She had taken a quick break with Holly, and gone up to the cafeteria to get breakfast. Working her way through the stack of work covering her desk, she needed some fuel. A coffee and breakfast sandwich seemed like a good place to start.

"Are you busy Saturday?" Liv asked, trying to remain nonchalant.

"I believe Xavier has plans to puke on me in the afternoon," she said, waiting for her own breakfast. Two egg whites, turkey bacon, and low fat swiss on a multigrain roll. The same sandwich she'd been ordering for years. "Why?"

"He's got this… dinner gala… thing," she said. "I dunno, some nonsense, but we've got extra tickets and I thought I'd see if you and Cian might be interested in joining us."

Holly's eyes lit up. "An opportunity outside of work to put on a real bra and make intelligent conversation with adults?"

"I suppose that's one way you could look at it," she said, blinking at her friend's interpretation of the event.

"Absolutely, we're in."

"You don't need to… find a babysitter?"

"Cian's mum's been begging for ages to watch him," she said. "I'll make it work."

One of the cooks slid Liv's sandwich towards her, and she picked it up, balancing it with her wallet and the largest latte she could find. "Yeah?"

"Oh, can we meet you at your place so I can see where you're living?"

Liv considered it, and it didn't seem like the worst idea. "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not. Start off at home and have a drink before we head there."

Holly dropped her voice to just above a whisper. "Does this mean you're going to be seen in public with him? Where there's… cameras, and stuff?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "No. He's assured me there will only be photography at the entrance and that 'as long as we walk in separately—"

"That's some bullshit."

Liv shrugged. "It's fine. It's what we have to do."

"Are you planning on living the rest of your lives like that?" Holly asked, not holding back any of her disdain.

"No," she explained. "Not that I want anyone watching me when I'm shopping or eating out, but no… once Kensington is back, we'll figure out how to proceed."

Holly nodded. "Oh, I can't wait for Saturday."

Liv felt a little better, as they walked back to their department. Having Holly and Cian there with her meant a little reinforcement, and she looked forward to showing them where she lived. Her renewed friendship with Holly felt so right.

—

"Holly and Cian are in," Liv said, as she walked into the kitchen after getting home from work. Harry stood at the stove, stirring something that smelled outrageously delicious. She'd been caught up in a team meeting that kept her at work an hour later than normal.

"That's wonderful," he said. He poured her a glass of wine, and set it down in front of her as she slumped into a chair at the table. She took her planner out of her work bag and started making notes in it.

"Yeah, she's pretty excited," Liv mentioned, crossing off things on her to do list, before adding about eight new tasks. "I hope it's alright, they're going to meet us here a bit before we need to go. I figured we could have a drink with them, or something… everyone else already knows each other."

"That's a great idea," he said. He plated the risotto, then placed it in front of her. "Why not invite everyone over for drinks?"

The idea of entertaining people was foreign. When she was with Ames, they always got invites to these sort of things, but were never the ones hosting it. She considered their wine situation, and made a note she'd have to pick up a few more bottles before Saturday. "That could be nice."

"What are you going to wear?"

"I haven't even thought that far ahead," she said. "I don't have time to go get anything fitted, but I'm certain I can find something in my wardrobe."

A few minutes passed in silence as they demolished their dinners. She realized, as she worked on her agenda, that she hadn't had anything to eat since the breakfast she'd gotten with Holly, and made a mental note to pack a better assortment of food tomorrow.

"I wanted to tell you about Pia," he said, quietly, tentatively, as he distracted Liv from her work.

"Who—oh, the woman at the Prophet?"

"I could tell that you were a little…" he searched for the right word.

She decided to relieve him of his misery. "Thrown off?"

"Sure," he said. "By my mentioning her yesterday."

"A bit," she murmured, shoveling the last bite of food from her plate into her mouth. She used the last of her wine to wash the food down, before he refilled it without asking. "Did you date her?"

He shook his head. "No, we never dated… but we did sleep together a few times over the years."

