Shattered Childhood

Chapter 3; Revelations

Surrey

"We can't be long, Griffin." Harry pointed out although his words rang with anxiety as he eyed the completely unfamiliar suburban street in central Surrey.

"We won't be." Griffin winced. "I'm sure it won't be long before the Newbie get's himself into trouble."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked looking from the completely unfamiliar surroundings to his vaguely familiar friend. He had the proof he needed to trust that Griffin had been his friend but he didn't feel for Griffin like he thought he should do. His mother had told him the truth and his own snapshot of memory proved that he'd known Griffin and lastly that photo had told him that he'd once been happy with Griffin and he'd felt safe when Griffin had hugged him those few minutes ago but Harry still didn't feel close to the other man. He really liked him, he knew he was attracted to the other young man but it was a physical attraction and didn't have any feeling behind it.

"That was my house." Griffin told him pointing towards a house just like any other in the crescent. It was a cold house as far as Harry was concerned. He remembered the inside of one room, Griffin's bedroom, from that one snapshot but that was it, he didn't remember Griffin's parents or the love that Griffin had spoken with and it made him jealous and a little angry at the house before him. "It belongs to someone else now obviously but your Aunt and Uncle still live next door." Griffin told him pointing to the house one down which was identical apart from the manicured lawn.

"Perhaps we should go." Harry said as he realised his fists were clenched. "I don't remember anything new."

"Are you trying?" Griffin asked stepping in front of him and blocking his view. He grabbed Harry's fists and forced him to open his hands. Clearly Harry's pain was evident. "I understand why you wouldn't want to remember and if you don't want to remember then you don't have to. We could leave right now and..."

Griffin cut himself off and Harry looked directly at him wondering what had stopped him from finishing. Yes, they could leave right now and Harry could go on with his life never knowing where it had all started and Griffin almost seemed to be suggesting he could do that but why did Griffin look so hurt by that idea. Then he remembered that this history of his was tied to these two houses and to those that had been in them. His Uncle and Aunt in the house on the left and Griffin's parents, already dead, in the house on the right. Most importantly though it was tied irrevocably with Griffin. Harry could turn away right now and never remember the pain but then he'd never remember Griffin and right now there were four people that actually meant anything to him. His adopted mother and his sister, one of which had lied to him his entire known life. David who was his little brother even if they were about the same age but that had his own trials to deal with and couldn't handle a screwed up brother that he'd never known he had, not to mention a sister which Harry hadn't mentioned to him yet. And lastly Griffin but if he turned away now he'd never know why Griffin meant anything to him.

"Let's go in." Harry told Griffin. "I won't give up the chance to remember this life."

"It's going to hurt, Harry." Griffin was biting his lip.

"I don't want to never remember you, Griffin." Harry told Griffin simply and saw Griffin swallow, surprised it was that which was making up Harry's mind.

"I think we should go in and talk to your Aunt and Uncle." Griffin suggested. "Do you think you can do that?"

"I don't even remember them at the moment." Harry shrugged. "But I'm a trained killer, I'm sure I can handle them." Harry moved to walk past Griffin but was stopped when Griffin put his arm across Harry's chest and turned Harry to face him, wrapping his arms around Harry, holding him in place.

"You don't get it, Harry." Griffin sighed. "This place is bad. Just standing here with you is killing me. I can't believe I even brought you here and I'm going to hate myself for putting you through this later. For a child like you that place was hell, Harry. You were tortured there."

"I have to do this, Griffin." Harry sighed but tightened his arms around Griffin's back and put his head down on Griffin's shoulder, absorbing the strength of his old friend that he couldn't even properly remember. Griffin finally let go of him and Harry pulled back. "Griffin, when I get angry..."

"Which you probably will do. This guy is a mean piece of work even if you don't remember anything in there." Griffin nodded.

"Things blow up." Harry finished. "Not always accidentally. It's my defence mechanism. If I don't like something I rip it apart with a rift."

"Even though I'd like to see you do that to him perhaps we should avoid it if possible." Griffin bit his lip. "Just Jump out if you want to leave. I'll follow you."

"If my head splits in two get me out of there." Harry warned and Griffin nodded and took point, leading Harry up the drive and across the little path to the front door where he knocked.

