Family Means Nobody Gets Left Behind

By: ForeversNobody

Rating/Warning: uuuuummmm, imma have to go with M, just cuz I like to swear and also, I plan on making this a slash fic and therefore give as many lemons (and limes) as I want and/or as my readers request… I will warn you at the beginning of chapters which ones will contain lemons/limes

Blah = thinking

(*blushes* sry this wasn't in other chapters! But I'm sure you're all smart enough to have figured that out *winks*)

Authors Ramblings: so, thanks to TrenchCoatMan forgiving me wonderful ideas and thanks to Masked_Fool for kick starting my muse again! This chapter was easier to write and chapter 7 is coming along nicely as well!

So sorry for the exceedingly long wait… I unfortunately lost the new job shortly after my last post and life just kinda went to shit from there… Its picked back up again, but is still kinda hectic, and though I do have a general idea on what I want to see happen, I have discovered that even though I kinda have a general idea on what I want to happen in this story, I really have no effin clue how to go about it _ so I need to sit down and actually write an outline, and in the mean time am just going chapter by chapter… so, if I accidentally miss something or forget to elaborate on a particular topic, feel free to call me on it (I have a spacey memory, lol)

So, without further adieu! ^_^

Pairing(s):yeeeeeeaaaaa – imma let you figure that out on your own for now ;)

Summary: He had given up on wishing for a new family years ago – long before he found out he was a wizard and the horrible truth about what had happened to his parents. But sometimes, Gods are just as good at procrastinating as humans – but they get to their duties, eventually.

Chapter 6:

Duo sat staring at his computer, supposedly working on his paperwork, but really contemplating the outing with his brother later in the day. He had promised Harry that they would go out shopping, and Duo was hoping he could surprise his brother with a game for his vid system. Harry had taken a liking to Duo's ancient PS3 and had expressed an interest in an old vid game called Initial D: Extreme Stage. Harry had been flabbergasted to know that Duo had managed to rebuild the ancient game system and found a way to install the games on its miniscule hard drive.

Duo smiled. He thoroughly enjoyed trouncing his little brother at vid games, but Harry was catching up – Duo knew it wouldn't be much longer before Harry could actually beat him.

Duo frowned. He shouldn't have had to teach his 15yr old brother how to use a game controller, but Duo suspected the lack of entertainment Harry had as a child was the least of his problems. Harry's physical and emotional responses were too obvious to ignore, but Duo knew confronting his brother out-right about the abuse and neglect would only set Harry on the defensive.

However, Duo was too worried about his brother's safety to just let Harry come to him in his own time. He figured attempting to broach the topic slowly and methodically over the next couple of days would be the best approach. He was still unsure how exactly to bring the subject up. I'll just have to play it by ear, I guess.

Glancing up again at his paperwork, Duo sighed and resisted slamming his head against his desktop – he still had mounds of work to go through.

He resolved himself to at least a couple more hours worth of headache-inducing work, then reacted instinctively and ducked suddenly to avoid the projectile aimed at his head. He grinned triumphantly as the wadded paper ball bounced harmlessly off his monitor.

He spun around and shot a smile at his partner. "Ha! Missed again! Maybe you should head down to the range – you seem to be getting rusty." Duo said, smiling in his friend's direction, despite the withering look he was on the receiving end of.

"Maxwell, that paperwork will not do itself – and it is due today. Une will not let you leave without submitting it," Wufei's glare deepened. "And I don't know about you, but would rather not be stuck here any longer than I have to on a Friday, especially since we actually have the whole weekend off, for once."

Duo sent him a dismissive wave before spinning his chair back around. Back to chipping away at the old grindstone. Still typing, Duo grinned. Maybe he could get Harry into old vids, as well as old games?

Rinsing off the last dish, Harry dried his hands and swung the rag back onto the oven handle, absentmindedly arranging it exactly as Aunt Petunia had instructed as a child. Folding it incorrectly would result in punishment and increased chores.

Mentally going over what was left of his chore list for the day, Harry smiled to himself. All he really had was the laundry, gardening and picking up after Dudley – when he and his friends finally left to hit the cinema for Pier's birthday.

Duo was supposed to be over to pick him up after dinner, so as long as Harry cleaned up while he cooked, he wouldn't be late.

Harry's smile grew slightly at that thought, before disappearing again. He was happy to spend time with his brother, but he was also worried – Ron and Hermione hadn't been writing often and what they had been writing wasn't much or very informative. It was frustrating, but also worrying.

