I do not own Harry Potter.
"Sit." barked Harry as he took a seat at the table, silencing all conversation.
Lily crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't want to."
Harry clenched his jaw and glared at her as Ginny said, "Lily, sweetheart, please join us."
"I'm right here, Mother. I just don't feel like sitting."
Harry slammed his hand on the table causing most of the them to jump.
"For the love of Merlin, Lils, just sit down," griped James.
"Why can't I stand? Is it some sort of crime to stand now?" yelled Lily before turning to storm away.
Harry was up in a flash and managed to intercept her before proceeding to force her into a chair, letting out a whimper of pain.
"Harry!" gasped Ginny
But Harry was ignoring her, he knew he didn't do anything to hurt his daughter; he merely guided her into a chair. He didn't use excessive force, he was positive. He put his hands on either side of her and brought his face closer to hers, observing her.
"Harry! For goodness sake, what are you doing?" hissed Hermione standing next to him.
He ignored Hermione and kept staring at his daughter until finally he said, "You're injured." It wasn't a question.
Lily turned away from him and crossed her arms again.
Harry stood up and gave her some space before he began, "I'm an Auror Lily, and I can smell weakness in people. You're hurt. That's why you didn't want to sit down."
Ginny had enough and hissed; "You knew she was injured so you decided to throw her in a chair to confirm it?"
"I didn't throw her in a chair, Gin. Don't be so dramatic." snapped Harry rolling his eyes.
Before Ginny could reply Hermione spoke up and said, "Regardless, Harry, your daughter is not a criminal, perhaps you could have simply asked her if she's alright."
Harry looked at Hermione and could see the disappointment reflected in her eyes, sighing heavily, he turned to Lily to see her wiping some tears off her face. "Are you alright, Lily?"
"Fucking fantastic Father," sneered Lily.
Everyone at the table was glaring at Harry now and he had to admit that he deserved it. He just couldn't seem to get anything right when it came to his daughter lately.
"Ah, Lils, what did you do to your hair?" asked Al hoping not to set her off.
Lily glared at him and snapped, "I dyed it."
"It's …ah…. interesting." replied Al nervously.
Lily rolled her eyes and there was stifling silence until Hermione finally asked, "Lily, would you like to go for a walk?" asked Hermione.
Lily sniffled and stood up and followed her Aunt out of the Great Hall.
Harry watched them leave and noticed that Lily was walking slowly... further proving that she was hurt. And she had leaned on the table a little too long when she got up.
Lily and Hermione walked outside to enjoy the sunny day.
"Are you alright, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, I'm OK, Auntie. I just don't understand why Dad's so … mean sometimes."
"Oh, sweetie, he's just stressed out. He's got a lot going on at work and he's just so worried about you."
Lily looked at her in surprise and said, "He has a funny way of showing it."
Hermione laughed and said, "Yes, he always has had a hard time expressing himself."
Lily snorted
"But seriously, Lily, what happened? It's obvious that you're hurt, even to me."
Lily blushed fiercely and said, "Auntie, it's so embarrassing, I really don't want to talk about it."
"Sweetie, you know you can trust me. I promise I won't tell your father, I just want to make sure you're alright."
"Auntie, I've already seen a healer, I'll be fine in a few days. Can we just leave it at that?" begged Lily.
Hermione gave Lily her patented glare that even her father couldn't withstand and Lily gave up.
"I had sex last night," squeaked Lily embarrassed.
"Oh."
"Yeah. So like I said, I'll be fine in a couple of days."
They were silent for several minutes and Lily seriously hoped that would be the end of the discussion but she was unfortunately mistaken.
"Lily?"
"Yeah?"
Hermione seemed to choose her words carefully, "Lily, sweetie, sex doesn't usually require a visit to a healer. Is this a common occurrence for you?"
"Auntie!" gasped Lily completely embarrassed.
"What? Sweetie, I've never had to visit a healer after having sex. Is there something you want to tell me? Are you in an abusive relationship?"
"Oh God, NO! Auntie, No." Replied Lily instantly before she mumbled; "I can't believe I'm having this conversation!"
"Please explain it to me then, Lily, because now I'm quite concerned about you."
"I was a virgin!" blurted Lily, quite loudly, causing several people to look their way.
"Alright?" replied Hermione clearly not getting it.
Lily closed her eyes to gather her courage before she whispered, "Last night was our first time and well…Scorpius is kind of big. Turns out I couldn't stretch enough and my skin tore, so now I'm shall we say uncomfortable, while I'm healing."
"Oh sweetie!" gasped Hermione pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry! You said you saw a healer? Is that why you were late this morning?"
