Chapter 10- All For Nothing

A/N: hey, look at me all productive!! yes, I am posting TWO chapters, cause I can! :)

DISCLAIMER: I in no way, shape, or form own Harry Potter

Said I'm okay, but I know how to lie
You were all that I had, you were delicate and hard to find
Got lost in the back of my mind
And I could never give back, no I never got back
You were not there when I needed to say
I hit the bottom so fast that my head was spinning around for days
Now I gotta go at it alone
But I will never give up, no I will never give up

What am I fighting for?
There must be something more
For all these words I say
Do you feel anything?
What am I fighting for?
What am I fighting for?

Fighting- Yellowcard

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I stood there, just staring at him. I literally couldn't move. I could feel the anxiety welling up in me, threatening to take over. But for a few moments time stood still as Mack looked around and then his eyes found me. I had never felt so scared in my entire life. A thousand thoughts flitted through my head: how did he find me, what was going to happen, would he cause a scene? I had no idea how he would react, but judging by the angry expression on his face it wasn't going to be good.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he asked, starting towards me.

"Um, well…" I couldn't make words form in my mouth, couldn't find my voice. Mack terrified me into submission.

"Are you working?" he snarled, glancing around. I scrambled backwards from him, until my back hit the bar.

"Hey, can I help you?" I heard Derek say from behind me somewhere. Mack was bearing down on me now. "I would take a couple steps back if I were you."

"Stay outta this," he snapped at Derek. "This concerns my sister and me."

"This is your brother?" Derek asked me, looking from me to him and back again. He had his wand out, at the ready, but seemed to think twice now.

I couldn't say anything. I wanted to disappear, fall away into nothingness. Maybe if I wished hard enough, this would all turn out to be a bad dream. Because this couldn't be happening, it really couldn't. Not now, not when I was so close to getting out. But I wasn't going to hold my breath.

"You've been sneaking around, behind my back, working?" Mack said, grabbing me roughly by the shoulders and shaking me. "How long?"

I still couldn't find my voice. Which cause Mack to shake me harder and growl, "How long?"

"Since last summer," I said and he thrust me away from him. I hit the bar roughly, holding on to it so that I wouldn't crumple on the ground. Mack was pacing around now, the anger literally radiating off of him.

"You lying little wench. After all I've done for you, after all I've given you!" He started throwing things, anything he could get his hands on: bottles, chairs, glasses…soon the floor was littered with the debris of his rage.

"What in Merlin's name is going on out here?" I turned to see Ziggy coming out from the back. "Young man, I would appreciate it very much if you didn't destroy my pub."

"Who the hell are you?" Mack asked, holding a large bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand, about to smash it.

"I'm the owner." Ziggy looked from Mack to me and seemed to put two and two together. "You're Mack's boy, aren't you?"

"What's it to you? I'm here for my sister," Mack said. "Either she comes with me or I run you out of business," he added, smashing the bottle in his hand for effect.

Ziggy just sighed and shook his head. "Son, breaking everything in here won't convince me to let her go." He waved his wand and muttered an incantation and everything sprang back to its original place, as though it hadn't been touched.

That just angered Mack even more. If there was one thing hated more than me, it was magic. He strode towards Ziggy, an ugly, angry look on his face, and for a second he stood there, sizing him up. And then, before anyone could react, he had snatched Ziggy's wand out of his hand and snapped it. Then he pounced and began beating Ziggy to the ground. The shouting and commotion had made some of the passersby curious and now there were people coming in to see what was going on. It took four wizards to pull Mack off Ziggy and throw him outside. They must have threatened him because he left. Derek and I helped Ziggy up and between the two of us we apparated him to St. Mungo's.

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I stood outside the room with Derek while the Mediwitches patched Ziggy up. I was taking deep breaths, trying not to cry. Everything I had been working for was worthless now. This was all my fault and there was no way I would have enough money to get out now. Not with having to cover the cost of the hospital and a new wand. Which I was going to do, whether or not Ziggy wanted me to.

And then there was Mack. I was trying not to think about it because every time I did I could feel a panic attack welling up inside my chest. But I knew when I got home that I was as good as dead. He had found out that I was lying to him, trying to get away. Never mind that I was trying to do it for him, so that he wouldn't be burdened with me anymore. And, okay, I was doing it for me, too. But I could kiss that all goodbye now, because Mack would never let me go now. Everything I had been working towards had been all for nothing.

"Hey, are you okay?" Derek asked me.

"Yeah," I said, taking another deep breath. "Just worried about Ziggy."