Harry was sure Dumbledore had something going on, he definitely had Sirius and Remus running around. Sirius had told him that he was going to get Remus and then might be out of contact for a bit. He just wished he was as included as his friends seemed to be. Harry shook his head; this summer was no different from the others, so there was no reason to work himself up over it. He sighed, put the cleaning supplies away and trudged upstairs to get the laundry started.

The cottage he was staying in was pitch black, and for a moment he couldn't decipher what had woken him. Climbing out of bed and heading towards the heavily curtained window, Remus Lupin pulled them aside and deduced that it was roughly 3am.

Immediately on the defensive, he carefully turned around and listened for whatever had woken him. Hearing the tell-tale clicking on the hardwood floors outside his room, he padded back over to the bed to burrow back under the covers for a couple more hours.

Remus had all but drifted back off when something uncomfortably wet and cold shoved into his ear and began snuffling.

Swearing under his breath, he shoved Padfoot off the bed – grinning to himself as the dog landed with a muted yelp in an undignified heap on the floor. Ignoring the indignant look he knew he was getting from the animagus, Remus flipped his best friend the bird. (1) "Bugger off, you great oaf. You can come back and bug me later – at a decent hour."

Padfoot's snuffling laughter followed him out of the room, getting softer as the dog disappeared to the other side of the house.

GW*HP*GW*HP

Hours later, Remus woke to the sounds and smells of bacon and eggs cooking over the range drifting through the still open bedroom door.

Remus pulled himself out of bed and padded down the hall towards the kitchen and the delicious smelling foods. Stopping at the doorway, he couldn't help but grin at his best friends' antics.

Sirius was puttering around the kitchen, cooking and setting the table. He was practically bouncing, using the balls of his feet to propel himself around the kitchen, rather than just walking like a normal person. Remus wondered why that thought had crossed his mind, because none of the Marauders could ever have been classified as normal.

Remus' soft laugh at this though caused Sirius to spin around and grin at his best friend. He bounded over and ushered the wolf into one of the kitchen chairs. He really just wanted to blurt out the amazing news to Remus, but Siri would rather his friend was sitting and had a decent amount of sugar in his system first, lest he faint and hit the floor.

The image of Remus' eyes going wide just before he collapsed like some fairytale maiden had Sirius snickering quietly to himself as he dished out their food.

Quirking an eyebrow at his friend's insanity, Remus decided he'd rather just eat his food than try and decipher what had the animagus so happy. He'd known the Black Heir long enough to realize the man had something he was bursting to share, but also knew that any attempts to drag it out of him would only lead to a headache. So he ate his breakfast and let Sirius stew.

By the time they finished the meal, Sirius was excited, yet nervous. He remembered enough of what the woman Une had told him to explain and he knew Remus was more educated than he in all things muggle, but he still felt it would be a difficult topic to broach and explain.

With a quick wand flick, the dishes were sent to the sink where they began to gently clean themselves before going to rest in the drying rack. The men made their way into the sitting room for tea and so Sirius could get what was obviously bugging him off his chest.

"You're worse than a five year old with a secret when you know something other people don't, you realize?" Remus said as he smiled indulgently at his friend.

Sirius again ushered Remus into a seat in the sitting room and presented him with his second cup of tea. As he sat down opposite the werewolf, his demeanor seemed to deflate slightly.

"Ok, so this is going to be a difficult conversation and probably awkward as well, so just bear with me, ya?" Sirius forced himself to speak as a eloquently as he had been taught growing up in The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, if he didn't, he was sure he begin babbling and making less sense than usual, especially considering the muggle terminology he had to remember and use. "I went to visit Harry before meeting you here, because he sent me a strange – and at the time disturbing – letter."

Remus perked up at that. "Is he ok?" he interrupted. "Do we need to get him out of there early again? He hasn't gone and gotten himself in trouble with the ministry again, has he?"

Sirius held up his hands to fend off the tirade of questions – he knew trying to speak over Remus would be nigh impossible. "He's fine – as fine as he can be, considering the arrangements."

Both of them knew there was little they could do – that they hadn't already tried – to convince Dumbledore to get Harry away from the Dursleys.

Remus quieted at the gesture and Siri decided he'd better just spit it out. "He sent me a letter asking if he had another sibling, Remy." Sirius said somberly.

