Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything in it belongs to JK Rowling.

Warning: Scarlet's backstory is discussed and some of the content might be disturbing, nothing too graphic.

Fresh Start

Chapter 4

School life had settled down after Halloween, of course, rumors had circulated to what happened, but like the media, it was 25% truthful, and 75% rubbish.

Tonks had cornered Scarlet during their first session after Halloween and all but forced the truth out of him. She squealed in delight and crushed him in a hug when she learned about him comforting a crying girl, said she was right about him being a future ladies man.

Daphne and Tracey hadn't talked to him about it, though Scarlet felt it was because they were always in a public, so it wasn't surprising that when he was escorting Daphne to the Slytherin common room before curfew that she finally asked him about the eventful evening.

"What happened on Halloween Shade?" She asked.

"Why are you interested, Greengrass? Were you worried about me?" Scarlet couldn't help but be cheeky around Greengrass, he enjoyed watching her mask break by causing her to be irritated with him.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm merely curious how a golden boy, Weasel, bookworm, and you were able to survive a mountain troll. I will be disappointed if all you said was that you four ran away." Scarlet knew that just like him she saw the benefit of being in each other's social circles, they both came from powerful houses. The Shades may have suffered 10 years ago, but with him as heir when he reached majority would be in a powerful position.

"We did run away." Scarlet said keeping an even tone. Daphne just raised an eyebrow at him. Scarlet felt he had enough fun and recounted the events, to Daphne's credit she didn't interrupt or even visibly react, but Scarlet noticed her eyes widen slightly when he reached the part about him casting the ice charm. When he had finished she was quiet for a few moments.

"Impressive, you do realize a Glacius as powerful as you describe isn't normally capable of a first year?" He was right, that part of the story did interest her.

"I had to dig into some of my Gryffindor bravery to even attempt my plan." Daphne had always joked that Gryffindor and their bravery would get most of them killed in life. Seemed she was more right than Scarlet realized.

"If you formulate a well thought out plan than you don't need bravery, but that's not what I'm talking about. One of the things that stand out most about you these past two months is your power. Don't get me wrong Shade you're an excellent student, nowhere near me of course." Daphne smirked at him.

"Obviously." Scarlet nodded, with slight amusement.

"You have to admit you end up overdoing most of your spells, constantly needing to reign back a bit." She had brought up a fair point. Looking back Scarlet tended to overdo a few spells, an example being charms class on his first day involving an extra bright Lumos.

"What you said is true, but what's your point? Afraid I'm going to overperform a dangerous spell and injure you?" Scarlet wasn't sure where this conversation was heading.

"One of many concerns I assure you, but that's not what I'm addressing. I'm addressing the fact that maybe you're a cloth cut above the rest, it may do you well in learning spells above your year." Scarlet had never thought of studying years ahead of him, he was already overwhelmed with his current studies, and his lessons with Tonks, but he was now curious how well he'd handle the spells at a higher level.

"I'm guessing you're telling me this because it's coming from the bottom of your ice cold heart?" Scarlet grinned at her, they both dislike their ice nicknames but didn't mind calling each other on it.

Daphne took a step towards him, invading his personal space somewhat. "If we're going to continue this alliance between House Greengrass, and House Shade, then it pays for me to have a powerful ally, in more ways than one."

He couldn't help but give a genuine smile at her, to anyone listening, it may look like Greengrass was simply being cold and detached, but Daphne was actually in her own way showing concern for him and helping him reach his potential. "It's more than that, I'm not exactly sure, but there's something about the cold element that makes me feel comfortable."

"Certain wizards and witches can specialize in an element, for example, Veelas can produce more powerful spells with fire. Suggest you look into it" She mused.

"Well thank you, Ms. Greengrass, for this educational lesson, you've certainly given me a lot to think about." He bowed dramatically.

"Careful Mr. Shade, I know how difficult it is for lions to think, all that brash and action first mentality." She chided him, with a small smirk on her face.

"Would you rather I not charge head first into battle if you find yourself facing a troll?" Scarlet drawled, Tonks was a bad influence on him; he was enjoying teasing people way too much.

"Hmmm, now you've given me a lot of think about. Good night Scarlet." She said.

