Author's Note:
Reviews and Comments: To Queen Helen: Was Fred ever really innocent though? LOL. It was nice to hear from Althea again and we will see her again soon. To ANewRanger: I hope each chapter is as sweet as you expect. To alix33: You're not the only one to be apprehensive about the RNS meeting. It's like readers don't trust me or something *wink wink* To elin2002: Happy to help. I hope the last two weeks have improved for you. To FoxEarsAK: Once you said that, I can understand why, but no, it was only Fred and not Mina or Leo, but wouldn't that be interesting haha. To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Who doesn't love a family conference on Percy's sex life? LOL To Nightwing2013: Remus will survive and I'm sure Tonks will more than make it up to him once her parents leave. Yes, I think Dragomir was a Death Eater in the books; someone Ron Polyjuiced when they broke into Gringotts, but this is a different character.
To ValGrey02: Thank you! I love the idea of Tonks and Andromeda having a great relationship! I think because of her background, Andromeda would want to make sure that she had a great friendship with her daughter as well as a mother/daughter relationship. I love Papa Charlie, too! To Wolf's scream: Nah, he just definitely loves to be the centre of attention! To Steelcode: Thank you! I always smile when I read how much you love my chapter! To ellyann13: Thank you for reading my Jily story, it's much older, but I hope you still enjoy it, despite my dismal writing skills back then haha. As to RNS, might be a while. To Mikhail: Thank you! I love Misha too and I think he deserves some more love. To Dianne: Weird that Google says bi-weekly means twice a week. How come when my employer tells me I will get paid bi-weekly I don't get paid twice a week? LOL. I'm proud of my Ginny line. I'm glad people enjoyed it because I chortled as I wrote it. To pix25: Althea is a fun character and we'll see more of her soon.
To rodrimiry: It's nice to know that I can still elicit a few surprises even with Narcissa and Lucius. I miss Finn, too, and as to Draco and Theo… we will have to see. I'm looking forward to introducing more Hannah and Neville as I'm enjoying writing about them. To Bumlewis: Poor Remadora, always being interrupted by the in-laws haha. And how can Fred be anything other than overdramatic? To jadely31: Thank you! I like responding to the reviews as I appreciate every single one of them. To Chris: Thank you. I love writing it. To midnitewanderer: Haha, so glad you loved the line! Seems I shocked a lot of people with the Narcissa storyline. It's nice to know that I can still surprise people 262 chapters later. As to Percy, I love that storyline of him being into the naughty sex. It just fits because he's so straight-laced! To Seriously Sam: Of course Harry fills her in! He's smarter than her brothers LOL. To Jainam21: I'm sorry you haven't slept in 6 days, but thanks for reading! Hope the wait on a new chapter let you catch up on sleep LOL. To astolfo83: Yes, the story will end. If it's too long for you, you're not obligated to read it.
To Chintan: Always good to be worried LOL. Is it Rolf? Well, we'll have to wait and see! To DannaFolch: Thank you! To RachelJMLivingston: Thank you! I mean, if it was in a printed book it would be massive haha. To ianrock68: Thank you! Ginny knows what to say to keep her brothers in line. To Lara: I like writing Charlie as a papa. More Hinny scenes will come. To Tiegdalewills15: You think Zee's letter seems dodgy? Interesting. And aww, you think I'm a legend? Compliment accepted as I blush profusely! To tim2604: I can't imagine Harry not being included in the Weasley brothers. Seriously Sam writes that brotherhood to perfection in my mind, in her stories. Great reference! No, there won't be an Immigrant Song, but I'm sure there will be some use of it at a later time. To Guest: I never heard that song until you mentioned it, but I looked it up and I can see the similarities to Hannah. To miniandminie: Thank you! I love Remadora and I love when people appreciate my story for the Remadora.
To SilverStarwolfe: My old Beta! I've missed you! It's lovely to hear from you and I'm so happy you're still reading! To Dutch: Thank you. To mzmidnightpoet88: Thanks for being a first time commenter and wow, one of your 10 favourite stories, that's a compliment! To speedsONEandONLY: She does miss him, too. You're right. If they didn't have to go to work, they would never stop haha. To Amanda Wilder1: Wow, thanks for binging! I love writing different POVs, but it is hard to keep them all straight as a writer haha. To Sloopyqueen4: Thank you! It's nice to know people have become so attached to my world. To CinnamonWhistle: Thank you! I promise to not stop writing. To fins44: I'm sorry you think the Remadora relationship is fizzling out, I disagree. Sometimes domestic bliss is needed. To ahem stelena: Thank you! I'm sure it's not the best fanfic you've ever read, but I'll take the compliment. To TSB: Not intentionally killing your favourite characters in a countdown LOL, but maybe if you give me your list, I can let you know LOL. To TheLadyGagaSimp: Thank you! I'm not Athena's reincarnation, but appreciate the compliment!
To Leapyearbaby29: How can you not laugh at Harry's story? To briana_t: Ginny definitely said that in front of her brothers haha. She's not taking shit from anybody! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Thank you! To AQuickRead91: Unfortunately, I didn't write a formal chapter for the trial, it's more just mentioned in passing. I did write fortnight originally, but I thought a lot of people wouldn't understand what that meant so, I went with bi-weekly. To Jmcglynn522: Always have Percy's pale freckled moon LOL. To Raindrops & Flowers: I have my own humour? Thanks haha. I am pretty sassy IRL so, sometimes it slips out. As to Ron, of course he's only pretending to study. To SoCalGirl28: I like that my story is long. It's a commitment. To Harry: Thanks! I love knowing I made people genuinely laugh. To Cat: Thank you! I'm honoured you're obsessed with my writing. It's so lovely to hear people enjoy what I write. To Endinium: Thank you. I do love writing Remadora. To PurpleLotus: Thank you! Hope I don't disappoint. To Herakles: Wow! You read 262 chapters in a week! Bless you! I'm so happy you knew Zee was it for Sirius from the very moment. She holds such a special place in my heart. Harry will definitely fight the world for Ginny and he knows she can handle herself. Happy to make you fall in love with a Russian badass and his wife. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Thank you to my amazing friend Heather for helping me with this Zee scene and getting that character just right. Thank you to Sam for giving me the nudge I needed to write this last scene.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the bit of this scene from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, belongs to JKR.
My posting schedule: Bi-weekly.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND SIXTY-THREE:
As January came to an end and February swept in with a vengeance, Theo started to feel less and less like himself. He had a set schedule between classes, homework, and attending the Wizengamot. He liked the monotony of it. He felt less sad and more like his life really was moving on without Finn - and it was this thought that made him feel depressed all over again.
He tried to keep himself busy. He made time at least once a week to sit with Ciara and to listen to her stories about school and friends. The forget-me-not plant was thriving on his bedside table and he took constant advice from Neville on keeping it alive. Neville promised to show him how to plant it into his garden at home to keep it as a lovely keepsake for Finn that would rebloom every year.
But the thing that Theo found himself missing most was the camaraderie from his dorm. Being the only one in there was oddly lonely and he felt himself looking for more… for something to help him get over the daily pain he felt.
The last week of January was when he first found it.
It started off as simple flirting, and then he'd spent two hours snogging the pants off Stephen Cornfoot. Stephen kept swearing that he liked girls in between kisses, but just like he had in fourth year, Theo ended up on his knees, and Stephen definitely wasn't thinking about girls much longer.
Theo thought maybe it was just a fluke, a reflex to get out of himself. He had tried vodka first, switching between the clear liquid and the golden crimson that was Firewhiskey. He carried a flask in his pocket almost every day, sipping it between classes to keep warm. He drank himself to sleep most nights and some mornings he started his day with a shot, trying to numb the pain, trying to feel something. The thought of finding someone new was the last thing that he wanted. He couldn't imagine falling in love again. No one could replace Finn, could replace how Finn had made him feel, but sex wasn't love.