She winced slightly, but then nodded. "Alright."

At first thought, she didn't know why it had bothered her so much. He obviously hadn't been with her since the day she showed up at his door in tears. She trusted him deeply, but there simply wasn't a block of time he was unaccounted for.

"Not… in a while, obviously," he said. "A few months."

"You were with her the night before we solved that case!" Liv said, her brain spinning. "I'm guessing, since you, y'know, showed up with wet hair and one sock and poorly covered up hickeys. Unless there are other women."

He found Liv's attention to detail both enamoring and damning. Of course she would not forget things like that.

"I thought you said you'd owed her a favor years ago?" she asked, setting down her wine glass and leaning in to get a good look at him.

"I met her years ago... we've occasionally met each other, off and on... she was dating some bloke, then I purposefully wasn't seeing anyone, it's been a rare occurrence but I wanted to be transparent."

She nodded, appreciative.

"I haven't even spoken with her in awhile. Not since… at least that night we went for drinks at Leaky and you had to come back here to sober up," he said. "That was when I… realized I had feelings for you."

She looked down, the piercing, anxious tension in her chest beginning to dissipate. "You knew then?"

He nodded. "I had a hunch. It only grew from there," he said. "The next day when we danced together at Finnegan's wedding… well, that sort of sealed the deal."

She smiled, and reached out for his hand. "I was still in denial things with Ames were… the way they were then," she said. "But I would be lying if I didn't say I had some… thoughts. The kindness with which you were treating me certainly helped pry open my doubt."

He helped her wash the dishes and get the kitchen in order. "We're going to spend Sunday with Ted."

"Oh, good," she said. "Any plans?"

"Thought maybe we could go on a hike, pack a lunch. It's probably the second to last time we'll see him before he goes off to school."

She groaned. "Does he have to go?"

He laughed. "Yes, Liv. Absolutely."

"I know he has to," she said. "It's just going to be awful saying goodbye."

"I know, love," he said. "But it's going to be so wonderful for him. He'll write us, and the first goodbye's always the hardest."

—

Saturday morning, she was up early, before the sun, even. She wanted the whole house to be spotless before company came. With a bucket of bleach, and an old toothbrush, she scrubbed at all of the grout in the kitchen, removing ages of junk and restoring it to its original white color.

"What in the world are you doing?" Harry asked, when he came downstairs around ten.

"I want the house to look perfect," she explained.

He laughed. "You're a nutter."

He went to the stove to turn on the kettle to make coffee. "No one cares at all what the place looks like."

"Holly will."

"Have you seen her desk?" He asked, pouring the steaming water over the ground dark roast coffee. "It's like a cyclone hit it. It's started spilling over to the spare desk next to hers."

"Eh," she said.

"What else needs to be done?" He asked, as he poured them cups of coffee.

She rattled off her to do list, and he set out to help her. Despite thinking she was absolutely mad, he wanted to take some stress off her. He worked on the small patio right outside the greenhouse, just off the kitchen, clearing it of the overgrown vines.

"I think your tomatoes are ripe," he said, balancing five large red tomatoes into the kitchen.

"Oh, wonderful," she said. Despite planting six tomato plants in May, all she had to show for it was a measly handful of tomatoes. "Maybe I'll make a caprese salad to snack on."

"That sounds delicious," he said. "Are you done cleaning?"

She peeked into the living room, and the hallway, and surveyed the kitchen one more time. "Sure."

"Okay, go get dressed. Let's go to the farmer's market."

She shrugged, and headed upstairs to throw on a pair of jeans and a real shirt. She could probably get fresh basil at the market, and they still needed to grab more wine- and maybe some sparkling cider for Hermione. A glance at the clock told her there was still five hours before anyone would be there, which left her plenty of time to get ready and decide what exactly she was wearing.

They walked towards the park where the market set up on Saturday morning. She waited in line at the cheesemonger and the vegetable stall, while Harry grabbed them a snack. He joined her while she was picking out a ball of fresh made mozzarella, waiting until she had paid for it to hand her a pan au chocolat and a latte. She placed her goods in the basket balanced in the crook of her arm, and they took a seat on the park green.

