* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 41: The Founders Ball
"You okay, mate?"
Theo jumped, "So we're showering together now, are we?"
"We've showered together since you joined the Quidditch team in third year," Draco pointed out.
"Not in a private shower cubicle," Theo muttered.
"Well, you're avoiding everyone. They can tell somethings up," Draco whispered, "If you're not going to tell them, you need to get a bit better at acting."
"I'll tell them at the Founders Ball," Theo promised, "But I just want to wait and see how the hospital visit goes today."
"Alright," Draco said softly, "It'll be okay, you know? Try not to freak out so much."
Theo sighed, "Easier said than done."
"I know, I've been there," Draco reminded him.
Theo caught his eye, "Yeah, I know you have. Sorry, man."
"It's alright," Draco said as he grabbed a towel from the cubicle door, "Just keep your chin up, alright? I know you're worried, but we've got a whole day of classes then simulation to get through before we can go home and find out how today went, and you've got to be on the ball."
"Got it," Theo said with a weak smile, "I will be."
The simulation was easy that day which was a pleasant surprise after their week in the jungle. It meant they finished on time and apparated home straight away. They usually talked to Harry and Neville for a bit or took their time walking down the path, but they didn't today.
As a result, they apparated into the alley seconds after Hermione did. She turned around and raised an eyebrow, "5.02 pm?"
"Yes, you can tell the time. Congratulations, Princess," Theo said.
Hermione swiped at him, but he ducked to avoid her hand, and they all stepped onto the street together, "Shut up, Theo. You must be worried about Sadie. I don't think I have ever seen either of you get home before 5.15 pm."
"Of course we're worried about Sadie," Draco mumbled, "Do you know how today went?"
Hermione shook her head, "Daphne sent me a Patronus at lunchtime and told me not to worry too much but that it would all be explained when I got home which is worse than if I'd heard nothing."
"Yeah," Theo sighed, "That doesn't sound good."
He put his hand on the door to number 11, and all three of them strolled in. They headed up to the drawing-room, assuming that Sadie would want to be comfortable, and sure enough, that was where they found the two girls.
"Hey, baby," Theo said. He crossed the room and sat down next to his wife, "How is everything?"
"It's okay," Sadie said with a weak smile, "But it could be better."
"Do you want me to explain?" Daphne asked.
Sadie just nodded.
"They are worried about her morning sickness," Daphne explained, "She has it too regularly, so she's dehydrated. They have given her strict instructions to drink plenty of water which I have told her she had better follow."
Sadie rolled her eyes at this, and Hermione bit back an amused smile.
"She also has high blood pressure, which can lead to difficulties, so she has been informed to rest until it comes down. A Healer will be out every day to check on her until they are satisfied that she's completely healthy," Daphne said.
"So house arrest then, Sade," Hermione said.
Sadie leant back against her pillows, "House arrest," she agreed glumly.
"Well…" Draco said, "Could be worse, I guess? At least you have two houses to go-between."
"And my library is your library," Hermione added.
Sadie smiled, "I might do some researching and write a book. Just to pass the time."
"You'd be a brilliant Author," Theo said with a grin.
Sadie managed to chuckle, "I just need to decide what to write about," she pointed out.
"I'm sure we could come up with something between us," Hermione said cheerfully, "So any medication?"
"An iron potion once a day to help with the fatigue, but apart from that, bed rest and plenty of water," Daphne informed them.
"And the baby is okay, I'm guessing?" Theo asked, "Sorry if that's stupid. I just don't know what they do at these appointments."
"Sadie is only two months pregnant, so it was a basic check today," Daphne admitted, "They did a complete check-up on her and a basic one on the baby. But you'll find out more in around a month at the next appointment at the hospital."
"So book time off work for that one," Hermione said pointedly as she looked up at Theo.
"I will," Theo promised, "As soon as I've told my bosses what's going on."
"What's happening with your course?" Hermione asked.
"They don't know yet, but I'll have to go back and tell them," Sadie sighed, "Then they will kick me out, no doubt."
"You aren't going anywhere," Theo said protectively, "They said bed rest. That means no travelling."
"And especially not halfway across the world to Egypt," Draco agreed, "You'll tell them through the floo, and if they have a problem with that, they can take it up with us."
Daphne smiled at the four of them, "I'm going to get home to Harry and leave you in the capable hands of these three, Sade. I swear at this rate, I'm going to start calling you a quad."
"Just don't," Sadie snorted, "Hermione and Theo were flirting at the dinner table the other night; I can't take much more."
"We were not flirting," Hermione scoffed, "I was insulting him."
"No, you weren't. You were complimenting me!"
"I think calling you a perfect Slytherin is an insult."
"Well, I think it's a compliment," Theo objected.