"Goodnight Daphne." Scarlet walked away he could feel her eyes on him until he turned a corner. Daphne may have called what they have an alliance, but he knew she was slowly warming up to the idea of companionship.

XXX

If Scarlet had to describe Hogwarts in one word, boring would definitely be last on the last. It was his first time going to a Quidditch match, classic Gryffindor vs Slytherin. He wasn't sure why he had gone in the first place, the game didn't interest him, but Hermoine had practically dragged him to the stands.

The game had started out well for Gryffindor they held onto the Quaffle for the first part of the match, he could admire the skill went into playing the sport. Then it started to get nasty, Slytherin started to bend the rules, a vicious taunt here, an extra jab there, no doubt in anyone's mind the rivalry was still going strong outside of the classroom.

But the excitement came when Potters broom had a mind of its own and was trying to buck him off. Hermoine had pointed them to the teachers stand; apparently, Snape wasn't blinking and was mouthing the curse. Scarlet knew the man hated Potter but didn't think he would resort to killing the boy, he looked around for the main cause and saw Quirrell was the exact same a few seats away. He didn't know if they were working together or one was mouthing the counter curse but both needed to stop at the same time.

He led Granger and Weasley over to underneath the teachers stand and coordinated with Granger to cast an Incendio spell. Both her and Weasley were adamant it was Snape being the cause but there was no way of knowing, and Scarlet didn't have time to argue lest they let Potter fall and die.

The plan worked as both flames distracted their targets and Potters broom calmed down, seemed the excitement died down at that point, as soon after he caught the golden snitch and ended the game. Hermoine and Weasley immediately ran off to talk to Potter about what happened. Meanwhile Scarlet had someone else he needed to talk to.

It was at that point that Scarlet found himself in the all too familiar dungeons, specifically right outside Snape's office. He was taking a chance confronting the man, he may have been trying to kill Potter and would just end up killing him, but he felt safe that it was Quirrell instead. He just needed Snape to confirm his theory.

He knocked on the door holding his breath. "Come in." A voice said on the other side. Scarlet opened the door and found Snape sitting at his desk.

"You don't strike me as the person to gloat on your houses accomplishment, I assure you say one word that I don't agree with and the detention I give you will be the utmost severity." Scarlet chided himself for coming straight from the game, of course with Slytherin losing and catching Snape on fire, the man wouldn't be in a good mood. 'But then again when was Snape ever in a good mood.' Scarlet silently chuckled to himself.

"It's not about the final outcome, but at a certain moment." Scarlet noticed a Snape about to say something and quickly continued. "It's about when Potters broom became cursed." That stopped whatever his professor was about to say. " I saw you weren't blinking and you were mouthing something, I looked a few feet away and saw Quirrell doing the same. My theory and correct me if I'm wrong is that Quirrell was the cause behind the brooms hectic behavior, and you were mouthing the counter curse. I don't know what the cause is behind your dislike for Potter but I doubt you'd kill the boy, especially so publically." He stopped to let his words sink in. Snape still didn't say anything and merely looked back at him, Scarlet couldn't help but feel a slight tingle in his head, but he shook off the feeling.

Snape finally got off his seat and went over to his cabinet. Scarlet sighed in relief when he saw his professor pull out a bottle of whiskey, Firewhiskey to be exact. He poured himself a glass and sat down back in his seat. "I must commend you on your ability to survey the situation at hand, you're much brighter than any Gryffindor I've ever taught. Your theory is correct."

"Then the question is why hasn't professor Quirrell been apprehended by Aurors? I don't imagine Dumbledore would willingly let his staff endanger his student's." Scarlet wasn't sure why Dumbledore hadn't done anything, if he could figure it out, then the Headmaster must be aware of the situation.

"You've proven yourself to be very intelligent, try to see if you can figure it out." Snape mused. Scarlet had a slight chuckle; his professor was never one to give out the answers, especially to a Gryffindor student. 'Why continue to let Quirrell stay in Hogwarts unless to keep him here. But why?' It was then Scarlet remembered something from the first day. Dumbledore had warned students away from a certain room. 'Could there be something in there very important, something very important to Quirrell? But if so why bring attention by making a huge announcement? Unless….' "Dumbledore set a trap." Scarlet realized it all made sense.