And he needed to feel something.
It was what he told himself to dull the ache as he continually met with Cornfoot discreetly. It wasn't just Cornfoot either. Theo had learned early on that most blokes had no problem getting a blow job from another bloke. They were getting off, and really, that was all that mattered to them. By the end of February, he'd lost track of who he'd spent time with and how many times. It was a blur to him, a mix of faces and cocks that he couldn't quite distinguish. He'd crawl into bed at night, wishing someone would touch him as he fell asleep with tears on his cheeks and alcohol on his breath.
It was how he came to be snogging Colin in the office of the Herald that afternoon. Colin kissed him back, rather enthusiastically, and when Theo pulled back to look at him, he would smile shyly.
"Theo, you're very good at that," Colin assured him.
"So you keep telling me," Theo said. "Kiss me again."
Colin sighed and cupped Theo's cheek. "You don't want to kiss me."
"I just said I did."
Colin stared at him. "We're friends. I know you don't like me as anything more than a friend and you're brilliant, but I feel pretty much the same about you."
Theo pulled away from Colin's touch and shrugged. "Whatever, if you don't want me to suck you off, I'm sure someone else will."
"Theo!"
But Theo was already leaving and Colin only watched him go.
He didn't need Colin anyway. He just wanted to feel something and he didn't think that it was Creevey's business to judge that. If he wanted to snog a hundred blokes and suck a hundred pricks, Creevey had no say in it. Theo kicked the wall as he walked by, the impact forcing him to stumble and he almost crashed into Harry who was coming up the stairs on his left.
"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed as Theo wobbled and Harry grabbed his arms to steady him. "You all right?"
"Better now that such a strong man was here to catch me," Theo teased, reaching into his pocket for the flask and taking a long sip.
Harry stared at him. "Right."
Theo moved closer, the flask still in his hand. "Did I hurt you?"
"No," Harry assured him. "You okay?"
"Fine," Theo said, bringing the flask to his lips again. "Just looking for a bloke to snog. You interested?"
Harry's face flushed red.
Theo's lips curved. "I love how you get all embarrassed. It's adorable. But just so you know, if you did snog me, I'd blow your mind… among other things."
"Theo," Harry said slowly, clearing his throat. "Look, I know that you're still dealing with Finn's death —"
"—says who?" Theo interrupted. "I'm just teasing, Harry! As much as I would love to snog the Chosen One, I would never to do that to Ginny or you because for some strange reason, you're just not interested in me."
"That's not the point," Harry said. "You're not acting like yourself. If you weren't drunk, you wouldn't be hitting on me."
Theo rolled his eyes. "I'm not drunk, Potter! And a little flirtation never hurt anyone! Merlin knows you and Ginny are much too sickeningly in love for me to ever even remotely consider making a move there. For fuck's Salazar, a bloke can't even make a joke without someone breathing down their neck! I'm fine!"
"Are you?" Harry asked, gently. "Because this isn't like you."
Theo's jaw clenched. "Yes! And you can tell Ginny I said so and maybe she'll stop bloody worrying! I can act the way I want to. Maybe I need to act differently, ever thought of that? I'm fine!"
He could feel Harry's eyes on him when he turned and marched off. He took another long sip from the flask as the liquid burned his throat, not feeling any better about himself, but in fact, feeling much, much worse.
~ ASC ~
Colin took a seat next to Ginny that evening, startling her. She'd been writing furiously, trying to finish up the article she wanted to write for the paper.
"Hi, Colin."
"Hey," he said. "I'm worried about Theo."
Ginny put her quill down to look at him. "What happened?"
"We snogged," he said, his cheeks flushing. "There wasn't anything in it. I mean, I like Theo. He was my first kiss, but we're just friends. I would never want to ruin that, but I felt like he needed a snog and... he wanted to do more, and I politely told him that we're just friends and… he got really defensive, claimed that if I didn't want him to suck my cock he knew plenty of others who would. It wasn't like him, Ginny. Theo never acts like that."
Ginny frowned. "I don't know if I like the sound of that."
Colin tapped his hands on her desk. "I get that he's grieving and that he's still coming to terms with losing Finn. But it sounds like he's just snogging whomever he can, like he's trying to forget something. I don't know. It's not good for him. But as long as I was snogging him, he wasn't drinking, though it was clearly evident that he was beforehand. I thought a few innocent kisses would… I don't know, maybe I only thought I was helping. I think I made it worse."
Ginny tapped her quill, eyes on her friend. "I've tried to talk to him about the drinking and he denies it or tells me that he needs it. Harry found him slurring his words the other day and said that he had a few drinks with him before he managed to get him back to his dormitory. I'm worried that this is going to…"
Colin gripped her hands in his. "He won't."
Tears filled her eyes. "He tried it before. Malfoy stopped him."
"No, he stopped him," Colin assured her. "His thoughts went there, but Theo was stronger than that. He is stronger than that. He's grieving and he's lost, but he's not looking to end his life. Did Harry really drink with him?"
Ginny nodded. "He said that it made Theo less defensive, that he even talked a little. I just don't know, Colin. Does letting him drink and throw his life away count as moving on?"
Colin nodded. "Maybe, if it's what he needs to do to move on."
Ginny bit her bottom lip. "We need to keep a better eye on him. We have to. We can't just sit back and let him spiral out of control like this. We need to come up with a plan."
Colin frowned. "Like follow him around or something?"
"If we have too," Ginny said. "I'll speak to Harry and Ron about it as well, recruit them into helping. As much as Malfoy and Zabini were gits, they were his friends, and with them being gone… him returning to an empty dorm every night isn't good for him either."
"He has Ciara and her little band of Slytherins."
"Yes, but they're only in second year."
"Doesn't mean that they won't watch out for him," Colin told her. "Ciara calls him uncle."
"No, you're right," she said. "Ciara loves him, too. We can use them. Maybe we can even get Daphne to help. Without Pansy around, she's been kind of nice."
Colin nodded. "Yeah, she has been. Maybe if we figure out how he's doing once he returns to Slytherin, we'll feel better."
Ginny sighed. "I just wish that I could make him feel better. I've been telling Mum about him and Bill too, and we're all worried. I've left out the drinking bit to Mum as it would worry her too much, but Bill knows."
"Will your brother do something?"
"I was hoping he might have some ideas on how to help him other than Harry's idea of just drinking with him."
Colin grinned. "At least Harry got him to talk."
Ginny scowled. "I want him to stop drinking until he passes out and I hardly think joining him helps."
"I agree, but maybe we do just have to let it… run its course. That doesn't mean that we can't keep a closer eye on him, though." When she only nodded, he gestured towards the parchment. "What are you scribbling so fiercely over there?"
"I'm writing something, for the paper, I think."
"Advice?"
She shook her head. "No, it's about this Muggle." At Colin's look, she sighed. "Kind of like his life story. He was a hero."
"And you have an interest in him because…?"
"He was caught up in the magical world and I find his life fascinating. He died young and I just think that his story needs to be told. It's just that I can't seem to get it quite right. I just know that I have to tell it."
Colin nodded. "Then write it. It's not something that the Herald usually publishes, but when it's done we'll see if we can fit it in. You should definitely write a story you're passionate about, Ginny."
She smiled. "Thanks. When I finish, you can read it and decide on what we should do with it, yeah?"
He agreed to that, eyes on her. "Perfect."
Ginny's eyes met his. "Do you know where Theo is now?"
Colin nodded. "Pretty sure he's in the sixth floor boys' toilets with Gary Rivers."
Ginny frowned. "I hate this. I hate watching him just let blokes take advantage of him."
"It's mutual, Ginny. No one is forcing him to do this."
"I still don't like it," she said.
"Me neither," Colin admitted. "Like I said, I think by snogging him, I made it worse."
Ginny offered him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it didn't. Let's just keep a closer eye on him and assure him that we're here."