Around them, Muggles went about their Saturday morning in all the usual fashions. Next to them, a small family with a young daughter enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches from one of the stalls. Across the green, two men threw a frisbee for a dog to catch— and he was pretty good at it, too.

"I think it's going to be an excellent time," he said, in between bites of his almond croissant.

"It should be," she replied, crossing off their shopping list.

"Did you decide what you're wearing?" He asked. "So I can coordinate-"

"But you can't," she said. "We don't want to look too... together."

"Right," he said, looking down as he tipped back the rest of his coffee.

She didn't really have anything to add, though she hoped Holly wouldn't bring it up again. It was the lone sour note on their hopefully enjoyable evening.

"Other than that, though... can't wait." She thought she did an okay job of hiding the waiver of confidence in her voice.

"Once Kensington is back..." he said.

"Of course."

"Not that we need to announce it to all our employees... but changes will need to be made. Holly will have to report to someone else. We probably should work on less cases together."

Liv nodded. Having a quasi-plan grounded her a bit, and made her feel like he was true to his word, not that she had any reason to doubt him. The next time they went out like they would tonight, she would get to walk in with him, take photos with him, and spend their time together authentically.

She crumpled up the wax paper that he had handed her the pastry in. "We need more wine."

"Absolutely," he said, giving her a hand to get up. "I know the perfect place."

—

She took a long and luxurious shower, where she shaved every shaveable bit. Her hair soaked in a moisturizing hair mask, and her face got the exfoliating mask she saved for only the best occasions.

While she was waiting for her hair to dry, she spent time in the kitchen, slicing up her tomatoes in perfect rounds, layering them between slices of mozzarella and pieces of basil leaf. The wine chilled in the fridge, except for the lone bottle of red she had picked up for Cian- strange man.

"That's a good look," Harry said, coming up behind her while she wrapped the platter of caprese with cling film. He wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her close to him.

"Mmm," she said, as he began to kiss and nibble at her neck. The platter made a loud clang as it fell an inch or two to the counter. He relaxed his grip on her, allowing her to turn around to face him.

He ran his fingers through her hair, lightly pulling at the roots until she gasped. He had figured out the precise ways to turn her on like a dial, and took advantage of that whenever he could. She had never been in such a sexually fulfilling relationship.

"I want you," she whimpered, as he cupped her breasts over her silky robe.

"In time..." he teased, his hand slipping beneath her robe to tease her nipples. She pressed her body against him, consumed by her desire for more of him.

"Now," she pleaded.

"Patience, love," he said, a devilish smile on his lips. She looked up at him, his green eyes playful and full of lust. His desire for her excited her, and she felt goosebumps forming on her bare skin. "I want to do this right."

"I don't care about right," she murmured, and was surprised when he seized her body, bending her over the counter. He unzipped his jeans, pressing his erection against her. "I care about right now."

"This what you want?" He asked, as she shifted herself against him. He was forceful but not in an uncontrolled manner. "You want me to take you right here in the kitchen?"

"Oh, god, yes," she said, knowing she was moments away from getting exactly what she wanted. For a moment, she thought he was merely teasing her, and was going to drag it out further. But lust overcame him, and he lined himself up.

His content sigh as he entered her was the most satisfying noise to her. For a moment, her body was overwhelmed by the sensation of him thrusting into her, but eventually it gave way to a host of delight as she matched his rhythm. She was noisy- she couldn't help it, as she moaned with each thrust.

"Do you like that?" He asked, using her hair as leverage to pull her face close to his.

"It's everything I wanted," she murmured.

She could feel his cheeks turn up in a smile as he heard her answer. "You feel so good."

He picked up speed, and she knew he was getting close. Her favorite part of sex with him was when he finished in her. Ames refused to, out of concern of getting her pregnant, and Liv hadn't realized how enjoyable it was.