Stunned, Remus sagged back into his chair with a mix of emotions playing across his face. "How –" he cut himself off with a shake of his head. "No one knew, Pads, not even Dumbledore, so how did Harry find out? And what in Merlin's name do we tell him?"

Sirius had to brace himself mentally and physically for the next part of the conversation. "Because the muggles found Callum and contacted Petunia and Harry to notify them."

Remus sagged even further into the chair he was sitting in and closed his eyes against the mental pain. "But – the fire – they said there was nothing – nothing –" Remus choked on the last part as his heart seemed to be lodged in his throat. "Did they… what about… Cameron and Sophia? Did they –" he cut off again, unable to continue.

Sirius immediately realized his mistake and leaned forward to grasp his friends' hands. "No, Moony – Callum is alive and working at something called preventers –"

The animagus was cut off as he was leveled with a heated look.

"Don't." The single word uttered was meant to get his best friend to stop – just stop, because Remus couldn't handle it all.

"Remy, this isn't some joke or – or royal mix up," Sirius stopped, hoping this would convince him. "He looks just like Lily, Rem. If Harry is the spitting image of James, Callum – Duo, as he goes by now – is as close to Lily as he can get, given that he's a boy." Sirius gave a lopsided grin, hoping to get Remus to believe him.

Remus was staring at him now, his expression shifting too rapidly for Sirius to follow.

"Sirius, this– you don't – how –" Remus was unable to get a full thought to form, let alone emerge from his mouth. His mind was churning and jumping around in too much of a mess to make any sort of sense.

Sitting back, Sirius haltingly tried to explain everything that had happened while he was visiting his godson – from the letter, through their meeting with Une and the explanations she had given to Sirius on how they found Callum.

Remus' mind was reeling, but it froze and locked on to one name. "Wait, Une? Lady Ann Une? The Director of the Preventers?"

Sirius stopped talking and looked at Remus, slightly confused as to why his friend had latched on to that small part. "Um, she introduced herself as Lady Une, Director, so that could be her full name and title, but I'm not sure, why?"

Bewildered still, the werewolf tried to explain his bafflement. "Usually families are notified by the Board that is running the F.R.A., which I believe is located in Scotland. Besides, wouldn't the Director of the main peace keeping organization have more pressing things to attend to than facilitating a family reunion?"

Sirius contemplated this before shrugging. "I would assume so, but Callum is apparently one of her top agents." Pausing to think, Sirius continued "She explained that she had notified him and his 'brothers' because besides being her top agents, they were important to her. She also tried to explain, after Harry's outburst confused me, how they made it to said positions, but she lost me. I don't know a lot of muggle terminology, but I thought I knew enough to get by in a regular conversation, but apparently that doesn't apply to the military. I sort of know what a pilot is, but I've never heard the word Gundam before – ever – so I was kinda lost as to how they were connected." Sirius shrugged, but then really looked at his friend. "What?"

Remus was stock still, his tea cup in danger of crashing to the floor. "You said Duo, earlier?" Sirius nodded, still lost. "Cal – Callum goes by – is – D-Duo Maxwell?" Moony finally managed to get out, as he used a trembling hand to set his cup on the table.

"Yea, wh- How'd you know his full name?" Sirius was confused and also slightly worried at the werewolf's tone – and his complexion, which was paler than Malfoy's.

"Sirius, do you have any idea – no, of course you don't." Remus forced himself to stop and order his thoughts. Things were confusing enough without adding to the growing jumble that was this conversation. "Callum – Duo Maxwell and his friends, family, are heroes. They pretty much – singlehandedly – saved the planet." Remus leaned forward to look directly in his oldest friends' eyes, as Padfoot still looked confused. "Lets simplify this for you – if those boys hadn't succeeded, none of us would have to worry about Voldemort – because the muggles were on the verge of destroying the planet and since wizards haven't worked out how to survive in space, as a species we would have been annihilated."

Sirius just goggled at that. "The muggles have that kind of fire power? To be able to destroy the Earth?!"

Remus was glad his friend had finally grasped the severity of the situation and was glad to see the dawning awe and horror reflecting in Sirius's eyes. Too many witches and wizards underestimated the muggles – it was a dangerous way of thinking.

