TITLE: The Forgotten

SUMMARY: Character studies on several of Harry's classmates.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

WARNINGS: Mentions of rape and torture.

AN: This is going to be a series of head canons/character studies for some of the 'secondary' characters in the Harry Potter series. I have several planned, but would love to hear if anyone has any submissions of characters they want to see into. So far I have the following characters planned: Neville Longbottom (not so much a secondary character, but my favorite), Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Terry Boot, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Dennis Creevey.

JUSTIN FINCH-FLETCHLEY
HUFFLEPUFF
MUGGLEBORN

-Justin Finch-Fletchely was the only son of Sir Alexander Fletchley and Lady Veronica Finch of Nothamptonshire. He had an older sister Grace and a younger sister named Alexandria (Lexi for short). He also had three dogs and a horse. His family was Old Money with connections to both the Prime Minister and the Royal Family. When it comes to his sister, he loves them both dearly. Grace was extremely prim and proper, spending her time at an all-girls elite boarding school. She was four years older than Justin, but they might as well have been forty years apart. While they got along well enough, she distanced herself from him when he got accepted to Hogwarts. The girl was horribly jealous of her little brother. She also felt as though he was abandoning his duties as a Finch-Fletchley to go and play with his magical powers. After he was attacked by the Basilisk in his second year, the two were more distant than ever. Even to this day, they barely speak. Lexi was two years younger than Justin and loves her big brother dearly. The girl is hyperactive, but exceedingly loveable. She takes after Justin in the breaking stereotypes of the British Elite. While she was saddened that she never got a letter to Hogwarts, she never felt any jealousy towards her brother (partially because he would send home magical candies that would entertain her endlessly). When it comes to Justin's friends, she loved them all and begged Justin to invite them over at least once a week. She had a crush on Ernie for a few years and looked upon Susan as a sister. When Justin was petrified, she fell into a depression that lasted until the day he woke up. She worried herself sick over him after that.

-When Justin got his Hogwarts letter, he believed it to be a kind of scam at first. He read fantasy books in the past depicting witches and wizards, but never thought anything of them. It wasn't until Minerva McGonagall showed up at his home that reality began to sink in. She sat down with him and his parents to explain what it meant having a child that had magical powers. While magic usually ran in families, sometimes a single child out of a household could have powers (such was the case with Justin). At first, his father told him that he couldn't go because he had duties as a member of the aristocracy, but Justin and Veronica wore him down and he begrudgingly allowed Justin to attend Hogwarts. The trip to Diagon Alley was an adventure. A Pomona Sprout guided him through Diagon Alley and helped the young blond purchase everything that he needed to attend his first year at Hogwarts.

-The Sorting Hat barely spoke to him when it came time for his sorting. McGongall placed it on his head and he heard a voice echo in his head. "Ah, I can feel the loyalty coming off of you in droves. There's nowhere else for you. HUFFLEPUFF." He remembered the hat sitting on people for minutes before deciding, but he had a few words and a decision. Whether that was good or bad was anyone's guess. Still, he felt at home immediately with his fellow Hufflepuffs and couldn't imagine spending time in any other house.

-Most of Justin's second year was spent Petrified. He remembers very little of that time, only bits and pieces of conversations floating in darkness. It was as if he was deep asleep, only waking up every now and again to hear things in a half-awake state before falling back under again. When he finally did wake up, it felt as if he had been hit by the Hogwarts Express. Every muscle in his body screamed as they fell to the bed. His eyes opened to see Professor Sprout and Madame Promfrey smiling at him. It took him a few moments to realize that he had been Petrified by the Heir of Slytherin and that he managed to miss his entire second year. He spent the summer catching up. Cedric Diggory came to his house every day to teach him what he missed out on. Once a week, one of the Hogwarts Professors would come to check on his progress (mostly McGonagall and Sprout with an occasional Flitwick visit). It was a struggle of a summer, but he managed to pass his finals and return to Hogwarts for his third year.

-When Justin told his father he planned on going back to Hogwarts for his third year, the man forbid him to step foot on magical soil. No matter how hard Justin pleaded with him, the man refused (he even stopped Cedric Diggory from teaching his son for a full week). After sending a letter to Professor Sprout, the Head of Hufflepuff House arrived at the Finch-Fletchley Manor and sat down with Justin's father. They spoke for the better part of three hours before exiting the dining room. His father begrudgingly agreed that his son could go back to Hogwarts if that was what he truly desired. Justin knew that his father was trying to protect him from the dangers of the magical world, but Justin refused to let the attack shape his entire future. He returned to Hogwarts with his head held high.

