Warning: There is a graphic child abuse up a head. To me it's a bit more graphic than the other scenes and it even made me a little sick to write it.

Shattered Illusions Chapter Three: Meeting Other Freaks

Freak was laying in his cupboard like usual, it was early morning and he was waiting for Aunt Petunia to unlock the door so he could start making breakfast. It wasn't so bad in the cupboard this time, because they remembered to open the vent.

When it got to stuffy, he was able to put his face next to it for a bit. He was careful not to let Uncle Vernon see him like that though, or the vent would be closed. Suddenly there was a banging on the door.

"Up! Freak, get up!" His aunt screeched, unlocking the door. Freak got slowly to his feet, he hurt from the latest beating, and left the cupboard.

"Get in there and make breakfast." She commanded. "You will make eggs, toast, and bacon." Freak nodded and walked passed her and into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon was already there reading the paper.

"Freak! Get me some coffee!" Vernon growled, Freak nodded and went to the coffee pot and started to pour some into his uncle's favorite mug. Freak wasn't careful enough, and a couple of drops landed on his hand. It hurt and Freak had to bit his lip and only being burnt many times made it so he didn't automatically jerk away.

Freak gave his uncle the coffee and then pulled out two pans and set them on the stove then turned it on. Then he went to the cupboard to pull out the bread and set it on the counter by the toaster, then pulled out the eggs and the package of bacon.

He always started the bacon first because it took so long. He found that if you put it on a low heat it makes the bacon not shrink down as much and it got Uncle Vernon off his back. Vernon really liked his bacon and so did Dudley.

When the bacon was half way done he turned to start the eggs. His fingers were really sore from Dudley stomping on them and it was hard to crack the eggs properly. To his horror he noticed that there was a small fleck of shell that had fallen in pan and landed on the eggs.

The shell landed just on the yolk and that's where the problem was. If he just stuck his finger in he could risk breaking the yolk, and that was bad. Freak was about to try to get it out with a fork when Uncle Vernon came behind him and saw it.

"WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" Vernon yelled, grabbing his hair and smashing his face into the counter. "Can't. You. Do. Anything. Right?" In between every word, he hit his face into the counter again.

"Vernon dear, it's only a tiny bit of shell..." Petunia said softly. Freak's eyes widened, Aunt Petunia had never defended him before. Even he knew he deserved to be hit, he really should have been more careful.

"I'll teach the little freak to misbehave!" He yelled pulling Freak off the counter. He grabbed Freak's hand and Freak knew what was going to happen. He started pulling away, whimpering softly.

"Don't you pull away, you know you deserve it!" Vernon said and put Freak's whole hand in the boiling bacon grease. Freak screamed and shrieked and tried to pull away but Vernon kept it there.

"I really think you're being to harsh." Petunia tried, wringing her hands.

"NO! STOP! HURTS! PLEASE!" Freak screamed. Vernon pulled Freaks hand out.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT TALKING?" Vernon bellowed. Freak was shaking with such force his teeth chattered together and he couldn't stand. "MAYBE THIS WILL TEACH YOU!" He threw Freak onto the ground and took the pan with the still boiling grease off the burner and brought it to Freak's face.

"Open up!" Vernon commanded, Freak clamped his mouth closed, still whimpering and crying.

"Vernon you can't do that, you could damage his vocal cords and he'll never talk again." Petunia said firmly. Vernon ignored her and poured a small bit on Freak's cheek. Freak gasped in pain and Vernon used that time to pour the rest into his mouth.

Freak thrashed his head back and fourth and used his tongue to push the grease away from his throat. The grease burned a trail from the corners of his Freak's mouth down his cheek and all over his chin and neck. Thankfully not much got down his throat, but Freak was screaming loud enough to wake the dead.

Vernon slapped Freak across the face. "Shut up!" He screamed. Freak turned his head to see Petunia throwing up into the sink before falling into a much welcome darkness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Harry."

Freak groaned, he was in so much pain.

"Harry, wake up."

Freak groaned again. It was somebody asking for that, 'Harry' person again. He didn't want to deal with it right then.

"Freak, wake up." The voice said again and then Freak realized that it was Aunt Petunia.

Oh no! I'm in for it now! Freak thought. I fell asleep during a punishment! Freak's eye's snapped open and he tried to sit up.

"No, just stay like that." Petunia said. "I just need you to swallow these pills. It will help with the pain a little bit." Freak tried to open his mouth, but any movement hurt way to much. Tears spilled silently out of his eyes as Petunia pulled his lips apart and pushed the pills inside.

Freak's tongue was almost to swollen to swallow the pills and water that she poured into his mouth. He choked and sputter on the water and some dribbled down his chin, somewhat soothing the burns that were there.

"I am so sorry, Harry." Petunia whispered. "I never meant for it to get this bad." Freak looked at her weirdly, was Aunt Petunia confused as well as everyone else? Freak decided that she must be, why else would she think he was Harry?

Suddenly Freak had a tickle in his throat and his eyes widened. He had to cough, but he knew it would hurt really bad if he did, so he tried to suppress it. it didn't work and he started coughing, the cough rattling and jarring his broken ribs.

Freak felt something collecting in his mouth. He couldn't taste what it was so he turned his face slowly, letting the liquid drip out of his mouth. It was blood. He shivered and closed his eyes.

"I really hate to say it, and don't tell your uncle, but if you can use your ma-freakish powers I will let you." Petunia said. Freak opened his eyes a bit and looked at her, she looked sincere. He didn't know what to do. Freakish powers? He didn't really see how that would help. Unless she meant to hide the burns?

