Early Morning Visit
A/N: This is the first of a series of one-shots leading up to 'Tabby and Prongs, Jr.' Rated PG-13 for references to domestic violence. Feel free to pummel her husband when you're done reading. ;)
A pounding on the door to his quarters woke Albus Dumbledore very early one morning. As he pulled on his purple and gold dressing gown and stuffed his feet into his slippers, he wondered who his visitor could be. Tying his dressing gown closed, he entered his sitting room as his visitor began pounding on the door again. "Come in!" he called and the door opened. He stared as a young woman entered with two small children in tow: a girl who clung to the sleeve of the woman's robe and a boy who looked up at Albus with stubborn and defiant gray eyes. The woman's right arm was cradled to her chest by her left, obviously broken. A bruise was blossoming on her right cheekbone and the same eye was swollen shut. "Minerva, what's happened to you?"
"We need to put Daniel and Erica to bed," she told him firmly, her voice rough, as if she'd been crying. "Do you have a place for them to sleep?"
"Of course." He smiled at the two children, forcing his worry for their mother to the back of his mind for the time being. "Come, children."
The girl promptly took his hand, looking up at him with trusting eyes that reminded him of her mother. The boy, however, looked up at Minerva questioningly. She nodded. "I'll be fine, Daniel, don't worry."
Reluctantly, the little boy nodded and walked over to where his sister and Albus waited. He was limping. "Daniel, what happened to your leg?"
"I hurted it," he answered solemnly, not protesting when Albus picked him up.
"Let's get you and your sister cleaned up," Albus suggested, having noticed that all three of his visitors were soaked and shivering, though he suspected it wasn't because of the cold. "And then I'll see what I can do for your leg."
The boy nodded and rested his head on Albus' shoulder. Unmindful of the damp seeping into his dressing gown and nightshirt, Albus took the two children into the bathroom. In no time at all, it seemed, both had been bathed and dressed in warm, dry pajamas. Albus knelt in front of Daniel, who sat on the edge of the bed, examining the boy's left leg. Eric was already curled up in the large bed, watching them with half-asleep eyes. "Does that hurt?"
He shook his head, biting his lower lip. "No." Albus merely looked at the boy over the tops of his half-moon spectacles. Daniel held the bright blue gaze for a moment before looking down at his lap. "Yes."
"I need you to be truthful with me, Daniel," Albus told the boy quietly. The messy black head bobbed in acknowledgement. Albus waved his wand and a glass vial of smokey gray liquid floated in from the bathroom. Albus poured some of the liquid onto a clean cloth and wrapped it around the boy's swollen ankle. "That should do it."
"Thank you, Uncle Albus," Daniel mumbled as Albus pulled the leg of the pajamas down over the bandage.
"You're welcome, Daniel," Albus replied, helping him crawl under the covers. "Sweet dreams."
The twins gravitated to each other, with the boy gathering the girl to him protectively. Albus sighed and caressed each head before leaving the room. Upon entering the sitting room, he found Minerva sitting on the couch, in front of the fire. She looked up as he approached, the firelight revealing that the damage done to her face had been healed. A closer look revealed that her arm had been healed as well, though she was still rather damp. "Are they asleep now?"
He nodded and sat down beside her. Despite the warmth of the blazing fire, she was drawn in on herself and shivering. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and cast a drying charm on her hair and robes. "Feel better?" She nodded, her lower lip trembling. He tucked his wand back into his pocket and touched her shoulder. "Minerva?"
She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, her own slender shoulders shaking. He held her as she cried, stroking her back and murmuring quiet words of comfort in her ear. How long they sat there, neither knew. When she finally pulled away, sniffling a little, the fire burned low. "Thank you, Albus."
"You're welcome, Minerva," he answered quietly, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. She took and blew her nose. "Are you ready to talk now?"
She took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. "I'm ready, Albus."
He turned to face her more fully. "Very well, I'm listening."
She nodded and twisted his handkerchief between her slender hands. "This isn't going to be easy to tell."
