Disclaimer: The characters (except for Baby James) belong to JKR; the song,
"A Broken Wing" belongs to Martina McBride.
Chapter 3
A Broken Wing
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
She loved him like he was
The last man on Earth
Gave him everything she ever had
He'd break her spirit down
Then come lovin' up on her
Give a little then take it back
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
A year later...
Hermione carried her two-year-old son out of the house, got into her car, slammed the door shut and locked it. She wiped her tears off her cheeks and took a deep breath. Her cheek still stung from where his hand had struck her. She looked up, and saw Draco come out of the house fuming about the fight they just had. She put James in his car seat.
"HERMIONE!" Draco yelled. His fists were clenched, his face was red, and he had that look on his face. Hermione knew it too well. "Hermione, get out of the car. Oh, come on Hermione! Get out of the fucking car now!"
Hermione flinched to the last phrase, were Draco slammed down on car's roof. New tears stung her eyes. She fumbled in her purse looking for her keys. When she found them but dropped them to the floor of the car. Draco was really getting mad by now. He started to pull on the door handle, and James started to cry.
"Hermione, don't you leave. Get out of the car and let's talk about it. Hermione!" Draco said angrily.
"Fuck you, you bastard!" Hermione screamed. She started the engine and put it in reverse.
"Hermione, don't you dare think about leaving. You have no place to go! You have to come back sooner or later." Draco yelled again.
'Just watch me, Draco,' Hermione thought to herself. She backed out as fast as she could out of the drive way, put in into drive, and stepped on the gas pedal. She looked up in the rear-view mirror and she could see Draco running after her car. She sighed heavily and relaxed a little bit.
James was still crying in the back. Hermione looked in the rear-view mirror to make sure Draco wasn't behind her. And he wasn't. She pulled over on the side of the road, and turned around to face her song.
"James," Hermione said softly. She stroked her son's cheek gently. "Momma's sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you cry." Tears were still falling from Hermione's eyes again, but tried to keep her voice steady. A minute later, James was quietly sleeping, Hermione still stroking his cheek, trying to calm herself down. She knew Draco was right; she had nowhere to go. She started the car again, and turned it around.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
She'd tell him about her dreams
He'd just shoot 'em down
Lord he loved to make her cry
You're crazy for believin'
You'll ever leave the ground
He said Only angels know how to fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
James was still sleeping when she pulled up into the driveway. She got out, and carefully picked James up from his car seat. She slowly made her way towards the door; she noticed that Draco was waiting in the doorway. He had his arms folded across his chest, and a smile on his face. She smiled weakly back.
"Hi," he calmly greeted her.
"Hi," she said softly.
He took the sleeping James from her as she walked past him. She didn't protest, not wanting to have a fight again. She loved Draco like he was the last man on Earth, but never as much as she loved Harry or James. And Draco knew that. He knew that he was second best; he always was when it came to Harry Potter.
Hermione made her way to James' bedroom with Draco right behind her. She knew what was going to happen after they put James to bed. It was going to start all over again. He was going to shoot her down, put thoughts in her head, make her feel bad about what she did. But that wasn't the worst part.
Draco gently laid James down in his bed, and motioned to Hermione to step out of the room. She nodded, and wrapped her arms around her middle, walked out of the room, and waited for the worst to come.
Draco shut the door with a click, and that's when all hell broke loose.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione laid there in her bed, next to Draco. She softly sobbed, trying not to wake him up. It was the worse it had ever been. She never felt so terrible before. She would try to leave, but something made her go back. Maybe it was James. She didn't want him to grow up without a father in his life. He needed one. But she didn't want him to grow up beating his wife.
The fight that had happened earlier was worse than the one that happened before. He had called her the usual: bitch, slut, and whore. You name it he said it. She was use to the verbal part, but when the physical abuse came, she couldn't stand it.
The first hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt her cheek bruise even worse than the hit earlier that day. He had grabbed her hair and threw her down to the floor. She fell to floor with a thud, knocked out of breath. She felt him on her back, and his hands around her throat. She started to struggle for breath, and tried to get his hands off her neck. He let go, as she was about to pass out. He had picked her up again, and threw her on the bed. She knew she couldn't escape him. He was pissed, and she knew what he was going to do next.
Hermione shook her head. She knew she had to get out of the house, away from Draco. Her life depended on it; James' life depended on it. She silently got out of bed and tiptoed to James' bedroom.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
One Sunday morning
She didn't go to church
He wondered why she didn't leave
He went up to the bedroom
Found a note by the window
With the curtains blowin' in the breeze
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione really didn't know where she was planning on going. She packed all her stuff up in her car. James was still sleeping. She drove around for an hour, and ended up where she thought she never would end up. She knew he could help. He had helped Harry before, and maybe he would help her too. After all, he had helped her out at Hogwarts when she was a student.
With a sleepy James in her arms, she walked up to the door and knocked. It was four in morning, and Hermione was afraid he wouldn't answer the door. It wasn't a full moon tonight, so she knew she would be safe.
She was about to turn around, when the door opened, and a sleepy looking Remus was standing in front of her. He looked at her confused.
"Hermione? Is everything all right? Remus asked. She was still in the shadows and he couldn't make out her face. She took a step forward, and Remus eyes widen. Hermione had cuts and bruises all over her face, and the arms that were holding James were even worse. He took James from Hermione, and led her inside.
"Remus, I don't want to talk about it right now. I just need some sleep," Hermione said.
Remus nodded and told her she could sleep in the guest room, and that he would get a crib for James. Hermione didn't complain; she was too tired. She crawled into bed and fell asleep right away. Remus looked at her solemnly. He knew she was having troubles with Draco, but he couldn't believe that it was this bad. In the morning she will tell him what was going on. But before that could happen, he needed more sleep.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Chapter 3
A Broken Wing
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
She loved him like he was
The last man on Earth
Gave him everything she ever had
He'd break her spirit down
Then come lovin' up on her
Give a little then take it back
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
A year later...
