Current location:	my desk ~ B110
Current mood:	calm
Current music:	Forgiven Not Forgotten ~ The Corrs
Entry tags:	fic, harry potter, the bloody feather

FIC: The Bloody Feather ~ 02 ~ R
Title: The Bloody Feather
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: M/R
Pairings: Mmmm... Not telling, though I'm sure you can guess.
Warnings: Clearly AU, OOCness, child abuse, anti-Dumbledore, pro-Hermione and Ron
Summary: Even heroes need a saviour, and when an unknown admirer starts sending Harry letters the summer before his sixth year, it's time for Harry to meet his.

Disclaim Her: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: Your reviews – and my boredom – made me want to stop procrastinating. See. Reviewing DOES work. (Eventually...)

Pretty much all your questions are answered in this chapter.

-~/\~-

-~\/~-

Harry woke slowly, not bothering to open his eyes as he just listened. Starlight and Hedwig were speaking together, Starlight telling Hedwig what had happened at the Dursleys.

My eyes... Harry opened one eye carefully – being unable to open the other for some reason – and was met with darkness. I can't see! Oh my God! I can't see! I–

A flutter of wings pulled Harry from his internal panic and he was able to discern a lighter patch among the surrounding darkness as one of his owls landed on top of his chest gently. "Hedwig," he whispered, reaching up to caress his friend. Hedwig let out a concerned hoot, which was mirrored by Starlight as the other owl flew over – a darker shadow in the dark room.

"I don't know," Harry answered to his friends' concerns. "At first I thought I couldn't see at all, but...is it night outside?"

Two affirmative hoots answered his inquiry.

Harry sighed. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a day," a voice said from the darkness.

Harry's head shot up. "Who–?"

A pale figure cloaked in darkness approached Harry. "Lie still. You're not healed yet, dear heart."

Harry relaxed at the familiar name. "What's your name?" he inquired.

A hand brushed against Harry's cheek. "It's not important."

Harry furrowed his brow. "But..."

"Hush," the other murmured. "You'll learn in time. For now, get some more sleep."

With a sigh, Harry closed his eye again and let sleep's dark arms welcome him back as his saviour's hand brushed through his hair comfortingly.

-~/^\~-

The next time Harry woke, the room was filled with the pale morning light that was shining through the only window of the room, which had been opened to allow fresh air in and the owls out. Other than himself, the room was empty.

Carefully sitting up, Harry glanced about curiously. The room was fairly plain, with off-white walls and a pale peach carpet covering the ground. The bed was a queen-sized with a light brown wooden frame and dark brown sheets. The table next to the bed and the other furniture in the room was made with the same light wood the bed was made with. Harry's trunk lay at the end of the bed. His school things had been left on top of the modest desk against the far wall while his broom leaned against the wall next to the door. Two perches for the owls with magically floating food and water dishes were set next to the window, a comfortable grey chair nearby. There were two doors leading from the room, one opened, one closed. The open one appeared to lead to a bathroom, so Harry stood and wandered into it.

An unfamiliar face blinked back at Harry in the large mirror. His hair had grown down to his chin since Sirius' death and looked like it had been washed recently. One eye was covered with white gauze – explaining why he couldn't open it – while the other looked fine, if a little blood-shot. His face was paler that he remembered and a bit longer.

"Harry?"

Harry peeked out into the main room and found himself gazing at a face he'd seen before, though at the time it had been younger. Panic shot through him and he slammed the bathroom door shut, then locked it, as if it would protect him from the wizard on the other side. Voldemort!

"Harry, please open the door," Tom Riddle's voice came from the other side of the door.

"No!" Harry shouted back, leaning against the far wall and looking around for a weapon he could use if he needed to. I'd rather be in Vernon's hands than his!

"Harry, I swear I mean you no harm. I need to check on your eye and see how it's doing."

"LIAR!"

"Harry..."

An owl's hoot took Harry's attention from looking for a weapon and he instinctively knew it was Starlight and that the black owl was assuring him it was safe to trust the Dark Lord.

Harry tiptoed over to the door and cracked it open just enough to peek out into the bedroom, fully prepared to slam the door shut again if he had to. Riddle stood in the middle of the room with his hands out and open and a strange look on his face that Harry would have called worry on any other's face. Starlight sat on Riddle's shoulder while Hedwig rested on her perch by the window, calmly drinking some water from the bowl.

"Hedwig?" Harry called, wincing at how small his voice sounded.

Hedwig glanced up, offering her human a reassuring hoot.

Harry stepped from the bathroom warily, eyes not leaving the Dark Lord, who nodded then asked, "May I check your eye?" without moving.

Harry's eyes flickered to Starlight, who flew over to sit on his shoulder protectively. "I suppose," Harry decided quietly, comforted by Starlight's presence.

Riddle approached slowly, Harry and Starlight watching his every move. With careful, precise movements, the taller man removed the gauze from Harry's eye, then nodded. "Much better."

