CHAPTER TWO

"What did you need, Draco?" Lucius asked as he entered the bedroom. He stopped dead in the doorway and didn't notice when Severus gently moved him out of the way. The Potions Master, too, froze at his first look at the raven on the bed. Silver eyes filled with sorrow met onyx, before turning to his father.

"Harry, who did this to you?" Draco asked, once he turned back to the boy on the bed. The raven buried his face in the pillow, sobs shaking his emaciated frame. The three Slytherins waited out the breakdown, knowing that it was what was needed before the teen could talk about it. Finally, the sobs tapered off to sniffling and hiccups, and Harry lifted his face from the pillow, eyes puffy and red.

"It…it was my cousin," he answered softly, ashamed. "He…he decided that I-I needed a lesson. S-so he caught me in-in my r-room three d-days ago and sh-shoved a t-toilet br-brush handle up my bum. Au-aunt Petunia c-caught him and...and sh-shooed him away. Sh-she t-told Uncle Vernon, and...and h-he b-beat me." Tom Riddle had been standing outside the door. He wasn't sure he'd be welcomed at this point, and his red eyes narrowed in rage as he listened to what the child had said. Storming into the room, he walked up to the bed, wand out, and started murmuring complicated spells as he swirled his wand over the raven's prostrate form.

Harry didn't even flinch as he felt the Dark Lord approach; he was fine with the idea of dying, if that was Riddle's purpose. Harry was done; done with the wizarding world, done with the muggle world; just done. He couldn't care less if he lived or died at this point. The tingling all through his body had him twitching for a moment, before it felt like every cell had heated up. Torn muscles and ligaments, and detached tendons repaired themselves, and the damage from years of malnutrition slowly faded. His anal passage was the last to be healed; as it was the most grievous injury, it took longer to mend. As the pain eased, Harry heaved a relieved sigh, looking at the Dark Lord with something like gratitude.

"Thank you, sir," he said politely, blushing at the thought that the Dark Lord, as well as Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, had seen his naked backside. Understanding the blush, Draco quickly draped a sheet over the Gryffindor's body, earning a look of immense gratitude.

"No need to thank me, Harry," Riddle replied with a smile. "No need for formality, either. My name is Tom, and you may use it."

"Yes, Tom," Harry replied, looking at the man curiously. "Not to seem ungrateful, because I'm not, but why am I here and no one is throwing curses at me?"

"You're here because Mrs. Figg saw what was going on in your home, and told us," Severus replied, stepping further into the room. He grabbed a chair and placed it by the bedside on the opposite side of Draco, sitting and leaning forward to talk to the teen on the bed. "She tried to tell Albus of your abuse, but the old man refused to listen. It seems he wanted you to stay there, no matter what happened. So, she turned to me during one Order meeting, and asked to speak to me.

"When the meeting was finally ended, we went into another room, and I warded it for privacy. She then told me of what was happening to you, and of the headmaster's laissez-faire attitude with you. She was in tears, worried that you wouldn't survive your 'imprisonment' for much longer. Concerned, I went to Lucius, who agreed that something must be done. Fortunately, the Dark Lord was present, and he came up with a plan. We told your watcher to let us know the perfect time to come get you, and she did."

"How long ago did she contact you?" Harry asked curiously, trying not to be angry or upset.

"It was at the beginning of the summer, Mr. Potter," Lucius chimed in. Emerald eyes darkened with rage.

"Why wait so long?" he ground out through gritted teeth. "Why not come get me as soon as I got to the house? After all, you would've saved me from the beatings of this summer, at least."

"Albus had Order members watching you all the time," Severus tried to placate the angry teen. "We had to wait until it was Mundungus Fletcher's turn to watch before we could make our move. Dung had a habit of wandering away to do other things, instead of watching you, so we knew that we'd have ample opportunity when he was on watch."

"Dumbledore had people watching me? Seeing and hearing everything I went through? And they did nothing?" By now, Harry was sobbing bitterly, his face again buried in the pillow beneath his head. Giving the adults a 'look', Draco indicated with a quick jerk of his head for them to leave. They exited the room, closing the door softly behind them. The blond then turned to the weeping boy, putting a hand on his shoulder and rubbing for comfort.

