On the Outskirts of the Grounds

Finn had gotten a letter this morning. From Mr. Hoffman. Now this was an uncommon occurrence, because Mr. Hoffman was a Muggle, and he hated Finn.

That letter said that his friend Dean had been put into the hospital because he wouldn't tell him where Finn's things were. It asked where his things were once and for all because he wanted to throw them out, and it called him a few choice names. Finn was happy that Mr. Hoffman was a Muggle. If he'd had any idea about magic, he would have sent him a howler and the entire school would have heard him.

But that didn't make Finn any less pissed off. He'd grabbed a blanket from his room and a rock from the forest and transfigured it into a free-hanging punching bag. One that felt a bit less like a punching bag and a bit more like a human being. He also had a bit of a face morphed into the fabric, that of Mr. Hoffman's. He proceeded to beat the shit out of it in a secluded spot he was pretty sure no one would come near.

"Bloody fookin' wankah! Try t'fookin' frow me shit ou' while m'gone, eh? Fookin' beat me mate up again jes' coz 'es a good mate? Fookin' shitbollocks piece o' tripe!" He couldn't wait to get home, because that would be the summer he could use magic on Mr. Hoffman. He couldn't WAIT to petrify him and tye him up using only hexes and jinxes and make him see just what he did to his "kids" everyday.

Raphael had been walking around the outskirts of the grounds looking for herbs. His basket, now full of feathery heather and bright calendula, swung loosely from his arm as he silently walked back to the castle. His mind was at perfect ease and peace, until he heard the dull thumping sounds that he knew all too well...someone was punching someone else. Setting his basket down onto the grass he crept forward, to see what was happening.

It was Finn, with some poor kid suspended in the air above him. He was whaling on him, cussing him out and calling him 'wanka' whatever that meant. Raphael blended in with the shadows and sneaked forward, and then rose from the grass, one spell on his mind. Levicorpus. As Finn floated into the air by his foot, he acted verbally.

"Incarcerous!" he whispered, his wand pointed high and at Finn, "Silencio! Don't even try to counterhex!" he left Finn hanging and rushed over to the body that he had been beating the shit out of...only to realise it was just a punching bag. Turning back to fin, he canceled his spells and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry about that..."

Finn didn't hear anyone coming at all. He was getting out a few more good kidney punches when he suddenly started lifting into the air. "Wot th' FOOK is go--" He stopped himself and grabbed for his wand and yelled "STUPEFY!" at where he thought there could possibly be a person. "YEH BE'ER RUN, COZ I'LL FOOKIN' PUNCH YER NOSE INT' YER EYEBALL" he bellowed. No sooner had he said that, the ropes began to form around his body. He fell over and was about to yell whatever spells were running through his mind, but then whoever attacked him "Silencio'ed" him too. What the bloody fook is going on?! He thought to himself, seething.

And that's when he saw it was Raphael. Oh this stupid son of a bitch was going to get MORE than a few words from him. Finn glared at him with eyes that were practically glowing with anger.

As the spells were undone and he regained power of voice and movement again, Finn grabbed him by the collar, balled up his fist and coiled it back. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn' knock yer teef ou' righ' now, yeh bloody git."

Raphael just stood there, looking up at Finn, because the student towered over him, his eyes cool. "It looked like you were beating a student, of course I was going to stop you." He grimaced. "They're failing at any duel lessons they give here, I was clearly detectable." He looked down at the fist balled up in the collar of his green robes. "Are you going to put me down or will I have to get myself down?" he asked, slightly acidly but then softened because acid would get him nowhere.

Clearly, Finn had some issues he needed to work out, and Raphael was going to help him if he could. "You can punch me if you want, if it'll help. Just put me down to do it, Finn, this is highly uncomfortable."

"Wot bloody kid walks around in a bright red blanket?" He spat, not even trying to calm himself down. Finn furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't take dueling lessons. Don' need 'em 'fI can ge' close enough, I can' knock the wankah's block off. Le' th'Aurors deal wif 'im when 'e's awake again."

His anger was ebbing slightly with the change of conversation topic, but it nearly came back again as he heard that acid in Raphael's tone. "Don't fookin' talk t'me loike tha'." he said, letting go of Raphael with a bit of a tossing motion. "I won't sock yeh. Fer now. Wot th'fook're yeh doin' ou' 'ere?