"Yeah. Scorpius was panicked and refused to let me leave until someone looked at me. It was so embarrassing because it was his Mum!"
Hermione smiled and couldn't help but giggle, "Yes, that must have been embarrassing."
"Extremely."
"Alright, well if Astoria took care of you then I'll stop worrying."
"Thank you."
"Just one last question, sweetie."
"Yeah?"
"Did you use protection?"
"Auntie!"
"What? It's a simple question."
"Yes, Scorpius cast the charm before we had sex."
"Good. And you only had sex the one time?"
"Well…no, technically we had sex twice."
"Technically?"
"Yeah. Once last night and then we fell asleep and had sex again in the morning."
"And did you cast the spell this morning too?" asked Hermione gently.
Lily scrunched up her face in thought and didn't immediately reply
"Lily?"
"Um. I'm not sure."
"What do you mean, you're not sure?"
"He woke me up from my sleep and it's all a little fuzzy," replied Lily, biting her lip.
Hermione closed her eyes for a second then said, "Alright. Stay here. I'm going to get my purse. I have a morning after pill in there that I was going to give to Rose but clearly you need it. I give her one every time I come, just in case. You're going to need to be on birth control Lily, if you're going to continue to have sex. I can get you an appointment with my OB/GYN this week and you can discuss options with her. I recommend something that is long term, like shots, they last for three months at a time. This way, you won't have to worry about this again."
Lily just nodded at her Aunt, slightly overwhelmed by all the information.
Hermione huffed, turned and practically ran inside.
"Great." groaned Lily.
Hermione was obviously flustered when she got to the table.
"What's wrong?" asked Harry, looking around for Lily.
"Nothing, Harry. I just needed my purse."
Harry noticed she wouldn't make eye contact, which he knew meant Hermione was lying.
"Do I even want to know?" he asked quietly, so only she could hear him.
Hermione looked up at him and thought for a minute before she replied just as quietly, "No."
She then turned to Rose and said, "Rose, can you come with me please?"
"Sure."
"Are you going to come back in soon? I'd like to see Lily," asked Ginny annoyed.
"Yes, we'll be right in," yelled Hermione, practically running out of the hall, dragging poor Rose behind.
Harry turned to the boys to see they were confused as well. "Care to take a walk boys?"
They both grinned and instantly got up with him.
"Harry," started Ginny but he simply turned his back and walked away. He was going to figure out what was up with his daughter.
As soon as they got outside Harry stopped and scanned the grounds, looking for them.
"Dad, I have the map," said James pulling it out of his back pocket.
Harry nodded and waited for the boys to locate them.
"They're not far from here, to the right," said Al.
They started walking that way but were interrupted by a pretty girl launching herself at James.
"Hey baby, I miss you," squealed the blonde.
Harry watched amused as James extricated himself from the girl and said, "Stephanie, I told you I was seeing someone."
"So?"
"So, I'm only seeing her," replied James obviously annoyed.
The girl laughed heartily and said, "That's funny James."
Al snorted beside Harry and James glared at him.
"I'm serious, Stephanie."
"So you're only seeing one witch? For what, like the next week?"
"Yes, I'm only seeing one witch. And I don't know for how long. A while, I guess."
The girl seemed to get quite angry and shoved James in the shoulder as she passed him and hissed, "If you don't want to see me anymore Potter, just say it, you don't have to lie."
James sighed and rubbed his shoulder.
"Friend of yours?" asked Harry amused, causing Al to burst out laughing.
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
"Oh God, that was too funny, James. I can't wait to see all the other witches tear into you!" laughed Al.
"Fuck you!"
"Hey!" snapped Harry.
"Sorry," mumbled James.
"So, do you expect a lot of witches to be angry with you James?" He was honestly curious what his son was doing to cause this.
James just shrugged and said, "Probably."
"Why is that?"
He sighed heavily and said, "I'm seeing Kristine now, but she will only see me if we're exclusive."
"That seems perfectly reasonable to me James."
"Yeah, but I was seeing all these other witches before…"
"At the same time?" asked Harry confused.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why were you seeing more than one witch at the same time?"
"Why not."
"Are you serious?"
James grinned and said, "Yeah, James Sirius."
Harry whacked him on the side of the head for his cheek and said, "I don't understand why you would date more than one witch at the same time James, and it's not very gentlemanly. If you don't like the girl enough then tell her and then date another."
"Dad, we're not dating."
Harry stared at him for a minute and said, "I don't understand."
James looked away then finally said, "its just sex, Dad."
Harry was shocked. His son was having sex with more than one witch! "James! Please tell me you are not just with these witches for sex!"
