Dark Love
Chapter 3: Meetings and a school train.
Harry was napping on the train, his head in Leilah's lap.
Harry was very comfortable.
Harry was dreaming, of memories from years ago...
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Flashback.
A five year old child was being hit with a scalding hot frying pan. He had been ordered to cook breakfast for the Dursleys on his birthday, and he burnt the bacon and eggs. The beating was particularly hard as the hot pan left burns as well as bruises. He was then thrown in his cupboard to heal.
With tears in his eyes the boy sat in the comforting darkness. A darkness that had been his only safe haven he ever had in his life. The family he lived with seemed to make it a rule that as long as he was in his 'room' he was off limits. He then felt a cool hand on one of his arms. He couldn't see whom it belongs to, but the burns and bruises felt better, almost if they were healing as a hand moved over them.
Turning he looked to see if he could find whom was helping him. He could barely make out two luminescent golden eyes gleaming in the dim light coming from the cracks in his door. The figure gathered him in his arms, as he broke down in quite sobs at the unfairness of his life.
Soon he fell in to a slumber that lasted to the next day, when his aunt banged in the door telling him to cook breakfast again, and not to screw up this time.
He turned the light on in his cupboard, and saw what looked like nutritional bars and drinks next to him, fearing that they'd be taken away he hid them to consume later, and ignored his growling stomach.
It wouldn't be the first time he didn't eat for a day.
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It was a cold winter night after a blizzard, and a young boy was shoveling a drive way, and making little progress. His uncle told him he wouldn't be allowed inside until he had completed the job. With only a light coat and some rags for his hands he had been working for over a half hour to clear the foot of snow from the driveway and sidewalk.
He had cleared about five square feet, less than a fifth of the area that needed to be cleared, and was tiring. Leaning on his shovel, and feeling despair at finishing before he died of cold, a second shovel, this one made of darkness given form scooped up some snow beside him, much more than he could take in a single trip, and dumped it on the pile that was on the lawn. Where he needed to take three or four trips per shovel distance, the second figure, not really well seen in the light of the dim streetlight was much taller than him. She mussed his hair as she passed, and took up another shovel worth.
He smiled, he couldn't say how he knew, but he did. It was the same person that had comforted him in his cupboard five times since that first day, and always left easy to eat food behind.
Emboldened he continued to shovel, helping out as much as he could. He didn't even realize that she had draped a special scarf around his neck, an unusually warm one, that had the words 'for Harry' on it.
Twenty minutes later the driveway was done, and the figure gone. Knocking on the front door saw his irate uncle looking out prepared to yell at him, when he saw the driveway and sidewalk clear, and footprints showing that someone had obviously helped him, along with the scarf.
Growling about interfering neighbors he threw the boy back into his cupboard with his promised Christmas meal, a cheap microwaved can of soup and several slices of bread. It was the best Christmas meal he had in his short life. This was supplemented by the hunk of chocolate that was with the bars and drinks given to him by his friend that day.
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A seven year old Harry had long noticed a pattern with his new friend. The friend always showed up in the dark, or at best dim light, and always when he was in pain, drowning in despair, or the rare times he was sinking in rage. He only knew she was female because he could feel her breasts when she hugged him to herself.
He drooped in depression, and wondered if he ever became happy, would she abandon him?
She felt her then, hugging him from behind for a minute, as she whispered something in his ear, a whisper that cheered him up.
"I come as much as I can, and as long as you want me to. Just I save the times until you need me."
and she was gone.
He was happy that she cared as much as she did, but was confused as to why.
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At ten he noticed that his housemates, never family, never thought of as that, were starting to avoid him, or more precisely miss him when he was in a dim area or shade. He wasn't invisible, more like he tended to blend in.
"A gift," she had said when she saw him the night of his birthday.
Best gift he could imagine.
Crap, Dudley found him, time to dash.
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It was the first night at Hogwarts, and he was scared that his friend wouldn't be able to find him, he had got used to her comforting presence when he was in his darkest moods.
A cool and soft set of lips on his cheek made him smile, and fall into a deep slumber.
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End flashback.
He woke as the train started moving, and mumbled, "I can't believe I forgot, how could I of." then louder, "Leilah, I'm sorry for rejecting you like that..."
The dark elemental shook her head and replied, "It's fine, you had both just killed, and been nearly killed, all the while dwelling on some really negative aspects. You recovered, that's what's important.
The light elemental looked over and nodded with a smile.
Harry frowned and had to ask, after several months, "Can you talk?"
The elemental smiled impishly, causing Harry to face-palm, and mumble "of course she can, but she just doesn't." then louder, "Do you have a name at least?" the elemental gestured to him and with a sigh, and a moment wracking his mind he replied, "fine, I'll call you, Helina."
The elemental smiled and then moved to cuddle the now sitting boy.
She was joined by the dark on the other side, making an odd sensation of being warm on one side, and cool on the other.
He was used to it.
Then the door opened showing the two that he most did not want to see again, and Helina, in response to his emotions made a barrier of light blocking the room off from the outside, beating Leilah by half a second. Looking at the elemental Harry freed an arm to pat her on the head, then id the same for his other elemental.