The door opened a few moments later and a massive man blocked the view inside. Harry wondered briefly whether he had a larger door in the garage so that he could actually get into his house because he almost seemed unable to fit through the front door. Harry had expected many things but such an overweight whale wasn't one of them.

"Oh, Mr. Dursley, you haven't even tried to lose any of the blubber have you?" Griffin asked. "Mind if we come in?"

"Now, see here!" Dursley frowned especially when Harry flinched as pain blossomed in his head at the sound of Dursley's voice. Or at least that's what Harry thought it was caused by. Griffin turned to him, clearly seeing the flinch but Harry just shook his head. He wanted to continue, if he left now all he'd probably remember were vague things and if he was going to do this he'd go all the way. He wanted every bit of the Paladins indoctrination out of him. "Who do you think you are?"

"I was your next door neighbour." Griffin told him dangerously. "That was back when you used to torture my best friend. Now get out of the fucking way or I'll have this conversation so that everyone in the street can hear it."

Whether Dursley actually listened or not Harry didn't know but he moved back out of the way, probably more out of surprise than anything else. "I don't know who you think I am but..."

"Shut up, Dursley." Griffin ordered as Dursley waddled down the hallway. Harry kicked the front door shut behind him and Griffin waited for him to look around the unfamiliar hallway. Griffin touched him on the back of the hand, not enough of a gesture that Dursley could have noticed but enough for Harry to know he was there. Griffin followed Dursley down the hallway and Harry followed but froze when his eyes locked onto a door handle built into the side of the staircase. A handle attached to one of the wall panels, a partially hidden door probably leading to an understairs cupboard. He froze up noticing where the panel had been fixed at about waist height. A section had been cut out and replaced with another piece of wood.

Griffin turned to him when he stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and noticed that Harry had stopped. "Harry?" He asked quietly, unwilling to say his name loud enough for Dursley to here.

"That door..." Harry frowned but then his eyes blurred and for a moment he could have sworn that instead of the little replacement piece of wood there was a brass vent, the kind with lots of vertical slits with an inbuilt shutter that could close them all. "It used to have a grill in it." His hand reached out and his fingertips touched where the grill had used to be and he saw a sudden burst of white sparks. Pain blossomed through his head again and suddenly he wasn't looking at the hallway in the same way. The door was bigger or he was smaller and it was dark, not late afternoon like it should be and the door had its little grill. Harry was moving along the hallway trying to be quiet and he pulled open the cupboard door as little as possible. Inside was a dusty mattress and old ratty blankets. His bed. He knew it.

The door slammed shut and Harry was suddenly looking at the, seemingly smaller, door without its grill. Griffin was so close that Dursley, looking on nervously from the kitchen, couldn't see what Harry was doing. Harry touched Griffin in the centre of his chest, unwilling to lean into his chest like every part of his body and mind were screaming for him to do. "I used to sleep in there." Harry forced himself to swallow and then turn from the door and look at Griffin. Griffin's eyes were cold and dark. Very dangerous but Harry felt that it wasn't directed at him. Harry wanted so much to leave right then and there so that he could sleep wrapped up securely in Griffin's arms.

"What are you looking at?" Dursley almost seemed to snarl and both of them turned to look at him. Harry nudged Griffin in the back and the other young man lead the way into the kitchen.

"Dursley, you really are a piece of work." Griffin growled dangerously. "I knew you were harsh on Harry but shutting him up under the stairs is just something else."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"He's talking about me." Harry said bluntly and Dursley's eyes snapped to his face and frowned. "Why was I put here with you?"

"Get out of my house." Dursley sneered.

"Not without my answers." Harry snapped. "I haven't been able to remember this life until recently and now I want answers."

Just then a woman walked into the room. She was the complete opposite of Dursley, stick thin with a long neck and ugly features, not that Dursley's features were any better. Harry moved away from here, moving back closer to Griffin's side. "Dear, who..." She started before spotting Griffin and her eyes narrowed in confusion before sliding to Harry. She gasped and staggered back into the kitchen counter, clearly recognising the older version of himself.

