Chapter Forty
... b ...
For Julie, who requested this as part of the holiday prompts for 2020.
(Prompts open several times a year via my social media posts; see my profile for links.)
... b ...
Saturday, 7 September
Leo came to a hard stop, his legs aching and his chest heaving. All of his lungs were pushed to their limit, a taste of blood in his mouth. Usually, he preferred bloodied meat, but it was different when it was his own. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and glanced at his skin, briefly surprised that there was only saliva and no blood.
Forcing himself to breathe, to focus on his surroundings now that he'd arrived, Leo tried to stay calm without jumping to conclusions. Of course, after running for nearly four whole days with nothing but his own thoughts for company, it was a difficult feat to manage.
What if Virginia had managed to ensnare his manticore herd? The others were more dangerous than him, wild and ferocious in a way that only the Queen of All herself or Virginia could tame. If they sided with Virginia and Voldemort, then the war was all but lost and the manticores might as well sign their own execution.
The last war that manticores had fought in had resulted in mass casualties and his herd had been reduced to fewer than twenty as they discovered that swords were difficult to repel, unlike charms and magic. He'd lost thirty of his herd in a single day.
Leo inhaled and exhaled until his breathing returned to normal and then started to croon softly, the noise building in frequency and intensity until the whole world around him seemed to beat and thrum with the noise. He stopped abruptly as a tree parted in front of him, the Wilting Willow revealing another world. Stepping over the tree, Leo watched and waited a moment to ensure it reformed. It was the result of yet another paranoia from the war, but one that was well deserved; there was a reason Wilting Willows were almost forgotten from wizarding memory, and a reason why the world beyond it was fading, too.
Once he was certain the tree was locked and the forgotten world was safe once more, Leo ran through the forest and along a path that would lead to his herd. He could taste magic in the air, the plants around him brighter and far more resilient than they should have been. When he'd left, the plants were dying and the magic was almost entirely gone. Someone with intensely strong magic had been in here recently.
Perhaps it was Virginia and Voldemort? some part of his mind murmured, spurring him to gallop faster still.
He needed to find his herd and ensure they were alive, safe, and free from the evil witch's thrall.
... b ...
"You are positive this information is correct, Lettie?" Garion asked firmly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her.
"Yes. It has been confirmed," she said.
Jules sighed and rubbed her temples. "Please ignore my paranoid husband, Lettie. We believe you. Or, at least, I do. You don't really think your own sister is stupid, do you, Garion?"
He exhaled through flared nostrils. "I don't think she's stupid. Just... easily persuaded. We both know Ginevra wants to return to fighting sooner rather than later; Lettie has both the motive and the means to create a fabrication to make that happen."
Lettie's eyes widened at the implication. "I would never! I have a responsibility to all four beings and creatures, and I would never do something to jeopardise anyone's lives!"
Jules groaned and smacked Garion's shoulder. "Don't blame Lettie for your paranoia. Ignore him, Lettie. He's not going to believe it until he sees it for himself, and even then, it's up for debate."
Lettie tried not to take on even more guilt at the accusation - as their representative, she had a responsibility and this information would lead to the war restarting and deaths to occur - and nodded in response.
"Now, do you have to go on to the others, or can you stay for tea? I just got a new stock of Russian Caravan blend," Jules said with a grin.
"Oh. That does sound lovely, but I have to move on. Thank you for the offer, Jules."
"All right. Thank you for risking your life and bringing the information. Garion, stop glaring at the floor and thank Lettie."
"Thank you for the information."
Lettie mustered up a smile, even as Jules rolled her eyes at her.
"See you next time. Come by when you don't have to report, yeah?"
"I'll try. Have a pleasant evening," Lettie said, Apparating to the trolls next.
... b ...
Francesca looked at Ric, then at Miles, and then at the redheaded witch Miles had brought with him. Ginevra was one of her descendants, apparently, and was glaring at Ric so hard he might actually die. Beside her, a blonde wizard was glaring as well and Francesca sighed as she saw the protective stance Draco had in front of Ginevra.
"Do I dare ask how you know each other or should I assume my brother has been an utter moron and done something to offend you or your loved ones?"
