"Please! For fuck sake, please think about what you're doing?"
"I am though, for the first time in a while, I know I'm doing the right thing!" His voice was angry and low.
"The right thing?" Her voice though also angry, was seemingly increasing in pitch. "You consider leaving your daughter to be the right fucking thing?"
"Please, Hails. Stop swearing, think about this from my stand point."
"I have tried, but leaving us, leaving her...it will never be the right thing! Never!"
He sighed, "She's showing signs, love, think about what I've done to her. I've condemned her to...this hell! My daughter, my own flesh and blood!"
"Please, we can work through."
"No, no. I'm sorry." His chair scraped across the hard wood floors and his foot falls led to the door. "You're better off without me."
"No. Please, stay. Please, she needs her father!"
"She doesn't need a monster."
With that, the door shut with a heavy slam. Both mother and daughter had known the fighting would start again, for weeks the shouting would start as soon as the little one's door had shut for the night. The arguing would go on late into the night, and the house elf would sit up in the little girls room trying her best to comfort the small child. The house elf would go up to the child's room every night, she hated hearing the small cried coming from her room and would sit with her, trying to take her mind off what was happening downstairs by reading stories. A packed bag had been lying by the front door for weeks, and no matter how many times the house elf had put in back in the master bedroom, it always ended up back in it's spot by the front door. The parents knew that their child could hear every word that was being said, and whilst she didn't understand why they were fighting, she knew they were angry and sad. It was confusing for her, her parents constantly switching the roles of bad cop and good cop. Joy the house elf, looked at the poor child; the house was almost silent other then the sound of the mother sobbing. The child wanted to go to her mother, but more often then not she was scolded and sent back to her room, back to Joy. The child curled up, clutching her stuffie close and crying as Joy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Her grey eyes snapped open, she hated to remember, because it wasn't full. It was never complete. She could remember her mother, face and voice, Hailey was a beautiful woman. She could somewhat remember her father, it was hard to remember his voice and even harder to remember his face to the point that she no longer tried. She didn't see the point, why would she try to remember a man that left them? A man who left her? The fifteen year old sat up in her bed, she dabbed her eyes with a soft little handkerchief left on her nightstand by Joy; she was happy that the house elf had stayed with her for so long. It was now later in the summer holidays and she was staying with her godfather who had taken up lodgings in his best friends childhood home. Remus and Sirius both thought the world of her, and she in turn, enjoyed the company of both of them. Considering both to be family, despite only knowing Sirius for a few short years.
She tied her sandy blonde hair back in a ponytail, and walked over to the window to open it slightly. The house was large, just as her room in Grimmauld place was, but it was incredibly stuffy. The night breeze was fresh, and calmed her as she picked up her old stuffie. A stuffed black wolf, it was old and missing fluff but she wouldn't trade it, it made her feel safe. She even made a point in taking it to Hogwarts, though she would of course lock it up in her trunk to avoid teasing from the other girls. The only other girl in her dorm to knew about the toy, was Hermione; when one day, she had rushed out the door in a flurry and left it on her bed, only to return that night and overturn her bed and trunk in order to find it. Hermione had slid it over to her, complimenting on how soft the fur was, telling Fallon that her secret was safe. She understood how homesick Fallon felt, and would actually bring a small fleece blanket from home with some kind of cartoon printed on it.
Fallon smiled, glad to have friends like them. Joy, who had stood by her despite everything. Sweet, little Joy who would comfort her and tell her stories still, like when she were a child. Joy, who would act rather motherly towards the teenager; and Hermione. Smart Hermione, who would help Fallon with her homework and share secrets with. Her friend, whom she would meet with during holidays and accompany on trips to Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The blonde tee curled up in her bed, clutching her toy and smiling as she fell asleep thinking of her friends.
"Wake up, wake up Miss!"
A little Fallon woke up to Joy shaking her. She was rather confused, it was still dark out and she could hear a great deal of noise coming from downstairs. "Wha..?"
"Shh, miss! Please...Please! Come!"
As Fallon climbed out of bed her mother appeared in the door, her hair was a mess and head bleeding. "Come, Fallon, Joy. Come into my room, be quick!"
Hailey led the way as the house elf lead the small child to the master bedroom, as the three of them entered the room, Hailey quickly shut and locked the door. She ran to her window, it was too high for the child and not enough time to get her down. Next she ran to her closet, opening it and ushering her daughter and house elf into it. She made sure that her daughter would be right at the back and covered her in blankets.
Taking her daughters hand, Hailey spoke softly and urgently, "Now listen to me little one, do not come out. No matter what you hear, cover your ears. No matter what you see, cover your eyes, but do not look sweetie. I'll be fine. I love you."
