Author's note: For some reason decided to remove my breaks in the last chapter. I have gone back and put new ones in. Sorry for any confusion that happened because of it. It was much harder to read when the scene changes weren't specified. Apparently it's done this to all my stories and I never noticed. So for some reason this story turned a lot darker than it was supposed to be. When I started it was just homeless Harry finds a home and a friend in Ron. Then inspiration struck and it took a very dark turn. Sorry about that but it did give me enough plot to finish the thing. Enjoy! Happy reading! Let me know what you think.

xoxo Lifeless

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, sadly.

After school Harry walked to the bookshop. Ron had stared at him all through English. It had been quite unnerving. He worked through his shift on autopilot, his mind focused on the coming conversation. He had no idea what he was going to say to convince Ron he couldn't tell. Remus noticed his distraction and let him go early.

He walked slowly, trying to delay his arrival at Ron's house. The small boy got more nervous with each step. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the piercing blue eyes watching him from an alley across the street.

Once he reached the large crooked house Harry hesitantly knocked on the door. A plump woman answered. She gave him a bright smile. "You must be Harry! Come in, come in." She ushered him into the house. "I'm Molly Weasley. Dinner is almost finished. Ron's in the living room." She led him to the room where Ron was sitting on the couch doing homework and his sister Ginny was lounging in a chair reading a magazine.

"Hey mate." Ron said as Harry entered the room.

"Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes, kids. Ginny can you get the rest of your brothers, please." Mrs. Weasley went back to the kitchen and Ginny headed up stairs.

"Come on mate, my mum's the best cook in the world." Ron said leading Harry back into the kitchen. The sat down at the table and were soon joined by Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, and Ginny. Mr. Weasley walked in just as Mrs. Weasley was putting the food on the table.

As soon as everyone sat down the Weasley boys dug in. Harry just sat and watched as plates were passed around. At the Dursley's he had never gotten to sit at the table, let alone take whatever he wanted to eat. "Here, Harry dear." Mrs. Weasley said passing him a plate piled with spaghetti. "You have to be a bit aggressive here if you want to get something before it's gone." She smiled. Harry took the plate and put a small portion on his plate.

"Here Harry." Ron said trading him the garlic bread for the plate of spaghetti. Harry took a piece and passed it on. Once everyone was served the typical 'How was your day?' conversations began. As the Weasley's talked Harry ate, trying to keep himself shoveling the food in his mouth at a rapid pace. He still emptied his plate quickly.

Ron noticed Harry's empty plate and handed him the plate of spaghetti again. Harry gave him a small smile and took more than he had the first time. Mrs. Weasley noticed the interaction but didn't say anything. She had also noticed how skinny the small boy was. Ron had told her when he got home that he had invited a friend over. He had also warned her not to ask about Harry's family. He said that it was a sore subject and that he didn't have all the details so she should just leave it alone.

"So Harry," Mrs. Weasley started. Harry tensed. This was the part he had been worried about; the get to know you questions. He had been preparing his lies all day. "Ron tells me you are working on a research paper together?"

Harry let out a breath. "Yeah. We are researching alchemy and the history behind the myths surrounding it." Harry told them about some of the things they had found out and Ron smiled. He had noticed how tense and uncomfortable his friend was and was glad to see him relaxing a bit.

The rest of dinner went well. No one asked Harry any personal questions. They mostly talked about school. As they were finishing up dessert Ron blurted out, "Can Harry stay the night?" Harry looked at Ron in shock but Ron just pleaded with his mother. "Please mum? It's Friday."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said. "I suppose if it's okay with Harry family then that would be alright."

"It is." Ron insisted. "He asked before he came over."

Mrs. Weasley looked at them skeptically. Harry quickly changed his shocked expression into an eager nod, not wanting his friend to get in trouble. Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Okay. Have fun boys. Keep it down."

Ron thanked her, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him up the stairs. Once the reached Ron's attic bedroom, Ron threw himself on his bed. Harry sat lightly by his feet.

