This is my VERY FIRST Snarry fanfic! Yes, this is Snarry… SLASH- EXPLICIT… If this offends you, please let me know and I'll tell you not to read this story! So, anyway- BE GENTLE! But not, like, fluffy… constructive criticism is okay as long as it's not hurtful… I'm sensitive. ;)
Disclaimer: Just to get this out of the way, I don't own HP or anything. Just the plot and the things that pop out of my own odd imagination! Thank you!
Chapter One
XXXhpXXX
The street light at the corner flickered before finally giving up and letting #4 Privet Drive fall into the darkness of night. Inside, one would never guess at the violent scene that had unfolded just hours before, for it was deceptively calm and quiet. It was especially so behind a locked and dead-bolted door, where a young man with messy dark-brown hair and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead lie on his back on the floor. He was completely still and appeared asleep, save for the dull green eyes gazing, unblinkingly, at the ceiling. In the soft moonlight, the purpling bruises and deep scratches on his face were barely visible, but if he was in any pain, he gave no indication.
Harry Potter's summer had gone slowly from bad to the worst of his life. He had become, what his uncle termed as 'outright rebellious'. In truth, he merely refused to do all of the work around the house and god-forbid that any of the Dursleys were forced to raise a finger! However, after a few rather painful beatings, he had agreed to do the outdoor, if only because it was the one time he was actually allowed outside of the house. Not to mention that the labor would help keep him in shape.
On this particular night, he had told his uncle to bugger off when Vernon had yelled for him to 'quiet that damned bird'. He had promptly thundered up the stairs and taught his a lesson about his impertinence, during which Harry neither flinched nor made any sound of pain- which, of course, enraged Vernon further.
So, as he stared vacantly into the space above him, Harry thought of the multitude of bad decisions he'd made in his life. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was nearly five in the morning. Vernon would be leaving for work in a few hours and shortly after that, Petunia would come into his room, bandage him up to the best of her ability, give him some toast, and set to work in the yard. If Harry had to say one good thing about this summer, it would be that, while his uncle's treatment of him had only gotten worse, Petunia's had improved greatly.
He sat up grudgingly, biting back a groan when every one of his muscles protested ferociously. He ceased his movement for a moment, allowing the pain some time to ebb before standing and making his way to the worn bed in the corner. He sat down heavily, kicking off his shoes and falling back, closing his eyes. He figured that sleep, as usual, would ease the pain…
"Harry, wake up," Petunia said, "Alright, don't wake up. But this might sting…"
Harry was startled into consciousness when rubbing alcohol was dabbed into the large cut across his nose. He looked into Petunia's smirking face and settled down a bit so that she could finish. When she had, he stood up, testing his muscles. Surprisingly, there was no pain.
"You got lucky this time," Petunia huffed, "Only a few cuts and bruises and little bump on the head."
"What?" he asked. Vernon had nearly beat the life out of him… what was she talking about?
"You heard me," she said, "It sounded a lot worse than it apparently was."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I could barely move last night."
"Well, a good night's sleep can do wonders for the body. You should try it more often," she said impatiently, "There's some fresh toast on the counter. Now, hurry and dress so that you can start on your chores. Vernon's made up quite the list…"
"Okay," he said, stretching his arms over his head as his aunt left the room. She was right, he noticed. He wasn't nearly as banged up as he had been a just a few short hours ago. He had one bandage around his upper right arm, a bandage across the bridge of his nose, and the back of his head was slightly sore. He shrugged, chalking it up to some odd magical phenomena, and pulled on a white muscle-shirt, a clean pair of faded, light blue jeans, and sneakers. He walked downstairs, grabbing the toast and an apple on his way outside.
The list was on a shelf in the shed. 1) Weed the front, back, and side gardens. If you pull out a single gardenia, I'll throttle you! 2) Mow the front and back yards. No crab-grass! 3) Water the lawn. 4) Hose off the driveway and sidewalk. 5) Clean out the shed. 6) Clean out the gutters. Harry sighed, shaking his head. Vernon was such an autocrat…
He did the weeding first, as that required the least amount of physical labor, after which he climbed a ladder onto the roof and cleaned the gutters. By the time he had finished, it was lunchtime, when he went inside, away from the bright sun and scorching summer heat. He poured himself a glass of water and made a ham and cheese sandwich. However, he took one bite and gagged violently. He spit it out into the garbage can and, after determining that it wasn't the cheese that had gone sour, threw away the remainder of the ham and grabbed some carrot sticks.
When he finished nearly half the bag, he placed them back into the refrigerator. He walked back outside and pulled the lawnmower out of the shed, starting the motor. Shortly after starting the front lawn, Harry discarded his sweat-soaked shirt, tossing it onto the porch. He continued his work, pushing the heavy mower back and forth with ease due to his Quidditch training. While he was still lean, he was incredibly strong, with sinewy muscles covering his body.
Once the front was finished, he leaned against the handle of the mower lightly, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Um… excuse me," a small voice said.
Harry looked over to see two girls of about his age smiling shyly. He grinned at them, delighting at the blush that sprang into their cheeks.
"Er… I was just wondering- what's your name?" she asked.
"Harry. Potter," he replied.
"Really?" she said, "I knew you looked familiar. W-We went to elementary together. My name is Marie and this is Cecile."
"You've- changed…" Cecile said, speaking for the first time.
"Seven years and extensive athletic training will do that to a guy," he said. 'Not to mention several battles with the most powerful Dark Lord the world has ever known…'
"What school do you go to? I only ever see you around in the summer," Marie said.
