Warning: This chapter contains depictions of physical and sexual abuse. If this bothers you in anyway, then don't read!

Author's Note: This chapter was written in Harry's POV for another special treat. In the last chapter, several hours passed while Draco was in limbo. The same amount of time has passed in Harry's time in limbo as well. You will see why I changed the story title to be Bring Me to Life in this chapter, and it will make a lot more sense.

This chapter was recently reposted. The song "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence was yet another inspiration for me to write this story. I had originally included it in my story, but I had to remove per fanficition's policy.

Chapter 26-Bring Me to Life

Harry opened his eyes slowly as if he was waking from an endless sleep. At first he was completely unaware of where he was or how he had even got there. In his foggy like mind, he could not even remember what day it was.

His body felt oddly sore, like he was covered in bruises and welts. The pain was something that he had grown used to, but it hurt nonetheless. His stomach growled hungrily. He must have missed dinner again. Looking around Harry found himself inside of his cupboard under the stairs.

He felt his chest tighten with panic, he hated being in here. He was highly claustrophobic, and this was the worst place he could be right now.

He got up from his cot and yanked on the door. Locked once again! Somehow he knew that he should just calm down and wait until he was released. But the fear he had at being inside this cramped tiny space was overwhelming. It felt like he would never escape. Putting all reasoning aside, he began to pull on the door and bang loudly to be let out.

"Stop that racket! What is the bloody meaning of this? We are trying to watch a show on the telly!" Uncle Vernon yelled from the living room.

Harry could hear his uncle's thundering footsteps stomping down the small hallway. His uncle unfastened the lock and threw open the door.

"Well… explain yourself this instant!" his voice bellowed. Harry was really scared. He knew better than to cross his uncle, and his breath smelled of alcohol.

"Can I come out now Uncle Vewnon?" he asked quietly.

"You will come up when I say you do, and not a moment sooner!" he replied. Harry looked away knowing that he was defeated. "Look at me when I am talking to you!" His uncle slapped him across the face. Harry forced himself not to cry and looked back at his uncle. Crying always made things worse, especially when his uncle was drunk.

"If you know what is good for you, you will stay quiet and not disturb me again. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He picked Harry up by his large shirt and waited for his reply.

"Yes, Uncle Vewnon," he replied.

"Good," and with that he threw Harry's five year old body back into the cupboard and slammed and locked the door.

Harry lay down on his cot and pulled the thin blanket over his frail body. He felt very sad and lonely. Why did his relatives hate him so much? They were never kind to him like they were to their son Dudley. The Dursleys made him do a lot of chores, and they punished whenever he said or did something bad. Sometimes they punished him even when he hadn't even done anything wrong. He hated his life. He wished that his mommy and daddy were still alive. Then he could live with them instead of the Dursleys. He began to cry quietly, wishing that someone would come and save him.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but when he awoke, he had an eerie impression that he wasn't alone in his cupboard. He reached for his glasses, but was still unable to see anything in the darkness. Whatever was in the cupboard with him was breathing quietly. What if it was a monster? Harry was terrified and sat as still as possible. Maybe then, the thing in the cupboard wouldn't hurt him.

His eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He could see that there was light coming from beneath the cupboard door so it must be early morning already. The creature in the cupboard with him appeared to be a blond haired teenager. Harry wasn't sure what he should do. The boy didn't look like he would hurt him, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Hello?" said the boy. "I won't hurt you…."

"Who awe you?" asked Harry leaning forward. He wanted to get a better look to see if he knew this person. As far as he was concerned, he had never seen this person in his life.

"Harry?" the strange boy asked. "Is that you? Are you okay?"

"How do you know my name?" he asked cautiously.

"Harry, it's me Draco, don't you remember?" the blond haired boy asked.

"Dwaco…."

"Yes, you know, from Hogwarts," said Draco.

"I don't even know what Howawts is," said little Harry, "and I don't know who you awe eithew."

