Short Fuse

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its corresponding ideas and themes. If I did, well, never mind; that\'s a big if.

Summary: This takes place in Harry\'s 7th year. Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape... are they really what they seem? Some things in Harry\'s life aren\'t as simple as they seem, and with his powers growing, he begins to learn this in a difficult way.

Notes: Yes, I am one crazy mother... Welcome to the Insanity.

\"Silhouettes above the cradle hold me down
they won\'t let me go the wrong way
my mother taught me all the fables, told me how
in the end all the sinners have to pay\"- \"Silhouette\" by Smile Empty Soul

Chapter 3. Going Back

The ride to Privet Drive was just like Harry expected- fast, bumpy, and nauseating. It made him want to hurl, and by the time Ern pulled the large purple bus up the spot in front of Number Four, his knuckles were stone white and he had nearly lost his grip on the bar. \"I should find a better form of transportation.\" Harry muttered to himself, taking a moment to look over at his new servant, Io, who stood holding nothing in the middle of the bus. He watched Harry blankly, rooted to his spot. It didn\'t even look like he moved at all the entire ride. Harry shook his head; Of course Io had been thrown around the entire trip, he just recovered fast and he must have not seen him fall. Whatever.

Stan smiled at Harry, opening the door but raising his hand in warning. Harry nodded, and ran into the house, up the steps and into his room, ignoring everything else as he retrieved his money bag, and returned to the bus. He handed Stan the Galleons, then stepped off with Io. Stan nodded, but tapped his watch.

\"Three minutes, \'Kay?\"

Harry walked quickly in the house, up into his room and started pushing up floorboards and rushing around to the corners, gathering up things and shoving them into his open trunk. He had just started reaching for his books when a loud shriek came from out in the hall, making him turn around to see something huge barrel into him. With a thump Harry landed onto the wooden floor, the wind forced from his lungs. He looked to meet his opponent, Dudley, sitting on his chest, and his boney Aunt standing in the frame of the door sneering down at him.

\"What have you done to him boy? What did you do to my husband? After all we have done for you, all of these hardships you have pot us through, all of the things we\'ve put up with, and now, my husband is in the hospital and his new car is ruined! You wont escape this time, boy. I don\'t care if you are my sister\'s son, I will not tolerate this!\"

A fat hand hand wrapped around his windpipe and started to squeeze tightly, cutting off Harry\'s air. Though Dudley watched his cousin with hatred in his eyes, he was smiling sadistically as he attempted to kill the smaller boy. Harry could feel himself slipping away, but could do nothing as he lay there, slowly losing consciousness. Just at the moment when he nearly passed out, a large black blur shot across the room, slamming into the large Dudley, and knocking him off Harry completely.

The Gryffindor coughed and sputtered as he leaned upwards on one elbow while rubbing his neck with his other hand, he watched as a massive creature held Dudley up against the wall, his head touching the ceiling, and his legs flailing under him. Darkness began to seep across Dudley, and soon, the boy was gone , pulled within the massive thing itself, his voice cutting off and his head disappearing from sight. The thing turned towards Petunia Dursley, and growled in warning before closing the door in her face, and spinning around to face the fallen Harry.

Harry shuffled back, hand up and wand out, pointing at the center of the shadow. The dark shadow stood before him for a split second before it shrank down into the ground, melding with the hardwood floor, and a more human shape took its place. It wasn\'t long before the smaller boy lifted himself and faced Harry, smiling lightly but keeping his eyes low, his hand running over his choker in wait.

\"I... Io? Was that you? How in the hell did you do that?\" Harry asked, confused beyond belief.

\"I\'m sorry master, I wanted to keep you safe, and that boy was trying to kill you. I had to protect you. I\'ll go punish myself now.\" Harry reached and pulled Io to him, stopping him from turning away.

\"Io, I told you to never punish yourself! I order you to never punish yourself again. Now, I was not angry, I just wanted to know that if you could do that before, why didn\'t you save Fudge?\" Io looked up at Harry, but still just below his eyes.

\"I was too scared to save Master Fudge in time. I was scared of Master Fudge, and I was too late...\"

The realization dawned on Harry. \"That was how you got behind me so fast with my wand. You wanted to attack me with it but then Fudge died.\" Io nodded his head, trying not to look Harry in the eyes. \"Okay, I get it now, but still, that leaves me with, what else can you do?\"

\"I know I can transport places, Master Harry, and protect you when you\'re in danger. I can hide and move within the dark, and I can move you with me...\" He was cut off by Harry running back out to the bus, passed his aunt who sat bent over her knees, crying softly into her hands, and up the steps to Stan.