Hailey then turned to Joy, "Look after her. Don't let her get hurt. Keep her safe, please."
Joy nodded, as her mistress shut the doors. The house elf used her magic, creating a form of shield around the two of them. She was fully prepared to lay down her life for the child, just as the mother was. She would respect her wishes, she would do what she need to in order to protect Miss Fallon. The house elf flinched slightly as the banging got louder and louder, until the door to her mistresses bedroom flung open and in stepped, what Joy could only describe as a very scary man. His long, dark hair was black and mattered, and the stench from him made her almost vomit. He stank of blood, seat and urine, and grinned insanely at Hailey, he reminded her of a caged beast.
"Miss Callis, how are we?"
"Really? You kicked my door in, for a friendly chat?" The sarcasm dripped from her voice.
He only smirked, he liked a bit of fight. "Where is the cub?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your sweet bastard daughter, I can smell her. Where is she?"
"Fuck. Off."
In a second, he had pushed her against the wall. He had hold of her chin and had snapped her wand in two. "Such dirty words from such a sweet mouth."
And it was then in that second that Joy understood, her mistress had never intended to survive. She would do anything to keep this monster away from her daughter and she had entrusted her daughter to someone she trusted, someone she knew her daughter trusted. Joy felt sick as she watched the monster kiss her mistress, watching the monsters eyes hungrily take her in and back hand her mistress. Joy watched as Hailey took every second of it in, fighting only slightly, hoping to take his mind off her young daughter. Hoping to buy time for the house elf and her daughter, time until they would be rescued. The man stalked over to Hailey, blood dripping from his mouth,
"You bit me? I love a feisty girl."
For hours, the house elf covered the little girls ears and muttering a small spell in order to muffle Hailey's screams. Someone would come soon, they had to know that something was wrong. The house elf slowly turned as she heard a small whimper, the childs eyes fixated out of the small holes in the door, she had seen the monster rape her mother, Joy only hoped she didn't understand; her body drenched in cold as she looked back. Her mistress her turned her head to the closet, and in turn shown her attacker where her child was hiding. He pulled himself out of her, and crawled towards the closet when the house elf wrapped her arm around the small child and used up what little magic she had and...
Fallon sat up in bed in a moment, she screamed. It was the same dream almost every night, within a second she heard a pop and felt small, thin arms wrap around her. She knew it was Joy, her saviour from that night. Joy looked up as the bedroom door flung open, Remus and Sirius standing there, looking flustered. Joy released Fallon to Remus, who pulled her into a tight embrace; the child slowly gripping onto his shirt. Sirius stood in the doorway, he didn't know what to do, but he didn't want to leave them. The odd three of them had become a family to him and Buckbeak. The two men didn't need to ask what was wrong, they knew. It was the same nightmare early every night, they knew to just hold her until she cried herself to sleep, and that's what they did. As Remus tucked her back into bed, Joy shut her window and the three of them grouped in the dining room, the men indulging in a glass of fire whiskey.
"What do I do?" Remus asked, staring into his glass. "I feel so helpless."
"No more so then she does," Joy spoke up, she had no problem in speaking her mind to these two. She belonged to Miss Fallon, not either of them. She would go to Hogwarts during the school year and return home in the summer, she was never too far from the young miss. "She suffers more then you, either of you."
Sirius wanted to give some snappy remark, but he knew the house elf was true. "Should we ask Dumbledore?"
"Suppose we should, he'll want to know."
"He'd find out anyway mate, you know what he's like."
The room was silent for a moment, then Joy looked at Remus, "Mister Remus?"
"Yes?" He was always surprised when the house elf addressed him like this.
"I know Mrs Weasley only means best in her letters, but please, let Miss keep her room."
Sirius laughed, "Finally! Some sense!"
Joy smiled, with this being Sirius' house, she supposed having him on side was a good thing. "Mister Remus? She'll be okay, she lets me know when she's not. It'll be okay."
"Listen to her Mooney. Fallon is strong, besides, she has one hell of a family here."
Remus smiled, he'd heard this before, Sirius' dysfunctional family that he mouthed the words as Sirius spoke the words.
"A werewolf and ex Azkaban convict as her dads, a spunky house elf that doesn't take shit as mum and Buckbeak."
"I thought it was 'brother Buckbeak'?"
"Or pet, I'm not sure anymore." Sirius said thoughtfully. "Brothers don't always like you, whereas pets pick a favourite and mostly stick to it."
Remus and Joy smiled.
Hi guys,
Hope you enjoyed, I'm going through some of my old stories and re writing them as I just don't like how they first turned out. I hope they're better now, I think they are. I changed a few things and even added the character of Joy.