Daphne laughed. She leant down and kissed Sadie on the cheek, "I'll check in on you when I can, and if you don't feel up to it, do not come to the Founders Ball this weekend, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Daph."
"Anytime," Daphne promised with a smile. She threw some floo powder into the fire, stepped inside and said, "Potter Manor!"
"Right then, bed rest means bed!" Theo said. He clapped his hands, "Up you go, I'll get Deeley to make some dinner. Something bland, yeah?"
"Yeah," Sadie said with a small smile.
"And those two are gonna bugger off home," Theo said, nudging his head in the direction of Draco and Hermione.
"Nice, Theo," Draco joked, "Nice to know you only keep us around when you need us."
"Ah well, us perfect Slytherins know how to delegate," Theo said with a wink in Hermione's direction.
"I swear to Merlin; I will obliviate you if you keep that up!" Hermione warned him, and they left the drawing-room to laughter from both of the Notts.
"Did you find out who your wife will be tonight?" Daphne asked when she heard the front door downstairs open. Harry had just been at the pre-dance meeting up at Hogwarts.
"You could have just asked who was playing Helga Hufflepuff," Harry called from the entrance hall, "Where are you?"
"In the kitchen!"
Daphne heard Harry's footsteps on the marble floor, and seconds later, he stepped into the kitchen, "Are you baking?"
"Hermione gave me a recipe," Daphne said, "It can't be that hard to follow. It's just like edible potions, isn't it?"
"Apart from the baking part, yeah," Harry said with an amused smile, "And for your information, my wife for one night only is Susan Bones."
Daphne snorted in amusement, "That could be interesting. What do you have to do?"
"Dance together when we go in and act as each other's date for the night," Harry said a little tentatively, "Assuming you're okay with that?"
"I'm fine with that. It's just for show," Daphne said with a wave of her hand, "It does mean that I'll be a loner all night, though."
"Nah, you won't," Harry said while he set the kettle on to boil, "Lil is Rowena Ravenclaw, so you and Neville are going to go together."
"Lucky me," Daphne joked, "By the end of the night, I'll have gone on dates with the chosen one and his sidekick."
"Don't say that to him," Harry chuckled, "I need to go outside and feed Dave. Are you sure you can finish that on your own?"
"I'll be fine," Daphne scoffed, "By the way, who is Hermione going to go with since Draco is Salazar Slytherin?"
Harry turned around and shot her a grin, "Ron offered to escort her."
"Does Draco know that?"
"I may have inadvertently told him this morning," Harry admitted sheepishly, "And his response may have been, oh for fuck sakes, can't he let go?"
"I bet Theo and Sadie will hear the argument through the walls this morning," Daphne joked as Harry disappeared from view.
"I bet! Can you add rats to the shopping list, babe? I'm getting pretty low."
"Tell Dave to eat less then! He's already decimated the rat, mouse and shrew population of the bloody estate!"
"He's a growing snake, Daphne! He needs his nutrition!"
"For the love of Merlin," Daphne muttered under her breath as she added, "Rats for Dave" to the shopping list.
"Hey! How did it go?"
"Fine," Draco said calmly, "Lilly and I discussed how awkward it was going to be to dance together tonight. Then she and Harry agreed that Neville and Daphne might as well go together so that they weren't dateless."
"That makes sense," Hermione said.
"Out of curiosity," Draco said in that same calm tone, "When were you planning on telling me that you were going with Ron?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Let me guess, Harry?"
"Harry told me, yes," Draco said, "But I feel like it really should have come from you."
Hermione sighed, "Harry only told you half of the story because Harry is great at hearing something and thinking he knows everything. Yes, Ron offered to escort me to the ball tonight, and I very politely told him no thank you."
"Right," Draco said, a little sheepishly, "Who are you going to go with then? Because I have to treat Lilly as my date all night."
"I know," Hermione said, "I had suspected that would be the case, so I had a backup plan."
"Which is?" Draco asked.
"Percy," Hermione replied, "I had a feeling that Susan would be Helga, so I figured that if that was the case, Percy and I could go together. At the very least, there will be sensible conversation all night."
Draco grinned at her.
"What?" Hermione asked self-consciously.
"Only you would pick a dance partner for their ability to converse sensibly," Draco said with a fond smile.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Sensible conversation is a key factor in choosing a partner; thank you very much."
"Christ, why did you date Ronald Weasley then?" Draco joked, "I mean, I can understand why you chose me. Beyond my dashing good looks and sex appeal, I'm very adept at sensible conversation, and I'm deeply emotional."
Hermione smiled at him, "You're an idiot."
"I know," Draco said. He kissed her on the cheek.
"But I love you," Hermione finished, "For much more than your ability to sensibly converse."
Draco laughed, "Come on, I need to make sure this costume fits. I don't suppose you have a thing for roleplay?"