"Chess," Ric groaned.
"He fucked with my emotions and took my lust in an attempt to make me fall for him when I rejected him several times. I have a mate, and he knew that, too," Ginevra snapped.
"Not to mention the stalking and kidnapping, or setting her up to be taken by Virginia, among other things. You're lucky he's still alive," Draco said, hand resting on his sword hilt.
Francesca looked at her brother. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she said, cuffing him on the back of the head.
"Ow! That hurt," Ric whined.
"Good." Francesca started to berate her brother, who shrank in on himself with every word.
Ginevra, where are you? Pansy asked suddenly.
Hogwarts. Why?
Virginia got hold of the Kelpies. We can lead them to the lake. Can you try to get rid of her thrall?
We'll try. We'll meet you at the lake.
Thanks. Five minutes, Pansy replied.
"As entertaining as this is, we have to go. Your mother enthralled the Kelpies - "
"Just like I told you she would," Ric said earnestly.
" - and our friend is leading them to the Great Lake," Ginevra finished, ignoring Ric entirely.
"Can you remove her thrall?" Francesca asked curiously, even as she followed Miles, Ginevra and Draco out of the Room of Requirement.
Ric attempted to follow, only to be thrown back into the room forcefully. The door was closed, cutting off his low pained groan.
"We don't know the particulars of her thrall but we have to try," Draco said.
"If we don't stop them and Pansy's hurt, Greg will have our heads."
"If they attack before you can try?" Miles asked in concern.
"We'll try to distract them from fighting, if we can," Draco replied.
"You keep referring to 'we' rather than 'I'; is your power shared?" Francesca asked.
"No. But something like this will take both of us; your mother's hold on both humans and creatures can be strong."
"Don't refer to that bitch as my mother. She lost any right to be called family when she tried to kill me."
Thinking of Ron for a brief moment, Ginevra nodded. "I understand completely."
They made it to the Great Lake in time to see a growing wave in the distance.
"Please excuse me," Francesca said, stepping in front of Ginevra and Draco, spreading her arms wide and unlocking her own power.
A wave of power headed towards the wave in the water, her power rippling against the surface but otherwise invisible. Until it hit the other wave, that is. What had been invisible suddenly became a solid wall, stopping the Kelpies abruptly and surrounding them before they had a chance to react. The misty opaque wall turned into a sphere, ensuring the Kelpies wouldn't escape below the walls, and the water turned still.
A ripple to the side caught their attention and Ginevra saw Pansy climbing out of the water. Draco transfigured a cloak for her, adding a warming spell. She thanked him silently, not wanting to speak aloud and break whatever was happening.
Pansy frowned at Francesca, not recognising the woman, and glanced between Draco and Ginevra. Who is she?
Francesca; she's Virginia's daughter and Ric's sister, Ginevra replied.
Pansy's frown deepened. We're just going to trust her?
Miles introduced her to us, I think we can trust him. Though not without some wariness, Ginevra admitted, though they all knew the same could be said of anyone these days.
I'm curious to see what she does with the Kelpies now. A barrier isn't - Draco's thoughts cut off abruptly as the sphere surrounding the Kelpies started to pulse.
They all watched as the sphere pulsed, waves forming and foaming at the edge of the sphere. The Giant Squid made a noise and swam away abruptly, scared by the noise and movements.
"Just a little longer," Francesca murmured, her eyes the same misty opaque colour as the sphere. Her outstretched hands squeezed into tight fists and then she let out a soft cry, collapsing to the ground as the sphere disappeared.
"What just happened?" Ginevra asked the world in general.
Draco looked from Francesca's collapsed figure over to Miles. Pansy, on the other hand, kept a close eye on the Kelpies to ensure they wouldn't attack once they righted themselves in the water once more. She saw several of the horse-like creatures swimming away as fast as possible. Cimroan, the hippocampus who had protected Pansy when the Kelpies had first attacked, swam up to the lake's edge, looking as angry as they'd ever seen the creature before.
"I'm all right, Cimroan. Thank you for your protection and assistance in leading them here. Were you injured?" Pansy asked, stepping into the water to check the hippocampus for herself, ignoring the cloak's hem floating in the water.