But Freak didn't know how to do that, it usually just happened. Freak looked away and closed his eyes. He just wanted to slip into Darkness again. After a few moments he was startled when he felt something cold on his neck.

Freak opened his eyes to see his aunt putting some type of creme on his burns.

"It wont make it go away, but it will help it heal." She explained. Suddenly Freak remembered his hand and realized that he couldn't feel it. Panicked he turned his head and looked for it.

His hand was in a bowl of ice water, and he couldn't feel it or move it. He shot a scared glance at his aunt.

"With it in cold water it will help it not swell as much and it will sooth it." She said. "Grease burns keep burning even after it's been wiped away."

Freak shuddered.

"Go a head and go to sleep." His aunt said. He did gladly.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When Freak woke up again he was back inside his cupboard. Then he remembered the happenings from the day before. Freak lifted his head and looked at his hand, he could still feel the burns, but his hand showed no evidence of them ever being there.

He winced as he sat up and looked himself over. From what Freak could tell, there weren't any injuries showing at all. His tongue was so swollen though he wouldn't be able to eat or talk. But it was ok, it's not like he ever did those things anyway.

Suddenly the door opened and he shrunk away, trying to push himself into the wall.

"Come on out Freak." Petunia said. "What happened to your burns? Are they gone?" Freak shook his head.

"But I don't see any." Freak gave her a look, as if pleading for her to believe him. "Hiding again?" She asked, her hands on her hips. Freak nodded slowly.

"Well, come out and have breakfast." Freak winced as he stood and limped out of the cupboard. He followed his aunt to the kitchen and immediately went to the stove, seeing it so soon sent more shivers down his spine.

"No, come sit down." Petunia said softly. Freak was confused, he had never sat at the table before. He shook his head, pleading.

"It's ok, we will eat before Vernon comes down." She said. "I wont tell. You will need your strength today." Freak's stomach dropped, that probably meant there were extra chores. He was sure he did deserve it, falling asleep during a punishment and all.

"You leave for school." She continued, putting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him. Freak's eyes widened. School and food? It was too good to be true.

"Go ahead and eat." She urged. Freak looked at the food, he wasn't sure if he could stomach it. His mouth hurt from the burns and he hadn't eaten in weeks. He picked up the fork with his good hand (left) and glance at the clock. It was ten after five in the morning. Uncle Vernon would be up in a twenty minutes.

Freak stabbed the smallest egg he could find and slowly popped it into his mouth. The pain was almost excruciating the chew, so he just swallowed it. It made his stomach growl in protest so he put the fork down and shook his head.

"Can't finish it?" Petunia asked. Freak shook his head and waited for the blow to come. When it didn't, he lifted his head to have a look. Aunt Petunia was pouring a glass of milk. She came over and set it in front of him.

"If you can't eat, then at least drink this." She said softly. Freak nodded and picked it up with his left hand, and brought it to his lips. It was cold so it soothed, but it hurt to swallow it. After getting the first swallow, he didn't care if it hurt, he was really thirty. He drank the whole glass as fast as he could.

He placed his hand on his now over stuffed stomach and sighed. The milk really was good. It had been a couple years since he had anything to drink other than water.

"It's time to go back to the cupboard now." Petunia said standing. "I'll get you when it's time to go to school." Freak nodded and limped to the cupboard. Petunia left the air vent open.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After hours spent in the cupboard Freak's legs started to get sore and was almost relieved when he heard, "FREAK!" It immediately squashed into fear when the door swung open and his uncle grabbed his hair and pulled him out.

Uncle Vernon shoved him against the wall. "It's time to bring you to the train station now so you can go to the freak school." He hissed. "If you tell any of the other freaks about what we've done to you, you will regret it. Understand?" Freak nodded quickly.

"Repeat what I said." his uncle grinned evilly. Freak swallowed the lump of fear that showed up.

"Repeat. What. I said." Vernon growled.

"No Tew other fweaks." Freak croaked Vernon was still grinning with a mad look in his eye.

"What have I told you about talking?" Vernon hissed dangerously.

"For heavens sake Vernon! Put him down, isn't it bad enough you burned him with grease?" Petunia asked.

"He deserved to die with his worthless parents." Vernon growled, dropping Freak onto the ground. "Get your trunk." Freak got up and went to his cupboard to retrieve his trunk.

When they got to the train station Vernon handed him a piece of paper. "Your ticket." He growled. Freak looked at it and frowned in confusion. 9 3/4. He was pretty sure that didn't exist.

"Get out." His uncle hissed. Freak got out and pulled his trunk out with him. He had barely shut the door before they drove off. Leaving Freak alone. He shook his head and started walking. He had found platform nine and ten, but not nine and three quarters.

Freak just wanted to sink to the ground and cry, but then he heard someone say something about 'muggles'. He faintly remember the man that took him shopping use that word. So he followed them. The whole lot of them had red hair and he watched stunned at the first one just ran at the wall and disappeared. Two more red heads went through before the lady noticed him.

"Do you need help dear?" She asked him. Freak didn't know what to say. He was never allowed to ask for help before, but maybe it was ok with other freaks? He nodded.

"Alright dear, just go straight through. Best take it at a bit of a run if your nervous." She said. "it's Ron's first time too." The boy next to her grinned happily. Freak smiled and nodded, then ran at the wall. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact but it never came.

It took him quite awhile to find a compartment, but then he lucked out and found an empty one. He opened it and sat down on the seat and looked out the window. A smile slowly formed on his face, he was getting away from the Dursley's. He was going to a school for Freaks.

He was interrupted when the red head boy came in. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Freak shook his head and motioned for him to sit down.

"Ron Weasley." He said, "What's your name?"