CHAPTER ONE
Panic Room
[HARRY]
"Get down here this instant!"
Harry woke to Vernon's yelling downstairs. The clock beside him read six forty-five and he cursed. He was supposed to have breakfast done by the time the man woke up and that was nearly twelve minutes ago. It wasn't necessarily Harry's fault though. They had kept him up to nearly one in the morning pruning the rose bushes which was especially hard to do by moonlight with their small thorns pricking you everywhere.
He quickly tried to make presentable by brushing his hair down but it was useless as always. He changed into a new shirt, not that it was clean, they barely allowed that luxury unless guest were coming over, but it was a nice to mix things up. His pants would have to stay. The others had ripped the day before when Dudley had got a hold of him at the park. And he was not about to put on pair of shorts for his injuries to be on display. He had some dignity.
He was at the bottom of the stairs in seconds and met with Vernon's murder-filled glare. His eyes were nearly bulging out of his whale of a body. He winced as he grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair and slammed his head against the door frame. A fat, meaty finger was shoved in his face followed by a mousy mustache. The paralyzing hurt from his skull spread through his body like icy, liquid metal. Harry clenched his fists as he hesitantly met the menacing glare. He noticed his began to feet tremble.
Petunia and Dudley had gone to visit Aunt Marge for the day after she called and said she was coming down with the flu. He wouldn't care as much for noise that morning.
"Breakfast isn't even done and yet you're sleeping in. " He spits in his face. "You're unruliness has gone on far too long. You never learn you lesson! He lets go and Harry's body slams down to the ground. Harry barely has time to pick himself off the ground before getting kicked directly onto his side.
"Food better be done by the time I come back in here or you'll see worse than that."
He exits the kitchen, leaving Harry in a groaning lump on the cold, tile floor. He knew he didn't have much time before Vernon finished getting ready. The thought made him want to throw up. Slowly, his brain picked up his feet in an unbalanced gait, carelessly pulling himself up with the counter. His legs gave out, causing him to fall and bust his chin on the counter and the copper taste of blood to fill his mouth.
Only one more week, he thought weakly to himself.
Vernon came swooping around the corner just as he finished putting the last of the sausage on the plate with shaky hands. It was towered with eggs, bacon, toast, and grilled tomatoes. The very sight of it made his stomach ache a little due to recent malnutrition. he didn't dare take any though, Petunia kept a close eye on how much food there was in the fridge. As did his uncle, but only when it was on his plate.
"Get out of my face before I re-decide my generosity. Your list is on the coffee table. If it's not done by the time I get home, no food for a week. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." Harry manages to stutter out before turning around to walk away. Apparently, that been a bad choice because a fist slams into his shoulder, colliding with various bruises. He yell out a small yelp in pain.
"Clean up your mess you worthless boy! I will not let my family sink down the pigs of your kind!"
Harry's fist clench but he's able to bite down his nasty remarks. Instead, he mumbles an apology and start adding the pots and pans to the sink. You would practically be dead if I wasn't here to cook and clean every summer, you bloody tosser.
Vernon finally gets sick of glaring over his shoulder and throwing insults and takes his plate and wobbles into the sitting room to watch television as he ate. It was some wrestling program that was so absolutely staged it was almost funny. Vernon and Dudley never seemed to have enough brain power to notice.
Harry notices that just a little bit of the eggs and tomatoes were left on the plate when Vernon leaves for work. It was only a little, maybe only a couple of bites, but it looked like heaven when you haven't eaten in nearly four days. The brunet hastily ate it up in fear his uncle would be coming back through the door any second. He didn't though, and a sound of relief left his chapped lips. It was the first time in weeks that all the Dursley's were all gone at once. He still had chores of course, but it was easier when insults or kicks weren't constantly being thrown your way in the process.
He sighed picked up the parchment on the table to examine the schedule for the day.
Take the waste out,
Mop all the floors,
Dust the shelves and fans,
Bleach the counters and bathrooms...