The boy named Draco looked at him thoroughly surprised. Who was this boy and how did he know him?

"Is there a light in here, Harry?" asked Draco.

"Yes, but Uncle Vewnon said that I am not allowed to use it. It wastes electwicity," said Harry.

"Well, I won't tell him. Why don't you turn it on?"

"Okay, pwomise?"

"Promise," said the older boy.

Harry reached up and pulled on the thin cord that was hanging from the ceiling. A dusty light bulb flickered to life, illuminating the tiny closet. Draco looked at him sadly in the dim light.

"That's better," said Draco. He tried to stand up from his position on the floor, and found that he had to crouch down instead. He sat down on the small cot next to Harry and looked at him curiously.

Harry thought that the boy looked rather nice. He was tall and thin and had caring eyes. Not like the eyes that Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia had. Their eyes only showed their hatred towards him. This boy's eyes shined with kindness and understanding.

"So this is your room? he asked.

"Yes," said Harry uncertainly. "How did you get in hewe? Uncle Vewnon always locks the door."

"I am not really sure, but I do know that I was sent here to protect you."

"Pwotect me? Fwom what?" Harry's eyes grew wide in fear. Was something going to get him and eat him?

"It's okay Harry, I won't let him hurt you." What was he talking about!

"Who?"

"Your uncle," the boy replied sadly.

"Oh… ah… my uncle doesn't huwt me," said Harry quickly, shaking his head from side to side. How did he know about him?

"Oh, really? Then how did you get those bruises on your face?" asked Draco.

"I fell down the staiws," Harry said looking away. That was the line his relatives made him rehearse if anyone began to ask him questions like this.

"I don't believe you. I know that your uncle beats you, Harry."

"He usually only does it when I do something bad. Sometimes he has to because I make something happen that isn't supposed to happen. I am a fweak," he confessed.

The older boy reached out and hugged Harry to his side. Harry flinched at the gesture because he wasn't sure how to respond. He had never been hugged like this before. He began to relax as he felt Draco kiss the top of his head lovingly.

"Harry, listen to me," Draco began, "you are not a freak. You can make things happen because you are a wizard. You are capable of doing wonderful magic."

"Don't say that word!" Harry pleaded.

"What word?"

"The m word. It makes Uncle Vewnon vewy angwy," he said looking up into Draco's blue-grey eyes.

Draco sighed deeply and picked Harry up and arranged him on his lap. At first the jostling had been painful because of his injuries, but Harry soon found that he liked this feeling of being cuddled and he snuggled up against his warm body. No one had ever treated him this way before. Sure, Mrs. Figg was a nice lady, but she never gave him affection like this. He found himself wanting to cry. This is what he had wanted for so long; someone to care about him. What if he went away?

"Harry, you are a very special person. You are not a freak and there is nothing wrong with doing magic. Your relatives don't know what they are talking about. You are a wizard. Just like your parents were."

"But they said…"

"I don't care what they said. I am telling you the truth… because I love you," he replied. Harry felt Draco kiss him on his forehead near his strange scar.

"You love me?" asked Harry his eyes wide. He didn't think that he was worthy of being loved. No one had ever said it to him before.

"Yes, with all my heart," said Draco.

"Then I love you too," said Harry happily. He made a wish that this person who had suddenly come into his life would never go away.

"You awe vewy nice. Awe you an angel?" asked Harry after a few moments.

"Something like that," said Draco looking down at the small boy in wonder.

"Shhh…," said Harry. Harry heard his relatives beginning to wake upstairs. He reached up and turned off the light above their heads. He could hear the water running in the upstairs bathroom, and a commotion coming from the bedroom. It appeared as if his aunt and uncle were arguing yet again. After a few minutes, his uncle began to descend the stairs and walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

A short time later his aunt and his cousin Dudley came downstairs as well. Harry had gotten pretty good at recognizing the sound of everyone's footsteps on the tread of the steps above him. He crawled off of Draco's lap and moved back into the corner of his cot. He listened for sounds that would indicate everyone's mood this morning.

