Scarlet Pain

A/N: Okay, so here\'s the next chapter. I\'m sorry for it\'s shortness, but there is more to come. I
want to address some issues that have come up with this story. First, I know that it may seem that
some characters, most specifically Harry, are acting OOC (getting weepy, hysterical, easily afraid, etc.).
There is a reason for this, a reason in the story, that I can\'t say without giving away a major plot point.
But I can say that it is explained in a way that (I hope) makes sense. May even this chapter will shed
a bit of light on that subject, and also the issue of \'why would his Uncle suddenly become and (even worse)
asshole abuser?\' This ties in with the reason for Harry\'s odd behavior. That is all I have to say on the
matter.

Also, I have found, I hope, a way to fix the formatting (yay!). If there are still problems, please let me
know.

To my wonderful awesome readers, thanks again for your great reviews. It means a lot.

aewnaur: I\'m glad you liked that line on trust in the previous chapter. I struggled over leaving
that in or not, even though it really said exactly what I thought needed to be said, and I\'m glad I made
the right desicion.

Anyways, enough of my babbling. On to the next chapter!
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Scarlet Pain
Chapter Fourteen

Harry stared down at his hands, red with blood, and trembled. He was in his room at Privet Drive,
huddled on his bed. The blood on his hands was from the broken glass of his uncle\'s car window. The
window that had been shattered by his cousin and blamed on him. Red. Scarlet drops. All over his hands, a
reminder, a reminder...of what? He couldn\'t remember. Pain, punishment. Maybe...what was that?

\"You freak!\" Oh yeah, that.

\'Good, at least you remember that much.\'

\"How dare you destroy my car!\"

\"No uncle, I swear - \" Crack. A harsh sting on his cheek. The fear was coming

\'Yes, the fear. You remember the fear don\'t you? I do. It tastes like honey and blood.\'

\"You used magic again!\"

\"I only wanted to fix it!\" Smack. His head was reeling. Now came the despair, the debilitating sense of
inevitability.

\'Very good. Give me your despair. Blackberries and rotted flesh. Tasty no?\'

\"How dare you! You worthless murderer. Magicing the car. You want to kill us don\'t you?\"

\"No, please.\" Oh Merlin it was coming.

\"I\'ll make sure you\'ll never hurt us. I\'ll make sure you\'ll never hurt anyong with your disease!\" No! This
couldn\'t be happening. He had to get away. Had to fight back.

\'Don\'t fight back! Never fight back. You\'ll only make it worse. You deserve this. Murderer...\'
Muderer. Murderer. But wait, who did he kill?

\'Forgotten your dear old dog-father already Potter?\'

No, not Sirius. Please not Sirius. He didn\'t mean to.

\'So beautiful Potter. Did you know I can see you through him? Yes, I even reached him. You\'ll never
escape from me boy. I will reach you through everyone, and in return you will kill them all.\'

No, Merlin please no. What was that dripping sound?

Red. Drip. Red. Red. Hands covered in scarlet streaks of blood. Pain...so much pain...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

\"No!\" Harry bolted upright in his bed. His body trembled uncontrollably as he tried in vain to still his
breathing. When his heart didn\'t feel like it was going beat itself out of his ribcage, Harry opened his
eyes and glanced around the dormitory. He gave a slight shudder at the almost garish red color of
some of the drapes, and realized with dark amusement that even his House colors had turned against
him. Or maybe it was him against them?

Harry sighed. Wondering idly if he could get away with visiting that glade Snape had mentioned on the
other side of the lake. With a shake of his head he grabbed his wand, wrapped himself in his father\'s
cloak, and headed out towards the Room of Requirement. There would be no more sleep tonight.

Ron watched his friend literally disappear and gave a quiet sigh of his own. He wasn\'t quite sure what
to do, but something had to be done, and soon. There was no way he was going to let his friend fade
away without a fight. And maybe, just maybe, he could bring Harry back to the laughing, joyous Gryffindor
he had first met six years ago.




TBC