The Unseen

Look! A new chapter! Now to respond to your reviews!

RyGirl824 - Phelan is just fine now, my dear....and I promise Fenrir will be popping up shortly.

smurphy - I understand...you were just guessing, and that's perfectly fine. You'll find out just what the men think in this chapter.

LolaDiBlack - I'm so sorry...I just needed time to plan out what she was going to say. I sowwy...I hope this chapter makes up for your emotional agony...James said he loves you to. The adorable little think blushed when he read your comment. *So cute*

Starrynite45 - I'm glad you see my reasoning. And I don't think anyone really thought about the time line until I said something. But with the second generation in their twenties...they'd been married a long time...I'll try to hurry on the Dramione...but remember...you can't eat a cherry cordial right off of the assembly line. You have to wait for the syrup to liquidize inside. But once the reaction occurs....yumm-o...

distinctlyME - Have you abandoned my story, my wascally widdle wabbit? I hope not. Say it isn't so! Say it's real life being a bitch. Just don't leave me! *Sob* (J/K...but I do hope you haven't abandoned me...)
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“I think we should start at the beginning.” Hermione said. Draca gave her a soothing smile.

“That’s a very good place to start.”

Hermione took a small sip of the wine, and then sighed. “Well…if James sent you then you must know that I’ve been…abused.” She said. Draca nodded, but kept silent. Hermione needed to set her own pace for this story, and interrupting her with talking would only make it take longer.

“We had been Hogwarts Sweethearts. We fought in the war together. We had gone through so much that it only seemed right we be together.” Hermione said. She had began to smile at this point. “We were married a few days after the Final Battle. Some people were still burying their dead…Ron and I were saying our vows, promising to always be faithful to each other, and care for each other for eternity.” Here her smile faded, and her eyes filled with tears.

~~

Severus sat in a large wingback chair in front of the fire, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. James had just finished a rather quickly-told story of the reason Hermione was running. Ronald Weasley. The ginger fuck had always had a bit of a temper….but a woman-beater as well? Even Snape, the perpetual pessimist, didn’t see him as the violent type. But it had been years since he’d seen him. Over twenty years.

Oh, he’d heard of him, of course. He’d read the stories of the ‘war heroes and what they’re doing now.’ Ronald Weasley had a rather insignificant job in the Ministry, doing paperwork for the Games and Sports committee. Hermione was an everlasting student. She’d been amassing knowledge like a dragon might hoard gold. Although she appeared to only have one formal degree, she had done enough schooling to be a Master of all subjects taught at Hogwarts, and a few that weren’t.

Draco was in shock. He had heard that Hermione Weasley was abused...but the extent he hadn't known. There hadn't been many details in James' Patronus. He hadn’t seen any bruises on her when he’d met her here...but she’d probably healed them…or James had. Why did she put up with that? The girl he’d gone to school with would have hexed his man bits off if he’d even thought of striking her. He couldn’t see her submitting in that way.

“I’d like to know what they’re talking about.” James said, looking at the door they had gone through. This was a little-known room that belonged to each of the Headmasters. A sitting room off of the office, where the Headmaster could sit and think without the interruption of the Portraits.

All of the men were curious. Phelan wanted to know how this had gone down. All of his knowledge of James’ family had lead to the belief that they all lead perfect little lives and loved one another unconditionally.

Severus’ head lifted a bit, and he pulled his wand from his pocket, and pointed it towards what appeared to be a blank portrait. A small flash of blue light, and the portrait filled like a television screen, and they could see Draca and Hermione sitting together, both under the fluffy green blanket.

“He was so wonderful at first. He was so attentive. He would bring me flowers every week, and we would go out and do something every week. It was like that for several years, in fact.”

Orion's mouth dropped. “So that’s how you always knew when I was trying to sneak girls into my dorm….”

Severus only smirked.

~~

“The attention began to fade at the five year mark. And it wasn’t altogether…he began to stay later at the office, and we wouldn’t be able to go out. He would forget the flowers, but he would spend the night telling me how much he loved me. Even though we stopped doing things together, I never doubted that he loved me.”

Hermione took another sip of wine, her courage faltering a bit. Here was where things began to get a bit hairy.

“The first time he laid his hand on me out of anger…he didn’t hit me….we were arguing over my schooling. He said that he wanted me to get my head out of those dusty old tomes and settle down…give him a family. He said that even Fred and George already had children…but I wasn’t ready. I told him that he would get a child when I was damned ready, and not a month before. He turned a horrible shade of red. I turned to leave…his hand wrapped around my arm and he pulled me back. It didn’t really hurt…but it was the beginning of the end.”

Draca was watching Hermione closely. Her eyes were dilated as if she were afraid, and her face was a bit ashen as she continued.

