Alexia

Elias Davis was an exhausted twenty-year-old man that was doing his best to assist Prime Minister Major. He'd definitely hit his goal of working closely with him - he'd even surpassed it. He spent most of his time in 10 Downing Street. That day, he'd gone for his break in a nearby coffee shop. He sat with his notebook, a pen, a danish, and an Americano. He had his phone next to him and knew with two signs that his old friend was nearby - the calculator on the phone closed and the phone turned itself off, and he heard a loud crack on the street.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened. He didn't bother looking up as the couple approached, but he did glance up when Alexia dropped herself roughly into the chair across from him. He dropped his pen with a gasp as he caught sight of her. Her hair was a mess with some blood matted into it. Her clothes were slightly torn, but mostly, she just looked completely out of it. Her husband knelt in front of her and held her hand, watching her carefully. "Dolohov, what-,"

"She needs a neurologist," he interrupted sharply. His accent was thick as it typically got when he worried for his wife. "Potter told her a week ago to get in contact with you, and she refused."

"What happened?" Elias asked. He moved over to look at her and saw her eyes were unfocused and she couldn't seem to sit still - she wavered in place. "She needs to go to a hospital, Dolohov."

"I cannot Apparate her again."

Elias rolled his eyes and nodded at the barista nearby. The man was already on the phone. "He's calling 999. They'll be here soon to get her. You don't need magic for everything."

Dolohov moved Alexia's hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ears. "Hermione…"

Elias watched carefully for any sign that she was uncomfortable around her husband. It probably wasn't the best time, since she was so out of it, but he didn't trust the man, and he hadn't since their wedding day. Every time he saw her, she swore Dolohov loved her more than anything and that he'd never hurt her, but Elias had seen the ease with which he'd hurt her father. If that wasn't a red flag, he didn't know what was.

It wasn't long before the door opened again and paramedics pulled him from his musings. Alexia was put on a stretcher and taken into the ambulance. Dolohov got in with her, but Elias was forced to drive behind them. On the way, he called his boss and stated a family emergency and assured him that he'd update him soon.

The hospital was five minutes away, and he rushed in behind them. Alexia was taken immediately to an MRI and CT scan. It was only when she'd been taken away that he frowned to himself. "What about her magic?"

"I lightly suppressed it," Dolohov told him. He stood tensely, looking darker than Elias had ever seen him. "I put her to sleep as well."

"How the hell could you do that? Either of those things, actually," Elias asked sharply. He'd only heard so much about how magic worked, but Alexia had once mentioned that magic being suppressed was wildly dangerous for everyone. "Won't it build up in her and kill us all?"

Dolohov gave him a look that suggested he was stupid. "That is an Obscurus. Hermione's magic would have to be suppressed for years and years as she was growing into it for her to become an Obscurus. Temporarily suppressing her magic is safe. I did it by pressing our cores together. Mine acts as walls around hers. As long as I can control mine, I can control hers. As for putting her to sleep, we have a sealed soul bond. I can enter her mind, where she is currently. She let me relax her mind. Did you expect me to hurt her?"

Elias leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest silently. He didn't know enough about magic to know if Dolohov was lying or not. All he knew was people, and he knew there was something off about his oldest friend's husband.

They'd been waiting for almost a half hour by the time the door to the ER room opened again. Instead of Alexia, James and Lily walked in together. Lily was heavily pregnant at almost eight months, and she frowned deeply.

"Dolohov, thank Merlin," Lily breathed. She reached the chair Dolohov sat in and used the back of it to lean on slightly. "How is she?"

"How'd you find us?" Elias asked in surprise. James looked at him in confusion.

"Dolohov told us," he said like it was obvious. "Aside from the fact that I'm her brother, I'm also her Head of House and she's my heir."

"And I'm her healer," Lily grit her teeth. "What the bloody hell did that stupid witch do this time? I'm going to kill her! Can she not just listen to me once! And this is the first time she's gotten in contact with you, Eli, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "They just stumbled into the cafe I was in. I haven't heard from her in almost three months. He really told you? When?"

"Someone better tell me what she did before I start hexing," Lily threatened both men. Dolohov looked at her calmly.

"Hermione would be very upset with all of us if you got angry and the baby got hurt," he said. "Sit down." Reluctantly, Lily did as he said. Once she was settled, he spoke. "We tested our upgrade again."

