Less and More
Chapter Seven: Less and More
Fear less, hope more,
Eat less, chew more,
Whine less, breathe more,
Talk less, say more,
Hate less, love more,
And all good things will be yours.
-Swedish proverb

"They hit you? You were put with families who hit you?" Sirius asked, shocked.

Emily sighed and tried to smile, but it was obvious it was forced. "Among other things."

Sirius's whole body was taut and his lips were pressed together so tightly they were white. When he spoke, it was obvious he was forcing himself to stay sitting, "What other things?"

"Dad," Emily began softly, "I really don't think you want to know. It was a long time ago; you can't do anything about it now. The only thing me telling you will accomplish is making you angry and or upset."

"Emily, tell me what happened."

And so she did. It wasn't easy, but she got it all out, along with a lot of pain and tears. But she got it out.

When she finished, her story was followed by silence. Sirius had tears running down his cheeks, as did several others in the room. Silently he took his daughter into his arms and held her tightly against him, as if hoping to take away all her pain with that embrace. He didn't know that something as simple as that really did help his daughter.

When she pulled away a moment later, she had a slight smile on her face. "I've told you all what has happened, and let none of us speak of it from this day on. Deal?"

The others all nodded, all too happy to agree. They too, had no desire to bring it up again. Besides, there was still much to be done before the first of September.

To Be Continued

Author's Note: Okay, sorry it took so long for this little POS, but I've been working on TCH. I hope to have Ch 8 of DS up later tonight, but no promises. Your reviews are what will keep this story going, so please review.