"You're safe now, Harry," Draco murmured softly. "You will never return to that hellhole again, I promise you." After a time, Harry finally got himself under control and rolled over, making sure the sheet stayed in place.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"I've always wanted to be your friend," Malfoy shrugged. "My father used to talk to me about his friendship with James Potter when they were in school. He and uncle Sev would regale me with tales of their hijinks together, until Sirius Black came onto the scene. It was Black that drove a wedge between your father and mine. Black made it seem like my father was evil incarnate, and, despite having been friends with Father and Severus for a lot of years, your father listened to him. It didn't help that, any time your father came upon an encounter between Black and my father, Black had made it look like it was my father's fault; that my father or Severus had somehow started the fights.

"Up until fifth year, Black had been home-schooled. Great-uncle Orion, being a strong Dark wizard, didn't like the idea of his heirs matriculating in the school with a bunch of halfbloods and mudbloods. He also didn't trust that Dumbledore would treat his children fairly. After all, the headmaster has a clear bias against Slytherins, and Orion thought both of his sons would have been Slytherins. Imagine his surprise when great-aunt Walburga sent both of their spawn to Hogwarts, and Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor. The shame must've been mortifying for him. Needless to say, Sirius Black effectively created so much discord between Slytherin and Gryffindor, that the rivalry still holds true today."

"I'm sorry," Harry murmured softly. "I know what it's like to be bullied. I don't know who Sirius Black is, but I already don't like him. He sounds like my cousin Dudley."

"The Blacks are an ancient and noble pureblood family. My mother is a Black, as is my aunt Bellatrix. Sirius Black is considered, well, a black sheep of the family. He turned his back on his family and heritage when he met your father in school. Unfortunately, he was able to charm your father around to his way of thinking, and as a consequence, your father ended a long friendship with my father and uncle Sev. Your mother hated Black, though. She grew up in the same neighborhood as uncle Sev, and they were great friends. It was thought that she, Potter, my father and godfather would be friends for a long time. When Black came along, that all changed, and your mother hated him for driving a wedge between all of them."

"Mum sounds like a smart cookie," Harry said softly, smiling. "Your godfather was one of the few teachers who tried to help and protect me from the rest of the school. McGonagall kept interfering, though, so I was left pretty much alone a lot."

"I'm sorry that you had no one at school, Harry," Draco said sadly. "I wanted to be your friend, but every time I tried to approach you, you'd bolt."

"Yeah, sorry about that. The Dursleys convinced me that I was unclean and unworthy of friendship. When I got to Hogwarts, I thought things would be different. They weren't. I was bullied in Gryffindor, and made to feel unworthy there. It was hard to accept that anyone would want to be my friend."

"You will always have support here, Harry," Draco replied, reassuring the raven. "These rooms, in fact, are your permanent rooms. Know that you will always be safe and cared for here, and that things with the Dark aren't what everyone makes them seem. When you're better, you'll have a meeting with Tom, Father, uncle Sev and the rest, and they will explain the truth of things."

A few days later, after an intensive schedule of nutrient potions and bone strengthening potions, Harry felt well enough to leave his sanctuary. Draco had come by every day, spending many hours with the raven and sharing stories of his family and friends. Harry discovered that the Slytherins were set to welcome him into their House, and were bitterly disappointed when he had been sorted into Gryffindor. They had also noticed his skittishness, and were concerned for his welfare and safety in the house of the lions, who saw any weakness as permission to bully and abuse.

So, with Draco at his side, Harry finally decided to leave his personal haven and brave a meeting with the others. The teens meandered along the upstairs hallway, talking about Hogwarts and whether or not they'd return, when Bellatrix exited from a bedroom further down the hallway. Emerald eyes widened in fright, and Draco had to clamp a hand around the raven's wrist to keep him from bolting.

"Hello, Auntie," the blond greeted happily. "Hope your stay here has been good?"

"Good morning, little nephew," she replied, glancing at Harry for a moment. "I have greatly enjoyed my stay here. Would you introduce me to your friend?"

"Ah, where are my manners," Draco responded with a sheepish grin. "This is Harry Potter."

"Hello, Mr. Potter," Bella said, holding her hand out to the raven. He hesitantly nodded and reached for her hand, trembling fearfully. She gripped his wrist and smiled gently at the boy before nodding to the both of them. She released her grip and turned, striding down the hallway to the stairs. Just before she descended, she looked over her shoulder at the boys. "Draco will take good care of you, Mr. Potter."