Summary: With Maki at Hogwarts, Nico walks into a trap.
Nico Yazawa had been warned by her wife about being caught alone, but Nico had been hoping for a private moment with Maki, after the Savage Sirens show, after the roughest part of the Scandanavian tour. Dementors shouldn't be here, not inside, not in the safe room with a fireplace connected to the Floo Network, but Nico had opened the door, confidently approached the fire and then the flames had sputtered and COLD, cold beyond even what a Northern winter might bring, let alone this hot August, surrounded her, tearing the warmth out of her, trying to freeze every instinct Nico had for survival as the dark, hooded shapes swarmed...how had this many been gathered, Nico wondered but then, as memories of finding her father's soulless body began to fill her mind, she forced herself to focus on the one constant that was always bright, always strong, always inspiring. She saw Maki smirking, amethyst eyes sparking a needed slap of challenge to wake Nico up for the fight as her life oozed into darkness. It was good that she didn't need her Dogwood and Veela hair wand for this one last act of defense, she wouldn't have had the strength to lift it, but Nico Yazawa always had one more song in her. Hearing Maki's breathy, stirring tones harmonizing in her mind, remembering all the fire and passion and warmth in those glorious eyes, buffers against the encroaching drain, Nico called on her Veela ancestors and raised a voice that even an off day could make evil smile…
The whispers always happened in the Hospital Wing, never at dinner, always outside the door, just loud enough that Maki Nishikino could hear them.
"Madame Nishikino got another Pureblood expelled for calling for a Mudblood free Slytherin."
"Madame Nishikino saved that girl's life when no one thought she could survive being…"
"Madame Nishikino spends an awful lot of time at the Gamekeeper's Cottage. I thought she was married to…"
None of it bothered Maki. Students were students. Hogwarts could have been built on the wild rumors that had always raced through its halls. She might never had been that silly or that addicted to gossip, but she had certainly known people who were.
Nico was late. Maki had been sitting calmly by the fire in her office, making notes about the students who'd been in that day. But now she was pacing restlessly and when the Infirmary door crashed, sounding as if it had been split in two, Maki pulled her Elm and Unicorn Tail wand and opened her door..
"It's Nico." The intensity of Umi's voice told Maki instantly Nico was in a dire situation.
"Where?" Maki managed as she tilted against the doorframe, glad for the stone behind it.
"We have to apparate." Umi dragged Maki through the room, "Honoka says it's…" Umi stopped as Maki's weight pulled at her.
"Is…" Tears. Nico would be scolding her for wasting time on emotion, Maki thought.
Umi's reassurance was instant. "She's alive." She embraced her friend, "It was a trap. Dementors. After a show. She's in bad shape."
Maki held onto Umi for too long as her world became a dizzy uncertainty. But she wouldn't be any use to Nico passed out in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. She should have been prepared for this. Her enemies had been targeting Nico for the past year, which only made Nico's dangerous hobbies even more so.
Umi tried to lighten the mood, "When are you going to convince her to come back and be the head of Hufflepuff. The students can't wait for a regime change."
Maki shook herself, "How can I ask her stop being Nico? To stop fighting to fix things? To give up her audience?"
Umi took both of Maki's hands and glanced at the redhead's slightly rounded midriff, "You tell Nico what she has to fight for here."
Maki blushed. Umi's golden eyes were beacons of sincerity, of comradeship. Umi had been one of Nico's best friends since the Hat had sorted the blued haired wizard into Hufflepuff and Nico had adopted her as a little sister. That caring was very Nico. As was the fierceness that had defended Maki when the Slytherin had stood against her fellow Purebloods, determined to restore the reputation of the House, to heal its soul, to prove that pride in yourself and your family didn't mean evil. Nico had stood by Maki all these years, taking up the cause after graduation, with RIn and Honoka, to capture, destroy or rehabilitate the evils and dark monsters Voldemort's forces had unleashed.
"Maki." Umi shook Maki out of her reverie, "Nico needs you."
Maki had a sudden vision of Nico, small and frail. It felt like ice ripping into her gut. She dropped a hand there, willing...the tears again, willing Nico's daughter to be strong, no matter how buffeted Maki's body was with worry. Maki would see that magic grin again, that ruby sparkle. She would hear the loving, teasing dares in Nico's cherry sweet voice. And so would their unborn daughter, as soon Maki could get to Nico's side.
"Where are they?" Maki ran for the door, ready to face any enemy, grabbing Umi's hand to drag her along.
Rin and Honoka had Nico wrapped up in every blanket in town, it looked like. The fire was blazing. Honoka sitting next to Nico, singing, Rin was curled up in a chair, unable to look Maki in the eye. Maki could barely make out Nico's raven hair in the pile on the bed, but slid in, finding the slight body and propping it up. Nico's head lolled to the side and Maki's heart stopped at the lifelessness of the action, Nico's hair lank and obscuring her face. Maki gently swept it back, then pointed her wand at the night table and conjured a hot chocolate full of pepperup potion and the hottest spices Maki could think of. Nico would hate it, Maki found herself grinning through tears at the flood of complaint the force feeding her spicy food would prompt from the spitfire songstress. Honoka helped support Nico as Maki shook her gently, "Nico, wake up. It's time to come home."