"Honestly, Vernon. I am sick and tired of you drinking your life away whenever there is the least bit of trouble at Grunnings. Look at you. It is barely morning and you already have a drink in your hand. It's pathetic!" she yelled angrily.

"Petunia, I have a hang over. Nothing cures it better than a glass in the morning. Besides, you don't even know what you are talking about."

"Mom, are we going now?" Dudley whined.

"In a minute, now hush," she said to her son. "Vernon, Dudley and I are going out for the day. I expect you to be fully sober when I return. I will not tolerate this abnormality in my household much longer."

"Fine, go!" he shouted at her. "Be home in time to fix me dinner."

"Fine! Let's go Duddikins," she said. Harry could hear his aunt and cousin gathering their coats and shoes. They soon left the small house on Privet Drive.

Harry looked at Draco wide eyed. It was never good thing when his uncle was drunk, but he hated to think what could happen without his aunt there to referee. She never said anything about Vernon punishing Harry, but she did complain if things got too out of hand. She didn't want any of their nosy neighbors to discover what was going on in her own home.

"It's okay Harry. I won't let anything happen to you," said Draco.

"Okay, thanks," said Harry appreciatively. He truly believed that he wouldn't come to harm as long as Draco was there.

His uncle suddenly threw open the cupboard door, "Who are you talking to boy?" He asked looking around the tiny closet. Apparently his uncle was unable to see Draco sitting beside him on the bed. Was Draco a ghost? Why was Harry only able to see him?

"No one, Uncle Vewnon. I was talking to myself," he said.

"Well, stop that rubbish and get out here and fix me some breakfast," he ordered. His breath smelled like whiskey.

Harry looked back and forth between his uncle and Draco and slid off of the small cot. He padded barefoot out into the hallway and began to follow his uncle into the kitchen. Before he reached the door, he turned back to look at Draco.

The tall boy was standing in the closet in the open door, but it appeared as if he was pounding his hands against some invisible barrier. His face looked like he was panicking about something.

"Awe you coming?" he mouthed to Draco.

"HARRY! Something must be wrong! I can't follow you. I can only stay in here. Oh gods…. Harry, I am so sorry… I promise I will still be here. Come back as soon as you can!" said Draco as he continued to search for a way out of the cupboard under the stairs. His eyes appeared glossy like he was trying not to cry.

Harry nodded at him, and was startled when he heard "BOY! Get your ass in here!"

"Yes, Uncle Vewnon," said Harry as he pushed open the door.

"Get started already. I want a bowl of cereal, and a cup of coffee. Oh yeah, and I will take it in the living room. What your aunt doesn't know won't hurt me, right?" he asked.

Harry nodded. Aunt Petunia never let anyone eat in the living room. All their meals had to be respectable, which meant sitting at the dining room table. He was relieved that all his uncle had wanted was a bowl of cereal and coffee. He probably couldn't stomach greasy eggs and bacon in his current state. At least it was something that Harry was capable of making. His aunt didn't allow him to use the stove yet, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he would be learning how to fairly soon.

He quickly began the pot of coffee using the filter packets he had seen his aunt use. Luckily for him the coffee maker was at the end of the counter where he could reach. He then set about getting the cereal. This was a little trickier. He needed to use a kitchen chair in order to reach the cereal box in the pantry. His stomach growled hungrily once again. He knew better than to eat anything himself, his uncle somehow always knew and punished him for it.

When the meal was ready a short time later, he set everything on a serving tray that he had seen his aunt use when company was over. He felt proud of himself for preparing the meal and not even making a mess. He carefully carried the tray into the living room and handed it to his uncle. The large man was currently watching a movie on the television set.

"Hewe you awe, Uncle Vewnon," he said politely.

