Hi loves! So, It has been a long time since I have published anything on here. My old story is still fluttering around in the back of my mind, but it is already as long as some novels and still needs work. I am currently writing my debut novel so working on that old fanfic isn't what I spend most of my time on. But I still use fanfics as a way to write without feeling pressured to write "perfectly" I welcome criticism, and I just hope this doesn't suck. But either way, I hope you enjoy this little one-shot.
I will have another short fanfic coming soon and will one day finish Dragons and Snakes (lol) my next story will be a dimension travel fic. It will involve Harry as a sub in a BDSM relationship with Draco. If that is your vibe, then look forward to the next fic coming as soon as I finish editing it!
As long as one person besides me likes this then I am happy!
TRIGGER WARNNING! (themes of Abuse, Blood, Knives)
(sorry Guys no sexy time but it will be cute I promise)
If these themes bother or trigger you, please don't read this fic. Sorry LOL I just like torturing poor lil Harry.
Disclaimer I don't own Hogwarts, Harry potter books (movies) ect, If I did then I wouldn't be working this hard to become a writer.
...
Harry Potter skulked out of Vernon's sedan keeping his eyes down, and his back hunched in on itself. Before they left for the train station, Vernon had left Harry something to remember him by. Vernon had learned years ago not to bruise Harry's face and arms, after a teacher had called him at work, worried that Harry was being bullied by the other kids.
Last day of his summer Harry had known he was in for a nasty few week back to school, when Vernon cornered him in his room to punish Harry, without his belt in hand. Vernon had pulled a cane out from behind his back, making Harry startle back like a skittish deer. As the huge man approached Harrys eyes get a nervous twitch. He clenched his eyes closed to keep the fear out of his eyes, but that turned out to be a dangerous mistake. When the first blow didn't land Harry knew he was about to be in a world of pain. Vernon grabbed, Harry by the wrist and tossed him onto the bed face down. A metal clink sounded, and Harry's wrists were held tightly to the headboard with a pair of cheap metal handcuffs, the kind you get from a sex shop.
Another snap sounded, as Vernon closed a second pair of cuffs around his other arm. This time Harry began to hyperventilate, this was not normal Vernon behavior, and now he couldn't escape. Harry wanted to scream for help, but his aunt was gone for the day, not that she would help him even if she had been at home. Harry turned his head, to see what Vernon would do next, the cane was gone, and Vernon had his back turned fiddling with something. Harry shivered wondering what could be worse than a caning, so bad that Vernon would tie him up so he couldn't run. Harry had been caned once before and he had ended up in the hospital afterwards. The breath was sucked out of Harrys lungs with a painful whimper when Vernon turned back around with a box cutter in his hand. He smirked cruelly, as Harry paled quickly at the sight, losing all the blood in his face.
Harry struggled futilely against his restraints. Small gasps of terror filling the room, as the metal bit through his skin, in his fight to get free. His uncle started by cutting open Harrys overly large clothes with the knife. He stood over Harry's shaking form, with the expression of a butcher about to carve up a prime cut of meat. Harry knew what was coming so he bit down on his pillow. The first cut was shallow, but long. It stretched from his shoulder down to his hip, Harry screamed the whole time, the noise slightly muffled by the pillow which he was trying to smother himself in. Harry's back muscles in pain at the excruciating burning sensation. The iron sent, drifted up to Harrys nose, making him nauseous. After the third cut across Harry's skin he felt like the world was swimming, and he gaged around his pillow the pain making him nauseous.
Vernon continued, until Harry's back was a sea of fire, and the pool of blood around Harry had started to dry and turn sticky. Harry didn't know how long he had been lying on the bed, but Vernon had left with a huff, after Harry had gone mute from the pain. After the fun was gone Vernon unshackled Harrys limp arms and legs from the bead posts, giggling at his own joke "don't forget to wake up nice and early tomorrow, or we will be late for your precious school."
