A/N: Most italics indicate thought

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own any of these characters, although I wish I did.

Warnings: There is abuse in the first chapter, although not really that graphic, and this will be slash, so if you don't like, don't read!

"Get down here boy!" Vernon screamed.

Harry, knowing better than to get on his uncle's nerves, practically flew down the stairway, hoping that he wasn't in trouble.

"What did I tell you about that bloody owl!"

Harry looked at Hedwig, who was sitting, looking rather content, on the kitchen counter, with bread crumbs at her feet. Harry's best guess was that she had come in through the kitchen window, which had been left open because of the heat, and, after perching, had seen the freshly made bread.

"Um... keep her in her cage, sir?" Harry guessed. His uncle had never actually told him anything about the owl, so Harry had to take his best guess. Vernon was known for his short temper, and his quick resort to physical violence, to Harry only, Vernon's own personal punching bag.

"And...?" Vernon tapped his foot impatiently.

"And... That she is not allowed to eat bread?"

This guess was met with a sharp slap to the face.

"Did you not listen to anything I said, boy? I told you that I never wanted that ruddy owl in the kitchen!"

Harry bowed his head, looking at the floor. He wanted so badly to scream at his uncle, and to tell him off, curse and scream and kick, and hurt, basically cause as much damage as humanly possible, but he refrained. The slap to the face reminded him of earlier... incidents, in which he had tried to retort. One of these so called "incidents" had left Harry incapable of moving for a couple of days. No fractured bones, so far, however, and no scars. His uncle was careful; he had to give him that. Just by looking at Harry, you would never know that he wasn't fed properly, or that his uncle hit him.

"Is this understood? That bird is to never enter the kitchen!"

Harry nodded his head, walking over to pick up Hedwig and carry her to his cupboard, where his relatives had moved him back to, after deciding that he didn't truly need Dudley's old bed room.

As soon as he reached his room, Harry placed Hedwig onto his bed, which was dusty and hard. The bird then opened one talon, showing Harry some bread, which he took gratefully, petting Hedwig lovingly.

"Work faster, boy!" Vernon yelled from his comfortable seat in the lawn chair. He was sipping at a cool glass of lemonade as Harry slaved away to cut the grass.

"I'm goin'!" Harry screamed back, immediately regretting his decision as a large sized rock came whizzing towards his head, courtesy of his uncle.

"Fucking harpy," Harry muttered so that Vernon couldn't hear him. Only a few weeks, and he would be going back to Hogwarts. He couldn't be happier to return to the one place that was his sanctuary. A place he could get away from Vernon, Dudley, Petunia, fists, starvation, and flying rocks.

Finally, he had finished with his chores, and was heading up stairs when he heard a commotion in the living room. He poked his head out of his cupboard to watch the unfolding scene.

"What do you mean you're going away!" Vernon screeched.

"I'm only going to see a few of my friends for a while, along with Dudley. One of my friends has a nice daughter that I would like our Duddy-kins to meet," Petunia said softly.

Harry's uncle seemed to size up Petunia, before nodding his consent. "Alright, go. How long will you be away?"

"A week or so," Petunia answered. The two continued to talk, but Harry had retracted his head back into his 'room' and turned to the snowy white owl that was in the corner of his room.

"Hedwig," Harry said, realization dawning upon him, "this means that I'll be stuck with Vernon for a week, maybe longer!"

The owl hooted one sorrow filled note.

That night, Vernon came home in a drunken stupor, apparently pissed off beyond belief. And who took that brunt of Vernon's anger? Harry. What was more, was that Vernon had a gun, from where, and why Harry never really was sure. All that mattered was that Vernon was drunk, Vernon hated him, Vernon was mad, and Vernon had a gun.

"BOY!" Vernon screamed. Harry thought that that yell must have surely burst one of Vernon's lungs, it was so loud. Some of the windows rattled, and Harry knew that the neighbors surely heard it. But like good neighbors, whatever was happening wasn't their business, so they would stay out of it. Harry was truly alone.

"Why is the kitchen floor not mopped! Why are the windows dirty!"

Harry came out of his cupboard, but stayed near the door, in case he would have to rush in to get out of harms way. His wand was in there, too, in case it came to that.

"Because, sir, I was never instructed to mop the kitchen, and I did the windows earlier today, they must have gotten dirty again."

"You were shirking your chores! I can tell! Don't lie to me boy! I know when someone is being lazy!"

Harry thought Of course you do. Takes one to know one...

That was when Vernon raised the gun. His hand wasn't steady, due to the excessive amounts of alcohol in his system, and his lack of experience with guns.

"I- I'll do the windows now, however!" Harry volunteered. He wasn't a coward, but he certainly wouldn't put it past Vernon to fire the gun, and he didn't want to get shot at, however bad the aim, just because he refused to do a bit of washing.

"Too late boy! You were shirking your chores, and you have to bear the punishment!" Vernon cackled wildly, and on of Harry's last thoughts was that there had to be more to Vernon's behavior besides the alcohol. Drugs maybe...

And that's when the gun went off.

Nobody screamed, and the only sound was the sharp report of the pistol. Vernon fainted dead away after pulling the trigger.

Harry toppled backwards, thinking Hold on Mom and Dad and Sirius... I'll be with you soon. And then his world went black.

A/N: Haha! What will happen? Harry doesn't die, just so you know! I would greatly appreciate knowing what you think of my story so far! I await your feedback, so please review! I will love you forever and ever!