Raphael straightened his robes and then turned around, crooking his finger. His herb basket flew languidly toward him and then settled back on his arm. "Lots of herbs around here, is all. I come out to the grounds and into the Forest to collect them for potions and medicines. It's calming, when I want to kill someone or shoot someone or drink so much tea I'll drown." He shrugged, and then sat down. "It looked like Gryff robes from far off, and there's even a face on it. Easy mistake. At least I didn't use anything offensive on you, like Cullenify or Incendio."

Finn watched the basket come back to Raphael and listened to his explanation. "Oh." Was all he could really say.

"Gryff robes ain't red." He said, staring at his own robes, picking them up and holding them out to the other man. "barely even go' red on 'em." When Raphael mentioned the face, Finn's wand flicked nervously to the fabric, flattening the area that had been made to look like a face. "Ain't no face."

He shrugged, "If yeh 'ad, I jes would'a knocked yer teef ou'."

Raphale laughed. "You could have tried to. I would have hexed you halfway across the grounds for your efforts." He pulled his thermos out of the basket and took a swig of tea. "My reaction time, I think, is slightly faster than yours. Never know till we tried though, hehe." He took another swallow and then twisted the lid back on. "So, who's face was on that and why do you desperately want to beat the shit out of them?"

"No' if I'd got'en me 'and on yeh first." He said. He was quite proud of how quickly he was able to move in a physical fight, but he really hadn't had any intense fights with magic before, not like what he imagined would happen if he decided to fight Raphael magically.

Finn stiffened for a moment, but realized how suspicious that would look, so he nonchalantly loosened himself up. "T'wern't no face. Jes' a 'andmade punchin' bag." He really didn't want to get into this with Raphael. But he had a feeling the other man wasn't going to give up that easily.

Raphael just smiled serenely and started to separate the calendula heads from the stems, and the roots from what was left. "Whatever you say, Finn. Whatever you say." He continued to do so in silence for a few minutes before speaking back up again. "You know, I know how it feels to want to kill someone. Or beat them shitfaced. Hell, I've even done it...but as a warning, it never makes you feel better. Oh sure, for a while it will but then the bloodlust's after effects will wear off, and you realise you just sunk to their level." He didn't look up from his flowers, and his voice didn't change from its calm, serene tone.

"Wot, yeh callin' me a liar?" He spat, glaring at the other man.

Finn usually didn't think about what he was going to say before he said it, but he realized that he needed to tread carefully with this next thought, because he didn't want Raphael to know anything. "Ain't never gon-ter sink THA' low. An' tha' feelin'd never wear off. Never." He would be happy for the rest of his life if he got to kill that son of a bitch Mr. Hoffman. Because he finally would have beaten him. He wasn't sinking to any levels, he was finally putting an end to his reign of terror. He was even being more philanthropic than usual by saving future generations of kids doomed to that home. He would die happy knowing that he had finally beat one of the two worst people in his life to death.

Raphael shrugged. "You can say that now, when you're a hot blooded teenager with hormones raging out of control. You can justify exactly why what you'd be doing is the best course of action. But years from now, when you do what you plan on doing, whatever it may be? You'll regret not finding a better way to get vengeance." Raphael smiled and stood up in one smooth motion, his basket again resting at the crook of his elbow. "I'd invite you to come and pick herbs with me, since it's so calming and proactive, but you don't seem to be that kind of person." He flicked his wand back at the punching bag and the face reappeared. "Can't fool me, my buck, with a simple little smoothing away. I'm a Healer...I'm trained to see what other people don't, or won't."

What Raphael said got Finn very angry. But he breathed. He couldn't risk blurting out everything all at once. Especially to someone he was still miles away from trusting. "Yeh fink tha' now. Yeh'll always fink tha'. Bu' I'd never regre' it fer one day. Th'only way t'make fings bet'r is t' fookin' take th' barstid off this planet."

Finn was clenching his hands into fists so hard his knuckles would have turned something other than white if they could have. "Pff. herbs're a load o' bollocks."

