Author's Note

Please forgive any spelling and/or grammar errors. I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think!

PS I'm not J. K. Rowling, so I don't own anything :(

Chapter 10: Here's to Preferring Rare Meat

Fire raked down her arm as his claw-tipped hand sliced through her flesh, quick as a flick of a whip and thrice as painful. Lily dove, skidding across the floor and rolling to her back. She aimed, screaming, "Reducto!"

Greyback was faster than she'd anticipated. He leapt out of the path of her spell, a striking viper, and the jet of light blasted apart the examination room door instead. Screams echoed down the hall as the door exploded, filling the hall with debris.

He was disgusting. Stringy, grey hair, hanging in lank clumps, with random bald patches. Scars littered him face and neck, probably the rest of him too, but thankfully his tattered, filthy clothes covered most of him. His nose was long and blunt - the beginning of a snout almost, though probably just the result of multiple breakings.

Worst of all, even more than the curling, red-dipped talons he sported coming from each finger, was his mouth. It was rimmed in blood. Blood trailing down to mask his chin and part of his neck. Blood with gnawed off bits of flesh and tissue stuck like breadcrumbs in honey, with more caught between his teeth.

Where was her new patient? Was the woman hurt? Lily tried to find her, but she couldn't.

'Diffindo!' she silently cast, gritting her teeth grimly as a slash opened up on his chest, red blooming like a flower uncurling its petals in sunlight.

He roared in pain, lunging for her, red grimace snarling viciously, and Lily spun away, trying to get to the door. She aimed and silently screamed, 'Impedimenta!'

She missed. Gnashing her teeth in frustrated anger, she glanced at the door, but Greyback remained stubbornly in her path. She backpedaled, staying out of reach of his swiping claws, and slipped in the puddle of sticky blood. Lily gasped, her arms pinwheeling as she bent and skidded across the floor, catching herself on the end of the newly deceased Mrs. Cooper's bed.

With a shove, Lily sent the edge of the bed knocking into Greyback's knees, forcing him off balance and giving herself a chance to put some more space between them.

Lily made for the door, but was brought up short when Greyback staggered sideways. Seriously? He was still somehow between her and the door, despite their scuffling.

'Stupefy!' she silently shot, missing him by a hair. Merlin's saggy balls, he was fast! She'd never taken on someone with such animalistic survival instincts before even when she'd trained.

The red jet of light bounced harmlessly off the wall, ricocheting into nothing, and Lily tensed, preparing herself to attack again. She couldn't allow him to get a hold of her or have the upper hand. If she did, it'd be over with a single swipe across her vulnerable throat.

What was his plan? Kill her and still somehow get out of the hospital? Surely he knew that she'd fight back. That he'd be stopped. But where were the guards?

Purple light headed her way, and Lily dropped to the ground. Where the bloody hell had he gotten a wand from?

Voices from the hall sounded closer - finally! They were just outside the door to the room she was in. The woman she'd been helping still had yet to make a reappearance. Was her patient all right? Had she gone for help - as much as she was able to in her dancing condition?

Lily was barely upright again when the force of a wrecking ball slammed into her, sending her careening backwards. Her arms pinwheeled for a second time, but this time her feet slipped out entirely from beneath her, toppling her - straight through the window.

Glass shards snagged her robes, pulling and renting the fabric, but luckily not cutting her directly. Then Lily was falling. She tucked and rolled on instinct, thanks to years of practice falling off of broomsticks during rough games with her family, and during her last three years playing Chaser for Gryffindor.

She didn't bother to look back, just turned on the spot, Disapparating. She had to trust that there were enough people in St. Mungo's to stop Greyback from killing anyone else. Right then, all she could worry about was her own safety - selfish, though it was. She was the one Greyback was after, and if she were gone, hopefully, he'd leave too.

The familiar sight of the Ministry foyer came into focus a second later. The bustling Floos, green flames igniting periodically. Swirling golden symbols on the cavernous ceiling of the Atrium. The statue that commemorated all who had died fighting during the First and Second Wizarding Wars, wizard, goblin, werewolf, and house-elf alike. She'd seen it all a hundred times over the years.