"Not with Salazar Slytherin."
Draco raised an eyebrow, "That implies that you do in other situations…interesting."
"That is not what I said, Draco!"
When the 'Founders' met up in the annexe at the back of the great hall, Harry had to admit that they all looked pretty damn good. He thought he was rocking the whole, long brown hair thing even if Daphne had laughed at him. The Godric Gryffindor costume with its gold and scarlet lining and real fur cloak was also pretty neat.
His 'date' for the night also looked brilliant as Helga Hufflepuff. She was wearing a yellow and black ballgown and had her hair up in a styled bun. Susan managed to look the part almost as much as Harry did.
Lilly could have been Rowena Ravenclaw for all anyone knew. Her hair was back to the dark brown that he had always known it as, although she had promised Neville that it would be red again the following day. The blue in her eyes matched the deep blue shade of her ballgown, and she looked the part more than any of the others.
Then there was Draco.
"You look every bit as slimy as the day I first met you."
"Are we roleplaying here, or are you just insulting me?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's scary how much you look like Slytherin," Harry said in answer to the question.
"Hermione said I look foul with dark hair and that if I ever dye it, she's going to leave me," Draco said matter of factly.
The silver and green robes that Draco was wearing weren't a million miles away from the kind of robes that Draco actually wore, but his hair was now a dark brown, so dark that it was almost black. It was also slicked back, which was what made him look so much like his old self.
"I don't blame her," Lilly said, "It does look awful."
"At least my date for the night is as nice to me as my fiancé," Draco joked.
Harry snorted in amusement, "You girls look great, by the way. I mean Lil, you could be Rowena Ravenclaw for all anyone knew."
Lilly smiled, "Thanks Harry, I can't believe McGonagall actually asked me to play her."
"It's pretty exciting," Susan agreed, "Although Percy weirded me out a little this afternoon when I was getting ready. He seems to really have a thing for me when I'm dressed up as Helga Hufflepuff."
Harry and Draco guffawed and snorted with laughter, respectively.
"Thanks, Suse," Harry grinned, "That's going in the blackmail folder."
"Harry!" Susan exclaimed.
"What do you expect when you give us a gem of information like that?" Draco asked while he chuckled.
"You, I expected it of, but I thought Harry was better than that."
"You forget that two of my best friends are Slytherins and that my fiancé is a Slytherin," Harry reminded Susan, "At some point, all of that sliminess had to rub off on me."
Draco patted Harry on the back, "To quote that movie we saw this afternoon, I have trained you well, young Padawan."
Lilly shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe you managed to get him and Theo into Star Wars. I mean Neville, yeah, I can believe that, but those two?"
Harry just shot her a grin. He didn't have a chance to say anything further on the subject because the door opened, and McGonagall came in to tell them that they were required in the entrance hall.
All of the guests were already in the great hall, so all they had to do was walk in together and dance. Harry had done it so often that he didn't feel nervous about it, not like he had that first time at the Yule Ball.
"Shall we get into character then, m'lady?" Harry joked as he held his hand out to Susan.
She laughed and took it, "Very well, my dear Godric."
Draco shot Lilly an exasperated look, "We're not doing that."
"That's fine by me," Lilly said. She slipped her arm into his, "Because, unlike my fellow bookworm, I never had an underlying longing for you. I genuinely thought that you were an annoying, smarmy prat."
Draco snorted, "Fair enough. I was pretty annoying and smarmy, I suppose."
"And a prat," Lilly added, "Don't forget that part."
Before Draco could agree with her, not that he wanted to anyway, the doors to the great hall were flung open, and the show began. Harry and Susan walked in first with Draco and Lilly at their heels.
The students were at the back of the hall, and the guests of honour were at the front. Amongst them were Hermione, Percy, Daphne, Neville, Ron, Ginny, Bill and Charlie. There were other familiar faces too, but Luna was notably missing. Harry supposed that she hadn't been able to get over from South America with the short notice McGonagall had given them.
When the group of four reached the dancefloor, music began to play. Harry didn't mind dancing these days, but he preferred doing it with Daphne.
"Who knew Godric Gryffindor was such a good dancer?" Susan joked.
Harry laughed, "Who knew Helga Hufflepuff was such a bad one? I thought purebloods were supposed to be good at this stuff."
"We are, but my Aunt taught me, and she had two left feet," Susan said, "My mother was the elegant one."
"Oh," Harry said, "I'm sorry, Susan, I was just having a joke with you."
"I know you were," Susan said. She smiled slightly, "But I was just giving you an honest answer. When did you get so good?"
"Daphne likes dancing," Harry admitted with a smile, "So when I started going to balls and weddings with her, I had to learn to dance. Neville taught me…well, Neville and Draco, really. Theo and Dean just laughed and took pictures."
