A/N: So many years years ago, this story was posted. I took it down because I never planned on finishing it and stopped writing fanfiction. I'm back now, and am determined to finish this story, no matter what!

Written by Staryday

Summary: Harry is having a rough summer but that's about to change when five strange boys move in across the street. Now Harry is being chased by Death Eaters and the strange teens have agreed to protect him, no matter how long it takes. But how can they protect someone they can't remember? Yaoi Heero/Duo, Trowa/Quatre, eventual Wufei/Harry and probably a mention of Ron/Hermione

Chapter One: What was it curiosity killed again?

Harry felt sick.

Not sick as in I'm-going-to-throw-up, but sick as in if I-don't-get-some-serious-help-I'm-going-to-die, sick. His chest hurt, whether from being bruised or if his ribs were broken, he wasn't sure. His head throbbed from where it had been repeatedly smashed into a wall. His wrist was swollen and colored red from where it had been stepped on and his ankle hurt. Harry was sure he had twisted it trying to run away. Surprisingly, there was only one small bruise on his cheek and nowhere else.

Harry was currently sitting on the only swing not broken in the park near his relatives' home in Surrey. He didn't want to go home, but didn't have anywhere else to go. He had no way of contacting his friends because he had sent Hedwig away to Ron's where she would be safe from his uncle.

Speaking of whom, he was the one who had caused Harry's injuries. Growing up had never been particularly easy for him, but it hadn't been hard either. Just really lonely. His uncle may have smacked him once or twice for being a smart ass or if Dudley blamed him for something, but never had he gone as far as to beat him. What brought about the change was that an employee at Vernon's company had embezzled thousands of dollars before fleeing the country. Now there was a huge investigation going on and Vernon was under a lot of pressure. He had started going out to the bars after work and coming home drunk where he would rant about how horrible things were.

Harry had made the mistake of getting in the way one night when Vernon was drunk. It hadn't been that bad at first. Vernon had just slapped him around. Nothing serious. As the days went on and things got worse at work the beatings became a little more violent. What had happened tonight was the worst of them. Harry had managed to hit his Uncle over the head with a lamp and run out of the house.

And now the teen sat in the park wondering what he should do. He scratched his head and grimaced at the small amount of dried blood caked in his hair. Maybe he should go to a hospital? He could give them a fake name and disappear as soon as he was taken care of. But the hospital was pretty far; Harry wasn't sure he could walk all the way and had no other means of transportation. So hospital was out.

Really, the only place he could go was back home. The Dursley's had a first aid kit so Harry could take care of himself. He would just have to wait a few hours, to make sure Vernon was asleep —or passed out— before going back. It was a warm night and the park had been his safe haven since he was a little kid. Harry would be fine.

The teen closed his eyes and leaned back on the swing chain, letting his eyes close and falling asleep.

Duo Maxwell, thief extraordinaire, ex-Gundam pilot, and the most honest person he knew (the term honest was used lightly), calmly made his way down the darkened street of his temporary new home. He had received the message after his last mission that their safe house been compromised and they were assigned a new one. Quatre and Trowa were already there and Heero and Wufei were due to arrive within the week.

From what Duo could see in the dark, they had been landed smack dab in the middle of the boring suburbs of England. If he didn't know the address to their new safe house Duo would never be able to tell it apart from the other houses lining the street. He was half tempted to announce their current location on the internet just so he wouldn't have to stay in the boring neighborhood. But Heero would get mad and yell at him for that or worse, stare at him with that creepy death-glare he had perfected.

Duo shuddered. He hated that death-glare.

Duo pulled his hat down slightly as he walked under a street lamp near a small, beat up park. He glanced curiously at the place, taking note of the trash scattered around and rusty playthings. It was obvious the park wasn't taken care of. He could hear the swings creaking back and forth and paused. There was no wind so why was a swing moving?

Curious, as Duo often was, the braided teen stopped and squinted through the darkness. A small figure was sitting on the only intact swing, swaying back and forth gently. Even more curious now, Duo walked forward, being sure to keep alert for signs of danger. He made it to the swing and stared at the kid with interest.

It was a young boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen, fifteen at the most. He wore clothes that obviously didn't fit him and appeared to be sound asleep. Duo found it an odd resting place. Even when he had lived on the streets he had always made sure to sleep with some sort of protection, even if it was just something as simple as a bush.

There was soft breeze and a faint, coppery scent assaulted Duo's nose. He'd recognize the smell of blood anywhere. Carefully, Duo reached out and touched the boy's forehead, not feeling any fever. His fingers ghosted up his head and found a large lump and small cut on the side just under his hair. The teen shifted, making a noise of complaint.

Frowning, Duo removed his hand and carefully turned the boy's head towards him. He could see a bruise forming on his chin in the dim light from the street. Duo shook the teen, trying to wake him.

"Hey kid," he tried. "Not the smartest place to fall asleep. Kid."

The teen's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment before re-closing. His glasses slipped down his nose and he didn't stir again.