Snape didn't say anything right away, merely sipping his drink and staring at Scarlet, contemplating what to say. "Seems Albus's praises for you was well placed. The headmaster knew of Quirrell's goal before the term and asked a select few professors to set up traps to protect a certain object. The goal is to catch your professor in the act and learn of his intentions with said object." Scarlet was extremely surprised at how honest Snape was being with him, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Not that I'm not appreciative of this honesty, but why tell me? Why not a student you trust?" Scarlet argued.

"As you noticed on Halloween there's tension between myself and Quirrell, he's guarded around me. He won't suspect I've employed a student especially one from Gryffindor to assist me." Snape explained.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Scarlet asked he was unsure how a first year could help?

"You can't help," Snape said, answering Scarlet's silent question. "You can, however, can keep an eye on him, as a student you have a reason to be in the same room as him." Snape explained finishing his second glass of whiskey. Scarlet agreed with his professor's idea, he was only 11, there wasn't much he could do, but then he remembered what Hermoine and the two boys were up to. While studying together she had told him what the trio was up to. They would probably ruin the plan.

"A warning, I know for a fact Granger, Weasley, and Potter are doing their own investigation, they know the three-headed dog is guarding something, and they suspect it's you after the object because of your limp," Scarlet warned, he could actually see the professor's mouth twitch in amusement.

"They will be of no concern, I'll have Malfoy keep an eye on them next term. Knowing you Gryffindor's and your ignorance to do the right thing, they'll find themselves after curfew, where they will be punished and then out of the way." Snape explained. Scarlet felt bad about possibly getting the three in trouble, but ultimately they'd do more harm than good if they continued.

"Thank you, professor, for your time, good evening." Scarlet got from his seat and bowed; quickly making his way out of the potions master office.

"One piece of advice." Snape said from across the office. "Don't look professor Quirrell in the eye." He then turned his head back to the papers on the desk; he clearly wasn't going to elaborate on what he just said.

Even though it ended with Snape's ominous warning, Scarlet still felt well after his chat with Snape, at least proving the Headmaster was competent in his position. Though it would make himself nervous interacting with Quirrell again. As long as he didn't start stuttering Scarlet was sure the DADA professor wouldn't suspect a thing.

XXX

It was the final Hogsmeade weekend for the year, and Tonks had promised Scarlet it would be the best yet. The first time Tonks had brought him, it was a very enjoyable experience, the second time they were joined by her friends Jess and Rebecca, and they were a pleasant company to be around, especially since Tonks diverted her teasing amongst the two of them, instead of just focusing on just him.

Scarlet was curious though, Tonks had asked him to carry with him the second set of clothes, sleepwear, and a large amount of money. He figured that maybe Tonks and company would be camping out inside the Shrieking Shack, they'd often talk about exploring it one day. Since it was their last year at Hogwarts they finally found the guts to do so. Scarlet didn't know how to feel about that, it had started snowing, even though the cold didn't affect him as much as most people, it would still be an unpleasant experience for him.

When he saw the first group of students in the hallway, he quickly morphed into his disguise. Seemed the student he was disguised as was busy studying for her OWLS, their loss was Scarlet's gain. He soon found the three of them by the entrance dressed in winter gear.

"Wotcher Scarlet!" Tonk beamed, she seemed extra excited today.

"Morning Scarlet." Jess and Rebecca said in unison.

"Morning ladies, what's the plan for today?" Scarlet asked.

'Nu-uh, not until we get there." Tonks wagged her finger in Scarlet's face, she started leading them into the carriages, and the four got settled in nicely before it started moving on its own.

"I still think it's a bad idea, were already putting him at risk by bringing him to Hogsmeade, if we get caught doing this every one of us will be in serious trouble, I don't have time to deal with detention I have NEWTS to study for!?" Jess seemed on edge; whatever Tonks had planned must've been serious.

"Relax, we didn't get caught last time, and now we know what we're doing." Rebecca placed a hand on Jess's shoulder to calm her down. Scarlet wasn't sure what to make of what was about to happen, but he figured he'd wait to give his opinion before commenting on the severity of their plan.

They finally got off their carriage and started walking, Scarlet noticed they didn't bother stopping at any of the shops, they weren't even heading in the direction of the Shrieking Shack, they were going into the forest. 'Where the bloody hell are we going Tonks?'

