Break Out
Prologue
He felt his body stiffen as warm limbs wrapped about him and fought to keep his breathing even and steady if he just kept his eyes closed then maybe he would think he was asleep, maybe he would leave him be.
Fingers brushed across his skin and his resolve not to wince at the contact was tested to the limit.
Surely he would not want to do anything if he was asleep…would he?
"Come on pet, wake up for daddy" the greasy voice whispered in what was supposed to be a seductive manner and a slight bubble of fear formulated in the pit of his stomach.
The fingers began to inch up his thigh and he knew just where it was they were travelling towards. The urge to leap from the bed and away from the presence was strong but he knew if he did he would suffer for it later.
He felt the fingers close about him and as much as he hated it he felt an instant response as he twitched under their expertise.
"Ah so you do want to play" the voice husked on, heavy with desire.
He rolled over and wrinkled his nose in the darkness at the stale smell of alcohol; he forced a smile across his features and arched his groin into the hands that caressed him with ease.
"I always want to play with you" he purred and was rewarded with a kiss.
But this was not a kiss of passion, they never were. The kiss served to show him his place, to show him who owned him and who dominated him, he could taste beer and brandy and bit back the urge to vomit as he dutifully opened his mouth.
He would play his part to the letter, he knew that he had no choice even if he had wanted to resist. The events were beyond his control and the magic that had placed him in this situation had thus proved unbreakable.
He often wondered if he should tell someone other than his one confidante about what was happening; surely there would be a way out of this arrangement.
But then the thought of what might happen to him when he had to come back, he shuddered as the images of his bruised skin played across his mind…last time he had been lucky.
He wondered what people would say if they saw him like this? What they would think of their saviour when they realised he was just a peace of meat? A whore who had been sold off to the highest bidder.
He felt the weight of the other man shift and then he was on top of him, prying his legs apart and his green eyes darkened slightly with anger. However the emotion soon dissolved into helplessness as the other man shamelessly entered him painfully, ignoring his cry of discomfort.
He closed his eyes so he would not have to see the face twist in pleasure, he could not bear to have him look down and know that he had conquered him.
Oh he panted and made all the right noises, arching his back and putting on a show that he was enjoying what was being done to his body. But his mind was never there…it never was.
He would play the minx in bed, if only to keep the older man happy but he would never ever give him any more power over him.
He lay back and let himself be fucked.
When his partner had finished he looked up, his green eyes clashed with triumphant ones in the darkness and although he wanted to turn away he found he could not.
"I always knew you'd be a wild one boy…just like your father" the voice drawled and he only just managed to bite back the angry comment he longed to make.
This was his own personal hell, and every day he felt himself slip into it just a little bit more. He was dirty, tainted and conquered.
Beyond salvation.
A blonde haired teenager walked slowly towards the Hogwarts express. His silver grey eyes darted about the unusually empty platform looking for something to occupy his time with.
Sighing he pushed a hand through his silky locks and stopped, his other hand resting on his hips.
"Where the fuck are they?" he muttered his gaze once again sweeping across the area. His brows drew together in a frown as they landed on the lone figure boarding the train.
Harry Potter.
Draco Malfoy had never seen the raven haired teen walk with such a dejected slump to his shoulders. If anything Harry had always walked with his head held high and proud, he wondered what had caused such a gait to his rival's slow steps.
Following the smaller teen onto the train he noticed even more the slight limp as he walked, his frown deepened and he felt a sudden urge to discover what was wrong.
Harry veered into one of the empty compartments and Draco followed, walking in as the raven haired youth sat down his face pained.
The sound of the door closing had Harry's head jerking up and Draco found his gaze trapped in an endless emerald ocean. He noticed the look of panic that simmered distantly in those green orbs and then it was gone as though it had never appeared.
"Can I help you with something Malfoy?"
Now that Draco was here he was unsure as to what he wanted to say, he wasn't exactly best friends with the Gryffindor and had delighted in tormenting him since his first year of school. How could he explain his sudden need to speak with him now?
"Actually I wondered if I could have a quick word with you Potter" he stated his voice free of the usual malice it held when speaking with the younger teen.
