A Broken Road

Okay, this is one of the first Harry Potter fics that I've ever written so be gentle on me guys. ^_^

Summary: In the summer before his seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter goes through something both traumatic and changing, leaving him depressed and confused with many foreign things around him. When his friends turn their backs on him...who will be there in the end? Harry Potter x Lucius Malfloy

Warnings: Slash and yaoi, attempted rape, abuse, angst, suicidal thoughts, possibly m-preg...yeah, you get the picture. Basically anything my morbid little mind can come up with. Also, both Dumbledore and Sirius are alive in this because I can't kill the almighty twinkle and our resident mongrel. ^_^ Also, 'youkai' means demon in Japanese.

Without further ado, read, enjoy and review. ^_^

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A Broken Road

Part 1

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Harry winced as he continued to rub his aching shoulder, rotating the sore limb every now and again. Both his pride and body ached in his current state and at who had initially put him in it.

It was summer again.

He hated leaving Hogwarts every single year to come back to a place that was nothing but hell in his eyes.

Dursley senior had always smacked him around; it had always been a simple factor in his life. The less he disobeyed his 'family', the less bruises he got. It was a simple rather concept.

But this summer had been different...much different.

The day he returned to Number Four Privet Drive was the same day his trunk had been locked away in the closet downstairs, he had been dragged up to his room and the locks on the that had been gathering dust for the duration of his sixth year at Hogwarts had proved they were well worth the money Vernon had spent on them.

Harry had spent three days in the room before anyone even opened the door and when it did finally open, it had been his uncle. That day, Vernon had beaten on him harder than he could remember and had kept it up until he was unconscious.

He had woken up two days later on the floor in his own blood.

Nearly every day since, he had gotten a visit from his uncle and it had slowly become yet another routine in his life. He would take whatever his uncle gave him without question or a single protest...which only served to oftentimes anger Vernon all the more.

He was usually given something to eat after the bastard was done with him and after he was sure they were asleep, he would sneak out of his bedroom with a whispered and wandless 'Alohamora' to take a long bath to help him loosen his aching body.

Honestly, Harry doubted if he had ever been weaker than he was at the moment.

All throughout his body were cuts and bruises, some old and some new.

Things in the house were just foreign to him, so much so that he could no longer predict what was going to happen.

For one, never once did either Dudley or his horse-faced mother yell at him since he had come back...it had to be some sort of a record. And two, around every other day or so, Petunia would come into his room with whatever she had saved her dinners along with bandages and the like while Vernon was at work. Silently, she would try and mend the cuts and bruises along his body to the best of her abilities before giving the food to him and waiting with patience Harry didn't know the woman possessed until he finished.

Once he was done, the woman would leave just as quietly as she came.

Not once had she said a single word to him.

And the few times he had actually spotted Dudley...well, his cousin was just not the same pampered brat Harry had come to know. No, most of the time Dudley would just silently look at him with something that closely resembled pity and Harry began to wonder what in the hell had happened over the span of his previous year at Hogwarts.

Although neither ever spoke, Harry was thankful for the somewhat soothing presence of his aunt and found himself clinging onto whatever was offered when she came so he could retain some shred of his sanity.

Things were just weird and saying that about the Dursley family made it all the more odd.

A soft 'hoo' made him glance at Hedwig, his owl. The snowy creature cocked her head at him curiously and he sighed, reaching out a hand to pet her gently through the cage. The white bird closed her eyes and cooed, leaning into the gentle touch of her master.

"Sorry girl, guess my mind is wandering again."

Hedwig just made another soft noise, used to his behavior although she wasn't able to vocalize her fury at the whale that became the cause of it.

Harry sighed again, his thoughts returning to Hogwarts and his friends. Merlin it seemed like a lifetime ago when in reality, it had barely been two months. His feelings and heart kept warning him that something had happened and Harry knew that something was seriously wrong. Since he had returned to the Dursley residence, he had not received anything from his friends. No letters, messages...nothing. Not even Sirius or Remus had written and it was worrying him.