They finally stopped in the middle of a clearing, Tonks looked around at her surroundings. She soon seemed satisfied with their location. "Okay, we made it."

Scarlet looked around, it was just clearing, nothing special. "Wow, your big surprise is a clearing in the middle of the woods. Has Christmas come early?" Scarlet deadpanned.

"You'll soon be eating those words when you see where we're going," Tonks smirked at him. "Rebecca since you have the most experience you'll apparate with Scarlet." Rebecca nodded and grabbed onto his arm.

"Apparate? What is that?" Scarlet had seen the word once or twice in his textbook but never found the answer.

"It's a means of transportation outside of using a floo call. You'll learn how to do so in your 6th year." Jess explained.

Scarlet didn't have time to ask further as he and Rebecca apparated. What all three ladies failed to explain was that side-apparition was a nasty experience. When they arrived at their location Scarlet fell down landing on his hands and knees with last nights dinner ready to come up. He took a minute to compose himself and slowly got up.

"Impressive, last time we apparated with someone they vomited, it was hilarious." Tonks laughed at him.

"Yes, I'm finding the feeling of nausea to be very amusing." Scarlet clutched his stomach. When he finally noticed his surroundings he saw that they were in an alley. "Where are we?" He asked, hoping to finally receive an answer.

"Were in London!" Tonks cheered jumping up and down in excitement.

"What?" That caught Scarlet off guard; muggle London was the last place he expected her surprise to be. Then he remembered Tonks asking him to exchange his coins for muggle currency a few weeks back, which should've been a big indicator to him.

"I figured since you were raised in a pureblood home you never got a chance to explore muggle London. Now you have the entire weekend to do so." Tonks said putting an arm around his shoulders and pushing him out of the alleyway. The thing was that Scarlet had explored muggle London before, with some less than friendly muggles, but they didn't need to know that.

"But won't someone notice that were missing? Especially a first year?" Scarlet was starting to get a little nervous.

"Thank you! I'm glad Tonks hasn't corrupted common sense out of you Scarlet." Jess complimented him. Tonks only stuck out her tongue back at Jess.

"It's the weekend, people will only get suspicious if were absent for classes, don't worry." Rebecca said beside him.

"Famous last words." Jess shook her head at her two friends antics.

Once they popped out of the alleyway Scarlet got a good look at their surroundings. They had apparated into the heart of London, the streets and road were both packed; it was a miracle they weren't noticed. Jess then grabbed his hand and both were following Tonks and Rebecca. He can appreciate that Jess wanted to be responsible for him, but to hold his hand while walking through the streets made him feel like a child, even if he technically was one.

After a few minutes of walking through the streets the group arrived at a hotel, Tonks requested a small room for them, since they were only going to be there for one night. They quickly dropped off their bags and were once again walking on through the streets.

"First things first, shopping for clothes. Scarlet, I don't know why your mother hated you when she picked out your clothes, but you're in a desperate need of a makeover." Rebecca said while her eyes roamed up and body his body.

Scarlet had to admit clothing wasn't that high of a priority to him. Learning how to read, write, and feed himself was the bulk of his concern.

"Oooooooh this is going to be so much fun." Tonk had a dangerous glint in her eye looking at Scarlet. He couldn't help but take a step back.

"I'm starting to think that Jess is right, I'm sure my absence will be-" Before Scarlet could even finish Tonks had grabbed his left arm, and Rebecca had grabbed his right and were dragging him to the first clothing shop they saw. He looked at Jess and pleaded for her to help him, but all she offered was an apologetic shrug. He hopefully thought that maybe shopping wouldn't be that bad.

Shopping was bad, very bad. Okay maybe not too bad, just very time consuming Scarlet felt. The ladies had him model different outfits. Add in the fact that he was a metamorphmagus they had picked out clothing's he would fit in as he got older, and or could shape his body into if he felt like it. So that had taken an additional amount of time. After they were done the three ladies went on their own for their personal shopping. Scarlet had alternated between accompanying each one after an hour; he noticed each one had a different style they enjoyed.

Jess was rather conservative in her attire, picking choices that didn't show much skin, but gave her the appearance of someone to be taken very professionally. Rebecca was a bit more rebellious in her clothing. Choosing ones that were a bit more showing, and had a few tears. Tonks, on the other hand, was all over the board. From not only different colors, but also different type of clothing and styles, not trying to coordinate any outfits. When asked all she said was "I make anything look good."