James shrugged but at Harry's glare added, "It's not just me! That's all they want too! They don't want a relationship with me, they just want to have a good time."
Harry groaned and turned to Al, "And you? Are you doing the same thing too?"
Al shook his head and said, "No, Dad. I've been with Tracey forever. It's just her for me."
"And you're sister…Dare I ask if she's seeing just the one wizard?"
"What!" said Al and James at the same time?
James began to rant, "She better not be seeing anyone other than Malfoy! It's bad enough she's seeing him as it is! She better not act like one of those witches..."
"That you sleep with all the time?" finished Al annoyed.
James seemed to be speechless so Harry said, "Look James, I get that you're young and you want to have a good time but you have to remember who you are."
"I know... I'm a Potter. The press would love to get wind of this," replied James as if he had heard this a thousand times. In fact he had, from his Mother.
Harry interrupted angrily, "No! You're a big brother! Lily looks up to both of you! What is she to think when she sees you with all these different witches? Does she think that's how you get a blokes attention? By throwing herself at them? Does she think that it's OK for a bloke to sleep with other witches at the same time?"
James seemed to pale and shook his head, "No, she knows that's not ok. She makes fun of me all the time for doing it. Right, Al?"
"Yeah, I guess, she does make fun of you a lot, but Dad's right, James. It's not good for Lily to see this stuff. Even I'm doing stuff I wouldn't want her to do…" said Al pensively.
"You said before that Malfoy was with a lot of witches, that she was going to be just another notch in his belt…do you think that's what's happening to her?" asked Harry warily?
Both boys seemed to really think about it…
"You know, I haven't seen Scorpius with anyone else in weeks," said Al.
James begrudgingly agreed, "Yeah, me neither."
"And you're sister? Have you seen her with anyone else?" asked Harry.
"No!" they both answered immediately.
Harry crossed his arms and said, "Boys, come on, I want you to really think about it."
They both huffed but did think for a minute
"No, I haven't seen her with anyone outside her friends and Scorpius." said Al.
"Me neither."
"So, maybe they are exclusive?" questioned Harry
"Yeah, I guess they are," replied Al frowning.
"I guess its good, I mean I wouldn't want her to be one of those girls," said James.
"Right." replied Harry quickly, not wanting to dwell on that thought any longer.
They heard laughter and someone shrieked, "Rose!" so they turned around to see that Lily, Hermione and Rose were lying under a tree not to far from them. They decided to head over and join them, sitting down in the grass with them.
"What so funny, sis?" asked Al smiling.
"Nothing!" squeaked Lily embarrassed.
Harry raised his eyebrow at Hermione and she smiled back at him, letting him know all was well.
"So, girls, how has school been?" asked Harry.
Rose's eyes lit up in excitement as she began telling Harry about some new Arithmancy project she was working on. He heard his kids groan in annoyance but he couldn't help but smile at how much like Hermione Rose was. He winked at Hermione, causing her to blush like a schoolgirl.
James laughed and said, "Now, I know where I get it from, Dad!"
Harry turned to James confused and said, "What?"
"You just winked at Aunt Hermione!"
Harry spluttered causing everyone to laugh.
"It wasn't like that! Was it, Hermione?" said Harry.
Hermione laughed at his unease and said, "Mr. Potter, I'm a married woman."
"Oh come on! It wasn't like that!"
"Sure, Dad." said Al.
"I'm so telling Uncle Ron!" added James.
"NO!" yelled both Harry and Hermione at the same time, surprising all the kids.
They all stared at them and Hermione clarified, "Not a good idea, kids. Trust me. I know Harry didn't mean anything by it. Right, Harry?"
"Right. Sorry. I was just thinking of how much Rose reminded me of you. That's all."
"I was just kidding, Dad. I wasn't really going to tell Uncle Ron," said James seriously.
"I know, son. I know. It's just… Well, never mind," finished Harry tiredly.
"There you guys are! We were wondering where you snuck off to!" yelled Ron as he approached them with Ginny and Hugo in tow.
"Sorry, Hun, I guess we lost track of time," replied Hermione easily.
Ron nodded and sat down next to Hermione on the grass and smiled at Lily. "Lily, you would fit in perfectly with Bill and Fleur with your hair like that."
Lily laughed and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right Uncle."
He nodded and then said, "It's actually a pretty cool combination. What made you decide to do it? I mean just because you're dating a Malfoy doesn't mean you have to dye your hair blonde on us." Ron smirked letting Lily know that he was only jesting.
"Very funny Uncle but if that was the case I think I missed a few spots."
"Yes, you do still have a lot of red there and…is that orange on the bottom?"