Once Vernon was gone, Harry dragged himself to his feet, his vision swimming and his stomach rolling uncomfortably, he stumbled into the bathroom, catching himself on the toilet just in time to dry heave into the toilet. Harry wiped his mouth, spitting out the last of the acidic bile. Harry peeked at his back, it looked better than it felt. There were six shallow cuts across his back two parallel lines from his shoulder blades down to his hip, and four more smaller crooked cuts from his neck to his tail bone. They were slowly seeping blood, so Harry cleaned off the wounds with water and hydrogen peroxide and wrapped his torso in a few feet of gauze. If he didn't feel so bad, he probably would have had a good chuckle at his mummy like appearance. He drank water out of the faucet and stumbled back to his room. Obviously while he had been in the bathroom, petunia must have come home because the bloody sheets were gone, and his bed was clean with a towel for him to lie on. Harry sighed and laid down, ready for a fitful rest.
The next morning Harry slowly dragged himself out of bed, his cuts had started to scab, and every move made them crack and pull open, making walking and bending almost impossible. He pulled a clean blue t shirt over his tousled black hair, and shuffled out the door, and down to the car parked outside. Vernon had already loaded up his trunk from out from under the cupboard. The drive was tense, and painful until they arrived at the train station.
A hand on Harrys arse startled him, out of his flash back from this morning. Vernon's disgusting flabby hand caressed the cut across his tail bone, making Harry whimper and shiver in disgust and pain. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Uncle Vernon," The man started to turn purple in anger, "You wouldn't want anyone to notice anything untoward happening with your nephew."
Vernon quickly paled and snatched his hand back like it had toughed a hot poker. Harry took that as a signal to escape, grabbed his trunk and made towards platform 9 3/4's. Harry walked through the portal with his head down, so he wouldn't be noticed, thankfully he was early, so no one he knew was at the station yet. Harry ducked under his bangs and hid his tell tail eyes and scar. He was too tired and hurt to deal with his friends, so he climbed onto the train and past his friends' normal compartment near the front. Harry slowly made his way to the back of the train, hoping that his friends wouldn't look for him back there.
The very last compartment was empty, so he collapsed like a sack into a heap on the seat. He felt flushed and week, probably from the blood loss. After a few minutes of trying to get his bearing's and find a comfortable spot on the seat that didn't rub against his wounds, Harry heard voices outside the compartment. Worried that it might be his friends, Harry sat up and tried to not look like he was about to throw up. He didn't feel like he was doing a very good job. Harrys vacant green eyes widened comically when the door opened, bringing his face to face with Draco Malfoy, and posy.
Great thought Harry the only person other than my uncle, and probably Snape, who would just love to know that the great Harry potter is so weak that he can't even fight off his overweight uncle. Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Harry just watched each other blinking stupidly, each not knowing what to do. Harry felt dangerously backed into a corner for a second time in two days. He was stuck in the small compartment of his supposed nemesis with the only exit blocked by three people who hate him. Harry finally decided and jolted to his feet, wincing as the movement tore at his wounds. "I'm sorry… I'll leave. "Harry mumbled, he cursed himself for acting so weak, but he was still in the mindset of protecting himself from his uncle's ire, instead of facing them head on like the boy who lived was supposed to.
Harry wavered on his feet, as he watched Dracos eyes for any signs of aggression. Dracos cool gray eyes, drooped from surprised to casual interest. The taller boy didn't move from the doorway, cutting off any of Harry's ideas of escape. Harry knew that he was too week to fight Draco head on much less 3 pissed off Slytherins, he mentally prepared himself for the inevitability of getting beat up in his injured state. He had never taken a beating two times in a row this bad, he wasn't sure he could take it. As Draco approached his wobbling form, Harry wondered if playing dead was a possible option. It wouldn't be that difficult to do right now.
When Draco was now a foot away from Harry, he raised a hand to Harrys chest, but instead of hitting him, he just gently pushed Harry's shoulder, and watched as Harry dropped back to the seat with a thump. Draco watched Harry's surprised expression with a closed off look, and then sat in the seat next to him. This obviously signaled to Dracos friends to close the compartment door and sit as well. Draco pulled out a potion's textbook, Blaise a book on Runes, and Theo an untitled old looking book that had an engraving of a dragon across the cover. Harry didn't know why Draco had decided to spare him today, but he was surely thankful. Harry spent the time waiting for the train to start tensed and startling at every movement. When the train left the station and the Slytherins seemed determined to ignore him, Harry finally relaxed and started drifting between an uncomfortable sleep and watching Dracos silver eyes scan the pages of his book. He noticed sleepily that Draco was wearing a kind of feminine looking silver bracelet, with dangling charms off it. It seemed quite important, as every so often Draco would stroke it like a nervous tick.