Lily shoved through the people arriving for work or heading out for meetings, ignoring the indignant cries as she did. She rushed into an open lift, repeatedly pushing the button for level two, and slamming the grill shut before anyone else could join her.

"I'll say! Young people are so rude these days," a man huffed, but Lily was breathing too quickly to attempt a reply. Not to mention he was soon out of sight as she sped towards her father's department. Lily used the time to mend her robes and tie her hair up. Better for her dad's sanity if she not show up looking quite so battle worn. There was no time to care for her cut and bleeding arm though as the elevator slowed to a stop.

As soon as the lift opened, she made her way to her dad's office on autopilot. No one even seemed to notice her, or if they did, she ignored them.

Then he was there. Messy, raven hair. Round glasses illuminating brilliant green eyes. Tall and strong with the sleeves of his robes rolled up to reveal a number of scars along his arms. Funny how the sight of her father's wounds were comforting, not hideous as Greyback's had been.

"Daddy," Lily said, drawing Harry's immediate attention. She felt like she was five years old again, and had just gotten hurt messing with one of Uncle George's experiments when she knew she wasn't even supposed to go in the backroom of his shop.

"Lily! Oh, Merlin, what happened to you?" Harry asked fearfully, moving to her at once, but appearing scared to actually touch her.

Now that she was here, and knew she was safe, all the aches and pains her body had been ignoring made themselves known. Adrenaline was wearing off and shock was setting in, making her body tremble.

"Lily?" Harry prompted, urging her to tell him what brought her before him in such a state.

She still couldn't believe she was mostly all right. Relatively fine. While her patient… poor Mrs. Cooper. It had probably been her wand that Greyback had taken, unless he'd had one of his own all this time, which she somehow doubted. He'd never been known to carry one before.

"Greyback," Lily said quietly, his mere name making her shiver as she explained, "he was in my patient's room. He killed her. He attacked me. He -"

"Greyback? Why?" Harry gasped, disbelief furrowing his lightning-scarred brow as he studied her.

The only real injury she had was her arm, and bits of her still shredded lime green sleeve - the fabric too jagged to quickly mend properly - were stuck to the parallel cuts.

"He hasn't been seen since… Why now? Why you?" Harry murmured, scrambling to piece the clues together.

"He wants to hurt me… because… because of Teddy," Lily admitted slowly, regretting that they'd waited so long to tell Harry about the pair of them. "He sent Teddy a note yesterday threatening me."

Harry frowned, shaking his head a bit. Lily could tell he wasn't following. He likely thought her an odd choice to target. Jamie was more like a brother to him if Greyback was doing this to hurt Teddy. Probably, Harry would never have suspected the truth at all, not if she didn't say it explicitly.

"I don't -"

Lily interrupted, announcing simply, "I love him."

Harry stared at her, clearly stunned as his mouth fell open.

Lily reached out to him, wincing as she did. The action spurred Harry into motion. He was shifting and striding to his door in an instant, bellowing, "Boot! Danforth! Get to the Minister's office - now!"

"We were going to tell you this morning," Lily offered, not able to get a good read on what Harry was currently thinking.

"Which part?" he asked, conjuring a bandage that wound tightly around her arm. Lily blinked, wondering why she'd not thought to do the same in the lift. Shock most likely.

"Both," Lily stated quickly.

"I'm sure it's an interesting story," he said, guiding her towards the fireplace. Only department heads had them in their offices, and he'd been promoted a few years earlier.

"Potter, you'll never believe what we just - oh, you already know," an Auror said, several years her dad's senior, looking from Harry to her and back again.

"Yes, Dawlish," Harry said dryly, waving the older man off, a silent order to begin investigating.

"Minister's office!" Harry called, tossing glittering Floo powder into the empty grate. He gently nudged Lily forward, and she stepped into the flickering green flames that had suddenly erupted.

"Harry? Lily? What's happened? Why'd you take the Floo?" Hermione gasped, coming around her desk to approach the pair that had unceremoniously arrived amidst a grey cloud of soot. Her critical eyes took them in, missing nothing.

