The Blood On Their Hands

Summer is here

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!"
Harry flinched at the loud words, trying not to look at enraged uncle Vernon. He closed his eyes, expecting a painful slap. It never came.
"Are you...um...okay?"
Ron's voice echoed through the room. Harry opened his eyes and saw Ron with his hand in the air. The freckled boy had an unreadable expression on his face. Harry quickly regained his posture and grinned.
"So? Why the hell did you flinch? Did I  look like I was going to hit you or something? Not to mention you are shaking like Malfoy when Buckbeak almost decapitated him."
Harry almost choked on shame, but he spoke in a joking tone.
"Eh, sorry! You know, when you play Quidditch long enough, you kinda start seeing those damn Bludgers everywhere! And I...well... mistook your arm for a Bludger. Sorry!"
Ron's weird expression didn't change for a second, but then he recovered his usual face.
"Bloody hell Harry, i just held out my arm to take my Transfiguration book back. You gotta calm down!"
Harry laughed and Ron finally shrugged the weird situation off. He left the Gryffindor common room with his book in his arms. Harry let out a quiet sigh of relief. He almost revealed his secret.

Harry's life wasn't perfect. It was far from that. He hated almost every aspect of it, and he hated himself. No one knew about his mind and his problems. If he told anyone, they will surely think of him as a whine. They will hate him. Everyone will hate him. Hate the Freak.

It has been about two weeks since Cedric died and Voldemort came back. Harry had seen what nobody his age should. He had seen his schoolmate die right in front of his eyes. He had witnessed Voldemort's return, in which, in Harry's opinion, he played a big part. If it wasn't for him on that fucking graveyard, the Dark Lord couldn't get his blood and there would be no way he could return. If it wasn't for Harry's "unselfishness and heroism", he wouldn't let Cedric take the Goblet, and Cedric wouldn't be killied. So many options, and in Harry's opinion, every one is his fault. Cedric's glassy eyes and his lifeless body on the floor haunted him in his dreams, making him scream in agony every time he woke up. He would be covered in sweat and tears, but in Hogwarts, he could put a silencing charm over him, so no one could hear him scream. But, what is he going to do when he comes back to that hellhole he was forced to call home?

He can't use magic in the muggle world, that's what he knew for sure. So basically, his relatives will hear him scream every night. That means the beatings this summer are going to be worse than ever.

Every summer, when he came back from Hogwarts, they started abusing him. Of course, they were doing it since he was four(when they realized he was magical), but when he was enrolled in Hogwarts, it became worse. Like they were reedeming the fact that the couldn't beat him while he was in school, so they needed to make up for it.
His summers were filled with fear, sometimes for his life. He was often left bleeding on the floor, covered with bruises, stratches and open wounds. His magic healed him, but it was a slow process. In worse days, he was in so much pain he couldn't move an inch, so he just laid in one position for hours, until he gathered enough strength to get up and heal himself.

His captivity starts the evening he would came back. The Dursleys would put locks on his door until the next morning, when the door was unlocked and he needed to do his chores. He would often need to work in the garden, clean the kitchen, prepare meals for everyone etc. These chores wouldn't be so bad if he didn't get punished for every little mistake he has done. He hated preparing meals the most, because the fat whale Vernon was very sentitive when it came to food. The slightest burn or a small lack of salt would be enough for Vernon to beat Harry unconcious. Harry knew what was coming whenever he saw that angry, red face. He always tried to hide, but there was nowhere to hide. Except for the food, he had a chart in his head for every kind of punishment he gets whenever he does something bad. For example, when he dropped something on the floor, he would get a punch in the stomach. When he didn't do his chores well enough, he would get 10 punches and 10 blows on his back with a whip. When he wasn't obedient, he gets a week without any food. And if he was caught stealing food, he would get 10 cuts on his body with a kitchen knife. In conclusion, whenever he breathes, he will get punished. If he died, then there would be no punishment, Harry throught sadly.

*2 weeks later*

It was now the last day in Hogwarts. The hall was clothed in black, mourning Cedric's death. All Hogwarts' students were listening to Dumbledore's speech about Cedric. Harry saw many students crying. He couldn't cry. He felt numb and paralyzed from fear. Fear of what has happened, fear of Voldemort's return. Fear of coming back to Dursleys.
"Harry, are you alright?"Hermione asked him with a worried look.
Harry glanced at her, nodding his head.
"Are you sure you are okay? You haven't moved since we came into the hall."
"Hermione, I am fine!"
Harry smiled at her, reassuring her that everything is okay. Hermione didn't smile back.
"Harry, you are a terrible liar. How am I supposed to believe you are fine when you saw what happened at that graveyard?"
Harry paled and his smile dissapeared. Hermione saw the sudden change on his face and apologized.
"Sorry. I didn't want to bring those things back in your head."
Harry didn't answer.

It was now time to go. Students gathered in front of the train, everybody trying to get in first. Harry was the last person who got on the train. He didn't have will to push himself between students. He walked on the train, searching for Ron and Hermione. He found them, but their section in the train wasn't empty. They were surrounded by some Ravenclaws, and...they were laughing. Harry felt the need to move. If I came in, everybody will stop laughing and look at me like I'm some sort of a freak. They wouldn't be wrong, through. Thoughts raced through his head, making him go away from his friends. He found an empty wagon. Harry sat inside, closing the door. He decided to read a Quidditch book. Maybe that will keep him away from thinking about his problems.

About 3 hours passed, and Harry heard the doors sliding. He turned his head, expecting Ron or Hermione. Instead, he was now facing a tall Slytherin he didn't know.
"So, Potter, I heard you are spreading rumors about the Dark Lord's return."
Harry looked him in the eyes and said:"Yes, I am. I saw him rising from the dead, and I saw his servants around him."
The Slytherin came closer.
"I assume you don't know my father was accused of being his servant."
Harry looked puzzled. "No, I didn't."
Slytherin looked like he was going to chop Harry's head off.
"Well, now you know. And now you also know that if you keep telling everyone your bullshit, my father could end in Azkaban. And then you will be fucking dead, because I will do everything to kill you."
"I understand your situation, but I am not going to hide the truth. This is not only about me, the whole Wizarding world will be wiped off from existence if they don't believe me!"
Harry felt a curse flying in his direction. He wasn't fast enough to move, so the curse hit him in the chest. He felt blood soaking his shirt. The Slytherin gave him one last evil look before he left. Harry could now see the damage. His chest was cut. 3 long lines were made just above his heart, and it hurt like hell. He quickly charmed some bandages and cleaned his shirt. The rest of the travel went peacefully, if that means no one came in to hurt him.

"Ron, look!!!"
Ron turned in the direction Hermione was showing. His jaw dropped when he saw Harry. His shirt was red from blood. Harry looked at Ron, and when he saw his face, he realized the blood leaked through his bandages. He removed it with one swift move with his wand, and timidly waved goodbye to Ron and Hermione. They saw him getting into his uncle's car, but they didn't miss how Vernon kicked Harry's leg before he got in.