The previous year had been stressful to say the least with the growing number of Death-Eaters and attacks. Many within the ministry and various other political standings within England were beginning to show their true colors and Harry had literally begged Dumbledore to let him stay at Hogwarts for the summer since Voldemort was starting to emerge more and more publicly.

In response, the elderly wizard had just shaken his head before telling him he needed to return for his own safety.

'Safety'

The word made Harry scoff but he avoided dwelling on that particular thought for too long.

The wizarding world was his home and his entire life.

He always missed it desperately when he was away but he knew all too well awaited him when he did return...

A psychotic Dark Lord hell-bent on killing him, his training for when, in fact, he faced aforesaid dark ruler and...his potions class. In all truth, Harry didn't know which of the three were worse. Why he still took that damned class was beyond him considering his severe lack of talent in that particular magical department. He could practically hear Snape's sneer whenever he thought about it and although Harry hated the man at times, it was a good feeling. A familiar feeling...like something that would always stay the same no matter what happened. Snape's attitude would never change just like Dumbledore's meddling ways and Hagrid's love for the weirdly magnificent and rather dangerous creatures of the Dark Forest. Everything changed but everything remained the same in Hogwarts and Harry was ever thankful that at least the potions master never once acknowledged his fame in comparison to his life...apart from the colorful insults that the man had come up with in the past few years.

The student body, however, was an entirely different matter.

He was glad that he had made his friends early on given how many people had been using him since he had first gone to the magical school. Ron and Hermione didn't use him like the others had, but instead had helped and stuck by him in the times he needed it the most.

Then there was his godfather.

A fond smile spread across his features when he thought of Sirius and Remus. Although his godfather was still on the run from the ministry, Remus had found the canine and the two had been together since. In a way, Harry envied the both of them. Sirius was locked away for twelve years and yet...Remus had not once strayed from the connection he felt to the man.

Harry found it ironically perfect and silently wished for that kind of devotion for himself one day.

He leaned back a moment just letting his thoughts wander; knowing sleep wouldn't find him tonight.

Nothing was happening and as a result, he had become a severe insomniac since leaving Hogwarts. No chores or work to keep his mind occupied and no annoying Dudley to keep his sanity intact...all he could do was think.

It would've been enough to drive even Hermione mad.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the locks on his door were in the process of being unlocked.

Getting to his feet as fast as he could, he quietly moved to his bed and lied on it. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning and he really didn't feel like getting another beating from his uncle tonight. His breathing leveled out from years of practice as he let his eyes slide shut, thankful that Hedwig remained silent as well...more than likely sensing the sudden spike of tension in the room.

His heart began beating hard within his chest when he heard the door shut again although he knew someone was still in the room with him.

"Get up."

Harry closed his eyes tighter, trying not to flinch at the tone his uncle used. However, he cried out when something that felt like a knife came down across his brow and he whipped his head around only to see his uncle holding his belt, the metal buckle now stained with blood. He put a hand to his new injury and blinked at the blood when he pulled it back.

Now what had he done to piss the man off?

Confused emerald eyes met those of his uncle.

"Get up."

Deciding not to endanger his health more than he already had, Harry complied and stood from his bed. His anxiousness increased at his uncle's stance. The man was uncommonly...calm. Whenever anything concerned his nephew, he was always roaring mad. This was just not...normal.

"You've caused more trouble than you know boy," Vernon practically hissed at him. "I won't allow it to continue."

Harry blinked at the words but didn't have time to question his uncle as a fist came down hard against his already bruised, if not broken, rib cage. He coughed deeply; the air rushing out of his lungs as he fell down to his knee in his already weakened state. He closed his eyes tightly, knowing that he couldn't fight the man with the shape his body was in.

A sudden clarity of thought broke through the haze of pain and his eyes widened as he took in his uncle. 'Is he going to kill me?' The thought didn't really surprise him as much as it should have, he knew Vernon would be willing enough.