He knew that he definitely was not imaging the look of panic that flittered through the Gryffindor's eyes, they were overwhelmed by it and it did not sit well with Draco. He had always personally thought he would be the one to break Harry yet here he sat before him shattered and so unlike the Harry he had always been.
Was that why he was here, because Harry had been broken and he had not been the one to do it?
He bit back the snort that had raised at the thought…no…that wasn't the reason; he had grown up since his first year at Hogwarts. But like many of his fellow Slytherin he had his given part to play, he had to be the shadow to Harry's light, the evil to his good.
But there was no audience here now.
"What would you like a word with me about Malfoy?" Harry asked a slight tremor more than evident in his voice which Draco assumed he was doing his best to hide yet failing miserably.
"Are you ok?"
It was simple and directly to the point, Harry's eyes went wide at the question and he averted his gaze to look out the window scanning over the empty platform.
"I'm fine Malfoy, thanks for asking" he replied his voice light, but like a typical Gryffindor Draco conceded that Harry was a terrible liar. Since Draco was so good at it himself he could sense when someone was not telling the truth.
Taking tentative steps he sat down slowly across from Harry, his gaze roving over the other boy who was showing avid interest in anything other than Draco himself. A smirk touched his lips at the tactic but he wanted answers and answers he was determined to get.
"You're a terrible liar, did anyone ever tell you that Potter" he stated and was surprised when Harry chuckled in response.
"It's never really been brought to my attention, but then in the Gryffindor house they tend to take whatever you say at face value" Harry replied turning at last to look at Draco. Although his voice had been calm there were tears in his eyes which were wild with emotion.
"Would you like to talk about it" Draco felt himself offering, he didn't know why he was acting as he was. Usually this would have been prime material to tease the other youth. But then he had seen many things over the summer which had lent to him having to grow up a lot more than he'd realised he'd needed to.
"Not really" was the evasive answer, but Draco sensed that Harry did need to talk about it, and for some reason he was scared to get whatever it was off his chest. He watched as his companion lifted a hand to push his raven bangs from his eyes and instantly honed in on the bruises which adorned his wrists.
"How did you get those Potter" he asked motioning towards the blackened skin and Harry moved hastily to cover them up. His face had gone decidedly pale and once again he was refusing to meet Draco's gaze.
"I really don't want to talk about it Malfoy" he stated softly watching as Hogwarts students finally began to filter in on the platform.
Narrowing his eyes Draco got slowly to his feet. It would do no good for his image if he was caught in Harry's compartment and given Harry's state of mind and the marks he had on his wrists he did not want to be accused of something he hadn't done.
"We'll continue this another time Potter" he said deliberately and made his way out of the compartment heading to the prefect's carriage at the back of the train. He needed a few moments to gather his thoughts.
Something was most definitely off kilter with Hogwarts' golden boy and for some reason he wanted to know what it was.
Like all the other carriages the prefect's compartment was blessedly empty. It seemed a lot more luxurious than most of the others so it was quite effortlessly Draco's favoured place to lounge and contemplate whatever was going through his mind.
"You really shouldn't frown like that sweetie or else you'll end up with lines" a voice teased. Rolling his eyes he turned to acknowledge the newcomer smirking rather than responding to the comment straight away.
"Pansy you know it'll never happen" he returned smoothly, she chuckled and stepped into the compartment closing the door behind her. He arched a brow at her attire being that she was dressed casually in muggle clothes. The outfit consisted of loosely fitted jeans and an electric blue vest top, her wand tucked into one of the many pockets that covered the jeans.
Noticing his sudden scrutiny she smiled and twirled to show off her new look, dark hair whipping across her face as she moved.
"It's all the rage in the wizarding world now; muggle clothing is most definitely the new fashion must have" she simpered at him fluttering her lashes in mock flirtation as she smoothed a hand over her tight top.
Draco laughed in response; Pansy and Blaise were the only two students in Hogwarts who knew that Draco was gay. He wasn't ashamed of it but he doubted his openly admitting it would be welcomed…his mother especially would make things difficult for him.