"I go away for school," Harry replied, "But I'm graduating this year." 'Or I would be if I was going back…'
"Really? That's so cool. You must be really smart to graduate early," Cecile said, gazing up at him adoringly. 'I guess you don't have to be famous to have a fan club… being gorgeous will do just fine, as well.'
He chuckled, thinking of what Hermione would say to that. "Not really…"
"Shouldn't you be finishing the back yard?" Dudley said from the porch.
Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, making them giggle. "I guess I have to get back to work."
"Maybe we'll see you around…" Cecile said, barely disguising the hope in her voice.
"I'm sure you will," he said, flashing them a toothy grin and a wink.
They scurried away, giggling excitedly, and Harry began pulling the mower into the back yard. He was aware that Dudley followed him, but paid no mind to it. He finished the back much quicker, as it was half-covered by a large wooden deck, and pushed the mower back into the shed.
"So, when did you get so popular with the girls?" Dudley asked.
"I dunno… the girls have always liked me at school," Harry replied, "Maybe I just got hotter."
Dudley rolled his eyes. "Why'd you throw away the ham?"
"It was spoiled," Harry said, eyeing his skeptically.
"Mum just bought it yesterday. It was fine," Dudley said.
"What do you want?" Harry snapped, "What are you playing at?"
"Nothing!" he said, raising his hands in surrender, "Just having a civil conversation with my cousin."
"Why?" Harry said, narrowing his eyes.
"Well… because I figure you have to put up with a lot of bull shit from my dad, so you don't need any more from me," Dudley replied.
"How kind," Harry said sarcastically, passing him on his way into the house.
"Come on. I'm trying to be nice," Dudley said, following him, "Can't we just put our past differences behind us?"
Harry sighed. "It can't just forget sixteen years of torment. It's not that easy… I wish it was, but it's not."
"Why can't it be? I've done it," Dudley said.
"Yes, but you were the tormentor," Harry retorted," I was the tormented. Anyway, in two days I turn seventeen and then I'm leaving here for good."
"But your school doesn't start until September," Dudley said.
"I know, but in the wizarding world, you become an adult at the age of seventeen," Harry explained, "And I'm not going back to school, so it doesn't matter."
"Why aren't you going back?" Dudley asked.
"Because- why am I telling you this? Don't you have something to do, somewhere to be, someone to beat up…?" Harry said.
"No," Dudley replied, "All of my friends are away or working or at boot camp."
"What a surprise…" Harry muttered, "Why didn't you go with your mum."
"Shopping?" Dudley laughed, "I don't think so."
Harry growled in frustration. "Fine, since it looks like I'm not getting rid of you, we'll watch T.V." 'Maybe then you'll shut your food hole.'
They sat down of the sofa and Harry opened a bag of potato chips, popping one into his mouth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, shoving the bag at Dudley and rushing into the kitchen. He returned moments later with a sliced apple and turned the channel to jeopardy.
"Why'd you throw these at me? They taste fine," Dudley said.
"I don't know… lately I've only been able to stomach fruits, vegetables, bread, and mild and stuff. Meat and greasy food makes me ill," Harry explained, "Don't ask why, because I have no clue."
"Maybe you're allergic…" Dudley suggested.
Harry shrugged. 'If television and chips don't shut him up, what will?'
"So…" Dudley said, "What's it like?"
"What's what like?" Harry asked, sighing.
"Magic… what's it like being able to do magic?" Dudleyasked.
Harry smiled. "Wicked. Your arm goes all tingly."
"Must be nice," Dudley said, keeping his eyes trained on the television screen.
Harry bagan to understand. "I guess, but believe it or not, the wizarding world is actually kind of behind the muggle world in some ways."
"How so?"
"Most witches and wizards don't know what a telephone is," Harry said, chuckling when Dudley's eyes widened, "I know, and very few of them have television or a computer or even electricity."
"How do you communicate with each other?" Dudley asked.
"We use fire places. You've seen how the floo network works, but we can do fire calls, too. That's where you stick your head in the fire and talk to people," Harry said, "It's really weird."
"That's so much cooler than a telephone," Dudley said.
Harry smirked. A couple days of being friendly with Dudley couldn't hurt anything, right? After all, he seemed genuinely interested in the magical community… and so the rest of the day was spent with Dudley asking and Harry answering.
Petunia came home later that day, after Harry had finished with the rest of his chores, and fixed steak and peas and French bread for dinner, making and especially small steak for Harry. However, just the smell of the steak made him queasy, so he made a plate of peas and bread, grabbed the last of the carrot sticks, and ate in his room. Thankfully, when he took his dishes back downstairs, his uncle wasn't home yet. In fact, by the time Vernon did get home, Harry had gone to bed. Of course, in Harry's world, 'going to bed' meant lying in bed and thinking about how crappy his life was while being as silent as possible until sleep came around one in the morning.
XXXhpXXX
That's all for chapter one. I know it's rather short, but I SERIOUSLY promise that the next one will be longer. This one was only eight pages written down and the next has a grand total of twenty-one pages in my notebook. A big difference, no? Please review as much as you can! I'd really like some feedback on how I'm doing so far. If you need some incentive to keep reading this story, I'll tell you that you find out all about the strange race that Harry belongs to and I'm ever-so-proud of how well thought out it is! So please go along with it!! I promise it'll be GREAT. See you next time… I hope!