A well-aimed kick found his stomach and Harry fell to the ground this time, earning several more kicks to his midsection in result. He cried out in pain when he heard and felt the significant and sickening 'crack' of one of his ribs breaking. His breathing became choked and erratic when Vernon didn't stop, panic starting to rise in his mind.

He couldn't fight back...and his uncle knew it.

Another kick found his head, his neck snapping back from the sheer force and Harry winced deeply from the blow.

Vernon gazed down at the dazed teen in a morbid way before smirking to himself and grabbing a fistful of the black hair on his head, dragging Harry to his feat and earning another cry from him.

Harry coughed deeply when he was thrown on the bed, landing on his stomach. He tried to regulate his breathing but suddenly yelped in surprise when his arms were suddenly wrenched behind him. He heard Hedwig's outraged screech as she in her cage but all rational thought left Harry's mind for confusion when his hands were tightly tied together with the belt his uncle had used before. He winced when his hands already started throbbing from the blood loss before a heavy weight was suddenly on him, making his ribs ache all the more.

A hand enclosed the back of his throat and shoved his face into the blanket of his bed; successfully cutting off his air and making his lungs burn almost immediately. What the hell was the man going to do to him?

"You mind me now, boy."

Harry's eyes widened and he froze in movement when he felt fingers work on unfastening his jeans, his mind slamming to a halt in shock. When the hand rested on his bared stomach, he stifled a sudden sob; anger and fear making him blink away sudden tears. 'No...' When the hands began moving lower, rage filled his thoughts and Harry gritted his teeth. 'How dare he even touch me,' that very thought, however, didn't even sound like his voice.

Noticing the boy's distress, Vernon sneered.

It soon disappeared, however, when the sixteen-year-old suddenly bucked up and managed to throw the whale of a man off him and the bed with such ease that it surprised both of them.

Harry literally growled at his uncle but it was cut short when a sudden pain in his head numbed his senses.

...But his uncle hadn't been the cause of it.

Blinking in confusion, the unfamiliarly deep ache caused his vision to suddenly blue. 'What the hell...?' It started behind his eyes and started growing rapidly. Harry closed his eyes to rid himself of it before felt, more than heard, movement and looked up to see his uncle standing up and yelling at him although he didn't hear a single word...even Hedwig's screams fell upon deaf ears.

A hand suddenly wrapped around his throat and something in him snapped as he glared at his uncle, thoughts not exactly clear but an instinctive feeling of self-protection made him thirst for the man's blood. He growled again, this time it sounded very convincing, and bared his teeth to his uncle in a threatening manner.

All coherent thought stopped again when the ache in his head intensified a hundred times over and he choked back a scream from it, trying to block out the sudden white blinding light that seemed to penetrate his very being.

The last thing Harry was consciously aware of was Vernon's scream before darkness surrounded his mind.

... ... ... ... ...

Lucius Malfloy stood in Headmaster Dumbledore's office, poised and regal as ever, both his hands resting on the snake head of his cane. The urge to pull out his wand and start throwing curses around was instinctive but he pushed down the feeling with years of practice and retaining his instincts.

"I presume things are in motion then, Albus?"

The elderly wizard nodded. "Yes, of course. I am pleased that you have reveal your allegiances, Lucius."

The blonde suppressed a sneered comment and merely looked bored with the situation around him.

He had come back to the school in a desperate hour and had been pleased when Dumbledore had agreed to see him so late. He pledged his allegiance to the light side of the war for only two reasons and neither had to do with loyalty other than to his own blood. First and foremost, Lucius Malfloy was a father and when Voldemort had begun asking when Draco would be receiving the mark, Lucius knew he couldn't allow his son to be enslaved by the psychotic fool.

The second reason was practical thinking. Potter's side would eventually triumph and although Voldemort couldn't see his own demise, it was plain as day in Lucius' eyes.

Yes, he had quite a few reasons for joining Dumbledore and the Order.

Ice blue eyes glanced to his friend, Severus.