"And those boys – the Gundam Pilots – stopped it not once, but three times." Remus paused here; he needed a way to make this compatible to wizard standards. "Ok, think of it this way – what Harry is to Voldemort. Supposedly he's the only one who can defeat the bastard right?" Sirius nodded, so Remus continued. "So the Gundam Pilots (Harry) don't have a prophesy, but were forced to fight against not only the Alliance (the ministry), but also Oz (Voldemort) and to top it off, White Fang (the Order) joined in the mix to 'help', but also had their own agenda (2)."

Sirius just sat there, flabbergasted. "So. They're heroes?" he wondered aloud.

Remus gave a sad smile at this. "Not exactly, some people consider them murderers. And that story was only the first two parts of the war. Oz and White Fang kept vacillating between supporting the Gundams and deeming them murderers, then trying to kill them."

Sirius was properly horrified at this, but it also put Duo's reaction to Harry knowing the prophesy into perspective. Sirius had to resist the urge to punch something. Those boys, no men, did not deserve that. It's the same thing people are doing to Harry. Apparently being a Potter means you don't get a break. He wished he could have helped them like he was attempting to help his godson, because no child should be exposed to the horrors of war.

Then Sirius perked up a bit. Maybe these pilots could help him with Harry. He had to physically drag his consciousness back to the conversation with Remus, away from the spinning ideas on how to prepare his godson for what the wizarding world wanted from him. "So that's why Une was involved?"

Remus gave a slightly hysterical laugh at the statement. "Yea, Pads, that's why. She's particularly fond of those boys now."

Sirius was confused all over again. "Now?"

Remus sat back in his chair – when had he leaned forward? And grabbed his now cold tea. Casting a quick warming charm over it he marshaled his thoughts. Explaining this fiasco could take all day. "Ok, pretty much since the space colonies were created, they were ruled by the Governments on Earth that had 'owned' them – and they did not appreciate that. They wanted to be independent from the laws on Earth…" (3)

Even as his brain was sorting through and filtering the facts through his mouth – details, dates, battles, sides and near-death experiences – one thought was on quiet repeat, echoing through his mind. Callum is alive – I'll be able to meet my godson. He smiled.

Harry sighed heavily as he once again finished the last of Dudley's dishes and placed it in the rack to dry. He leaned over the sink and closed his eyes – he needed to go upstairs and change before Duo got there. A quick glance at the clock confirmed he had only fifteen minutes before his brother was due to grab him.

Harry ran some quick mental calculations to determine if he would have enough time to steal some pain killers without his relatives noticing and still have them kick in before Duo got there.

He figured the first was more than possible, as his Aunt and Uncle were in the family room, glued to the TV, as usual and Dudley was out for the night. As for them kicking in, he was skeptical. Usually it took about an hour or so for them to become effective. `Oh well, just have to be cautious for a bit.

Harry straightened back out and replaced the towel. He was still babying his ankle even thought he was ninety percent sure it was healed and his ribs only bothered him if he shifted quickly in just the right way. Due to the speed at which they healed, Harry determined that they hadn't actually been broken – there may have been a hairline fracture, but most likely they were just really bruised. Thank Merlin.

He resisted the urge to shake his head – he could see straight and nothing was blurry so he didn't have a concussion, but the cuff, courtesy of Uncle Vernon, was still painful. Harry was sure he would have a decent sized lump come morning. Uncle Vernon had claimed he 'sassed' his aunt when she was complaining the garden wasn't cleaned up properly, but by this point in his life, Harry knew his relatives just made up reasons to blame him.

Just because he knew Dumbledore was right and that his 'home' with the muggles was the only safe place for him, didn't stop Harry from wishing desperately to be able to leave.

He grabbed clean clothes and ran for the bathroom. He used the noise of the shower spray to cover the sound of the medicine cabinet opening and used the cool water to wash pills down. Spinning the knob so the water was scalding, he stepped under the stream and let the pressure and sound drown out everything – including his thoughts.

He was just pulling on a clean shirt when he heard the doorbell. He couldn't stop the mad grin from forming – apparently he had been spending too much time with his godfather.

He was down the stairs and at the door before his Uncle had even emerged from the family room, no surprise there.

Duo looked up as the door opened and without even realizing it, his grin broadened at the sight of his brother. And man, isn't that still a weird thought, he contemplated as his brother returned the grin. His smile didn't falter until he saw his uncle glowering at the two of them.

Harry heard first his uncle, and then his aunt enter the hallway and didn't have to turn around to confirm that neither of them was happy to see their other nephew, even though they knew he was coming.