And then there was Mr. Hoffman's face plain as day in the creases of the fabrics. He was shocked that Raphael would be bold enough to do that, and incensed, he growled, "Oi! wot've yeh go' against fookin' keepin' private shite private?!" The only reason he didn't punch him right now was because he was technically staff, but he did grab him by the throat, "'Re yeh TRYIN' t'get me t'beat yeh sensless? Coz yer doin' a grea' job, yeh lousy piece o' tripe."

Raphael just smiled and muttered a word, and with a gunshot BANG! he was thrown back out of Finn's grip. "No, I'm just entirely too amused by and interested in your problems. I truly want to help, if you'd let me." He picked up his fallen basket and righted the herbs inside of it. "I'd be nice to herbs if I were you, and herb-people. I can make a powder that could turn yo into a wart on some fat person's backside." He clicked his finger and Halloween appeared, reaching out a hand for the basket.

"Halloween will make sure these get back to the school while we stay here and work on your problems. Come at me bro." Cracking his knuckles he stood there nonchalantly, the picture of ease and serenity. "So what's the bastard's name and who is he to you?"

Finn didn't expect Raphael to move that fast, especially without actually moving himself. And then he spoke.

"Amused? Yeh fink me problems're funny??" Finn didn't even wait for the Halloween creature to poof away before he ran straight for Raphael, tackling him to the ground. He pinned Raphael beneath him, holding his fist ready to drive it deep into his face. "Me problems're no fookin' concern o' yers, an' neither is Mr. Hoffman!"

Oh shit.

He'd just given away a big part of his secret. He was angry at himself, but more angry at Raphael for having been able to pry that out of him. Just for good measure, and to make himself feel better, he landed a blow in Raphael's stomach, getting off him and beginning to stomp away. "Don' need no one's 'elp, 'specially no one wot finks me problems're fookin' FUNNY."

"Mr. Hoffman hmm? Interesting." Raphael stood up and chuckled. "You hit pretty hard. You almost broke my brother's shield charms." He pulled his wand out and swung it in a downward arc, making a flinging motion. With a whispered "Nigrem Ignem" the punching bag burst into black flames, and then exploded into ash in seconds. "I feel better now, how about you?"

"No I don't feel any fookin' better!" He all but screamed, turning around on his heel. A small part of him was happy to hear a compliment on his punching, but it wasn't big enough to drown out the fact that he'd just told this guy the name of the man he wanted to kill in the most painful way possible.

"Wot th' fook d'yeh want from me?" He spat, crossing his arms and huffing. "Y'already go' th'name ou-ter me. Wot fookin' else d'yeh want? Yer pokin' yer nose where it don't belong." Finn wanted to just leave and never have to talk to this jerk again, but something was keeping his feet rooted to the spot. So he just glared at Raphael. "Me problems ain't none o'yer business."

"I'm being nosy because it matters to you and I want to help in any way I can." Raphael said soothingly, sitting back down. "I want to make sure you're well, mentally as well as physically...even emotionally. I'm not leaving till you tell me what's wrong, and why you want to kill someone...and I'll help you if I can."

Finn snarled at him. "Ain't noffin' fer yeh t'help wif." He kicked the ground as Raphael droned on and on about being a helpful person etcetera, but he did calm down. Slightly.

He figured the prat wouldn't leave until he heard the issue. "'ow come yeh fink yeh c'n 'elp anyway? Wot's it to yeh t'help me? Yeh don' fookin' know me." Instead of walking away, Finn sat cross-legged down on the ground and glared at Raphael. "Ask Dumbledore if yer tha' intrested. I ain't go' noffin' t'say." What popped into Finn's mind though, instead of ignoring this man, was the time this past summer Mr. Hoffman had beaten him so badly he wound up in a coma. He barely made it back to consciousness in time to go to Hogwarts this year. Why couldn't Finn just tell himself to shut up and go to the common room? Or anywhere Raphael wasn't? Dammit. He just wanted to be left alone and to avoid these issues for another day. "I ought-ter break yer teef fer bein' so nosy."

"You keep revealing more and more as we talk, I think you do have something to say." Raphael nodded serenely. "I'd talk to Dumbles but he's away on business right now. Some messy deal Fudge made with the merfolk off of Cornwall gone bad or something of the like. The only person to tell me what's wrong is you, and I'm all ears." The beaded handle of his wand was barely visible from the holder that was in his left sleeve. "And try it again, I promise you I'll blast you. I'm rather fond of my teeth, and growing them back is painful."

