again it is pretty short but I feel that it says what needs to be said. Oh the rating has been bumped up to "M" just to be safe.

This chapter is slightly graphic violence wise but not gory or anything. no blood.

Please review!

Chapter 2: Had Enough

Darkness greeted him as he gently peeled his eyes open. He was still outside. His lungs were gurgling and crackling with every sharp breath he took. Looking he could vaguely see the blurred outlines of his arms littered with bruises and one looking swollen and bent at a horrific angle. He could feel his knee throbbing in time with his heartbeat and his ribs moving painfully in tandem with his breathing.

He clenched his eyes in pain as he tried to lift himself into a seated position with no luck. A tear ran down his face as he remembered what had happened. It wasn't the first time this had happened, that was for certain but this was the last time he would let it happen.

Last night Vernon Dursley had taken it too far.

As he waddled through the door that night, his face looking purple and swollen from the effort it took to move his substantial mass from one foot to the other. Like usual his brow was set in a permanent scowl. This should have been Harry's first clue to avoid him at all costs.

Seven-year-old Harry had been in the back garden for most of the day, pulling weeds, watering plants, planting some new flowers and bulbs that his Aunt Petunia has purchased the day before. As a result he was quite grubby in appearance. A light sheen of sweat across his steadily reddening sun-burned face, his oversized hand-me-down shirt covered in dirty fingerprints, his nest of raven hair clutters with twigs and leaves and his hands stained and muddy. Overall he looked what anyone would expect to look like after spending hours in the garden. His appearance however was not appreciated by Vernon however when he returned home from work to see him attempting to scrub away the grime at the kitchen sink.

"What do you think you're doing you disgusting freak?" Vernon bellowed as he barrelled into the kitchen his fists clenched and shaking in his anger.

"U-uncle Vernon! I was j-just cleanin-" Harry stuttered in shock. Vernon wasn't due home for at least another hour. He hadn't even had the chance to turn on the oven so he could start making his dinner.

"Get outside now! Stop tarnishing this home with your filth! Out! NOW!" Vernon grabbed hold of the back of Harry's shirt and began dragging him through the house. Harry struggled to stay upright as his Uncle rounded corners and barrelled through doorways with a speed that seemed almost impossible given his ample mass and apparent lack of fitness.

Reaching the back door Vernon unlocked it and shoved it open before pushing Harry through and

down onto the ground. Harry gasped as a shock of pain flared up through his wrist as he hit the ground. Vernon looked left, right and left again watching the neighbouring homes with his beady eyes staring at each of the windows and fence lines making sure that none of his neighbours were spying on his personal business. Seeing that he had no witnesses, he kicked the boy hard in the kneecap before waddling over to the tap with the hose hanging from it.

Grabbing the hose with one hand he turned the tap on full blast and watched with satisfaction as it stiffened icy jets of water shot from the end with such force that the bark on the garden it was pointed at began to separate in all directions. Vernon smiled. And not a kind smile at that.

Harry shivered and tried to shuffle backwards and his Uncle mad his slow approach.

"Stay right where you are boy! You aren't going anywhere." Vernon directed the hose towards Harry's face spraying it in his eyes and knocking his glasses to the ground. Harry held his breath and pulled himself backwards across the yard despite his protesting wrist and knee. Vernon just continued to walk forward the hose still directed at Harry's eyes. Eventually Harry hit the back fence, he was cornered. Nowhere to go and Vernon wasn't stopping. Harry ducked his head trying desperately to cover his head with his twiggy little arms.

Vernon growled and reached forward, snatching both wrists up into one meaty fist and slamming them up into the fence behind him.

"Please Uncle, Stop!" Harry tried to shout out in vain attempts to stop his Uncles abuse.

"Shut up Freak, nobody wants to hear you screaming," Vernon sneered and with that he directed the water flow towards Harry's mouth. Harry quickly clamped his mouth shut praying that the thundering water wouldn't seep through his lips and drown him. Vernon watched him struggle for a moment before he lifted his leg and slammed his foot into the child's stomach. Harry gasped his body curving back in on itself in pain. Vernon took the opportunity to plunge the mouth of the hose into Harry's throat.

Unable to breath and struggling for life, blackness slowly began to invade his vision. Vaguely he felt a scrape along the inside of his throat before nothing.

"You deserved it you disgusting freak."

Gingerly, despite the protests of his aching body, Harry pulled his body from the ground and stumbled through the darkness out onto the street and away from number four Privet Drive. His bad vision and lack of light made it difficult to see and his injuries made it difficult to walk but he didn't care. He walked away from the Dursley's home. Away from the family that had never loved him.

At that moment he promised himself that he would find himself a new family.

One that wouldn't call him a disgusting freak.

One that wouldn't hurt him.

One that would read him stories and tuck him in at night.

One that would love him for him.