Hey, it's me again. (Ducks rotten vegetables and assorted pointy objects) I'm sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I transferred all my important files to a flash drive because my dad promised to replace my hard drive, which he still hasn't done over a month later. Then my brother lost his flash drive, and I was told to lend him mine because he needs a way to transfer his ICT coursework from school to home and back again. Turns out that he's doing the exact same coursework assignment that I did four years ago, so the main file (the project log where he notes down every action he takes) won't fit on a floppy disk. Mine was over 50 pages in size 10 Times New Roman on Word, and it still only got me a B for not enough detail. He was only meant to borrow the drive for a week, but it's been three weeks and he still hasn't given it back. Every time I ask for it back, even for a few minutes so I can get all my files back, he says he's using it and he'll think about it. I was lucky enough to find this copy of the chapter in a hidden folder that I forgot to transfer to the flash drive, and that's what I'm posting. It's not the finished chapter, and I may replace it later when I get the proper file back from my brother. Until then, enjoy this. I'll try to update sooner next time.

"Written/typed text, e.g. books, notes, web pages"
"Sign language"
"Normal speech"
'Thoughts'

The hooded and cloaked man apparated onto the deserted street and looked around cautiously. It was always a risk to use magic in a Muggle neighbourhood, but he wasn't going to delay any longer than he had to. It had taken too long to locate the other two children and remove them to a safe place and it had been three days since he'd found out about this one. Three days could make all the difference in saving a child who was being abused, especially in a case such as this.

The identical Muggle houses were almost enough to make him ill. Such conformity was misleading, a front used by people to hide their flaws and force themselves to fit with social norms. Locating the one he wanted he strode up to the front door and opened it with a wordless spell. Like hell he was going to knock and give the inhabitants time to hide any evidence.

The lack of response to his entry was disturbing, and he gripped his wand tighter as he searched the deserted lower floor. Pictures of a horse-woman, a walrus-man and a beach ball/whale-boy decorated every available surface, but none fitting the description of the boy he was looking for. Stopping to listen he realised that a muffled whimpering sound was coming from the cupboard.

What he found in the cupboard wasn't what he expected. The whale-boy was crammed into the tiny space, and had obviously not chosen to fit in there. With a whispered spell the wizard freed him, leaving him lying on the floor attempting to regain his breath as he searched the upstairs. The walrus-man was the next one to be found, chained up on a small mattress in an otherwise bare room. Faecal matter stained the floor around him, as he was too porcine or too proud to get up and use the bucket on the other side of the room. The horse-woman was tied up on what the wizard assumed was hers and her husband's bed, with ample rope to reach a bucket concealed in the walk-in wardrobe but not enough to leave the room.

The wizard freed the woman from the rope and levitated her husband down the stairs to where whale-boy was still gasping on the floor. With a nudge of his toe the wizard convinced him to stand and enter the sitting room, where the curtains were still drawn to allow them some privacy.

"You are going to answer all my questions with the full truth. If you do not then I will use more unpleasant methods. Do you understand me?" The woman nodded and the wizard removed her gag and looked her in the eye.

"What happened to the three of you?"

The woman told him of how her nephew went missing, like he'd been doing all summer, but then three boys had shown up at the house. They'd been trying to steal her nephew's belongings, and when her husband had attempted to apprehend one of them he'd started yelling and brought his companions running. That was when things had gotten out of hand. One of them had assaulted her husband and given him the bruise that decorated his face and the other one had threatened her and her son. The one that had been apprehended slipped away, muttering in a foreign language, and had found her husband's shotgun. They'd then been forced, at gunpoint, into the positions that the wizard had found them in. She'd blacked out when one of them injected her with something, and when she woke up she'd been gagged and there was no sign of the boys or her nephew's things. Nothing else seemed to be missing, that she could see, which was strange as her nephew's things were practically worthless.

The wizard resisted the urge to curse the woman as she punctuated her tale with sobs and cries about the accusations made by the boys. It sounded to him like someone had found out about what was happening to the boy who lived here and did something to save him. Silencing the woman he turned to the man and made eye contact with him.

He saw himself, bringing the boy to the house and joyfully relating the death of his godfather to the sullen looking man. As he told the man this, his expression changed from anger to calculating glee. Even before he apparated away the boy was being beaten, stripped of the protection of his relative's fear of his godfather. He broke the connection in horror, stepping away from the chained and gagged man whilst fighting the urge to thrown up. He had no memory to match that which he took from the fat Muggle. How could he have lost such an important memory? Why would he have ignored such a dangerous look from an unwilling guardian? Why, why, why, why why?

Four weeks later

Wu Fei felt a twinge of guilt as Harry landed hard on the ground and grunted as the breath was driven from his body. They were the only two left in the mansion safe house they'd moved to after Little Whinging, and he'd thought it a good idea to carry on with the self-defence training started by Trowa and Quatre. Unfortunately for Harry, the Chinese martial artist wasn't as easy going as the other two, and he'd landed on the hard mats more times than he was used to.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." One of the first things they'd done after moving was teach Harry sign language so they could communicate more easily. They'd been shocked to discover that his hearing and voice loss was only recent, and Duo had had to be restrained from returning to England and killing the Dursleys.