But she wasn't entirely sure if she believed it would be enough.
~ ASC ~
Zee felt anxious at the thought of leaving the twins. Even with her parents and grandparents living next door, she hadn't been away from them any longer than it took her to shower. Her grandparents had returned to America at the end of January, but Misha and Sorcha were still living in her old cottage and she was incredibly thankful to them. But today, for the first time in two months, she would be stepping out away from her babies.
And she was terrified.
She stood at the door with her purse as Misha leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"An hour or two, Zahira. They vill be fine."
Zee hesitated. "Papa, I just... what if they need me?"
Misha hugged her close. "Mama and I vill take care of them. Now go, meet your magizoologist and then vhen you come home, you can tell us all about him."
Zee hesitated again, eyes on Mina and Leo. Mina was in Misha's arms, eyes open and Leo was sleeping in Sorcha's arms. "If you need anything, I'll have the mirror or you can send a Patronus. Or maybe I should just take them with me."
She stepped forward, placing her lips on the head of each child as Misha chuckled. He tugged her away and kissed her cheek again. "Go, doschka. Ve are fine."
Misha gave her a gentle nudge out the front door, closing it behind her. Zee stood there on the stoop for a moment still not ready to leave before she took a deep breath and gave her head a shake. They would be fine. She took another deep breath before she marched in determination off to the Apparition point. She was a grown woman and Mina and Leo would be perfectly fine with her parents. She knew that, logically.
But leaving them was strangely harder than she anticipated.
The nudge at her hip had her hand automatically reaching out to stroke the panther's head. "You don't want to stay with Mina and Leo, Lady G?"
The panther purred and nuzzled her hip. Warmth spread through Zee. She could always count on Lady Godiva to be there for her. She wrapped her arm around the panther before she could change her mind and Apparated to Manchester. She headed to Piccadilly Gardens, seeing the statue of Queen Victoria and carefully leaned against the right side of it. Queen Victoria lifted up her skirts and Zee slipped under into a secret door leading to an arched column that took her straight to Apricity Lane. The high end street was full of expensive shops, a high end apothecary, and a multitude of jewellers, restaurants, and shoe stores. She found the small café, The Poison Brew, and headed inside her heeled boots clicking on the cobblestone under her feet. It was where she'd asked Mr RNS to meet her. She ordered herself a honey lemon tea and a butter scone with strawberry jam before she sat down.
The Poison Brew was known for its selection of teas and confectionaries along with their popular mix of different caffeinated beverages and cappuccinos. They served biscuits and scones as well. It was situated next to the Gringotts Stock Exchange that stood at the end of the street along with the Northern Station of the Official Fire Broomgade.
Zee looked over the resume again as she waited, watching as witches and wizards came in and out on their way to work. She was early so when the door opened and a young man approached her at five minutes too, she couldn't help but smile. She always appreciated punctuality. According to his resume, he had just turned twenty on the thirteenth of November, but the boyish face would have made her place him closer to Harry's age despite the light stubble on his cheeks.
He had light brown hair, windblown under his cap; his cheeks were flushed from the cold, and he had eyes so dark they glinted against the light, like fire in water. He had a scratch on his cheek that looked fresh under light stubble and a bright smile. His eyes roamed the café before his gaze fell on the panther lying under Zee's chair. He extended his hand as he approached her.
"Agent Zacarias, I presume?"
"Mr RNS?"
"Guilty," he said with a smile as he sat down. "Thank you for meeting with me. I hadn't heard about your maternity leave until after I asked to meet with you, so I'm honoured that you'd allow me to pull you away. Congratulations on your baby."
"Babies, actually. I had twins, but thank you."
"Twins. Wow! Bet that's a handful."
"My parents are godsends, but yes, it is," she said with a smile. "So, Mr RNS, you know how impressive your resume is. It's one of the reasons why I decided to meet with you personally. Can you tell me why you wanted to meet with me specifically over Goldwin Oliphant? He's an exceptional magizoologist himself and the head of the menagerie in the DRCMC, while I am only the deputy head and newly promoted at that. I'm not sure why you'd prefer me over him?"
The young man nodded. "Because you're well known, Agent Zacarias. Not that Oliphant isn't, of course, he's done some exceptional work and I've read his thesis on nurture over nature when it comes to raising magical creatures among witches and wizards."
"Yes, Mr RNS, I'm aware of Goldwin's many accomplishments, but it still begs the question: Why me?"
"Because you're my idol," he said, his cheeks flushing a bit.
Zee looked up in surprise. He considered her an idol? Her? "Me? I suppose I've done a bit over the last decade, but I don't think that I'm someone I'd consider idol worthy."
The young man shook his head. "I would. I think that you're exactly the kind of agent I would see as a mentor and someone who I can learn so much from. I worked with Abioye and Danica in Africa where they told me stories about how you rescued a baby panther. I heard that you found the panther in Kenya after Muggle poachers had killed her family and you confronted them without fear, ordered them to stop without using magic, and turned them over to the Muggle authorities for their crimes. I heard that panther stood with you and hasn't left your side since the day you rescued her."
"Trust me, it wasn't without fear, but I like to think that we rescued each other," Zee told him with a smile, petting Lady Godiva.
Lady Godiva stared at the young man, resting her head on Zee's knee.
He nodded at the panther before he turned back to Zee. "Not only did I hear about your work with the panther, but I spoke with Zhang, who told me of the woman who rode a motorbike through the Sahara desert and flew a Hippogriff across the Li River and over the Great Wall. Bura Visnjic told me how you rescued baby griffins in France at great personal risk to your own life. When I studied the Merpeople with Agent Aetos in Corfu, I learned all about your friendship with Princess Sapphira. Not to mention how often your name's been tossed around in accordance with the changes in the Ministry as of late. The house elf legislation you pushed for, your promotion as deputy head to the menagerie under Oliphant, your work with the new defence department… I wanted the chance to work with you personally."
"Thank you." Zee said, sincerely. "I love what I do and I love working with magical creatures."
"I'm also a fan of your column," he admitted. "My grandfather reads it every week and he always has something to say about it. Z Confessions of a Magizoologist is always fun, interesting, and pro magical creature; something that we don't get to see a lot of from witches and wizards. Too many people like to blame the creature for a problem that the witch or wizard in fact created."
"I write anonymously," Zee said, frowning. "How did you find out it was me?"
"My grandfather has pull and he wheedled the name out of the Daily Prophet. He wanted to speak to you himself about it, but he promised me that he would wait when I said that I had an interview with you."
Zee's eyebrow rose. Someone had wheedled her name out of the editor? She was going to have to speak to Evangeline. "Who is your grandfather?"
The man shifted in his seat. "He's the reason why I applied with only my initials. I don't want his name to get me in somewhere that I don't deserve to be on the basis of my work alone."
"That's a fair thought depending on who your grandfather is," Zee told him. "But your work speaks for itself. I, of course, will be contacting those you listed as references to confirm, but if even half of this is true, you have the start of a great career in front of you."
He smiled. "Thank you. It's what I've always dreamed of. I grew up listening to Grandpa tell me all about his adventures. He had an incredible life and my grandmother likes to claim that it all started when he let his niffler loose in New York City."
Zee frowned. "That does sound like an interesting story. What's your name?"
The young man smiled again before he spoke. "My name's Rolf, Rolf Newton Scamander. And yes, my grandfather is that Scamander."
Zee's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I heard rumours that he had a grandson who wanted to follow in his footsteps, but I had no idea that you were already out in the field."
Rolf nodded. "My father wanted me to be an Auror like him, my uncle, and my grandmother, but I always loved Grandpa's stories. He always had the most incredible creatures in his house growing up. He and Grandma have three pet Kneazles that they adore named Mauler, Hoppy, and Milly. He's supposed to be retired, but he still spends all of his time reading your column, studying Fire Slugs, and trudging through excursions in the Brazilian rainforest every summer."