"Ron you didn't have to do that…" Harry started.

"Harry, it makes me feel better." Ron said.

Harry sighed. "Look Ron, I ran away when I was nine. I can take care of myself." Harry said frustrated.

"You've been on your own for 5 years?!" Ron exclaimed. "But how did you register for school? You need an adult."

Harry chuckled. "You've been around Hermione too much if that is the first question you have." He said.

Ron laughed. "I guess."

"It's easier than you would think. I met this man called Hagrid. I convinced him to come enroll me. He pretended to be my uncle. He even got me signed up for the free lunch program which means I'm guaranteed a meal on weekdays. The school requested my transcripts from my old school for me. With my job at the bookshop I got a P.O. Box so I didn't need a home address for the forms. If I ever need a parent signature I just sign it. No one questions me." Harry explained.

"But why did you run away?" Ron asked. "Surely it was better than living on the streets?"

Harry tensed and his eyes hardened. "Look Ron I wouldn't expect you to understand. You have a great family that loves you. My relatives… well let's just say they were not good people."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"You're really going to make me explain, aren't you?" Harry took a deep breath and scooted back on the bed so his back was against the wall. "My parents died when I was a baby. I was sent to live with my Aunt and her family. My Aunt hated my mom and I inherited that hatred. They didn't want me." Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and looped his arms around them. "I slept in the cupboard under the stairs. They would lock me in for days on end and forget to feed me. Withholding meals was a common punishment, sometimes for weeks at a time. By the time I was five my Aunt had me doing every chore I was physically capable of. I did all of the cleaning, most of the cooking, tended the garden, anything she could find for me to do. And if I didn't do it right my uncle would… b-beat me." Harry stumbled over the word. Ron just stared at him in shock.

"Broken bones and blood loss didn't excuse me from my chores either. When I was 9 I finally couldn't take it anymore. Uncle Vernon came home drunk one night and pulled me out of my cupboard. He beat me black and blue and threw me back. This was a fairly common occurrence by that point but that night he forgot to lock the cupboard back. As soon as I could get up, I crawled out and grabbed all of the emergency money they kept in the house and any food that would keep and left." Harry was staring at his knees to avoid Ron's gaze. "The scars you saw on my arms that day were burns. If I ever burnt their food they would force my hand or arm onto the stove." Harry showed his hand to Ron who could now see the swirl shape of the burner. He also saw scarred rings around Harry's wrists that indicated the small boy had been tied up in the past.

"I spent the summer hitchhiking and doing odd jobs. I made it to London before the school year started. I met Hagrid and got registered for school. I did any job I could find to make enough to buy things I needed. Stole when I had too. Two years ago I met Remus and he gave me a job. He feeds me most days, and with my school lunches, that's way more food than I used to get. I use the money I get from Remus for clothes and other supplies. I'm saving up to get an apartment once I'm old enough." Harry stopped and looked at Ron. "Please don't tell anyone. I don't need help. I'm fine. I've been doing this a long time."

"But you shouldn't have too." Ron said quietly. "It's not fair."

"Well I learned a long time ago that life's not fair. I've had some very shitty things happen to me since I ran away but I'm still alive. If I had stayed I'm sure I wouldn't have lived to see secondary school." Harry said.

"Okay." Ron sighed. "I won't tell, for now at least. If I ever feel that you are in serious danger though the deals off. Also, you have to promise to come have dinner and stay the night at least once a week."

Harry gave him a weary smile. "I can do that. Thank you, Ron." They sat in silence for a few minutes then Ron got up and put in a CD. They lay on Ron's bed and discussed their favorite songs from the cd until Fred and George came up and drug them downstairs to watch a movie with them.

By the time the movie ended Ginny had fallen asleep in her chair. Fred carried her to her room with George following and Harry and Ron retired to his room. Ron insisted that Harry sleep in his bed before throwing himself on the air mattress on the floor.

