Save Me
C25: The Shoe Drops
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.
In the weeks that followed, Fabian and Bellatrix fell into a nice routine. In the morning they focused on each other, sharing breakfast and a shower before Bella tutored him in a subject of her choosing, and because of the lead he had on every subject, she started tutoring him on sixth and even seventh year subjects, because she was sure he could do it. In the afternoons she would usually tutor him in a more practical subject, like Potions or Transfiguration and she just loved how he ate up her every word like it was gospel for him. The evenings were for them, no more schoolwork, but just relaxing against each other until they received word on the day's events from Luna and Gabrielle.
Right now she was observing how he was reading through the seventh year Ancient Rune texts, which she knew were not his favorite, but were a big part of his N.E.W.T.S in a few years, so she made it a point to prepare him for that, especially if she was to keep her end of the bargain she had struck with Minerva.
She had to smile as she thought back to that afternoon she had spent with the Headmistress about Fabian's future. They had come to an agreement in regards to his further education when the girls were born. If he could finish both the fifth and sixth year material, then he would be granted the opportunity to do his final year with Hermione and Harry.
She was brought out of her inner musings by a soft groan and the sounds of his bones popping. "Are you okay love?" She asked as she walked up to him.
He smiled and accepted a kiss from her as she slowly knelt next to him. "I'm okay love, just a bit tired from this homework. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."
She smiled at him. "Ancient Runes was never a favorite of mine either, but unfortunately it is important for your O.W.L.'s. So let's see what you did here." She said as she took his parchment and scanned it, seeing no mistakes on it. "You did well love, Professor Babbling will be proud when she sees the care you've put into these."
He smiled at her. "I try to do well on every subject, no matter how much I dislike it. Hermione made sure of that in the past few years."
Bellatrix smiled and crawled into his lap. "Hermione is not the only reason for your academic prowess though."
He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against her chest, letting the rhythm of her heart soothe him. "So what's next love? Did you have anything else planned before lunch?"
She shook her head and kissed him. "We can have lunch and then do our Potions lesson afterwards. Your mother gave me the perfect recipe as a lesson today."
He smiled and kissed her. "And I bet she has made it a hard one as well, albeit not as hard as you get me on a daily basis.
Bellatrix blushed and slapped his shoulder. "You're incorrigible, my love. How can I still make you so horny when I start looking like a whale more with each passing day."
"Is that really what you see, because all I see is my beautiful wife, round with child, and that alone makes me more than horny." He said honestly, kissing her softly as he softly caressed her belly.
Bellatrix moaned softly and pulled him as close as she could these days, and she knew it was only going to get harder as her pregnancy progressed. "You really are too sweet sometimes, one of these days you're going to have me bawling my eyes out."
He smiled and kissed her. "I don't mean to make you cry, love, and I can't even begin to understand what it is to experience pregnancy hormones, so if there is anything I can do to make this easier, please tell me and I will do it without hesitation."
"Crying about everything is a part of pregnancy hormones, my love, you are already running yourself ragged because of your want to appease me, there is honestly nothing else you can do right now, when I get bigger, I will ask for your help, that I promise you." She said as she stroked his back softly.
He groaned in contentment as he curled into his wife. "You seem stressed, my love, would you like a massage?"
"Only if you're up for it love." He said with a soft smile.
She smiled at him. "While it is true a traditional massage is getting more difficult, I can be very inventive. Sit backwards on the chair with your back to me and I'll give you a nice massage."
He smiled and gave her a kiss before they both stood and he took his position in the chair, while Bellatrix took up position behind him, taking a minute to admire his muscular back as he took off his shirt.
She then summoned her bottle of oil and poured some into her hands before she started massaging him, getting content groans from her husband. "Sweet Goddess that feels amazing. Your hands never fail to relax me, Bella."
"And I love the feeling of your muscles relaxing beneath my hands love, what has gotten you so tense? Is it the increased schoolwork?" She asked softly.
