M. L. Snape

I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters all J.'s

Lost one

Chapter 1: Freak

He was relaxed and was lain peacefully down on a bed almost as satisfactory as the Hogwarts four poster well maybe a bit far from satisfactory, but with the Dursleys Harry knew it was the best he could ask for though he was peaceful. Though he was in a deep sleep away from the repeated verbal abuse and back-breaking work the Dursleys loved dishing out to him. He should be peaceful without any of that. He was thrown out of his sleeping reverie by a sudden shriek breaking the silence as he was snapped back from the cool, calm depths of his sleeping mind into harsh reality and the Dursleys. He sat up and heard a distant clicking of the padlocks on his or Dudley's second bedroom as the Dursleys still called it. His Aunt Petunia opened the door a fraction to stick her bony neck in and give him a deadly glare that could rival Professor Snape's distaste for him and spoke in a harsh, rash voice "Boy, you ungrateful lump sleeping in hmm well I won't have it! Here is a list of chores which better be finished by lunch or there will be consequences here is some food" and she handed him a piece of burnt toast along with a long list of chores on floral paper. She then gave one more deadly glare and proceeded to slam the door in his face.

He wasn't surprised a bit by his Aunt's horrendous looks and snide comments as they were a daily disturbance in his far from perfect life. Once he heard her retreating down the stairs he quickly got prepared for his day as he always would. He crossed his small bedroom to his Hogwarts trunk where he kept his clothes for the school year and the Dursleys and pulled out a pair of faded blue sweat pants Dudley wore sometimes when he was on his diet and a stained and worn bleach colored shirt three or four sizes too large and then walked to the adjoining bathroom to wash up his face and get a quick drink as he knew if he asked Aunt Petunia she'd simply go into a rant about his abnormalities and how ungrateful he was. He then wiped off any excess water from his face and trudged down the hall and heard the telly blaring in the living room and saw Dudley's pudgy form sitting transfixed on the couch eating a bag of chips and intently watching the moving pictures on the screen.

He wondered what Ron would say if he saw the strange muggle contraption making the moving pictures on the screen. He came back from his thoughts of his friends and he glanced down at the list still clutched in his hand. The first thing on the long list of chores and it read Trim the front Hedges in his aunt's tiny eloquent scrawl and he huffed a sigh as it seemed he'd be out in the extreme humidity the news cast had warned the whole of Surrey about the previous night before and he just hoped he'd finish on time as he braced himself for the muggy hot air that would hit his face and slowly opened the door of number 4 Privet Drive and stepped out and almost immediately he breathed in the surrounding muggy air and felt a bead of sweat form on his brow and felt the immediate stiffness in his limbs and the usual wave of fatigue that came when one was immersed in the sun's rays and humidity. He suddenly felt very tired even after the full night's rest due to the late night summer breeze coaxing him to a peaceful sleep but now the summer heat was working against him for if Aunt Petunia should find him lazing around asleep he would be severely punished and he was already very hungry and had only gotten that piece of burnt toast since the week he came back from his second year at Hogwarts which had been very eventful year and he was so used to getting three meals a day he suffered worse than later on that summer and he had lost all the weight he gained during the school year and was rail thin and still quite ravenous since returning to the Dursley's care or should we say mistreatment. But he never dared to think abuse for he felt that's a word people got pitied from and he didn't want that and mistreatment made it easier for him and he didn't have to think that he felt better that way though he couldn't explain it himself. He snapped himself back to reality and quickly made his way to the back shed and pulled out the red handled hedge trimmers and made his way to the front yard to begin his long day he had ahead. He began to trim the hedges the connected the Dursley's yard to Miss. Figg's yard and he quickly looked into Miss. Figg's drive to see she was gone somewhere and all hopes of getting a cool drink in this near unbearable heat went to zero as the Dursleys were no option he sighed to himself and hoped she'd return soon and help him out a bit as he started on the top of the hedges.

Once he had the hedges trimmed neatly in a row all along the drive he was trying hard to stay awake in the unbearable heat as the day came closer to noon. He knew how dangerous it was to fall asleep in such humidity and didn't want to have a heat stroke as he most likely would. He just hoped he'd make it through the day. He quickly put the hedge trimmers away and stared into the large window that looked in on the kitchen and saw the small ornate flower clock as it ticked silently as his stomach turned. It read ten in the morning and he knew he needed to hurry or he could forget any meals for a little while longer which was very grave news for him as he was quite ravenous. He looked to the sky silently wishing something, anything could let him leave this place for good but he didn't dwell on impossible things and childish dreams. He learned long ago that wishes wouldn't come true the only exception was Hogwarts and even that brought along some unwanted things: fame though unwanted, responsibilities too bearing on him , and the one he regretted the most loneliness as he was orphaned and forced to live with people who despised his very existence. What he got in return for all he either didn't have or didn't want was heavily out weighted by what Hogwarts could offer, though he didn't take advantage of his home away from the Dursleys and his new found friends.