"Greyback tried to kill my daughter," Harry replied tersely, not sparing one of his oldest friend's a glance as he checked the room and hallway. Harry was saying something to someone outside the door, but Lily couldn't make it out.

"Oh, Lily," Hermione said worriedly, touching the white gauze lightly, "you're hurt."

"It doesn't matter, Aunt Hermione. Dad, what are you going to do?" Lily demanded, never recalling seeing him quite so tense before. "He had a wand. None of the security guards showed up at all, and I had a patient that -"

Harry held up a finger, stalling her from explaining more, though he'd nodded along as she spoke, filing all of the information away.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry called, conjuring his trademark silver stag. "Get to the Ministry - now. Lily's hurt," Harry ordered, gritting out the words. The Stag trotted off, soaring away, before he'd even finished speaking.

"He was already on his way," Lily said absently, realizing who her father's message was for. Or he would be soon enough. He normally had the Quibbler off at the post office first thing, and it rarely took very long.

"Now he'll be here sooner," Harry said, correctly assuming Teddy would jump at the summons. Both, because of who had sent it, and because of the contents being delivered.

"Hermione, look after her," he barked.

Aunt Hermione, to her credit, didn't bat an eye at Harry's sharp tone, no doubt used to it and able to look past it to the more important matter at hand as she nodded her agreement.

"Dad?" Lily asked quietly, unwillingly scared, and needing his reassurance just then.

"I'm going to St. Mungo's," Harry explained, pausing long enough to meet her hazel eyes. "With any luck, someone in that massive place managed to stop Greyback, though I'm not counting on it if he still has a wand. For now, stay with your aunt. Two Aurors are posted outside with orders to only let Teddy in until I get back."

Then, with a swift hug, he was gone.

"Why is Teddy coming?" Hermione asked, and Lily could practically see the pieces coming together in her mind, her intelligence helping her to reason out the only logical conclusion.

"He's the reason Greyback is targeting me," Lily said, helping her aunt along the path to its inevitable end.

"Of course. I'd wondered," Hermione said, smiling softly.

"You did?" Lily asked curiously. She wondered what people saw when they took in her and Teddy's interactions.

"Over the last few months, I've seen you laugh more than you have in years. You shine when he's near. It's the same for him. But Harry said it was nothing, so I didn't press," Hermione mused.

"We hadn't told Dad yet," Lily admitted. "Not until just now, actually."

"I see," Hermione said, biting back a laugh at her dad's expense.

"Lily!" Teddy cried, racing into the room and reaching her in three strides. The very second he was close enough, his arms went around her.

"Teddy!" Lily breathed, relaxing into his hold, and pulling him even tighter to her. She clung, inhaling his scent as it swirled around her, embracing her in its comforting hold as well.

"What happened?" he demanded, not understanding how things could have gone wrong when it'd only been a couple hours - all of which she'd spent safely at work in a crowded hospital where security guards were posted on every floor.

"Greyback came to the hospital, but I'm fine," she said, clenching her jaw when he gently touched the fresh bandage. A bit of blood had seeped through, painting a thin line of deep scarlet. "It's just a scratch."

"I could have lost you," he said thickly, the full scope of the situation hitting him. "Just like…"

"But you didn't. I fought him off. I'm right here," Lily reassured him.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he vowed, reverently touching her cheek with shaky fingers.

Lily swallowed, attempting a bit of levity to ease his mind. "That sounds a bit impractical."

"Who cares?" he muttered, leaning in to brush a loving kiss on her lips. It was a life-affirming caress, not passionate.

But it quickly became so. The kiss deepened, morphing into a declaration of every fear and hope this situation had made each of them feel.

"I'll just give you two a minute," Hermione murmured. "But I'll be just outside the door." Both of them ignored her quiet exit.

Too soon, Teddy pulled back, staring intently at her. "I'd only just read your owl when Harry's Patronus arrived. For a second I feared…"

"We're going to stop him," she said fiercely.

