Her Breaking Point

Chapter 4

"She has been working herself to the bone all year. Hoping with all her heart that she can forget."

"But, Minerva what on earth is she trying to forget? Has someone died, a close family member, what has happened?" replied Poppy. The light-bulb had not yet clicked and she looked very confused, "But that can't be it, we would have been notified. She must have been-" and then it clicked her confused face turned to a look of complete horror she got to her feet and walked over to me took me by the shoulders and said, "Min please for the love of god tell me she hasn't been abused!"

"Poppy I can't. I can't tell you because it isn't true. She told me and she gave me this memory. She couldn't tell me everything Poppy I- I'm scared that the stuff she didn't tell will be more horrible than I could have imagined Poppy. She needs me, and I can't help her without watching this memory, but I don't want to do anything more than not watch it..."

Albus Dumbledore let the two tearful witches converse for a moment before interrupting, "I realize this is upsetting for you both but I believe that it would be in Miss Granger's best interest to watch this memory. I know it will be hard but after we exit I ask that you remain calm."

We both nodded our agreement and together with Albus dived in.

-hp-hp-

I exited the pensive with the others and everything I promised Albus left my mind all I wanted was revenge. I stood stock still for a moment then I ran, no sprinted, out of the school and towards the gates. It was then that I saw that bloody man with his bloody bird blocking my path. I drew my wand and marched toward him, having stopped running when I saw him.

"ALBUS WULFRIC BRIAN BLOODY DUMBLEDORE YOU MOVE OUT OF MY WAY THIS INSTANT! I will kill him! You saw what he did Albus! He raped her Albus. He raped her. He was supposed to protect her and her didn't," my voice had softened to a whisper as I went on not wanting to say the words to loudly in fear that they would become more true.

"My dear calm down. Think for a moment. Think about how Poppy must be feeling, after watching that, she must be a wreck. I promise Minerva that after we deal with things here you will get your revenge. Now though we have to help Hermione"

"Yes. Your right they need us."

They walked back up to the school. Minerva's worry increasing with every step. She had been stupid, she hadn't thought about the consequences of her actions. Suddenly something hit her, "Albus, why would Poppy be more upset than usual. She isn't close to Hermione."

For the first time that Minerva had known Albus he was speechless. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again like a fish our of water.

"Albus answer me!"

"I am not at liberty to say Minerva you will have to ask Poppy."

"Albus, I know Poppy hard a hard time at home but she never said it was that bad she would have told me Albus. We are best friends she would have told me."

"Minerva are there things you haven't told Poppy?"

"Yes bu-"

"No Minerva it is exactly the same."

"Fine. Let's go," they continued on there way.

Poppy was sitting at her desk drinking. She was halfway through her second bottle of Firewhiskey before Albus and Minerva even reentered the castle. She knew it wasn't right but it made her feel better. It made her forget. Forget the horrible things she had seen in the pensive, forget the memories flashing before her eyes. She needed this even if it was bad for her.

One more then I'll stop, she told herself over and over again, one more shot then I am done. Soon she wasn't even taking the time to pour she was just drinking from the bottle.

"Poppy! What are you doing!" Minerva shouted as she walked into the matron's office, "Poppy stop!"

"No I-I n-n-need this Minerbbbbaaa it makes me feellll better. Just vone more drink. Promise," and she took another swig from the bottle of Odgens Old. Minerva grabbed the almost empty bottle completely forgetting her wand and proceeded to wrestle it form her grip.

"POPPY let go NOW!"

"NO!"

"Stupefy,"said the voice of Albus Dumbledore. Poppy fell to the ground in a heap and Minerva rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Albus, this is all my fault."

"No it isn't."

"But it is if I hadn't gone running off she wouldn't have done this."

"Minerva, its better that she did it in the short time we where gone than tonight after we had left. Who knows how much she could have gotten through by morning. This is not your fault! Let's revive her give her some water and an alcohol effect reducer potion then we can talk."

They then did just that and in the next fifteen minutes Poppy was awake and the sun was rising on the Horizon. Poppy was sitting hugging her knees to her chest while Minerva tried to get her to talk, the whole set up reminded him of the day when she was at school and Madame Nurix had called Albus to her office when she had found Poppy in quite a similar state.

"Poppy please talk to me! I can help you, me, and Hermione can get through this together."

Poppy took a deep breath after a couple of minutes and said, "Fine, I will tell you but once I start I won't stop so don't interrupt. I was seventeen it was My father was there for the first time in ages I thought things had changed I thought that that was going to be a good Christmas but it wasn't I dropped a glass when my brother scared me and my Father he got so mad he beat me and then "as an early Christmas present" he raped me. I was so scared I came back to school acted like everything was normal and then one day I- I couldn't handle it, it was to much. I went to Madame Nurix's office but she wasn't there so I just sat in there alone until she came back. I wanted to tell her so bad but I couldn't speak so she went and got Professor Merrythought and I wouldn't talk to her either so she got Professor Dumbledore. Eventually they had to use legilimans on me and they found out everything I was going to tell you Min I was but I couldn't bring myself to it was too hard."

"Poppy, I am so, so sorry I should have known I knew how much you hated going home I should have noticed. I am a bad friend Poppy!"

Her face paled and she fell back into her chair and closed her eyes, "Albus tell her That this isn't her fault she won't believe me." he nodded and gestured for Minerva to leave the room with him.

"Minerva, there was no way you could have known. Do you remember when she missed classes for a couple of weeks and wasn't aloud any visitors?"

"I- yes I do because I nearly blew up your office when you told me I couldn't see her." the heartbreak of what Poppy had gone through without her knowledge had finally settled and she collapsed into Albus' arms crying, "I am such a bad person I didn't notice that two of the people closest to me where hurting. How could I have not noticed."

I edited this slightly but not something that is essentially important below is my original A/N.

This was hard to write I had this chapter written but then my notebook got misplaced so I had to start over but enough of my excuses maybe at most ten more chapters then we will move on to the sequel Her Healing Moments. Apologies for the lateness I just posted a new read the books story so check it out I plan to update that more than this because it is a lot easier to write. Minerva may seem a bit OOC but in my mind this is how she would be she blames herself for things she couldn't control she cries(sometimes) and she isn't as tough as she seems. Poppy is he best friend but I am loosely basing teenage Minerva off of the Minerva in Profession of a Guardian and if you have read it Min has a lot on her plate so it seems like this could have slipped past her Granted in PoaG she wouldn't miss it but Humor me please 0_0 Feel free to flame (though I prefer praise)