-Over that summer, Justin became very close to Cedric Diggory. While Ernie Macmillan was his best friend, Cedric was a close second. Cedric took time out of his busy schedule to sit and help Justin study (or sometimes just to talk). Cedric turned into an older brother figure for Justin and it helped him readjust to time at Hogwarts. When his fourth year came, he was just as excited as every other Hufflepuff when Cedric's name was drawn from the Goblet of Fire. While he never directly said anything bad about Harry being selected as well, he did feel as though the boy was pulling the limelight from Cedric. Still, if Harry said he didn't put the name in the Goblet, he believed him (even if some of his housemates didn't). He rooted for his friend until the end, hoping that he could celebrate with him when he won the whole Tournament. Unfortunately, he was as shocked and terrified as everyone else when Harry returned with Cedric's dead body. His heart shattered.

-Justin took Cedric's death hard. He went to the funeral where he couldn't stop the tears. He locked himself away in his room and settled in to write. He went through four notebooks in a week, filling them with thoughts that wouldn't leave him alone. It was part of his grieving process. It took Ernie and Susan coming over and literally dragging him out of the house for Justin to finally move on.

-It was Justin's idea to join Dumbledore's Army. He heard about it and knew that it was something that he simply had to do. Bad things were brewing and they needed to know how to defend themselves. In a way, it was a way of keeping his promise to Cedric from years prior (Cedric always asked him to try his hardest and do the right thing). He wasn't the strongest member of the D.A., but he threw himself into everything. He even did library research to come up with new spells to teach in the class.

-Justin's patronus took the form of a golden retriever. His friends laughed at how amazingly accurate it was. Justin was a loyal boy with a heart of gold. He loved without judgment and had an affinity towards cheering people up (both with and without magic). Casting a Patronus Charm came easy to him (despite having difficulty with most Charms).

-Every year from third year on, Justin threw a holiday party in the week between Christmas and New Year's. He invited several of his friends from Hogwarts and they had a grand time. It was the Christmas of his fifth year when Susan Bones kissed him under the mistletoe. He had been friends with Susan since their first year, but he never thought of her in a romantic way until the mistletoe brought them together. It was another three months before Justin garnered up the nerve to ask her out to Hogsmead. Thus started a very loving relationship that lasted through the summer after their sixth year. It was after that when their relationship hit a brick wall.

-While Justin was nowhere near the smartest student at Hogwarts, he always gave more than 100% effort in classes and on his homework. He excelled in Arithmancy, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. He struggled in Charms. His favorite class was Transfiguration (even if he wasn't so great at it). Every day he learned something new. The muggleborn would spend hours in the library, reading up on everything he could to immerse himself in this new world. He did fairly well on his O.W.L.s, going on to N.E.W.T. level classes in Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy and Herbology. He just missed the cutoff for Transfiguration, but continued taking private lessons with Professor McGonagall during his sixth year.

-Justin never returned to Hogwarts for his seventh year of schooling. He never registered as a muggleborn either. Unfortunately, his pride in his status came around to bite him. The Death Eaters came for him while he was on holiday in Barcelona. They destroyed the house and sent a message to the Finch-Fletchleys to be on guard. The family went on the run. They travelled to Egypt first, but the Death Eaters followed. The Death Eaters wanted to get their hands on Justin terribly due to his high status in the muggle world. After Egypt they traveled to China and Australia before seeking shelter within the United States (California to be exact). Justin spent his time working at Disneyland to help pass the time. One day, he returned back to their safehouse to find the Death Eaters there. Justin raised his wand, and they threatened the Cruciatus Curse on his family. He never saw his younger sister look so terrified, so he struck a deal with them. He would turn himself in in exchange for his family's freedom. He handed over his wand and allowed them to body bind him. Then they went back on their word. While they left his parents alone, they grabbed Lexi and disapparated. As punishment for running, the Death Eaters forced Justin to watch as they tortured his little Lexi, leaving him powerless to stop her screams or comfort her in pain. After four days of pure hell, Lexi finally took her last breath.