It read as it went on and on. At the bottom of the list, they made it violently clear if he did anything of suspicion or use their things, he was in for a beating. Did they really expect me to get these all done within seven hours?
The answer was no. They didn't.
Harry bit his lip and decided if I wasn't going to finish them in time anyway, there was no need to rush. His injuries still had to be treated to and Hedwig needed to be fed. A neighbor last summer had reported seeing the bars on his window which did bode well with the police. The Dursley's had to take them off and it was great for letting Hedwig go hunt, but terrible for the beating he received afterward. But at the moment, the owl's right wing was injured due to a skirmish with another owl outside.
He let out a loud grunt in a painful attempt to get up the stairs. It was hell trying to get up the steep stairs when injured.
Finally making it to the top, he used the wall to make my way to the bathroom. He wasn't technically supposed to be using it since it was Dudley's, but they wouldn't have to know what didn't hurt them.
Thirty or so minutes passed before he was actually able to move somewhat easily again. The cut on his face had stopped bleeding and his ribs had some of what little ointment he had left on them. He needed some more soon; he couldn't order one by owl again and he definitely couldn't go out and buy it. They would just have to make due until Hogwarts.
Harry slipped the light blue tee back on from the floor and found his way back to my room. The cold floorboards creaked under his bare feet as the door pushed open.
At first he didn't notice the abnormally large lump in his bed. He went on with his business and opened Hedwig's large cage. She gave Harry a thankful hoot as he proceeded to fly around the room, her snowy white feathers dull from the lack of food. The bowl was low as predicted so he slipped her some bread he saved along with her water. It reminded him probably needed to fill up a few bottles he kept just in case was locked up again.
He was just about to go through the doorway again when a small groan caught his hear. Harry looked over his shoulder and towards the bed. Something, or more like someone, was moving under the covers. They shuffled enough that a pale foot popped from under the blanket.
What?
His wand was downstairs in the cupboard so there was no chance of protecting myself if this was a magical intruder. But if it was, they were doing a really bad job at hiding.
Maybe it was someone from the Order like last year?
He silently tiptoed back over to the bed and went to go pull back the covers when they shot up themselves. Harry stumbled back in surprise and fell to the floor with a thump.
"What the hell?"
Harry's head shot up and he nearly choked on the air. Malfoy was sitting upright on the bed with his platinum blonde hair wildly spread around his face. He looked even more confused than Harry did to be honest. Maybe even a little scared.
"Malfoy?" He practically screams. The slytherin looks down at him in shock before practically scrambling off the bed. His plain black pajamas were still on and crinkled from his sleep.
"Potter?" He yelled back. "What did you do to me!"
"Me? What-! You're the creepy git who decided to break into my house! And take a nap in my bed while at it!" Harry whisper-yells back. He was flabbergasted.
"Bed? Do you call that a bed? That's nearly a lump of coal!"
"Well I'm sorry, I didn't exactly plan to have a surprise visitor!" Harry scrambles back to his feet and wiped his hands on his already dirty pants. He immediately took in my disgusting appearance and grimaced.
His eyes wandered around the plain, lifeless room. The once white covers on my bed were now a mess on the floor next to the small, twin-sized bed that sat right in front of the window. A small wooden dresser was hastily still thrown open from this morning and was revealing hat little clothes he owned. Other than the chair and empty birdcage on top of it in the corner, there was little to nothing else to show.
Draco huffed. "Well I certainly didn't come here on my own free will, did I? You must have done something."
"I don't know if you've noticed Malfoy, but this is just as much as a surprise for me as it is for me as it is for you. Plus, unlike some others, I can't get away with underage magic."
Draco shakes his head in frustration before he realizes he's still in his sleeping wear. He lets out a very unmanly screech and ducks under the blankets once again. The sight of it almost brought a laugh to my face despite the circumstances.