He realized he'd been staring out to the clear blue sky as the sun beat down on him. He started to get back to work but found it quite difficult as a new wave of fatigue crept over him while he was letting the sun harmful warmth suffocate him. He dearly wished to just lie on the cool grass and fall into a peaceful sleep but knew the consequences weren't worth it. He stumbled as he quickly made his way to the shed in hopes his Aunt wouldn't notice his slacking and begin to scream at him how lazy he was and immediately regretted his action as he fell to his knees. His head was swimming as he tried to focus through the haze of his dizziness and fatigue as his eyes snapped shut and his head lolled to rest on his chest his heartbeat quickening its pace. His stomach convulsed as he began to heave he struggled to blindly find the trimmed hedges and he promptly vomited behind them as he lost all the was keeping him nourished for the week and he knew he wouldn't last long in the heat. He shook uncontrollably trying to clear his head and calm himself down but he was knocked from his concentration by a hand roughly picking him up and he heard his Aunt shrieking endless insults though the words blended together and blurred he didn't fully become aware of anything until he was pushed roughly toward the shed as he stumbled and fell once more though this time he stood and regained as much balance as possible as he pulled out the lawn mower and started it up.

He was forced to lean much of his weight against the handle as he attempted to push it as the Dursleys never invested in a self pull mower as to not help Harry in his chores. He resented this as he knew if he let go of the handle he would more than likely collapse and knew he would receive no sympathy from the Dursleys. He sighed as the dizziness returned timidly at first then with more defiance as his vision regain its blurred self as if he weren't wearing glasses though he was. He tried to ignore it as it increasingly got worse every step he took as he felt the fatigue hit him again. He was so lost in his convulsions he didn't notice Dudley's old football though rarely ever used sitting in front of the mowers path right in front of the curb and the road. Everything seemed strangely slowed though still very invigorating as it was. Due to his lack of clear vision he failed to see the upcoming object as he leaned heavily on the handle trying to rush to finish and take a quick break. Harry continued on unknowing of the football that is until it was too late.

He pushed the blade over it and was startled when the mower convulsed and jerked wildly. In his haste to get away before something bad happened he let the handle go and immediately stumbled backward and he would have simply have collapsed again though this time his foot hit the curb and he fell back unable to stop himself and fate claimed him as right where his head landed there was a sharp rock and all he heard was a sickening crack as head hit pavement and his head was shot with pain as he slowly drifted to unconscious all he thought was I got what I wished for. No one seemed to notice any of these recent events as blood crept from a gash in Harrys head and a blood covered rock lay beside him.

was driving home in her car after a day out with some friends and things seemed strange to her as she drove down privet Drive and she then realized Harry wasn't in the Dursley's yard working like he so often was on Saturday. She was a bit worried of this and just as she was about to pull into her driveway she noticed a bundle lying in the streets lying in the road a short ways away from the Dursley's yard and dread greeted her as she thought of the worst. She quickly pulled in the drive and went to the motionless bundle in the road and began to cry as she saw Harry's limb form sitting in large sweat stained clothes. She then instinctively turned his head and gasped at what she saw. A deep hole had formed on his head that was a sick dark red color and next to him lay a blood stained rock and the blood still spilled slowly from the gash. There was also a little blood on the road next to his head. She grabbed her small purse with engraved cats on the side and withdrew her small cell phone and quickly dialed 911 and waited for a receptionist to pick up. They informed her there was an ambulance on the way and shortly sirens were heard coming ever closer. This sudden ruckus in a normally quiet peaceful neighborhood brought many neighbors out into the heat of the day to see what was wrong. Many close enough were soon shocked to see the bundle in the road and Miss. Figg standing over it looking quite worried and realization soon dawned on them that this must be someone hurt as the sirens grew ever louder. Many wondered who it was but thought it quite suspicious and as the bundle was right in front of Number 4 and was rather small for the relatively large, heavy set family other than Petunia though they doubted it was her. The all watched in shock as the ambulance and firefighters pulled in front of the scene and quickly inspected the bundle and examined it carefully watching its head. Many had now come closer to investigate though stay out of the way and simply watched. They all stayed quiet as they carefully picked up the bundle and everyone saw a bloody gash on a small boys head how couldn't be no more than ten and all wondered the same thing "who was this small boy we have never seen him out much at all". They proceeded to lift him on a stretcher and then lifted him into the back of the ambulance and the sirens blaring left behind a stunned and confused crowd of spectators. The police soon showed up and questioned several neighbors asking for any information on the boy though most people said they rarely ever seen the boy and had no information on him the only one who had any information on him was Miss. Figg their next door neighbor and she told them a lot of surprising facts on the boys home life. The police were thoroughly shocked at the information and demanded a search on the Dursley's household. When they searched they were almost certain they had the wrong house as all they found were photos of a family of three and the boy was not the description of the boy in the hospital records. They almost gave up until they decided to at least check the broom cupboard and found an old baby mattress filthy and worn with an old blanket thrown over it and the carving's Harry's room on the walls in a child's handwriting and they knew the boys name was in fact Harry from the information they were given. They concluded the search and left without a word to the Dursleys who were left wondering if they found out of the abuse they had given the boy and hoped they weren't found out and wouldn't be sentenced to jail. Though they mainly thought of how this was all the freaks fault and how much trouble he had caused and continued calling him freak and worthless brat for a good hour as their rant continued completely unaware to the video camera recording their every word that would also be sent to the Police station as evidence to child abuse and hopefully have the child abusers in jail for a long time to come.