"Yeah… now get out of my way," he said. Harry stepped away from the TV and started to head back to his cupboard. He was hoping that Draco was still there. He would like to talk to him some more about magic.

"Where do you think you are going?" asked his uncle turning his head towards him.

"Back to my cupboawd," said Harry innocently.

"Oh no you don't. You are going to stay right here and in case I need anything," said Vernon.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and sat on the floor near his uncle. At least he got a chance to watch the telly, which was something he was never allowed to do.

After a few minutes, Harry realized that the movie that his uncle was watching was on a cable channel. It was probably not appropriate for someone as young as Harry to be watching. There was a lot of violence, and now there was a couple making out on the television. Harry watched curiously as the couple began to take off their clothes and touch one another. He had never realized that people did that to one another. He was startled again by the sound of his uncle's voice.

"Come here boy," said Vernon. Harry turned his head to see his uncle setting the tray on the coffee table near by. There was an odd gleam in his eye that unsettled Harry greatly.

He stood up and approached his uncle cautiously. Harry didn't like that look in his uncle's eyes. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything wrong, but you could never tell with Uncle Vernon.

"Sit down next to me," his uncle said, pushing Harry down next to him. "Now I want you to be a good boy and do as I say. Do you know what will happen if you don't listen?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"You will punish me?" asked Harry.

"That's right. Now I want you to take off your pants….be a good boy…" he said forcefully.

Harry was too terrified not to obey. He had received quite few beatings in his lifetime to know what happened if he crossed his uncle. He was so much smaller than him that he had barely stood a chance on the few occasions he tried to protect himself.

What happened to Harry in the next fifteen minutes was something that shattered his very spirit. His uncle had never done anything like this to him before, and yet everything felt vaguely familiar.

He sat quietly while he was poked and prodded and touched in places that no adult should ever touch a young child. Harry tried to resist, but was promptly threatened with harm if he didn't do as he was asked. He knew what was happening was wrong, but he didn't want to be in any more pain. He hated suffering all the time. His uncle then began to play with his own privates, forcing Harry to assist him. He grunted and moaned in a very odd manner, saying vile things to his young nephew.

Harry began to cry silent tears when he felt a gooey white substance covering his small hands. His uncle told him that was what good boys were supposed to do, so why did this feel so wrong?

"Stop your sniveling," said Uncle Vernon. "Did I hurt you?"

"N…no," said Harry.

"Right, because you were a good boy. Now go clean up yourself and get me another cup of coffee."

Harry quickly dressed and raced to the kitchen with the coffee mug. He washed and rewashed his hands in the kitchen sink several times, desperately trying to rid himself of the vile substance that had tainted his hands. Why had his uncle did that to him? Was he going to do it again?

Harry refilled the coffee mug, and entered the living room again. His uncle had fixed his clothing and was now flipping through the channels on the telly. Harry trembled as he approached his uncle. He was so out of it from his previous experience that he didn't even notice the coffee table until he ran into it, spilling the hot coffee all over his uncle.

"OWW! Why you little… freak! You did that on purpose!" He stood up quickly and tried to brush off the scalding liquid.

"No, Uncle Vewnon. I am so sowwy….so sowwy…" he pleaded with his uncle.

"After everything I do for you, this is how I am treated!"

Harry apologized over and over as his uncle began to beat him senseless. His entire body was exploding in pain. Just when Harry thought he couldn't take it any longer, his uncle threw him back into the cupboard. His entire body felt like it had been broken into a thousand pieces.

He had just enough energy left to lie himself down on the small cot as his sore and broken body screamed in protest at the smallest movement. He had almost forgotten all about Draco, when he felt the blond haired boy kneel beside his bed.

"Oh, Harry….I am so sorry…what happened?" asked Draco, his voice full of concern.

"…" Harry said nothing, but began to cry quietly. He couldn't stop thinking about what his uncle had done to him. He really was a freak now.