A hand shook Harry awake, "We are almost to Hogwarts Ha…Potter. Put on your uniform." Harry blinked drowsily and was surprised that he had fallen fully asleep, "Mkay…" He got to his feet and started to pull off his shirt, only to realize too late that his bandages would be visible. He ripped the shirt back down and looked around nervously at the other boys. Theo and Blaise didn't seem to be paying attention, but Draco's eyes had gained that same glimmer as when he had tried to escape when they first came in. Harry flushed at Draco's thoughtful and searching look, he shrunk further in on himself. Draco definitely saw, now he knows how weak I am, he is going to tell everyone. Harry grabbed his robe to his chest, and mumbled something about the bathroom, before fleeing from Draco's steady gaze, penetrating his back and through to the new scars etched across his skin.
Harry changed in the bathroom and didn't leave the stall until he felt the train arrive at the station. He drifted through the crowd, dodging the occasional rowdy elbow near his back, and climbed into a carriage drawn by Thestereals, with some younger Hufflepuff students he didn't know. They obviously knew him but were thankfully too shy to bother the tired teen.
The castle shone like starlight in the dim evening landscape. Harrys fingertips brushed the stone walls as he passed under the great arch of the front doors. A Light tingling crept down his arm as she welcomed back her students. The great hall was busy as always. Children laughing and yelling, whispering and giggling. At the head table Professor Snape was glaring at Professor McGonagall who was joking with Dumbledore, probably about Snape.
As Harry walked slowly to his table, he glanced around to look at people he knew. The twins were trying to poor something down a poor second years throat, Hermione was chastising the two to no avail. Ron was pining for Hermione while her back was turned while hiding from his mischief filled brothers, who were now holding their best friends' pet tarantula. Luna was reading her father newspaper upside down, while wearing an interesting pair of colorful glasses. Nevil, Seamus, and Dean were rushing through the entirety of their summer homework, having procrastinated all summer.
Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table his eyes being instantly drawn to Draco Malfoy. Malfoy looked different this year, he wore his robes louse and open with muggle jeans underneath. His hair was longer and free from the gel that normally turned his head into a shiny glass ball. And aside from the shiny bracelet around his wrist, a tattoo could be seen peeking out from under his robe sleeve. Harry hadn't realized how long he had been staring until Draco glanced up to look back at Harry. Harry tore his gaze away, from Dracos unblinking stare. Draco looked like a dangerous panther crouching hidden and watching for the perfect time to pounce. Even so Harry felt the urge to sit with the predators, because even if they were planning on eating him, at least they would let him sit in peace and rest. Harry was soon distracted by his friends who dragged him over to the table with questions, he shrugged off their questions over his disappearance, by saying he had slept the whole time. He barely managed to dodge a welcoming slap aimed at his back from Ron, which surely would have reopened his scabs.
As the sorting and announcements silenced talking in the hall Harry let himself space out. He fallowed his friends to the tower, zoned out and hiding his now screaming back, which desperately wanted some rest, and possibly some ice. Hermione and Ron barely noticed his early exit to bed, too busy arguing about homework. Harry left them to their fun, and flopped instantly on his bed, barely conscious enough to close the curtains and cast a silencing spell.
Harry woke up multiple times during the night, his back burned like fire, his blood like lava in his veins. He got barely any sleep and crept his way into the bathroom happy to get it before the other boys woke up. Harry struggled to remove his shirt without hurting his back more and finally resorted to spelling the shirt and bandages off his back. Harrys back was bloody with his scabs crinkling open and closed with every movement. Thankfully none of the cuts looked infected yet, but he knew it was still a danger. Harry disinfected and washed the wounds before slathering on a salve that the boy's bathroom had stocked for small cuts. It wasn't enough to heal him anytime soon, but it would hopefully keep his wounds from getting infected. He rebandaged and managed to get dressed and ready before the other boys even began to stir.