-Justin never saw the inside of Azkaban. He didn't see the sun until May 8, 1998, a full six days after the Dark fell. Rabastan kept him locked away in his basement. To Rabastan, Justin was his little toy. He loved the melodic sounds of Justin's screams (although he stopped begging after Lexi died). The man tortured him with magic, knives, whips, and whatever else he could find. Rabastan had an insatiable lust towards the muggleborn boy and raped him daily (sometimes multiple times a day). After a while, Justin shut down, allowing Rabastan to use and abuse him. He gave up.

-By the time the Order members found him, Justin was a shell of the proud man he once was. His body was scarred and his mind broken. Between the torture and Rabastan's strong mental charms, Justin remembered little of his past and seemed to only answer to the name 'Finch.' It took three days in St. Mungos before he recognized Grace and his parents. In the end, it was Ernie Macmillan and Terry Boot that managed to bring Justin back. Ernie never left his friend's side (despite being asked to join the Aurors in hunting down the remaining Death Eaters). Terry was one of Justin's best friends and was a genius at healing spells. He managed to research, learn, and execute extremely strong healing spells to sort of Justin's fragmented mind. It took nearly a year until Justin returned to a somewhat normal life. He never forgave himself for Lexi's death.

-Justin spent the next two years locked away in his refurbished home. At first he was attacked daily with memories of Lexi, each memory hurting more than the one before. It was like watching her die all over again. Eventually, the pain dulled and he managed to get back on his feet. He finally left home when a Ministry official showed up, asking if he would be willing to join him in the Muggle Relations Office at the Ministry of Magic. It was a rough first month. Little things would set him off, and he would be sure to wear long sleeves to cover the myriad of scars and rough tattoos given to him during his time with Rabastan Lestrange. He slowly fell into a routine and found work a refreshing change of pace. Three years later, he was the liaison between the muggle Prime Minister and the Ministry and was instrumental in rebuilding the trust between the two worlds.

-Despite purchasing a new wand, magic never felt right to Justin after his time with Rabastan. He used it when he absolutely had to, but fell easily into a muggle way of life. The wand didn't feel right in his hand, and it didn't cast spells as easily as his other wand. It was as if the magic in him was permanently damaged by what Rabastan did to him. Simple spells failed him and more complex spells were all but impossible. He was never able to cast a Patronus again.

-After finally gaining trust in himself again, he set out to court Susan Bones. After their time together in Hogwarts, Justin always knew that she was the one that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He loved everything about the girl, from her crooked smile to the way she laughed. She graciously accepted him back as her boyfriend and the two dated for another year and a half before he proposed while on vacation in Barcelona. They had a small wedding (especially considering Justin's place in muggle society) with Ernie as Best Man and Hannah as Maid of Honor. They honeymooned in Austrailia for three weeks.

-While everything seemed to be falling back into place for Justin, there was a darkness that never left him alone. While the mediwizards at St. Mungos refused to give him any permanent potions, that didn't stop him from seeking muggle help. He went to one of Britain's best psychiatrists and found himself on a myriad of pills for depression and bipolar disorder. His real problem started when he found himself unable to stop the nightmares that plagued him almost every night. At first it was one dreamless sleep potion to get him through the night before a big day at work. Then it turned into a dreamless sleep potion two or three times a week. Soon enough, he soon found himself taking a draught every night, hopelessly addicted. If he didn't take his dreamless sleep potion, he didn't sleep at all. It was Ernie that noticed the other effects of the potion and turned him in. He spent a month in rehab at St. Mungos. That month was torture on him, but it eventually helped him. He credited Ernie for saving his life.

-Justin and Susan Fletchley had two children. Their oldest was a strawberry-blonde girl with shining blue eyes. They named her Alexandria after Justin's sister. Their second child was a red-haired girl they named Amelia. Aimee and Alex were Justin's pride a joy and he happily took them to Platform 9 ¾ every year.

-Justin Finch-Fletchley died at home at the age of 67, a relatively young age for a wizard. He left behind his wife, his two children and his father. His body aged prematurely due to the torture he went through as a teenager. Hundreds of people turned up at his funeral, but only three outside of his family that mattered: Ernie, Terry and Hannah.

-When he passed, he went peacefully in his sleep and woke up in a beautiful garden. It took him a few moments to get his bearings before he heard Lexi's happy giggle as clear as day. He called out to her and she suddenly appeared in front of him, leading him happily to a world where they could never be separated again.

AN: Love it? Hate it? I do plan on doing many other characters, so stay tuned!