"Looks like she knows what we're talking about." Griffin forced a laugh. "Petunia Dursley." He said half to her and possibly half to Harry in case he hadn't worked it out. "I used to sit in my bedroom window watching Harry slave away in the garden and see you watching him out of the living room and I used to wonder how you could do that to him all the time."

"We had nothing to do with what happened to your parents, boy." Dursley snapped to Griffin.

"I never said you did." Griffin gritted his teeth. "It's not my life you destroyed but..." He trailed off as he realised that Harry was leaning against the wall clutching his head. Harry didn't know what had happened but when Dursley had said that last word, 'boy', it was like a hot knife had cut right through his head, carving huge chunks out of it.

"Harry?" Griffin frowned moving to block him from Dursley.

"Say that again." Harry hissed.

"Say what?" Griffin looked panicked.

"Not you." Harry breathed deeply, trying to control the pain. "Him! Say it again."

"Say what?" Dursley frowned. "It's true, we had nothing to do with his parents."

"Say boy." Harry snapped.

"Don't think you can order me around you ungrateful little boy." Pain snapped through Harry's body. "Your parents were the same, happy to go get themselves killed off for their unnaturalness. That lazy no good father of yours knocked up that bitch of a mother and we got landed with you, boy."

Harry Jumped through Griffin and exploded out of a rift a couple of inches from Dursley. The power of his exit shattered the counter and the floor and gave him the momentum so when he slammed his arm into Dursley's chest it slammed him into the sink. Harry's eyes were burning with anger and the air throbbed as Harry's power wanted to destroy something. Griffin Jumped after him grabbing his arms and wrenching him back through the same rift and across the room. The air thickened as a rift threatened to tear through it all. Harry couldn't control it through his pain and he could only shake in pain and pure fury as Griffin did the only thing he could in the situation. He Jumped them out of the house and onto the street and Harry felt himself completely cave to the pain in his mind and he fell to his knees even as a massive thud of air ripped through the street.

Griffin followed him down, smoothing his collapse and then held him. Harry's head felt like it was about to explode and Griffin swore under his breath before forcing Harry to stand and shoved them both through a new rift getting them back to his lair before the emergency services arrived on scene.

Harry fell out of the rift and sank to the sand strewn rock floor and pushed his back into the wall and tucked his knees up. He buried his head into his knees as his mind flashed with images. Waking up in the darkness under the Dursley's stairs. Playing in the snow with a young Griffin. Being smacked on the back of the head with Petunia Dursley's hand. Rolling across Griffin's bedroom floor. A fist just before it hit his face. Eating dinner with Griffin's family. Being kicked in the side as he curled up on the floor. Hiding in the bushes behind the house because Dursley was having a bad day. Watching out of the window as the new family moved in next door and watching the little boy running back and forwards happily and wishing he was him.

Hands touched his knees and he looked up knowing that his face was strewn with tears to find himself looking at an older version of the face he'd just remembered so well. He'd learnt every little bit of Griffin's features when they were little. Learning everything about Griffin almost so as to free himself from his own hell. Griffin had been a very happy child but Harry had brought pain into his expression and now that he remembered everything he could barely stand that Griffin had lost all of that innocence.

"Harry?" Griffin tried. "Do you remember anything?"

Harry managed to nod, his mind feeling full and heavy. It made him feel half dead and the pain he'd just remembered weighed heavily on him but amongst all that pain he'd had Griffin and Griffin had made him happy and that was what he focused on. Griffin was crouched in front of him and when Harry straightened his legs Griffin sat down on them, basically sitting in his lap, facing him. Griffin caught his hands before Harry could hold his head again and pushed them down into his lap out of way so that he could lean in and kiss Harry on the forehead.

"I've missed you every day of my life." Griffin told him. "It was the one regret I had. I could never find you but I've never stopped searching. I never thought that they'd have abducted you and I didn't want to imagine that they'd killed you. Losing my mum and dad was bad enough."

"I'm sorry, Griffin." Harry sobbed out, trying vainly to control his emotions but it was difficult with the pain in his head.

"Sorry for what?" Griffin frowned.