"Harry, please talk to me… tell me what happened…." said Draco as he tried to brush his messy black hair away from his eyes. There was a hitch in his voice like he was willing himself not to cry.

"You said you wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. You lied… you awe just like evewyone else."

"I didn't know that I couldn't leave the cupboard. I thought was here to protect you," said Draco. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and began to dab at Harry's split lip.

Harry pulled his head back in pain. "Don't touch me!" he said.

"What?… I am just trying to see if you are okay," said Draco, trying to help him once again.

"Don't touch me!" said Harry. He pulled up his knees painfully to his chest and tried to make himself as small as possible. What if Draco tried to touch him like that too? What if he wanted him to be a good boy too?

"Oh, Harry…. I love you… I would never hurt you… I love you…" He could hear Draco trying to coax him out his shell.

He stayed as absolutely as still as possible hoping that the boy would just leave him alone. He wasn't worth loving. He was a freak. He was dirty. No one would ever really love him.

"Harry… what happened?" he asked again.

"My uncle…he…he…did b-bad things to me. He touched me in a n- naughty way," Harry stuttered. He wasn't sure why he was even telling Draco. It wasn't like he really cared about him, right?

"Oh gods… I am so sorry I wasn't there…are you okay?" asked Draco.

"…" Harry sat very still hoping he would just go away and leave him in his misery. He couldn't even save him like he promised.

"What your uncle did to you wasn't right….he deserves to be sent jail for what he did," the blond tried again.

Harry still remained silent. Everything bad always happened to him. Sometimes he wished that he would just die. He began to feel very cold, and everything was getting darker. He was in such despair and he felt like he would never be happy ever again. He didn't have any strength left to fight the darkness, and he allowed himself to be dragged further and further within its depths.

He could feel himself being picked up and placed on Draco's lap once again. He thrashed his arms and legs wildly in protest. He didn't want to be touched anymore, but Draco held onto him. After a while, Harry calmed down and went limp in his arms. The older boy gently rocked him back and forth, whispering reassuring words into Harry's ear. Harry ignored everything and continued to embrace the darkness.

"I am so cold, Draco. I am all alone in the darkness," he sad sadly.

"No, you are not. I am here with you. Harry, you have got to fight this. I can't lose you!" Draco pleaded. "This isn't real Harry. You aren't a helpless little boy anymore. You are a strong wizard capable of doing wonderful things. Don't let this be the end," said Draco.

The end? That sounded appealing. Maybe if he died he wouldn't have to suffer any longer. At least then he could be with his parents and Sirius. Sirius? Who was Sirius?

"Your uncle can't hurt you anymore if you don't let him. You ran away from him. You saved yourself! Don't let that be in vain," he said. I saved myself, when?

"Who is Siwius, Dwaco?" asked Harry, coming out of the darkness partially.

"Sirius? Ah….Sirius… was your godfather."

"What happened to him?"

Draco paused for several moments before he finally answered. "He died last year at the hands of one of Voldemort's followers."

Harry could vaguely recall seeing a dark haired man falling through a veil into a black abyss. What had happened? Images began flashing through Harry's mind as the memories came flooding back.

"I remember now," said Harry. "It was all my fault that he died." (A/N: His speaking patterned changed as his mind begins to understand everything. He has matured even though he is still represented as a small boy).

"No it wasn't Harry. Voldemort was feeding you visions of Sirius being tortured to lead you to the Department of Mysteries. You had no way of knowing if the visions were real or not. You went there in order to save Sirius."

"But he died anyway. Just like all the others," said Harry who began to cry tears of sorrow once again. Memory after memory was flooding into his mind. His parents, Professor Quirrell, Bertha Jorkins, Frank the caretaker, Cedric Diggory, and now Sirius. They had all died because of their connection to Harry.

"Voldemort killed them, not you. You need to understand this."

"Voldemort?" asked Harry. He was beginning to remember something that had happened just before he had woken up in the cupboard. There had been a battle of some kind.

