A/N: Here is the second chapter. I hope you like it! Feedback is very much appreciated, also no flames please. Otherwise, every kind of criticism will be well received! =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters of it. That right belongs solely to J. K. Rowling!
Warning: This will be a Severitus story and later on male/male. Also, this Story will mention child abuse.
Note: This story is rated T just to be on the save side. I'll see how the story progresses, maybe I'll have to change it.
Summary: With Ron and Hermione turning away from him after his name came out of the goblet, Draco Malfoy acting weirder than ever and now having to return to his abusive life at Privet Drive, without any chance of help, Harry's only hope is one Severus Snape.
Breaking Free
Chapter Two – Rough Summer Start
Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind a door of which he had hidden and watched Gryffindor's Golden Boy leave.
Who would have thought the Golden Trio wasn't as Golden as it seemed?
He had been surprised in class just a while ago, when Potter was able to anwser Snape's question flawlessly, also not as surprised as everybody else.
He had watched Potter these last few days and the boy-who-lived had been as serious as never before about his potions studies. How his friends could have missed that was unclear to him.
However, apparently he couldn't call them Potter's friends anymore after that show.
Sure, he hadn't expected the change of character in his rival, but even he knew that Potter would never cheat.
Draco had pondered over the Golden boy's actions for quite some time and had come to the conclusion that even though he had always broken the rules and gotten away with it, he had only done it because of his saving-people-complex. Not because he had thought he was above them.
And he had never lied to get out of his punishments.
Draco knew Potter had been able to anwser those questions all by himself. But when did Potter start to care about potions? And what was he doing lately? He looked dead on his feet!
Draco had always kept an eye on Potter to know when to expect trouble. After he had realized that Potter looked as if he would faint any minute from exhaustion, even after the third task was finished, he had gotten interested (not concerned!).
And now this. The Weasel and the Mudblood didn't seem to care about Potter anymore, or they had an interesting way of showing it, leaving him behind like that.
Draco had seen how Potter was practically an outcast in his own house.
He narrowed his eyes. That nearly sounded like Draco cared. He was not concerned about him! He was merely interested. This was a weakness he'd be able to use later on.
So if Draco was only interested in finding out more about the leak in the Golden Trio, than why did those words sound like made up excuses even to Draco himself? And why didn't he like to see those green eyes filled with unshed tears?
And why didn't he even think about sharing this information with his fellow Slytherins, or his Godfather Severus Snape for one second?
Harry was just about to go on his way to get his trunk, so he could be one of the first to board the train an choose a compartment of his liking, Professor Snape stepped in his way and sneered down on him.
Harry came to a halt and tried to keep the confusion of his face. What had he done now? Walk to loudly?
"Potter," the potions Master interrupted his train of thoughts. "the Headmaster wishes to speak with you and asked me to fetch you. I hope you are up to following a simple instruction as following me to the headmasters office."
Harry kept his thought inside, although he really wished he could shake his Professor. What had he ever done to the man?
He had no time to say anything, as Professor Snape turned around and strowed away and Harry resigned himself to walking towards the direction Snape was taking.
It was a short walk in uncomfortable silence, at least for Harry it was and he was relieved when they reached the Gargoyle.
Also he was in for a surprise, as Harry expected Snape to leave Harry alone from there on. But Snape kept going and strode up the stairs after giving the right password.
At the top of the stairs they didn't even have to knock before they heard Dumbledore's voice.
"Come in, my boys." They did as told and while Snape took a seat slightly to the left opposite of the headmaster, Harry took one more to the right, near Fawkes, just to be safe.
Harry looked at Dumbledore and recognized that bloody twinkle in the wizard's eyes, also to Harry it seemed different than usual when the man was maddeling.
Like something bad had happened, but he was quite sure it would work out to his advantage.
"Hello Professor Dumbledore. Professor Snape said you wanted to see me." Harry looked once at his Potions Master who looked positively sour, than back to Dumbledore.