"No problems. I won't learn without getting some bruises, no?" Harry grinned at the apologetic pilot. Sometimes it was hard for him to believe that his saviours were wanted terrorists that could wipe out Little Whinging with ease. He'd been even more shocked to learn that, if pushed hard enough, it was Duo and Quatre that would find the task easiest. He'd suspected that Duo hid a serious side behind his pranks and smiles, but Quatre was too innocent to be suspect.

"You won't learn anything if I am too harsh with you." Wu Fei held out a hand and pulled Harry to his feet. To his surprise, Harry stumbled and crashed into him, almost knocking him to the ground.

Harry began to stammer out a silent apology, backing away from Wu Fei. The horror in his eyes mesmerised the pilot, who bit his lip as Harry repeatedly licked his lips and attempted to force some sound through his throat, a sign of panic in the deaf-mute teen. Without thinking he grabbed Harry's arms and pinned them to his sides as he covered Harry's mouth with his own and forced his tongue inside.

A few seconds later he broke the kiss, pulling away from Harry and fighting back the urge to throw up. He was disgusted at himself for his actions, unable to think of a reason for his sudden attack on Harry. Without looking at the wizard he ran from the room, determined to find somewhere where he would think without being disturbed.

Harry watched the fleeing martial artist, tears springing to his eyes as he realised that he was the cause of his confusion. He didn't blame Wu Fei for the kiss, it wasn't the worst thing he could have done, but he didn't understand why the other teen ran away. As soon as the others returned from their mission they were certain to kick him out for upsetting one of their own.

The four jubilant pilots burst into the 18th century French mansion, laughing and joking as they celebrated their completed mission. Duo and Trowa were covered in dust and ash, having slipped into the base to set explosive charges while the OZ soldiers were preoccupied with trying to destroy Zero and Sandrock. For safety they'd blown up the charges at minimum safe distance, only to find that they were still in danger from falling rubble and angry soldiers that wanted revenge on a certain pair of terrorists. Escape had been interesting, to say the least.

The quiet in the mansion didn't unnerve them in any way. Wu Fei and Harry weren't given to making unnecessary noise, so it wasn't unusual to come back and find the two of the reading in complete silence. Something felt wrong to Quatre though, and he stared around as he tried to pinpoint it.

"Guys? Something's wrong here." In an instant the other three were serious, guns ready to fire and senses on full alert. Without speaking they paired up and separated, Duo and Trowa headed for the living area and Heero and Quatre for the library and rec room.

Duo and Trowa cautiously approached Wu Fei's room. Harry's had been empty, light out, bed made and floor clean. As the boy was occasionally a neat freak it didn't surprise them to find his room immaculate. Wu Fei's was just as dark, but there were muffled sounds coming from the inside.

"You don't think…" Trowa shook his head and shot Duo a disgusted look. Trust the American to come up with the more perverted possibility. He swung the door open carefully, leading the way into the room with his gun. Duo waited several seconds before following, allowing his eyes to get used to the darkness inside.

In the dim moonlight Wu Fei pounded away at the striking post, eyes closed as he repeated a phrase constantly in Chinese. He didn't pause when Trowa turned on the lights, not even acknowledging the other two pilots. Duo grabbed his elbow as he punched again, pulling him away from the wooden post and examining the bloody knuckles of both hands.

"What the hell are you doing Wu Fei?" Altron's pilot ignored him and tried to shove past to the post again. "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know. I messed up Duo. I shouldn't have done it but I did and I've probably ruined everything." The cryptic phrase didn't answer anything for Duo or Trowa, but before they could ask him to explain Quatre came running in.

"Harry's gone! We can't find him! Anywhere!"

Harry ran through the woods at full speed, not bothering to duck under the branches that left whip marks and scratches across his face. Tears stained his eyes as he fled, only a small bag slung over his thin shoulders. Staying to receive the hatred of the pilots seemed futile; they would only throw him out anyway. Why would he think that anyone would want a freak like him to stay around? All he was good for was being used, and even then he didn't seem to be good enough. Freaks didn't deserve happiness. They would never find it, no matter how hard they tried.

In his panic he failed to notice the group of drunken OZ soldiers approaching him through the trees. The woods contained a well-frequented path between the town and the OZ base, and drunken soldiers often used it to get back to their barracks before lights out. The soldiers noticed him though, and quickly surrounded him, halting his forward flight easily.

He bit his lip and stared at each of them in turn, panic growing as he noted the lustful expressions on the majority of their faces. A few, the more sober ones it seemed, seemed to be trying to reason with their drunker comrades, but with little luck. Eventually the soberer ones abandoned their attempts to get them to see reason and left, apparently not sober enough to take Harry with them.

As soon as they were unhindered the first one lunged, aiming to bring Harry down. Reacting instinctively he kicked, catching the man in the stomach and bringing him to his knees. Soon though Harry was overwhelmed, his captors only made angrier by his brief yet futile resistance.