All playfulness suddenly melted from his eyes as he recalled his encounter with Harry merely moments before. Pansy obviously noticed it for she too suddenly became serious studying him intently as though waiting for him to speak.
"Have you noticed anything different about Potter?" he finally asked his voice firm and unwavering. Pansy's face flickered with a look of surprise which she didn't quite manage to hide, but he was never really one to beat about the bush and he knew if anyone knew the ins and outs of things it would be Pansy. If he was a betting man he would put money on the fact that she probably knew more than Hermione Granger.
Her eyes shifted nervously about the compartment as though looking for something and turning she cast a complex locking spell on the compartment door.
"Three nights ago I saw him in Hogsmead. He seemed a little out of sorts and I noticed that splotches of blood trailed the floor when he walked" she whispered sinking down on the plush couch next to Draco's own sprawled form. Her eyes held an almost haunted quality to them as she spoke.
"I followed him at a safe distance… there was so much blood…he went to the shrieking shack. He could barely walk Draco he must have been in so much pain but he stumbled along" taking a shuddering breath she clasped her hands and placed them gently on her lap.
"I managed to get in the shack with little to no trouble at all. That man was there…the professor…Remus Lupin that's it, you should have seen his face when Potter made his presence known to him, I've never seen a grown man cry like that…they started talking softly whilst Lupin went about cleaning Potter up"
She turned away from his probing gaze her hair falling about her face and obscuring her eyes, he knew that she was hiding what he rightly imagined to be tears. Like most Slytherin she tended to hide any show of emotion lest she give any weakness away…when she returned her gaze to his her face was impassive.
"I didn't glean much from what they had been speaking about apart from Potter is involved in something he has no control over. It's obviously something he doesn't want, something that scares him…something bad I imagine given Lupin's reaction" she finished softly.
Draco pondered the information she had given him. So something had happened over the summer to Harry, something which had caused the bruising and the painful gait, something that the younger boy was powerless against. The thought really did not sit right with Draco and he couldn't understand why.
"Keep your ear to the ground Pansy, something is most decidedly off here and we need to figure it out before the dark lord gets news of it" he drawled. Contrary to popular belief many Slytherin students did not side with Voldemort, they may have believed in some of his ideals but not the methods through which he achieved his goals.
Draco himself shivered with distaste at the mere thought of the things that had been done in the dark lord's name.
"Speak about this to nobody yet, you may fill Blaise in but other than that nobody else is to know until we can ascertain what we are dealing with here. I'll speak with my godfather once we arrive at Hogwarts…whatever has happened to the golden boy does not bode well for the rest of us."
Pansy sighed and nodded her consent.
A broken Harry Potter would be no good to anybody and Draco's sense of self preservation helped him to make a choice. He would find out what was going on with the boy-who-lived…and he would help him.
"What of your father Draco" Pansy enquired softly and he waved his hand dismissively at the comment. Lucius would only be involved when it became necessary, due to his affair with ex death eater Sirius Black he had agreed to work for the side of light, he didn't want to jeopardise his father's new and tender role as spy just yet.
"Only if I need to Pansy" he answered at last just as the muffled voice of Blaise sounded to be let into the carriage.
Green eyes stared listlessly out over the platform; his whole body ached with a pain he could not shake no matter how many painkilling potions he used. A part of him just wished he could obliviate his memory so he didn't have to recall what had caused the pain.
But it was part of the deal…he had to carry the memory with him.
Every time he closed his eyes he was back in that room. He could still smell the alcohol wafting through the air, feel the vice like grip of the hands that had held his wrists, tight enough to bruise skin and almost break bone. He could still taste the tongue that had invaded his mouth and hear the moans which had been grunted in his ear.
Bile rose in his throat and he swallowed it down fighting valiantly against the urge to vomit. It would only arouse Ron and Hermione's suspicions and he didn't want them to worry over him.
He wondered what Sirius would say if he knew what was going on? Remus knew of cause, he'd gone to him for healing whenever it had gotten too much and tried his best to sooth the older mans tears as he'd wept over his broken form. Remus was rational in a way Sirius was not, he understood they were dealing with old and ancient magic…something not so easily broken.
