-Chapter 4-
Did you ever get that feeling something bad was going to happen right before it did? That feeling where your stomach is in knots and doing flip flops, as though it knew what was coming.
Brooke felt like she was getting that feeling a lot lately. She got it before she grabbed the Triwizard cup with Cedric, she got it when she got off from the train ride home from school, heck she even got it right before Uncle Vernon would give her a smack, and now she felt it walking into the old dark house of #12 Grimwauld Place.
Ron had left just moments before saying he would see her tonight at yet another Order meeting. Brooke felt somewhat unsettled that they were having so many, however tried to brush it off.
The feeling came to her once she leaned against the counter after taking a sip of water, the house was quiet and still.
"Sirius? Remus?" she called loudly through the empty kitchen.
"In here Brooke!" Sirius yelled from the dining area.
Grabbing her water she walked the short distance into the room and peered at the two.
"Did you have a good time with Ron?" Remus asked smiling at her.
"Yeah he was just mad, he is much better no-are you drinking?" she blurted at Sirius' drink cup.
Sirius looked down confused at his glass, "Yes...I would offer you one but you are still underaged-"
"I wouldn't take it even if you offered, only drunks drink during the day!" she declared in disgust.
"What-"
Brooke's body seemed to move on its own grabbing her wand out of her back pocket and banishing the bottle away before sweeping her hand across the table, causing the glass to smash against the wall.
Heavy breathing coming from Brooke was the only sound in the room for a full minute as both Sirius and Remus stared in shock at her.
"Why did you do that?" Sirius asked calmly
Brooke's face was flushed and her eyes were wide as though she couldn't believe what had just happened, "Oh my Merlin...I-I didn't mean to- I- I don't know what came over me..."
"Brooke-" Remus said carefully.
"I have to go." she whispered before bolting up the stairs.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other.
"What was that?" Sirius asked quietly.
"I think that answered more of our questions than anything..." Remus sighed, "We have to go speak with her."
Sirius nodded in agreement as the two stood and made their way upstairs.
Meanwhile Brooke was having a panic attack up stairs. Why had she done that? She all but yelled at herself, she knew those two would be up at any second qustioning her behavior. What was she suppose to say, 'Oh sorry Sirius you reminded me of my Uncle who loves to hit me when he is drunk.'
"Brooke." Sirius' voice came from the other side of her closed door.
"Sweetie, we just want to talk to you." Remus voice said too.
Brooke froze, "I'm busy!" she yelled out the first thing that came to her mind.
"Now Brooke." Sirius said, opening the door slightly and poking his head around the door.
Brooke shook her head and placed a fake smile on her face, "Or come in..."
Remus entered behind him, pulling out a chair from her desk, "Sweetie we wanted to talk about-"
"Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit that glass, I just don't like drinking is all." she stuttered
Sirius gave her a knowing look as he sat on the edge of her bed, "Now Brooke we know that's not true."
"It's just nobody drinks during the day unless they are a drunk or something, and you're better than that Sirius!"
"Thank you for your concern Brooke, but I am not an alcoholic, however I won't drink during the day if it will make you feel better," Sirius said, running a hand through her hair, "Now would you please tell us why you really did that?"
Brooke looked up her eyes looking terrified at Sirius' request, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Sirius looked to Remus for help.
"Brooke sweetheart last night, Sirius came to check on you and noticed something on your back..." Remus explained, watching her every move carefully.
The small shiver that went through her body confirmed that she knew what he was talking about.
"Oh yeah?" she muttered, "What might that be?"
"Bruises Brooke, I saw bruises all up and down your back." Sirius growled.
Remus shot him a warning look. "What are they from sweetheart?"
Brooke laughed a forced laugh that even she had to admit sounded obvious to her own ears, "I don't know, remember that tournament I was in when Voldemort rose?"
Sirius growled standing up, "Don't lie to me Brooke Potter those are new bruises and cuts as though they happened last week, you have been out of school for almost 2 months now!"
Brooke flinched back, lowering her head to stare at her feet. "What are you trying to say?" she asked quietly.
"Brooke..." Remus said, "Has...has anybody ever... Hi-hi-."
"Has anyone ever hit me?" she grounded out, her quiet voice turning into a bitter one, "Are you asking if anybody has ever hit me?"
Sirius swallowed loudly while Remus looked slightly alarmed.
"Yes sweetie, that is what I am asking."
Brooke lowered her head, her black hair covering her face from view.
The silence seemed to stretch across the room like a rubber band, everyone waiting for something to be said.
"Brooke" Remus said, gently.
"Did your Uncle hit you Brooke?" Sirius finally asked, holding his breath in anticipation.
Brooke continued to keep her head lowered, refusing to speak.
"Brooke if you just tell us we can do something, but until you explain it to us we can't help you." Remus explained, reaching out to grab her hand which she refused to touch.
Sirius sighed, taking a seat closer to her, "Sweetheart if he did you need to tell us." he whispered, continuing at Remus nod of encouragement, "I promise we won't let anything happen to you..."
The silence stretched in, both wanting to give her a minute to think.
"Brooke-" Remus said quietly again, leaning forward in his seat, "Has your Uncle ever hit you before?"
Letting out a deep breath Brooke's head nodded from her spot on the bed.
Both men in the room stilled.
"Yes," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.
Sirius moved to hold her before she flinched away.
"Don't touch me!" she growled, finally looking up, her eyes filled with unushered tears.
The two men jumped at the clear venom in her voice.
"Don't stand there and act all innocent, regardless of how you found out Dumbledore has always known and never did anything!"
"What do you mean?" Sirius growled.
"My acceptance letter to Hogwarts was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs!" she yelled, "Who the fuck wouldn't find that odd?"
"Brooke," Remus practically moaned, "Those are magically written, nobody wrote that out sweetie!"