Susan saw the look in his eyes when he said Dean's name, "You still miss him, don't you?"
"I still miss everyone I lost in the war," Harry said quietly, "But yeah, I miss some more than others, and Dean is one of them."
Susan nodded and nearly tripped when Harry whirled her around, "What was that for?"
"It's how the dance goes," Harry said while he bit back his laughter. He didn't think it would be in character for Godric Gryffindor to laugh at his wife's terrible dancing.
"He's having too much fun," Daphne said as she watched her fiancé with narrowed eyes, "Don't you think, Neville?"
"He's probably just being friendly," Neville said, "That's what Harry does."
"Friendly and flirty aren't too dissimilar," Daphne said.
"And Harry is totally clueless," Neville pointed out. He handed her a glass of wine, "So friendly accidental flirting wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him."
"I don't like it."
"You agreed to it."
"Dammit, Neville, you sound just like him!"
Neville smirked, "Well, I am his Auror partner."
Before Daphne could comment any further on the fact she didn't like the fact that Harry appeared to be having too much fun, Hermione and Percy joined them.
"God, he looks awful."
"Who does?" Daphne asked without taking her eyes off of Harry and Susan.
"Draco," Hermione said distastefully, "Dark hair just washes him out; he looks horrid."
Neville smirked, "Did you tell him that?"
"She told him that she's going to leave him if he ever dyes his hair," Daphne said with a slight smile.
"Some people just suit their look and shouldn't change it," Percy agreed, "I can't imagine Suse as anything apart from a redhead."
"She looks pretty good as a blonde," Daphne commented.
"Oh yeah," Neville remembered, "I forgot about that phase she went through in sixth year with the blonde hair."
Percy looked at his girlfriend thoughtfully, "Hmm, I can't see it personally."
"Lil looked great with her dark hair when she dyed it," Neville commented, "But I think she looks amazing with her natural colour."
"You would do Neville; you like redheads," Hermione said in amusement.
"How did you know that?" Neville asked.
"Everyone knows that Nev," Daphne snorted, "You dated or had flings with about three within two years."
"Okay, Hermione, I get," Neville said, "But how do you know about any of that Daph? And also it was two redheads and a blonde, just so you know."
"She's engaged to Harry Potter," Hermione said with a raised eyebrow, "And everyone apart from you knows that he's the biggest gossip in this friend group."
Daphne shot Neville a smirk, "She's right, I know because of Harry."
Neville shook his head, "Honestly, this is totally against the Auror code of conduct."
Percy snorted in amusement, "Code of conduct? Bounty hunters don't have that; our code is attack first, ask questions later."
"Go figure," Daphne muttered under her breath.
Hermione shot her Slytherin friend an amused look but said nothing.
"Oh, the dance is over," Daphne noted, "I wonder if the great Godric Gryffindor will grace us with his presence now."
"I'm not pretending that Draco is Salazar Slytherin all night," Hermione said as her fiancé walked towards them, "He asked me to, and I started to wonder if he was into some weird roleplay about it."
"If Harry thinks I'm going to pretend that he and Susan are married all night, he can jog on," Daphne muttered under her breath so that only Hermione and Neville could hear.
"Hey Daph," Harry said with a smile when he reached them, "How's it going?"
"Fine," Daphne said stiffly.
"How atrocious did my dancing look?" Susan asked them as she grabbed a glass of wine from the drinks table.
"From a distance, it didn't look bad," Percy promised her, "Even if my feet know how dreadful you really are."
"She wasn't that bad, Perce," Harry said.
"Wasn't she?" Daphne muttered. Again only Hermione and Neville could hear her.
Neville raised an eyebrow at Hermione behind Daphne's back, and Hermione shook her head as if to say that she wasn't getting involved.
"You hid how bad I was, Harry," Susan laughed, "I had no idea that you were such a good dancer."
"Well, you have me and Draco to thank for that," Neville cut in, "We trained him up so that he could impress Daphne at the Yule Ball."
"And it obviously worked," Harry said. He shot Daphne a grin, "Since she's marrying me."
"Uh-huh," Daphne said non-commitally.
Harry frowned at her and was about to ask her what was wrong. However, before he got a chance, Draco and Lilly reached them.
"Well," Daphne said, "Hermione isn't lying. You look awful with dark hair."
"Seriously?" Draco asked, "Does anyone have anything nice to say about me?"
Almost everyone shook their heads, then Neville piped up, "Your robes look pretty cool."
"Thank you, Nev," Draco said in amusement, "Where are Theo and Sadie?"
"Not here yet," Hermione replied, "I don't know if they're running late or just not planning on coming to be honest."
"Maybe they're just not coming because of the thing, you know?"
"What thing?" Susan asked.