“The first time he actually hit me, I fought back. I slapped him right across the face, and threatened to tell his mother. He’s still afraid of his mother…fucking coward….he told me that she’d never believe me. Even when Fred and George were at their worst she believed that it was just ‘boys being boys.’ She would think me a horrible wife, and shun me….I didn’t want that…I wouldn’t have been able to handle that.

My parents were killed during the War. It was a last ditch effort to get to and at anyone associated with Harry Potter. They thought it would break me…and it almost did. But I turned my sorrow into fury and opened up a can of whoop-ass on them during the Battle.” She said, a small smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

“I believed Ron…because I had logically broken it down in my head. I’m still not so sure my logic was wrong. In my fourth year Molly had shunned me because she thought I had wronged Ron. She didn’t flat out hate me, but the attention change was enough to break my heart. The Weasleys are the only family I have left…and Harry…Harry is very much like a brother to me. But he is a brother to Ron as well…He had me convinced they would all side with him. So I accepted it. Not to mention the fact that he is perfectly within his right as a husband to… ‘correct my behavior.’” Her face contorted horribly.

~~

Draco actually stood to his feet. “That’s bullshit!” he hissed. All eyes were on him.

“What are you talking about?” James said, looking at the irate blonde.

“That law is archaic, but not cruel! He’s abusing more than his wife! That law is not a free-for-all for him to beat the shit out of her because she pisses him off…” Draco was fuming. Domestic abuse was a sore point with him…his father had a very heavy hand when he was younger…they had a much better relationship now…but that’s because Draco hexed him within an inch of his life the day he could legally use magic outside of school. “The law states that a man may ‘chastise his wife in moderation, but only in the event that she poses a threat to her or her husband’s social and/or financial standing.’” Draco was seething.

~~

Draca finally spoke up. “How long did you fight back?” she asked. Hermione looked over at her, and gave a small smile.

“For years, actually. But I would bide my time…it might be a few days before I actually got revenge on him…but it was small things. Once I actually snuck a spider into the bed. And not a small one, either. It was one of those huge ones that can eat a small mouse. He screamed like a girl and made me kill it. That was a source of amusement for days….but he eventually figured it out.” She said, her smile fading again. “And the punishment was ten times as bad. He started catching me in the act. And I just quit getting revenge. It was so much simpler just to accept a few slaps and kicks here than risk getting an entire beating later.”

“When did you figure out that you couldn’t keep going like that?” Draca was finally interacting with Hermione, and Hermione felt a bit better. She wasn’t the one controlling the conversation anymore.

“A couple days ago. He had gotten drunk and went after me. Those two never mix well…He yelled at me for not giving him any children, slapped me a few times for being a mouthy know-it-all, and then totally beat the shit out of me when I mustered the courage to pull from his grasp. I miscalculated how much it would anger him if I resisted.

I finally realized that I couldn’t take it anymore. He was going to kill me if he kept going. It was slowly getting worse. He had actually begun to hold food from me. He said that my books were making me fat. He didn’t want a fat wife. I calmly asked him how he expected me to go through pregnancy, and asked him if he wanted me to let the baby grow from my back so my stomach wouldn’t change its size. He…uh…didn’t like that at all…popped me in the mouth really hard, and busted my lip.

I finally decided to tell Harry. I figured of all the people in my family…Harry would help me. But when I went to Harry’s house, he wasn’t there. But James was. James has been my savior and hero…He’s been my knight in shining armor, and I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay him…”

~~

“You don’t owe me a thing.” James whispered softly. Phelan looked over at his friend in time to see his gold eyes fill with tears.

“James?” he asked uncertainly, reaching up to unconsciously rub the shiny silver-burn at his throat. He’d never seen James cry. James stood, and turned towards the corner, putting his face in his hands. His tail was drooping to the point that the length of it was dragging the floor. His wings drooped sadly as well. Tobias actually came to James’ side, and pressed a glass of firewhiskey into his hand.

“What’s the matter, my friend?” he asked softly. James downed the firewhiskey in one shot, and blew a puff of fire from his mouth.

“I can smell my mother’s brownies from three blocks away, but I can’t but I can’t smell her fear of my uncle when both of them are near? I can sense a ladybug before it lands on my tail, but I can’t sense the terror and plight of someone who has treated me like a normal nephew? What kind of monster am I?

While everyone else was getting me shiny trinkets and scale oils for Christmas, Aunt Hermione got me a book about the history of Quidditch, or a new potions set. She’s always seen the good in people…even when no one else could see it. My own mother got me a chew-toy for my seventh birthday, so that I wouldn’t chew my father’s belts anymore. Aunt Hermione got me some oral numbing gel, because she understood that my newly grown fangs were hurting.” James was grasping the empty glass so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Tobias looked at his friend’s hand wearily. James was on the verge of a meltdown. “If Fenrir doesn’t kill that fucking carrot top…I will.” James hissed, and the glass in his hand shattered.