The potions master had been a spy for Dumbledore for years and was good at his position given the fact that Lucius hadn't even figured it out until a couple years before though his friendship with the man was deep and he'd never revealed what he knew.

Things began falling apart nearly three years ago with the fiasco that had been the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Voldemort's true return.

His wife had been sent to Azkaban and was now there for the rest of her life. Lucius knew that the woman would never be released and to be perfectly honest, he couldn't bring himself to even care about that fact. He had married her under an agreement made by his parents and had gotten something precious from it...his son.

Draco was the only thing that had made him keep her around for so many years and now; Lucius was almost ecstatic to be rid of the bloody wench. Hence, the reason why the divorce papers had been filed and approved within the same exact hour of her sentencing to the demented prison.

"In response to your decision Lucius, I have an offer you may be interested in."

Lucius raised an eyebrow in question, alarms going off in his head when the damnable twinkle in the elderly man's eyes suddenly returned without any warning. How predictable. He's on the 'good side' not even ten minutes and the crackpot old fool was already thinking of ways to use him. A second side-glance indicated that Severus somehow knew where this was going and the blonde almost growled under his breath at the obvious amusement in those dark eyes at his expense.

"As you are well aware, the position for Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has yet to be fulfilled for this coming term."

The blonde's eyes widened slightly, the only inclination the man had heard.

Albus kept his amusement to himself, though his twinkling eyes betrayed his expression. "Would you be interested in it?"

Somehow, the elegant head of the Malfloy family couldn't help but feel like he was walking right into a setup. However, he did take a moment to think on it. Albus was a smart man, no matter how annoying or eccentric he seemed. If Lucius took the job that was offered, he could reset his family's reputation, which was currently in shambles with Narcissa's little...episode.

He inclined his head ever so slightly. "I would be interested."

Dumbledore smiled outright and Severus had to keep himself from smirking at the blonde next to him, thoroughly enjoy this. "Then it is decided. You have until the start of term to arrange everything you need to for the upcoming term."

He nodded in turn. "Now, if we've nailed down what is needed, I shall be leaving--"

"ALBUS!" All three men turned to the door to see a very disgruntled and out of breath Minerva run into the room, obviously shaken from her sleep, panic in her eyes. "We have to get to the infirmary, now!"

Lucius witnessed three things then that he would never have thought he would ever seen in his entire life.

One: Minerva, for once, ignored him instead of giving him a lecture that could be compared to a walking howler. Two: He never knew Dumbledore could move that fast for a man of his age. And three: Severus ran very fast despite the billowing robes he always wore.

He followed the three professors immediately as they all ran to the infirmary. His heart jumped in surprise when a painful scream echoed throughout the halls of the old castle. The obviously youthful cry caused panic to settle in his chest and his speed kicked up and suddenly he was racing Severus.

When the doors to the hospital wing were opened upon their arrival, the sight that greeted them was one of shock and disbelief.

Madam Pomfrey, Professors Sprout and Trelawney were all desperately trying to hold down a violently struggling Harry Potter to the bed. Another scream erupted from the teen and Lucius found himself acting without even processing what he was seeing, pushing Trelawney aside to help hold the boy down. Severus mimicked the movement and tried to hold down the boy's other side.

Lucius struggled just to keep his grip on the distressed teen as the painful screaming continued.

What the seven hells was wrong with him?

Minerva went to the side and put her hand over the boy's brow. "Harry, come on. Calm down."

Pomfrey shook her head sadly, not looking up from what she was doing. "He can't hear you, Minerva. He probably doesn't even recognize you right now." All eyes shifted towards the medi-witch in confusion but she didn't offer an explanation as she approached the bed once more. "Hold him as still as you can, don't worry about hurting him."

Lucius put a firmer grip on the arm he held and Severus, once again, copied him while McGonagall and Dumbledore both held down the boy's legs with surprising strength.

When Poppy got close to the bed was when the blonde saw the muggle syringe in the healer's hands.