Blatantly ignoring the Dursleys, Duo quickly scanned Harry. The younger boy seemed to be looking and feeling better – at least, he wasn't obviously favoring anything. He was no longer holding himself stiffly and was using both feet to hold his full weight. It looked like the kid was on the mend – Duo hoped it stayed that way, but knew better.

Ending his scrutiny, Duo turned his attention to his now scowling relatives. He had to fight a smirk – they really were a sad example of humanity. And he could honestly not see how his Aunt could stomach the sight, let alone presence, of her whale husband. Especially if he stayed that horrid purple colour his skin seemed to be stuck in.

"You ready, kiddo?" Duo asked Harry.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, but was stopped from bolting out the door at a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want you coming in and out at all hours, fr- boy. You be back at a decent hour, you hear?" Vernon finished off his mini rant with a mild shake to Harry's still captive shoulder, as his face darkened to a shade closer to violet.

Duo reached out and pulled his brother the rest of the way out of the house – and out of their Uncle's reach – to stand next to him. Neither boy had missed Vernon's slip, but while Harry was used to it and ready to just brush it off and go enjoy his evening, Duo was not so inclined.

Making sure he was between the younger boy and his guardians, Duo faced the Dursleys. "We've had this outing planned for a couple of days, and you've known about it the whole time, so you well know that we do not have a set time to be back. Harry will be back this evening, but I won't guarantee it will be at a decent hour. However, I can guarantee that he will not disturb you upon returning to your residence." Duo stepped closer and continued. "Some friends of mine are gathering at the Preventers Firing Range Training Center and then heading out for dinner – we may or may not join them. That all depends on how the first half of the evening goes."

Harry looked startled and turned to face Duo. That was new; he hadn't mentioned that to Harry when they had spoken earlier in the week. When Harry looked back up at his aunt and uncle and realized that his brother was saying that just to get a rise out of the Dursleys, he turned quickly and walked down the path, shoving a fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Petunia and Vernon were just staring, gob-smacked, at Duo.

Duo switched his glare for a cheery grin. "Bye! Enjoy your quiet evening!" He then spun on his heel and trotted after his brother.

Getting into the drivers side of the car, Duo and Harry barely looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

"So I take it we're really not going to the shooting range?" Harry attempted to ask innocently, but failed, as he was still snickering occasionally.

"Well, we could, but we'd have to break in as its closing down for the night soon. I did have an invite for us from Heero and Trowa, and I did say we might be able to make it, but made no promises." Duo's smile was almost feral as he filled his brother in, pulling away from the curb "Before we get going, though, I wanted to go see Tommy - he called last night."

Harry perked up. Tommy was Duo's contact that worked at an electronics store in the center of the city. He didn't know how or why his brother got into it, but Duo had a mild (read: impulsive) obsession with all forms of ancient technology. The fact that he had a working PS3 and something called a VHS player, that Tommy was still trying to jury-rig to work, spoke volumes about his obsession.

"Oh, yea? Did he get that old vid player working yet?" Harry asked skeptically as he stared at the passing scenery.

Duo shook his head. "Not yet, but he says he's close. He did tell me he found that game you asked about last time, though."

Harry turned around in his seat – now he was really excited. "Seriously?! Nice!" Duo had found a list of games for the old PS3 console and it had taken them a couple hours to narrow it down to games they would both play.

Harry had no interest in most of the first-person shooter games, as they were just too gory for his taste, plus he had enough fighting in reality to worry about without adding it into his 'down time' too. There was also the fact that Harry was pretty confident he would never win a shooting match against his brother. Ever.

They had finally settled on a racing game. Harry still wasn't all that confident in the likelihood of winning even that game, but thought he might have a better chance considering they were both very experienced at running and finding the best routes between hiding places. Harry was also relying on the fact that neither of them had ever played before and even though Harry had never touched a vid console before meeting Duo, his superior hand-eye coordination more than made up for that.

The game they had decided on was a racing game called Initial D: Extreme Stage. It was apparently based off a pre-colony Japanese anime. Pulling up at the shop, Harry had his belt undone and was out of the car before Duo had even finished turning it off.

Duo shook his head. That was kind of a crazy move, as he had barely put the car in park before Harry leapt out, but he also wasn't that upset. He was just glad to see his brother acting like a teenager should.

Sedately following him into the shop, Duo found his brother at the counter talking animatedly with Tommy and clutching the game to his chest. Harry was practically vibrating with excitement. Duo, chuckling, pulled out his wallet and proceeded to the counter.