"Perhaps it would easier if I helped you," he suggested, his heart aching to see the young woman like this.
"Perhaps," she agreed with a nod.
"Very well." He thought for a moment. "First of all, where's your husband?"
She flinched, hunching her shoulders. "Sam is at our house, unconscious."
He raised an auburn eyebrow at the news. "I see. Why is he there and not here?"
She indicated her face and arm, reminding him of the recently-healed injuries. "He's the one who hurt me, Albus. He also hurt Daniel."
"Why, Minerva?" he asked quietly, gazing at her over the tops his spectacles.
She stared stonily into the fire. "He was abusing me, Albus." He drew in a startled breath, but she forged ahead. "His parents' deaths hit him hard and he started drinking. It didn't take him long to start abusing me on a regular basis." His long-fingered hand clenched into a fist on his knee. She sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, much as she used to when she was younger. "It wasn't too bad. I learned lots of healing spells, but Bella found out anyway. I made her promise not to tell anyone, though, not even you."
"Why?" he asked softly, slowly unclenching his fist. "Why didn't you want me to know, Minerva?"
She rested her chin on her knees, still gazing into the fire. "I'm not real sure, Albus. I guess because I didn't you to be ashamed of me."
"I could never be ashamed of you, Minerva," he told her quietly.
"_I_ was ashamed of myself," she whispered, reminding him of a small, lost child. "We both know I'm more powerful than Samuel Potter, yet I let him beat me up pretty much every night."
"So why was tonight different?" Albus asked gently, already suspecting the answer.
Her face hardened, making her suddenly appear much older. "He hit Daniel."
"Why would he hit Daniel?"
"Because Daniel was trying to protect me from Sam." Minerva's voice was anguished. "He's only four years old he was trying to protect me." Tears slid silently down her cheeks, glimmering in the firelight. "Seeing him hit his own son, his own flesh and blood, something in me snapped. I only stayed as long as I have for the children. I was willing to take the hits, but I _refuse_ to let my children take them."
"So, what _did_ you do?" Albus prompted when she fell silent.
"I Stunned him," was the quiet response. "I Stunned him, packed up the twins, made sure Same wouldn't go anywhere, and came here." She released a deep, shuddering breath. "I couldn't think of anywhere else to go."
He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm gald you came to me, my dear."
She looked at him with unshed tears shining in her dark blue eyes for a long moment before throwing herself into his arms and crying into his shoulder once more. Once again, he held her as she cried, stroking her back soothingly. She cried herself to sleep in his arms and he carried her into the guest bedroom. He carefully tucked her in with Daniel and Erica. The twins cuddled close to her on either side.
Albus watched the three sleep for a long moment before sighing and going into the sitting room. Crossing to the fireplace, he picked up one of the many pictures on the mantelpiece. A young woman with long raven-dark hair and a young man with messy brown hair, both dressed in wedding finery, stood on opposite sides of the picture, their backs to each other. The young man looked angry while the young woman looked sad, but determined. Albus sighed sadly. "Sam, what have you done?"
Setting the picture back on the mantelpiece, Albus reached for a small mirror tucked away in the corner. "Alastor Moody."
The wizard's image waver for a moment, to be replaced by a handsome face already becoming seamed with scars. "You better have a good reason for this, Albus."
"It is, Alastor," Albus assured him. "I have a favor to ask of you on Minerva's behalf."
Alastor's dark gaze sharpened. "I'm listenin'."
"Go to the Potters' house," Albus instructed the younger man. "When you arrive, you'll find Samuel Potter unconscious. Take him into custody."
"Pardon me for asking," Alastor commented, eyes wide with disbelief, "but why?"
Albus took a deep breath. "For the repeated physical abuse of Minerva Potter."
Alastor stared at the older wizard for a long moment before nodding. "Right."
His image disappeared, to be replaced by Albus' once more. He gazed at his image for a moment before returning to the mirror to its spot on the mantelpiece. Sitting heavily on the couch, he buried his face in his hands and wept.
