"Okay," Harry said. They had to work on this whole trust thing or their whole relationship would fall apart. Harry didn't think he could let that happen, it would not he wouldn't allow it.

Harry understood that trust like that couldn't just happen overnight, but if they both worked towards it, it would happen faster.

"When I was young, I lived in an orphanage before the Malfoys found me, "Harry burst out." Marvalos's head snaps up and stares at him at that information. If Harry expects trust from him, he has to show trust in himself. He just didn't count on how difficult it was going to be to talk about it. even after all these years.

"I was abandoned there, at least that is what was on my records." Harry said, "I was abandoned there." He repeated it slowly as if reminding himself "The Dursleys were the family that left me at the orphanage, but it was the potters who left me in the muggle world in favor of raising the golden boy, " Harry said, his voice tight as he blinked back tears.

He wouldn't shed another tear for those pieces of garbage that he had the misfortune of being related to. For all the potters spoke about being good and light, there sure wasn't a lot they did to back it up.

"Why?", Marvalo got out, as Harry's head snapped up from where he had been fidgeting with his hands.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Why tell me this now? Why did they leave you? "," Marvalo said, as if agitated and confused.

"Because I trust you, and I've learned that trust is a two-way street," Harry said, a small sad smile on his face.

They left me there because I wasn't their golden child and I only served to distract them from their savior. I was nothing but an annoyance after that Samhain night. It was like I existed merely to cause problems," Harry began. "So they gave me a way to my aunt. That woman didn't want me either, so I was packed up and taken straight to an orphanage. I was adopted, of course, but given back. Harry said, "Devil child was a favorite nickname of the matron." Harry murmured as he laughed bitterly.

His throat felt tight and his shoulders shook with the effort not to burst into tears. It had been a long time since he had told anyone that. The first person had been his mother, of course. She was his rock. She sat there petting his head until he had calmed down enough and had gently put him to bed.

He had been mortified the next morning, but she had pretended almost as if it had never happened. But he knew she took care to keep her movements slow when reaching out for him and never yelled because she had seen him flinch once. That's all it had taken for her to stop yelling entirely.

The second had been his mind healer, who he still had to visit every month, Healer Demine was a relentless bastard that he loved and hated in equal measure. She had helped him, of course, but it had been painful to talk about those memories again, but the healer had been right in the end. Talking about them had made them lose their power.

That's not to say they didn't hurt to talk about, they did, but the pain had dulled to an ache and he finally felt the wounds healing.

As he waited silently, still in Marvalos's lap, for him to take in the information that Harry had sort of just bomb shelled onto him and waited for any questions. Everyone always had questions.

"Well, I hope you know that you're wanted now and that they were assholes for doing that to you," Marvalo said finally, with a deep breath.

"That's it?..." Harry inquired, suspiciously.

Marvalo nodded silently.

Marvalo said, after a second thought, "Thank you for telling me. I'm glad you, uh, trusted me enough."

"Y-you're welcome," Harry stammered out, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Marvalo smiled a sharp grin and went back to petting his hair.

"Marvalo, are you allowed to stay at Hogwarts for this long? My father is probably looking for you, I'm sure, "Harry said softly, regretting breaking the moment but having no other choice.

"There's a hogsmead weekend on Valentine's. Would you attend? I want you to meet Blaise. He does not believe that I could like someone, "Harry said shyly."

"I am a dark lord, Harry," Marvalo said, amusement clear on his face in answer to the question.

"Well, that's not all you are, is it?"

OooOoOO

Marvalo breathed deeply to control his rage at Harry's casual admittance of his abandonment by his despicable family. How dare they abandon a magical child, in the muggle world? One child is favored over the other. Disgusting

He had been abandoned by his family, just like Marvalo himself, he thought with a bitter smile. He probably felt the betrayal hit harder since there was a second child, who was treated with reverence in the wizarding world.

It seemed they were not that different after all.

So when Harry moved on to another topic quickly, Marvalo was not surprised, but was quiet grateful. It was hard enough to restrain his rage he couldn't take any chances in accidently hurting harry in any way. Abuse and abandonment were sensitive topics, and he would think about them sooner or later. After he got over Harry's bombardment of secrets, he had to suffer through today, apparently.

Sometimes he wondered how the man's mind worked.

Marvalo stared at Harry in barely restrained surprise. He couldn't believe what Harry had told him.

Well, that's not all you are, is it

Many people seemed to forget that honestly. In fact, he could barely remember the last time someone associated with him, not for his connections . he didn't hate his life, he just wished for a moment of anonymity sometimes.

Harry looked up at him again, waiting for his answer to a question he had never been asked before.

"Alright, I'll be there, Harry," Marvalo said, resigned to meeting Harry's friend.

And in the end, it was all worth it, if only to see the brilliant smile spread across Harry's face.