Albus saw it as well and looked at the medi-witch, concerned. "Is that necessary?"

Poppy sighed. "Anything magical directed at him could very well kill him in this condition. This is to subdue him, nothing else."

She moved in front of Lucius, careful to not interrupt his concentration on restraining the teen before literally stabbing the needle into his neck with a brutality that it made even him wince in sympathy. The struggling didn't stop right away as she stepped back.

"It should take effect in about a minute."

A deep-throated growl made Lucius' head snap towards the boy and his eyes widened at the crimson set of eyes that looked right back at him. In another instant, the eyes left his and with a show of surprising strength, Severus suddenly went flying over him. The blonde wizard blinked before fighting with all his might to keep the teen down. When his arms failed, he put his knee against the boy's chest and held his arms at his sides, sweat lingering on his brow from the effort.

'Dammit,' he thought. 'What the hell's going on?'

As if on cue, the boy stopped struggling all together but Lucius didn't loosen his grip until he caught his breath and the body beneath him went slack, Harry's head lolling over to the side. He wasn't asleep, crimson eyes still bore a heated glare to everything around him but his body was immobile...for the present moment anyway.

Lucius released a breath and eased up, knowing that he had left some bruises on Potter from his grip.

Hearing a groan, he took one last glance at the boy-who-lived before walking over to his friend who had collided with the infirmary's wall. The blonde helped Severus up before raising an expectant eyebrow at the medi-witch. "You care to explain now?"

Severus rubbed his arm. "Damned insolent son of a--"

"Severus," Poppy scolded. "Harry is not at fault here, that wasn't him...at least not consciously." She ran a hand through her salt and pepper hair.

Albus took a seat next to her. "What happened?"

Knowing that the healer needed to catch her breath, Minerva started. "The wards surrounding the Dursley house were destroyed tonight...very rapidly and without any warning whatsoever." She sighed. "Harry took down every single ward with such ease it shocked every one of the Aurors that investigated it."

Severus shook his head, knowing how powerful those wards were, having designed them himself. "How?"

"There is demonic blood flowing within him," Poppy replied.

All eyes around her, except Minerva's, widened.

She sighed. "James Potter was a pureblood dragon youkai, or demon rather. I didn't think Harry would come into his inheritance so soon...especially with his mother's blood coupled with it."

Caching on, Lucius leaned forward. "And what was she exactly?"

Albus continued, a sense of knowledge and sadness in his eyes as he stared at his student. "She was a half-blood. She carried the blood of both human and a phoenix youkai."

"I was under the impression that Lily had been muggle-born," Snape put in.

Minerva shook her head. "Lily was adopted, it was kept from common knowledge because with the rise of the Dark Lord..."

Everyone understood that particular point all too well.

Snape lowered himself to sit on a bare mattress, Lucius copying the movement, his muscles aching from the effort put into restraining the teen. Lucius rubbed his hands together a moment as silence fell over the group.

Naturally Severus, the ever-prudent one, broke the silence. "Why is he so violent?"

Poppy smiled bitterly. "That," she vaguely gestured to what had just happened, "was not violent. He hasn't even come into his true power yet and he hasn't even begun transforming." She sighed sadly, "When that happens, nothing is going to be able to soothe him."

"Nothing that we can give him at this point, at least." Albus thought a moment before glancing at the head of Gryffindor. "Did Harry seem...smitten with anyone in the past year, Minerva? Someone he may have written to, perhaps?"

The woman thought a moment before shaking her head. "Harry focused on his studies last year with everything that was going on."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "What are you implying, Dumbledore?"

Tired blue eyes, for once, showed the man's age. "The only reason Harry's inheritance came so early is because his soul cried out for his mate."

"And we haven't a clue who it is," came the dry observation by the famed potions master.

Lucius fell back on the bed, not caring for his lack of grace in the act.

Ah, the profession and glamorous life of being a teacher at Hogwarts...and he hadn't even started yet.

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End of Part 1: Inheritance

Well, how was it? Review people and I shall update!