same thing. How ironic but he wasn't going to let this happen a second time. He wasn't going to let Petunia suffer the same fate that Lily had but he had never been good with emotions so he simply went into business-mode. "Nothing that dramatic will be necessary. Petunia, you need to come with me to talk to the muggle doctor into discharging Harry. Dudley and Harry will be okay for a little while." It bothered him how silent Harry was since he would usually say something but he didn't dwell. There were more important matters to tend to right now.