Hermione carried her two-year-old son out of the house, got into her car, slammed the door shut and locked it. She wiped her tears off her cheeks and took a deep breath. Her cheek still stung from where his hand had struck her. She looked up, and saw Draco come out of the house fuming about the fight they just had. She put James in his car seat.
"HERMIONE!" Draco yelled. His fists were clenched, his face was red, and he had that look on his face. Hermione knew it too well. "Hermione, get out of the car. Oh, come on Hermione! Get out of the fucking car now!"
Hermione flinched to the last phrase, were Draco slammed down on car's roof. New tears stung her eyes. She fumbled in her purse looking for her keys. When she found them but dropped them to the floor of the car. Draco was really getting mad by now. He started to pull on the door handle, and James started to cry.
"Hermione, don't you leave. Get out of the car and let's talk about it. Hermione!" Draco said angrily.
"Fuck you, you bastard!" Hermione screamed. She started the engine and put it in reverse.
"Hermione, don't you dare think about leaving. You have no place to go! You have to come back sooner or later." Draco yelled again.
'Just watch me, Draco,' Hermione thought to herself. She backed out as fast as she could out of the drive way, put in into drive, and stepped on the gas pedal. She looked up in the rear-view mirror and she could see Draco running after her car. She sighed heavily and relaxed a little bit.
James was still crying in the back. Hermione looked in the rear-view mirror to make sure Draco wasn't behind her. And he wasn't. She pulled over on the side of the road, and turned around to face her song.
"James," Hermione said softly. She stroked her son's cheek gently. "Momma's sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you cry." Tears were still falling from Hermione's eyes again, but tried to keep her voice steady. A minute later, James was quietly sleeping, Hermione still stroking his cheek, trying to calm herself down. She knew Draco was right; she had nowhere to go. She started the car again, and turned it around.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
She'd tell him about her dreams
He'd just shoot 'em down
Lord he loved to make her cry
You're crazy for believin'
You'll ever leave the ground
He said Only angels know how to fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
James was still sleeping when she pulled up into the driveway. She got out, and carefully picked James up from his car seat. She slowly made her way towards the door; she noticed that Draco was waiting in the doorway. He had his arms folded across his chest, and a smile on his face. She smiled weakly back.
"Hi," he calmly greeted her.
"Hi," she said softly.
He took the sleeping James from her as she walked past him. She didn't protest, not wanting to have a fight again. She loved Draco like he was the last man on Earth, but never as much as she loved Harry or James. And Draco knew that. He knew that he was second best; he always was when it came to Harry Potter.
Hermione made her way to James' bedroom with Draco right behind her. She knew what was going to happen after they put James to bed. It was going to start all over again. He was going to shoot her down, put thoughts in her head, make her feel bad about what she did. But that wasn't the worst part.
Draco gently laid James down in his bed, and motioned to Hermione to step out of the room. She nodded, and wrapped her arms around her middle, walked out of the room, and waited for the worst to come.
Draco shut the door with a click, and that's when all hell broke loose.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione laid there in her bed, next to Draco. She softly sobbed, trying not to wake him up. It was the worse it had ever been. She never felt so terrible before. She would try to leave, but something made her go back. Maybe it was James. She didn't want him to grow up without a father in his life. He needed one. But she didn't want him to grow up beating his wife.
The fight that had happened earlier was worse than the one that happened before. He had called her the usual: bitch, slut, and whore. You name it he said it. She was use to the verbal part, but when the physical abuse came, she couldn't stand it.
The first hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt her cheek bruise even worse than the hit earlier that day. He had grabbed her hair and threw her down to the floor. She fell to floor with a thud, knocked out of breath. She felt him on her back, and his hands around her throat. She started to struggle for breath, and tried to get his hands off her neck. He let go, as she was about to pass out. He had picked her up again, and threw her on the bed. She knew she couldn't escape him. He was pissed, and she knew what he was going to do next.
Hermione shook her head. She knew she had to get out of the house, away from Draco. Her life depended on it; James' life depended on it. She silently got out of bed and tiptoed to James' bedroom.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
One Sunday morning
She didn't go to church
He wondered why she didn't leave
He went up to the bedroom
Found a note by the window
With the curtains blowin' in the breeze
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Hermione really didn't know where she was planning on going. She packed all her stuff up in her car. James was still sleeping. She drove around for an hour, and ended up where she thought she never would end up. She knew he could help. He had helped Harry before, and maybe he would help her too. After all, he had helped her out at Hogwarts when she was a student.
With a sleepy James in her arms, she walked up to the door and knocked. It was four in morning, and Hermione was afraid he wouldn't answer the door. It wasn't a full moon tonight, so she knew she would be safe.
She was about to turn around, when the door opened, and a sleepy looking Remus was standing in front of her. He looked at her confused.
"Hermione? Is everything all right? Remus asked. She was still in the shadows and he couldn't make out her face. She took a step forward, and Remus eyes widen. Hermione had cuts and bruises all over her face, and the arms that were holding James were even worse. He took James from Hermione, and led her inside.
"Remus, I don't want to talk about it right now. I just need some sleep," Hermione said.
Remus nodded and told her she could sleep in the guest room, and that he would get a crib for James. Hermione didn't complain; she was too tired. She crawled into bed and fell asleep right away. Remus looked at her solemnly. He knew she was having troubles with Draco, but he couldn't believe that it was this bad. In the morning she will tell him what was going on. But before that could happen, he needed more sleep.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
And with a broken wing
She still sings
She keeps an eye on the sky
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
With a broken wing
She carries her dreams
Man you ought to see her fly
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