Disclaimer; I don't Own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with Harry Potter, But i do own a gopher named norman

The third parent, chapter one

It was a beautiful morning at number four-privet drive and two weeks into summer vacation; pity Harry was locked in his room. Harry sat at his small desk looking outside through little holes in the wooden barrier and feeling his stomach growl, as he hadn't got any food for the last three days. Apparently it had something to do with the food bank for needy children and his aunt and uncle not finding a suitable replacement meal for him. It would be another couple of weeks before they went for groceries again so he had to make it with what he could scrounge up. This was hardly a good thing as for the last several weeks of his last term at school he had been in so much grief that he hardly ate anything at all. He would have requested his friends to send him food, but Vernon insisted that the post that was sent with Hedwig go through him first before she went outside. So he had boarded Harry's window shut and had made a hole in the door, only big enough for Hedwig to go through.Itwas exactly at Dudley's eye level and he had decided that he rather enjoyed watching Harry as he attempted to go to the bathroom in the large pail that he had been given.

Harry would have reported the recent developments in the Dursleys abuse, except that the few times he had done this, Vernon confiscated the letters, and wrote new ones on Harry's behalf. Harry was trapped, with no way out and no one to turn to. He was going to die in this dingy little hellhole and no one would ever notice.

Harry decided to go to bed early that night, sure it was only 3:00 in the afternoon but there was nothing else to do. He hadn't had enough to eat to have any waste to pass even if he wanted. The homework they got to do over the summer was done; it seemed he had done it ages ago. He had nothing to do except to go into his nightmares. Harry wondered what would happen, if he just fell asleep and never woke up. He would die eventually, but would it be painful? Harry didn't think that it would be painful, aside from the hunger; it would most likely be peaceful, a calm passing into death.

"Since when do I give up so quickly?"

"Does it matter? We're going to die and no matter what we do we can't stop it. Now by starvation or suicide or later by Voldemort, we're dead. Why fight it?"

"I suppose… No, I have to do something."

"What are we going to do? Throw our excrements at the door? We're dead. Get it over with."

"No, I have – friends they'll help me."

"How, they don't even know we need it. They wouldn't even care if they knew. They would just as soon run if they knew about our prophecy."

"No! They wouldn't… I don't think they would."

"But we're not sure, are we? How can we be when they don't even know us, what we are, what we will be. Admit it, they don't care."

"…"

"We should kill ourselves now, before we can harm someone - or somebody else dies because of us. Look how many have already, you are a monster."

"No. I didn't mean-it wasn't my- I didn't want any of it."

"James Potter, our father. He's dead because of us. Lily Potter, our mother, she died because of us. Cedric Diggory, if it weren't for us he'd be alive. And Cho would be happy. And don't let us forget Sirius Black, our godfather, it's our fault that he's dead. We have to stop this, we have to die."

"How?"

"Didn't Dudley have an x-acto knife, one that he got bored with?"

"Yes"

"It's probably in here somewhere, it's not hygienic but that's not going to matter in the long run now, is it?"

"No, I suppose not." Harry began his search through Dudley's old things for the means to end his life.

Harry didn't know it but Dudley was standing at his door the whole time. He saw the whole thing. It was bizarre, like what he saw in that lord of the rings movie. It was like someone had replaced his cousin's mind with Gollum's. Harry's entire bearing would change between speakers, not just his posture but also his voice. He had never heard Harry speak so coldly and horribly to anyone, not even when they deserved it. That was when it hit Dudley. Harry was a human too, a freak of a human but still human. He had his limits, he could reach them and if pushed over he would snap. They had reached those limits with his life of abuse and apparently something had happened that made him snap. He didn't want to but he had to stop it.

It was only out of a sense of obligation that he decided to help Harry. If it hadn't been for his cousin he'd have had his soul sucked out. Harry had said as much the night that those Dementy-whasits had come along. He hadn't seen them but he had heard their breathing and had felt the cold. He had remembered the most horrible memories that he. Harry attracting the girl that he had wanted in elementary school was the worst one. Dudley had tried to talk some sense into her but she had called him an overweight bullying moron that had no clue about the real world. It had hurt. It cut him really deep. Even when his gang had gotten together and had frightened her so bad that she never looked at Harry again it still stung. There were other ones but that had had the most impact on him. It hurt the most to think about because a part of him knew that what that girl had said was true. He would never admit it but it was. And it was just one more reason to hate his skinny, ugly, nearsighted freak of a cousin. But despite that he knew that Harry would never lie about something like that. Sure he could say that he could do magic outside of school, but he never would. He could threaten to turn him into a cockroach but he wouldn't. But for him to unflinchingly tell him that he would have had his soul sucked out did not seem like something he would either do or threaten to do unless he had been in very real danger of it happening. His parents could tell him that Harry was a freak and was not fit for a nice normal boy like him to be around, and Dudley would agree, but he owed Harry his life. He would repay Harry in kind.