"Uh…" Neville floundered, "This thing that's going on with them."
"You aren't supposed to know about that thing," Draco said. He narrowed his eyes at Neville.
"Yes," Daphne agreed, "You aren't."
"Sorry," Neville said quickly, "Does everyone else know about it?"
"Well, I know," Harry said.
"So do I," Hermione admitted.
"Well, of course, you know," Neville said, "You four probably all found out at the same time."
"Well, pretty much. But how do you know?" Draco asked.
"Because Daphne knew and she told Harry, then Harry told me," Neville replied.
"Harry!" Daphne exclaimed.
"He's my Auror partner!" Harry defended himself.
Hermione shook her head, "I'm assuming that if you know, then Lilly knows?"
"Of course Lilly knows. I tell her everything," Daphne remarked.
They all looked at her, and Daphne crossed her arms, "What?"
"Since when?" Hermione asked.
"Since we talk over floo every night because you guys are all cosy in your little quad now," Daphne countered.
"It's not a bloody quad," Hermione muttered.
"It is, though," Daphne said under her breath.
"In Daphne's defence, she was also pretty stressed the night she found out because there was a Boa Constrictor in her kitchen, and I had to talk her out of killing her future husband," Lilly piped up.
"What are you all talking about?" Susan asked as she scanned the group, "Do you know Perce?"
"I have no idea," Percy admitted.
Neville frowned, "I don't think it's really my place to say."
"Say what?" A new voice asked.
They all swivelled around to see that Sadie and Theo had arrived.
"Nothing," They chorused.
Theo narrowed his eyes at his friends, "That was weird."
"We were just talking about uh…how bad a dancer Susan is," Harry lied.
"What? You said I was good earlier!"
"I lied, sorry, Susan," Harry said.
Sadie narrowed her eyes at them, "Is that really what you were talking about?"
"Yep," Draco said.
Neville nodded, "Yeah, she's dreadful."
"Wow, thanks, guys," Susan muttered irritably.
Sadie sighed, "You all know, don't you?"
"Know what?" Susan asked again.
Sadie ignored her and scanned her friends, "You all bloody know! How the hell do you all know? I swore Theo, Hermione and Draco to secrecy!"
"I didn't tell anyone!" Theo said quickly.
"Neither did I," Draco promised.
"And I've kept it to myself too," Hermione finished.
Sadie turned to Daphne, "So how did you end up telling everyone else?"
Daphne rolled her eyes, "Well, I told Lilly because Lilly is my Hermione, and I trusted her not to tell anyone. Just like I trusted my fiancé not to tell anyone, but he told his bloody Auror partner!" she glared at Harry for good measure.
"And no one told me, so please enlighten me, what the hell is going on?" Susan asked for the umpteenth time.
"Well, since everybody else knows Susan, I might as well tell you too," Sadie said irritably, "I'm pregnant, okay? I'm 19, and I'm pregnant, and everyone is walking on eggshells around me because they think I'm going to have a mental breakdown about it, but do you know what? I'm a married woman, and I am not ashamed, so gossip about me all you want, but at least have the curtsey to do it behind my back!"
Before anyone could respond to that, Sadie stalked out of the hall.
Daphne shot Harry a glare, "Why did you tell Neville, you idiot?"
"I didn't even tell Neville," Harry muttered, "He had a hunch, and he knew he was right when he saw the look on my face."
"Get better at disguising your facial expressions then, or you'll be a terrible Auror," Hermione retorted.
"Whose side are you on here?"
"At this point in time, not yours," Hermione responded. She turned to Daphne, "Now, which one of us is going to follow her?"
"Better be you," Daphne said. A hint of bitterness slipped into her voice, "You're her girlfriend."
Hermione shot her a dirty look and left the hall.
"Petty," Lilly said from Daphne's side.
"It was a bit," Harry agreed.
"Hang on a minute," Susan said with a frown, "Sadie is pregnant?"
"Yeah, catch up, Susan," Lilly joked.
"Well, if I wasn't the last to find out, then I wouldn't have to," Susan pointed out, "How long have you lot known about this for?"
"We only found out on Thursday," Draco said.
"Yeah, that's when I found out," Daphne said, and Lilly nodded her agreement.
"I didn't find out till Friday," Neville chipped in.
Susan sighed, "So this is how it goes then? Those four have their little quad, and you're all in on it while I'm on the outskirts?"
"No, that's not how it is at all," Daphne said irritably, "Those four have their quad, and everyone else is on the outside."
"It's not a quad," Theo said irritably, "That's not even a thing anyway; it's just a word you invented."
"And you're being a right bitch," Draco added, "This is like sixth year Daphne all over again."
"Sixth year Daphne who was a bitch because her boyfriend turned out to be a fucking Death Eater?" Lilly cut in, "Cause sorry if it's an unpopular opinion, but that would make me bitchy too."