Harry, curious, stepped backwards into the bathroom and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. There was a nasty-looking scar over his eyelid, but it had healed over from the bloody mess that Harry was certain it had once been. He brought up a cautious hand and touched his eyelid.

"It healed faster than I expected, even with the potions I used," Riddle volunteered from the spot Harry had left him in, the gauze crunched in one hand. Harry glanced over at the man as he continued, regret colouring his voice. "However, I'm afraid you're permanently blind in that eye."

Harry looked back at the mirror in shock. Blind. I'm blind in one eye. Blind in one eye and I need– wait... "Where are my glasses?" He turned back to the unmoving Dark Lord.

Riddle offered a half shrug. "One of the potions I tried apparently fixed your poor sight in your right eye."

Harry turned back to the mirror and reached up to stroke Starlight, who hooted quietly.

Riddle sighed. "I'd suggest you remain in your rooms for now. Clapping your hands twice will bring a house-elf, and Starlight can always find me."

"What about Hedwig?" Harry asked dully, at the same time thinking, I'm half-blind and trapped in the home of Voldemort. And he hasn't tried to kill me yet.

"She stands out a bit," Riddle offered as he stepped away from the bathroom and towards the door out to the hall. "Please eat something. You're too thin," he added, then was gone.

Hedwig flew over to the bathroom sink, hooting in concern for Harry's well-being.

"I'm so lost," Harry whispered, glancing down at his white friend so he could pretend there weren't tears welling up in his eyes. "It's all happening too fast. Uncle Vernon tried to kill me and Voldemort's helping me and not trying to kill me and I just don't feel like myself any more..." His gaze strayed back up to the mirror, where a scarred eyelid and a watery eye looked back.

Hedwig hooted softly.

Harry glanced down at his long-time friend in surprise. "Am I allowed to write them?"

Starlight answered cheerfully, bouncing a little on Harry's shoulder.

A smile tugged on Harry's lips. "That's true. He never mentioned that I couldn't..."

With a smile on his face, Harry walked over to his desk and settled down to write a letter to his two human friends. It would be nice to have someone to converse with, even if it was through letters and he didn't tell them where he was.

-~/^\~-

"I don't want you back there!"

Harry scowled from his desk at the Dark Lord, who was standing near the door into the hallway. Harry had just sent Starlight to the man, asking him when he would return to Privet Drive. "You want the Order in a panic because I've gone missing?"

"I don't give a rat's ass what the Order thinks, personally," Riddle shot back, his voice saying that Harry should have known that. "I just want you safe."

"I'll be plenty safe when the Order comes to pick me up," Harry snapped back, standing up so he felt a little closer to the other's height.

"What about until then?" Riddle hissed, glaring at the letter on Harry's desk from Remus Lupin that had started Harry wondering about when he'd return to his aunt and uncle's house.

"I can handle Vernon–"

"No, you can't!" The Dark Lord's hand made a dull thud as it met the door frame.

"I've handled him just fine until last week!" Harry shouted, his own hands fisting at his sides. "Stop babying me! I don't want your fucking help!"

Riddle pursed his lips and met Harry's angry green gaze with chilled red-brown eyes. "Fine. If he tries to kill you again, I promise not to come and save your sorry arse." Then he turned and stalked from the room, the slam of the door the only thing showing his anger.

"Argh!" Harry threw himself down on the bed. "Why does that man have to be so difficult?!"

Hedwig and Starlight traded worried looks. They didn't think their humans should be fighting so.

"Why did he, of all people, suddenly have to start caring?" Harry whispered into his pillow. "And why did I have to let him...?"

-~/^\~-

Tom Riddle poked his head into Harry's room once he'd calmed down. Deciding it was safe to enter, the Dark Lord crept in and over to where the teen slept peacefully on his bed. "Oh, dear heart, I wish so much had never come to pass," Riddle whispered before kissing Harry's forehead gently.

Before he left the room, the Dark Lord paused to place a note and a single white rose upon Harry's mostly empty desk.

He had no doubt that the small teen would be gone by the time the sun next rose.

-~/^\~-

The rose, the note had said, was a portkey back to Harry's room in the Dursley house. Harry grabbed all his things, which he'd packed before he sent the note to the Dark Lord, and left the room he'd been given for his stay, leaving Hedwig and Starlight to fly back under their own power.

Upon his return, Harry went to confront his relatives, pretending he wasn't scared.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Vernon spat, standing from the breakfast table.

Harry aimed his wand at his uncle with a hand he forced to remain steady. "My friend fixed it so I could perform magic in the house without my Ministry knowing. I'll be leaving in a few days with a couple of friends. You stay out of my way and I promise not to turn you all into barnyard animals. Agreed?" Harry said in a quietly firm voice, hoping his bluff would work.

Vernon slowly sat back down, his angry expression screaming murder. "Fine."

Harry nodded and, turning on his heels, left the house in favour of the playground nearby. I hope Remus comes soon. I don't trust Vernon to not test his bounds...