"Peach."
"Peach?"
"Yes, Uncle, Peach."
"Who the bloody hell dyes their hair Peach, Lily? Only you." laughed Ron.
Lily laughed and the others joined in as well. Harry couldn't help but be envious of the relationship Ron had with Lily. They just got along so well, and they always had.
Suddenly an Owl landed in front of Hermione and held out its leg for her. They could all see the Ministry seal on it and Ron groaned knowing it was work related. Hermione quickly read the letter and passed it to Harry to read. He looked up at her concerned but nodded.
Before anyone could ask what it was about Hermione turned to the kids and asked, "How much have you guys been following the international news?"
The kids all squirmed and avoided answering, causing Hermione to sigh.
"I've read some things," piped up Rose finally.
"Have you noticed anything that seems like a trend?" asked Harry
Rose bit her lip but shook her head no.
"Why, what's going on Dad?" asked James.
Harry sighed and said, "I can't tell you much but some of it has been published in the papers. There have been a string of kidnappings over the last few months."
"That's terrible," said Rose and the others nodded in agreement.
"It is but Dad, we know all about stranger safety, so I think we're safe." smirked James.
Hermione and Harry shared a look, which Ginny caught and she asked, "Harry, what aren't you telling us?"
"The kidnappers are targeting teenage witches," supplied Hermione.
"What?" roared Ron?
"Ron, be quiet! The whole castle is going to hear you!" tutted Hermione.
"Why?" asked Lily
"Why? Because they're crazy, Lily!" added Al.
"No, there must be a reason they're targeting teenage witches. After all it would be much easier to kidnap a child, then a witch with a wand," replied Lily looking directly at Harry.
He shifted uncomfortably before replying, "We have a few theories but we don't know for sure. But they're not just targeting teenage witches; they're targeting teenage witches from prominent families."
"What are you saying, that they're going to try and take Lily or Rose?" whispered Ginny horrified.
"Over my dead body!" yelled Ron.
"That's not going to happen," growled Harry.
"How many have been taken so far?" asked Rose.
"As of now six witches have been taken," answered Hermione.
"But they'll be safe here at Hogwarts, right?" asked Ginny
Harry shifted uneasily when Hermione replied, "We're not sure. The kidnappers are using very advanced magic and have broken through some of the strongest wards. That's what the letter was about, The Minister wants Harry and I to check the wards while we are here today."
"But that's ridiculous! Of course they would be safe here, it's Hogwarts!" yelled Ron.
"We're just being careful Ron," answered Hermione.
"Where were the others witches taken from?" asked Lily.
Hermione waited for Harry to answer this one…
"Some have been taken from their homes," he finally replied.
"And the others?" demanded Lily.
"Were taken from their schools," sighed Harry.
"Bloody Hell!"
"Oh Merlin! Harry what are we going to do? Should we take Lily home with us?" asked Ginny frantically.
"What? I'm not going home! I have classes and Scorpius!" yelled Lily.
"Hermione, maybe we should take Rose home too," added Ron.
"What! No, I'm not going home either!" snapped Rose.
At this point everyone was standing and yelling at the same time until Harry finally yelled, "Enough!" When everyone was quiet he continued, "There's no reason to bring the girls home at this time. We don't have any specific threats that we're worried about. We're just being cautious and looking at the wards. Hogwarts is still one of the safest places to be. What I would like all of you to do is let each other know where you're going to be." He then turned to the boys, "And don't give the girls a hard time, it's more important to know where they are. Understood?"
They all nodded.
"Good. Now, Lily and Rose, I want you to sleep with your wands under your pillow, just in case. Can you do that?"
"Sure, Uncle."
"Yeah, Dad."
"Hermione and I are going to look at the wards, but I'd also like to look in your rooms, to see if there's any weak spots. Alright?"
Lily and Rose both nodded.
"Dad?"
"Yes James?"
"I'd never let anyone take them. You know that, right?" said James seriously
"Yeah, me neither," added Al and Hugo.
"I know boys, I know. We're just being safe, that's all."
"Can't they sleep with us somewhere safer, there's got to be a space that we can convert," asked Hugo?
Hermione teared up and pulled Hugo into a hug, "Oh Hugo, that's so sweet of you, really. But right now, we don't need to make any drastic changes."
"What do you say we go get something to eat and then we can take a look at your rooms?" asked Harry.
Everyone nodded in agreement and started walking back. Harry was surprised when Lily moved next to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder so she could be close to him. He bent down and kissed the top of her head as he squeezed her closer to him. She was obviously unnerved by this, and he would do whatever was necessary to make sure she stayed safe. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to her if she were ever taken…