~~

“Ron is going to be so angry when he gets out of the Ministry’s holding cell. I don’t want to cause trouble at Hogwarts. I did enough of that during my tenure here…”

“That’s the understatement of the century.” Snape murmured as he glanced between the women in the portrait and the irate half-dragon in his sitting room.

“Headmaster Snape isn’t an easy man to get along with…but he’s not a bad man. He won’t throw you under the Knight Bus, Hermione. Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Scotland, and Headmaster Snape is a powerful wizard. Between the castle and its king…you won’t be in too much danger. But there are going to be a few things that you must do yourself. You must re-establish your Gryffindor courage. You cannot allow him to pull you back into the downward spiral. Wizarding couples may not be able to legally divorce…but they can separate. You need to distance yourself from him, and make a new life. Just because he is still legally your husband doesn’t mean you can’t find someone who will appreciate you.” Draca said. Hermione looked mortified.

“That seems so…wrong.” She said softly.

“So is beating your wife…” Draca pointed out. Hermione cursed the logical side of her that randomly popped up. It was true, though, what Draca said.

And now Hermione had a lot of thinking to do.

~~

James turned towards the Headmaster, his eyes dilated with anger.

“Is there a way out of this room that doesn’t cut back through your office?” he asked. Severus looked at him, his black eyes narrowed. He raised his hand, and a tapestry pulled aside, revealing a door.

“Take the right door, then the middle door, then the right door again. You’ll find yourself in the Great Hall.” He said. James disappeared through the door in a swish of his tail and his robes.

Once through the small maze and in the Great Hall, he went straight for the door. He needed to clear his head, and flying was the best way to do it. He threw open the large doors with little effort, and closed them back with a wave of his hand. He began to run towards the forest, and veered off towards the bluffs along the side of the school. He ran right for the highest peak, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran. Anyone who saw him might think he was committing suicide as he dove off of the cliff, but those who knew him knew otherwise. James’ wings weren’t just for decoration.

The large, leathery appendages spread suddenly, and his dive became more controlled, like a paraglider tilting downwards. He tilted himself gradually until he leveled off, just above the water. His wings flapped, catching more air to take him higher above the chilly water. He had his arms pressed to his sides, and his legs extended behind him, his body in perfect aerodynamic alignment.

Flying was one of the few joys he had from his unique form. Wizards and witches alike spoke often of the freedom one felt on the back of a broom. But to fly of one’s own volition, without the aid of a broom was…breath-taking.

The only sound James could hear was the steady beat of his wings, and the whistling of the air past his pointed ears. He flew for a good hour, until his ears were numb and cold and his wings were to the point of seizing up. He flew over the grounds, and landed perfectly at the edge of the forest. He wandered into the Dark Forest, and sat down at the base of a tree, his legs splaying uncharacteristically out in front of him.

“You are doing a good thing.”

James’ head snapped up, and his face relaxed when he saw a transparent form floating in front of him. The figure was all in black, nothing visible, save for the glowing, intense blue of his eyes.

“Master…you startled me.” James said softly. The hologram of the Master chuckled.

“I do apologize. I just wanted to tell you not to lose faith. And not to do anything you’ll regret. I know what you know. Your Uncle, despite the unfortunate turn his life has taken…is a war hero. You, my misunderstood son, are not. Do not seek him out directly again…the public would not take kindly to it. He has dug himself a hole by attacking Phelan. Let Fenrir deal with him now. You deal with your Aunt.”

James nodded. The Master was telling him not to fuck himself over. If he attacked or killed his uncle now…the public would forever be against him. There would be no redemption for him. But if he allowed everything to play out…if he could get this situation with his uncle brought to the public eye…he would be his Aunt’s defender. A hero for the downtrodden…

“But do not forget your other Mission. This is your chance, my boy, to do great things. There are Dark times ahead of you and your friends. You must stay together. You must not become complacent. I have a feeling that you are going to face a hardship as difficult, if not more so, than your father did in his entire time at school. Keep your head about you…”

“Why can’t you help us, Master?” James asked. “I sense such strength in you…why do you hide behind holograms and cloaks?”

“This isn’t my redemption. It’s yours. I’m an old man whose life was lived in secrecy and lies. It’s too late for me to be redeemed. But you and your friends are young. They are judged by the names their fathers gave them, or a condition that they were born with. You are judged by an attack that you had no control over. None of you deserve that. This is your chance to prove that not all is what it seems.”

James nodded, and he closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them, and took a breath to ask the Master a question, but the hologram had faded, and he was alone. The Master was right. He wouldn’t abandon his Aunt, but he couldn’t forget about Hogwarts, either. The school had been his haven for years, and was the home away from home for countless students for countless years.

Whoever was threatening its well-being was going to be in for a nasty surprise when they encountered the Unseen.
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Hah ha! A physical appearance of the Master. Whee!!

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