"I'm sorry I forgot you." Harry ducked his head but Griffin moved faster putting their foreheads together, stopping Harry from looking away from him. They breathed together for a while and Harry was amazed that something so simple was alleviating all of his pain, sorrow and despair.

Harry barely realised that Griffin had moved minutely when Griffin's lips touched his own with a soft kiss that felt perfectly natural to them both. There was no sexual drive to the kiss only Griffin comforting him like he'd always done when they were younger except back then they'd never kissed. Griffin broke off the kiss and twisted to sit beside him against the wall and Harry sagged sideways, his head landing in Griffin's lap. Griffin began carding his fingers through Harry's hair and put a hand on Harry's stomach, twitching his fingers to stroke Harry's stomach. Soothing him into a light doze as everything caught up with him. Harry was barely awake when Griffin carefully moved them both to the sofa in the middle of his room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

An hour later

Harry jolted upright when there was the very distinct sound of a rift. He was on his feet with his hand at his side, where a knife hid on his belt. "Fucks sake." Harry gasped as he saw Griffin. Griffin gave him a rather less than apologetic smile and Harry smiled back, relaxing himself and dropping his hands back to his side.

"How much do you remember?" Griffin asked.

Harry didn't know what to say. Just telling Griffin that he remembered everything seemed so lacking in description. He felt complete, he felt like a completely different person. And he felt disgusted at himself for what he'd been doing, what he'd been, all of these years. He didn't want Griffin to know he was thinking that though. Harry just nodded instead, not really answering the question but it seemed to satisfy Griffin who smiled widely. "How did you cope with that?" Harry shook his head but turned and Jumped across the room.

"That's going to take some getting used to honestly." Griffin muttered and Harry Jumped back even as he turned so he was standing right in front of him.

"What will?" Harry asked nervously. Had he already done something wrong?

Harry jumped when he suddenly felt Griffin grab his hands and it took all of concentration not to Jump backwards away from him. Griffin had been reading his thoughts again. Harry chuckled. "It's a nervous habit." Harry admitted when he realised that Griffin was talking about his nervous Jumping. "Paladins have a habit to trying to stab me."

Griffin pulled him into his arms. "If you really do have all your memories back then you'll know that I promised never to let anything happen to you as long as I was around to stop it. I meant it then and I mean it now."

Harry sagged slightly before pulling out of the embrace. His eyes were red from the migraine that still had his undivided attention but Griffin didn't seem bothered. "I want to go chat to my sister." Harry told Griffin who flinched slightly.

"The Paladin?" Griffin frowned.

"David's sister." Harry corrected. "My sister."

"You don't have to think about that life anymore, Harry." Griffin looked desperate.

"No I don't have to think about all of it. But I don't want to forget her either." Harry told him. "She was the only thing I had and I need to explain this to her so she knows I'm safe and..."

"And...?" Griffin prompted.

"Loved." Harry choked out after a moment Jumping back away from Griffin.

"Damn." Griffin muttered, Jumping across the six feet and grabbing Harry tightly. "Always loved, Harry. That'll never change. Get going and see the little sis."

Harry pulled back, wiped at his eyes and Jumped from the room heading for his home, or at least what had been his home.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Harry reappeared with a small thud in the icy coldness around his home. It was too far north but he did like the cold, it was just a shock in comparison to the heat of Griffin's lair. He was well hidden and his decision not to Jump directly into the house was a good one since he could see a man he didn't recognise through the living room window. A Paladin though he had no clue why he was there, it might not even be anything to do with him. He didn't wait for long and Jumped into Sophie's bedroom getting a startled cry from her. She hastily covered up behind her shirt and Harry Jumped to beside the door and turned his back, raising his hands over his head. At eighteen she was studying for her exams and preparing to go to university, all the time working for the Paladins.

"Harry!" It was partly an admonishing hiss and partly a relieved sigh.

"Is it safe?" Harry asked, half teasing.

"Like it would matter." She chuckled. "It's safe to turn around."

Harry turned and shot her an apologetic smile which she returned with a roll of her eyes before opening her arms and giving him a come-hither flicker with her wrists. Harry grinned and Jumped across the room sweeping her up into a tight embrace. "I didn't think knocking on the front door would do me much good right now."