After they had finished Jess had suggested a quiet pizzeria close by, and that's where they were currently settled down, the girls were able to shrink all their bags and fit them in their pockets to make it easier to move around the city.

"So Scarwet 'hat do you 'hink of muggle London so fur?" Tonks asked while chewing on a pizza. Jess had slapped her arm for her less than desirable table manners.

"Were not in school, please don't embarrass us in public." Jess chastised. Tonks merely shrugged and took another bite of her slice.

"It's a lot more crowded than Diagon Alley, but there is so much to see, I think come summer break I'll have to spend a few more days exploring." Even though they had been shopping for the most part, Scarlet had surprisingly enjoyed his day so far.

"I was the same way, only was so jealous of muggles over the vast selection of clothing they had," Jess interjected while cutting her slice into pieces.

"We'll probably spend all of tomorrow morning and afternoon here before returning to school. Don't forget we still need to do some Christmas shopping before we go on break." Rebecca supplied. Scarlet had completely forgotten about Christmas shopping, he'd never had a reason to buy gifts for anyone, but now that he's made several acquaintances, he figured it would be best to buy them gifts.

"What are you doing for your holidays, Jess?" Tonks asked finally satisfied finishing her meal.

"Rebecca's and I's families are traveling to New York City in America. Apparently, it's supposed to be really festive on New Years." Jess answered.

"Don't suppose you can stow me in your luggage, I'm stuck with a quiet Christmas with my parents." Tonks pouted, clearly, she had hoped to see her best friends while on break.

"If we put you in our luggage, you'd put us over the weight limit!" Jess joked, causing Rebecca and her to break out laughing at the joke.

"Oi! I'd have you know I weigh less than both of you!" Tonks exclaimed.

"At the amount of pizza you just ate, doubt it." Scarlet smirked at her. That had caused Rebecca and Jess to laugh even harder at their pink haired friend. Tonk just continued to pout, and grumble at how mean her friends were for picking on her figure.

"What about you Scarlet? What do your parents have planned for holidays?" Jess asked when she finally settled down. That caused Scarlet to freeze mid-bite, he tried to quickly think of something to say.

"Well, you see. Um. Nothing special, very boring in fact, just like Tonks said quiet Christmas." Scarlet hopped the girls didn't ask any follow-up questions.

"Nothing wrong with that, sometimes nice and quiet is better-" Jess was interrupted by a commotion near the entrance.

"DEMON!" yelled a voice; Scarlet couldn't see what was going on.

"DEMON!" The voice yelled, now closer. Scarlet felt his stomach drop when he recognized the voice. 'No, no, no, of all the chances to see him again.' Scarlet started to worry and tried to make himself as small as possible beside Rebecca.

"Hide your kids, hide your wives, we have a demon in this bloody restaurant!" A man in his late 40's stopped by their table, he was bald, with a thick mustache, beer belly, and clothes that should've stayed in the 60's, but the one thing that caused Scarlet the most stress was that damn religious necklace, he hated it.

"Demon! Finally came out of your hole! We're going to send you back to where you belong." The man started to point a finger at Scarlet wildly, drawing everyone's attention. Scarlet just wanted to get out of here; he didn't want to go back to the man.

"Excuse me! That's my friend you're talking about, and we were having a nice dinner." Tonks stood up, very annoyed at the man's behavior.

"Your friend is a demon in disguise if you know what that thing has done, he's defied the balance of nature. How do you explain him freezing an entire playground in ice in the middle of summer!" The man sidestepped Tonks and was closing in on Scarlet, Rebecca blocked the man's attempt, she was just as annoyed as Tonks was.

"I don't know who you are but if you don't leave right now, you'll have to deal with three very angry women!" Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the man.

Before anyone could react the man punched Rebecca in the face, then grabbed Scarlet by the neck throwing him against the wall. "The power of Christ compels you, Scarlet!" With each word throwing him back into the wall. Scarlet couldn't see anything at this point and the only thing he could register was the pain. Suddenly he was let go and fell onto the floor, he heard the man yell, clearly someone, probably Tonks had done something to cause him a lot of pain. He felt someone scoop him up and start carrying him, he could hear yelling and some sort of commotion, but he was too tired to care, eventually giving into the darkness.

