Broken Twilight

1

"Albus, what are you doing here?" Carlisle asked, trying to control the trembling in his voice. Albus Dumbledore, one of his oldest living friends, sat across from him looking decades older than what he remembered. It had been eleven years since he last laid eyes on him, the day that he had given him his son...his heart.

"He needs you, Carlisle," Dumbledore said gravely, no twinkle in his eyes to be seen.

Carlisle ran a shaky hand through his perfect blond hair. Who knew that a vampire could feel feint? "It's been close to 4 years since we last heard from him Albus. Why now? Why after all this time?" He tried to keep his voice from showing how upset he was, but he knew that he was failing. Despite how hard he had tried to not think about him, not a single day went by that he didn't think about his beautiful and loving little boy.

Albus took off his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes. "The war is over and Harry has fulfilled the prophecy. He killed Lord Voldemort for us, but he is horribly broken now. I'm terrified that there is no putting him back together again."

Carlisle gasped, it felt like someone was stabbing him in his cold and lifeless heart. He hadn't seen or heard from his son since the end of his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His family and him had been crushed when they received a letter from Albus stating that Lord Vodermort had returned and his son had to stay in order to train for the upcoming war. Harry was number one on Voldemort's hit list and supposedly the only person that could kill him.

"Four years, Albus! Four years without a word or a hint from you or him. We didn't know if he was hurt or dead" Carlisle growled angrily. "I still love my son with all my heart, but he hurt me. He hurt the entire family."

"Please Carlisle," Dumbledore pleaded, "don't blame Harry. It wasn't his fault, he did nothing wrong."

Carlisle was shocked to see that his old friend's hands were trembling. "Letters, Albus, we sent dozens of letters to him and not once did he respond. Not once, Albus!" Carlisle closed his eyes against the pain in his heart. The reason why he had moved his family back to Forks, Washington was so that they could get away from the haunting memories of their son and little brother. There wasn't a room in their old home that they didn't see a ghost of Harry or hear his tinkling laughter. It was just too painful.

Harry was only 6 years old when Albus showed up on their doorstep with him. He was a scruffy little thing that was too tiny for his age and terrified of his own shadow. Not once during the introductions did the small boy look up from staring at his dirty and well worn shoes that were easily three sizes too big for him. Everything about the boy was too big, from his clothes to his ugly old eyeglasses that were being held together by tape.

It seemed that Albus had placed him with his only living family after his parents had been killed when he was only fifteen months old. The old man had assumed that they would take him in and love him like their own...sadly he couldn't have been more wrong.

Hate, cruel words, starvation, bruises, broken bones and scars is how that vile family showed that little boy their love. Every bone in his body had been visible and old whip marks littered his fragile back. Harry had only been the size of a four year old thanks to his growth being stunted from severe malnutrition.

Needing somewhere safe for the boy to live and a family to show him what love was, Albus had brought him to them in hopes that they would open their home and heart to the scared little waif. He also wanted to keep Harry away from other witches and wizards, fearing that they would use or hurt him?