Chapter Six Part Two: Birthday
Summary: Harry was abused for years before he was rescued and now he lives an almost perfect life with his rescuers. But life is about to drastically change… For the better or for worse? Read and find out.. HPDM Slytherin!Harry Mentions of abuse and attempted rape.
Author's Note: Thank you for waiting, I won't keep you from this chapter, but read the AN at the bottom. R&R
'Three years. It's been three years since coming here.' Harry thought in amazement as he lay in his oversized bed in his own room in Malfoy manor. The too small eight year old wiggled his way into sitting up against the huge mound of pillows, watching the moon move slowly across the sky, coming closer to its zenith with each passing minute. The raven loved the night time hours; the moon's soft enchanting rays and the solitude and peace it brought while he was bloodied and broken in his too small cupboard, and when Vernon locked him outside for the night, he hid from the prying eyes of the neighbors, watching the beautiful night life most people seemed to forget. Even now, bright emerald eyes watched on in amazement as the owls flew by his window searching for their meal for the night; his eyes only shifting from the night time entertainment to check the time. It was a ritual for him to countdown to midnight the night before his birthday, even if he now lived in Malfoy manor.
After being saved by Sev and Uncle Luc, as he liked to be called, from the Dursley's it was hard to adapt to his new life in the manor. At first he didn't know how to behave or what to do, so he reverted back to his previous training. The morning after he arrived, and after much thinking, despite the multitude of injuries he had tried to get out of bed in order to begin his typical morning chores, but as his feet touched the ground he collapsed on the floor. He tried to get up several times, but failed. He froze hearing footsteps, tears began to gather in fear as he continued his struggle again, freezing again when the door slowly opened. Severus stood there for a few minutes before slowly walking over, approaching the broken raven like he would a frightened animal, telling him his every move in advance as he helped him back into bed, flinching still as they went. Severus had whispered as his eyes slowly closed, he had nothing better to do than get better.
It took months for him to stop flinching at any loud noise and even longer for someone other than his friend, Draco, to touch him. It had taken even longer for him to break his daily chore routine, but he kept his space spotless, very neat for his young age. After he was physically healthy enough they gave him a small list of chores just like Draco to do, but not an extensive list like the Dursley's that was near impossible to complete.
Thinking of Draco, Harry smiled; he was the best friend he had always dreamed of having. While at the Dursley's he wasn't allowed to have friends or really talk to anyone at all. He still had problems talking to people, but his small blonde friend could always figure out what he needed without words. At almost eight years old, he was now able to play like other children his age; Draco was his constant supporter, along with everyone else, encouraging him to do more, eat more, and reassure him that no one was going to hurt him while he was at the manor.
One of Uncle Luc's owls broke the methodical flying pattern, pulling Harry from his thoughts, as the owl dived for its prey. The small raven haired boy threw back his covers, small feet softly padding their way to the window seat, curling up under the window, a pale cheek resting against the cold window pane. A small smile spread across his face as he remembered his very first birthday after arriving here.
{Flashback}
Emerald eyes shining with a hidden power flickered open as the sun's rays pierced through the thick black curtains, invading his room. Stretching his stiff achy muscles he sat up in his soft, huge bed. Harry was still on bed rest a little over a week after being rescued from that awful place, sleeping on and off during that time slowly recovering from his ordeal. He only had a few small cuts and bruises left; his ribs and reset bones taking longer to heal of course.
He was so thankful to the Malfoy's and Severus for healing him and being so nice, but when was it going to end? A long time ago, the small boy learned nothing good ever lasted long and was swiftly taken when you thought you could keep it. Every night before bed, he prayed to whoever was listening to let him keep this family and his father, Severus.
A huge smile threatened to take over his face; he actually had a living parent. His wish for Vernon and Petunia to be lying about the accident had come true. Severus was everything Harry could imagine a dad would be like, even though he rarely showed a positive emotion, he expected that. Sometimes the older male would come in with a tray of food and sit in the armchair that didn't move from his bedside, telling him funny stories of him and his mother growing up not far from where Petunia lived now. Harry would listen to his father's soft baritone voice for hours as he got lost in a memory of the young Lily Evans. Lucius often followed when Cissa, as she asked him to call her, came in to check on him, telling him the more embarrassing stories of his father and their escapades during their Hogwart's years to take his mind off the touching.
Surfacing from his thoughts, he wrinkled his nose in confusion as someone would usually be in here by now with either breakfast or at least to check up on him. Harry wiggled his way free of the blankets piled on top of him, slipping down so that his feet touched the cold wood floor below, wrapping a soft, fluffy robe around his small frame. Leaning against the bed for support, he slowly stood, struggling to make his weak legs obey him. Several minutes passed before he felt like his legs could hold what little weight he had, sweat beading and slowly sliding down his neck and down his back stinging his still open wounds. Using the walls for support, the already exhausted raven made his way toward the door, peeking around the doorway, looking for any sign of life down the corridors he hadn't had a chance to explore yet. He opened the door wide enough for his slim body to slip through, tiptoeing down the halls in search of one of the adults or his friend, even an elf would do.