James nodded. "I felt her leave."

"The machine was fine, but the issue we have been having has gotten worse. She fell to the concrete ground and hit her head hard enough to pass out. By the time she got home to me, she was worse. Apparating to Davis…"

"Damn it, Ash," James muttered to himself. He rubbed his face tiredly. "I can feel it a bit, just… off. She's confused and in pain. Something's definitely wrong."

"I should give them her records," Lily decided. She got to her feet again and paused. "Someone bring me a nurse."

"Sit down, Lily Flower, and I'll find one," James requested. Once his wife had sat back down, he left the room. He returned a moment later with a woman carrying a clipboard.

"For… Hermione Granger, also known as Alexia Dolohov?" the nurse asked. "And you have her medical records?"

"We've been… out of the country, but I'm a doctor," Lily confirmed. "I'm her doctor. I have her records memorized."

"You do?" the woman frowned. "And you're here because…?"

"I'm also her sister-in-law," Lily bristled. "Do you want it or not?"

The woman shook herself and nodded. "Yes, of course."

Lily straightened in her chair. "Recently she has had a lot of head trauma. She's had multiple concussions through her life, but a lot more over the last few months. Two weeks ago, she went through- it was a bit of a… damn it, Dolohov, how do I-,"

"Alexia works with an agency," he said, pulling out his own badge to show her. "Many of her injuries come from secret operations that we cannot disclose the details of."

"Thank you," Lily breathed out in relief. "So she went through something that put her body through a lot of stress, but she had a seizure. After that, she was… um, does she want Eli to know this?"

"Ma'am, if you're going to tell me, then I suggest you-,"

"She was tortured immediately after," Lily snapped out.

"Jesus," Elias whispered in horror. "Hermione was tortured?"

Lily shifted. "I can't disclose how she was tortured, but it deeply exacerbated her injuries. Again in the same day, she went through another trauma that caused her to seize again. She was in America when this happened, in the FBI building in Quantico, Virginia."

The woman's mouth dropped open. "And you deemed her fit to work only two weeks later?"

"No," Lily denied shortly. "I told my stupid sister to stay home from work! I told her boss to keep her home from work! I told her husband to keep her home from work! I told James to keep her home from work!"

"Lils, I have no control over Lexi-,"

"Bullshit!" Lily yelled. "You are Lord Potter! You can tell her to quit her goddamn job right now and she'd have to!"

"But that's not how we do things!"

"It's how he does things," Lily pointed at Antonin. "So what's your excuse for getting Alex hurt again? I told her that you would never fucking change, you'd always hurt her, and now- now we might lose her! Do you even understand how fragile the brain is? If Lexi comes back out- if they can stop some deterioration, she might be an entirely different person! God, this is just as bad as when you tried to kill her in the forest."

James sighed and waved his wand at the woman to Obliviate her.

Antonin's jaw tightened, and his fists closed at his side. Despite his angry disposition, he knelt down to look at Lily in the eyes. He was uncomfortable, that much was clear, but his voice was quiet and honest. "Pot- Lily… I apologize. I have discussed the matter with Hermione, but I see I owe you an apology as well. I am sorry for what I did. I never should have hurt her."

Lily didn't reply. Instead, tears began to leak from her face and she turned to the side to cry into James as he held her.

"What the hell?" Elias asked sharply. "I asked Alexia- I asked her the day you got married if you were safe, if you'd ever hurt her and she said-,"

"You asked her if I would ever hurt her," Antonin interrupted sharply. "She told you I would not. If you had asked if I have ever hurt her, the answer is very different."

"What the fuck?"

"Hey!" James snapped at them. "Not now. Dolohov, focus your magic and energy on Lexi. She needs it and you can help her even from here. Elias-,"

"I'm not dropping this," he interrupted his friend's brother. "I've known Hermione longer than all of you. She's my oldest friend. She might be a different person now, but I'll still make sure she's okay like I did back then. Right now, it sure as hell looks like she's not. Aside from the fact that her husband has tried to kill her, she's apparently got a job beyond working with the Ministry of Magic that has her in constant danger? What the fuck is going on, exactly?"

