Deadweight

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Summary:

Neville was chosen and is now the Boy Who Lived. Harry's parents were never killed, but Harry is kidnapped and forced into a very difficult life. Loosely based on the film "Gardens of the Night".

M-Mature.

"Slavery is one of those monsters of darkness to whom the light of truth is death." –FredrickDouglas

ooooooooooooooooooooo

I was only few months short of nine when it happened.

It was a nice street we lived on, in a nice town, Godric's Hollow. It was mostly a muggle community, but there were a few wizards around and they had some kids I hung around with. I knew some muggle kids too, but they seemed kinda dull, really, always wanting to play Nintendo and watch TV. I was no good at the games, 'cause we didn't have them at home. My Mom thought it would desensitize you or something like that.

Being a wizard (especially in a muggle town) we didn't start school 'till eleven. Before that usually parents taught us to read and all.

So, really, I spent most of my time with my family, and I loved them, really I did.

When I was little under three months old my mom got pregnant again. At eleven months I had a little brother. He was a small guy, with brown hair and hazel eyes. Over time he got plenty of freckles, while I stayed pale and spotless as the day I was born.

My parents were always big on the family life and wanted plenty of children. Since I can remember they've talked about me getting more brothers and sisters.

By the time me and Benjamin were three my little sister was born. Beatrix, Bee for short. Tiny, smaller than Benj and I, she was the only one of us to get Mom's red hair, though she had the same eyes as Benjamin, and the same skin as me.

Harry, Benjamin, and Bee. Cute, I know.

My parents were the loving, nurturing type. The kind of people who both take work off when their kid is sick, strict only when necessary, and completely ruthless to anyone that threatened their family.

Dad was fun and hung around with his long time friends, Sirius and Remus a lot of the time. They'd been friends in school. Though, another old friend of theirs, Peter, had died mysteriously a few months after Benjamin was born.

Mom was more content at home than out, spending a lot of time indoors with us, or in the living room talking with her friends, or reading sometimes.

Anyway, we were happy, and healthy, and loved. I'm trying to tell you that I would have done anything to stop what happened from happening.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

I was walking home from Anthony's, Anthony Goldstien's, when a car pulled over. I was used to cars, and people in our neighborhood were close and usually safe, so I wasn't nervous.

It was a nice, silver, compact car. A strong looking man, tall, with brown hair and golden eyes poked his head out from the driver side window. He looked at me oddly for a minute, before smiling brightly, then he spoke, "Hey, kid. You know where I could find Walnut Street?" His voice was warm and kind.

I cocked my head, thinking, "Umm. Yeah, I think..," I looked up, biting my lip, "Oh! Yeah! That's the street next to mine!" I smiled, happy to help, "Uh huh, you're getting pretty close, it's only a few blocks forward, I think."

When the man grinned, oh boy, was I delighted, feeling all grown up, like this nice guy was glad he asked me for help instead of some adult.

"Well, kid, thanks a lot! My sister lives on that street. She's about to have a baby. So, I gotta get there soon to give her a ride for her doctor's appointment."

"Oh!" I spoke with even more enthusiasm, "Yeah, you mean Mrs. Brown?" Some muggle friend of my mom's lived on that street, Julie Brown; she was about ready to burst the last I saw of her.

"Yeah!" his smile was even wider, "Hey, you want a ride home, kid? For helping me out so much?"

I licked my lips, unsure, "Uh…I dunno." He was still a stranger, after all. Then again, it was boiling out that day, and I still had a fifteen minute walk ahead of me.

He didn't seem upset, "It's alright if you don't want one, kid. I'm just trying to say thank you. Say, how about when we get there I go in and tell your parents how smart you are, huh? Able to help me out and all."

That did sound great, I loved it when my parents were proud of me, "Well, sure I guess," I smiled shyly.

"Great, kid! Hop in!" he gestured to the back door; I pulled it open, and did what he said.

He handed me a soda, it was in the can but already open. I was parched and drank eagerly, muttering thanks.

"What's your name, pal?" he started driving.

"Harry," I said, then took a big gulp, "What's yours?"

He glances at me in the rear view mirror, "My name? My name's John. John Brown."

I wish I'd realized at the time that Mrs. Brown's maiden name was Parker.

I was feeling real drowsy all the sudden. I tried not to fall asleep, but I couldn't help my eyes slipping closed.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

When I came to I was in a small apartment, laying on a queen sized bed.

I looked up at the cracked white ceiling, feeling groggy and confused. Sitting up, I looked forward and saw a little girl with long light blond hair sitting on front of a TV. I coughed, making her turn around, she had bright blue eyes.

"Who are you?" my voice was young and feeble.

The girl licked her lips, eyeing me with contemplation, and then she said, "Claribel," she turned back to the television.

"What, but, where are we?" I was anxious, but not as anxious as I should have been. The girl, Claribel, didn't respond, but just kept staring at the black and white film of Cowboys and Indians.

I became more and more panicked as I stood and looked around the room, wandering out and into a tiny kitchen. John was there, looking through the refrigerator.

"Hey!" I said, feeling foolishly hopeful.

He turned around, suddenly seeming less handsome and more fat, "Oh, hey there, Harry!"

My face crumpled, "Where am I?"

The man smiled, looking sympathetic, he set down the sausage and block of cheese he was holding and kneeled in front of me, "Darling." His voice was soft, he put his hand on my shoulder, "Buddy, don't you remember?"

My eyebrows creased, "What? Remember what?"

He made a tsking noise and continued, "Harry. I don't know how to tell you this, pal. I guess you must have been asleep…But, Harry, when we got to your house, there…Well, there was a fire. And your family, they, they were all hurt, Harry."

