AN: For QLFC Season 7, Round 1. KEEPER: "Life of Brian." Best known bit? "Always look on the bright side of life." Write about someone making the best of a bad situation.
best ideas come at dawn
AlwaysPadfoot
Susan pulled her coat tighter around her body.
For March, it was still so cold. The wind rushed up the alleyway she was walking down, biting at her exposed skin and whistling in her ears. Wrapping her scarf across her face, she wished she hadn't been as stupid as to lose her Apparition Licence for something as simple as breaking curfew by a matter of minutes.
No Witch or Wizard shall Apparate into the Ministry between the hours of nine pm and six am.
It had been two minutes past nine and she'd been extremely anxious. Daphne had been working late a lot and all Susan had wanted was to bring her home and make her eat. What had actually happened was three hours of intensive questioning about her intentions for being at the Ministry so late. It had been exhausting, draining and as soon as Daphne had heard, she'd used the little sway she had to prevent Susan from being held in Azkaban pending further investigation.
In the end, Susan had been fined and her Apparition Licence had been revoked for two years; getting off lightly, all things considered.
But it was okay, because walking home gave her the opportunity to keep fit and see more of the world. She would make the best out of it, despite the cold, despite the fact that it felt like the alley she was in looked as though it had been abandoned in a rush. No, neither of those things bothered her. If this life was the one that they had to live in now, then Susan would find a way to keep her and Daphne's mind on something other than the suffocating grey that had descended on the Magical World a few years ago. The past wasn't something they could change, so why dwell on it.
Turning down an alleyway that was a shortcut to their flat, Susan realised she had never walked this way in the dark.
Her attention was quickly caught by the figures of people sleeping in the doorways of the shops there. So many people had been displaced by the war, by the fall of the rebellion. Most were those who could not prove their blood status — others were still lying low, hoping never to be found.
What really made her heart ache though was the outline of three children huddled together outside a Apothecary. The oldest of the three, a girl probably no older than twelve, sat in front of the two younger children as though guarding them from whoever might try and come close. There was blood matted in her hair and yet looking at it it seemed as though it was at least a couple of days old. Her arm was curled protectively around the youngest boy; they were all asleep.
Susan's mind was suddenly plagued with memories of the moment that she had found Daphne during the Battle of Hogwarts. She felt the relief fill her as though it were yesterday.
Daph?! Oh Merlin, are you alright—? What on Earth is he doing here!
Susan remembered the first-year Daphne had shielded. Rupert, a young Ravenclaw, hadn't been evacuated from the castle. He'd been trapped in a fourth-floor classroom. His face had been wet with tears. She's watched him cling to Daphne's robes and not let go until they'd delivered him to the safety of the Great Hall after the fighting had fallen to a standstill — after Harry Potter had fallen.
Seeing this girl, her body shielding the younger children—
Susan wished she could help somehow.
She had barely been an adult herself when the world had to gone to shit. These kids, however, truly were children.
"You there!"
Susan twisted on the spot, three night patrol members stalking up the street towards her. Swearing under her breath, Susan's eyes flickered to the children, casting a notice-me-not charm over them with a wave of her hand.
Putting her hands up, Susan froze in the face of three wands pointed at her.
"What are you doing out after curfew?" one of the men demanded, his wand shining in her face. "Answer me now."
"I'm a Healer; I'm just walking home from work," Susan explained fast. "I swear. I have my ID and everything. I live just up there: 3C Greenthorpe Alley."
Summoning her wand and ID, the man told her to stay put and not move whilst he verified her identity. Susan wasn't planning on going to Azkaban any time soon so she obliged, hoping this wouldn't take too long. When she got chance to look back to the children, they were gone, disappearing into the night under the illusion of her charm.
For the best, Susan thought.
Upon her arrival home, Susan had never seen Daphne look so relieved in her life as she threw her arms around her.
"Merlin, you're late!" Daphne said. "I was worried you'd—"
"Daphne, I'm fine," Susan responded. "Don't worry. I just got stopped on the way home. It's not a problem."
"Not a problem?" Daphne repeated faintly. "Some people don't come home."
Susan wanted to tell her she would always come home — that she would never abandon her — but lying was against their moral code. So instead, Susan pushed her away slightly and smiled, changing the subject. "Have you eaten?"
Daphne was hunched over some paperwork as Susan put together a meal. The Hufflepuff had watched the state of the world eat away at her fiancé.
Daphne had never voiced her concerns, but Susan noticed her toss and turn at night. Susan noticed her mood change when it was getting late and she was trying to get Daphne to come to bed. Susan noticed how dark Daphne's eyes were growing and how her skin seemed to be paling as though she were sick.