Zee smiled. "That sounds about right. Some people just can't imagine not working, especially when it's something we love passionately."
"Agreed."
Zee tapped the resume on the table. "So, you wrote your OWLs at Hogwarts five years ago? What made you decide to transfer from Hogwarts to the Koldovstoretz School of Magic?"
"Things were getting intense here," Rolf admitted. "Hogwarts was undergoing the whole Quirrell fiasco, there were rumours of unicorns being killed in the forest. Grandpa was communicating with Professor Dumbledore, discussing coming down himself to try to find out what was killing the unicorns, but Dumbledore kept advising caution. He claimed that Grandpa wasn't as young as he once was and that if it was indeed a dark wizard like my grandfather suspected, it meant even more caution was needed. When it came out that Harry Potter found the Philosopher's Stone and stopped Professor Quirrell from taking it, Grandpa told me that Dumbledore believed it was Lord Voldemort who had killed the unicorns."
"You said his name," Zee said in surprise.
"I was taught that fearing the name only gives him more power," he told her. "My grandparents were around when Grindelwald was trying to take over and they always told me that they refused to bow down to any dark wizard, including giving his name power."
"Did they know Grindelwald?"
Rolf's eyes met hers. "Grandpa's been friends with Dumbledore for years and I know that the two of them worked together in ways that brought him close to Grindelwald, but I don't know the details. They don't talk about the war much, but I know that they were more involved than they've said."
Zee nodded. "Yes, I'm sure that's true. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Your grandfather has an incredible reputation and he's one of my idols as well. Please, tell me about why you transferred from Hogwarts."
"Well, I wrote my OWLs under the Ministry educational guidelines just before the whole thing with the Philosopher's Stone and then I spent the summer before my sixth year travelling abroad. It was how I met Professor Pahtanov. Grandpa and I were visiting the Village of Blue Fire to check on the dragons and he was volunteering there. I really liked him."
Zee smiled. "Pasha Pahtanov is an amazing teacher. He was my head of house when I was in school."
Rolf nodded. "He worked personally with me studying the dragons and we spent time studying the thunderbirds that had flown to Romania and were resting on the reserve. When we left the Village of Blue Fire, he invited Grandpa and I to attend a workshop at another reserve in Berlin where we helped Grindelylows get back to their proper homes and found a nest of nifflers that were terrorizing the German Minister's country home. We rounded them up and Grandpa helped show us how to tame a niffler, to keep them safe. He likes to tickle their feet until they give up the jewels."
Zee chuckled. "They can be little devils, but they're adorable."
"Agreed," Rolf continued. "After leaving Germany, Professor Pahtanov mentioned that he would be spending the year teaching his sixth years all about mythical creatures and each student would be adopting a magical creature to take care of and study for the year. I was fascinated and asked if I could transfer to the school. We spoke to the headmistress and Professor Dumbledore agreed to let me transfer. It took some convincing when it came to my parents, but they reluctantly agreed. I did my sixth year in Russia and then took an internship in New Zealand with Bura Visnjic. I was home schooled on the reserve before returning to Hogwarts at the end of the year to write my NEWTs with my classmates. I wrote my CRAWLs a month later and headed back to New Zealand. Visnjic sent me to Africa to work with some of the magizoologists there, which is where I met Abioye and Danica. I studied guanacos and jaguars in Argentina along with erumpents and phoenixes. I spent six months in Antarctica living with penguins and studying whales and seals with the Merpeople who live there. I trudged through the Brazilian rainforest with my grandfather and studied the creatures we came across."
"You've had quite a few adventures for someone so young," Zee commented. "You weren't worried about missing out on other studies while you were abroad?"
Rolf smiled. "Not at all. Life is an adventure. And as Grandpa always says, worrying means you suffer twice, so what's the point?"
Zee laughed. "Sound philosophy."
"I always thought so, but no, I don't regret it. This is what I always wanted to do for as long as I can remember."
"And you're a photographer as well?"
Rolf nodded, pulling the folder from his bag. "I am. It's one of my passions." He flipped open the folder to pull out some of the photos. "Here's some of my work over the years from some of the places I've been."
Zee flipped through the photos. They were incredible. He had a gift of capturing the heart of an animal from the sweet penguin taking food to another; to the erumpent letting its baby ride on its back; to the Hungarian Horntail landing in the forest, wings spread wide.
"These are beautiful," she said, sincerely, as she flipped through them.
"I like to use the camera to help document my trips, to show how I feel about the animals and the environment I'm in. I journal extensively as well."
Zee nodded, still flipping through the photos. "And why do you want to work for the DRCMC? Is freelancing not something that you're enjoying?"
"Oh no, I enjoy it quite a bit," Rolf admitted. "But my grandparents live in Dorset and my parents here in Manchester and I thought that it would be nice to have a home base in Britain again. I heard the open position is for a travelling magizoologist anyway so, I would still be traipsing around the world so to speak."
"Indeed," Zee said, smiling. "Rolf, you have a very impressive resume for one so young and I admit, the fact that you're a Scamander is in your favour."
"Hopefully not the reason you're considering me, though?" he asked.
"Not at all," Zee assured him. "After speaking with Goldwin, we were both extremely interested in your portfolio before even meeting with you in person. The position is bottom rung, low pay, but all of your travelling expenses will be paid for and there's benefits included. You'll help collect magical creatures and animals and bring them to the menagerie for study, healing, and to help bring them back to their homes as needed. You would work with higher agents on travelling to reserves and would be responsible for keeping up on paperwork for each case file. You would do additional training with another agent as well. Is that something you think might appeal to you?"
Rolf's smile lit up his face and made the light freckles on his nose show in the light. "Yes, definitely yes."
Zee smiled and extended her hand. "Then I think I'd like to formally welcome you to the Department for the Reconstruction with Cooperation of Magical Creatures."
Rolf shook her hand enthusiastically. "Thank you, Agent Zacarias. Thank you, so much!"
Zee pat Lady Godiva on the head when she nuzzled her leg. "You're welcome. Agent Oliphant will reach out to you about getting your papers in order and give you a start date, Mr Scamander."
He grinned widely. "I look forward to working with you, Agent Zacarias."
"Please call me Zee," she told him. "And I look forward to the same, though I won't be returning to work officially until next January, I'm always available through correspondence if ever you need anything, Mr Scamander."
He thanked her again and hurried out, a skip in his step. Zee rubbed Lady Godiva behind the ears, a soft smile on her face. Rolf Scamander, the grandson of renowned magizoologist Newt Scamander, considered her someone he admired, a mentor of sorts. An idol.
Sometimes the world still truly surprised her.
The ache in her breasts reminded her that she had been gone for over an hour and she stood up, eyes on her panther.
"Come on, Lady G. Mina and Leo are getting hungry and we've been gone long enough."
The panther led the way out The Poison Brew and Zee followed, still thinking about her new recruit with a smile.
~ ASC ~
Ron watched Theo take a long drink out of a flask and he frowned. It wasn't the first time that he had found the Slytherin drinking while he was patrolling on his rounds, but it was the first time that he'd seen him alone in a while. It seemed that Theo had become quite apt at finding company around the castle over the last few weeks. However, Ron didn't think that it was good company.
Ron's long legs made it easy for him to reach the other end of the hall before Theo headed down the stairs. He put his hand on Theo's shoulder.
"Why don't you pass that flask over?"
Theo's brow furrowed. "It's mine."
Ron took a moment to take in his messy hair, swollen mouth, and blurred eyes. "Right, it is, but I thought you might want to share."
Theo's face broke out into a grin as he passed the flask forward. "Naughty for a prefect."
Ron took the flask and took a swig of the Firewhiskey, letting it burn his throat before he spoke. "That's good stuff. Let's go sit down and drink some more, yeah?"