GW*HP*GW*HP

Later, after exhausting themselves, Harry and Duo relaxed on the patio out by the pool. They had played long enough to cause both of their hands to cramp from the awkward positions required for the queer controllers (seriously? People used those little things to control characters? VR was sooo much better). Now they were just chilling and having dinner, watching the stars come out over the tree tops.

Harry was thoroughly enjoying the cheeseburger he was eating, while still being cautious of the fact that because it was summer, his stomach could only handle a certain amount at a time.

While eating here at Winter Haven, Harry had taken to breaking his food up into many little bites, so as to conceal the fact that he could only ingest a minute amount of the food they offered him. So engrossed in his ministrations, Harry didn't notice his brother's scrutiny.

Duo was monitoring how much Harry actually ate, despite his brother's attempts at subterfuge. Quatre had pointed out, after the first time the pilots had witnessed Harry's eating ritual, that these actions were ones typically adopted by people suffering from anorexia nervosa in an attempt to control their weight gain.

Duo had heartily disagreed with Quatre and gone on to explain that between his own and the other pilots' observations, this was something Harry did to stop his stomach from rebelling.

Duo explained it as a technique he and the other orphans had employed when they first arrived at the Church. Unused to the amount of food, it had taken them all no small amount of time to get their bodies to adjust to the larger portions, as well as the steady amount of food available.

Duo had also scowled and noted that this behavior increased incrementally over the last month, indicating that Harry could eat normally, but for some reason was unable to during the summer. "I'll give you three guesses as to what that is." Wufei had remarked, scathingly.

"It's really peaceful here." Harry commented around a yawn, as he pushed his finished meal away.

Duo estimated his brother had eaten half of the meal, so refrained from commenting on it. "That's like the fourth time you've yawned in the last half hour. Tired much?" Duo quirked a half grin at his brother to show he was teasing.

Full and still mostly focused on the serene atmosphere, Harry's mouth answered before his brain could process the response and filter it. "Yea, that's what happens when you're up at the crack of dawn every day to do chores – that usually last past 10pm too."

Duo didn't respond immediately, his brother had just spoken more about his home life in that once sentence than the rest of the summer combined. Maybe now Duo could coax some more out of him? If he could get the kid to admit to anything that went on in that house, they maybe he and the other pilots could finally do something about Harry's living arrangements.

Cautiously optimistic, Duo asked, "Is it like that every summer?"

Still not really paying attention and now leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, Harry's mouth once again answered without his brains permission, "Yea, pretty much – except when I can escape to the Weasley's for the last week or so."

Duo decided to press his luck. "And what happens if you don't finish your chores that day?"

This finally snapped Harry into the conversation. He sat up and turned away from his brother. "I get punished, nothing out of the ordinary." He said darkly.

"Really?" Duo retorted

Harry looked over at his brother and considered his options. He'd figured out late in primary school that his living situation wasn't normal, but it wasn't until he reached Hogwarts – and the Weasley family – that he realized the way his relatives acted towards him and treated him was wrong.

He'd told Dumbledore about his home life, but the man had brushed him off and made him go back year after year, so Harry hadn't said anything again. After all, he didn't want to be a bother – and having the Weasleys take him in for that last week was a real treat.

Harry shrugged and averted his eyes. "I get punished, typical, right?" He reiterated

Duo snorted. "So you get grounded – not allowed to watch the telly or play vids?" he asked sarcastically.

Harry gave him a quizzical look. Those are odd punishments.

When Harry still wasn't forth coming with answers, Duo pressed harder. "Seriously, what is your punishment for not finishing the house chores, Harry?"

Harry sighed. There was no point holding back if the man really wanted to know. Dumbledore hadn't done anything and never gave in when the Weasleys offered to have him for the whole summer, so there was no chance Duo could do anything. Harry just hated the looks he got when people found out about the Dursleys.

"Usually no dinner – sometimes, if Uncle Vernon is feeling especially mad, I get locked in the cup- my bedroom for the next day."

Duo got up from the table and stalked away. Harry had corrected himself, and Duo didn't need three guesses as to why – or what he had been about to say. He was furious and wanted to get himself under control before confronting his brother.

Harry watched Duo pace and mutter to himself. Well. This was a new reaction; Harry had no idea how to classify it. Is mad at me? Harry wracked his brain. What did I say wrong this time?