"How was work?"
Daphne didn't look up when she answered. "Same as usual."
Susan let a small sigh escape her lip. She still remembered her Daphne, who was hopeful when she started her new job. Hopeful, that somehow, she'd be able to make some subtle changes that would benefit the Wizarding World.
Susan still had faith she could — somehow.
"Right! Paperwork away, Daph," she commanded as she brought two bowls of noodles to the table. "Foods ready."
"One sec—" Daphne began.
Susan put a bowl down and flickered her wrist so all the paperwork that was scattered across the table flew into a neat pile at the end. Daphne threw her hands up, a noise of frustration leaving her mouth.
"For Merlin's sake—"
Susan placed the bowl she was still holding in front of Daphne, who frowned.
"What are you? Seven?" Daphne asked sourly.
Susan beamed and sat down opposite her, picking up her fork. "Eat."
Daphne emulated Susan's movement, crinkling her nose as she looked, almost longingly, across at her paperwork with a trademark scowl on her face.
"If you look at that paperwork any longer, you'll turn into a piece of parchment," Susan said. "And then what will you do? You'll just be added to the growing pile of work. Someone will write on you. You might even get filed away… how would you like that?"
Daphne looked over, raising her eyebrows.
"Maybe I would like that," she said. Susan snorted; Daphne did like to be contrary.
"Yeah? You want me to write all over you?" Susan winked. "You get the ink, I'll get the quill."
Daphne's lips twitched, then she burst into laughter. Susan grinned at her, that laughter music to her ears.
If she could still make it so her fiancé's smile lit up the room then maybe things weren't so bad.
Susan found herself unable to sleep that night.
She couldn't help but think about the children she'd seen in the alleyway. She was a paediatric healer; leaving those children to fend for themselves was just too much to bear thinking about.
Tossing onto her side, Susan wondered how she could possibly help.
Her eyes trailed over the faint outline of Daphne under the duvet. She and Astoria had once been like those children, with no family and no home. With Daphne disowned and Astoria not yet seventeen after the Battle of Hogwarts, neither had anywhere to go, no money really to their name.
They'd found a way around it together just like Susan would figure out a way to make Daphne smile everyday.
But how?
She was just drifting off to sleep when it hit her.
Siting bolt upright, Susan flung the covers back. "Daphne! Daph, get up!"
Daphne immediately rolled out of bed her wand in her hand, the tip glowing. It illuminated a fierce expression on her face as the Slytherin shifted into a duelling stance.
"Susan? What is it? What's wrong?!"
Susan was already rummaging through the draws looking for clothes, both to wear and take with them. "Get changed."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it, okay? I have a brilliant idea," Susan responded simply.
She could tell that Daphne was hesitant in her movements, but eventually Susan heard her move. Footsteps barely audible as she crossed to the wardrobe, Susan focused. They needed clothes; they needed food and hot drinks.
With children out there hungry and cold, Susan couldn't stand for it. And she was sure Daphne would agree with her.
"Susan, what are we doing?"
The question came as Susan was making a large flask of Hot Chocolate and Daphne had her head in the cupboard, pulling out all the crackers, biscuits and crisps she could get her hands on. Admittedly, Susan had expected these questions a lot sooner, so she'd had time to think.
"On my way home, I saw three kids huddled in an empty doorway," she began.
"So you want to find and help them," Daphne finished. "Merlin, we're going to get killed doing this."
"No," Susan responded fiercely, putting the flask down just a little too hard. "No, we're not. We are going to make this work, just like we did with Rupert."
The silence rang between them, loud in Susan's ears.
"Okay." Daphne stood up cradling packets of food in her arms. "Okay, we'll make it work."
Avoiding a night patrol passing by their building, Daphne and Susan slipped out into the night no more than twenty minutes later.
Staying close to the walls, they kept to the shadows. The cobbled streets seemed narrower, buildings towering upwards on either side. Everything seemed darker too.
Susan lead the way. Her plan was to head back in the direction she'd been caught. Hopefully the kids would still be close by.
"This is a bad idea," Daphne whispered.
"Relax, Daph," Susan replied. "It'll be fine."
Susan knew, of course, there was every possibility they might be caught, but she had confidence. Besides, the children would be in a far worse position than they would be if they were caught.
Even as half an hour passed and Daphne tried desperately to coax Susan into returning to the flat, Susan wasn't ready to give up.
She checked every shop door, under every covered cart and bench.
Her perseverance paid off.