"The warming charm stops working if you walk back into the cold water, Pans. Are they going to attack?" Draco asked warily, nodding to the Kelpies who were above the lake's surface and watching them warily in return.
They are waiting to ensure you will not attack if they approach, Cimroan informed him.
"They're not under Virginia's thrall anymore?" Ginevra asked in surprise.
Behind her, Miles was healing Francesca, who was still unconscious.
Cimroan shook his head, his mane shaking wet drops on them at the action. No, they are no longer enthralled. The woman's power nullified the evil woman's power. My cousins are... how do you humans put it? Completely and utterly enraged? Yes, that works.
"They can come forward. If it is a trick and they hurt us, their species will be extinct overnight," the King of All snarled at the thought of his wife being harmed by the water-bound creatures.
Persephone smiled at his overprotective nature and laid a hand on his forearm, moving her fingers down to thread between his. "Overnight is far too lenient, darling."
"Stop flirting, you two. It's sickening," Pansy said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, grinning as she turned to face the approaching Kelpies.
Bulrush manes started to ascend from the water, but the Kelpies didn't approach the lake edge as confidently as Cimroan had, staying a few metres back and letting out a small terrified whinny at the sight of the King and Queen of All.
They are worried that the sight of you means they'll be attacked. They apologise for what they did under that... uh, that might be a local dialect, I don't recognise - Cimroan cut off as the Kelpies whinnied and neighed again. Oh, that's what they meant. Uh, let's stick with the 'evil woman' description, shall we? I'm not using that language in front of the King and Queen.
Draco and Ginevra glanced at each other, curious as to what the Kelpies had said.
Cimroan sighed and shook his head. They're pissed off and willing to kill her for what she did to them and what they did under her thrall. But they're also worried that they'll be stuck under her again if they approach.
"They won't," Miles said suddenly, Francesca no longer on the ground or in sight. "I understand all creatures as part of my job," he said, mistaking their confusion. Seeing their curious looks to where Francesca had been only moments ago, he continued, "I took Francesca back to the Room of Requirement. Ric will watch over her, and if he doesn't, the Room will. They will be safe there," he explained at their curious expressions.
"What did she do to the Kelpies?" Pansy asked, glancing over her shoulder to the creatures.
"Her power not only removes Virginia's thrall, it also ensures it will not happen again."
"How do you know that?" Draco asked.
Miles smiled, brief and without humour. "I have seen it for myself. Virginia took my best friend under her thrall and when Frannie took it away, she killed him when he refused to bend to her whim anymore. He was only useful when she could control him."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miles," Ginevra said, genuine and pissed off herself for Miles' friend's demise.
"It was almost a hundred years ago, and yet, it still stings. I thought it was bad enough when he went to Virginia, and then... I found it could get worse. If you'll excuse me, I should ensure that Ric and Francesca get something to drink other than alcohol," Miles said. It was obviously an excuse to be on his own for a moment, and they all nodded.
Draco and Ginevra watched as he left, silent for a moment, then turned back to the Kelpies.
"Just how angry are you for what Virginia has done to you and your herd?" Ginevra asked curiously.
Enough to fight in your human war, Queen of All, the head Kelpie replied, finally assured enough to talk to them directly and move closer.
"Good."
... b ...
"Irish, we're meant to be sleeping. We don't have much time before we have to go to the next lot of creatures," Blaise murmured sleepily.
"S'not me," Seamus replied, eyes still closed as he reached out to tug Blaise's arm against his chest.
"Nev? That had best be you or I'll be checking the locking charms on the doors and windows."
Neville huffed a laugh against his thigh and pressed a kiss to the expanse of skin. "It's me. Shut up, I'm trying to give my boyfriend a blowjob."
"Mmm, that's nice, love. He must be happy."
Seamus snorted, a breath of damp wet air against Blaise's arm. "I'm sure he is. Want company down there, Nev?"
"Always."
"You two have fun, I'm going to keep sleeping," Blaise mumbled, though he did move so he was lying on his back to give Neville and Seamus more room.
"Sounds like a challenge ta me," Seamus snickered, kissing his way down Blaise's body to join Neville.
