Bound To You

Chapter 9: Snape Sees

It was a normal, hot summer morning, where his beautiful, loving wife was making mashed potatoes with gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a delicious-smelling pancakes. Hmm.... Pancakes.... His wife makes the best pancakes, what with the additional dark chocolate. He didn't want to admit, though, that the freak's pancake tasted better, it was an unspoken law that whatever that boy makes will be disgusting to them.

Well, all the more reason to beat him up over it. Smiling, he turned on the telly, opening the news before Dudley comes down. He loved his Duddikins, he does, but sometimes, watching news like a normal adult was necessary to make the morning normal before his son would change it into a cartoon channel.

"Vernon, food's ready," Petunia called in her melodic voice. Oh, how he loved it when she calls him like that... He knew exactly what he wanted to do tonight, but first he needed to go to work, the last day before Summer hols. "Dudley!" she called, and his son would come down, excitement on his face lighting up the room. In his chest, pride blossomed, to see his son, his normal, not freakish son so happy like that made him know what he lived for.

After a kiss goodbye, he went off to work. Seeing his car, he frowned when he saw a smudge on the back side of it. Probably mud, but he grinned, knowing that he had something to blame the freak for. But for now he was almost late to work, so he hurriedly got into his car and drove off, in his mind imagining what he could do to that small, dull, freakish boy. Yes, yes, his normal day is perfect...

Harry was just looking at nothing in particular, not thinking about anything. His mind was blank, and all he could think about was Ginny and Tom, on what they'd think about him, will they rescue him, what will they do once they did rescue an abomination like him? He wasn't even worth saving... His fingers were playing with the pendant Ginny gifted him with. Will it be his last present he'll ever receive in his life?

Well, it was fun while it lasted...

He looked out through the window and saw that it was noon. But then again, summers usually had longer daytime and shorter nighttime, so it could very well be 7 PM. It didn't register to him that it'd been days since he'd properly slept, or eaten. The locks on the door was only open so that he could go out to do chores or to the loo, not that he needed to go much these days.

The beatings his uncle gave him became progressively harsher and harder on his body, and he was afraid that overtime, it'd become too much for him.

But would it be so bad if it became so?

Maybe... maybe that way the world would become so, so much better... But wouldn't Tom be sad for his death? He felt oddly touched by the thought and an upward twitch of his mouth was the first sign of a smile he'd had for days, maybe weeks. He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd got here. Usually he'd count the days until he could go back to Hogwarts, to see his friends again and have an overall good time. But... will they still see him as a friend of theirs...?

His train of thoughts was halted when the door suddenly opened with such a force that he knew would've shaken the whole house.

"BOY!" his uncle bellowed, making Harry flinch. "You didn't properly wash the car, did you, freak?! And after all we did to-" Beady eyes landed on the glinting silver pendant, hung around his neck. "What's a freak like you doing with such a jewelry?? Did you steal from my wife, boy?!"

Harry shook his head, stuttering. "N-no, sir--"

"LIAR!" His uncle stepped inside the room and loomed over him, face going from red to purple in anger. "You stole from my wife, you ungrateful freak!" The first hit sent him flying across the room, the back of his head colliding with the open door. Stars immediately exploded in his vision, and he was far too dazed to try and run from the next hits. He could hear wet snaps of his bones getting broken, the pounding in his head adding to his dizziness. Once his uncle was done, his grubby hand reached for the pendant, and he pulled it hard. His eyes widened in horror as the clink of chains breaking reached his ears, the glint of his present, possibly his last present, taken away from him.