A/N: This is the first of a series of one-shots leading up to 'Tabby and Prongs, Jr.' Rated PG-13 for references to domestic violence. Feel free to pummel her husband when you're done reading. ;)
A pounding on the door to his quarters woke Albus Dumbledore very early one morning. As he pulled on his purple and gold dressing gown and stuffed his feet into his slippers, he wondered who his visitor could be. Tying his dressing gown closed, he entered his sitting room as his visitor began pounding on the door again. "Come in!" he called and the door opened. He stared as a young woman entered with two small children in tow: a girl who clung to the sleeve of the woman's robe and a boy who looked up at Albus with stubborn and defiant gray eyes. The woman's right arm was cradled to her chest by her left, obviously broken. A bruise was blossoming on her right cheekbone and the same eye was swollen shut. "Minerva, what's happened to you?"
"We need to put Daniel and Erica to bed," she told him firmly, her voice rough, as if she'd been crying. "Do you have a place for them to sleep?"
"Of course." He smiled at the two children, forcing his worry for their mother to the back of his mind for the time being. "Come, children."
The girl promptly took his hand, looking up at him with trusting eyes that reminded him of her mother. The boy, however, looked up at Minerva questioningly. She nodded. "I'll be fine, Daniel, don't worry."
Reluctantly, the little boy nodded and walked over to where his sister and Albus waited. He was limping. "Daniel, what happened to your leg?"
"I hurted it," he answered solemnly, not protesting when Albus picked him up.
"Let's get you and your sister cleaned up," Albus suggested, having noticed that all three of his visitors were soaked and shivering, though he suspected it wasn't because of the cold. "And then I'll see what I can do for your leg."
The boy nodded and rested his head on Albus' shoulder. Unmindful of the damp seeping into his dressing gown and nightshirt, Albus took the two children into the bathroom. In no time at all, it seemed, both had been bathed and dressed in warm, dry pajamas. Albus knelt in front of Daniel, who sat on the edge of the bed, examining the boy's left leg. Eric was already curled up in the large bed, watching them with half-asleep eyes. "Does that hurt?"
He shook his head, biting his lower lip. "No." Albus merely looked at the boy over the tops of his half-moon spectacles. Daniel held the bright blue gaze for a moment before looking down at his lap. "Yes."
"I need you to be truthful with me, Daniel," Albus told the boy quietly. The messy black head bobbed in acknowledgement. Albus waved his wand and a glass vial of smokey gray liquid floated in from the bathroom. Albus poured some of the liquid onto a clean cloth and wrapped it around the boy's swollen ankle. "That should do it."
"Thank you, Uncle Albus," Daniel mumbled as Albus pulled the leg of the pajamas down over the bandage.
"You're welcome, Daniel," Albus replied, helping him crawl under the covers. "Sweet dreams."
The twins gravitated to each other, with the boy gathering the girl to him protectively. Albus sighed and caressed each head before leaving the room. Upon entering the sitting room, he found Minerva sitting on the couch, in front of the fire. She looked up as he approached, the firelight revealing that the damage done to her face had been healed. A closer look revealed that her arm had been healed as well, though she was still rather damp. "Are they asleep now?"
He nodded and sat down beside her. Despite the warmth of the blazing fire, she was drawn in on herself and shivering. He pulled his wand out of his pocket and cast a drying charm on her hair and robes. "Feel better?" She nodded, her lower lip trembling. He tucked his wand back into his pocket and touched her shoulder. "Minerva?"
She turned and buried her face in his shoulder, her own slender shoulders shaking. He held her as she cried, stroking her back and murmuring quiet words of comfort in her ear. How long they sat there, neither knew. When she finally pulled away, sniffling a little, the fire burned low. "Thank you, Albus."
"You're welcome, Minerva," he answered quietly, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. She took and blew her nose. "Are you ready to talk now?"
She took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. "I'm ready, Albus."
He turned to face her more fully. "Very well, I'm listening."
She nodded and twisted his handkerchief between her slender hands. "This isn't going to be easy to tell."