Nothing. Rin wailed, but Umi shushed her, gentle hand on Rin's shoulder. Honoka stared at Maki wide eyed, silenced by fear. Nico would hate that, silence and fear. She'd want a song, so Maki began to sing the one she'd written as a wedding gift for Nico, which she'd been singing as a lullaby for her daughter. She pictured the baby relaxing as Umi joined in, her voice strong and smooth, then Honoka, then finally Rin, managing to keep her voice from choking with guilt.
"Maki?" Nico's whisper was so faint.
"Hush, Love. Drink this." Maki raised the drink to Nico's lips and tilted, Nico swallowing before she tasted. Then ruby eyes snapped open and before Nico could feel how exhausted she actually was she turned on her wife, blazing, tongue out, shaking her head, "What the...are you trying to kill me...what is in that…" And as the burst of energy drained, Maki got another dose in Nico.
"You're worse than the first years." Maki chided, amused, as Nico's face went through spasms of displeasure after she swallowed.
"Yeah, you try that with my tastebuds, Princess. What'd you put in it, fiendfyre?" Nico fake coughed, grating the sound over her tonsils, and Rin suddenly doubled over with laughter.
"Ooh, let me try!" Honoka reached for the cup, Maki knocked her hand away, Honoka opened her mouth, blue eyes wounded, and Maki conjured a two more cups, which Honoka and Rin downed cheerily. Maki tucked her wand into her robes, glanced at Umi, who nodded and positioned herself to guard the door.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH." Rin screamed, short hair standing up. "That's amazing. Hey Nico, can we start serving this to the audience. It'd be amazing."
Nico's head was on Maki's chest, her breathing still a little labored. Rin checked to see Nico's reaction to her suggestion and froze again.
"She's just exhausted, Rin. She'll be fine." Maki reassured her friend. She knew Rin and Honoka had done their best once they realized that Nico was in danger. After all, that was what Savage Sirens was about, keeping Evil back with cheer and smiles and friendship and heart. Her friends - and her wife, were the bravest people Maki knew.
Nico moved and muttered like someone waking up from a dream, "No, Rin...imagine the smell...it'd be like facing a dragon with bad breath every night…" Nico shifted, taking some of the weight off Maki. "Give me that mug." Nico reached out a hand, Maki surreptitiously refilled it. Nico always forgot about nonverbal spells since her wand refused to acknowledge them. Part of why an unenthusiastic student had been so eager to find new ways to utilize innate magic.
Nico continued to make contorted faces that caricatured torture but when Maki found herself giggling and saw Nico's satisfied grin, she realized that she wasn't the only one taking care of someone.
Umi's voice broke the moment, "Rin, Honoka, let's go find some food."
Honoka rushed the door, "They have really good sandwiches at the bar."
"Rin?" Umi's call was gentle and Rin looked away from where Maki was giggling and stood, nodding.
"Maki." Umi had one more command.
Maki glanced up, not sure what Umi could want.
"Tell her." Umi shoved Rin into the hall before Rin could start the flood of questions.
"Tell me?" Nico blinked, still relaxed against Maki.
"Um…" Maki blushed, "There's something...well, I knew we wanted...and I had an idea…and…"
Nico pulled away, now concerned, eyes narrowed, "What happened? Did you and Hanayo breed some weird illegal beast hybrid for potion purposes or something?
"Kind of," Maki pounced forward, grabbing a quick, messy kiss. Wow, that concoction really was spicy enough to bring back a blaze of life from the brink, maybe Maki should wait, Nico must be exhausted, probably shouldn't strain her…
"Maki." Nico somehow managed to get a more tasking, censuring edge in her commands than any of Maki's teacher's ever had. Maki wasn't sure Hufflepuff students wouldn't start to miss Umi if Nico did return and head Hufflepuff.
Maki took Nico's hand and put it on her abdomen, "Meet…" Maki paused when Nico's eyes went wild with wonder, "meet our daughter."
"How?" Nico whispered, her voice trembling.
"Magic."
And with Nico's fierce kiss, the splash of Nico's ecstatic tears on her tingling skin, Maki knew tonight's nightmare was over. And their dearest dream, raising a family together, could begin.
A/N: I do like the thought of adult μ's at Hogwarts. Here's my house breakdown (because we've all done it):
Gryffindor: Rin, Honoka
Hufflepuff: Umi, Nico
Ravenclaw: Hanayo, Eli
Slytherin: Maki, Kotori, Nozomi
Nozomi, Eli, Umi, Hanayo, and Maki are Hogwarts faculty. Rin, Honoka, and Nico misheard "music hath charms to soothe the savage breast" and started a band, and Kotori, like her mother, the Minister of Magic, works in the Ministry.
Cheers! What's your cheer up song?