He had to wait for Hedwig, that owl of his, and get her to deliver a letter. Who was Harry's Headmaster? Dumbledore wasn't it? Dudley was certain he got it right. That was what Harry had called him when he had mentioned him in one of his latest speeches with himself. He went to his room and wrote a letter he hoped his dad would never discover. He wrote it quickly and then he stood outside Harry's door.

The Ex-acto knife that Harry was looking for was in there in a locked box. He didn't think that Harry would find it. He waited for the owl to come swooping towards Harry's room, which she did a half hour later. Dudley intercepted her and she promptly began pecking at him.

"Will you calm down you blasted bird. I'm trying to help Harry." Dudley whispered angrily at Hedwig, then took the bird into his room and shut the door. He tied the letter around her leg, like he'd seen when Harry got a letter.

"Take this to Dumbledore, hurry. Don't stop for anything."he watched as the bird flew out of sight. He then decided to stand guard over Harry after supper until help came. He didn't want his cousin to die. It wasn't like he cared about his cousin or anything. Hadn't his parents told him often enough that Harry was a freak and was responsible for all of the freaky and horrible things that had happened in his life? Like getting kicked off the football team in elementary school when he was six. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't run fast enough to get the ball. He had no choice but to trip Harry when he was running past. It was Harry's fault that his bones were as fragile as to break through the skin. His one consolation was that his parents had insisted on removing Harry from the team as well. He had only been there because his parents didn't want him to be home alone while Dudley had been at a match; unfortunately the coach had seen him tooling around with one of the practice balls during team break and had insisted on adding him. No, it was hardly out of familial love for the useless freak that he was going to help him. He had a duty to do so. It wasn't one that he wanted but he had no choice. Harry had had the grace to save Dudley after all.

Harry looked all over the place, he threw most of Dudley's old things to the side, but he did not seem to be getting any closer to finding the knife. He finally found a small locked box. Harry picked it up. Of course, Dudley kept all of his knife collection in a box. Harry looked at the lock. It was a combination one. It would take him forever to crack it. Harry felt angry, there was literally nothing else to use.

"What's our problem; we're a wizard aren't we?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what? All we need is one fucking piece of wood, a quick alohamora, and we'll be able to relieve everyone of our burdensome existence."

"But I'll be expelled."

"So? If we do this that won't matter, will it? Nothing will matter. We'll finally have some peace and quiet without them nosing about our lives. Don't you want that for us ?"

"Yeah, I would like that, No one trying to hurt me anymore. But won't it hurt Ron and Hermione?"

"For a little while, yes, but they'll get over it. They always did in the past, why shouldn't they now? Now stop being a dammed pussy and get our fucking wand."

"Okay, hold on a moment."

"Hurry. We need this. There is no other way out of this for us."

"Got It."

"Good. Hurry, open the box."

"Alohamora!"

Harry looked into the box. There were all kinds of knives there. A hunting knife, except that it's edge was dull. A nice sharp survival knife caught his eye though, "Yes that one will do the job, won't it?"

Harry slid the knife out of its sheath and looked at it. It was sharp and looked as if it was brand new. Harry remembered the day Dudley got it. It had been Christmas and Dudley had spent the entire day whining that Piers Polkiss had gotten a survival knife for Christmas. The next day Vernon had bought one for him. Dudley showed it off to Piers but then he had locked it in the box and had forgotten about it, "It's perfect."

"Come on, let's get undressed then."

"Why?"

"We don't want to be discovered in those rags do we?"

"No, I guess not. But I don't want to be in my school clothes or that Yule ball robe either."

"Why not?"

"Well when a person dies they lose control of their bowls and bladder and I don't want to soil anything just incase there's anything left in me."

"Okay then. I suppose that that leaves us with only our birthday suit."

"Pity that it's not in better shape." Harry undressed quickly and sat down on his bed. He looked at his lower body. He looked like a skeleton. He had practically no muscles left and absolutely no fat on his bones. He'd never had fat of any kind, not even puppy fat. He looked down at himself. That was something he'd always regret not doing. In all of his life he had not so much as touched himself except to clean there. He might as well have been a monk, or a eunuch.

"What are we waiting for? We might as well, we're going to die soon, might as well be with a smile."

"Really?"

"Sure. You have your bit of fun while I finish us off."

"Okay, thanks."

"Don't mention it." Harry's left hand lowered itself down between his legs as the other one grasped the knife handle. When he touched himself he felt an electric thrill pass through him. He wished that he had done this sooner.

Dudley went upstairs to Harry's room. His mom and dad were in the living room watching the news. Normally he'd be watching a movie or some other program but tonight he was going to keep an eye on Harry and make sure that he didn't hurt himself.