He shook his head at that. "No love, schoolwork has never been easier with you guiding me, but I'm just stressed about the inevitable battle. What if all the preparation is not enough?"
Bellatrix smiled at him. "It will love. Tom will not stand a chance against everyone combined with the school's natural defenses, his forces have been decimated and his old Faithfuls are not even a quarter of what they used to be. To top it all off Tom is at his weakest. With only one Horcrux left, he has no chance for victory."
"But what if Tom has already planned for that, and instead wants to do as much damage to the school as he can, cripple it so that it has to rebuild for years." He said softly.
She paled a little at that, having not even thought about that. "Our family and friends will do everything to prevent that from happening. They will not allow Tom to wreak havoc on the school."
He smiled faintly at that. "I suppose you're right, my love, but I can't help but worry. We haven't gotten a lot of information recently.
She smiled as he turned around again, and she wasted no time in pulling her lover back into her lap. "No news is good news, my love. That is one of the lessons I learned from Eliza. If anything changes, I am sure they'll let us know. We have to trust our family."
He smiled and kissed her deeply. "I know they will, and I do, it's just all this sitting around waiting for the shoe to drop is making me antsy, even though I know perfectly well my side is by my wife."
Bellatrix smiled at that. "I know it is hard for you, and I can only respect your decision to stay here with me even more because of that."
"When I have to choose between my wife and a fight that might kill me there is really no contest. I will always choose you at the end of the day. You mean everything to me and there is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you and the girls safe." He said softly.
She smiled and guided his hand to her belly. "Your daughters are also happy that you chose us. they're really excited right now."
He smiled dreamily at her. "It still feels amazing to feel them moving around so much."
Bellatrix smiled and kissed his cheek softly. "They only are this active when you are close, usually they sleep for most of the day."
Fabian smiled at her as he slowly pulled down her dress until her belly was exposed, placing soft kisses on it. "Daddy loves you girls so much, and we can't wait until we can meet you. You girls will loved your entire lives and we will make sure you will be safe forever."
He felt two distinct kicks against his hands, making him smile brightly. "They kicked against my hands. They've never done that before."
Bellatrix giggled at that. "It's the first time I felt this too, it feels really weird."
He smiled and kissed her. "Can you imagine that in four months we'll finally be able to hold them in our arms. That we will be parents then?"
"I've had dreams of us being parents for as long as we have been together, but with every day that passes, those dreams come a bit closer to reality, and I just know that once those two girls are born, everything we have gone through will have been worth it." She said softly.
He only smiled and relaxed against her as they reveled in the feelings of their little ones moving around and being active.
…
Later that night they were relaxing in the living room when the door burst open to reveal a ragged looking Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Draco and Astoria, all of them sporting various cuts and bruises as they cast several Stunners out the door.
When the five joined them they sagged into the couches. "What happened?" Fleur asked as she and Nymphadora joined them, immediately claiming Hermione between them, and to Fabian's surprise, Hermione let them.
"Everything went to shit, that's what happened. Tom invaded just after dinner, and while he has a small force, they were very vicious. They didn't kill anyone yet, but after everyone scattered, I doubt they will let that go. They will certainly patrol and this corridor will be targeted constantly because Ron and Bill know where it is now. They are specifically tasked with bringing Harry in, along with anyone who associates with him. I heard he has special plans for Fabian and Bellatrix." Hermione said as she tried to relax in her lover's arms.
"How about the teachers? Are my Mum's and Aunt Cissa and Aunt Eliza alright?" Nymphadora asked softly.
Hermione smiled and kissed her. "They weren't in the Great Hall when Tom barged in, and I heard McGonagall say they were safely back at home already."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear, but what are we going to do now, I don't think it's safe for you guys to go back to the Common Rooms."
Harry and Draco shared a glance with each other. "That's easy. We plan an attack from here, one last assault against the Death Eaters and Tom. It is the only way we can contain the damage."