Theo swayed a little, but let Ron lead him down the hall and into the Room of Requirement. When they entered, the room changed into a warm common room similar to the Burrow, with a warm fire and two big comfy armchairs. Theo immediately plopped his butt into a chair.
"Not gonna talk me out of drinking, are you?" he asked, taking another drink from the flask. "Harry has a drink with me sometimes, you know?"
Ron accepted the flask when the Slytherin passed it towards him. "No. We've tried that and yet, here you are."
Theo grunted. "It makes me warm inside, like he did. I'm not warm anymore."
Ron nodded. He tried to put himself in the Slytherin's shoes, to imagine how he would react if something happened to Hermione. The thought was too dark and he didn't want to think about it.
He conjured two tumblrs and poured them each a drink, emptying the flask between them.
Theo merely pulled a full bottle of Firewhiskey from his robes. "I have s'more," he said.
Ron took the bottle and placed it on the table before them before he handed one of the glasses to Theo. "You'll be warm again," Ron assured him.
Theo shook his head. "I won't. He was warm and hard and soft. He kept me safe. He made me feel things. I can't feel those things anymore. I try. I snogged Colin, but he said we're just friends. He said snogging blokes isn't helpful, but what does he know? Stephen likes it when I'm on my knees. I like not being able to think. I know what I need."
Ron nodded solemnly, holding the glass to his lips.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Theo declared vehemently.
Ron didn't speak. He didn't say anything about Theo talking about it on his own. He didn't say anything about the drinking. Instead they sat quietly, drinking together until half the bottle was empty.
Theo slapped his hands on his thighs and stood up, swaying when he did. "I… I should find Stephen and snog him. Or maybe Boot. Rivers slobbers when he snogs you, but he has a nice prick."
"No," Ron said, grabbing Theo's arm and helping him back into the chair. "I think they're all busy. Let's just sit by the fire, okay?"
Theo shook his head. "Can't just sit. I need to feel… want me to suck your cock, Weasley?"
"No, I'm good, thanks," Ron said, his cheeks flushing.
Theo smirked. "Shit, Weasley, I forgot, you have Granger for that now."
Ron's face turned an even darker shade of red.
"Is she good at it?" Theo asked, licking his lips. "'Cause I'm good at it."
"I'm sure you are," Ron said. "Theo, you need to stop this. You can't just offer to do whichever bloke you see. They won't all be like me and Harry. We know you don't mean it, we know it's the drink talking, but someone else won't and… they'll take advantage of you like Macmillan did."
Theo shook his head, drinking more from the glass. "No. Macmillan was a selfish fucking prick and I just wanna give. I just wanna feel something, you know? I just wanna… I don't wanna be alone. I don't wanna end up alone."
"You won't," Ron said. "You don't have to be alone if you don't want to be."
"Don't leave me alone," Theo whispered.
"I won't," Ron assured him, placing a hand on Theo's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not alone. Theo, we're worried about you."
Theo took another deep drink, his eyes gleaming. "Don't need to worry. I can take care of myself."
"Okay," Ron said, clinking his glass with Theo's before he took a sip. "But I'm here if you need to talk."
"About all the cocks I've sucked?"
"No," Ron said. "I really don't need to know that."
Theo's lips curved. "I have a better idea. How about I teach your Granger how to do it really good. Then you can send me a fruit basket in thanks. Ask Harry how good Ginny is."
Ron grimaced. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that about my sister."
Theo hiccuped. "She's very good at it and it's all because of me. Me! Me! Me! I told her how to make it good. M' good. M' good because I love it. You have to enjoy what you do, right? That's what they say. You can't be good at things if you don't take joy in them, not the way you could be. I told her, it's more than just a slap and tickle, you know? Are you sure you don't want a blowie?"
"Positive," Ron said as Theo yawned. "Again, Ginny is my sister. I don't want to hear about fruit baskets or anything about Harry and her, yeah?"
"Ah, shit, Weasley. M'sorry. They've never done nothing. Harry doesn't pay up in fruit baskets anyways, the arse."
"Er... right."
"But damn... Harry's arse! You could bounce a Galleon off that arse. I pinched it once… incredible. You think Harry wants a blowie?"
"Harry's fine," Ron replied.
"Right," Theo slurred. "I'll go tell Ginny to give him one instead."
"Not," Ron said, his eyes narrowing.
"Whoops, sister thing. M' forgot," Theo said, twisting his thumb and forefinger over his lips as if he were turning a key over his mouth.
Ron rolled his eyes. "If you forget again, I might have to put a silencing charm on you."
Theo grinned, wrapping his arms around Ron and resting his head against Ron's chest. "You love me."
"And you're completely pissed," Ron said, carefully extricating himself from Theo's tight hug.
"Little bit, but don't say I didn't offer to show Granger a few tricks," he said. "I'm generous like that."
"Noted," Ron replied, hoping his face wasn't flaming as much as he felt it was.
Theo yawned again, his eyes on the fire, and when Ron looked over a moment later, the Slytherin was snoring in his chair. Ron looked around the room just as a bed appeared and he carefully half carried, half levitated him towards it, tucking him in. He placed a puke bucket on the ground next to him, using pillows to help keep the Theo on his side. Then he used his mirror to contact Harry.
"Hey, Ron," Harry answered a moment later. "Where are you?"
"Room of Requirement." Ron narrowed his eyes. "Ginny's not with you, is she?"
"No, she's working on her column in the Herald. Why? What's going on?"
"I'm with Theo. He's completely pissed and passed out."
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered. "Again? Okay, I'll be there soon."
"Don't tell Ginny!"
Harry nodded and the mirror went blank in his hand.
It was ten minutes later before Harry entered the room, finding Ron sitting in front of the fire. He looked back over at a sleeping Theo before he plopped himself into the chair opposite of him.
"His drinking is really getting out of hand."
"More than out of hand," Ron retorted. "He's not even hiding it. I found him wandering the hallway drinking from his flask."
"Looks like you joined in," Harry said, nodding towards the two empty glasses on the table.
Ron shrugged. "I was just lucky Hermione hurried off to grab something from the library after our patrol. She would hardly have approved of my decision, but if you can't beat them, might as well join in, right? Telling him to stop or that he shouldn't be doing it, isn't helping. I think it only makes it worse. Drink?"
Harry nodded as Ron conjured a third glass and poured him some Firewhiskey. "I agree. Ginny's getting really worried. Creevey told her that he's been sleeping around."
Ron handed Harry the glass as he spoke. "I think he's just snogging whomever will let him. He offered to blow me."
Harry choked on the Firewhiskey as he took a sip, the heat of it burning his nose as he coughed. "Fuck! Warn a bloke before you throw that out into the conversation."
Ron grinned. "Where's the fun in that? He corrected himself and offered to instead give Hermione lessons in order to, you know… and then he offered to do you, which I declined on your behalf."
"Thanks for that," Harry said.
"And then," Ron continued. "He went on to say he would tell your girlfriend to do you since he and Ginny are friends and all."
Harry coughed uncomfortably. "I, erm… wow, this is strong whisky."
Ron narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky I like you, Potter."
Harry clicked his glass with Ron's and cleared his throat. "So, Theo was talking then? What did he say?"
"Bloke wouldn't shut up," Ron admitted. "You apparently owe him a fruit basket."
Harry's brow furrowed. "He keeps saying that. What the hell for?"
Ron shrugged. "Don't ask. Look, my point is, if he's offering to blow anyone who will listen, he's falling apart. Claims that he wants to feel something, that he's not warm anymore without Finn. That he's lonely."
Harry frowned into the glass of Firewhiskey. "We can't just keep drinking with him whenever we find him, can we?"
They exchanged a look that made them both laugh.
"As long as Hermione doesn't find out. The last time she smelt booze on my breath she told me it wasn't the way to help anyone, but only helped make me a bigger fool."