Finally exhausting his rather extensive vocabulary, Duo returned to the table. He scooted his chair around the table so he was right in front of his younger brother. He gently turned the chair with Harry in it so the boy was looking at the pilot.

"Harry, that's not a 'normal' punishment for not finishing chores. Furthermore, the amount of chores you do – by yourself – isn't normal either." Duo said firmly, but gently.

Harry kept trying to look away, he didn't like the scrutiny and he was unused to people being that close to him for extended periods of time. Duo, however, was not having it. Every time Harry shifted his eyes, Duo got right back in his field of vision. "Why haven't you said anything before?"

At this, Harry yanked his chin out of his brother's hand and spun himself away – he needed more space or he was going to suffocate; at least, that's what it felt like. It was puzzling Harry, Duo's reaction. He couldn't figure the other boy out. "I know I do more work than the average person, but its nothing - why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

Duo's heart broke at that statement. The fact that the kid was honestly confused as to why someone cared about him made Duo want to burst into tears – and Duo Maxwell never cried. It took him another minute to get his emotions back under control. "Because, kiddo, child abuse is not something anyone should take lightly."

Harry blanched and whipped his head back around to look at Duo, "Hang on! I don't get hit that often – usually only when things get really bad, like when I blew up Aunt Marge."

Duo grabbed Harry's chair and forcibly spun it back around. "Abuse comes in all forms, kiddo, not just physical – but the manual labour the Dursleys make you do, on top of locking you in a cupboard, is physical abuse. For that matter, so is starving a child."

Harry looked down at his hand and said in a barely audible voice, "I did say something, but Dumbledore just kept sending me back, so I figured I was wrong and that it was ok – or something like that."

"Well its not." Duo grabbed Harry's shoulders, startling the poor kid into looking his brother in the eyes. "We'll figure something out, ok? I'll speak to Lady Une tomorrow and we'll definitely have a plan by tomorrow night, ok?"

Harry nodded but wouldn't verbally answer or look back up. He had already said something and if the elderly wizard wasn't going to do anything, Harry seriously doubted there was anything the muggles could do about it.

Duo sighed. He knew his brother didn't believe him, but Duo wasn't taking no for an answer. He glanced at his watch and swore. He needed to get Harry home. "C'mon kiddo, time to go – but this isn't over, ok?"

Harry just nodded again as he stood up, still not looking at his brother.

GW*HP*GW*HP

The street lamp in front of number four illuminated the front door perfectly, allowing Duo to watch from across the street to make sure Harry got in the house ok. He wouldn't put it past the assholes to lock their nephew outside for the night.

Duo tracked Harry's progress – in the door and into the family room. His silhouette stayed there for a couple minutes, before disappearing again. Allowing for time to traverse the house, and ascend the stairs, Duo locked his gaze on the window he knew was Harry's room. A minute later, a dim lamp that reminded Duo more of candle light, rather than electricity, illuminated the window and Harry's silhouette again.

Shinigami fought Duo for dominance, as the pilot struggled to control himself. That's it. I'm calling Une tonight. He was getting the kid out of that house permanently tomorrow. Turning around and hopping in the car, Duo had to stop and count to ten – in English, Japanese and Arabic before he felt he could safely start the car and drive off.

Even as he drove away, the image of the lit-up window frame with its shredded casing kept flashing in his minds eye. He had broken out of too many old Earth jail cells not to. Something had obviously been ripped from the frame by sheer brute force, practically decimating the wood. But Duo knew what had once been there.

A/N: … how much do you guys hate me for the long wait? *is sheepish*

P.P.S.((sorry this is not an update! i'm almost done with chapter 7, i just needed to edit this chapter first!))

p.s. this chapter is un-beta-d cuz I figured you'd want the chapter first – after Masked_Fool and Lightening_Skies fix my issues, I'll repost! ^_^

An insulting gesture; in the USA, the middle finger (aimed at a person or object) in the UK, the pointer and middle fingers [I believe – correct me if im wrong ^_^]

Um, yea, like I said before, I haven't watched the series in a couple of years, so I could be remembering this wrong, but I wont think so

For a full synopsis of the Gundam Wing series – and the reasons behind the Wars – go here: www. / title/tt0176379 / plotsummary ; en. wikipedia wiki/ Mobile_ Suit_ Gundam_ Wing… its waaaaaaay too involved and convoluted for me to explain here -_-'