"Why even plan at all. Everything we have ever planned has gone to shit one way or another. We do our best work when we improvise. His force is small enough to pick them off a few at a time, and I think Minerva has already put word out to the rest of the Order, so if we can find a way to coordinate with her, we can at least time the assault." Ginny said with a smile.
Fabian and Bellatrix shared a look, nodding at each other. "We want to help too. I know we've had this discussion before, but I have a feeling you will need us."
"Are you absolutely sure brother?" Draco and Fleur asked simultaneously.
Both Bellatrix and Fabian nodded. "We are, we know our family and friends will protect us, and the more people we have standing against Tom, the better it is for everyone. We should also ask Luna and Gabby to join us. They are a very dangerous team that they will not be prepared for."
Everyone smiled at that. "Then we welcome your help, but I think you should get our sisters so they can give some input as well." Draco said with a brotherly smile.
Fabian smiled and gave his wife a kiss before making his way to Luna and Gabrielle's room, knocking softly to get their attention. "Who is it?" Luna's voice asked sleepily.
"It's me Lu, do you two have a minute?" He asked with a smile.
There was somewhat of an acknowledgement as he heard a faint ruffle of clothes, the two blondes emerging in their sleeping robes after about a minute, surprised to see the living room packed with people.
He led the two sleepy blondes to the couch with Bellatrix and smiled as he sat down and they cuddled up to him and Bellatrix. "What's going on, why is everyone here?" Luna asked softly.
"Tom invaded right after dinner, and Ronald and William chased everyone to the room. We're going to throw everything in a single assault once we hear from McGonagall. His force is small enough that it shouldn't be a problem, but we will need everyone, and we were hoping you two would join us as well." Fabian said softly.
Luna and Gabrielle shared a look and smiled at everyone. "We would love to help. Tom hurt us in more ways than one, so we would love to exact some revenge."
"That's great, with our entire family backing us I am certain we will win this." Harry said with a smile.
Everyone nodded when there was a timid knock on the door, making everybody be on alert in an instant.
Hermione quickly cast a spell to make the door transparent on their side, everyone sighing in relief when they saw it was only McGonagall on the other side, with no one else in sight.
Fleur quickly made her way over to open the door to let their Headmistress in, closing it quickly with several locking Charms once she was inside.
"I'm glad all you made it out in relative safety, but in light of everything, I will get straight to the point. It is complete pandemonium out there. Tom has taken control of the Great Hall and intends to make his last stand there. Most of the teachers have gone into hiding, with only the Heads of Houses remaining behind to protect the students. I have contacted Kingsley and he has the entire Order on standby at a moments notice, and since I know you all well enough to know that you already have some sort of a plan hatched." McGonagall said with a tired smile.
Everyone shared a look at that. "We have a plan of sorts, but it is not much different from what Tom is planning. He seems to have it in for us specifically, so why not appease him so we can protect everyone else." Harry said with a smile.
McGonagall sighed at that. "As much as it pains me to admit it, it is the best option we have. It protects the students and will contain damage to the school. Do you have a time in mind?"
Again everyone shared a look. "Tomorrow morning, it might be a bit of poetic justice after everything he has put us through, but we would appreciate it if you could inform Neville of this as well. He deserves revenge for what Tom did to his parents."
McGonagall nodded at that. "Since they will be in the Great Hall and will patrol the school tonight, I suggest you all take this night to prepare. We will speak more after everything has been dealt with, because if you pull this off, you all deserve a proper reward."
They all nodded as McGonagall Disillusioned herself and made her way back to her office.
"In light of everything, I think it is best if we all go to sleep now, and discuss the details tomorrow morning. I think we all had enough excitement for today." Hermione said softly.
"That is for the best, would you mind if we would conjure up a couple of beds here? I really don't want to go back to the Common Room now." Harry asked with a tired smile.
"You are all welcome to stay here, I am sure you can fix something in terms of sleeping arrangements. Good night." Hermione said with a soft smile before she was being led back to the bedroom by her lovers.