"That is right. I'll be blunt Harry. We came upon a little problem. Considering the fact, that Voldemort used your blood in the resurection ritual, it is propably right to assume, that the blood wards that kept you save at your Aunt's are now useless."
Harry opened his mouth to say something, but closed it shut immediately. What now? Sure, he hated his relatives and wanted to get away from them as soon as possible. But where would he go? To Ron? Yeah right. After their fight he wouldn't go into a five kilometer radius of the boy. Grimmauld place was out as well, considering…considering Sirius was there.
Harry swallowed thickly. "What will happen now?" he asked silently and looked down. Therefor missing the look Dumbledore and Snape shared.
Obviously they had thought that Harry would happily announce he'd be perfectly fine with living with Ron or the Order.
Dumbledore sighed as well and Snape scowled. "Well, Voldemort does not seem to be aware of what taking your blood exactly means for him. So you'll still be safe for quite some time at your relative's. Also, in case of an emergancy, we have connected the floo at Privet Drive with the floonetwork and should something happen, you are to floo over to Professor Snape's home.
He is the only one available over the summer and will be able to handle the situation. Is that alright?"
Harry stared at Dumbledore, then at Snape and then at Dumbledore again. Had he heard right?
Now everything made sense. Why Snape had been so nasty towards Harry these couple of days and the knowing twinkle and the headmaster's eyes when they had entered.
Another attempt to get them to get along.
Harry was sure under normal circumstances he would have fought against having to rely on Snape to save him, just as he would have fought against returning to a place where death eaters could appear at any second and he sure as hell would have been against returning to the Dursley's. Point.
But at the moment, Harry just felt empty. He had no friends. His godfather didn't care about him. Voldemort was back and hot on his heels and he had to look forward to a summer of being ridiculed, bullied, starved and beaten. Not to mention imprisoned.
Right now, Harry didn't have the strength to fight back. So he didn't and just said, "Perfect."
Sighing Harry got out of the Hogwarts Express and put his trunk down beside him. He watched as the other students left the train and spotted Ron and Hermione at the end of the train.
When their eyes met, Harry didn't need to keep looking to know they were scowling at him. He couldn't believe how fast they would dismiss four years of friendship, however Harry was distracted by a flash of blonde hair in the corner of his eye.
Harry turned around and saw Draco Malfoy say good bye to Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini.
When the Malfoy Heir went towards the portal to the muggle train station he cought Harry's eye and for a second Harry thought he saw something akin to hesitancy and longing in the blonde's eyes, but it was gone just as fast and Malfoy left the Platform 9 ¾ .
Confused Harry put a hand on his trunk and said "Tiny." His trunk shrunk into the size of 2x2 cm and Harry picked it up, putting it into his pocket.
He had owl ordered the trunk while still in school. Like this his relatives wouldn't be able to take it from him. He would just tell them he had left his school supplies with his friends . Hopefully it would work, then Harry would be able to do his summer homework for the first time and maybe even learn over the holiday. He had never been able to do that and it had shown in his grades.
Harry was sure he'd be much better in school, if he could only prepare himself properly for school.
Of course hedwig could not be shrunken, so Harry had left her at hogwarts. He would certainly miss her, but he'd rather it to be like this, than the owl to be locked in, or worse, killed.
Harry sighed, shaking his head slightly to clear it, he left the platform afterwards and stopped at the platform between 9 and 10 to look around.
Students were engulfed in their parents' arms.
He watched as Ron was hugged by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and by the look they sent Harry when they spotted him, Ron had already told them about his atrocious behaviour.
Also Mr. And Mrs. Weasley had a uncertainty in their eyes, that gave Harry hope. Maybe they didn't quite believe everything their youngest son had told them
Harry didn't want to cause trouble in the family and just gave a small smile, which was returned. Barely, but Harry wouldn't start being picky now.
He was sure, once he got to explain everything to Ron's parents' they'd welcome him back with open arms, at least he hoped so.
One look at Percy though, told him that at least another seventh part of the Weasley-offspring thought him capable of the already mentioned atrocious behaviour.