At this point, Finn had stopped snarling, but he huffed at him. "Not t'the loikes'a you." Finn didn't talk about his problems because he didn't know how to talk about his problems. He didn't want to say that someone beat on him every day he was at his muggle home, because that made him seem like he was weak, like he didn't fight back, like he didn't even try to fight back. That just wasn't true. He wanted to beat Mr. Hoffman til he stopped breathing, but then all the kids would be left without a home, they'd go back to orphanages or worse. No, he'd do it when he had somewhere else to go.

"Yeh c'n blast me all yeh loik. I c'n take more'n a few fookin' blasts. Tha' Slytherin tried t'Incendio me an' threw a few more. Til I go' close enough t'break 'is wand off in 'is nose." Finn paused, remembering the inhuman squeal the other boy had emitted with a smile. "An' then I'll jes' beat yeh til yeh can' breathe through yer nose." The fact that Finn was giving a compromise about fighting definitely showed that he was slowly letting his guard down. But he wasn't ready to spill his life story just yet.

Grimacing Raphael clutched his chest. "It's hard enough for me to breathe with one, truth be told." Then he laughed sardonically about his disease that no matter how many texts and scrolls and books he read, he could never find a cure for. "Anyway, who is Mr. Hoffman? And why do you hate him so much? I wish I had some Jedi mind tricks that I could use or something. Or Leglimens, that would come in handy. Not that I don't value your privacy, but all this beating around the bush is a tad bit irritating."

"Wo'ever." Finn scoffed, playing with a loose thread in his ratty pants.

Oh, HE was getting irritated? Whoop-de-fucking-doo. Finn had been irritated for much longer. He stared at Raphael long and hard. "'ow come yeh wan-ter 'elp me? Yer a hippy herboligist, bu'....wot's in it fer yeh t'help me?" He really wanted to know why Raphael wanted to help him. No one had ever given half a shit about him in his life(except for the teacher that got him out of his mum's house. But perhaps in hindsight that was a bad choice on her part), so it was such a foreign idea to him that someone gave a shit.

"Yeh try t'read me mind an--." but he stopped himself. He realized he was becoming repetitive and this was getting old. Finn didn't really want to tell him anything, and he growled, angry at the entire situation, especially since he felt obligated to tell the man something.

"Th' man wot runs me foster 'ome. There. 'Appy?"

"I like keeping my karma balanced. I did lots of stuff as a kid that I'm not proud of, so I'm trying to make up for it." He shrugged. "It's one of the few reasons I became a Healer in the first place." He picked the petals off of a daisy flower as he talked. "My family wasn't happy with the choice, but I never cared."

When Finn mentioned 'foster home' Raphael looked up, eyes blazing. "I hate foster homes. I've not seen very many good ones in my time as a Healer. I can't even begin to explain how many times I've had to fix 'accidental' broken bones, or other things. The rape cases are the hardest, because you can't do anything besides clean and fix the poor dears up. They're so scared of whoever did it to them they never talk. I've never, never, ever wanted to use magic on a Muggle so badly before." The daisy stem in his hand went up in flames, and he threw it away in disgust. "The wizarding ones aren't so bad, since they can be watched by the government."

"Yer a freak," Finn stated simply. "Too 'elpful." He had to admit his interest was a bit piqued by Raphael's supposed past he 'wasn't proud of', but he didn't ask about it because he didn't know HOW.

The reaction Raphael gave was definitely not one he expected. He saw the fire in his eyes and watched the daisy poof into flames. Finn just sat there and blinked. Wizarding foster homes? he thought in disbelief. Why hadn't Dumbledore tried to get him into one of those? Why had he been forced to stay at Mr. Hoffman's? Maybe Raphael wasn't that bad of a guy after all. Finn wasn't ready to make a final decision on that yet. "....yeh. Roigh'. Don' fink 'e does THA'," Finn made a movement with his hand, meaning 'rape', at least, he'd never heard it. The girls in the home didn't have that sort of look about them, and the walls were paper thin. He would have heard something. And word got around fast at the Hoffman home. If he'd done something like that, everyone would have known about it and he'dve been dead a long time ago.