Bellatrix and Fabian picked up the again sleeping Luna and Gabrielle as they carried them to their room, for some reason both of them feeling the need to have the two blondes close.
The two blondes in question stirred a little as Bella and Fabian laid them down in their bed, the two lovers wasting little time in joining them, and it didn't take them long to fall asleep themselves.
…
The following morning Fabian and Bellatrix were woken up by two familiar giggles. "Good morning girls. How did you sleep?" Bellatrix asked with a sleepy smile.
Luna and Gabrielle smiled at them. "We slept okay, but why did you guys bring us here?"
Fabian smiled at his sisters. "You two were out like a light after our talk with McGonagall, so we figured it would be better to have you sleep over with us, and both of us felt that we needed you close for what is about to happen."
"We feel the same, although I wonder why." Gabrielle said softly.
Both Fabian and Bella smiled at that. "We've had a theory about that for a while. It is because of how much Fabian needs Luna in his life, and because you have always been close to Fabian and are mated to Luna, it stands to reason we need you too, and more importantly, the girls are calmer too." Bellatrix said with a smile.
That made Luna and Gabrielle smile brightly. "That's sweet of you to say Bella. It means a lot to us."
She smiled at them. "They are pretty active now, do you girls want to feel?"
They both nodded and laid a hand on Bellatrix' belly, their smile only brightening when they felt soft kicks against their hands. "That feels so amazing. Is it always like this?" Luna asked softly.
"Most of the times when Fabian is close, it does. But it seems they really seem to be developing a pattern as to when they sleep and when they are awake, so I can usually plan my business accordingly. It also helps a lot that they I haven't had much of the usual pregnancy symptoms most women in our family suffer from, so that is a big plus as well." Bellatrix said with a smile.
The two girls smiled at her. "Being pregnant must such be a magical experience. Sometimes I really can't wait until we can start our own family." Gabrielle said with a dreamy smile.
"I can't wait for that either love, but I think it's best that we finish school first, we wouldn't want to give Mum another surprise, otherwise they might start blaming us for getting grey hair." Luna said softly.
Gabrielle smiled and nodded as she gave her lover a kiss. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that on our conscience, but I think we should get dressed, otherwise everyone will go to war without us."
They all nodded and since Luna and Gabrielle always had a change of clothes in this room too since the first time they had spent the night, they all wasted little time in getting dressed.
When they stepped out into their living room a few minutes later, everyone was already present, now including Neville and his girlfriend Hannah Abbot, and all of them looked ready for what was about to come. "Good morning everyone. Did you all sleep okay?" Hermione asked with a smile.
"We did, thank you Hermione. I trust you all did as well?" Bellatrix asked with a smile as she re-adjusted the magical protector around her belly. She wasn't taking any chances today, especially not when it came to the safety of her unborn daughters, a sentiment she knew her husband shared wholeheartedly. It was pretty obvious that she was pregnant though, and that alone would make her a target today, but she had the utmost faith in her family and friends.
"Are you sure you are up for today, Bellatrix?" Harry asked kindly.
The raven haired witch smiled at him. "I am more than sure Harry. That bastard deserves to pay for everything he has made me do and the things he has done to the community at large. Now it is time for us to show him that our community is stronger than fear and hate."
Harry nodded and smiled at her. "Right, before we go I'll bring everyone up to speed. McGonagall has the entire Order on standby in the Transfiguration classroom, and it seems patrols have stopped. Tom is now biding his time in the Great Hall and is apparently waiting for us to show up, so I think we should not keep him waiting any longer. We need to kill his snake first before we do anything else, otherwise we will not be able to kill him today. I am sure all of you were there when we retrieved the Prophecy so we all know I have to be the one to kill him, and while we all know I am not one to usually listen, I will this time. It is after all for the better of our community. Finally, McGonagall will be waiting for us near the Great Hall so she can join us for this battle."