Theo shook his head, "She's acting like she did at the start of seventh year. Remember when she managed to divide our friend group in two all because she saw you kissing Pansy? She stalked off with her sidekicks, and I stuck with you."
"Like you always do," Daphne said irritably.
"You just can't handle the fact that Sadie isn't following you blindly anymore," Theo snapped, "She has her own life and her own friends, and you aren't the 'It' girl that everyone wants to be friends with anymore."
"Guys," Harry cut in, "This is getting out of-"
"That's what you think, is it?" Daphne fumed.
"It's the truth, isn't it?" Draco interjected, "You loved it when Pansy died because you got to step out of her shadow. Daphne Greengrass, the ice queen with Tracey and Sadie in tow."
"No," Lilly cut in, "You don't get to say that to her. Don't you even dare accuse her of being happy that Pansy died. She was the one that kept you alive all fucking summer after that. Do you think she wanted to spend the summer with you sleeping in her bloody bed? She had her own life. She was going to go travelling with Tracey, but she stayed for you, so you had better shut your goddamn mouth."
Harry nodded, "Say another word against Daphne, and I will duel you."
Draco turned to Harry and said, "She's being a bitch."
"That's it," Harry whipped his wand out, and Draco retaliated.
"Great, Godric and Salazar are re-enacting the moment their paths diverged," Neville muttered irritably, "And I've lost track of why this argument even started."
"Because Sadie and Daphne have grown apart," Lilly said quietly, "And it's shit when that happens. When someone is so important to you, but then all of a sudden, they don't seem to care."
She looked Neville in the eye, and he sighed, "I'm sorry."
"I'm just saying, I get it," Lilly said. She grabbed Daphne's hand and said, "Come on, while my fake Husband is duelling your fiancé; let's grab a bit of fresh air."
Daphne let Lilly pull her away, and Neville looked over at Theo, Susan and Percy, "I mean…am I the only one who doesn't know what the fuck just happened?"
"Daphne's jealous, and when Daphne gets jealous, she gets petty," Susan answered, "I'm still pissed that nobody told me Sadie was pregnant."
"I can't be bothered with the drama," Percy said with a roll of his eyes.
"I just want Sadie to be okay," Theo said as he sank into a seat, "And I don't understand why we can't all be friends without this whole 'quad' drama. It's not even a thing."
"It is a thing, it's just not a magical thing," Susan said, "A magical triad is a thing, a marriage bond but between three people. A quad is more like two marriages, where everyone co-exists. Doesn't that sound like what you four do?"
Theo frowned, "No…."
"Stop lying to yourself," Susan said.
Percy nodded his agreement, "Accept it for what it is. None of us cares, so why should you?"
Theo was left to contemplate those words as 'Helga' dragged Percy over to help her break up the duel between her 'husband' and his arch-enemy.
When Hermione caught up to Sadie, she was sitting on a tree stump by the lake.
"Hey," She said as she sat down next to her.
Sadie didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry that it got out of hand like that," Hermione said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Sadie grumbled, "You didn't tell everyone, then get bitchy with me."
"She misses you, and she didn't mean to tell everyone," Hermione said, "She told Harry because he's her fiancé; we all would have done that. Harry was stupid for telling Neville."
"What's her excuse with Lilly then?" Sadie asked irritably.
"Look at it this way," Hermione said, "If you found out a big secret, you would tell Theo, but who else would you want to tell?"
"You," Sadie admitted.
"Exactly," Hermione said, "I know it's not the same. Harry and Neville aren't as close as Draco and Theo, but they are still best friends and Auror partners. Daphne and Lil talk almost every night via floo. Did you know that?"
"No," Sadie replied sheepishly, "I feel like I should have. She's meant to be my best friend."
"Best friends are overrated," Hermione said with a shrug, "Why can't we all just have lots of close friends, huh?"
Sadie sighed, "Is that what we are, close friends?"
"I don't know," Hermione admitted, "Two people who have become very close because their other halves are in love is too long-winded an explanation."
"Close friends is easier," Sadie chuckled.
"But Daphne feels pushed out," Hermione said, "And I think you can understand why."
"Yeah," Sadie sighed, "I can."
"And she gets bitchy when she's jealous," Hermione added.
Sadie rolled her eyes, "She always has done."
"That's why Lilly is good for her," Hermione admitted, "She calms her down when she feels she needs to, but she backs her up when she needs to as well."
Sadie looked out over the lake silently for a moment, and Hermione fell silent too.
"Theo asked me if I wanted to keep the baby last night," Sadie said.
"What?" Hermione asked, her head snapping up, "Why? Does he want you to…you know?"
Sadie shook her head, "No, but he wanted to make sure that we were on the same page, and we are. I just feel like I'll be judged for the rest of my life."