Harry grinned. "Ginny told me that it only instigated him. I don't know. It's not like we support it, but I just think that he needs someone around. Last time, once he passed out, he was better. I think him just not being alone is what he needs. If we're with him when he's drinking, I think it keeps him out of trouble, it gets him talking, and from wandering around offering sexual favours like… er, Roper."
Ron snorted. "She still scare you?"
"Fuck, yes!" Harry admitted, making his friend laugh. "Look, I just think that we need to keep an eye on him and when he's ready, he'll get there."
"I spoke to Bill about him the other day," Ron said. "Bill always knows what to do and I feel like Theo would listen to him."
"You think?"
"It's better than what we're doing, isn't it?"
Harry stared into the glass for a moment. "Maybe. If it was Ginny… I don't think anything would ever help me get over it."
Ron nodded, taking a sip of his own Firewhiskey. He understood that and it made watching Theo grieve that much harder. If something happened to Hermione, he didn't know what he would do. Drowning himself in whiskey would only be the start. He'd have to do something. He would want to kill everyone who had hurt her. But Abraxas Malfoy was dead, Finn had taken his own revenge. So where did that leave Theo? Heartbroken, but not alone.
It was just up to them to remind him of that.
He put his glass on the table and gestured towards the chess table that had appeared. "Fancy a game while we wait for him to wake up?"
Harry rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. "Sure. Maybe this time I'll actually win."
Ron snorted. "You can keep dreaming."
Harry shrugged as he looked over the board. "Don't bet on it. I can distract you with my plans for Quidditch practice."
"Thought you were still suffering Snape detentions since you told him there was no need for him to call you sir?"
Harry grinned. "You know, I think you enjoy that story even more every time you tell it."
"I do," Ron told him. "You still scrubbing shit off everything?"
"And then some," Harry admitted. "Last time he had me reorganize the entire shelf of dead insects alphabetically only to move them all back when I finished. I'm doing my best not to speak with him at all."
"Git," Ron muttered.
Harry sighed. "I just don't understand him. He's working for the Order as a spy, but is there any reason for him to be a right arse all the time? I know that he and my dad didn't get along and he hated Uncle Sirius, but I still don't get it. It's been years."
"Wasn't he friends with your mum?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Best friends according to Uncle Sirius, but they had a falling out and he called her a Mudblood."
"Foul git," Ron said.
Harry nodded. "I don't know. Sometimes I don't think that we can trust him and sometimes I'm just not sure. I've seen him speaking to Theo."
"Do you think he knows?"
"That he's been drinking?" Harry asked. "Yeah, I think he does. Theo hasn't been as good at hiding it as he thinks. Snape hasn't taken points away from him, but I think he's at least keeping an eye on him."
"Maybe he has a hairy heart."
Harry chuckled. "In an enchanted crystal casket?"
"Shrivelled and covered in black greasy hair," Ron added. "That's why he's such a gormless tit."
The two of them exchanged a look and laughed.
"Checkmate," Ron said.
Harry stared down at the chessboard and sighed. "Sometimes I hate you."
Ron waved his wand over the board and it quickly righted itself into a new game. "Up for another?"
At Harry's nod, he looked over the board earnestly. Ron would let Bill know about tonight. He had a feeling that if anyone could help straighten Theo out it would be him. Bill had a way about him and Ron knew that Theo needed help. He just wanted the Slytherin to know that he had friends and family around and as much as it surprised him, Theo was family, and Ron wasn't about to let his family suffer alone.
~ ASC ~
The cold washed over him like a sudden icy bath. It was so cold that he could no longer feel his toes. His breath came out in puffs every time he breathed. He was craving a cigarette more than he wanted his next breath, but he knew better than to light the one in his pocket at this time. It had been raining for days. Torrential downpours that seemed to never end, flooding the trenches and making men scramble to adjust sandbags and stop the water from filling up the trench. They were all soaked to the skin and then the air had dried them ten times over, making his skin feel itchy. The rats were feeding on the dead around him.
He shuddered, the distant drumming of bombs going off in the distance. It wasn't what he was concerned about at the moment, it sounded too far away. He was more concerned with his toes.
"Mick!"
He turned, eyes seeking the soldier heading towards him. "We're finally getting called out! There are some horses who need those magic hands of yours."
"Didn't realize the skill of being a veterinarian made them magic hands."
"Piss off. I heard rumours of Greece. Warm sun, hot beaches, gorgeous birds... it will make this horror show a distant memory."
"What about Shadow?"
The soldier swore. "Still worried about that damn dog? I told you, Mick, he's fine! The captain is keeping him well fed and taking good care of him."
"I don't want him running too much on that leg. If he doesn't give it time to heal it will be damaged permanently and I won't be able to fix it."
"Yes, yes, we know. You care more about the animals than the men dying around us."
"The men have doctors, Blake."
Blake put a cigarette in his mouth, but didn't light it. "That we do. Bloody cig is wet again. How are we supposed to have a bleeding smoke when we can't even keep them dry?"
"Are you saying that you actually have dry matches to light it?"
Blake shook his head. "I haven't had a dry match in months. I'm hoping I can taste it by holding it in my mouth. I heard Claude has a stash of matches; dry ones too."
Mick stood up, his interest in getting a cigarette increasing as he followed Blake through the trenches. His foot was still numb, toes frozen. "I think my foot is swollen."
"You and everyone else stuck in this bloody trench."
"Down!" A shout called out just as mortar exploded over their heads, dirt rushing into the trench as tiny rocks and earth sprayed them.
"Germans are making a move," someone said from the left.
Mick nodded, making his way after Blake. "Greece, eh?"
"Warm beaches, mate, girls in revealing dresses. It's going to be heaven compared to this hell hole!"
Mortar exploded again and Mick thought that heaven sounded pretty damn good right about now.
Ron woke, his foot aching. He could still smell blood and smoke, cigarettes and dampness. He shivered in his bed, trying to recall the dream as much as he could. Mick. It had felt so incredibly real. Almost as if he had truly been sitting in a dirty trench, soaked to the skin and waiting for news. He ran a hand over his face, the feel of rough stubble under his hand making him more alert.
He licked his lips, still tasking the whiskey he'd drank that evening with Theo and then with Harry and winced at the slight headache. He knew he wasn't drunk, but he definitely still felt the after effects of his drinking. On top of the dream, his head was pounding.
He made his way into the boys' bathroom to wash his face and clean his teeth, feeling more like himself. But when he climbed back into bed, the dream was still fresh and he wasn't sure he wanted to close his eyes again just yet. Instead he reached towards his night table and grabbed the mirror, saying Hermione's name. She answered a moment later, her hair messy and plaited around her face.
"Ron?"
"Hey. Sorry to wake you."
Her brow furrowed before her eyes focused in on him. "Did you dream about Murray?"
Ron nodded. "One of the more vivid ones in a while."
"Meet me in the common room."
The mirror went blank and Ron put it back on his night table before he climbed out of bed. He shoved slippers on his feet and pulled a jumper over his naked torso. He met her at the bottom of the staircase a moment later. He took a moment to admire the long bright blue tee shirt nightgown she wore that was decorated in black and grey cartoon kittens. It went just below the knee and had a v-neck. It was oddly sexy and yet adorable at the same time. She wore blue fuzzy slippers on her feet as well.
"You okay?"
Ron shrugged and simply drew her into his arms. "They're not nightmares. They just leave me feeling... confused, I guess."
Hermione's face pressed against his heart, her own arms wrapped around him tightly. "Confused makes sense."
Ron led her over to the sofa in front of the low fire. She curled up next to him, snuggling into his side.
"I woke up feeling damp and cold. I could smell it. The trench I was in. Dust, decay, blood, cigarettes, dampness, animals, and death. It was all around him. I think he was in France."
"That's where most of the trenches were," Hermione said. "Covered most of the French and Belgian border."