Everyone nodded at that. "Let's waste no more time then. The sooner we can end this, the better it is for everyone." Fleur said with determination.
Harry smiled and nodded. "We are likely going to get blasted the moment we step foot into the Great Hall, so keep your shielding spells ready."
Again they nodded and then followed him out of the room, the biggest battle of their lives in front of them, and all of them anxious for what today might bring.
As the walked through the silent halls of Hogwarts, the couldn't help but feel the stark contrast with its usual liveliness that usually permeated the halls of Hogwarts. "It's such a shame that Tom managed to suck the life out of the school in one evening. I never heard such little noise in the halls." Bellatrix said softly.
Fabian smiled and kissed her cheek softly. "Soon these halls will be filled with life again, my love. We will make sure of that."
She smiled and squeezed his hand softly. "Not just these halls though." She said softly.
He nodded and kissed her softly. "That's true, our home will soon be filled with noises as well."
She nodded and kissed him softly, drawing courage from the intimate contact with her mate. "Please promise me that you will keep it together love. We can't afford to be reckless today."
"As long as I have you next to me, I know I can keep my composure." He said softly.
Bellatrix smiled and kissed him softly. "Good, because I need you to keep me grounded as well. Chances are that you are going to see a whole other side of me. It is one part of my upbringing I can't repress, the lust for battle."
Fabian smiled at her. "I want you to let it all out love. You can't hurt the girls if you go all out, our Bond prevents you from going too far with your magic."
She nodded and gave him a last deep kiss as they had arrived at the Entrance Hall leading up to the Great Hall, all of them surprised to see no one even guarding the door, which meant Harry had been right and that they were going to get blasted the moment they stepped inside.
Everyone prepared their best shielding spells before Harry and Ginny pushed open the doors.
…
The moment the doors were fully open, streams of red jets hurried towards them, all of it bouncing harmless off their shields as they spread out and Harry confidently stepped forward. "You're too predictable Tom. We knew exactly what your plan was. We both know how this is going to end, so how about we get to it."
Voldemort glared at him. "You are an insolent boy, Harry Potter, and you are a fool if you think you can defeat me with this gaggle of Blood Traitors and Mudbloods, but if it is a fight you want, it is a fight you will get. Kill them all, but leave young Potter to me." He said menacingly with a flick of his wrist.
The Death Eaters spurred into action, and of course Ron and Bill made a beeline for Ginny, Hermione and Fleur.
From there it erupted in complete pandemonium, everyone of the Order dueling their way through the Death Eaters.
Bellatrix and Fabian were going head to head with Dolohov and the Carrow twins, and he saw what his wife had meant when she said she had another side to her. He was deflecting every spell the trio threw at her, while throwing back plenty of offensive spells herself, and for a minute he looked at her in complete awe before he remembered that they were in a battle to the death, and it didn't take him long to become completely in sync with his wife.
She flashed him a smirk and put even more power behind her spells, and because of that, it didn't take long before the Carrows fell to her wand and Dolohov fell to Fabian's.
They only shared a smile before moving on to their next targets, which by all accounts weren't many people.
Hermione, Fleur and Ginny were having their hands full with Ron and Bill who had been joined by Crabbe and Goyle, while Nymphadora was dueling Rebastan Lestrange on the other side of the Hall.
Luna and Gabrielle felt a bit out of their element, but when they saw that Fleur, Hermione and Ginny were having difficulties, they stepped in without a second thought and since none of the four students the five were facing had been the best duelists and relied mostly on the training they had received with the Death Eaters they were no match for the five women, and soon Crabbe and Goyle were flung back by Ginny's Reducto, and Bill and Ron were severely injured on the floor, quickly bound by a full Body Bind spell courtesy of Hermione and Fleur.
Nymphadora had just done the same with Rebastan, and as she looked towards her mates she saw that they had also dispatched of their attackers, which put a smile on her face and she wasted no time in making her way over to her lovers, sidestepping a few Death Eaters who were lying unmoving on the floor.