-x-

Ron woke to a whimper. He sat up rubbing his eyes, confused, before he remembered Harry was staying over.

"No. Tom, please. Just let me go. Please, not again. STOP!" Harry shot up in the bed with a strangle scream. He was breathing hard and shaking.

Ron waited until he seemed to have calmed some before asking, "Are you alright?"

Harry looked at him startled. "I-I'm f-fine." He stuttered. "Ni-Nightmare."

Ron got up and sat himself on the bed next to his friend. He was shocked when Harry flinched away from him. "S-Sorry." Harry said looking at Ron wearily. Ron did not like the dull, terrified look in the other boy's eyes.

"Harry? Who's Tom?" He asked tactlessly. Harry flinched away violently before giving Ron a deathly glare. "You were talking in your sleep. Begging 'Tom' not to do something and to let you go." Ron explained.

"It doesn't matter." Harry said shortly.

"Harry, come on. You told me about your family. You can tell me about this." Ron said.

"Tom is so much worse than my relatives." Harry whispered.

"Who is he?" Ron asked

"I guess you could call him a stalker of sorts?" Harry said quietly. "Every few months he manages to find where I'm staying."

"Why?" Harry sat silently, lost in horrible memories. "Harry?" Ron asked. Harry jerked back.

"He um… when I was 10… I'd been on the streets for about a year. I wasn't as organized as I am now. I broke into this abandoned warehouse to sleep for the night… some bigger kids had run me out of my last place… anyway, apparently it was his territory. I woke up and he was standing over me… he umm… he…" Harry was breathing fast and shaking again. At some point he had started crying.

"Hey, it's okay. Just breathe. You're okay." Ron reassured him.

Harry took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly. "He raped me." He said in almost a whisper. Ron's eyes widened. "Then he just walked away, saying he hoped to see me again, and left me there."

"Oh my god." Ron breathed. "And he's stalking you now?"

"Kinda. About a year later he somehow found where I was staying. I got away that time. He's found me seven time since then… sometimes I got away sometimes I didn't… I haven't seen him in about 8 months and he hasn't ca-caught me in over a year."

"Harry. You can't go back out there." Ron insisted.

"No I have to. I just keep mobile. I move every few months, I'm careful about where I stay and how I get there. I need to move again soon. Thank you for catching me by the way. I've gotten sloppy. He'd have had no problem following me home." Harry said.

"But if you lived somewhere safer…" Ron started.

"He would find me. And it would be easier for him to do so because I had a permanent residence. Plus whoever I lived with would be in danger. I can't do that. I'm better off on my own." Harry stated.

"Okay, okay." Ron gave in. "Just please be careful. And remember you can stay here any time."

"Alright." Harry sighed. Ron gave him a concerned look. "I'm sorry. I've never had anyone worry about me before. Well except maybe Remus, but there is an unspoken agreement between us that he doesn't ask. I don't exactly know how to process it."

"Well get used to it, mate." Ron said with a small chuckle to break the tension. "Let's go back to bed."

-x-

Over the next few months Harry kept his promise. He spent Friday nights at the Weasley house. The whole family took him in and treated him as one of their own. It took Ron about two weeks to adjust to the knowledge of Harry's life. Harry spent Christmas break with them as well, using a phony story about an emergency with his grandmother. He got Christmas presents for the first time in his life. Mrs. Weasley even knitted him a sweater.

He moved from his abandon building to a bakery that had gone out of business years ago. It was between the Book Nook and the Weasley's making travel easier in the winter snow. Ron had snuck him a bunch of extra blankets and always brought an extra sandwich for lunch for Harry to take home. For the first time ever Harry went an entire month without going hungry. All in all things were looking up. If Harry had learned anything from his life it was the as soon as things start to look up they are bound to crash back down.

Harry was walking home from the Weasley's late one night in January when someone grabbed him from behind. "Harry, Harry, Harry, you've got to be more careful when walking around this late." Said a familiar voice before everything went black.

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