"He's going to be fine," he assured me. "Nothing that a few healing spells can't fix."

"Yeah, right," I said, nodding.

Half an hour later we were allowed in to see him. He looked much better and he smiled, to show that it wasn't a big deal. But it was a big deal. I could take Mack hurting me, because of my twisted way of thinking I deserved it. But now it had gone too far. Ziggy had been hurt because of me. And I couldn't let that happen again. Period.

"Hey, smile," he said to me. "It was just a few scratches."

"And your wand?" I asked, not smiling.

"I can get another."

"I'll pay for it, and for the hospital expenses," I told him.

"Rian, you don't have to—"

"Yes, I do," I cut him off. "It's my fault that Mack even showed up in the first place and I'm taking responsibility."

"Rian, maybe you should think about this," Derek said, exchanging a look with Ziggy. I knew that look. It was the one that Lily and Alice used to exchange around me. I hated that look.

"I don't need to think about it," I said, firmly. "Furthermore, I quit. I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"Rian, you won't be causing me any trouble," Ziggy said, frowning. "If your brother comes back, well, we'll deal with it. But I don't blame you."

"I quit," I repeated, firmly. "I'll leave the money for you at the pub."

Without waiting for a response I left. I went to Gringotts and took out most of what was in my vault. It was a pitiful amount, anyway. I left the money with Kayla, Ziggy's assistant manager. I took one last look around the pub, knowing I was going to miss it terribly. But I didn't have any other options. I had to leave before I got anyone else hurt. So, I made my way back home, knowing that what was waiting for me was going to be worse than all the other beatings combined. But I had to face it and the sooner I did, the sooner it would be over.

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I took a breath, slid my key into the lock, and opened the door. It was strangely quiet, but I knew better than to hope that Mack wasn't home. The car was here, for one. And there was no way he would let me get away with this. I figured he was waiting for me, contemplating the best way to punish me. I put my keys in my pocket and closed the door.

I never saw the first blow coming. But the next thing I knew I was on the floor, a strange ringing in my right ear, the world tilting away from me. I hadn't even processed the fact that I had been hit when the next blow came. And then another…and another. On and on, all over my body: face, back, arms, legs, stomach. Soon one eye was almost swollen shut and I could taste the flow of blood in my mouth from a cut somewhere on my face.

"You are nothing more than a bloody piece of shite in my life," he growled at me. "Worthless, you have no value to anyone. How could you even think of trying to work behind my back? I provide with you with everything you need."

And so it went. I'm not sure how long it lasted, just that it was a long time. I blacked out a few times, but Mack made sure to bring me back to consciousness before continuing. He whipped me with his belt for a while, pulled me up by my hair so he could snarl insults at me, but for the most part he was content with just pummeling me. And I lay there, taking it, because I wasn't strong enough to fight back.

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I woke up some time later to a dark house, my whole body one massive ache and that's not even an adequate description. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and go back to sleep, but I knew if I was still there when Mack came home he would just start again. It took a lot of effort and some time, but I managed to half crawl, half drag myself across the living room and up the stairs. I knew I had a couple of broken bones. It was only by the sheer will of not wanting to be hurt any worse than I already was that I made it to my room.

I reached up on top of my desk for the first aid kit. I was hoping that I still had some healing potions left, but I only had one. That would take care of the most serious injuries. I had a few pain potions, which was better than nothing, I suppose. I took the healing potion and a pain potion, closed my door, and dragged myself into my bed. And I fell asleep a little while later.

I slept on and off for the next couple of days. The pain wouldn't let me sleep peacefully, so I always woke up to throbbing. At first it was all I could do to take the pain potions. I didn't leave my room for four whole days, I didn't eat, I didn't move from my bed. The thought of food made me nauseous and I felt like I was going to die. But I had no such luck.

I was still covered in blood from Mack's "lesson". But for those four days I didn't have the will to get up. I wanted to curl up and go back to sleep forever. Although, sometimes my dreams were worse than reality—half the time I woke up screaming from a nightmare I couldn't remember. The only reprieve I had was that Mack seemed to be satisfied with his current work because he didn't bother me.

Finally, though, on the fifth day I managed to sit up without too much difficulty. My joints and muscles were sore not only from the beating, but the inactivity of the previous days and at first I couldn't support my weight on my feet. But slowly, I was able to make it to the bathroom, where I ran a hot bath. I soaked in the heat, letting it massage my sore body and wash away the dry, crusted blood. I dried myself off tenderly, careful to mind my injuries.

