It Started With A Note

Chapter 2: Freak

The next time Harry and Draco met up, Draco was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Harry! Guess what!"

"Draco, calm down! What is it?"

"MyfathertoldmethattheDarkLordneverwantedtokillyou!"

Harry blinked stupidly, "What...?"

"My father told me that the Dark Lord never wanted to kill you." He elaborated, "Or eliminate Muggles, Muggle-borns, and Half-bloods. The Dark wants to keep magic-folk and Muggles separated, integrate Muggle-borns and Half-bloods into wizarding society better and give werewolves the rights normal witches and wizards have."

"...this changes things..."

A vibrating noise from Draco's robes cut through the silence. He pulled out a small handheld mirror and tapped the glass. Lucius Malfoy's face appeared on the glass. "Yes Father?"

"Where are you? Wait, are you at a Muggle park? Get home. Now." The glass rippled and Lucius' face disappeared, leaving Draco staring at his own reflection.

"Sorry, I have to go. I'll owl you the next time we meet up. We can't meet here anymore."

"It's alright. I should probably head back anyway."

"Good-bye Harry."

"Bye Draco."

Harry entered Number 4 and got a punch in the nose from his uncle. Harry fell backwards onto the doorstep. He was dragged into the living room by his hair and thrown to the ground.

"Where the hell were you, freak?"

"Th- the park." Harry wimpered.

"And why did you think you could go there, hmm?"

"I- I needed t- to g- get s- some fresh a- air and-"

"Stop it with the stupid stuttering, boy!" Vernon bellowed.

"Yes, uncle Vernon" he said, forcing himself to not stutter, but his voice still wavering.

Vernon glared and left towards the kitchen. He reentered wielding a kitchen knife. He tore Harry's shirt off and shoved him back on the ground. Crouching down, Vernon placed the blade on the boy's back and carved one word into it. Freak.

Harry knew if he screamed, his punishment would only last longer. So he bit his tongue until it bled and only wimpered. The word was carved into his back nine more times, each carving deeper than the last, before Vernon was satisfied. He proceeded to pick up the scrawny boy and throw him into his coubord, fracturing his wrist along the way.

Harry hadn't slept in his coubord for almost two years. He thought they wouldn't put him in there again.

'I suppose I was wrong...'

Harry layed in the coubord all night, unable to get a wink of sleep. He found he had twice the amount of chores the next morning.

The word carved into his back haunted him for the next three weeks.

He didn't get a letter from Draco at all until the day before his birthday. It said they could meet on July 31 at the Leaky Cauldron.