Chapter 24

The fact that he was now sprawled unceremoniously on top of his squealing cousin Dudley made Harry want to heave. Not just because he could feel something sticky on Dudley's clothes clinging to his bare chest and arms or because there was a tangy stench hovering over the boy that reminded Harry's of curdled milk...

No, those weren't the reasons he wanted to heave, though they both came as a damn close second. The real reason was the look he had seen on his cousin's face when he opened the door. It was a look that he wasn't very familiar with but could none-the-less recognize:

Pure and unadulterated lust.

A shudder of disgust ran through Harry as he quickly threw himself back and off his cousin, landing with a thump just inside the doorway of his room. Leaning back onto his hands to steady himself, he watched with growing repulsion while his cousin floundered wildly on the floor. Ostensibly, it seemed as if Dudley was just too chunky to be able to roll correctly so he would be able to get onto his knees. Instead he laid wailing and rocking back and forth trying to get up.

Harry grimaced. This was definitely not what he needed. /Well you know what they say...once it rains, it pours./ He thought sickened by the change of events. Just minutes ago he had been having a...what was the word?...tryst?...with Draco.

And now he was sprawled on his arse, revolted by the sight of his cousin and the knowledge that some of the gummy mess had been transferred to the smooth contours of his own torso.

/If this is what I think it is, I'm going to be sick.../ Harry thought, touching a hand to one of the sticky patches just above his breast-bone. Swallowing thickly against the bile that was slowly rising, he watched as a trail of the mess clung from his fingers to his chest.

Harry's stomach gurgled.

Taking a deep breath through his mouth (he didn't want to chance catching Dudley's scent again), Harry looked over to see that his cousin had somehow rolled to one side and was staring at him eyes wide and face red.

"I-I-I..." Dudley stuttered out. Harry scowled. Hearing his bulbous cousin try to stutter out an explanation was almost as bad as hearing his squeals. Pulling his legs in closer, Harry easily pushed himself into the standing position.

"What do you want?" He demanded. A slender thread of anger was beginning to weave its way inside him. Why the hell had Dudley been trying to...spy...on them? What had his pillock of an Uncle told them? Why would Dudley want to spy on them? And better yet, exactly how long had this been going on?

"Well?" He demanded again when his cousin just stared up at him. "You heard me."



Dudley just continued to stare up at him, occasionally making a gurgling sound in the back of his throat. If it would have been anyone else, Harry would have felt slightly sorry for him...

"Dudley..." Harry began but was cut off as his Aunt's shrill scream bounced off the walls. It was enough to make even his cousin yelp and Draco start so hard the bed legs scraped against the ground.

"Vernon! VERNON! HE'S DONE SOMETHING TO MY DUDLEYKINS!" Her haggish voice cried from the direction of the stairs. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Involuntarily, he took another back when he heard the shout of rage from downstairs.

/Bugger!/ He cursed mentally, even as he tried to think of what to do. If his Uncle came up here in a rage, which was more than likely, the out-come was going to be very very bad. Especially with his godfather standing just outside the house.

/He probably heard Uncle Vernon!/ He thought panicked, taking two quick steps forward to try to see if his godfather was already rampaging his way upstairs. But no, all he saw was his Uncle crash onto the second floor of the house, face white with fury.

Harry's eyes widened as his hand tightened into sweaty fists. Vernon had a look in his eyes that he knew all to well...

"Harry watch out!" A soft voice cried. Harry's head swung back around just in time to see the smug characteristic smirk on Dudley's face before one chubby leg shoot out and kicked Harry in the knee.

A spider web of pain shot through him, making his legs crumble beneath him and his eyes snap shut. His body hit the ground with a hard slap.

A hiss of pain escaped his lips as he blindly reached down to hold onto his knee. /It's broken...I know it is/

And so it was. How badly, Harry couldn't say but there was no mistaking the sickening pop that had sounded when Dudley's foot had forced it into an unnatural angle.

Already Harry could feel his knee swelling to press against the contours of his jeans and a dull ache was setting into the regions of his body that had hit the ground first. Distantly he could hear the sound of raised voices but the pain seemed to be swallowing them up as his heart beat pounded in his ears.

Dully he could feel a cool hand press against his shoulder and he forced his eyes open. Draco's ashen face was staring down at him with wide eyes, the boy's lips moving rapidly. Harry couldn't hear him.

/Oh Merlin it's not suppose to hurt this bad.../ He groaned, fingers twitching against his swollen knee. But Harry didn't have the time to wonder why the pain seemed to be amplified.



Opening his eyes--when had he closed them?--Harry stared in hazy shock as he saw an unmistakable sight:

Draco Malfoy, wand raised to the ready, chanting spells at the three people who had made his life a living hell.