He wondered what it felt like for the other man, to watch someone you loved like a son be used so shamelessly and know that there was nothing you could do to break the chains which had bound him to such a fate. He also wondered if he'd felt the same when he'd watched it happen to his father…had his mother known?
"Harry."
Turning he managed a smile as Luna Lovegod stepped into the compartment, she had turned into a true friend the past few years and he was glad that he had been given the privilege of calling her one of his. Having gotten over her weirdness as many liked to call it she was surprisingly interesting to hold a conversation with.
"Hey Luna, did you enjoy your summer?" Harry asked politely. Her skin held a healthy tan which was emphasised by the white gypsy dress she wore, its gauzy material trailing down to her ankles.
Smiling she sank into the seat next to his own. Her eyes strayed to his wrists as he subconsciously pulled the material of his loose shirt further down but he noted that she didn't comment on the unusual and swift action merely glancing back up at his face the smile still firmly in place on her lips.
"Yes actually, my family and I went to Venice for the summer to meet my future intended husband…it was quite a pleasant trip" she mused twirling her wand between her fingertips her eyes sparkling with happiness at the memory. For a moment Harry felt a sudden stab of envy that his friend was so carefree and joyous before squishing the feeling abruptly.
"You mean you have an arranged agreement?" Harry asked his eyes widening as realisation sunk in. He felt a sudden pang of sympathy for his friend but noted that she didn't look very put out over the prospect.
"Raphael and I enjoy each others company very much Harry, he's currently travelling about the world at the moment. He's three years older than me and very fascinated by archaeology…his job takes him many exciting places and when we marry I will get to go with him." Her voice sounded so excited at the prospect and another realisation struck him.
"You love him don't you" the faint blush that stained her cheeks was answer enough for his question and he offered her a smile of genuine warmth.
"Well I hope that you will be very happy with each other. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time travelling" he said softly and sincerely and wished that he had something so…real to look forward to in his future. His it seemed was going to be a lot different to how he had once imagined it.
Sighing he turned his attention back to the platform. His eyes watched the figures scurrying about as they loaded trunks and had last minute panic attacks when they thought they had forgotten something only to find it a mere moment later. He envied them their carefree lives and it was an emotion he did not like within himself.
He listened with half an ear to Luna's excited babble about her future marriage only showing surprise once when it became apparent that her intended was actually a muggle. Obviously neither her parents nor Luna herself saw a problem in the match and it sounded like she and Raphael loved each other very much.
He remembered thinking about getting married. He'd often wondered what it would be like to stand at the bottom of an aisle and wait for the person you loved to walk down it.
Now he would never know, any dreams he had harboured for his own future happiness had been well and truly ripped away from him…he sometimes wished that he had fought more rather than allow himself to be taken.
Funnily enough it had been his Aunt and Uncle who had fought his cause when the man had appeared at their house. He wondered if it was because they knew what would happen, or because they finally understood that Harry had a destiny that would not only save the wizarding world but their world as well. Or maybe it was because in their own weird way they actually cared for him.
But when the threats had started towards his Aunt and Uncle he had stepped forward, he did not want another death to rest on his shoulders.
Then the hell had began, he hadn't understood the implications of the curse…he refused to call it anything else. When it became apparent that he would be available to service any need his master desired he really wished that he had not gone forward so quietly.
Funny how so many people perceived him such a powerful wizard, yet in this he truly was powerless.
"Surprisingly I had a pleasant conversation with Draco Malfoy whilst in Venice. He was visiting one of the family homes there I believe…he even bought me coffee" Luna's voice broke through his thoughts only to start another chain of them at the mention of his rivals name.
Draco had seemed different when he had spoken with him today…so unlike the Draco Malfoy of previous years.
He'd changed a lot over the summer, his hair had grown longer and lighter falling in soft bangs to rest comfortably along his jaw line, he'd grown a lot too and Harry imagined that were he to stand next to the other boy Draco would top him by at least four inches. The thought caused a flicker of something to skitter through his stomach then it was gone.
His skin was still as pale as it had always been, and he had become more solidly built his arms in particular had drew Harry's attention to their strength.