"Well shit," Duo grumbled. "What the hell am I supposed to do now? I can't just leave ya here."

The teen didn't offer any answers as he slept on peacefully. With a sigh, Duo threw his duffle bag strap over his shoulder. He leant over and carefully picked up the boy, bridal style. The kid groaned but made no other noise or sign of waking up. Duo began searching for his new safe house again, trying not to think how mad Heero and Wufei were going to be with him.

Maybe he could get Quatre and Trowa on his side. That way, he wouldn't take all of the heat from the other two. Yeah, Duo was sure he could convince Quatre he had no choice but to bring the kid with him; he could have been hurt! Hell, he was hurt! Sleeping unguarded and wounded in some park wasn't safe at all. And if he could get Quat on his side, Trowa would be a piece of cake.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Take him back."

"Quatre!" Duo exclaimed. "Have a heart!"

"I have a heart, Duo," the blonde glared. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you bring some stranger into our supposed safe house." He stalked into the kitchen where he had been doing dishes before Duo arrived.

"He's hurt!" Duo tried.

"Then take him to his parents," Quatre sighed. "They'll take good care of him, I'm sure."

"I don't know where his parents are," Duo announced. "I found him in the park, sleeping on a swing."

"The park?" Quatre slowed in his furious scrubbing. "What was he doing there?"

"Sleeping," Duo shrugged, shifting the light boy in his arms. "But I guess if you really want me to take him back there, at night, alone, defenseless, hurt…" The ex-thief trailed off, knowing this would get the blonde.

With a sigh and angry pout, Quatre abandoned the dishes and stalked over to Duo. He lifted the stranger's eye lid and felt for a fever.

"His pupils are dilated," he frowned. "Does he have a concussion?"

"Could," Duo shrugged. "He's a got a nasty bump and cut under his hair."

Quatre felt for the injuries and frowned. "Fine, he can stay."

"All right!"

"For the night!" Quatre interrupted firmly. "We give him drugs to keep him asleep and as soon as he's healed we put him right back at that park and let him go back home."

"Fine with me," Duo agreed. "Get me the first aid kit, will ya?"

Duo practically skipped out of the kitchen into the living room. Trowa was sitting in a chair reading a book. He raised a questioning eyebrow as Duo rested the teen on the couch, arranging his limbs comfortably.

"Found him," Duo explained easily. "We're gonna take care of him for the night and send him home when he's better."

Trowa said nothing as he marked his place in his book and watched the braided ex-pilot undress their new visitor and set his glasses aside. Duo whistled lowly at the faded bruising on his chest.

"Looks like someone stomped the hell outta of him," he commented. "Hey Quatre, bring me some ice too!"

"Do you know who he is?" Trowa asked quietly.

"Nope," Duo removed the teen's pants and covered him with a blanket. "Twisted ankle too. Hey Tro, check his clothes for ID, would ya?"

Trowa did as asked and came up empty handed except for a polished stick. He held it out to Duo, who looked confused.

"It's one thing to carry a stick around," Duo began, "but to shine and polish it too? Weird."

Quatre entered the room then, carrying ice and the first aid kit. He handed them to Duo and left to fetch a bowl of water and a rag to clean up the dried blood. Duo placed the ice on the boy's chest and moved to check out his ankle.

"It's a minor sprain," Trowa offered. "It should heal in a few days, so long as he stays off of it."

Duo nodded in agreement and began carefully wrapping the hurt foot in a bandage. The boy groaned in discomfort and shifted, slowly opening his eyes.

"There's sedative in the case," Duo gestured with his chin. "Give him some, will ya?"

Trowa picked up the drug and filled the syringe with a small amount. Just as pretty green eyes opened, Trowa stuck the needle into a vein. The eyes widened slightly at the two strangers before becoming foggy. A second later, the teen was sound asleep once again.

"Nice eyes," Duo commented. "Reminds me of Quatre, only green." He finished wrapping up the ankle just as the blonde walked back in with a bowl of water.

"How's he doing?"

"He'll be fine," Trowa reported. "Nothing is serious."

"Good," Quatre smiled. "In the morning we'll put him back in the park and make sure he gets home okay. Hopefully Heero and Wufei never find out about this."

"Won't he notice the fact he's been bandaged up?"

"He'll probably just accept it and move on," the blonde shrugged. "Or think that someone helped him during the night."

Quatre sat down and began carefully cleaning the dried blood from the boy's hair. The cut was small enough that it didn't need stitches, just a good cleaning. Quatre took some of the ice resting on his chest and placed it on his head to help with the lump.

"Wonder who beat him up?" Duo mused aloud.

"It was probably just a neighborhood fight," Quatre sighed. "Kids have always picked on smaller kids."

"Yeah," Duo mumbled.

"Well, he's going to be fine," the blonde stood, pleased with his work. "Let's just let him sleep for now. Duo, you'll take him back to the park before the sun is up. Keep on eye on him until then."

"Watch him?!" Duo exclaimed. "But Quat! He's knocked out! He doesn't need to be watched!"

"You brought him here, you keep an eye on him," the blonde ordered. "We are going to bed."