There was a short knock on the door. Everyone stopped talking immediately and watched as a nurse stepped into the room. "Wow, a lot of people in here, huh? I'm Poppy, I'm a nurse from floor 3. I'm going to take you guys up there because Alexia's going to be admitted."

"Where is she?" James asked with wide eyes. "Is she okay?"

"You are…?"

"Her brother, James," he told her. He pointed at Lily. "My wife, Lily. That's her husband, Antonin, and that is a close friend, Elias."

"Okay, James. We got her scans back and it looks like Alexia has a hemorrhagic stroke."

"A what?"

"A brain bleed," Lily translated. She looked miserable. "Do you know how long it's been…?"

"It's hard to tell, but it looks like it's been there a while," Poppy smiled sadly. "Luckily it's a small one, so despite how long she's had it, we're hopeful. She's quite resilient, I'd guess. She's going into surgery now, so I'm going to take you folks upstairs to wait for her."

"How long will this take?" Elias asked.

"We're hoping only a couple of hours, but it may be longer if the bleed goes any lower than it is now," Poppy explained. "If you'll all follow me…"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

An hour and a half in, James had to take Lily home. Dolohov had gone to send a message to their boss without taking out all the life support in the hospital, which left Elias alone.

For barely five minutes.

He was pacing in front of the window when two men hurried into the room. He'd seen them at Alexia's wedding - the older one had even been in the wedding.

"Oh, thank fuck," the older one said, breathing a sigh of relief. "This is the third hospital we've been to, looking for her."

"Only because you can't remember which hospital is which," the younger one muttered. He shoved his way past the older one, who was clearly his brother, and grabbed Alexia's bag. He reached half his arm in it and grabbed out a bottle. Without missing a beat, he drank down whatever was inside. Instantly, he looked more awake. The older man raised a brow at him. "Don't give me that look. She owed me a Pepper Up, and I got an hour of sleep."

"Whatever. And you," the older man said, waving at Elias. "The muggle friend. What was it? Uh-,"

"Just ask him his name instead of guessing," the younger brother rolled his eyes. "That's how you insult people, brother."

"Fine. What's your name?"

"Elias David. And you guys are…?"

"Regulus Black," the younger man bowed his head. "A close friend of Lexi's."

"Sirius Black," the older one nodded. "Her adoptive brother."

Elias looked between them and frowned at Regulus. "And you're not her brother?"

Regulus grimaced. "Merlin, let's hope not."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, they fucked."

Regulus threw the yellow pages sitting on the nearby counter at Sirius without saying a word.

"I'm getting a headache," Elias muttered to himself. "I know Alexia's lived an entire life since we were friends, but… that life seems complicated and dangerous."

"Aaand you've just summed it up in two words," Sirius announced. "Good job."

"Emphasis on the dangerous," Elias continued. "Her sister-in-law said… Dolohov tried to kill her? And they're still together? Is she… okay?"

Sirius screwed up his face. "Lily was mad, wasn't she? She only brings that up when she's mad at him. So far he's brushed it off, but one day, he'll crack. I've got a bet that it'll take him a year and a half to apologize."

"He did it today."

"Damn it, Dolohov," Sirius cursed. "I owe Tonks ten galleons!"

"Sirius," Regulus shot his brother a glare. He turned to look at Elias cautiously. "Alexia met all of us during a very precarious time in our world. At the beginning of the war. Some of us had our places in this war chosen for us already. Dolohov and I, we were unlucky. My mother offered me up to the terrorist, and I was forced to… as for Dolohov… he did a lot of horrible things. I did a lot to keep Lexi away from him, to protect her from him."

"But he changed," Sirius interrupted. "I didn't see it at first because he's- well, you know. Only shows himself to Ash and all that, but he did. He wasn't loyal to Voldemort. He was loyal to his Patriarch, who ordered him to stop hurting Lexi and instead try and court her. When he did start spending time with her, he was more loyal to her than he was to Anatoly and Voldemort put together. Don't get me wrong, he's a dark wizard full stop. But that being said, he would never hurt her again."

Elias frowned. "How can you know that?"

Sirius shrugged a little. "Because I know Ash. I know that she trusts him with her entire being, that she loves him with her entire being. Besides, they have a sealed soul bond. Magic would never allow him to hurt her. It's part of a soul bond. It would stop him before he could, no matter how he tried. He's bound to love and protect her for the rest of their lives."