"After you killed two Paladins?" She asked without judgement. "Probably not."

"Firstly I didn't kill them both." Harry defended. "Secondly I was protecting..."

He caught himself before he could blurt out David's relationship to her. Or them though it didn't really matter. She frowned at him but misunderstood what he was getting at. "Another Jumper?" She guessed. "David Rice. At least that's what they're saying."

Harry shrugged before sitting on the edge of her bed and rubbing at his head. She sat in the chair by her desk and spun to face him, merely two feet from him when she leant forwards. "So hey..." Harry started before rethinking how to do this but then he decided he didn't have any more subtle way to do it so he straightened up and offered his right hand. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Harry Potter. Complete with the memories of before I was five."

She froze in shock before her hand came up and covered her mouth. Harry retracted his hand unsurprised that she wasn't amused by his tact. "You remembered everything?" She asked eventually. He nodded. "That's grea..." She was about to declare it as a good thing but then stumbled to a halt. "Is that a good thing?" She chanced.

"I prefer knowing." Harry shrugged twisting to the side as she stood, crossed the gap and sat beside him. "Turns out my relatives were worth forgetting." He turned back to the front staring across at the window as he finally let it settle into him what he had done to his relatives, unintentionally as it had been. He couldn't imagine any possible way they had gotten out of there. If it wasn't for Griffin he probably would have torn himself to shreds as well, perhaps even Griffin too.

"What did they do to you?" She risked asking him.

Harry turned to her with gritted teeth. "They thought I was a freak because they knew of Wizards even though I didn't. Starved me, made me do all the chores, beat me, locked me in a cupboard. They treated me worse than a stray dog that's found its way into your house." She flinched and almost automatically put an arm around him even though she was slight compared to him. She sank into his side, being every bit his sister.

"How did you get it all back?" She asked.

"Griffin took me there." Harry told her in a whisper not looking at her but staring back out of the window again.

"Griffin?" She frowned. "He was there when you were taken by Roland Cox."

"I was in his house." Harry nodded. "We were best friends. His mum was trying to rescue me from my relatives. Griffin lost me as well as his parents that night but he didn't forget me. He went back with me to help me remember and he saved me from them again."

"You went to speak to those monsters!?" She gasped straightening up and rounding on him.

"They couldn't have hurt me." Harry shook his head. "I could Jump out whenever I wanted to."

"Not physically hurt you but emotionally." She frowned. Harry flinched. "They did didn't they?" Harry turned to look out of the window again. "What did you mean by Griffin saving you again?"

"I lost control." Harry couldn't risk looking at her. He didn't regret what he'd done but she might think him a monster, maybe she'd rethink her idea that not all Jumpers were bad.

"What happened, Harry?" She asked without emotion which Harry took to be a bad sign but Harry was too frozen to think to Jump across the room like he normally would when nervous about something.

"The house was torn up in a rift." Harry muttered almost to himself. "Griffin Jumped him and I out before we got caught up in it too."

"But your relatives..." She trailed off as Harry flinched violently.

"You think I'm a monster, just like any other Jumper." Harry muttered to himself.

She grabbed his shoulder and he Jumped across the room, unable to stop himself. "Brother, don't you dare Jump away from me!" She'd used that tone on him before. Harry looked at her seeing a glare on her face. "If you ever say that you doubt me like that again I'll make you regret it, Harry."

"You don't think I'm a monster?" Harry frowned.

"I know you better than anyone else." Sophie pointed out. "You're not a monster, Harry, and you never have been. Your relatives were the monsters, Roland Cox is a monster. You're sweet and caring and you protect the people you care about. That doesn't make you a monster in my book."

"I shredded two people." Harry pointed out. "One of them my blood-aunt."

"They tortured a little boy!" Sophie gasped out crossing the room. Harry flinched and Jumped backwards, hitting the wall as he fell out of his rift. She narrowed her eyes at him and closed the gap again putting her hands on his shoulders as if she could pin him down in one place with such a gesture. "If I'd been there I would have killed them for what they did to you. They are the monsters. Don't you ever forget that."

Harry let his head sag down and she closed the remaining gap and wrapped her arms around him as he shook in relief. Sophie didn't hate him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter