Chapter 35

Let's leave no words unspoken (All I want by A Day to Remember)

Kirley nearly stumbled as he landed at Adl after his first session with Remus. He hadn't wanted to stick around and have Moira or Ianthe worried over him though. Luckily, Daphne had been at The Keep and had healed his minor injuries. To say that Remus' wolf was disgruntled would be the same as saying that rain was a bit wet. Everyone who usually stayed at Adl and wasn't part of their core 'family' had been booted for three days, today being the first one they had been allowed back. He hadn't missed the worry from Ruya and Fatin, though the others of that group had made a distinct effort to show how unaffected they were. He wasn't dim enough to mention that he'd seen through it.

He made his way from the portkey room up to his suite, wanting nothing more than to sleep for a few hours. Shoving open his door, he caught Ruya's scent and turned to see her curled up on the chair in near the window. "Is everything okay?"

She looked up from her book, smiling softly. "Oh yes, I wanted to be here in case you were as weary as I thought you would be. Dealing with a reluctant wolf would be difficult even for an alpha."

He closed the door and smiled wryly. "I take it you've helped with reluctant nimrs?"

She stood gracefully, reminding him of just how tiny she was. Gorgeous too, he'd spotted that right off. Her soft laughter was answer enough as she crossed the room and took his hand. "I had hoped that it wouldn't offend you, me being here."

Offended by a gorgeous and powerful woman waiting on him to see if he was okay? He wasn't daft. In fact, he really liked the way she looked all comfortable in his room. All that had kept him from asking her into his bed was the worry that she'd kick his arse for it. She might be tiny, but she much like Gin, proved very well that size was no indication of power. "To be honest, I'm relieved."

"Come and sit with me. We'll have a whiskey and you can tell me just how difficult it will be for you."

Good gods, he was not going to be able to keep his hands off her any longer. But, she was right, they needed to talk. Perhaps she had some words of wisdom in this matter. At this point, he'd take all the help she was willing to give. Then he'd talk her into his bed.

-DBG—

Draco and Blaise shared a look of amusement as Ianthe led them back to Lilis' kitchen, where she had said it was most likely Luna could be found. He swore she muttered something about 'and least likely to cause voluntary memory loss', but he wasn't certain.

"Lilis, I have company!" Ianthe pushed open the door and laughed.

Draco's brows shot up. Miles in an apron? Baking? There were some things that were once seen that couldn't be unseen. He swore Blaise snickered before coming to his senses and stifling it. He was risking life and limb if anyone heard him, mainly Lilis. Miles' temper was nothing compared to Lilis'. "Sorry to interrupt."

Miles rolled his eyes. "What brings you two here?"

"We have an interesting turn of events that we feel needs shared," Blaise said dryly.

"Oh yes, very interesting and something The Quibbler should announce as soon as it can be done," Draco added, spotting a chocolate cake on the counter and wondering if Lilis would be sharing it.

"Ohhh sounds intriguing."

He looked over his shoulder to see Luna and Ariston standing in the hallway. He wasn't going to point out the leaves in her hair or what looked to be grass stains on Ris' trousers, if only because he really didn't want to know. "Indeed."

"Well, don't just stand there." Lilis rounded the table, shooing them away from the door. "Let me get you all something to snack on and drink before we have this little chat. Do I need to send someone for Morag and Tony?"

Draco was still eying that cake. "If you want to, if not, we trust you to pass on our little plan."

"You know, I think I hear Moira calling. I'll just leave you to it."

Blaise snickered quite plainly this time as Ianthe all but ran out of the kitchen. "Your Mum moves fast when she thinks she might overhear something she shouldn't."

Lilis laughed. "She says what she doesn't know, she can't object to. That and Moira will just descend and clean up any mess we may make anyway."

They knew better than contradict her, taking seats around the large table. In short order he had a large piece of cake set in front of him by a very amused looking Lilis. "Did you think I was unaware of your little obsession with chocolate?"

He grinned cheekily. "Oh no, I knew you knew. Thanks, Lilis."

She was already moving on, handing everyone treats with Miles passing around coffee mugs. One day, when Lilis was far out of hearing, Draco was going to ask Miles if he knew that the cute little apron took the badass right out of him or not. The things the men did to make their girls happy were just one of those things that he made a concentrated effort not to think about. After all, he and Blaise had allowed Gin and his mum in the same room as Lucius because they couldn't deny them a single thing. Still, it just had to be mentioned at some point, if only for Miles' reaction.

The door banged open and Morag raced into the room with Talon coming in behind her, shaking his head and sprawling in one of the chairs. "Scones! I must have scones this minute."

Lilis rolled her eyes, pulled her wand and levitated over a large box, dropping it in Morag's arms. "Lazy, Madam, you are totally lazy."

Morag blew her a kiss and dropped down into Talon's lap. "You love me anyway, Lils. So, what is this little meeting all about?"

Blaise looked up from his eccles cake, smirking. "Oh, just that we thought Luna and her father would be interested in a story we have to tell."

Luna looked up from her perch on Ris' lap. "Story about what?"

Draco sipped the coffee before answering. "Well, the public has the right to know that Henry Nott came crying to… Moira perhaps… begging for safe haven. He had a knapsack full of Lucius' remains, who he had killed to prove his new loyalties, and swore to tell all his former Master's secrets if she would harbour him."

Luna's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"I like it," Morag said, devouring another scone. She shook her head. "Mum would be the one to go to since he wouldn't dare go near Marguerite or Narcissa."

Luna shifted on Ris' lap, pursing her lips. "Well, we can, of course print it. We have one almost ready for publication. What is your end game though?"

Draco smirked, pushing his empty plate away. "Well… we plan on bringing Henry to his disgusting master when the battle at Hogwarts commences."

"Yeah," Blaise added, "Theo got to pick the punishment and apparently seeing what that sick bastard will do to a traitor interested him."

Morag shuddered. "I have a feeling we're going to be covered in bits o' minion again."

Miles snickered, leaning on the counter with an arm around Lilis' waist, sipping coffee. "Have I said lately how much I enjoy the way your minds work? Seriously, this is brilliant."

Draco just smirked, knowing it was expected. It wasn't brilliance; it was preservation of Theo's sanity. But, no one else needed to know that.

-DBG—

"All right, listen up!" Tonks had called everyone currently at The Keep that had expressed an interest in fighting out to the grounds. Remus and her mum had gone to the other estates and were giving the same speech at each of them as well. "We've been given the go ahead to train you up a bit. No one under age sixteen can train, sorry but those are the rules I was given. We don't know when this battle will start and I am restricted to teaching, not joining in. For that, Adrian Pucey will come here and with some of the others you have seen in and out, including my husband, we should have your basic training done in time for you all to help end this war."

"Is it true that Mrs Snape and Mrs Zabini are working with Mrs Moon and Mrs MacDougal to have a place for us to live when it is all over?"

She smiled, scanning the crowd. "It is indeed, my mum as well. They have many plans, none of which I am cleared to discuss now. They will tell you soon though."

Susan stood. "I don't want to fight, but I can help heal people, right?"

"Yes, Daphne and Pansy are happy to teach a handful of people the basic healing spells. None of us doubt that there will be injuries and death. You need to think long and hard about that before you show up here after breakfast tomorrow to begin training."

She turned and walked away, wanting to dig into the box of goodies Lilis had sent over this morning. The ginger cookies were definitely going to come in handy as morning sickness had hit her hard.

-GBD—

Aradia knocked on the door warily. She and Gin needed to talk. "Gin?"

"Come in, Dia!"

She pushed open the door and was happy to see that Gin looked to be in an excellent mood. There were things that needed saying and she had let it sit too long. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course, I always do for you."

She wasn't entirely certain about that, but closed the door anyway. "We've not had time to chat for far too long."

Gin's brows rose. "Is everything all right?"

She sat down on one of the floor pillows and sighed. "I miss you, Gin."

Gin sighed heavily, leaning over from where she'd been sat on one of the other pillows in front of the fire. Aradia was yanked into a fierce hug. "I'm sorry, Dia."

Aradia hugged her once more before sitting back. "Don't apologize, I am just being selfish. So much is going on and we all are being pulled in a dozen different directions it feels like."

"I should have taken the time, I am a horrible friend."

Aradia rolled her eyes. "No you are not! What you are is a happily engaged woman sitting in the middle of a stupid war, one who is helping to plan war strategy." She ran a hand through her hair. "Look, I was always a bit on the outside from those five…at least once we got to Hogwarts. Even when we were little, I wasn't with them as much as they were with each other."

"Oh, Dia."

She held up her hand. "This isn't a bid for sympathy, Gin. You know some of this, I know, but it needs saying in light of the last week or so."

Gin sat back, sighing. "Go on then."

"You know my parents…had an accident my first year at Hogwarts. You know that I have never, ever asked about the truth either. I have my suspicions, as I am sure you do as well. Especially now. I never want to know what those five may or may not have done or what Aiden and Bill may or may not have done. I am content knowing that whatever was done kept me safe."

Gin opened her mouth, paused and closed it again.

"I remember Lucius visiting more and more the closer it came to time for Hogwarts. I always did think it matched up too well, three high status pureblood boys and three girls of equal status. I think Lucius wanted to poison all of us, marry us off to one another, and have a little group of puppets at his every command." She paused, shaking her head sadly. "None of them had an Aiden."

"They had Marguerite and Cissy," Gin pointed out softly.

Smiling sadly, Aradia nodded. "That they did. Aiden meant for me to live in Egypt with you. I remember him storming around Fox Run seething and muttering about Dumbledore being an interfering bastard. I don't know what he held over Aiden's head, but likely it was that he would use his place on the Wizengamot to try and force you back to Hogwarts or revoking Aiden's guardianship of me. Whatever it was, it worked. Marguerite was the one to call should anything be needed when I was at Hogwarts, I don't think I told you that before."

Gin shrugged. "You kept the two separate mostly. I never minded that you didn't talk about school much since I made a concentrated effort to try and forget about anything except the new life I had been given."

"I saw them slipping further and further away as the years past. The boys also got quite fanatical about the three of us girls knowing how to protect ourselves. Selfishly, I concentrated on you, Bill, and Aiden. They were friends that I would fight to protect, but you three were family that I would die for if I had to. Then, you all came together and I had nearly everyone I cared about right there where I could see you. It was wonderful. I wish it could have stayed that way."

"We are all still together, Dia."

"For now. You and I both know that there is a good chance that we all won't see the other side of the war. I guess I'm just feeling maudlin thinking about it. I want to get back to our jobs and feeling safe. Good gods, I want to be back at a point where I can go shopping without having to fear attack if I do. I don't want to see my family, and yes I mean all of you, broken and hurting. That is what I hate the most."

"We're all broken, Dia, even you," Gin pointed out.

She shrugged. "Oh, don't I know it. I see it though, how much happier Draco and Blaise are these days. You are to thank for that."

Gin grinned. "I like to think so. But, back to the matter at hand. We'll survive this, Dia. I insist on it. When it's all said and done, we are having a Gin and Dia day. Deal?"

Aradia sat back and smiled genuinely. "Deal!"

-DBG—

Neville had gone straight to the extensive garden of potions ingredients with a list from Nott and Snape in hand. They'd asked him to gather what they needed from The Keep, with Miles full permission, as everyone Snape felt was skilled enough would be brewing healing potions from not until the end of the war. Apparently, the group running this whole setup did indeed think of everything. He never thought he would happily be hiding out at a former Slytherin's estate, but war made for strange occurrences.

"Do you want help?"

He looked up from where he'd been cutting aconite for pain relief potions and smiled. "Sure, Sus, grab a basket."

"Where should I start?"

He looked down at his list, which was alphabetized, and pointed over to the left. "Belladonna, please."

Neville waited, letting the silence stretch until they had collected a good fourth of the list. "So, you are going to help heal the fighters?"

Susan nodded, flushing lightly. "I want to help, but fighting scares me a bit."

She was just too sweet sometimes. It made him smile to know that some weren't as affected by the war as he had been. Cutting the peppermint, he shot her a smile. "I think it is a good thing to be afraid of. If we don't fear war and death, then what do we have to fear?"

"Fear itself," she quipped, handing him an empty basket.

Enjoying the light-hearted atmosphere, Neville pushed aside thoughts of the group he knew feared nothing. It never did one good to dwell on the things that couldn't be changed after all. Pushing up to his feet, he held a hand out for Susan. "Are you up for helping me get these prepared to send off to Snape and Nott?"

She smiled and nodded, gathering up three of the baskets. "I like to help and it is really nice to talk about something pleasant."

He could agree with that. Levitating the rest of the baskets, Neville laid a hand at the base of Susan's spine and they walked the long way, through the rose garden, just so he could see her smile again.

-BGD—

Morag waited until she, Talon, Miles, and Lilis were alone. Planting her hands on her hips, she speared both boys with her 'do not disagree' look. "We should go now, while everything is settled for a few hours."

"Agreed," Lilis said, putting away the last of the baked goods. "Hel and Tony were going over their business plan the last I knew."

Talon just shrugged, his tone teasing. "As if I am going to say no. You get to explain to our mothers when we get back though."

Miles snickered. "Man up, Tal. If you're willing to elope, you should be man enough to face your mothers' wraths after."

Lilis huffed. "I am going to marry my Miles whether you two," she glared at Morag and Talon, "sit here and debate over it or not. He will not go into battle without a wife to come home to. Now, are we going?"

"Yes, yes we are." Morag grabbed Talon's hand and pulled him towards the passage. "We're also going to allow our mothers to throw us a huge gala after the war is over to celebrate. Lils can even make me a cake of scones."

She pushed open the wall to the passage, knowing that it was the quickest way to get across the house and not be stopped by anyone. Everyone had been steering clear of the passages after it had become known that Ares and Flora liked to use them for… chess games. Luckily, she'd seen them curled up together out in the gardens not five minutes ago.

"You know, this reminds me of the time we-"

"Don't, Miles," Talon cut him off neatly, grinning wickedly. "I want to hear more about this gala Morag is planning."

She snickered and Lilis grumbled. "Oh don't worry, Lils. I am certain Miles is up for making it worth your while to get all dressed up. Just think, if you two want to sneak off for a shag, I can get everyone's attention and have them tell me how gorgeous I look and how stunning my husband is."

"Now, Morag," Miles teased, stepping up to see if the hallway was clear before pushing open the doors.

She rushed down the hallway, shaking her head, muttering, "As if me being a princess is a new thing, honestly."

She banged on the door to Hel's room. "Open up you two…wait; only open up after you get dressed."

The door swung open a moment later. Tony rolled his eyes. "Sor! Just because you can't keep your knickers on doesn't mean anyone else has the same issue."

"Love you too, Tony," she said cheekily, not bothering to hold back a grin and then a smug look as she backed him into the room. "We have plans. Those plans involve you two. We need you to come with us now."

"Dear gods," Hel muttered, not moving from his chair just yet. "What is it and how much mayhem is it going to cause?"

Lilis pouted. "We will tell you on the way. It is a good thing, you know. A happy thing."

"Let me get shoes," Tony said in a long-suffering tone.

Hel got to his feet, shaking his head, pointing at her, Tony, Miles, and Talon. "Fine, but I had best not to have to bail you out and keep it quiet again."

Morag grinned. She'd known they wouldn't object much, not when faced with her and Lilis.