-~/^\~-

"Potter, you rotter!"

Harry glanced up from his brooding pose on the old swing set and grinned at where his school rival, Draco Malfoy, stood just outside the playground fence. "Hey, Tonks."

The pointed face broke into an unusual smile and Malfoy's hair turned red for half a second before turning back to the bleached-blond it had always been. "How'd you know it was me?" Tonks asked, stepping into the playground.

"Other than the fact that I knew you were coming, you mean?" Harry inquired teasingly, pressing his fake glasses up a bit as they slid down his nose.

Tonks sniggered. "Yeah. Other than that." She sat down in the swing next to him and kicked herself into a gentle movement.

Harry's mouth twitched with an almost-smirk. "You didn't have the expression quite right."

Tonks rolled her eyes, then shot Harry a faintly worried look, remembering Remus' concerns about the boy's health. "How have you been? Really?"

Harry shrugged, his previous smile fading to a blank look. "Well enough, I suppose."

Tonks sighed, wishing she could get the boy to open up more. "Shall we go collect your stuff?"

Harry stood silently and left for his relatives' house with Tonks moving quickly to catch up with him.

A fancy car in the driveway of number four announced that Vernon was home and, as Harry had almost expected, they met the man in all his puffed-up glory before they reached the stairs. "Leaving, boy?" Vernon sneered.

"Yes," Harry replied tightly.

"And you won't be coming back?" Though phrased as a question, Harry knew it was more of a threat.

"Actually," said Tonks, blissfully unaware of the underlying threat of Vernon's words, "Harry'll have to come back for a few weeks next summer."

Harry flinched as his uncle's furious gaze turned to him. "Is that so?"

Tonks caught on at the flinch and narrowed her eyes, which looked far more threatening on the pointed face of Draco Malfoy than it ever did with her normal face. "Harry why don't you go upstairs and collect your things?"

Harry slipped around his uncle and made a hasty retreat up the stairs, quite secure in the knowledge that Tonks could more than handle his uncle. Once there, he was sadly pleased to find that Starlight had already made himself scarce. Explaining his new owl to the Order and his human friends had not been something he looked forward to. Better Starlight meet back up with him at Hogwarts, where he wouldn't be as noticeable among the hundreds of other owls.

"Well, Hedwig, we're finally leaving this hell hole," Harry murmured as he checked for anything he'd missed in his quick packing job the night before. Not that he'd unpacked much after returning from Riddle's manor.

Hedwig gave a faintly relieved hoot and settled herself on Harry's shoulder.

"Tonks said we'll have to come back next summer."

Hedwig gave an alarmed hoot and Harry winced.

"It won't be that bad–"

Hedwig's resulting hoot-lecture was painfully loud in his ears.

"Look," Harry said loudly, smiling as his friend quieted to listen to him, disgruntled as it was. "I'll just tell Vernon that if he lays a hand on me, I'll spend my birthday hexing him."

Hedwig tittered darkly.

"Yeah, well..." Harry sighed unhappily. "Hopefully he won't try killing me again."

Hedwig let out a strong hoot and puffed up her chest.

Harry laughed and twisted his head enough to kiss the snowy owl. "Thank you."

"Better be decent in there, Potter!" Tonks called before slamming rather spectacularly into the room and right into Harry's bed. "Ouch!" she called, rubbing at her leg where it had hit the post.

Harry snorted. "If Malfoy ever learns what all you've done while in his body, I think he'd die."

Tonks shot him a winning, though slightly pained, smile. "Not that big a waste. Need help?"

"Ah, sure. You can take Hedwig's cage and I'll grab my tr....un...k..." Harry blinked dumbly after Tonks and his trunk's retreating forms.

Hedwig let out a twitter of laughter.

Harry rolled his eyes as he grabbed her cage, then followed Tonks out. "That's it. No treats for you tonight."

Harry found Tonks trading angry glares with Vernon, who stood in the living room doorway. "You go and hail the Knight Bus while I hex the fat one, Harry," Tonks offered over her shoulder, her wand twitching in her free hand.

Harry let out a sigh and grabbed Tonks' elbow. "Oh, come on, Tonks. No use causing a scene."

Reluctantly, Tonks followed the Boy-Who-Lived from his summer home, silently fuming. She'd just have to come back some other time to make sure that the fat Muggle bastard knew that threatening Harry's life was the wrong way to continue enjoying his own.

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A/N: As a side note, I'm trying to not make Harry actually Dark in this fic, so it should be interesting. I feel I should let you all know now, so you don't get your hopes up. XD

So, ah, sorry this took me so long. The short excuse is that Ed Elric from FMA came out of my anime collection and dragged me to his fandom. They held me hostage for a couple of months before letting me go. Also, I hate Word 2007, so the only computer I could actually stand to type this on was my own, which required me to not be catching up on this fandom. *shifty eyes*
But this chapter's done and I'm gonna start working on the next one later today!

Cheers and love,
~Bats