Ron nodded. "Well, the bloke I was talking to, another soldier. He was saying that we were going somewhere warm; that things would be better. I don't know. None of it really made sense. It was like starting in the middle of a story where you kind of know one character, but know nothing else of any of the others or the plot or what you've missed. It's just... befuddled."
Hermione turned her head to look up at him. "Has Ginny said anything else about what she found?"
Ron shook his head. "She's hoping to finish whatever it is this week. She said that she wants it to be perfect. With everything that's been going on and her own work with the Herald, it got pushed to the back-burner. Plus Ginny said how she wanted it to be just right. That there was something else she needed to do. With her you just never know what that could mean."
Hermione chuckled. "I suppose."
Ron pushed the sleeves of his jumper up and held his right arm out to Hermione since the left one was around her shoulders. "When I wake sometimes, the scars pulse."
Hermione's fingers traced the faded white scars on his arms, following the lovely curves and lines in a slow, steady pattern. "Do they hurt?"
He shook his head. "No."
Hermione continued to trace them. "But they pulse when you dream about him? Perhaps it's his way of reminding you that he had a life."
Rom frowned. "That makes it sound like he and I are connected; like we can both feel each other. He's been dead for decades, Hermione."
"Yes, but his brain was kept very much alive. We don't know what kind of things the Department of Mysteries might be doing or why they wanted to keep his brain alive for research or why decades later they still had it, but they did. It was very much alive and those thoughts imprinted on you more than just scars. It's like his thoughts are part of you now, his memories."
"Sounds Horcruxy."
Hermione gave him an exasperated look. "Hardly the same and that's not even a word!"
He grinned. "No?"
"No," she said, sternly. "And it's not his soul. He's not controlling you. It's more like... a past life. Like you were once him many years ago and when you were in the brain room, it connected with you, and reminded you of that past life."
Ron frowned. "A past life?"
"Yes. I always found it seemed rather illogical how people believe that one time they lived as great kings or ancient pharaohs, but the more you tell me about the way you dream about him... I don't know if only thoughts could do that."
"I don't know if I believe that," Ron told her. "I agree that I'm connected with this bloke in some way, but I think it's just because his brain marked me. It... his memories of certain moments of his life; the big ones that impacted him, like this war he was in. He seemed to work with animals more than to be on the front lines. There was a mentioning of horses and a sick dog… Shadow."
"That's fascinating."
Ron shrugged. "Only you would think so."
She smiled against his side, her fingers still tracing the scars. "I think that he was brave and that he connected to you, because he saw how brave you were."
Ron snorted. "I was hardly brave. I summoned a human brain to me like a complete prat and ended up with this weird connection that gives me strange dreams."
"No, you were brave. You saved Ginny and Luna that day, Ron."
The tips of his ears turned red. "It still was a dumb move."
Hermione's fingers kept tracing the scars. "We all do things we're not proud of sometimes. I can be... overbearing, and I get too focused on things. Sometimes when I'm too focused and too driven, it can turn ugly. You don't think less of me for it, do you?"
"No," Ron replied. "Of course not. Plus, now I know how to take that focus away."
Hermione frowned. "No, you don't."
Ron grinned and tilted her head up to look at him before he dipped his head to capture her lips in a long, deep kiss. It took only a moment for her to melt beneath him. It was a few minutes before he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.
"Are you still focused?"
"Hmm? Kiss me again."
"Exactly," he said before he did as she asked.
Hermione put her hand on his chest and gave him a gentle push. "This doesn't mean that you're right."
Ron rolled his eyes. "No, Godric forbid that." Hermione's lips curved and he nipped at them. "Sometimes I'm right."
"Maybe," she admitted, kissing him again. "Maybe I just let you think that."
"Oi!"
"But maybe sometimes you are right and I'm afraid to admit it. Like this," she whispered, her hands sliding up his chest. "You were right about this."
Ron pulled her into his lap, his hand on her thigh to hold her in place. "About us? I know it. It was never a fluke. I just let you think it was."
Hermione cupped his cheek. "Smart man."
"Sometimes," he admitted, making her smile.
Hermione slid her hands up his chest again, slipping them under his jumper as she leaned in to cover his mouth with hers for a soft kiss. "I love you."
Ron's hands rested on her arse as he tugged her closer, his forehead resting against hers. "I love you, too."
Then he kissed her again and everything felt right once more.
~ ASC ~
Harry was getting tired of having to spend his Saturdays with Snape. The only good thing was that McGonagall had ordered Snape to make Harry's weekly detentions after lunch rather than breakfast so that Harry could continue to hold Quidditch practices with his team in the morning. It had hardly endeared Snape to him any more. In fact, Harry was positive that it made it worse, not to mention the fact that Snape had a nasty habit of keeping him out past curfew so that he had almost no time to spend with Ginny. Harry was positive that he was doing it intentionally considering the last detention had almost gone until midnight.
Snape continued to sneer at him or to make vague comments about Sirius. Harry could see that he was trying to get a rise out of him and he was doing his best to keep his anger down, but it was hard.
The man was good at making him angry.
But when he reached Snape's office that Saturday evening after dinner to continue his detention, no one answered the door. Harry found it partly ajar so he pushed it open and saw the Pensieve sitting out on his desk. The lovely glistening surface beckoned to him and he wondered just what kind of things Snape might be wanting to revisit. He checked the hall for any sign of Snape before he curiously walked over.
He knew that he shouldn't do it, but the thought of Snape keeping memories in here made him more curious than he wanted to admit. He kept recalling his conversation with Ron, about how he wasn't sure if he really trusted him, and he suddenly wondered just what dark secrets the man was hiding.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he found himself putting his wand into the substance to sneak a peek. He fell into the memory before he had consciously even considered it and found himself standing in a run down stone castle. He jolted at the sight of Voldemort sitting in the high back chair, his hands folded in front of him as Nagini slithered around his feet.
"You can fix her, can you not?" Voldemort demanded.
Harry's eyes moved to the bloody mess on the long table before he realized that it was Bellatrix Lestrange. His stomach revolted at the sight of her and he swallowed down the bile as he realized that it was his own wand that had caused the damage.
"Yes, my lord," Snape replied.
It was only when he spoke that Harry realized he was in the room. Snape was leaning over her, doing something with his wand that made the blood return to her body in steady streams. It seemed to go on forever before the last of the blood was returned to her.
"She'll need Blood Replenishing potions and she's going to scar," Snape told Voldemort. "But she'll live."
Bellatrix was gasping for breath. "I didn't think that he had it in him."
"Who?" Snape demanded. "Who did this?"
"It's your curse, Severus," Voldemort declared. "Who did you teach it to?"
"No one, my lord," Snape said, bowing reverently. "I invented that curse for one person and for one person only."
Bellatrix pursed her lips. "It was bloody Potter! Shot it at me like he meant it, too. Sure as hell looked whiter than a ghost when he saw what it did. Shocked him. The little twat is going to pay for this."
Snape's eyes narrowed. "If Potter did this, he thinks you're dead."
Bellatrix's eyes gleamed. "Good. I'll make him pay for this. He'll regret crossing me, I promise, my Lord."
The memory faded as another one unfolded and Harry's eyes widened when he saw his mother sitting in the Hogwarts library, writing furiously with books spread around her. Her long auburn red hair tumbled down her back and she pushed her fringe out of her eyes. He was surprised to see her wearing dark black frames on her face. He hadn't realized that she wore glasses. He couldn't remember if he'd ever seen a photo of her wearing them. He frowned when Snape sat down across from her.
Lily's mouth twitched, but she didn't look up. "I didn't say that you could sit here."
"I need to talk to you."
"You lost that right a long time ago."
"Lily... how long are you going to shut me out?" Snape asked, sadness in his voice.
"How long before you apologize?"
Snape bit his lip. "I have. A hundred times over and you've refused to hear me out."
"Well, I find it hard to trust someone who calls you names behind your back."
"I wasn't... you're different," he said, desperately.
