Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any character, story element or plot item originally published in the Harry Potter books or movies that I may refer to in this story. I'm merely playing in the sandbox.
Susan looked up from her studying and couldn't help but smile. "Whatever they talked about; I think the talking is over."
Hannah looked where Susan's gaze fell, the newest Hufflepuff's sleeping in the snogging chair. "I thought he didn't want to be with her."
"He doesn't know what he wants," Susan said, closing her book and resting her elbows on the table. "He's still figuring out his feelings."
Hannah snorted. "Boys don't have feelings. They have urges."
Susan shook her head. "No, he really is lost in this. Imagine being friends with someone, growing up together and suddenly finding out that, after both sets of your parents are dead, that you're both going to stay with your uncle and, oh yeah, you're betrothed. They only found out a week before school."
"I…I didn't know that." Hannah paled. "Oh, that poor couple."
Susan nodded. "I think she loved him before but was scared to say it. She told me a few weeks ago she wanted him to ask her to Hogsmeade." She sighed. "Not the greatest first date for them, but I think he's finding out how he feels. Sometimes you have to risk losing something to realize how important it is to you."
"Maybe they both admitted it tonight." Hannah smiled reluctantly. "That is kind of sweet."
"Yeah…I wish I had someone who would look at me like he did her when she was trapped in that nightmare." Again, she thought of a shy Gryffindor boy who always seemed terrified to meet anyone's gaze.
After a moment, she rose and waved off one of the Fifth-year prefects as they headed over. "After the day they've had, just let them sleep. I'll take the responsibility with Professor Sprout." She pulled a blanket from the cabinet and covered the pair up, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on Brahm's forehead. "Keep her safe, little brother."
With that, she walked to the entrance of the Sett and headed to the Professor's office. She had hope that one of the Puff girls was getting the happy ending they wanted. Sarah had confided in her that she really wanted him to come to like the situation they were in. She'd noticed him kiss the top of her head and heard what he said, despite the muffling charm that she'd seen him cast, wandlessly for that matter. She shook her head. "No secrets, hunh?"
"Albus, we warned you of the possible threat."
She sat, ignoring an unasked-for cup of tea that sat on the small table near her, watching as the older man dismissed her again. "Amelia, the village relies on the additional business from us, particularly lately. Several of those shops sat empty after the events of the summer."
"After Harry Potter publicly left."
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, well…have there been any other sightings?"
She shook her head slowly, reinforcing her Occlumency shields while watching the infrared shadow of his hands through the desk with her monocle. Alastor Moody had taught her a few things over the years. "That investigation remains closed."
The man frowned. "It's of vital importance that he returns to us, Amelia."
"You need to let this go." She rose, having decided she was getting nothing else from him. "You were lucky when that article came out that you weren't publicly lynched."
She stepped back and to the Floo, casting some powder from a pouch in her pocket into the flames and jumping in, all the while keeping her eye on him until she was through the fire. On arrival to Auror headquarters, she cast a few detection charms and nodded, finding herself clear. "Old fool." She set out to find the other meddler in affairs she wanted to strangle, one Algernon Taylor.
The sound of a throat clearing made Brahm crack one eye, about to tell Justin or Ernie to shove it, but then he stiffened. Professor Sprout stood before him; one eyebrow raised. What could I have done? I… The previous day flooding back quieted his thoughts. That and the fact that he was already sitting up made him realize that he wasn't in bed.
"Oh, crap." He glanced at the weight on his arm and reached over with his free hand. "Sarah…umm…I think we need to wake up for our expulsion."
"I don't wanna." She mumbled sleepily.
Brahm's dark sense of humor awoke at this. "Wake up or be expelled?"
"Why would we be expelled and how did you get in my bed…" She looked around after staring at him for a long moment, blinking sleepily. Brahm joined her she shifted the blanket to one side, standing. Half of their House was standing there. "Oh, dear."
"Professor Sprout, I promise nothing happened."
"We have rules about decorum." She simply said, waiting.
Sarah sighed, looking to her feet. "There's an easy test. You should do a revelation spell on our rings." She held her left hand up, motioning for Brahm to do the same. Sprout's wand was moving as she continued, louder so that everyone could hear.
"If we had…done anything, the betrothal would be complete, and these would be wedding rings. Since our feelings haven't really solidified into love, the bonding that will show will flicker and twist and warp. If we both loved each other, it would be…" she paused, with her head downcast, then gasped. "Solid," she finished in a whisper. She turned and stared at Brahm, reaching her hand to his out of habit.