\"Hey, you know what Stan? Sorry to keep you waiting, but I think I\'m going to stay here for a awhile, so you can go ahead and go. Here, sorry about that.\" Harry tossed Stan two Gold Galleons, and rushed out of the bus, just missing Stan\'s aggravated then appreciative call. He stopped at his Aunt\'s side, watching her cry, and almost reached down to pat her shoulder, but stopped himself, and went back into the room.

\"Io? Where did you send my cousin?\"

\"I\'m not sure, Master Ha-\"

\"Stop calling me \'Master\'. It\'s just Harry. Can you bring him back, even though you don\'t know where you sent him?\"

\"I believe so, Harry, but this might take a few minutes, if that is alright.\"

\"Do it, I need to get my things together.\"

Harry ran around his room, and finished gathering his school things, shoving books, quills, clothes, money, and his map and cloak into his trunk. Hedwig screeched from her cage, and Harry nearly toppled over in surprise. He went over and took her out of it, grabbing an owl treat and handing it to her.

\"I\'m sorry girl, I\'ve been away too long. I\'m going to have to send you to Ron\'s for a little bit, until the year starts, okay?\" he petted her soft feathers while he waited, murmuring how beautiful she was while she nuzzled into his hand. It seemed, finally Io was done, and he stood from his spot as the corner of the room darkened. Hedwig took off out the window, and Harry waved his goodbye to her.

A river the color of blood poured down the side, pooling at the base and growing, ballooning out. In a matter of minutes a soaked Dudley rose and rolled over the floor, out cold but alive, and Harry opened the door to the room. Petunia looked up, wanting to spite her nephew one last time, before her eyes wandered over to Dudley on the floor. She yelled and gathered him up in a hug, helping him stand, and pulling him out of the room. Harry had smiled briefly, but scowled when she look up to him before leaving.

\"Later, Aunt Petunia. Let me say, thank you for all you\'ve done for me, and now, you\'ll never see me again. Never,\" he spat, now losing his sarcastic tone, and gaining an angry one, \"contact me, and never say I\'ve never done anything for you. Good bye.\"

Walking away, Harry walked over to his trunk, grabbing it and pushed it through with Hedwig\'s cage, before stepping through himself, not seeing three people burst into the room, out of breath and wands drawn. The saw the last of Harry\'s cloak disappear, and the little boy that was Io look wide-eyed at them. He bowed to them, before taking a step back through it himself. They all ran quickly across the room, but only one made it through the portal just as it closed.

\"Well, where could they have gone?\" said the Lady, sighing as she slid her wand back into her sleave.

\"I\'m not sure,\" said the elder one, stroking his beard, \"But I\'m sure we can find them.\" Dumbledore and McGonagall apparated away from Privet Drive.
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Somewhere, far away, Voldemort woke with a growl as a rather large and nasty bruise formed on his head and a toaster lay on the floor.
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THANKS TO REVIEWERS!

Loki~ Thank you and of course! I wouldn\'t forget to get revenge on our beloved headmaster! Would a chain saw or rather big probe work for you?

myniephoenix~ There is no way I\'m going to make him find out so early in the story, but... yes, his reaction will be explosive.

Aisling~ Don\'t know what \'huni\' is, but thanks! Can\'t help it, I\'m a newbie ;_;

sbkar~ Oh yes, we will be seeing a lot of Umbridge and Percy... and their own punishments. I\'m really going to have fun using all of the fun tricks Harry will gain. Oh, and I got some more info on the Ethereal for ya!

Nony~ Wait is over... until next time!

sharon~ Non-stop... Hells ya!

Demitria Miriam~ I am getting this a lot... Updated!

tessa3~ What do you mean wrong? Ooops... I\'ll just say that HarryxIo, though not entirely impossible(hehe), will not be the main pairing in this fic. I wouldn\'t have put it in the Harry and Draco category otherwise.
Now, luc, I\'ve seen your basement many times... time for you to see mine *Luc starts scratching the floor in desperation as I pull him away into my dungeon.*
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Another one bites the dust! I think the fact that I finally found some good music to listen to while writing helped a little bit more when writing this. I started two hours later than normal, and I got this one done an hour earlier(and it has nothing to with the fact the chapter is shorter). Hey, if you guys have any ideas for good songs, post them in your reviews. I\'m always looking for some good music, \'cause I listen to everything, but I don\'t have a lot of time to look for new stuff. Later for now!