Teddy nodded, claiming her lips in another bone-melting kiss.

"How did Harry take the news about us?" he asked, his lips moving against hers as he spoke several minutes later. She doubted he was actually interested in hearing about that right then. More, he wanted something to distract him and take his mind off what had happened to her.

"Not really sure, to be honest. He didn't say anything, so your guess is as good as mine," Lily said easily, unconcerned.

It had probably been a shock to him, but her dad would come around once he had a chance to think it over. She and Teddy were well suited, and it wasn't like Harry had not gone for his best mate's little sister, so he wasn't in any position to judge. Unless you considered the fact that he was Lily's father, of course. Somehow that meant different rules applied. Guess she'd have to wait until she had two kids of her own to fully understand. Maybe three kids. The idea was starting to appeal to her more and more.

"He was probably more worried about Greyback," she added, regretting that she'd been the one responsible for scaring both men so thoroughly.

"Probably," Teddy agreed, sighing and tugging her to sit on his lap, as though he needed to feel more of her to reassure himself she was going to be all right.

Teddy touched the bandage on her arm, hesitating. Regret swamped his face at the evidence she'd been harmed at all. Harmed because someone wanted to hurt him. He fiddled with the frayed end piece.

"Well, go on. You know you want to see how bad it is," Lily encouraged, sensing it wasn't too bad. She'd moved pretty quick earlier. Her reflexes from years of mandatory training weren't as rusty as she'd expected. Truthfully, though, she'd gotten lucky, and she knew it.

If it was truly awful, she'd not have wanted him to see the injury until it'd been properly treated. In fact, she'd need to get her hands on some of the dittany and silver salve they used at St. Mungo's to treat werewolf-inflicted wounds. That would help it heel the best it could. Minimize the scarring too. Honestly, though, she'd been hurt far worse over the years playing Quidditch.

The next couple days were likely to be a bit rough though. A low-grade fever would set in, and she'd feel weak and nauseous. Possibly even have trouble sleeping. Not a fun prospect, but not awful either.

When the bandage finally came off, she was relieved to be correct. Teddy turned her arm this way and that, assessing it carefully. Lily watched him swallow, waiting to see how he'd take it. Mentally, she braced herself to deal with self-recriminations, but Teddy swallowed again and looked up at her.

"You're the Healer. You tell me, how bad is it?" Teddy finally rasped, keeping his face carefully blank as he did.

"It'll scar some, but not so bad as Uncle Bill's face," she answered honestly.

He sighed at that, long and low, relief evident. She liked that he could read her well enough to know she wasn't just putting a brave face on it, and that he trusted her to know herself. Then he nodded, asking, "Can I clean it, or should we wait?"

"Clean it. I'm not sure what all was under his nails, and the last thing I need is it getting infected," she said, shuttering as she recalled bits of Mrs. Cooper, at the very least. It turned her stomach to realize he'd used those same claws on her after using them to murder the defenseless old woman. Possibly, it was also the wound making her feel a bit queasy.

"Scourgify," he whispered, the dried blood and visible foreign bits vanishing immediately.

The remaining skin was tender, flushed a pale red and swollen along the open edges. It started just below her shoulder and ran down to the crease of her elbow. He'd gotten her with three nails, though only two went the entire length of her upper arm. It was grisly, but only really cut into the skin, missing most of the underlying muscle.

It might get a bit stiff when the weather changed, but shouldn't otherwise impede her much, if at all in the future. Maybe she'd end up preferring her meat rare too like her uncle and Teddy, who had inherited the preference from his dad. Time would tell.

"Episkey," he added, then frowned when it did nothing to mend the shallowly torn flesh.

Lily snorted, and winced as the movement made her arm burn a bit. Fire to go with the steady throbbing. "You know that doesn't work on cursed wounds." Which this was, because despite the lack of full moon, Greyback was so much closer to his beastly side that he was always partially transitioned.

"Had to try," he muttered, pulling her close again, seeming content just to hold her until Harry returned and gave them the all clear.

After he'd had his say on their relationship, of course.