"Quuaaatttrrreee!" Duo whined. The blonde ignored him as he and Trowa disappeared into their room. Duo curled up in the chair. "Great, now I'm stuck on babysitting duty." He grabbed the book Trowa had been reading earlier and settled in for a boring night.

Harry sighed as he slowly came awake. His back was stiff and he shifted around for a more comfortable position. Not realizing he wasn't in his bed, Harry felt air whoosh past him and his face was suddenly full of dirt.

"What the?" Harry blinked in surprise and looked around. He was still in the park and had fallen off the swing. He must have fallen asleep before going home last night. "Ouch…" Harry could have sworn he heard snickering from a bush nearby but when he looked, there was nothing there.

Shrugging, Harry untangled his leg from the swing and stood up, brushing himself off. His ankle itched and Harry reached down to scratch it. He frowned when he didn't feel skin but some type of gauze. Harry sat back on the swing and lifted his pant leg.

"What?"

A hand went up to feel his hand, noticing the lack of dried blood. The lump felt slightly smaller than last night as well. He checked his chest and realized it wasn't as sore either.

"Okay, this is weird, even for me," Harry muttered aloud.

He swore he heard snickering again and whipped around. He studied the park for movement and saw nothing. Suddenly feeling very paranoid, Harry slowly stepped away from his swing. A cat darted out of the bushes and Harry's head snapped towards it, watching it run down the street. The bushes rustled in a non-existent breeze as Harry turned and ran down the street. He barely felt the spikes of pain in his ankle and didn't stop until he was back at his uncle's house.

Harry stared up at the house in trepidation and sighed. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside. He could hear the TV on and smell food cooking on the stove. Harry decided it would be best to slip upstairs unnoticed. The kitchen door opened and Vernon came into the hall, looking slightly pale and hung-over. He glared as he saw Harry.

"Where the hell have you been, boy?" he demanded angrily.

Harry returned the glare and tilted his head slightly so that his uncle could see the bruise on his cheek. Vernon huffed, turning a nice shade of red as he cleared his throat a couple times.

"Yes well," he muttered. "Go get cleaned up. Petunia has chores for you today."

Harry headed upstairs without a word. At least his Uncle felt some guilt about what he did. Harry couldn't wait until his sixteenth birthday. Screw Dumbledore, the moment Harry was sixteen he was out of this house. He had more than enough money from his parents to be able to live on his own during the summer. And Harry could always get a part time job if he needed it. He glanced at the calendar in his room and sighed. Only five more weeks.

Petunia did have chores for him, and Harry noticed there wasn't as many as usual. He guessed she must feel guilty for her husband's actions to certain extent. Harry hadn't been able to figure out how he had gotten bandaged up. The only thing he could guess was that someone from the Order had come to check up on him and healed him during the night. There was no other logical explanation.

Harry put the matter out of his mind as he dutifully grabbed his chore list and headed outside. The only things he had to do today were clean out the shed and mow the lawn. Nothing too bad, but the shed hadn't been cleaned since last summer when he did it. It would probably take most of the day.

For the next few hours, Harry mowed and cleaned without a complaint. His ankle started hurting more as he put too much strain on it, but Harry forced himself to ignore it. He had been through worse and the appendage would be fine in a few days. Finally, around three that afternoon, Harry finished. Petunia had left for the market ten minutes ago, leaving Harry on his own. Vernon wasn't going to be home until late and Dudley was at his friend's house. Harry had at least two hours on his own.

Happily, Harry headed back inside and made himself a sandwich. As he was eating, he pulled open a kitchen drawer and pulled out a brand-new digital camera. Dudley had whined and whined to get it and his mother had finally given in. His oversized cousin had used it once but hadn't been able to figure out how to get the pictures on the computer and never touched it again. Harry, on the hand, had developed an interest in the thing.

It was a lot more enjoyable to be the one taking pictures instead of having your picture taken. And it helped passed the time so Harry wasn't so bored after he finished his chores. Harry slipped the strap over his head, letting the camera rest on his chest. He headed outside, finishing off his snack and looking around.

He had plenty of pictures of the gardens surrounding the houses and of the houses themselves. What Harry really wanted was to take pictures of people, but he doubted anyone would let him. Trying to find inspiration, Harry noticed a cat casually walking by. He smiled and had the sudden thought of taking some pictures of Ms. Figg and her precious cats. With a large smile, Harry hurried off the porch and followed the kitty home.

"Just got a message from Wufei," Quatre announced. "He'll be arriving in two days."

"Good. Any news from Heero?" Duo asked.

"No," Quatre shook his head. "He's still on comm. silence." Quatre stepped up to the window and looked out it with Duo. "He lives across the street?"

"Yup," Duo nodded. "Saw him working earlier. This place is sooo boring."

"Get used to it," Quatre smiled. "We'll be here awhile."

A/N: And so that's the first chapter of this story. I think the chapters get progressively longer as the story goes on. Um I hope you enjoyed the start and that's all. Thanks for reading.