Brahm looked down and saw a solid blue line joining them, like a ribbon. "I am familiar with this spell, Ms. Taylor. This means that you both love each other but are still simply betrothed. I will let this slide today, but only because of what you two went through. Do not do it again. Oh, congratulations, of course." She smiled at them and walked away, pausing for a moment by Susan to give her a knowing look.
Brahm turned his gaze to Sarah, some of the older girls whispering as the ghostly image of the ribbon faded. "I tried to tell you last night, but you insisted that we not talk anymore. You were worried that I was going to hurt you." He didn't continue, wanting to explain his confusion, his inexperience, but was sure she knew.
Sarah looked up at him, eyes filling with tears as she lowered her hand from her mouth and leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, up on her toes to stand as tall next to him as she could. "What changed? You've been so confused over all this."
"I think it was the point where he saw you with the Dementor," Susan said, pulling Hannah with her. Brahm noted that the reluctant girl's face was less grim than usual when looking at him but was still at a loss with her.
"I moved so fast, I'm pretty sure I Apparated."
"You did, but breaking the law is one thing," Susan said, "Busting in like some kind of hero yelling 'Get away from my Sarah!'…that'll get some attention."
Brahm flushed and Sarah put her hands on his chest, now looking him in the eyes. "You said that?"
Brahm put his arms around her, leaned down and kissed her. At first, she was rigid, then seemed to melt into his hold. As he reluctantly pulled away, he spoke. "And now you are the first person I've kissed. And, yes, I said something like that."
Sarah smiled up at him as she dropped back on her heels. "Then I say that I'm going to go get ready, and so are you…then my boyfriend is going to take me to breakfast."
"Good. We missed dinner last night." At that point, Brahm realized they had an audience and started shooing them away. "C'mon, get a hobby, guys. Get out of here." He reached for the blanket, but Susan was folding it. "That was you?"
"Gotta look out for you. Merlin knows you can't take care of yourself."
"Thanks." He reached out and hugged her. "You did a lot to make us feel welcome here. You didn't have to."
"It was the right thing to do. We are Hufflepuffs after all. Hard work and friendship," Susan said, giving him her version of a penetrating gaze. "Besides, I'm going to figure you out."
Brahm rolled his eyes, heading towards the doorway to the boy's hall. He showered, his clothes vanishing as one of the elves snatched them up. Soon, he was waiting on Sarah in the common room. She walked up, took his hand, lacing her fingers through his and they walked on to breakfast.
"I have to ask…" Sarah began quietly. Brahm glanced over, then squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Are you in love with Sarah or with me?" The last was said so quiet, Brahm almost didn't hear her.
"Sarah, you said yourself that you were being you now, not the Loony girl I used to know. That's what I fell for."
"But I don't look like this," she said, reaching up to her single plaited braid, draped over her shoulder.
Harry took a breath. "Love is about the person, not what they look like. Otherwise, people would divorce the moment their partner started to show some age. I love you for who you are. Not for what you look like."
He glanced around as he said that, making sure no one was listening. Sarah pulled her hand free and slipped her arm around his waist. "I needed to know that. Thank you."
He was quiet for a moment as he considered his next words. "I am confused about something."
"What?"
"So, you're my girlfriend now…"
"Uh, yeah," Sarah said, looking up at him, perplexed.
"Shouldn't I have asked you?"
"Brahm, if I hadn't told you to ask me to Hogsmeade, I don't think you ever would have gotten a clue." She sighed. "I know you struggle with this and don't have a lot of experience with loving others and being loved, but it's okay to talk about how you feel. I am glad to help you understand."
"I'd appreciate that." He rested his arm across her shoulders, holding her tightly for a second as they walked into the Great Hall together. There was some pointing as they entered the Great Hall, but they ignored it, instead deciding to sit and eat.
"So, what's on tap for today?"
"You have homework…and so do I," Sarah said. "I have to go by the infirmary to check in with Madame Pomfrey."
Brahm nodded, frowning. "Hey, you never took the Dreamless Sleep potion. Were the nightmares bad?"
Sarah looked up at him confused, then nuzzled against his side. "I…don't remember dreaming. I guess I felt safe."
"Well, at least I got that right." He put some eggs on his plate as she reached for the bacon. "I'll need to return one of the doses of Dreamless Sleep, so I'll go with you."
"Yes, you finally did something right." Sarah smirked at him, then her eyes shot off to the side. "Oh, not now…"
"Fix it."