Blaise felt Neville smile against his thigh, fingers and lips moving down his body, and he felt a flutter of anticipation building in his chest at their combined teasing. He wasn't going to get more sleep that night, but Blaise couldn't bring himself to regret the lack of sleep. Not yet, anyway. Maybe later, when he didn't have his boyfriends teasing and kissing and licking at him eagerly. Neither one went where he wanted nor needed them, but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of begging.
"Ah, fuck. Nev, Ire. Don't do this to me, you... fucking hell," Blaise groaned.
He was complaining, not begging, there was a distinct difference, obviously.
Seamus, the bastard, laughed at his predicament and continued to tease. Neville didn't make a response, simply continued with his tongue and fingers in a feather light motion. He was obviously using magic and his fingers were each a wand, a conduit for his magic because Blaise felt every single nerve ending responding to Neville's ministrations.
Maybe Seamus' tongue was magic, too?
Damn straight 'tis, love, Seamus responded, sounding far too smug.
Private chat, guys.
Merlin's balls, you three suck, George groaned.
Literally, figuratively, in all the ways, Fred added.
It's arse o'clock, go to sleep. Fucking wankers, Greg muttered, rolling over and putting a pillow over his head.
Clearly, we're not, Seamus said, snickering.
Blaise covered his face and slammed up a wall between the others, stopping them from commenting when he was trying to have a damned orgasm. "This isn't helping."
Concentrate, Ire. We can tease the others later, Neville prompted.
Unfortunately and fortunately, Seamus listened to them, returning his full attention to his task of teasing Blaise without giving him any sort of release.
"Fuck. Please," Blaise groaned.
Fine, he was begging.
A purring sound had Blaise frowning. He'd been with Seamus and Neville for long enough to recognise their sounds, and none of them purred during sex. Or during anything else they did in the bedroom.
"Nev? Irish? What was that?"
You begging? Seamus asked, distracted and wholly focused on his task.
Neville stilled, which was utterly unfortunate, and Blaise couldn't stop his hips from thrusting despite his worry and the ever-increasing purring noise.
Did a cat get in?
Are there cats here?
"It's a bloody big cat if it's purring that loud," Blaise said.
Neville poked his head out from under the sheet, his hair mussed and spiked, and looking all sorts of adorable. He looked around the room, then reached over to the night stand and grabbed his wand, one hand steadying himself on Blaise's thigh.
"Fuck, love."
"Sorry," Neville said, kissing his cheek. "Lumos."
Blaise let out a loud and shrill cry of surprise when he saw their unexpected visitor standing at their bedroom door.
Leo winced at the sound. "I apologise for intruding. The door was open."
"Fucking... knew I should've checked the goddamn charms."
Seamus looked out from under the sheet and frowned at the manticore. "Give us five minutes?"
Leo nodded fervently, looking just as embarrassed as Blaise, and hurried from the room.
Neville flicked his wand and shut the door behind him. Blaise groaned and buried his face against Neville, wishing he was having nothing more than a horrifying and embarrassing nightmare.
"We're not having sex while a manticore's in the house," Blaise hissed from the curve of Neville's shoulder.
"O'course nae. I woulda needed fifteen minutes 'fore tha'," Seamus said with a grin. "Five's more than enough ta get dressed an' wake Niryal, yeah?"
"Good idea, Irish," Neville said, kissing his cheek.
"All my ideas are good ones," Seamus said with a grin.
"No, they're not," Blaise muttered, even as he accepted the shirt and trousers that Neville offered to him, Seamus rummaging in the chest of drawers to find a shirt for Neville, his own hanging off his neck.
"Lies an' slander."
"All right, you two. Enough flirting, we don't want to keep Leo waiting," Neville said, helping Seamus tug his shirt on properly and reaching around his body to take one of the shirts from the drawer.
Blaise was certainly wide awake now and he was sure that the manticore had a damned good reason for waking them up in the middle of the night. Even if they'd all been awake, it wasn't the point. Now he was going to be horny and grumpy, which was never a good combination.
"Ready, love?" Neville asked.
"Yes, and somehow, no."
Seamus smirked. "Donnae worry, love. I'll get my mouth back on ye as soon as he's gone. We've yet to defile that new lounge ye brought through."