When he regained consciousness his entire body felt surprisingly pain-free, a bit sore, but nowhere close to what he expected. He could hear voices talking, but right now he was just trying to find the strength to get up. He slowly started to sit up gathering the attention of voices.

"Easy, easy there Scarlet, we used the best healing spells we know, but were no healers." Tonks placed a hand on his back to steady him.

"What happened? How did we get here?" Scarlet groggily asked noticing they were back in their hotel room.

"Jess kicked the man in the groin, causing him to let go of you, never seen a blokes face be in so much pain. Before the authorities could arrive, I carried you, and we left as quickly as possible, apparating once we were a safe distance away." Tonks explained rubbing his back. Scarlet didn't know how to feel about the situation, he thought he'd never see the man again when he left, but now he found him, and brought back so many horrible memories, Worse was that the girls had seen it, and were bound to ask questions.

"Scarlet I know you just woke up, but who was that man?" Rebecca asked. Scarlet noticed that her face was a bit red but otherwise fine. Seemed he wasn't the only one who needed a spell to heal their wounds.

"He said your name, don't tell me this isn't the first time he's laid his hand on you?" Jess joined in.

"Um." Scarlet just wished he stayed in school, didn't want to go through all this.

"Do your parents know?"

"Who is he?"

"Why haven't your parent's done something about?" Rebecca and Jess just kept asking question after question, Scarlet was just hoping that the bed would swallow him, hiding him from all this.

"ENOUGH!" Tonks yelled. She had noticed how uncomfortable Scarlet was getting the longer her two friends asked questions. Both girls soon noticed the distress they were causing the boy and gave sheepish looks back to her. "Why don't you to leave for a few hours." Both wanted to argue, but one look told them Tonks could handle it. They grabbed their coats and apparated away giving the two occupants privacy.

Scarlet noticed Tonks didn't say anything merely looking at him, she soon sighed and sat down on the bed beside him.

"I'm sorry." That caught him off guard, what did she have to be sorry about? "I brought you to London, making you my responsibility. I shouldn't have let that man get anywhere close to you. I failed you as a mentor, and more importantly as a friend. I'll understand if you don't want to see me anymore." Tonks continued. Scarlet looked at her face and could see the sincerity in her words; she truly believed what just happened was her fault.

understand if you don't want to see me anymore." Tonks continued. Scarlet looked at her face and could see the sincerity in her words; she truly believed what just happened was her fault.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Tonks. That man has been my problem long before you brought me here." Scarlet had never once blamed Tonks for what happened, if anything he should be thanking her, Jess, and Rebecca for saving him. How many times did he wish someone would save him?

"That means a lot mate, I've gotten used to having you in life, you have no idea how awesome it is to have someone that looks up to you." Tonks said with a bit of humor in her voice.

Scarlet chuckled at that. "I wouldn't put it that far, I only look up to you because you're taller than me, that's it."

"Quiet you." Tonks lightly nudged his shoulder, she was glad she was starting to get him to smile, but she knew the main issue still needed to be addressed. "Scarlet. You know we can't go back to school without addressing what happened. I promise I won't say anything, but please tell me." Tonks pleaded.

Scarlet was surprised, no one had shown him this much compassion before, but he couldn't tell her everything. When he left he buried all the memories and emotion from all those years of torture, did he really want to bring it back up? One look at Tonks showed him she wasn't about to let it go, and would stay put in this room for as long as it took. At that point he couldn't stop the first tear from falling, then the other, or other, and soon he was pulled into her arms crying his heart out. Every punch, every insult, lash, cut, insult, everything he ever experienced was coming out.

Tonks just rubbed his back rocking him back and forth, for the first time in a long time he didn't care how he looked in this situation, he was in pain and wanted it to go away. He wasn't sure how long they stayed that like, but he didn't let her go until long after he stopped crying.

"Feel better." She whispered in his ear.

"Feel weirdly lighter." Scarlet said, finally telling someone felt uplifting to him.

"One of my many gifts then." Tonks joked, lightly chuckling.

Scarlet couldn't help but laugh at their inside joke. "You're going to have to make a list for me at some point." Scarlet laughed with her.