Just outside the door he stopped because he heard Harry moaning. He knew what that kind of moan meant and really didn't want to see Harry pulling his pork. He had no idea that Harry was capable of that. He didn't think that Harry had so much as thought about doing something like that in all the years that he had known him. He stood there torn between keeping an eye on Harry and leaving Harry alone for a while when Harry let out a thin high-pitched sounding groan. Dudley knew that that meant that the festivities were over. He was just going to give him some time to get cleaned up when he heard him talking to himself again, "What are you doing?"

"You had your fun, now it's time for me to have mine."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

"No, don't do that. Stop it. Stop it! Oh god, please stop it!" Harry screamed loudly and Dudley rushed into the room to find him lying naked on the bed with some sort of survival knife in his hand. He was cutting at his tip. He was trying to saw it off, but he appeared to be doing it ineffectively on purpose. Harry screamed again. Dudley was shaken out of his stupor just long enough to yank the knife out of Harry's bloodied hand and throw it to the other side of the room. Harry got up and made to run for the knife but Dudley picked him up and threw him onto the bed, that was when his dad came charging up the stairs like a ticked off rhino.

"That does it! We were watching the news and then we get interrupted with this. He interrupted you too Dudders? Hold him still then, I'm going to punish him so that he won't forget it." Vernon grabbed the knife and began advancing on Harry. Dudley did the only thing that that he could; he placed himself firmly between Harry and his dad.

"Move Dudley, I can't punish him if you're in the way."

"I won't let you hurt him. He needs help dad, he's insane and he's trying to kill himself. Please just leave him alone."

"So let him. I don't want to see that freak ever again. He's enough of a nuisance just breathing."

Dudley felt himself go cold. His dad did not care that Harry was not sane anymore. He cared more for the dammed TV. Dudley threw his dad into the hallway and then barricaded the door with all of the furniture in the room. He then threw the knives into the hall followed shortly by the contents of the large metal bucket.

"So you think you'll protect him boy, well how long do you think you can wait to eat again?"

"Long enough for help to get here."

"How do you propose to get them to know about this? That pigeon has to go through me first."

"I already sent them a letter telling them everything that you've done to him. They'll be here soon enough."

Dudley heard a strangled howl of rage from his father. He yelled all the way down to the living room to Dudley's mother, "Get your stuff packed Petunia, we're moving out and we'll not be seeing either of the boy's again."

"But Vernon."

"No buts get packed."

Dudley listened as they left and he felt cold inside. What had he done? He was not going to see his mom and dad again because he chose to protect his cousin. Speaking of him, he was curled up on the bed muttering to himself again.

"Did we cut our self deep enough do you think?"

"I don't know I'm bleeding like mad though."

"Enough to die do you think?"

"I don't know I hope so."

Dudley sighed as he went through his things to find his first aid kit. He never thought that he would use it, least of all for that freak of a cousin of his.

It was a week after he had gotten Lily's letter that Severus decided to do something for his 'son' Harry. He had thought about it for a while but had not found the need to actually do anything. Eventually, though he found that he could not deny Lily her last request, so he decided to take it up with the Headmaster. He wasn't certain exactly what he would do or say when he got there that wouldn't give his real motives away. He knew that Dumbledore, for all intents and purposes, was a good person. But Severus knew that the knowledge that Harry was his favorite spy's son would be too much of a tempting bargaining chip for the old man. He may not regularly kill and torture his followers but in his own way he was even more ruthless than Voldemort. Severus stepped into the Headmasters office and waited for him to acknowledge his presence when a large snowy owl flew into the room. It was Potter's; Severus had seen the boy with that owl before. Well at least the problem of bringing up Harry was solved, "So what has the boy written this time? That all is splendid in the land of the muggles?"

"Actually Severus, it is from his cousin telling us that Harry has gone insane and might attempt suicide."

"Really? In that case I volunteer to remove him from those muggles."

"Why would that be Severus?"

"I can't help but feel as though I might have misjudged him over the years and I would like to make it up to him. Try to start over again."

"I'm sure you would, but there are others who are more adept at handling muggles."

"That may be but there are none who are quite so effective at instilling the feeling of abject terror with only a few well placed words. It's my specialty after all."

"Anyone can scare a muggle, it is remarkably easy."

"I did not say scare, I said terrify. And I consider it a very skillful art form that few are capable of."

"Very well then Severus. You may go and rescue the boy. Just be careful, he is not predictable at the moment."

"Thank you Albus. I will be taking him to my home, the one in the Alps. It is safer there than Grimmauld place. If the Weasleys and Granger wish to join us there I will be sending my bird in a few weeks."

"Of course Severus. Good Luck."

With that Severus turned and left. He couldn't help but notice the disturbingly familiar twinkle in the old mans eyes before he left. Dumbledore was up to something and that something was almost never good

Special Thanks to my beta Jezziez:)