While heading downstairs for whatever breakfast his shrunken stomach could handle, he dodged Hermione whose nose was stuck in a coursebook, and left without his friends not wanting to listen to more arguing this early in the morning. Harry sighed, maybe he should just force his friends to snog already so they would leave him out of their hormone-driven fights.
Harry zoned out the voices around him at the table being drowned out by the pain and exhaustion clouding his focus. Harry zoned back in, noticing his schedule in his hand, as he stood in front of the potion's classroom. His schedule said that potions was his fifth and final class period today. Harry blinked a weird feeling of slipping time, as he realized that it was already evening and he had apparently, not only gone to his other classes, but also took notes without remembering any of it. Harry shrugged, too exhausted and in pain to care about anything. Staring at his feet and willing away the feelings of vertigo Harry noticed something silver glinting in the candlelight against the stone floor innocently. Harry picked upholding the delicate bracelet with care, and placed it in his pocket, deciding to give it back to whoever owned it after class.
Slughorn started the class by excitedly moving everyone's seats, blabbering nonstop in a flow of never-ending nonsense information. Harry distractedly followed the instructions and moved to his seat in the Slytherin side, pulling out his textbook. Harry turned to ask his partner a question only to be faced to face with a certain blond-haired Slytherin. Draco wasn't paying him any attention, so Harry took the time to study his new partner. There was something off about him, something had happened to the blond Malfoy to make him stressed and upset, but he couldn't tell what it was. Harry shrugged waiting for instructions. They worked well together, without much talking, but Draco was careful to keep Harry from becoming distracted and to show him what cuts to use on the ingredients. Harry didn't mind being looked down on, he knew his potions skills were subpar and didn't want to ruin Malfoys grade, or get yelled at, so he let himself be lead around like a sheep and was amazed to have created a proper potion for the first time with Dracos help. Harry bottled their potion overhearing Dracos conversation with Blaise. "…Lost it."
"Wait your mums' bracelet? Do you remember the last time you had it?" Draco shook his head forlornly at Blaise's question. Harry placed his hand on the bracelet sitting innocently in his pocket, his eyes widening comically. The bracelet was Draco's, it was the one he had seen Draco wearing on the train. Harry flushed nervously, he could just imagine Dracos pissed off expression, and angry words when he thought that Harry had stollen his mum's bracelet, which obviously meant a lot to him. He wasn't in any condition to be beaten up, but he couldn't bear the guilt of keeping the bracelet from Draco. Harry took the potion up to Slughorn's desk and turned to see Draco was now rummaging around in his bag. The other boy had completely dropped his Slytherin mask. Blaise's mask was still functioning, but he was still noticeably worried about his desperate friend. Harry looked at the desk behind Draco with an idea forming, He was scared of confronting Draco directly, but casually leaving the bracelet where Draco would find it seemed doable. There were only ten steps between him and the desk, but the gap felt much farther. With every step, Harry's heart pounded harder in his chest, crying for him to turn away, do what you are best at and run. Harry breathed in and out letting the words pass over him and ignoring them. He had to return Dracos precious bracelet.
Three steps left. Draco stopped rummaging, he couldn't find it and sat down depressed.
Two steps left. Draco said something to Blaise, who looked up to see Harry's approach.
One step. Harrys clasped hand reached out, stopping suddenly when Dracos head whipped around, his blond hair ruffling softly under the candlelight. "Shit." Thought Harry, the words grew stronger, with Dracos impassable look, his mask firmly back up. With a hardly audible Eep noise, Harry snatched back his hand like it had been burned with fire and ran for the door as fast as he could. Not stopping until he reached his common room panting and red-faced. His back hurt terribly, but the adrenalin from almost being caught with the bracelet over ridded his pain. He groaned in frustration looking at the bracelet clasped in his palm. This was something precious to his classmate, and it was all his fault he was stressed out and looking for it desperately. He went to bed early that night frustrated and upset.