"Perhaps it would easier if I helped you," he suggested, his heart aching to see the young woman like this.
"Perhaps," she agreed with a nod.
"Very well." He thought for a moment. "First of all, where's your husband?"
She flinched, hunching her shoulders. "Sam is at our house, unconscious."
He raised an auburn eyebrow at the news. "I see. Why is he there and not here?"
She indicated her face and arm, reminding him of the recently-healed injuries. "He's the one who hurt me, Albus. He also hurt Daniel."
"Why, Minerva?" he asked quietly, gazing at her over the tops his spectacles.
She stared stonily into the fire. "He was abusing me, Albus." He drew in a startled breath, but she forged ahead. "His parents' deaths hit him hard and he started drinking. It didn't take him long to start abusing me on a regular basis." His long-fingered hand clenched into a fist on his knee. She sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, much as she used to when she was younger. "It wasn't too bad. I learned lots of healing spells, but Bella found out anyway. I made her promise not to tell anyone, though, not even you."
"Why?" he asked softly, slowly unclenching his fist. "Why didn't you want me to know, Minerva?"
She rested her chin on her knees, still gazing into the fire. "I'm not real sure, Albus. I guess because I didn't you to be ashamed of me."
"I could never be ashamed of you, Minerva," he told her quietly.
"_I_ was ashamed of myself," she whispered, reminding him of a small, lost child. "We both know I'm more powerful than Samuel Potter, yet I let him beat me up pretty much every night."
"So why was tonight different?" Albus asked gently, already suspecting the answer.
Her face hardened, making her suddenly appear much older. "He hit Daniel."
"Why would he hit Daniel?"
"Because Daniel was trying to protect me from Sam." Minerva's voice was anguished. "He's only four years old he was trying to protect me." Tears slid silently down her cheeks, glimmering in the firelight. "Seeing him hit his own son, his own flesh and blood, something in me snapped. I only stayed as long as I have for the children. I was willing to take the hits, but I _refuse_ to let my children take them."
"So, what _did_ you do?" Albus prompted when she fell silent.
"I Stunned him," was the quiet response. "I Stunned him, packed up the twins, made sure Same wouldn't go anywhere, and came here." She released a deep, shuddering breath. "I couldn't think of anywhere else to go."
He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm gald you came to me, my dear."
She looked at him with unshed tears shining in her dark blue eyes for a long moment before throwing herself into his arms and crying into his shoulder once more. Once again, he held her as she cried, stroking her back soothingly. She cried herself to sleep in his arms and he carried her into the guest bedroom. He carefully tucked her in with Daniel and Erica. The twins cuddled close to her on either side.
Albus watched the three sleep for a long moment before sighing and going into the sitting room. Crossing to the fireplace, he picked up one of the many pictures on the mantelpiece. A young woman with long raven-dark hair and a young man with messy brown hair, both dressed in wedding finery, stood on opposite sides of the picture, their backs to each other. The young man looked angry while the young woman looked sad, but determined. Albus sighed sadly. "Sam, what have you done?"
Setting the picture back on the mantelpiece, Albus reached for a small mirror tucked away in the corner. "Alastor Moody."
The wizard's image waver for a moment, to be replaced by a handsome face already becoming seamed with scars. "You better have a good reason for this, Albus."
"It is, Alastor," Albus assured him. "I have a favor to ask of you on Minerva's behalf."
Alastor's dark gaze sharpened. "I'm listenin'."
"Go to the Potters' house," Albus instructed the younger man. "When you arrive, you'll find Samuel Potter unconscious. Take him into custody."
"Pardon me for asking," Alastor commented, eyes wide with disbelief, "but why?"
Albus took a deep breath. "For the repeated physical abuse of Minerva Potter."
Alastor stared at the older wizard for a long moment before nodding. "Right."
His image disappeared, to be replaced by Albus' once more. He gazed at his image for a moment before returning to the mirror to its spot on the mantelpiece. Sitting heavily on the couch, he buried his face in his hands and wept.