"Where's my wand, Potter." His voice asks, muffled from under the covers.
"Why the hell would I know?"
"I don't know, because you kidnapped me?"
"I did not kidnap you-"
"Shut it."
Harry groaned and they fell into an awkward silence. It seemed like he was not coming out anytime soon. It's not like it's underwear, he thought to myself. His pajamas looked better than his own clothing situation for Merlin's sake. He was being dramatic.
Harry walked over to his side of the bed and saw his platinum blonde hair plastered across his face with abnormally pale skin and wide eyes. He was muttering something incomprehensible under his breath.
"I don't believe you. You had to to do something. Where's your wand?"
"First off, get your head out of your arse and realize I already told you I didn't do anything. Second, why would I tell you?"
He recoiled slightly at the venom laced in my words so I continued on, "You're just going to have to suck it up until we can fix this mess, okay? We're going to have to wait until my neighbor gets home, though."
"Aw, does Saint Potter require the help of a muggle neighbor?"
"Says the one cowering under bed sheets, " I growl. "And no, she's a squib."
"Same difference."
"Cut it off Malfoy, I could kick you out right now and I'll bet you, you wouldn't survive ten minutes out in the real world." Harry would sock him in the jaw if he wasn't so weak. Malfoy was beyond ignorant and he wanted nothing more than to let him get a taste of his own medicine.
"Fine, just get me a change of clothes."
Harry's nose scrunched up and he and looked back at his dresser. he was embarrassed to admit to not having any to spare. Maybe they wouldn't notice if he took some of Dudley's? It was doubtful but it might work.
"Fine, follow me."
Harry limped the way towards the doorway trying to hide it as much as possible. If he found out the abuse it would be all over the prophet. Just one more thing the world needed to make fun of him about.
As Draco moved down the hallway, he took time to notice the muggle decoration and the unmoving pictures on the wall. He stopped at the last one in particular and frowned.
"You aren't in any of these."
"Thanks, I've noticed. Now come on before I give you a trash bag to wear."
Vernon did that once. He was seven and had embarrassed him in front of the neighbors. He decided to leave that part out.
Malfoy begrudgingly followed until Harry pushed open the last door at the end of the hallway. His eyes widened when he saw the mess of broken toys, clothes, and game controllers that took up the floor. Pictures of famous wrestlers were covering the walls along with the video game characters Dudley idolized. There was even a magazine that was peeking from under his pillow cage that showed an nearly naked woman.
Gag
"Don't mess anything up or I swear to Merlin I'll hex you to the next century."
"Oh, but I thought our savior couldn't do magic outside of school?" He smirks.
"Do you want the clothes or not? Because then you can be on your way and we both can forget about this mess."
He sighs and he crosses his arms in agreement.
Prat.
Harry turns around when he's sure the blonde wouldn't mess with anything. He opens the closet and hundreds of dirty, piled up shirts and other miscellaneous junk comes tumbling out like a mudslide. Draco watches in amused fascination as he tries to pull out the smallest clothes he could. First, he found a pair of black jeans and white shoes. Both of which must have been left from one of his friends in past years because they could not fit him. Out of the mess he also found a large green sweater that had a faded wrestling team logo on it. He couldn't find a shirt to fit so it would have to make due.
Draco took them from my hands and stared at me with a look I couldn't quite register. "These are muggle clothes, Potter. Three sizes too big at that. What am I supposed to do with these?"
"I don't know, wear them?"
He scoffs but waits for Harry to carefully clean up the mess and escort him to the bathroom. It wasn't five minutes later that he came out looking like a new person.
he was about to drag him back into the room when there's a loud bang from a car door. The blood drains from Harry's face. Were Dudley and Petunia back already?
He grabbed him by the wrist and hurriedly rushed back to the room and threw him in the closet.
"What-"
"Stay here. Whatever you do, don't leave this room, okay?"
He doesn't wait for an answer and slams the door shut.