Lily took her glasses off, her green eyes meeting his. "I'm not any different from any other Muggleborn, Severus. Just because we were friends once doesn't make me better than the others and it makes you a bigot to think so." Her eyes fell on the textbook in his hands. "James has been looking for that."
"It's mine."
"It's not."
Snape put it on the table. "It's just a bloody textbook! I've added to it. Slughorn was impressed with my last potion."
Lily reached for the book and flipped it open to the front page. "Still using this name then? The Half-Blood Prince? Does it make you feel special, Sev? I get it, the play on words, using your mum's maiden name... what do your friends think of you being a half blood?
"It doesn't matter," he muttered.
"But they think that you're beneath them, that your blood isn't as pure as theirs."
"You don't understand! You don't understand what we're trying to do, the new world that we're trying to bring in."
Lily scoffed, closing the book. "No, I don't understand. I don't understand how you can pal around with people like that; how you can give yourself a nickname as if Death Eater isn't already one. Do you think that you'll become some clever gent like Lord Voldemort? That people will fear the Half-Blood Prince? You're pathetic!"
Snape's eyes flashed. "You're the one who's pathetic, Evans! Sitting there, pretending to be better than me. We grew up almost the same: Poor as church mice, you merely a little better off than me. At least I can say I have dignity; that I'm not ashamed of where I came from, while you're spreading your legs for a pureblooded trust fund! Once he realizes that you're only after his money, he'll drop you faster than a Quaffle through a hoop!"
"Fuck you," Lily spat, gathering up her things. "James is ten times the man that you'll ever be!"
"Lily, I didn't mean that. It's just that Potter he… he gets me all riled up."
Lily's shoulders tense as she stood. "James isn't even here, Severus. You can't always use him as an excuse. Look, I won't tell him that you have his textbook, I'll let you use the advice in there from Fleamont. Someone who actually cares about potion making and isn't just using it to try to get his old Mudblood friend back on his side."
Snape glared. "I don't need you. That's not what I'm using potions for."
"You do need me, Severus, because the old Severus, the one I met when I was ten, would never have fallen in with these Death Eaters. The old Severus was snarky, but kind. A good friend. Not the man that he's become now. The one who follows dark lords and wannabe Nazis. He would have remembered the kind of man his father was and remembered the promise he made to himself to be a better man than Tobias Snape. The new Severus seems to have forgotten that. It may have taken me a long time, Sev, but I understand now that I can't help you if you won't first help yourself. And by the way, not that you want to know, but Vulnera Sanentur will do it."
"What?"
Lily's green eyes bored into his. "It leaves scars, but at least it will save their life."
"I didn't mean... it was an accident."
Lily's eyes were full of hate as she looked at him. "No one invents a spell to slice someone open like that simply by accident, Severus. You're lucky that Sirius and I were there to save him."
"That spell wasn't meant for Potter and you know it! He got in the bloody way! If he just would have let me —"
"—let you what?" Lily interrupted. "Hit who you were aiming at? We used to be friends, Severus, and now… I don't even know who you are anymore!"
"Lily, Lily, please! You mean so much to me! Please, you just need to give me another chance! You can help me be that person again, I know it."
Lily stared at him for a long moment. "No, I can't. I love James. I love him more than I can put into words and we're going to be married in a few months. Yes, he's rich, but unlike you, he knows that I couldn't care less about that. I may not come from much, that's true, but James doesn't care where I came from. He cares about me. He doesn't care that my parents are Muggles. He loves me for who I am; accepts my faults and flaws as much as my virtues. Agreeing to marry him is the best decision I've ever made. He makes me happier than I can put into words. I don't think that's something that you can accept."
"I lo —"
"—Don't say it," she interrupted. "Because that's a word you don't understand."
"I always have," he croaked. "You never gave me a chance."
Lily put her bag on her shoulder and put her glasses on the top of her head. "I gave you too many chances as my friend so, if you really feel that way about me, it makes it so much worse."
She walked off and left him sitting there, his head in his hands.
A hand closed tight over his upper arm, closed with a pincer-like grip. Wincing, Harry looked round to see who had hold of him, and saw, with a thrill of horror, that Snape was standing right beside him, white with rage.
"Having fun?"
Harry felt himself rising into the air; the dusty library evaporated around him; he was floating upwards through icy blackness, Snape's hand still tight upon his upper arm. Then, with a swooping feeling as though he had turned head-over-heels in midair, his feet hit the stone floor of Snape's dungeon and he was standing again beside the Pensieve on Snape's desk in the shadowy, present-day Potion master's study.
"So," Snape spat, gripping Harry's arm so tightly that Harry's hand was starting to feel numb. "So ... been enjoying yourself, Potter?"
"N-no," Harry said, trying to free his arm.
It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth were bared. For the first time in longer than he could remember, he was vaguely aware of exactly what kind of dark arts the potion master knew.
"Think it's amusing?" Snape said, shaking Harry so hard his glasses slipped down his nose.
"I — I didn't —"
Snape threw Harry from him with all his might. Harry fell hard onto the dungeon floor, wincing as his knee hit the stone.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, quickly, scrambling to his feet. "It was sitting there and I... there's no excuse."
Snape's eyes looked like they were going to pop from his head. "You're just like your father, arrogant and full of yourself! Black clearly did nothing to stamp it out of you. You have no right to come into my office and go through my private things let alone my thoughts!"
"You healed her."
Snape's stormy eyes met his. "Excuse me?"
"Bellatrix. You healed her."
Snape's eyes looked like two black holes as he stared back at him. "After you sliced through her like butter and left her for dead? Yes, I did. How did it feel, Potter? How did it feel to watch the life leave her body?"
"I didn't know what the spell did," he whispered, guilt and revulsion swarming him once again.
"Of course you didn't! You're just as stubborn and fool-hardy as your arrogant father! You think the world will just fall in line around you! I let Black talk me into giving him memories years ago, for you to see how Lily Evans grew up. You know what she grew up to be? Did you see how she spoke to me that day? She grew up to be a self-righteous bitch who thought she was too good for me!"
"Looks like she was, Sir."
Snape's wand was in his hand so fast that Harry whipped his own out. His eyes were like black pits as he pointed his wand directly at Harry's heart. Harry's shield charm was so powerful that before Snape could even think of cursing him, the shield sprung between them, knocking Snape back into the wall. Snape moved to his feet, his wand at his side. His breathing was uneven as he glared at him and when he spoke, his voice held more venom than a snake.
"Get. Out. Now!"
Harry didn't have to be told twice. As Harry hurtled towards the door, a jar of dead cockroaches exploded over his head. He wrenched the door open and walked quickly from Snape's office and it was only when he turned the corner, did he pick up speed and run. He made it all the way to the third floor, letting himself into Remus' suite before he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.
Snape was the Half-Blood Prince.
Snape was in love with his mother.
Snape had invented the Sectumsempra spell.
Snape had healed Bellatrix Lestrange which meant that Harry wasn't a murderer.
He wasn't a murderer.
Relief coursed through him. Remus' assurance had made him feel better, but knowing for sure made him feel even more relieved than he could put into words.
The sound of Bellatrix's cackle echoed in his brain reminding him that he may not have killed her, but he sure as hell had to watch his back.
Ignoring the desire to look behind him as he hurried through the halls, he knew that he had to watch his back from far more than just Bellatrix Lestrange.
End Author's Notes:
As to the Theo being drunk scene, my Beta was worried it was a bit too much like harassment coming from Theo, but in my head, I was making it so that drunk Theo is different from sober Theo. He's losing control and he doesn't know what he's doing. I like to think that Harry and Ron know him well enough now to see that and not be offended by what he's saying. But if anyone disagrees with me or thinks Dusk is right, you're entitled to your thoughts. Thanks to Dusk for her help. I know I kept some of the lines you suggested I change, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Dusk really is the best beta ever!
Thank you for reading and please review!