"No, you won't be," Hermione promised. She grabbed her friend's hand, "You're young, but you're married, and you're sensible. You'll be a brilliant mother."
"Sensible?" Sadie laughed weakly, "I'm going to be a teenage mother."
"Oh, hardly," Hermione scoffed, "Your due date is the 4th of March and your birthday is the 19th of March. You'll be a teenage mother for a few weeks, and then you will be 20."
"True," Sadie mused
"It's going to be okay, Sadie," Hermione promised her friend, "And if anyone judges you, if anyone says anything, Theo or Draco will set them straight."
"Yeah," Sadie said, she wiped her eyes, "But I need to apologise to Daphne…I've been neglecting her a bit."
"I'm sure she'll understand once she cools down," Hermione assured Sadie.
"I hate Sadie," Daphne muttered irritably.
"No, you don't," Lilly said calmly.
"No, I don't," Daphne agreed as she leant against one of the stones in the stone circle.
"You're jealous."
"Yeah," Daphne agreed, "I am."
"You feel like you're losing touch with your best friend," Lilly said, "But that's not actually what's gotten you so upset. It's not about Sadie so much; it's about Tracey."
Daphne looked up sharply, "What do you mean?"
"It was always you, Sadie and Tracey," Lilly said with a sad smile, "The unholy trinity."
Daphne smiled a little at this.
"Sure, Pansy hung around with you sometimes, but more often than not, she was pining after Draco or leading Blaise on," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes, "Nine times out of ten when I'd see you guys out and about at school, it was the three of you. You're sad that you and Sadie are drifting apart because you feel like she's your last link to Tracey."
Daphne looked out at the village of Hogsmeade, lit by streetlights down below. She swallowed as her eyes focused on that dark hill where it had all happened…where Tracey had died.
"And the truth is, these things just happen, Daph," Lilly said gently, "People drift apart, other people come together. Drifting is okay because you can always drift back together. Breaking apart is harder because when you break apart, there are shards, and they cut you deep, so deep that you can never really get them out again. You think you can go back to normal, but those shards will always be there, poking you, niggling at you."
Daphne pulled her gaze away from the village.
"But the worst way is when the bond is just severed," Lilly said. She leant against the rock next to Daphne and looked up at the school, "When one minute it's there and the next it's not, like a knife has just cut the cord and sliced that person out of your life forever. That's the worst thing."
Daphne looked up at the castle too. She grabbed Lilly's hand, "I still miss her, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," Lilly said.
"I wish I'd gone on that trip," Daphne said quietly, "I wish I'd had that last summer with Tracey. I wish I'd seen Paris with her…we loved Paris, and it's why…."
"Why you won't visit me, I know," Lilly said, "You don't want to replace the memories you have of Tracey with memories of me, and I get that. I understand why you regret not going with her, but you need to think of it a little differently. Tracey died young, but she saw the world, and so many people who died in the battle of Hogwarts didn't, Daphne."
Daphne swallowed but said nothing.
"And I know right now, you hate Hermione a bit, but look at how happy she is," Lilly said softly, "She loves Draco, and Draco adores her. She changed his life and the four of them; somehow, they are a family. Think of it from this point of view, if you had gone on that trip, what do you think would have happened to Draco?"
"I don't know," Daphne answered evasively.
"You do," Lilly said firmly, "What would have happened to him?"
"He would have killed himself or gone dark," Daphne whispered, "I don't know which one."
"Either way, it would have broken Theo's heart," Lilly said, "And Hermione would never have had the chance to fall in love with Draco. Theo would have spiralled into darkness or depression, maybe both. He would never have fallen in love with Sadie. All of the happiness you see around you, that's because of you. It's because you held Draco together when all he wanted to do was give up."
In a rare moment of weakness, Daphne drew Lilly in for a hug and tried to pretend she wasn't crying, "I'm sorry for being a petty bitch."
"It's not me you need to say sorry to," Lilly said, "It's her."
Daphne followed her line of sight to the lake where Hermione was sitting with her arm around Sadie.
"Yeah, you're right."
"I know I am. Come on."
Lilly dragged Daphne down to the lake and said, "Hi Hermione, I have an apologetic, bitchy ice queen here. Would you mind escorting me up to the castle so I can find out if my fake husband, who also happens to be your real fiancé, won his duel against Godric Gryffindor?"
Hermione chuckled, "Yes, I think I can do that. See you back up there, Sadie."
Lilly linked her arm through Hermione's, and as the two girls headed up to the castle, Daphne sat down next to Sadie on the rock.
"I'm a bitch," Daphne said.
"A jealous bitch," Sadie added.
"And a petty one," Daphne admitted.
"Yeah," Sadie agreed, "Sounds like you."