Blaise couldn't help but perk up at the idea. "I stand corrected: you have the best ideas, Ire."
"Aye, I know," Seamus said, winking at him before opening the door and heading out with Neville and Blaise on his heels.
... b ...
Virginia felt her control over the Kelpies slowly lessen until it dissipated entirely with a pop of power. Unlike when she had controlled Ginevra for those fraught few hours, the power opposing her didn't overwhelm her entirely before it was snuffed out. Ginevra's power had slipped between her fingers like smoke, like trying to hold tight to a ray of sunshine when she had been encased in darkness for years.
The amount of power her descendant had so thoroughly surpassed her own power that it would have been frightening if she truly thought that was all that mattered. Virginia had lived for hundreds of years and knew that there was so much more to winning than something as simple as power. She had control over people and would use their power to win, just as she had in the last war and the one before that.
The Kelpies had been a test and she knew exactly what to do and who to target next, she mused, smiling at the thought.
"Virginia? Excuse me, uh... Miss Virginia?" a wizard stammered from the entry. "The Dark Lord has requested your presence; there is a rumour about the wand maker."
Considering what had happened to the last wizard who'd called her 'ma'am', Virginia supposed that calling her 'Miss' was probably the wizard's way of hoping that she wouldn't be offended and drain him dry in response to the slight. Shame, she would have preferred to eat before she had to inevitably deal with the so-called Dark Lord. His scent always left a sour taste in her mouth.
She glanced at the wizard, wondering if there was something she could use to excuse her attack on him anyway. His robes were cleaned, clothes pressed and washed, hair combed, face clean shaven, and he even had a light hint of cologne that didn't irritate her senses. Each of the positives had been reasons and excuses for draining wizards that had visited her previously. The wizards that the Dark Lord had gathered were, unfortunately, learning from their predecessors' demise and ensuring that they were clean and tidy before her, not wanting to offend Virginia and lose their life for something as simple as a crooked tie.
That wizard had been delicious.
"I know you prefer to... ahem, dine before the arduous mental task of war strategies, so I have organised a meal for you," the wizard said when he saw her eyes flicker to red, bowing low and hoping to all of the gods that she would accept the meal rather than drink from him.
Stepping down from her dais and stepping on the bowing wizard's foot along the way, Virginia headed outside to her supposed meal.
Virginia saw a line of men, each one charmed and their eyes unfocused, dazed or delirious, but all healthy with strong pulses. They were all naked and had been scrubbed clean to her standards - sans cologne this time, since the last time she'd eaten a seasoned meal, she'd thrown the man at one of the Death Eaters, killing both with the impact - and Virginia was pleasantly surprised at the thought the wizard must have put into her meal.
She hadn't even charmed that one, she mused, grinning with a sharp toothed grin and stepping forward to her smorgasbord.
When the last man dropped to her feet, pale and bloodless, Virginia licked her red lips and headed to the war room where Voldemort awaited her.
... b ...
Monday morning, 8 September
Forget about blue: Niryal swore an entire rainbow of streaks when she was woken abruptly and far too early in the morning. "I've had three fucking hours of sleep and... what's he bloody doing here?" she asked, frowning at the manticore standing in the sitting room.
"That's what we're about to find out. I thought you'd like to be part of it," Neville said with a smile.
Niryal huffed a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. You're lucky my shadow fairies sleep like the dead," she muttered, moving to perch on Neville's head.
He sighed. "We bought you your own armchair, you could sit on that."
She snorted. "Why would I sit over there when you're here?"
"Aww, she likes you, Nev," Seamus crooned.
Niryal glared and flew over to her armchair. "Shut the fuck up and get started already."
Leo inclined his head as all four looked at him. "Thank you for your time at this hour. You need to leave this place as soon as possible."
"What? Are you kidding me?" Blaise asked incredulously.
"We only just moved in and do ye ken how much it cost to repair that bathroom? The shower had ta be fixed three damn times!" Seamus exclaimed.
Niryal snorted. "That's 'cause you kept fucking in it and breaking the brand bloody new handles."