It was obvious by the scowl on the two's faces that they were in the mood to bitch at him.
The spell fire at the barrier showed that they really really wanted to get to him, as did the shouts. He then heard Percy Weasley chase the two off, and the barrier fell after the two left.
He poked his head in and rose an eyebrow at the elementals, and decided not to comment except to ask, "Harry? Was that you that made that wall?"
"Nope, she did," jerking his head at the light.
The Prefect nodded his head and left, knowing that dealing with two, apparently powerful, magical beings are above his 'pay' grade. Especially since he wasn't getting paid.
Some things are easier to leave to professors.
Two hours later the third most disliked visitor came by, and took one look at Harry's situation, and laughed, which caused Harry to chuckle as well, he probably looked ridiculous. He then decided to talk before the two magical beings took offense. He was bigoted, not a complete moron.
"I see you dropped those two, so I decided to re offer my hand in friendship. I spoke to my father and he advised me to try again, and to take it easy on my views until I get to know you better," he said with a smile.
Harry looked at him blankly, he had long noticed that, after the pact, he seemed to be unable to forgive others he had to think on such things. He decided that forgiving Draco wasn't really possible, but also realized that many of the problems between the two were because of mutual bad impressions, and a redhead. His response wiped the smile from the other boy's face, but didn't replace it with a scowl.
"I don't think we can become friends that easy, especially with our history, but I don't see why we can't become neutral for at least the year, with a possible friendship later, if things go well. We both made mistakes the first year, compounded because a certain redhead," came the reply. "we can revisit this if I like what I see this year."
Draco raised an eyebrow, that... was a perfectly acceptable compromise considering how badly the two acted towards each other the previous year. With a nod, he and his bookends left, only to be replaced by the other two, again.
Harry sighed and growled out, "So, both o you are too stupid to get the hint, so I'll say it outright. Get. Lost!"
The two growled at the insult, especially the bushy haired girl and she opened her mouth, "Your the stupid one, I want my books back, now."
"They belong to the Potter family, and were stolen. Helina, please block them off again."
"Calm down Harry," Ron said. "We're friends after all."
"Friends don't spy on friends, or steal from them, or accept stolen property. The money and books you were paid came from my family vaults. So let me make this perfectly clear to both of you. I. Don't. Need. Backstabbing. Traitors. Like. YOU!"
Ron opened his mouth, when Leilah beat Helina to the punch this time and sent the two out of the compartment and made her own barrier to keep them out
The barrier dropped an hour later, due to Harry hoping to meet some new friends, although if those two came back again he is going to leave it up until school, and an odd person walked in, took one look at Harry, and promptly asked, "Mind if I interview your elements? My father's paper would love to have an article about them. Would you also like to add some comments? Those two that were chased out an hour ago seemed to have developed a bad case of wrackspirts."
Harry smiled, the girl seemed friendly enough, and more curious than judgmental, but he had to ask, "An you are?"
"Oh, sorry. Luna Lovegood."
"Well Luna, it's up to them, but Helina doesn't talk by choice so you might have trouble with her," he replied with a smile.
He was soon laughing at the interview, his dark elemental girl was baffled by some of the questions, but still tried to answer them, and Luna had a decent stack of notes to write an article with.
A barrier was put up and kept up ten minutes after Luna entered.
Soon enough there was an announcement that they were ten minutes from Hogsmead, and a barrier to separate the compartment appeared allowing them to change in privacy without running into unwanted company.
It was surprisingly easy to avoid the two main irritants for Harry, and ended up in a carriage with a couple of female Slytherins and a Hufflepuff.
He entered the school, and with a grimace at the necessity, he walked to the deputy headmistress and spoke to her, and she acquired a look on her face that made her look like she ate a mouth full of warhead candies at the same time before nodding, this was a definite change from the sucking lemon look she had when she first laid eyes on Harry this year, and pulling him to the side to wait until the first years were sorted to perform the request.
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Inside the Great Hall the headmaster's eyes weren't twinkling. He had to give Harry many copies of books from his privet library, and loose more when he accidentally copied a book taken from another family. The loss of the Potter funds also hurt, but not as much as the knowledge from the books.
He noticed that Harry hadn't entered yet, but he knew he was in the building. He needed to convince him to befriend Ronald and Hermione again to give him insight into his mind. Although prom the pissed looks they bore he had some fast talking to do to let Harry close again.
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he missed the sorting, until his deputy made an announcement, one that screwed up many of his plans.
"I have a student that had requested a resorting, Harry Potter."
Dumbledore sat up in dismay, as Harry walked to the stool and placed the hat on his head.
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"Back again I see. Let's take a second look shall we... you have changed, not only due to the pact. Slytherin is still a good choice, but Ravenclaw is now a valid option. Hufflepuff is out, as your loyalty is too hard to gain. Gryffindor, that is the source of many of your current problems, in fact a new one was just sorted this year. So, the birds or the snakes?" the hat sent into Harry's mind.
"I choose..."
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Cliffhanger, ain't I stinker?