That morning Harry cleaned his wounds again and was worried to find his wounds to be red and puffy. His headache and pain were also getting worse, but he couldn't do anything about it without revealing what had been happening with his uncle. He was up early again so; he spent the morning in the common room getting a start on yesterday's homework because he couldn't sleep. As the morning went on Harry got more and more distracted and spacy, and started to lose gaps throughout the day and he was worried it had to do with his back. He was clear headed in most of his classes today, but he had lost gaps on moving from class to class, and before he knew it, he was walking into the great hall for lunch was lunch time. It was early, and across the mostly empty great hall, he saw Draco Malfoy lying slumped against the Slytherin table looking thoroughly miserable. Harry was about to turn away feeling exhausted, when he noticed Dracos bag open and sitting beside the tired looking teen.
Harry stumbled forward excited to see a second chance. He walked slowly as if to not scare the boy into turning around and seeing him.
1 step
2 steps
3 steps
4 steps
5 steps, he could see inside the bag. He had to move quickly and carefully before he turned around. His heart was racing, and he was shaking whether from effort or nervousness he didn't know.
6 steps
7 steps
8 steps
9 steps
10 steps
11, 12… Harry shivered, he was sure he looked kind of suspicious right now. Draco sat up, and he groaned under his breath "wait, wait oopsie hold on please." Draco turned sensing someone behind him and Harry stood frozen his hand in his pocket. Draco cocked his head at the pale boy in front of him, "what did you…?" Harry flushed embarrassed that for a second time he had been caught acting weird towards Draco Malfoy. He wanted to cry, after all this was over, he would never be able to look Draco in the eye again. Harry mumbled sorry, and escaped the watching eyes of a confused Draco, and a laughing table of Slytherins. Harry stopped once outside the great hall curling up partially in pain, his mind feeling hazy again. He felt the world swimming again, and it took a minute before he realized that someone was standing over his curled-up form. "Nnn… what?"
"What is going on with you Harry? You seem off lately." Draco looked worried and confused, not angry, so Harry felt bad for not returning the bracelet yet. He couldn't seem to make up his mind whether to just give it back or not. He hated being so scared he was supposed to be a Gryffindor, to be courageous. In the back of his had he couldn't help but remember the sorting hats words that he was more of a Slytherin, and today he really hated that side of him.
"S... Sorry I just."
"On the train. I saw your…" Harry let out a startled squeak, he had forgotten that Draco had seen his bandages. Harry flattened against the wall, nervous about what Draco was going to do or say next. "Shh… Calm down Harry, I'm not going to force you to say anything. I just wanted to offer you this," Draco held out a small pot of white cream. Harry reached out tentatively and took the small pot looking confused. "You know I am pretty good at potions, so I can promise its effectiveness."
"Pretty good? You are better than the seventh years!" Draco chuckled at Harry's passionate outburst, making Harry blush and fiddle with the potion embarrassed.
"Thanks, I didn't know what kind of injury, but it is my favorite potion to use on myself. It's good for cuts, burns, and sprains."
"Thanks… this will really help," Harry turned to escape until he understood what Draco just said, "You make this for yourself?" Draco looked surprised that Harry had caught that, but answered seriously "Yes, I used to get injured a lot at home, so I learned how to brew that potion in secret to use on my injuries."
"Used to… at home… oh! Your father…" Harry stopped short realizing he had said something incredibly rude. Draco winced but nodded "Yeah, me and my mother left this summer, so I don't really need this anymore. Use it if you want it." Harry was now intensely embarrassed at how awkward he was, and now he felt even more guilty for hurting Draco by not being able to give back the bracelet.
The next few days Harry used the potion on his back, happy that the infection was going away leaving him clear headed. He was extremely grateful to Draco for not only giving him what he so desperately needed, but also keeping his secret. By the end of the week Draco had devolved into a stressed mess. Even the teachers had started to notice, after Draco brewed a potion wrong and turned in the wrong papers to the wrong teachers. Harry knew it was his fault.
