Small six year old, Harry Potter lay curled on his mattress in the cupboard under the stairs of 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, trying to keep his sobs from being heard by his 'family.' He didn't know why his 'family' hated him so much, but he knew that they did. This last beating was all the proof he needed because what kind of loving family allowed a six year old to be stripped naked and tied to the banister to be certain that he couldn't move out of the path of the studded leather belt that his uncle liked to beat him with. There wasn't any unmarred flesh on his back this time, and when he fell into the front hall table and broke a cheap vase trying to get back to his cupboard he knew he would be beaten more.

-FLASHBACK-

"Freak! You broke my vase! Vernon do something!"

Vernon Dursley's face became mottled in anger for the freak's audacity to break something that he had bought for his wife. No matter the fact that he was only trying to get back to his cupboard quickly after he released the bindings; the freak just should have been more careful, better yet he should not have been born. "Boy! I guess I still need to beat the freakishness out of you. But no, I'll let Dudley do it, he needs the practice before he starts school this year. He's a little too soft for my liking anyway, beating you will give him some backbone I think."

Harry began to whimper and back away from his uncle only to back into the smaller version of Uncle Vernon. Dudley immediately started punching Harry with his meaty fists. While Dudley was also six, he got much more food than Harry, which wasn't hard because Harry only got the scraps that Vernon wouldn't even put out for a stray. But Dudley also got more food than most children his age and it showed in his double chin and fat bottom.

Harry didn't know how long Dudley beat him for, but he felt at least one of his ribs break and he knew that his nose was broken and he was going to have a terrible black eye later. After what felt like forever Uncle Vernon pulled Dudley off of Harry and then threw Harry into his cupboard and closed and locked the door from the outside.

"Let's see how much freakishness is left after a month of no food, boy," Vernon said evilly.

-END FLASHBACK-

That had been nearly a week ago and Harry felt himself failing. He knew that if he didn't get out of the cupboard tonight he would not live much longer. It was hard to breathe around his broken rib and nose and he was getting desperate for food. He knew that he couldn't let his relatives hear him though, Vernon would kill him for sure.