take my hoodie ✓

eleven | aftermath

~no pov

Harry blacked out during the car ride back to Privet Drive. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. Every part of him hurt. He wanted to leave, go anywhere but here.

But he'd tried running away before, and the aftermath wasn't pretty.

Just like the aftermath from his attempt. And it wasn't even over.

maybe i should get really wasted before he does anything. that way, i'll hopefully forget some of it, and it wont hurt as much.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any time at all for him to do anything. The moment he stepped foot in the house, Vernon yanked him by the hair and dragged him up the stairs.

It hurt, especially because his hair was already falling out. He wondered if he would have bald patches by the end of today.

Harry was dragged into his room, where the empty Smirnoff bottle was still there. Dudley must've forgotten to put it in the bin. Or maybe he just didn't care.

The very same bottle that helped his attempt was bashed over his head, light enough to not break but hard enough for the stars to come back. Harry fell to the ground, where he was kicked and hit with a bottle, and all he could do was protect his face.

And then he heard the belt buckle come undone.

"No, no please, please, no." Harry begged, but Vernon didn't care.

His shirt was forced off him and he was pushed down into his bed face-first. And the first hit came. And the next, and the next.

It felt like hours for Harry, but really it was only a few minutes.

He got hit at least twenty times with that belt, and despite Vernon being a bit weak with the hits, it still hurt. Luckily, the cuts would heal and become light scars. Thanks to his pale complexion, white scars blended well.

Unless he tanned, which he did really easily. Especially from hot days working the garden with his shirt off. Then that sucked. Scars, unfortunately, do not tan.

Then, Vernon did something terrible, and smashed the bottle against Harry's drawers and stabbed the broken bottle into his arm.

"Since you like hurting yourself so much, this should be fun for you."

Harry almost broke rule one because of that. Because Vernon stooped so low to bring his self-harm into this. Self-harm. Meaning you do it to yourself.

Someone else hurting you is not the same.

Harry was dragged back down to the floor and kicked in the abdomen once more before the bottle was yanked out and he left.

Luckily, the bottle cut shallowly, so it wouldn't need stitches. It hurt more mentally than physically.

this is what i like so much fucking asshole, he thought to himself as he picked up the other half of the bottle and smashed it once more. A small, sharp shard broke off.

And so, he relapsed and went to sleep hungry, beaten and scarred.

"Harry, where were you the past two days?" Hermione scolded. "Not a single text or anything from you! On the first week back."

"Yeah, mate. You missed your detention with Coach Lewis. He thought you did it on purpose and gave you another one." Ron informed.

Harry wanted to get that broken bottle and bash it over his head again. Speaking of, it took ages to get the matted blood out of his hair in the shower. He almost picked up the shaver and shaved all his hair off.

Luckily, the bottle didn't hit him too hard. On the head at least. He escaped that with a headache. The rest of his body, however...

"I didn't, I-" was in the hospital for overdosing on paracetamol and vodka. "Just felt really ill."

"Does that have anything to do with the bruises on your face?"

"Yeah, mate, they look bad. What happened?"

"I drank Dudley's beer. You know how he is." He lied through his teeth. "Got mad and punched me, but it's okay cause I chugged the rest in front of him."

'But Harry, you don't like beer?' He waited for them to say, but they didn't.

"My guy!" Ron pat his shoulder.

"God, Harry." Hermione rolled her eyes. "You need to stop being so careless. Honestly, it's concerning."

"Whatever. There's a pool party being thrown after school since we've finished the first week already." Ron grinned. "We're going. Thank God we didn't have school on Monday, though. Five days is too much to adjust to."

"Honestly, Ronald, I don't know how I put up with you."

"I don't know how we put up with you." Ron laughed. "You need to let loose, have fun, have sex and get drunk."

Both Hermione and Harry choked when he said sex. He's gonna get beat with a textbook in a moment. No one says stuff like that to Hermione.

"Wait, pool party?"

rule number five, no going out

"I can't go. You know my uncle. Doesn't let me go to parties." or anywhere.

Ron scoffed. "He doesn't let you live. You need to come with us. Don't even gotta swim."

"Ron, I can't-"

"I'll go if Harry goes." Hermione smirked. Good play there.

"Fine, I'm sneaking Harry out whether he likes it or not. And you, Miss Stick-Up-Your-Ass will be coming with."

Harry sighed. He wanted to go out and have fun, and live his life. But he was not going into a pool, and he had to be careful.

Ron's parents have too many kids to pay attention to him, and Hermione's parents beg her to go out and enjoy her youth. Harry's? Dead. His relatives? Abusive.

But he knew Ron would actually come get him, and he'd rather not repeat year eight, when Ron brought the twins to his house, attached a rope with a hook to the car and drove the bars off his window. And then dragged Harry out of the window with a foldable ladder.

The aftermath of that with the Dursleys was brutal.

So, if he agreed, it'd be less havoc, and less pain. Besides, Harry can be sneaky. To be stealthy in an abusive household is like oxygen for humans. You need to do it to survive.

"Fine, fine, I'll come. But if I'm caught, you face the aftermath."

"Which is?"

getting beaten with the bars you tore off my window

"Getting shouted at. Except, my uncle would find a way to contact your mum. Then you'll get screamed at by her too."

"Scary threat, man. We'll just be careful. Be ready by eleven."

this seems like a bad fuckin idea