As the weak, limping boy made his way down the corridors on his floor looking for any soul, Harry stumbled upon many curious things in his search: a study, library, a room filled with small trinkets that seemed to radiate something he would guess was magic, and a room that was nothing but windows and allowed the sun to flood in, making it look like a small piece of heaven. Eventually, he found the stairs leading to the other floors of the manor, nibbling his lip in clear indecision. This place was a lot bigger than he thought it was, and he was tired from just searching this one floor. How many more were their left to search? Fear was slowly creeping up his spine making his heart pound and his breathing come faster than recommended. He took a deep breath to steady his heaving heart and walked down the staircase determined to find his lost family. They couldn't have forgotten him already. Could they?
An hour after reaching the floor below him, the exhausted raven decided he was lost. He had decided to go back to his room again, hoping that someone would eventually come up and get him, but he couldn't find his way back now. Everything looked the same to the small boy, feeling like he was constantly walking in circles, he couldn't even find the stairs now. His breathing picked up, panic and fear setting in as the halls seemed to lengthen ahead of him. He stumbled and fell to his knees; his frail chest squeezing his lungs tight not allowing the air to pass. He was going to die, Harry decided. Falling to his side, arms hugging himself as he tried to calm his breathing, closing his eyes to help focus on the most important thing, breathing and living.
Oh, they were going to be so mad at him for leaving and having to find him and being a bother. That didn't help his breathing, but he opened his eyes to look around and came upon the sight of what must have been a small servant's cupboard just across from him. No one could reach him in that small space. Crawling his way to the cupboard, he shakingly opened the door and slipped inside and found the dark, small space to be a welcoming. The dark haired boy curled in on himself as silent tears slipped down his flushed cheeks. They were going to be sooo mad at him.
He could have been there waiting for hours, but he then again it could have only been a few minutes. Thoughts of what they would do to him once they found him kept running through his distraught mind… If they found him. His thoughts took up so much of his attention that he never heard the soft, hurrying steps getting closer to him or the soft light entering his small haven.
"Harry…" He froze where he was lying on the cold floor, biting his lip to stop the desperate sob from escaping him. Oh no, they found him. Curling up further into a ball, trying to protect himself from the harsh words he knew were coming.
"Harry, what are you doing in here?" The smooth voice of his father reaching his ears, but it did nothing to quell the overwhelming fear running down his spine. "Please come out. I'm not going to hurt you young one."
Severus watched his only son shake in fear. They had been looking for him for a better part of an hour after they discovered the injured boy was not in his room. The family had been setting up things for his birthday and had lost track of time, none of them realizing how late in the morning it had gotten. Severus had gone up to wake his raven haired prince and discovered he was gone, and the search was on. They had searched all the floors above and below twice, before the elder Malfoy's had to get calm their son down when they didn't find him. Searching from his son's room down to the floor below, he couldn't have made it too far being that he was still injured, making it almost impossible for him to get more than a floor away. He had stopped and collected himself as the panic started to set in again when he heard sniffles coming from further down the hall. Severus sat in front of the small cupboard, waiting for Harry to collect himself, softly reassuring him that everything was okay.
Several minutes later, Harry slowly relaxed from his tight ball, whimpering as he moved his legs away from his burning chest; his ribs did not like staying in that one position for so long. Moving slowly, Severus helped Harry out of the cupboard and into a sitting position, emerald eyes never leaving the raven haired man. They sat there waiting for the panting raven to catch his breath, his father rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand.
Once calm enough, Severus cleared his throat, making Harry look up at him through his fringe. "Would you like to tell me why you are out of bed and down here in a cupboard?" The small boy's breathing started picking up again, and he grabbed the fragile hand again, rubbing softly in circles. "I'm not mad Harry, I was afraid you had ran away or you were kidnapped again. I'm sorry if I frightened you."
"I-I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to be a burden. I was looking for you or the Malfoy's. You guys are usually in my room in the early morning to check on me… I was afr-afraid… I was afraid that I had woken up from a dream and you weren't real…" Harry trailed off looking away from his father. He had been so scared it had been a dream, and he was back in the Dursley's house, or he was trapped in his own nightmare.
"Well son, I'm sorry for being so late this morning. We were getting everything ready for your special day." Severus watched as emotions played over his son's face: fear, curiosity, confusion, and… was that hope? A sad smile on his lips, his precious son was so broken; would they be able to fix him?
"Special day?" Harry whispered softly, hope filling his voice even if he tried to squash it down. Had they remembered?
"Happy Birthday, my young prince."
{End Flashback}
Silver eyes watched the small raven, who was obviously far away in another world, from the door. He slowly made his way toward Harry not wanting to break his trance like state and startle him by his 'sudden' appearance, stopping a few feet away. It was the second year that his friend was staying here that he had discovered his little ritual, and since then joined him a few minutes before Midnight to ring in the special day. Draco sat on the window seat beside the soon-to-be birthday boy just as the clock rang, signaling the beginning of a new day. Harry smiled at his fair haired friend as they counted the chimes.