I looked at myself in the mirror and it was the worst I had ever looked in my life. My eye was still swollen, though I could see out of it again. There was a deep cut on my face, just above my eyebrow, and I had more than one shiner. My arms and chest and back all had lacerations crisscrossing over them with the purples, greens, and yellows of bruises overlaying them. There were bumps and dents and Merlin knows what else that I couldn't see. It was gruesome, the state I was in. I wrapped the towel gingerly around my body and turned away from the mirror.

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It was about a week and half later when I was starting to feel normal again. A lot of the lesser bruises had started to fade and the throbbing pain had dulled significantly. I could move around without wincing and my appetite had come back. I still looked right awful by any normal standards, but I was getting better. And it wasn't as if anyone was going to see me.

I was on my way back from getting the mail when I heard someone calling my name. I had my foot on the first step of the porch as I turned to see who was coming. My heart sank; it was Sirius.

"Hey, Rian, wait up," he said, jogging up to the porch. I took a breath and turned around to face him.

"What do you want?" I asked. He stopped short when he caught sight of me, of my face. His brow furrowed and for a moment he just stared at me.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said, finally, closing the space between us.

"We have nothing to talk about," I said, coolly. This was the last thing I needed right now. Sirius seemed to have knack for showing up at the worst times.

"Look, I'll be upfront, okay?" he said, ignoring me. "I've been talking to the Prewett twins and Derek, that guy you worked with…they're worried about you."

"I'm fine," I said, firmly.

"You don't look fine," he replied, an icy edge to his voice. "At least, from where I'm standing, you don't."

"I'm failing to see why it's any of your business," I retorted, starting to turn away.

"Wait, wait," he said, grabbing my arm gently. I tried to ignore the feeling that zipped through my body at his touch. "I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Then get to your point," I said, pulling out of his grasp.

"I know what you're subjecting yourself to," he said softly. "You do know that, if you stay here, he's going to kill you, right?"

I looked at Sirius, taking in his unshaven face, rumpled clothes, and unkempt hair. He looked liked hell—though, admittedly, a thousand times better than I did, — and here he was, telling me to take care of myself. I knew he was right, something I would never tell him, but there was something about the way he had said it that made me stop. There was so much sorrow and pain in his voice and on his face that I almost told him everything, right there. But I caught myself, reminded of what he had done. Reminded of how I had pushed him away. Reminded of how this was my burden to bear.

"I'm fine, Sirius," I insisted and he shook his head, looking away from me for a second.

"You're not fine!" he said, desperation lacing his voice.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked, equally desperate.

He studied me for a second, before saying, "Trust me." And then he leaned in and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

I watched as he walked across the yard, headed back to the Potters. He passed Gary on the way, who glared at him. I sighed and went back inside. Gary was one of the last people I wanted to see right now. He had been around the house quite a bit this summer, along with Mack's other friends. They were loud, crude, and obnoxious. I hated the whole lot of them.

I spent the rest of the day in my room, staring at the ceiling. I knew that if things kept going the way they were that something bad was going to happen. Or rather, something worse than what had already happened. Sirius had spoken the truth: one day Mack was going to go too far and then I would end up dead. And, even knowing that, I still didn't have the guts to leave home, to get out. I could leave, legally, in a couple of weeks, when I became of age. I could try to find a new place, a place where I would be safe. But it wasn't the leaving that scared me, it was that I believed that Mack would find me, no matter where I went. So what was the point of leaving when I would never fully escape my brother? When I would always have to look over my shoulder?

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Later that night I could hear Mack and his friends settling in for another rowdy night of drinking and cursing. I listened to them from the top of the stairs for a few a minutes before going back to my room. I locked my door, as had become my habit as of late, and turned out the lights. I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

A few hours later the sounds of not-so-hushed voices woke me up. I rolled over to find a group of guys standing there, staring back at me. I bolted up and away from them, realizing that it was Mack and his friends. And they were wasted.

"Lookin' mighty good there, Rian," Gary slurred, coming towards me.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"We've been talking about the company you've been keeping lately," Mack said. He seemed to be the least smashed out of all of them—lucky me. "And we figured it's about time that you learned your place."

"Get out of here," I said, my voice stronger than I felt.

"Aw, are we not good enough for you?" Gary asked, leering at me. "But that other boy, he's good enough to touch you?"

The sickening realization that Gary must have seen Sirius and me that afternoon washed over me. And he had told Mack. And now they were drunk and wanted to teach me a lesson. And I knew I had to get away.