Blaise tried not to remember how Leo had found them only minutes before, but beside him, Seamus grinned. "Damn straight. Not puttin' up with weak handles."
Neville ignored the banter for a moment and looked at Leo. "How did you get in here, Leo? Everything was locked and the entrance to this world isn't exactly well known."
"My kind have been hiding in this world since the last war. The Wilting Willows are how we leave to hunt for food to then bring back to our herd."
"If your herd is here, why do you want us to leave?" Blaise asked.
"They want to be forgotten along with the rest of this world. It is better than being used in a war against our will," Leo added, almost defensively when he saw their expressions.
"What about Gin?" Seamus asked. "Ye'll be leaving her, too?"
"I will remain. I have pledged my life to the Queen; the rest of my herd have not."
"And what about the war? You know Ginevra's fighting in that?" Blaise prompted.
Leo nodded. "It would be an honour to die alongside the Queen as the last manticore."
"Fucking hell, martyr much?" Niryal snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm the last fucking Night Fairy; you don't see me bloody going into battle prepared to die, do you? What a dickbag of a thing to think."
"It is a war, not a feast. I cannot pretend that I will survive it when it is unlikely that I will."
Niryal rolled her eyes again. "Y'know what I'm fucking hearing? You're afraid and gonna give up as soon as someone bloody stabs you or some fucking thing. You can't fight, you can't survive, so bloody what? Roll over and goddamn die? You'll be as forgotten as fast as this stupid fucking place. It's a fucking shithole out there."
Leo inhaled and exhaled, slow and purposeful. "I know you are trying to incite me to fight, but I will not fight one of the Queen's allies."
Niryal laughed. "Queen's allies? You fucking twat, I'm not her ally! I'm only doing this shit 'cause he makes me," she said, thumbing in Neville's direction. "I'd fucking kill that redheaded witch the minute I got out of this contract," she sneered.
What the fuck is she doing? Blaise asked.
She donnae mean it. Right, Nev?
I don't know. I think Leo is right in that she's trying to make him angry, but I don't know why. There are easier ways to get creatures to fight, especially one as logical as Leo.
Where does logic fit into a war?
Neville conceded with a brief nod, turning his attention back to Niryal and Leo, the former who was now cackling at something, while the latter was turning an ugly shade of red, his scorpion tail twitching behind him.
"You really fucking think you could save her? Someone like you? One manticore's not strong enough to defeat the Queen of every fucking goddamn thing in the entire fucking world, so you're sure as fuck not going to be strong enough to protect her, either!"
Leo purred and leapt for Niryal, who disappeared and reappeared on top of Neville's head, cackling wildly again.
"Look at that, you weak fucking creature! You're not even worthy of a creature status, you fucking weakling. You're not even strong enough to be a goddamn being!"
Leo was fast losing his patience and logic along with it. His tail kept twitching as though he was trying to determine if he could hurt Niryal without hurting Neville, and if he did, what the cost would be for hurting one of the Queen of All's best friends.
"That is enough!"
"Ugh, fucking finally. I thought I'd have to start insulting his mother, for fuck's sakes," Niryal groaned as several manticores made their way into the room.
"Doubling the locking charms next time, and then checking them," Blaise muttered under his breath, Seamus chuckling beside him.
"We will fight and prove that we are strong enough to not only protect the Queen of All, who spared one of our own, but we will ensure she wins the war as well," the manticore's leader snapped.
"You can thank me later, I need another six goddamn hours' of sleep," Niryal said with a yawn, disappearing into Neville and leaving them in a room with a significant number of manticores.
... b ...
"She can truly stop Virginia's thrall?" Selena asked in surprise.
Lettie nodded firmly. "My Lady witnessed it with her own eyes, and the Kelpies are with us now. They do not like being controlled and consider Virginia a threat to their herds. They plan on checking the seas and oceans on my Lady's behalf, so Gregory and Pansy do not have to spread themselves quite so thin in attempting the task by themselves.
"That's good to hear. Can this Francesca woman do the same thing to us? I'd like to go out without a bag around my neck; the scent makes my wolf sneeze," Mark called.
"I will request it," Lettie replied with a nod.