"It is a very long list.' She said, they still didn't move from their position, Scarlet was content with holding on to her for as long as possible.

"How long?" She asked. It was a general question but Scarlet knew what she was referring to.

"4 years." He replied.

"Is that why you didn't want me in the room with you changing?" She asked.

Scarlet inwardly sighed; he knew if he was being honest he had to show her, unmorphed. He got up breaking the embrace and grabbed the bottom of his sweater. But before he could pull it far, Tonks grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to show me Scarlet I understand." She wanted to say it was for his benefit, but part of her felt she didn't know how she would handle seeing the years of abuse on him.

Scarlet felt if he was going, to be honest, he might as well tell her everything, he gently pried her hand away and continued removing his shirt.

Tonks couldn't wipe the shock off her face; his body was littered with small cuts, burns, and scrapes. To see that boy went through all this was tragic to her. What grabbed her attention was a giant burn in the shape of an "X" at the center of his chest. "That bloody swine branded you like a cow?" She shrieked. She couldn't hold back her anger, how could someone be capable of doing this to a child! "Why didn't your parents stop this!? Better yet where were they!?" She was beyond angry at this point; she wanted to go back to that restaurant and use that pig as her personal cutting board.

"Dead." A small voice said breaking Tonks out of her thoughts. Since knowing him she had never seen Scarlet look so small, often times she could easily forget he was only 11 years old. Her anger dissipated and a maternal instinct came over her, she walked over and crouched to his level before he started speaking again. "I was raised with muggles for the first few years of my life. I didn't know anything about wizards, magic, nothing. It wasn't bad the first few years, I remember moments of being loved, having fun, being a child." She could tell this was hard for him, Scarlet wasn't one to share a lot of what he's thinking most of the time without being prodded first.

"When I was playing outside during the summer another boy had come up to me and grabbed my toy. I tried to get it back but he was stronger than me and just kept laughing at me. I remember getting so angry that I didn't notice the accidental magic I was setting off, ended up encasing the entire play structure in ice. That was when the beatings started, they were convinced that I was possessed by something, and tried to beat it out of me. I didn't understand it at the time but the magic would rapidly heal my wounds that only caused them to increase said beatings. When that didn't work they started cutting me, that only made it worse." Tonks could tell what Scarlet was about to say next would be very difficult for him, so she held both of his hands and looked him in the eye, silently telling him it's going to be okay.

"They brought someone over, I think they called him a priest. He instructed my family to remove my shirt and tied me down to a chair. Since I tended to freeze things they felt fire was the best option. So he grabbed a hot iron, and pressed it right on my chest, it hurt so much and no matter how hard I begged they didn't stop. They didn't bother untying me after they were done; they just left me there in the darkroom and went off to bed to continue the next day. I kept repeating in my head I wanted to get away from there, wanted to go somewhere safe, a real home. I eventually fell asleep, but the strange thing was when I woke up I found myself in an unfamiliar house. There was a house elf called Zinko there, very old. He explained that the house belonged to the ancient and noble house of the Shades and that only a Shade could enter. Zinko explained that I was the child of Stephen and Susan Shade. They died at the tail end of the wizarding world. I'm still not sure how I ended up in that bastards care, whether they found me, or I was given to them I don't know. "On my eleventh birthday I received a letter from Hogwarts inviting me to his school, and that's where I met you." Scarlet finished with a small smile on his face, looking at her.

Tonks couldn't help it, and brought him into another hug, such a sweet little boy, forced to go through so much. It was there she made a silent vow to herself, that she would always be there for Scarlet no matter what, she'd be the family he'd need, and would provide the support and comfort he deserves.

"No matter what happens Scarlet you'll always have me. I'll be there to protect you from anything that tries to hurt you." She kissed the boy on the cheek and held him tightly in her arms.

When Jess and Rebecca came back alter that night they found Scarlet and Tonks asleep on the same bed, both with giant smiles on their faces. They knew their best friend did her job and were glad to see them in such a better place than when they left.

Authors Notes: So we finally get a look at Scarlet's backstory, there will be flashbacks of his childhood later on in the story, I'll give full warnings ahead of time. Next chapter will handle the holidays, another fell good one before we move onto the plot. Thanks again for reading, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!