"Happy eighth birthday, Harry." Draco whispered softly, lifting his arms for the hug he knew was coming. He didn't have to wait long.
"Thanks, Draco." Harry whispered back just as enthusiastically, leaning forward and settling in his arms, the blanket settling over the top of the two. They talked for a while about what was happening for that day and anything else they could think of. Draco soon noticed that Harry had stopped talking and when he looked down he saw that he had fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb the still restless boy, Draco got comfortable on the window seat and soon drifted off to the sight of the silvery moon reflecting off the wings of their fine feathered friends.
Harry looked at all the people scattered around the large ball room, grinning. It was his birthday. There were dozens of people that he had become acquainted with through the Malfoy connections. The few that were close enough to be called friends and had children were also close friends of his and Draco's. He searched out his blonde haired friend and from there they were off in their own world with their small group.
They first met Blaise, who was walking in just before their entrance. The dark skinned italian was quiet and shy but was loved by their group. When the young Zabini lord was over at the manor, they could almost always be found in the huge library close to Harry's room. The adults had a wager going, betting the two would end up in Ravenclaw instead of the expected Slytherin, they spent so much time reading and debating about not only magic but many other subjects, including muggle ones.
Soon after they found the dark male, one of the only females in their group made her way over from her parents. She was short, but still taller than Harry (Everyone was taller than him regardless). She was beautiful, with a swaying loose blonde curls, and light grey eyes, similar to Draco's but without the soft blue hue that his male friend had. She liked to rebel against the pureblood lady like teachings and was often determined to follow around her male friends and practice her sword play, and sometimes, though not often, she surpassed her male companions. Daphne Greengrass was the closest to Harry besides Draco, being the only female in his life beside the Lady Malfoy.
Once they found everyone, they took off toward the darkest corner of the ballroom and furthest away from the adults. After three years of being here, Harry still could not stand to be in large crowds, and the Malfoy's understood that, so they let him get away with hiding from the party goers, but he still socialized a little bit here and there, and for that they were grateful. They hoped by the beginning of the children's years at Hogwarts he would be much better.
Hours later, the party was over, after candle blowing and gift giving, the young raven wanted nothing more than to collapse in his bed for a week and sleep. Eyes half lidded he hugged everyone good night and stumbled his way up to his room in a sort of daze. There had been so many people. Even in his dark corner with his closest friends he a moment of panic, but thank Merlin and Morgana for the small miracles called friends. Harry shakily opened the door to his room only to stop at the shadowed figure sitting on his bed. His throat seized before he could scream, but soon settled hearing the soft voice filter through the room.
"Harry." His father's dark tone whispered through the air, light glinting off a glass bottle he was rolling in his skilled hands. "I have something to ask you, let's get you ready for bed first though." Setting the potion bottle on the bedside table, he stood and helped Harry through his nightly rituals. Yes, he was old enough to do them himself, but he gave Severus this time to do as he pleased because he had already missed so much of his life, and he wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he liked being taken care of.
"What is it, papa?" He whispered as he snuggled down into this fluffy bed, Severus sitting once more where he was before Harry had entered the room, potion stained hands running through equally raven black locks. Emerald eyes gazed up at his papa, his dark blue eyes looked so sad.
"I wanted to ask you, Harry, if you would like to get rid of the glamour that was placed on you as a child? It is entirely up to you if you want to keep it or not." Tilting his head to the side curiously, Harry wondered what it would be like to look like his papa, not to mention it would be harder for someone to recognize him for the boy-who-lived. "Regardless if you take the glamour off or not, I also must tell you of some other things that could affect you in the future."
Harry really didn't have to think about the glamour, he letting it sink into his sleep deprived mind. Looking up at the hopeful eyes of his father, he nodded. "Yes, Papa, I would like to look apart of this family. I take it that is what the potion bottle if for?" One of his rare smiles slipped onto his face, tension he didn't know of slipped away, and he nodded. Of course his son would pick up on that.
"I wanted to give this to you before you went to bed, because it could be painful and it's easier if you sleep through it. Okay?" Again, Harry nodded in understanding. The potion's professor picked up the glass vial and handed it uncorked to his son. "Drink this tonight and we will talk in the morning, Okay?" Tipping the vial back, he drank it all, and before his eyes closed he felt the changes begin.
Author's Note: I know it has been a VERY LONG time. I am so sorry everyone. This chapter was actually going to be a lot long, but I felt I had kept you waiting long enough, so I decided to cut it a bit short. School has started and I have been moving this summer so I have been very busy. This chapter probably sucked and I am really sorry for that. I will of course probably come back and edit it later. Please leave behind reviews and suggestions I could really use encouragement. Thank you.
Pure-blood Reject