Brahm had his water cup half lifted to his lips, then glanced over. Granger stood at his shoulder, arms folded and glaring down at him. "Well, this is new." He wondered as his latest nemesis did a pretty good impression of his former nemesis, Granger coming over to harass him like Malfoy did. "Hello, Granger. Don't you have someone else to terrorize this fine morning?" There was some laughter from the rest of the Hufflepuffs.
"I said fix it!"
"I heard that. I'm pretty sure they heard that all the way back in Hickory." Brahm wanted to laugh as Sarah snickered quietly but fought the urge back. Instead, he simply turned to face Granger, the room silencing at her shrill cry. "Fix…what?" Glancing back, he could see Sarah was looking at him with open curiosity.
"My arm!"
"Oh," he said, turning back to his food. "I'm no Healer yet, not even an apprentice. I just help in the infirmary…you know, grunt work like cleaning bed pans and changing sheets. Go see Madame Pomfrey later. But do let the poor woman eat. She had a very busy day yesterday."
Granger almost growled at him and stepped back, drawing her wand. Brahm was proud to see nearly half of Hufflepuff draw at the same time, all aiming at her. He waited for a moment, appearing to ignore her as he let the situation sink in. "You're heading down a foolish path, Granger. I understand that the Gryffindors are known for this sort of thing, but the fact that Hufflepuff is ready to attack should show you that you are in the wrong here." He picked up a piece of bacon and began chewing on it.
"Ms. Granger, put your wand down now!" Professor Sprout called from the head table. Brahm noted with disgust that neither the Headmaster nor the girl's Head of House had said anything.
"I'm telling you to fix it or I'm going to…" Her threat was lost in a shriek as he held his hand out, sending the repulsion spell he'd used against the Weasley boy against her. She surged backward; her wand knocked out of her hand. Brahm caught it easily as he stood, stepping towards her.
The cracking sound of wood snapping echoed as he split the wand, tossing the two pieces to either side of him as he stepped towards her. "My wand," she cried. There was a gasp in the room. He had done what was usually unthinkable, snapping a magic user's wand was typically reserved for criminals. He wondered if it would be clear enough to her what he thought of her actions.
Brahm's eyes narrowed, looking down at her. He spoke again, making his voice cold, another of Algie's tricks. "It was mine when I took it from you. I didn't want it, so I removed it." By this point, several Gryffindors were standing and the Hufflepuff wands he could see were moving to aim at them. "What part of leave me alone do you do not get?"
"You marked my arm! You will fix it!" Somehow, she still hadn't lost her demanding tone as she lay on the ground, helpless before him.
"You are an absolute idiot; you know that?" Brahm said. "Making demands and you have nothing to back them!" He shook his head. "Especially about this! You threatened me over a prank spell? You stupid witch, that'll last a week, so yes, you're stuck with a declaration of love for that idiot Malfoy for a week…and that led you to point a lethal weapon at me? I should have killed you where you stood for that. The wizard who trained me wouldn't have used a Push Hex like I did. He would have used a Reductor or a Bombarda and blown you in half."
At his words, he could see some of the Gryffindors put their wands away. Neville's voice called out. "A week? What you did was only for a week?"
Brahm shrugged. "Yeah, about. It may be less than that. It's just a glamour spell some American wizards use if they're thinking about getting a tattoo and want to try it out. If she was really as smart as she made herself out to be, she would have researched it. Besides, I did it silently. Everyone knows spells with an incantation are typically more powerful. Even the Headmaster has to speak when he does something permanent or very powerful."
He stared down in disgust at the girl that, in a lifetime he was fast becoming glad he'd shed behind him, had been his best friend. "Maybe you should have stayed home and left magic to the ones who can control themselves."
"We do not break wands, Mr. Evans." McGonagall said as she stalked down the aisle from the other side.
"So, now you care about the situation. Never mind when she was threatening me, she's one of yours after all. She's lucky that's all I did." Brahm waved his hand idly, dismissing the statement. "My uncle trained me to take a target's wand and snap it so there was no chance of them immediately coming back. Of course, I could have gone with the other side of my training," he turned and met her gaze evenly.
To his surprise, the normally powerful woman balked slightly at his look. "Your overlooking of the behavior of the Golden Trio is legendary and, while there isn't three anymore, I had no reason to believe you'd curb the excesses of her behavior. I took the efforts I felt were necessary to protect myself. You were certainly willing to sit there and watch as she threatened me and the only reprimand you've given was to me for breaking the idiot's wand. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me."
McGonagall's nostrils flared and she stepped forward again. "I discipline my students. And you're out of line! Five points from Hufflepuff for your poor manners towards me."