Sighing he wondered what had caused the Slytherin Prince to offer his ear, had he wanted to glean information that would prove interesting for the Dark Lord? Had he wanted something new to tease him with in passing? Or had he actually seen past the usual trappings and realised that Harry was a human in pain?
Sometimes Harry just didn't understand the workings of the blonde Slytherin's mind. Experience had lent him towards the belief that Draco Malfoy was out for whatever piece of humiliating information he could glean and gloat about, but Harry hadn't gotten that vibe from him at all.
Maybe he was just too trusting.
The sudden sliding of the door brought him once again from his thoughts and Hermione and Ron stepped in dressed quite similarly in faded blue jeans. Hermione had coupled hers with a pale pink short sleeved shirt and Ron wore a black fleecy jumper.
"Hey guys how was your summer?" Harry asked politely, if truth be told he wasn't really that interested but felt it would be rude of him not to ask.
"Mine was great, Pansy came to visit me for the last week of it so we managed to talk a few things out" Ron said as he took the empty seat opposite Harry. He'd been dating the Slytherin girl since third year and Harry was secretly quite shocked that they had lasted so long.
"I was actually discussing wedding plans for most of mine…Oliver is a bit nervous about the whole thing but then it feels so right that I can't find it within myself to be scared" Hermione offered. Her match with Oliver Wood was another relationship that Harry had never anticipated…but then these things worked in mysterious ways.
"How was yours mate?" Ron asked casually taking a seat opposite from Harry.
He wondered what they would say if he told them the truth. What would their reactions be like if he told them that he has spent his summer as nothing more than a common whore. Would they be disgusted? Angry? Would they blame him for letting himself be taken and placed in the situation he now found himself in?
"Same as all the others really, boring" he finally said. He wondered if they could hear the odd tremor in his voice, or if they would comment on the fact that he had not met their eyes when he uttered the lie.
Looking up he noted that surprisingly it was Ron who was giving him an inquisitive look. It appeared that Hermione had taken his words at face value, but the blue eyes of his red headed friend seemed probing and unsettled as they searched his face.
"Have you heard that we'll be having another new defence professor this year?" Hermione's voice broke through the suddenly stifling silence and Ron turned to acknowledge her. Harry pretended to listen to what she was saying but was too absorbed in his own thoughts as he watched the scenery fly by now that the train had began its journey.
"He's having a Vampire teach us, I know it's a bit unorthodox but I imagine we'll learn quite a bit…Harry are you ok? You seem to have gone a bit pale."
It couldn't be…he wouldn't come to Hogwarts…would he?
"Sorry Mione, I've not eaten anything today…guess my stomachs protesting a bit" he offered by way of an explanation. He coupled his words with an amused smile that took much in the way of effort to produce. As predicted she began to lecture him about eating properly and he was once again able to tune her out.
He should have known that Hogwarts would no longer be his haven.
All that mattered now was that he keep his secret from his friends, he could not bear the thought of them knowing what was happening to him. He didn't want them to see what he had been reduced to.
It didn't matter that Hermione was probably the cleverest witch he knew, or that Ron would go to ends of the earth and back just to help him out of a bind. If he got them involved it could mean their lives, he was already putting Remus at risk…he would not do it to anyone else.
For the first time since he had learned he was a Wizard, Harry dreaded going to Hogwarts. Icy fear filled his veins when he thought of what awaited him once within the castles walls.
This time it wasn't Voldemort that he feared, oh no what he feared was something much different from the dark lord that had haunted his dreams and filled his waking moments with dread.
This time it was something worse.
You like? I have to say some of this chapter was a bit of a struggle to get out, but I kept plodding along and finally I have an end result!! This wasn't originally a Story I planned on writing but after a particularly trying day and a moment of depression I was banging away on my computer and this was what happened.
Any comments greatly appreciated any flaws I do apologise for. I don't have a beta reader but am open to and offers to be such. For those of you who are reading my other story 'Come what May', you will be pleased to note that the 2nd chapter is near completion and will be up very shortly. Will probably be a little darker than what I write, will have to see how it goes.