She slowed her own backward thrusts as he gained momentum, afraid to throw off his rhythm. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she could feel him spasming inside her as he came.

For a moment, they relaxed, bodies pressed together with sweat, as they caught their breath. He smoothed her hair, gently, his touch returning to loving.

"I love you, beautiful girl," he said, kissing her cheek.

She smiled. "I love you too."

"I think we should clean the counters again," he whispered.

"It was worth it."

She had finished her makeup, but yet to take her hair out of curlers, when she heard the familiar chime that meant someone had come through their wards.

"Who is it?" She asked, leaning down over the bannister.

"Holly and Cian!" Holly called. "Where are you?"

"I'll be right down," she said, tying her dressing gown tighter around waist. If it was anyone else, she would have changed first, but she didn't care much about them.

Harry had come in from where he'd been out on the patio, setting out the food, and they all met in the hallway near the kitchen.

"Oh, Liv, you look great."

"She's not even dressed yet, Cian."

"I meant she looks much happier than the last time I saw her brooding around the ministry," Cian explained. Liv greeted them both with a hug, and introduced Cian to Harry.

"C'mon, I'll get you a drink and show you the patio," he said, guiding him outside.

Holly looked around, judging the place. She stuck her head in the living room, and nodded. "It's cozy. And not what I expected."

"Let's go upstairs so I can finish getting ready," Liv said, leading her up the first set of stairs. "This is the second floor... Teddy's room is over there, then there's a couple of spare rooms..."

They walked up to the floor Harry and Liv shared. "Our bedroom..."

Holly peaked inside. "That's more in line with what I was expecting."

"What do you mean?"

"Very modern," she said. "Look at the marble in the bathroom! And the claw foot tub!"

"It's everything I ever dreamed of," Liv swooned, before guiding Holly into her room. The wardrobe had spilled out, with a few dresses laying in the never-used bed.

"What are you wearing?"

"Haven't decided yet," she said, sitting down to take out the curlers.

"Let me," Holly said, her slim fingers working swiftly to remove the metallic rounds. She used the brush to loosen the curls a little, then teased Liv's hair into place.

It brought Liv back to their youth, to summer's while they were in school, when Holly would sneak over to Liv's place and they'd get ready together before visiting nightclubs. It was a warm and welcome wave of nostalgia.

"I wish I had your hair," Holly whined, setting her free. She decided to flip through the dresses Liv had hanging off the door, her two top choice dresses.

There was the strapless green one, with a sweetheart neckline, but Liv was a little worried about the material making her sweat. She had a lace one, that was a lighter fabric, the color of a good glass of red wine on a winter's evening. She was worried, though, that the deep neckline would attract the wrong kind of attention.

"Have you ever worn this one?" Holly asked, pulling one out. It was the color of candlelight, and the beading shone in the sun streaming through the windows.

"Once, I think I was too thin and it kept slipping down."

"Oh, two years ago...? When you were working on that awful case with the-"

"Yes," Liv said, not even able to hear about what they both knew she was talking about.

"Well you definitely weigh more now," Holly said. Liv couldn't even be mad at the frank honesty, it was true. "But it's good. Happy weight. And you'll be the belle of the ball. I'll zip you in."

Liv examined the dress on herself, liking the way it clung to her curves. It was beautiful, and the perfect amount of formal, but it was only exquisite in the right light. She felt confident it was the right choice.

"You ready?" Harry called, from the staircase, he bound a few more steps up to the third floor landing.

She grabbed her clutch off the bed, and opened the door. "Yeah, all ready."

"Oh, you look great," he said, holding her an arm's length away. "Beautiful."

She smiled, and offered him a kiss.

"Grossss," Holly hissed playfully.

"You're worse than the thirteen year old," Harry said, taking Liv's arm and leading her down the stairs. Holly followed them, still observing everything there was to see about their house.

"Y'know what this place reminds me of?" Holly asked. "That... boarding house you and your mom lived in that summer... out in Surrey."