I gasped, eyes wide, "No! No, that can't be true. You…you're lying! I know it!"

John looked so sad then, it was almost enough for me to believe him, "Harry, they didn't make it. None of them. The fire burnt your whole house to the ground. I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."

I was shaking now, my head nodding back and forth, "No! M-my sister! Benjamin! They can't be! They're- they're too little! Bee's only five!"

He nodded, "Oh, Harry. It's sad, I know. I'm sorry."

I blinked, "B-but, why am I here? Where's Sirius, my godfather? Where's Moony?"

John sighed, looking near tears, "Harry, they were over, with your mom and dad. They died too, Harry. I'm sorry."

A sob escaped my mouth, "No!" tears streaked down my cheeks, "No, you're lying, I know it! They can't be!" But it was so possible, Sirius was always starting fires, he put them out, of course, but he always started them. What if it got out of control, what if..?

Sobs were racking my tiny body now, I fell to the ground in the fetal position. John's arms encircled me, "Oh, Jesus, Harry. I know how hard it is to lose your family. I know, my family died when I was ten. It was so hard, Harry. But, I know you can do this! You can get through it!"

I kept crying and crying, my whole body quivering, "A-and Otis?"

John's voice was low and soothing, "Who's Otis, pal?"

I sobbed harder, "M-my dog!"

John rubbed my back as he spoke, "Well, Harry, I don't know about Otis. Dogs are very smart, though. Maybe he got out and ran away."

"R-really?"

"Sure, in fact, since you raised him, I would count on it. I bet he's out having the time of his life right now."

I sniffed, "I hope so."

I cried for hours that day, I cried all week. Time passed and I barely noticed. I wanted my mom. I wanted my dad. I wanted Benjamin and Bee. I was so scared and lonely. John was very kind, he fed me pancakes and all kinds of sweets, but I was too upset to eat. I lost a lot of weight; I barely slept or ate for months.

A boy came and lived with us a few days after I got there, his name was Ronnie. Ronnie was maybe sixteen or seventeen, he never told me how old he was exactly. Ronnie had mousy brown hair, cut sloppily and shaggy, he had a pointed face and angry, murky blue eyes. He always looked at me and Claribel with contempt.

Claribel was always around, she was mostly quiet, but she slept in the same room as me, and seemed alright. She would leave with one of John's friends every once in a while and come back the next day, or sometimes a few days or a week later. She never told me where she went, but I would understand soon enough.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been living with John, Ronnie, and Claribel when my life took a turn for the worse. It could have been a few months or a year and a half. I'd never left the apartment in all that time, so I couldn't be sure.

One night both Ronnie and Claribel were gone. This was pretty usual, so I just stayed in the room Claribel and me slept in, like I always did. This night was different though, John came in shortly after they had gone, and told me I needed a bath. I was a bit confused, 'cause for the most part John didn't care when I bathed, but I wasn't about to argue with him.

I had been in the bath maybe five or ten minutes when John came in, he looked a little out of it. His eyes were glazed and his pupils dilated. He came and sat next to the tub, eyes never leaving my body.

This part is a little hard for me to talk about. You can probably piece most of what happened here together yourself, but I suppose you should hear it from me.

After he sat he started petting my hair, and before long he was rubbing my back, and then my thighs, and he spoke to me and said, "Harry, did anybody ever touch you at home? Your daddy, or your godfather?"

I didn't understand.

His hand wandered lower, in between my legs, "Did anybody touch you here, Harry?"

That was the first time John touched me. It was horrible and confusing and when he did it I panicked, and went still and looked at him, all horrified and sad.

He ignored my look though, and kept talking, "This is our secret, yeah, Harry? Because we need each other, and I understand what you've gone through, I do. Harry, you know you're my boy, right?"

I pretty much trusted John before this and I can't explain how I felt about him after it happened, it was almost like I trusted him more for a while, but I hated him too. I really hated him. I wanted my mom so bad. I wanted people that wouldn't do this to a little kid.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

It hadn't been too much longer after that, John was touching me regularly, Claribel was disappearing more often, that John started whoring me.

At the time, I really didn't get it. I was so confused about the whole situation. The first time John left me with a man it was a middle aged guy, nice looking, a fatherly type.

The man told me about his kids, he had daughter my age, he said, a son a little older than me. I didn't know how fucked that was until I was older. When he touched me I whimpered, tears welling in my eyes, this didn't stop him, not at all. If anything I think it just turned him on more. He moaned when I actually began crying.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

By the time I was eleven I was getting taken by John's friends just as much as Claribel was.

This one night, John was driving me to some place about an hour from where we were, "This guy's real nice, Harry. A good, solid, dependable, kind of a guy. He's a judge. Say, take a bath first, alright? He likes that. Hop in the tub when you get there."

I did. I took a bath, and then went into the Judge's son's room. I waited a bit, before he showed up.

The Judge was a skinny, balding, older man. His voice was pretty weak, "Oh. You got dressed again." He eyed my jeans and t-shirt, "Hey, why don't you put this on?" he held up a dirt and grass stained soccer jersey and a pair of black shorts with "12" written on the left leg.

Later, I was waiting for John, and the Judge's wife showed up, she was a short and stocky woman with her brown hair pulled into a severe bun.

"Who's this?" she asked him, he told her I was some business partner's nephew.

"Oh, well, why don't you go upstairs and see the kids? You're Uncle will be here soon?" I nodded and followed her up the stairs.

I was lead into a sort of play room, there were two kids, around my age, a girl in a tutu and boy in a very familiar soccer jersey and matching shorts.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Massive first chapter. Hope you like it, give me some feedback, yeah? Next update will be soon.