"Yes, you discipline your students," Brahm continued, ignoring the point deduction, "The stories are rather interesting to hear in the Sett. You either discipline to the point of insanity, sending students into the Forbidden Forest at night for being out after curfew, or simply ignore students when they come to you with open concerns about the state of things in the school. Didn't your own pet Potter say in the letter to the editor that you refused to assist him with that Umbral woman?"
"Umbridge," she muttered quietly.
He rolled his eyes, not caring. He was finally getting to say some of the things he'd wanted to say over the past few years. "Whatever. I remember the line, because it was one of the things that made me think I should take my Sarah and get as far away from here as possible. 'I was told to keep my head down.' I've heard from some of the others in my house about how discipline was issued while she was here and how you as Deputy kept your head in the sand. The Ministry should be glad I wasn't here when that happened. I would have dealt with it the way my uncle trained me to."
He turned back to Granger. "For some reason I will never understand, Sarah has befriended you. I won't interfere with that. Just don't come near me again. I'm tired of your petty competition; I'm tired of you threatening me…I'm tired of you period. You were lucky with me this time. Don't let there be a next time."
He turned back to McGonagall. "I will accept any punishment you issue with one exception. Do not put me with her in any way. I will pack my bags before that happens because if you stick me with the bossy know it all, I'll be headed to Azkaban and her to St. Mungos or the morgue."
"A week's detention with me, Evans, starting tomorrow. I'll send you an official notice." Snape called from the head table.
"Yes, Professor." He looked back at McGonagall. "Will there be anything else, Professor?" He was openly less courteous to her than he was Snape, something that would be its own message regarding the incident, he was sure.
Her eyes were narrowed, staring at him. "You will have to replace her wand."
He sighed. "She threatens to injure me, and I have to buy her something for the privilege. I'm even more convinced the Potter boy had the right idea." He closed his eyes and called out louder. "Mimsy?"
The small elf appeared. "Yes?"
"Will you get me eighty galleons from my vault, plus one of the spare low security money pouches?" He leaned down as he spoke to her and half-whispered. "When you come back, follow them invisibly. I don't trust the bushy haired one." Mimsy nodded and popped away.
Brahm straightened and faced his former head of house. "Please inform Ms. Granger that I will require a written receipt and appropriate change, or I will view her as stealing from me and will file appropriate charges with your Ministry. I'm sure they can at least get that right." He never turned to face the girl whom he could just see sitting on the floor, reaching for one piece of her wand.
"I'm honest." She said, but Brahm didn't acknowledge her.
"That's twice she's attacked me in less than a day, Professor McGonagall. The first time was practically in front of Madame Bones, the Weasley boy following along like a puppy on a leash. I feel that I have been restrained in my response." He lowered his voice slightly. "I can tell you that my patience is waning with her."
"Twice?" McGonagall winced at the mention of Amelia's presence.
"She objected to one of the spells I used against the dementors yesterday, demanding to know which Death Eater taught me the Flame Cutter. She and the Weasley brat…excuse me, boy. No offense Ginny!" The small red head waved at him; a frequent member of the study group Sarah held court over. "Sorry, there are some in your house I like, and I'd like to stay on good terms with them. Anyway, she and the Weasley boy attacked me in a few feet from Madame Bones and two other Aurors."
McGonagall exhaled, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Ms. Granger, is this true?"
"I nearly died by a ranged version of that curse, I thought only Death Eaters used it." By this point, she was standing, defiantly with her hands on her hips.
Again, Brahm wondered how she never learned anything. Despite his wish to never speak to her again, he knew he needed to address this. "It's commonly used as a tool of demolition, though is very effective against certain rampaging magical creatures." Brahm spoke, openly expressing his irritation that he was responding to her. "It's only a problem if used against sentient beings, which I was pretty sure that the dementors did not qualify. I'll admit that part being a gamble."
"I…I didn't know."
Brahm shook his head. "You're a Prefect now and everyone has you slated for Head Girl next year…we're doomed. Hopefully, your idiocy is obvious to the other members of the faculty since the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress are clearly uninterested in curbing it."
He didn't wait for permission to sit back down, he just did. Mimsy appeared seconds later, handing him the small leather pouch, which he passed to McGonagall. "That should more than cover it. Again, I will require a receipt."
She took a breath, as though to say something further, then settled on simply nodding and moving to Granger's side. Brahm looked at his table and grinned down the line. "Thanks for backing me, there. I don't have a real reason to trust the administration here."
"You're one of us. We stand by each other," Justin said. Ernie nodded
"We're Badgers. It's what we do." Susan grinned at him.