"Thank you, Lettie. We haven't heard from Rob in a few days; he was going deeper into the forest to find more creatures based on that information you gave us in your last visit. I think he found a nest of Jarveys at one point," Serena said, shaking her head.
"Do you know when Theo and Millicent will return? The kids miss them," Matt added before Caleb could prompt him with the question for the hundredth time that day.
Caleb and Maxine both looked at Lettie, eager anticipation clear in their wide eyes.
"I am not certain, I'm sorry. I can pass on a message, if you'd like?" Lettie offered when the two children looked disappointed by her response.
"How much lightning can he make?"
"Would snow beat a sandstorm?"
"How do you topple a tree with the wind?"
"How much water can you freeze with a storm?"
"Can it be summer in one second and then winter in the next?"
"Does Millicent like Antarctica?"
"How do they keep warm?"
"Can I give Millicent my cape? It's red and I put the glitter on it myself!"
"Okay, kids. Time to stop!" Matt said, seeing how Lettie's eyes had widened at the barrage of questions. "Good, breathe in and out. Okay, now go run outside," he said, ruffling Caleb's hair.
"Okay! Race you!" Max called over her shoulder.
"Five hundred laps!" Grant called after his daughter, who was already racing out the door with her cousin on her heels.
Bloody hell, Millicent groaned. I wish it wasn't whatever time it is here. Fuck time zones.
You'd be annoyed either way, Mill. That was a lot of questions. Anyone get them written down? Theo asked blearily.
I did; I'll send them when it's a decent hour, Pansy replied.
Thanks, Pans, Theo said, even as he and Millicent fell back to sleep.
"We'll let you know as soon as we hear back from Rob. Thank you for letting us know there's a fallback after these bags. Not that they're not worth their weight in gold, of course," Matt said with a grin.
In the background, Jim snorted. "They don't weigh that much; it's not much gold."
"We should really stop attempting to have private conversations in a house full of nosy busy bodies with enhanced hearing," Selena muttered, patting her husband's arm when Matt groaned.
"Have a pleasant evening. I'll let you know if there's any updates," Lettie promised.
Once they'd all said their farewells, she touched her wristband and disappeared.
... b ...
"Are you all right, Colin?" Luna asked, reaching for his shoulder so she could take his hand in her own.
Colin looked away from the dragon mother guarding her nest of eggs fiercely, and looked at Luna. "Hmm?"
"Are you all right?" Luna repeated.
"Sort of? I'm trying to contain myself from shifting and burning them all to a crisp for going anywhere near the mother and her eggs," he admitted. Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and squeezed Luna's hand. "I'll be all right. Thanks, Lu."
"I know. If you do feel a need to burn anything to a crisp, I'm getting an idea of where the next town that Death Eaters will hit."
Colin brightened at her words. "Can I fly there in time?"
Luna thought for a moment, concentrating on her vision as she clutched his hands, letting go abruptly. "Yes, you have to leave now. I'll give you directions. Head west for now."
Colin sighed in relief and kissed her firmly. "Thank you, Lu. I love you."
She smiled. "I know. I love you, too. Go, or you'll be late."
Colin nodded and headed down the hill at a jog, transforming when there was enough space, and flying into the air and turning to head west as she'd instructed.
You know the Death Eaters will only go to the town because of the dragon sighting, Cassandra said.
Luna decided it would be more polite not to respond. They both knew Colin would be fine, and that his presence there now would stop a more disastrous attack on the town later down the track. No one wanted to fight dragons. No one sane, at least.
"Heya, Luna. Was that Colin that just flew off?" Charlie asked.
"Yes; he's not handling the birthing season well and needed a distraction."
"Ah. Must've been quite the distraction; I swear I saw his tail wagging before he flew off."
Luna laughed and shook her head. "It wouldn't surprise me. Now, would you mind helping me towards the town, please? There's far too much moss on the rocks to navigate confidently, even with my Sight."
"Sure thing. I don't need an explanation, y'know. Happy to help whoever and wherever I can."
"Thank you. There's a new clutch of dragon eggs about to be hatched, so we'd best hurry," Luna said, practically leading Charlie along despite her concerns over the mossy rocks.
... b ...
End of the fortieth chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!