Harry was walking outside the dorm, enjoying the night air. He was walking in the courtyard running his fingertips along the stone walls, when he saw the platinum blond hair fluttering in the night breeze. He stopped short and took in a deep breath to resolve his mind and started towards Draco. Draco was standing in a window staring up at the moon with a worried look. One, two, three, four, five steps and Harry was getting closer behind him, He couldn't get a handle on his emotions, as the distance grew smaller. Draco straightened as if to turn around, but Harry was close enough to touch his shoulder. "Draco" Draco spun to see his mother's bracelet in Harry's hand he looked surprised, and upset for a moment, before just looking relived. "S…Sorry… I meant to give it back that first day but…" Draco took the bracelet and clasped it around his wrist with a relieved sigh. Draco looked up getting ready to yell at Harry for not giving it back, until he saw his red face and the way his head hung guiltily. "Those times you walked up to me and ran away… You were trying to give it back but were scared I would get mad right?" Harry nodded intensely just wanting him to understand, "No wait… Oh. You were glad I would hit you right?" Harry flinched at how spot-on he was, but nodded again, more subdued this time because he felt embarrassed. Draco approached slowly as if to not scare a small animal. "I promise I won't hurt you. I would never hurt someone like my father did to me. Hey thanks for this," he pointed to the bracelet, "It means a lot to me because it the bracelet my mother gave me when she promised me something." Harry tilted his head confused as Draco took his hand. "She promised me something on the day she took me away from him, and its something that I am going to promise you now. I will never let that person hurt you again, and this bracelet is my promise to you." As Draco spoke slowly and gently, he carefully unclasped the bracelet and closed it around Harrys wrist, gently stroking the thin silver scars made by the handcuffs.
"You can't this is your most precious possession!" Harry tried to take off the bracelet feeling amazingly cared for, but he couldn't take something so precious, and how could Draco really promise to protect him from that beast. Draco grabbed his wrist and squeezed, not enough to be painful but enough to shut off his circling brain. "Hey, I gave you my promise. Am I not allowed to have more than one precious thing?" Harry let out a tiny smile at the soothing words, and the warmth of the bracelet around his arm felt like the promise of safety that Draco was promising him. He suddenly felt so very young and helpless, "can you really protect me from him?" "Yes, I promise, but you need to tell me who is hurting you. I had to tell my mother, and I need you to be courageous and tell me." Harry shivered, he couldn't tell if it was from the wind, or the thought of exposing his weakness. Harry finally made up his mind and turned so his back faced Draco and removed his school robes. He couldn't quite force himself to remove the tee shirt underneath, so Draco carefully grasped the edge and lifted it up to look. The bandages were off, but the healing scabs were still painful, and red. Draco didn't make any pitying noises or even say anything. He gently touched the back of Harry's neck in a comforting gesture, before lowering the shirt. "Thank you, Harry, for trusting me, who was it? Can you tell me?"
"My Uncle."
"Your… Uncle?"
"Yeah, I was left with my muggle Aunt and Uncle. They hate magic, and they despise me. The punishments got worse since starting at Hogwarts."
"Did you try telling someone?" Harry frowned feeling attacked, "of course I did! I tried so hard not to be sent back every summer. But the headmaster just ignored me every time…" Harry fought back tears after his outburst.
"I understand, don't cry. He didn't help me either. But you have me, now right?"
Harry gave a tearful nod, clutching the bracelet like a lifeline. That night he slept well for the first time in a while.
…
That year Harry got closer to Draco, they spent time hanging out in the library together and on the weekends when Draco taught him potions, and Harry helped Draco with his practical defense homework. They didn't talk much about what would be done to protect him over the year, but Harry trusted Draco, and he never took off the proof of their promise.
When the summer rolled around Harry got a letter in the owl post from the ministry, saying that the Dursleys guardianship of him had been removed, and that he was granted his emancipation. When he went to celebrate, Draco explained that he and his mom had gotten the proof to the ministry and went through all the legal procedures over the year, and now he was free to do whatever he wanted.
Harry stayed with Draco and his mother until their schooling was done. Afterward, the two moved in together and were very happy together. Draco had a job as a potions master working with the Aurors to create new potions to help them, and Harry became an Aurors who specialized in cases having to do with children. Oh, and Harry finally forced Hermione and Ron to snog, so they would stop fighting all the time.