At that moment the doors to the Great Hall again swung open to reveal McGonagall and the remaining members of the Order, and even the few remaining Death Eaters saw this was a lost cause.
All of a sudden there was a great scream coming from Tom, who was now clutching his head in clear agony, and as everyone glanced to the side, they saw Neville brandishing the Sword of Gryffindor and the smoldering corpse of Nagini, with his parents standing next to him, a big grin on their faces.
Harry was dueling Voldemort one on one and now that he knew the man was vulnerable, he smirked at him. "You've lost Tom, any last words before I end this?"
"You will never be rid of me, Harry Potter. I will always be a part of you, whether you like it or not. My reign my have ended, but there will always be another to take my place. Your fight has only just begun." Tom said with a malicious grin before he started flinging spells at Harry again.
Harry was prepared and blocked it all with a smile, and when their wands connected just as they had a few years ago, he started putting more power into his side.
Tom just didn't have the power left to counter it and as it engulfed him, he started to disintegrate, flecks of his skin falling off until he exploded in a flash of dark green energy.
And just like that it was over, the Dark Lord Voldemort was dead and the few remaining Death Eaters were already bound by the Aurors, and aside from a few scratches, everyone was okay.
McGonagall waved her wand in a grand manner and in an instant the benches were back on the floor, so everyone could take a seat, an opportunity Bellatrix and Fabian took without hesitation. "Are you okay love?" He asked softly.
She smiled and kissed him. "I am, more than I thought I would be. I expected this to be a long and drawn out battle, but this was more of a skirmish. The Death Eaters were disorganized and Tom was weaker than I had ever seen him. As soon as I noticed that, I knew this was a won battle before we even started casting our spells, but I have to say it was hot to see you in your element." She said softly.
He smiled at her and pulled her into his lap. "You won't believe how much effort it took to not embarrass myself in battle. You were the epitome of a Warrior-Goddess and it actually took me a minute to regain my composure."
Bellatrix blushed and nuzzled her nose against his scar. "Ehem, you are still not alone. Could you two keep it in your pants until you get back to your room?" Narcissa asked with an audible smile.
"Hush Cissa, we're not doing anything inappropriate. We just need to be close after everything." Bellatrix said softly.
Eliza and Narcissa smiled at her. "We were merely teasing you Bella. It seems most couples are having trouble keeping away from each other, but McGonagall wants to have a word with everyone, now that everything is over."
Fabian and Bellatrix nodded at them and followed the two women to the front of the Great Hall, where McGonagall had reconstructed the podium. "I just want to congratulate you all on a well fought battle. I am immensely proud of everyone who participated and I will talk to everyone separately over the next couple of weeks. Furthermore, until we have repaired the damage to the Great Hall, I am postponing classes until after the holidays. I want the Heads of House to inform the students that Christmas Holiday will start a week early while I inform the parents. In that extra week we will have repaired all damages to the Great Hall."
Everyone nodded and took that as their sign to leave, the three mated couples making their way back to their room, all of them beyond tired already, even though it wasn't even lunch time yet.
When they were back in their room and they had seated themselves on the couch they let out a collective sigh. "Even though I expected that to be a very short battle, I'm still dead of my feet." Bellatrix said softly.
"That's partly because you are pregnant love, but also because we fought on an empty stomach, does anyone else want breakfast?" Fabian asked with a smile.
Everyone nodded at that. "We could all do with a good bite to eat. I'll give you a hand, brother." Fleur said with a soft smile.
He smiled and hugged her once she was in arms reach of him. "Thanks for everything you have done for us, sister. It means a lot to us."
Fleur smiled at him. "We promised to keep each other safe, and that is what we did. There is no need for thanks between family."
He smiled at her as they prepared a nice breakfast for their little family, settling on a combination of French and English breakfast foods to give them the energy back that they had spent.