"Liv said the same thing the first time she visited."

"Except this place probably doesn't have bedbugs... or roaches."

"Negative on both counts," Liv said, shuddering at the memory of the condition of that house.

Ron and Hermione had already arrived, and were enjoying the nice summer breeze on the patio. Liv wondered why they hadn't cleared off the patio... or had people over, for that matter, sooner. It was delightful outside. For an hour or so, everyone mingled on the patio, sipping at the crisp white wines Harry had picked out for the occasion.

The weather was perfect, the golden summer sun shining on them. It wasn't sweltering, instead just the perfect amount of heat.

"These tomatoes are so fresh," Cian said.

"It's my entire crop this year," Liv laughed. "Started them on the balcony at my old place and managed to keep some of them alive here. And there's this awesome little farmer's market on Saturdays just a few blocks over where I got the rest of the food..."

"I wish our village had a farmer's market," Holly said. They lived in a little village, an hour to the south by train. It was close to where Holly had grown up, and they had purchased their little dwelling when they'd found out they were expecting.

"Come visit ours next weekend," Liv said. "Harry got this almond croissant today... to die for, honestly."

Hannah and Neville arrived last, grateful for a chance to not spend their weekend evening pouring drinks, though they waited for the last possible second to leave, because… well, it was difficult to step away sometimes. Liv understood. There was a reason she had only taken one sick day in the last year.

"Thank you so much for inviting us," Neville said, greeting them warmly. "It's so great to have an evening off."

"Very overdue," Hannah said, nodding along with her husband.

"We're so glad you could make it," Liv said. "Really."

"Teddy's off to school in what, two weeks?" Hannah asked. "I know classes start shortly after."

"Ugh," Liv sighed, a pang of sadness in her stomach every time someone brought it up. "Don't remind me."

"She's having some trouble accepting it," Harry said, laughing. "It will be so good for him, though."

"I've gotten really used to seeing him every weekend," she explained. "Even if he just comes over while we make breakfast on Sunday and we listen to whatever game's on the radio… it's going to be difficult not to see him for four whole months."

"He's so lucky to have you," Neville said. "I was raised by my nan too, and she was a wonderful woman, but…"

"The more people to love Teddy, the better." Harry offered.

"Precisely. Thirteen year old me would've killed for a cool aunt and uncle to have Sunday brunch with," Neville said. Liv smiled, having been reluctant in considering herself in any sort of named role like that, but if someone else called her that… it warmed her heart.

"But if you want someone to sneak him in care packages between Hogsmeade visits, well, let me know. I know I'll have him in my intermediate class."

"Really?" Liv asked. "I'm going to take you up on that, for certain. Thank you, Neville."

She took a moment to dream up all sorts of care packages. While at Hogwarts, she'd only ever gotten the leftovers from what Holly's mum sent her, but there had been some really spectacular ones. She would have to learn how to bake, as treats from home were always highly coveted. The idea of being the cool aunt who sent lots of goodies that Ted could share with his friends thrilled her.

She spent a few minutes deep in thought, over what she could send him and how she could spoil him, before Harry broke her concentration. "Love, I think it's about time we head to the venue."

"Right," she said, taking a long, slow breath of the cooling air. Liv had enjoyed about three glasses of wine and was the perfect amount of tipsy. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"We are going to have an excellent time."

Author's Note: A nice, long chapter to get us back on track! As I mentioned in the previous update, I have something kind of exciting to share. I have been writing, fanfiction and regular fiction, for over ten years now, and I am trying to make writing a more substantial part of my life. I will never, ever put my stories behind a paywall, because I want everyone to be able to access them. However, for those that are interested in supporting me in a small, financial capacity, I have added a ko-fi account and the link to that can be found on my profile page. To express my gratitude towards anyone who donates, there are some rewards offered (such as deleted scenes of Gravity) and the ability to ask for commissions. Any donations offered will go to opening up my schedule to allow for more time spent writing which means more for you to read! Many thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie, for all his assistance with this story.