"Yes, Voldemort. He is a very dark and powerful wizard."

"Voldemort tried to kill me at the masquerade ball," said Harry distantly as he pieced together all the information.

"Yes, you remembered. I used a spell to save you. That is why we are here in limbo. We don't have much time."

Harry could feel that their time was indeed drawing near. Draco could sense it too, because he seemed as if he was panicking. He pulled Harry back to look into his emerald green eyes.

"Harry you are a good person. Nothing that has ever happened to you was ever your fault. You need to accept this in order to move on. You need to save yourself once again. You are strong enough, and I believe in you. I can't help you in the way I thought I could, but I am here for you."

"Why am I so important to you? Why do I have to accept anything?"

"Because I love you Harry. I can't live without you, you are my soul mate. You are more important to me than anything else in this world. And you have not fulfilled your purpose on Earth."

"And what purpose is that?"

"Defeating Voldemort!"

"Is that all I am to you? A weapon? I think I would rather die thank you very much." The darkness began to close in on Harry again.

"No, if you die, then we will all perish. What about your friends?" Draco pleaded.

"Friends?" asked Harry. What would happen to them?

"Yes. Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, the Weasleys, and me. We all love you very much and we will all die if you choose not to live."

"Really?"

"It's possible. Harry, we need you. Please come back with me," begged Draco.

He couldn't stand the thought of his friends coming to harm because of him. Too many have died already. Could he really pass on and not give them a second thought? NO! His friends were his real family. They had been there for him after everything that has ever happened. He cared about his friends more than anything else on earth. He wouldn't let them die because of him.

"But I can't leave the cupboard," said Harry. "It's locked."

"This place isn't real! It is just a figment of your imagination."

"Then how do I leave!"

"You have to accept all the wrongs that have happened in your life. It's okay to still live with the pain. You are a strong person. You will get past all of this."

"I can't Draco, it hurts too much. I am not worthy to live on this earth. I am a freak, just like my uncle said."

"You are not a freak! I know it hurts, but you have to move on. You are better than this, don't give up!" he yelled at Harry.

"Draco, I don't know how!" he yelled in panicked voice. All Harry could think about was all the awful things that had ever happened in his life. He could feel the darkness pulling him down. The cupboard slowly dissolved around them into nothingness. He didn't really want to die, did he? Wasn't that just taking the easy way out?

"Harry, I refuse to live with out you. So if you give up, then so do I. But I don't want to die! We have so much to live for. You have to try, for me!" he pleaded.

Was Draco really willing to sacrifice himself if Harry gave up? Would he die too? He couldn't let that happen! Draco had shown him what it felt like to be loved, and for that he was eternally grateful. In this crazy, chaotic world he had found his one true love and he wasn't about to let go.

"Harry!" yelled Draco. Harry could feel that they were being torn apart from each other. He couldn't do this without Draco.

"DRACO, I LOVE YOU!" He shouted into the darkness. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME AS LONG AS I AM WITH YOU! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS! I ACCEPT EVERY AWFUL THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. I WANT TO LIVE! DRACO……"

Harry felt himself thrown back into Draco's arms in the metaphorical darkness. They clung to one another desperately. Harry could feel a pull on his solar plexus as he and Draco were catapulted forward. A blinding white light surrounded them completely. He felt as if he was being pulled into some unknown direction, but he was not afraid. He was with his Draco and that was all that mattered.

A/N: Okay, I chose to do the molestation scene instead of a rape scene because I don't have it in me to write something like that. I know that this chapter was a little graphic, but it was necessary to the plot. Harry had to overcome something really traumatizing, so I chose the first time he was hurt by his uncle in this way. I would like to state again that I have never been abused so I am writing this purely on what I have heard and read about. I hope that I have not offended anyone in anyway. Sirius and Cedric's deaths were traumatizing too, but I think the ramifications of his uncle's actions are much more influential on Harry's psyche. There is only one chapter left to go!

Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!