Harry didn't want to see the other Weasley children look at him with the same disdain in their eyes, however before he could turn away, Ginny caught his eye and smiled at him.
For a second she let her gaze flicker to Hedwig and then back to Harry and Harry couldn't stop himself from grinning.
He nodded towards the ginger head to let her know he'd understood the message: She didn't believe Ron and Hermione and would be writing to him.
Harry saw Fred and George appear on either of Ginny's sides and salute towards him.
Harry, still grinning, returned the gesture. It seemed, that the utter crap Ron and Hermione had been sprouting recently wasn't believed by even half of the Weasleys.
Harry waved towards the three red-heads and turned around, nearly running into somebody right behind him.
He stumbled backwards and lifted his head while opening his mouth to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat at the sight before him.
In front of him stood his Uncle Vernon.
Harry gulped. If he went by the look on his Uncle's face, he was in for a world of pain.
"Boy, get your stuff. We are leaving." Then he turned around without waiting for his nephew.
Harry sighed and hurriedly tried to keep up with his Uncle.
Now Harry was even happier he had gotten his new trunk, as it would have been very difficult to keep up with his Uncle and load the trunk into the car.
The ride home was silent and Harry couldn't help but fear what would greet him at home.
When they arrived Harry got out of the car as fast as possible and went for the front door.
Not fast enough however, as his Uncle took hold of his neck and pushed him into the hallway, shutting the door behind them with a bang.
Harry looked up tentatively and flinched at the red and angry face of the man.
"How dare you!" Hadn't Harry been afraid of what his Uncle was capable of, he'd have brushed off the spit from his face. Right now he decided keeping his face towards the floor and ignoring the disgusting substence was a much smarter action.
More importantly, what was the acherontic thing he had done to agravate his Uncle now?
His Uncle apparently knew what question he was asking himself, or he just wanted to shout at Harry, as he kept going. "Two of those freaks were here and do you know what they did? Tampered with our fireplace! And now it's some freaky entry for your kind!"
Harry choked back a groan. He had totally forgotten that the floo would have been connected to the system in order to work. Of course his relatives would be enraged by this.
He also should have known better than to talk now, when his Uncle was in one of his fits, but the words just left his mouth. "I'm sorry Uncle Vernon. I had no idea they were going to-"
He was interrupted by a hand striking him in the face and shoving him backwards on the stairs.
"Don't you talk back to me boy!" Harry sat up a bit and winced at the sting from his cheek and his back, where he had landed awkwardly on the stairs.
He looked up from under his fringe when Vernon continued.
"We will have none of your abnormal behaviour this summer. You will do the chores we assigne to you and stay in the room for the rest of the day! And where is that horrible suitcase of yours? None of that stuff will stay in your room, locked in the cupboard, that is where it will stay."
"I left it with my friends." Harry whispered and hoped the man would buy it.
Suddenly he was yanked up by his neck again and pushed up the stairs. With a rather forcible shove he was sent flying into his room and had to catch himself or he would have landed hard on the floor.
The door closed behind him and while rubbing his elbows, Harry stood up and looked into the broken mirror over his old commode in a corner opposite to his bed, which resembled more a cot than anything else.
Harry touched his cheek where a bruise was already forming.
Well, he'd gotten his anwser. Apparently his Uncle had believed him that his trunk was at a friends, but when an outraged cry reached his ears from downstairs, Harry wasn't sure if it even mattered.
His Uncle came barching into the room, a piece of formal looking parchment in between his beefy fingers and shouted "What the hell do you think you were doing, telling those crazy people to remind us we had to take care of you, because you had a traumatic experience? You get what you deserve freak and you'll regret that you ever opened your mouth!"
Harry didn't even have a chance to say how he didn't say anythig like that to anybody, as he was trying to make himself as small as possible and protect himself from the harsh blows his Uncle was raining over him.
A/N: So, let me think what your opinion is on the second chapter! Thanks!