"Which is why he brought her to you," Regulus confirmed. "Lily's told all of us that she can't help Lexi with magic. She needed to see a neurologist. Dolohov knew you were the best chance at getting her help. So, did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Get her help."

"Oh," Elias shook himself. "I called a neurologist. Her name is Jasmine Morris. She's here, she went to help with the surgery."

Regulus nodded and relaxed. "So you see, he did it."

"Yeah, trust us, we did not get it," Sirius let out a dramatic sigh. "We spent years trying to keep Lexi away from Dolohov. It took Malfoy sitting me down and begging me to leave my fiance and date Lexi for me to realize that we needed to trust her. Turns out, she was right."

"You- what? Aren't you her brother?"

Regulus rolled his eyes. "It's a complicated situation. Yes, but no. Magical bonds are involved that, thankfully, went unfulfilled."

"And you… also dated- or… hooked up with her," Elias blinked, lost. Regulus stiffened, however.

"I was in love with her. Despite my brother's crude words, our relationship was had with the intent to court and wed."

"That seems… better."

Sirius snorted. "No. Lexi couldn't keep herself from lying to Reg about a lot. Lexi is not a pure person. She complained to me about her regrets with Regulus a lot until Feliks tried to-,"

"Black," Antonin said, walking into the room. "I do not care how you got on this subject, but I suggest you get off of it quickly. Our family is not something Hermione likes to discuss, you will remember."

Regulus sighed as Sirius's eyes darkened at the reminder. "You wouldn't have lasted five minutes in Slytherin. Can you, for once in your life, not look like Lexi's life just flashed before your eyes at the slightest mention of… things of that sort?"

"Oh, and it doesn't happen to you?" Sirius shot back with a huff. "It's not my fault his bloody family is fucking insane!"

"What the hell happened with your family?" Elias asked, though he was less hostile than before. "I remember Alexia saying something about them at your wedding."

Antonin ignored him and turned to Regulus. "Who reported Hermione Granger as dead in the muggle system?"

Regulus's eyes narrowed. "Who would- oh. Damn it. It was Hotchner."

"Who?" Sirius blinked.

"After Macnair killed her and before I brought her back, they were at the hospital. She was in the morgue. They must have put her paperwork through. Legally, she's dead," he explained.

"She died?" Elias asked. His voice raised a few octaves, but he thought it was fair in light of the news. "How the hell- she's here now!"

"She can come back to life. Surprise!" Sirius waved his hands.

Antonin cursed in Russian. "When they bring her back from the surgery, we will need to take her to St. Mungo's."

"They probably think Lexi stole her identity," Sirius snorted. "Yikes."

"I'll contact St. Mungo's," Regulus sighed, walking toward the door. "Hopefully they can arrange some sort of gentler transportation for her. Does Croaker know?"

"He will be here soon," Antonin confirmed. After Regulus left, Sirius looked at the other man curiously.

"Do you need… like… human things? Coffee? Food?"

Antonin frowned very slightly and cautiously. "A… Pepper Up… would be appreciated."

Sirius rolled his eyes at the stiff response, but he nodded and left again. Once he was gone, Antonin walked over and dropped a few things in Alexia's bag - her wand and daggers. He held her ring in his hand and quietly slipped it on his finger. It resized to fit him, causing a nearby monitor to flicker.

Elias decided to test the waters after the new information he'd been given. He was still uneasy and pretty certain Alexia could've done better, but he was comforted by how certain the brothers were that Dolohov literally could not hurt her. "What is that?"

Dolohov didn't bother looking up. He held another ring in his hand - her wedding ring. "A crucial piece of our job. Someone must wear it at all times."

"What does it… do?"

Dolohov looked up at him sharply, but he was spared a response when the door opened again and Regulus walked back in with a woman with light brown hair that seemed to be nearly fifty.

"I'm here for transportation. Who is the patient?"

"Alexia Dolohov."

The woman's head shot up. Her eyes narrowed at Dolohov. "Alexia Potter?"

"It is Dolohov now."

The woman cursed under her breath. "That girl will be the end of me, I swear to Merlin, Morgana, and Circe."

The door creaked and James started to walk in, but he stopped short. "Oh, uh."

"Lord Potter," the woman raised an eyebrow. "Not breaking into another morgue, are you? With your sister's help?"