Brooke's face flushed again.
"Cupboard under the stairs?" Sirius finally yelled out.
Remus glared, "Can you tell us sweetheart what has happened..."
"What's going to happen to them if I tell you?" she asked, her eyes still cast to the floor.
"What do you mean what happens to those arseholes-"
"Nothing that you don't want to Brooke" Remus interrupted with yet another glare towards Sirius, "We can tell you this much, you will not be going back there again."
Brooke looked up, her eyes still red, "Promise?" she croaked.
Remus nodded, along with Sirius, "We promise."
Letting it all sink in slowly, she took a deep breath and started from the beginning.
When Brooke was little she use to dream of the day someone would come and rescue her, whether her parents come back from the dead, or a teacher came to her rescue, anyone really. She would wait day in and day out, but it never came, and soon enough she realized that no one was ever going too.
Her Aunt and Uncle constantly called her a freak and soon enough she grew to ignore it. They always reminded her of all they did for her, they put a roof over her head, they fed her (sometimes), they gave her Dudley's old clothes, and they drove and picked her up from Kings Cross. To them she was something they could bargain with, they could make her hurt if they wanted, make her do chores around the house, even be used as a waitress at one of their parties.
When she finally managed to get away and go to Hogwarts, life changed and it all didn't seem so bad anymore. The hits came less, the cupboard under the stairs turned into Dudley's spare bedroom, the food shortages became less and less. Brooke found knowing she would be escaping the the Weasley's or going back to school could really get her through anything.
Ron and Hermione would hint around the subject many times but Brooke would always shut the subject down. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would always ask, but Brooke never gave them a chance to speak with her alone. Teachers when she was in elementary school would write notes home, one even visited, but with one snotty story about how crazy Brooke was the teacher never did anything about it. So Brooke stopped trying to tell people about the abuse. Sure she trusted Remus, Sirius, and the Weasley's but she didn't need them worrying about her more than they already did, so she kept her mouth shut.
Retelling her story was uncomfortable to say the least, Sirius got up many times cursing and yelling, while Remus sat to the side and nodded in understanding while glaring at Sirius' reaction. They held her, let her cry, tried getting her to laugh, really anything they could after the horror they heard.
"How about some ice cream?" Remus finally said after 3 hours of Brooke spilling her guts.
Sirius jumped up, grinning from ear to ear, "What do you say squirt?"
Brooke smiled, her first real one since Ron left, "That actually sounds quite good."
Grinning Sirius held the door open for the two, "After you."
The three laughed loudly, a peaceful feeling around them. Sure Remus and Sirius insides were boiling with anger, but they had to push that aside, because Brooke's needs came first, and they wanted to help her move on from the past.
Brooke had just rounded the corner into the kitchen before stopping in her tracks at who she saw, causing both Remus and Sirius to slam into her and send her into the table.
"Merlin you big oafs!" a snarky voice said, causing the two men to stop fussing over yet another bruise that Brooke would have and turn around.
"Ahh Severus."
"Snivellus."
Brooke watched in amusement from behind Remus and Sirius as Snape glared at the three.
"Doesn't this bring me back to Hogwarts days." he sneered, "Only this time it is the spawn of Potter and not Potter himself."
Sirius glared as Remus cleared his throat.
"What brings you here Severus?"
Snape watched the three carefully, "Certainly not this canine with his fleas."
Brooke rolled her eyes, feeling slightly protective of her godfather, "What do you want anyways Snape, in case you didn't know schools not in session for another 2 weeks, and we don't need someone putting a damper on our remaining happiness."
"Watch your tounge you insolent brat." he sneered, causing Sirius to growl protectively.
Remus sighed, shaking his head, "Why might you be here Severus?"
"I am here only at Professor Dumbledore's request."
"Request?" Brooke asked, not being able to hide her curiosity.
"You are to learn Occlumency."
Brooke wrinkled her nose, "What is that?"
Snape sighed as though he had his work cut out for him. "You'll see, come on Potter into the library to learn."
Sirius grabbed Brooke's arm as she made to follow, "Wait one minute Snape, who says I am going to let you take MY goddaughter to teach her Occlumency, for all we know you will use it to torment her!"
Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Sirius." he said warningly before turning to Severus, "We were under the impression that it was Professor Dumbledore who was to teach Brooke."
Snape glared at the three, "Trust me Lupin I did not come willingly."
Sirius snorted.
Brooke leaned against the table watching the three curiously, "Is anyone going to explain this all to me?"
Remus turned a comforting smile her way, "Professor Snape is going to be teaching you Occlumency."
Running a hand through her hair she fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Yes I gathered that much, but what is it?"
Sirius stifled a laugh.
"It's a skill that protects your mind, a magical defense of the mind against external penetration." Snape growled stalking closer to her, "The Dark Lord has been accessing your mind through your dreams."
A silence filled the air.
"That's why I've been having them?"
"Clearly, we don't need you giving away valuable information to the Dark Lord."
Brooke sighed as Sirius started in on Snape and their typical argument. So Voldemort was trying to get to her, that was a comforting though. She couldn't say she was surprised, the dreams were obviously something, she just hadn't know what. Actually it was quite nice to focus on something else, maybe now things could go back to normal, at least for a little while.
"Are you even listening Potter?"
Brooke shook her head, fighting to keep a smile from her face, "Can't say I was."
Sighing loudly, Snape glared daggers at her, "We will start immediately, and continue once returning to school-"
Brooke nodded, starting to tune out his voice, so it was that serious that she would practice at school. Something was obviously happening that the adults weren't telling her about, and obviously she needed to find out.
She and her friends were in for a big year ahead of them. One thing she was sure of though as she looked at Sirius and Remus was that she had some important people here she could always count on. And that was something she vowed would never go away.