The only thing I had on my side was that all the guys were past drunk. I moved, too fast for Gary to react. I dodged around him and slipped between the others. I heard them curse and shout, but I didn't turn to see how close they were. I flew down the stairs and out the front door. I could apparate, but there was the problem that I was still underage and in the presence of muggles. I kept running. I was down the front steps and halfway across the yard. I could see the Potters house in the distance, a quarter of a mile away. If I could just make it—

"Gotcha!"

Something hard and heavy hit and tackled me to the ground. I struggled, trying to break free, but the person flipped me onto my back and straddled me, pinning me to the ground. It was Gary. I could hear Mack and the others in the back, egging him on, and he grinned maliciously at me, riding the energy of the guys behind him.

"Help!" I screamed, hoping someone would be passing by. "Help!"

"Scream all you want, sweetheart," Gary laugh. "There isn't anyone within shouting distance."

He started grabbing at my clothes. They ripped and tore because I was still struggling against him. And I kept screaming, as loud as I could. The uneven ground kept digging into my back as I twisted every which way. The adrenaline coursing through my body dulled the pain so that I didn't even notice it. But I wasn't strong enough to get away from him. Soon Gary had stripped me half naked, down to my bra and knickers. He ran his hands over my body, sending chills down spine. I was struggling and screaming, still trying helplessly to get away.

"Don't worry, love," he said, leaning close to my ear. "It won't hurt too bad." He licked my cheek and straightened up.

I watched in terror as he started undoing his pants. This was really happening. Gary was going to rape me. And then Mack's other friends would get their turns. I had no doubt about that. Gary now had his pants pulled down and I could see everything. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for what was coming.

And then, miraculously, I felt something bowl him off of me. I heard a thump as Gary and whoever had tackled him landed on the ground a few feet away from me. I opened my eyes and saw Sirius on top of Gary, beating the living shite out of him. Two more figures rushed past and then I could see the Prewetts trying to fight off Mack and the others.

I felt a pair of hands slip under my bare arms and pull me up, gently. Setting me on feet and making sure I was steady. And then James was running past me to help the Prewetts. I stood there, shivering uncontrollably, watching the scene in front of me. Sirius was now standing up, Gary an unconscious heap at him feet, and was turning to the guys in front of him. All of the boys had their wands drawn and at the ready, but only Mack seemed to understand the danger. He was trying to stop the others from advancing again.

"That's right, stay there," James said. "This doesn't have to get ugly, Mack."

"You're right," my brother agreed. "So why don't you just leave?"

"Oh, don't you worry," Fabian said, a deathly edge to his voice that I had never heard before. "We're going to leave and we're taking Rian with us."

I glanced at Sirius, who had shifted slightly in the direction of my brother. James noticed this, too, and moved closer to him, to hold him back. I had never seen Sirius so angry. He was looking at Mack as thought the only thing he wanted was to see him die a slow, painful death.

"Rian is none of your concern," Mack told them. "I have custody of her until she's of age. So she stays. And you go."

"Do you really think we're going to let her stay here?" Sirius asked incredulously. "I know what you've done."

"Rian, go inside. Now," Mack ordered, ignoring Sirius.

"She's not staying," Gideon said firmly, before I could respond. "Where are your things?" he added to me, turning slightly.

"Up-upstairs, second d-d-door on the left," I stuttered and he and Fabian pushed through the group of boys and up to the house. It was quiet for a second.

"Mack, we can take these guys," Collin, a thickly built guy, said. "What are they going to do? Poke us?"

"Nobody moves until I say so," Mack snapped, eyeing James and Sirius angrily. "What do you want with her anyway?"

"That's none of your damn business," James said, fiercely. Fabian and Gideon came out the house, lugging my trunk and a backpack between them.

"Listen up, you bloody sonofabitch," Sirius growled, taking a step towards my brother. Mack actually took a step back. "This is a warning I'm only going to give once: come near Rian again, threaten her in any way, and we will make sure you wish that you'd never been born."

Fabian and Gideon walked past us and continued on to the Potters. I stood there, helpless and exposed, watching all of this and not daring to believe it. James and Sirius were now backing off, towards me, wands still at the ready.

"If you try anything," Sirius warned Mack, as he reached me, "I won't hesitate to kill you."

He turned to me and I saw the raw rage in his eyes. His expression softened a little when he looked at me. He wrapped an arm around my thin, injured shoulders, steering me away from my brother and the life I had known for the past six years. I heard James following behind us. I couldn't believe it was over. I couldn't believe that I was leaving. But mostly, I couldn't believe how relieved I felt.

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Sirius to the rescue!! (and James and Fabian and Gideon...) anyways, click the button that says review and tell me what you think! :)