The first sign they saw of the kids was rubbish which turned Susan's stomach when she went closer. What looked like a heap of clothes and insulation in the doorway of an abandoned warehouse, upon closer inspection, seemed to be a nest.
There were children who were sleeping without a roof over their heads.
Neither of them spoke until Susan waved her wand, the end glowing and spinning to point north - west.
Quietly, solemnly, they walked forward.
A noise echoed through the empty space, as though someone has kicked something, and Daphne's wand cast lumos towards the sound.
It illuminated another door slightly ajar, held open with a brick.
"We're not here to hurt you. I'm a healer, I swore an oath to help people who need it," Susan called, going forward and pushing Daphne away as she reached for her. "I'm even putting away my wand."
To Daphne's astonishment she did as she said and pushed the door open, practically defenceless.
Susan came face-to-face with the girl she'd seen before, standing between her and the other two kids. Except this time, the girl had a wand.
"I may not have gone to Hogwarts, but I know how to use this," the girl said with a fierceness Susan hadn't expected. "Leave us alone."
Susan held her hands up as though to reaffirm she wasn't armed.
"I just want to help," she reiterated.
"Yeah well, the last guy who said that did this."
The girl indicated to the matted hair on the left side of her head.
"I know you've got no reason to trust us but I've brought food, some water and potions. I can cast some wards, maybe fix anything that needs it. I am here to help," Susan said sincerely. She knelt down and put her hand in her bag, pulling out boxes of food.
The youngest boy looked on longingly. His face was thin, his eyes heavy but wide.
"Ellie, can we just—" he began, his voice quiet.
"No," the older girl said firmly.
Susan felt dejected but she wasn't about to give up. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead Daphne spoke.
"Look, I get it. You can't trust anyone in this world," Daphne said pointedly. "Susan, that's the woman who woke me up in the middle of the night to come here, she's never been one to be mistrustful. I'd say it is her best and worst quality, to be quite honest."
"Hey," Susan said softly, not really offended at all.
Ellie stared at both of them and didn't relinquish her hold on her wand but she shifted closer.
"One of the little ones has a fever. We can't get it down," she said, scowling. "If you hurt any of them I swear I'll end you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Daphne responded.
It turned out there were four more kids further back into the building, seven in total. Susan quickly noted that at least four needed some medical treatment.
By the time dawn broke through the high windows, Susan could feel the exhaustion threatening to grip her.
But she pushed it away because now she could see the difference she and Daphne had made. With food and warm drinks, Susan at least felt like she'd done something useful.
The youngest boy, Matthias, was telling everyone the joke Susan had told him to get him to sit still and heal him.
"Much better," Susan muttered to herself, as the boy laughed loudly.
"They're still living in an abandoned warehouse," Daphne retorted.
Before Susan could tell her to stop being so pessimistic, the very youngest girl, five-year
-old Penny rang over and flung herself at Susan, wrapping her arms around the former Hufflepuff's waist.
"You'll come back?" Penny asked hopefully.
"We'd take you with us if we could," Daphne responded.
The ideas of them fitting seven children in their flat was almost funny. If only they could, if only there was someway it were possible...
Susan had an idea.
"Susie!"
Susan woke up to a whiny cry breaking the quiet of her slumber. The sheets rustled beside her and she twisted to see the blurry outline of her fiance sitting up.
"Susie! Matthias has stolen my crayons!"
The voice of their youngest child was getting louder, accompanied by a thunder of footsteps, evidently coming fast in the direction of their bedroom. Daphne stretched beside her, groaning in satisfaction as her shoulder blades came together and her fingers reached to the ceiling.
"Daph, you don't have—"
"Hush you," Daphne whisphered, grabbing her t-shirt and pulling it over her head. "I got this."
Susan watched as Daphne stood and make her around her bed and to the door. It was still early, just before seven by her watch, but apparently that meant nothing to the charges under their roof. As the door opened, the rush of footsteps grew louder.
"What on earth is happening out here?" Daphne said, calm surprise in her voice as though she simply had no idea what was really going on. "How could you possibly be making so much noise, little one?"
"Daphie, Daphie. Matthias stole my crayons!"
Susan shifted, watching as Penny wrapped her arms around Daphne's waist. Daphne stroked the blonde's hair, comforting her and devising a plan to get the crayons back from Matthias. Smiling softly, Susan watched them walk away down the corridor.
Soon, she would have to leave the comfort of her duvet. After all, she and Daphne had to make breakfast for fourteen in the coming hour. Their home would quickly come alive.
There was no time to think of the world outside.
Not any more.