"No, ma'am," James blushed. He walked in and laughed nervously. "There's a- a really good explanation for that, of course."

"Potter, the statute of limitations is most likely up for that," Regulus let out a small laugh. "I'm unsure if what you did was even illegal, per se."

"It was, at the time," the witch said. "Smuggling a werewolf into St. Mungo's morgue."

"It was Lexi's idea," James said thoughtfully. "So really, if anyone is in trouble for it-,"

"It's the girl getting brain surgery?" Elias raised an eyebrow.

James coughed awkwardly. "Anyway. For complicated reasons, these muggles think Hermione Granger is dead and Lexi is stealing her identity, so when they get back, we need to take her and leave quickly."

"We have a bed that will take her directly to your reserved room. It has wards around it to suppress the magic and keep the other rooms safe. As soon as she gets back, we can take her. You, however, will be in charge of getting yourselves out."

"We can probably make a run for it," James grinned. "I was pretty good at breaking out of a hospital the first time."

"But you got caught," she reminded him. "Try not to go back for your friends this time, Lord Potter."

Their plan was set. Most of them left early, including Elias. Only James and Antonin remained to wait for Alexia to come back. It took another half hour before she was wheeled back into the room. They swapped her over onto the St. Mungo's bed and walked back out to find the doctor to talk to them. They didn't leave yet - they needed to know what had happened.

Doctor Morris walked in, washed her hands, and turned to them. "The family, I assume?"

"I'm her brother, James, and he's her husband," James confirmed. "How is she?"

"Well, you're both very lucky," Dr. Morris said plainly. "She has suffered quite a bit of trauma to her brain, but something in her fought to heal her. It was like her body was working with us. A surgery like that, with this much trauma, would normally take another two hours, minimum. I believe she will make a full recovery. The bleeding has stopped entirely, and… I swear to you, I watched her brain heal. It was incredible. I would guess… a week or so and she'll be good to go. I want her to check in with her primary care physician, and set up an appointment with me for two weeks out."

"So she can go home tonight?" James asked hopefully.

Dr. Morris shook her head. "She had brain surgery. She needs a couple of days to recover, and then we can turn her over to your care. I was told that her regular doctor is her sister-in-law? Would that be your wife?"

"Yes," James confirmed. "Lexi lives with us, so Lily'll hover, no doubt."

"Good. If you need anything, give my office a call, alright?"

"Thank you."

"Poppy will be in soon to hook her up and take her vitals again," Dr. Morris told them on her way out. As soon as she was gone and the door had closed, they set into action. The nurse from St. Mungo's activated the bed and the nurse, Alexia, and the bed disappeared.

With them gone, James and Antonin both made their way out of the room. While Antonin went to the roof, James went down the stairs and out the ER doors. Once they were both out, they Apparated away and to St. Mungo's.

Alexia was in James's reserved room as they'd been told, and Lily was already there with her. Harry had arrived as well, with Ginny by his side.

"What- how- her hair was gone!" James exclaimed, waving at his sister's head. "Two seconds ago!"

"Five minutes ago," Lily corrected.

Ginny shrugged. "I grew it back. I learned the charm after George spelled mine away. I figured she'd prefer not to wake up bald."

"Could've used that when she vanished mine when we were thirteen," James muttered. He came to stand next to his son and behind his wife, allowing Antonin to sit on the side of her bed. He grabbed her hand and ignited their bond. Quickly, color began returning to her cheeks. After mere moments, her eyes blinked open.

"Mione!" Harry exclaimed. He moved closer and relaxed when she offered him a weak smile. "Merlin. A concussion is one thing, but brain surgery?"

"Just… gotta do something new… once in a while," she managed through her grimaces. She tried to sit up but found herself unable. Instead, she dropped her head gently into Antonin's lap and relaxed when he started stroking her hair. "Lils… don't yell at me."

Lily shook her head and wiped tears from her eyes. "Not you. Your husband, your stupid brother, and your boss? Yes, I'm sure as hell going to yell at them. You? Absolutely not."

"Just because she had surgery, she's not worth yelling at?" Ginny laughed, but Lily shook her head again.

"No. I know yelling at Lexi doesn't work. She doesn't care about her safety, but they do. They failed… I failed. I'm mad at all of us, not her. I just want her… to heal."

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