Daphne sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't cope with change well, and everything is changing. You're best friends with Hermione, and you're having a baby, and you're married. I'm getting married; I'm adopting Teddy; it's all change."
"And it's hard," Sadie agreed. She turned to look at Daphne, "But it's good change, Daph."
"Yeah, it is," Daphne remarked,
"And this will happen," Sadie said. She grabbed her best friends hand, "We'll change and drift apart, then change and come together again. But despite it all, despite who I turn to at different times, you will always be my best friend. We're the survivors, we've been through so much together, and despite what happens in the future, nothing can ever change that."
Daphne smiled, "You're right," she kissed her friend on the forehead, "And wise."
Sadie chuckled, "So we're friends again?"
"Of course we are," Daphne promised her, "But don't you think we ought to get up to castle? I need to thank Harry for duelling Draco in my defence."
"He's noble that way," Sadie chuckled as she got to her feet and cast drying charms on their dresses.
"It's a curse sometimes," Daphne teased, hooking her arm through Sadie's.
"Who won then?" Daphne asked when she and Sadie re-entered the great hall.
"I did, obviously," Harry snorted.
"I let him win, for historical accuracy," Draco argued.
"Yeah, right," Neville sniggered.
"Are we all friends again?" Sadie asked cautiously.
"They are," Hermione said firmly, "But they have been informed that apologies are in order."
Draco sighed, "Sorry for being rude to you, Daphne."
"Sorry for calling you an 'It' girl," Theo agreed.
"Sorry being a bitch," Daphne shrugged.
"Excellent," Susan said. She clapped her hands together, "Now, I hear congratulations are in order."
"Are you trying to be Helga Hufflepuff?" Percy snorted.
"No, she's just that much like her," Lilly grinned.
Sadie chuckled, "Yes, I suppose so, but-"
Theo cut in, "Can we keep this within the friend group? She's only two months along, and we aren't planning on telling our parents or siblings until after the next scan."
"Of course," Susan said while the others all nodded.
"Have you thought about how you're going to tell her brother?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh shit," Theo realised, "Oh…fuck…he's going to kill me!"
"I'll have a word with Clara," Lilly said with a smile, "As annoying as you are, Theo, I think Sadie's going to need you over the next few months, so it's in my best interest to make sure that Sorenson doesn't kill you."
Harry smiled, "You already sound like the healer that's going to keep us Aurors alive, Lil," he said somewhat proudly.
Lilly laughed, "Thanks."
Daphne grabbed Harry's arm, "Now come on, stop flirting with your fake wife and dance with me."
Harry shot Susan a frown, "Was I flirting with you?"
"A little," Susan admitted, "But I didn't think it was intentional."
"It wasn't!" Harry said as Daphne pulled him towards the dancefloor. He looked at his fiancé, "It wasn't, I swear."
"I'll believe you, even if thousands wouldn't," Daphne said. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"I was just being friendly," Harry said. He pulled Daphne closer to him.
"Your idea of friendly looks an awful lot like my idea of flirting," Daphne pointed out, "But I'll let it slide if you promise to stop it."
"Alright," Harry said, "I'll be horrible to Susan all night. I shouldn't even be dancing with you anyway, so I'm already breaking the rules."
"Ugh, screw the rules," Daphne said. Harry spun her out and then brought her back again, "Godric Gryffindor was a good looking, powerful man in the medieval period. I'm sure he had a mistress."
Harry grinned at her, "Are you saying that for one night only, you are my mistress?"
"If it means you will dance with me all night, then yes," Daphne said as Harry pulled her in closer as the song began to slow down.
"I can definitely get on board with that," Harry said quietly, "As long as you keep up the act when we get home."
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, well, well, sometimes you do surprise me."
Sadie and Theo didn't stay until the end of the night. It had been a dramatic few days for Sadie, and naturally, she was exhausted. They said their goodbyes to Godric Gryffindor, who had his 'wife' on one arm and his 'mistress' on the other. Then they said their goodbyes to Draco and Lilly, who had maintained their 'we are so not roleplaying' act all evening.
When they got home, Sadie just wanted to crawl into bed, but she knew there was a conversation that needed to be had first.
"Why did you ask me if I was going to keep the baby?"
Theo sighed, "I was waiting for you to bring that up."
"Well, I can't believe you even considered doing anything apart from keeping it," Sadie admitted irritably.
"I didn't," Theo promised, "I always wanted to keep it, but I…I just wanted to make sure that you wanted it too. I love you, Sadie, and I couldn't bear for you to resent the baby or me."
Sadie looked up at him, "I could never resent you or the baby, Theo. This is a shock; that much is true, but this baby is a part of me, and it's something that you and I created. It's a gift; it's something we worried we would never have because of pureblood inbreeding."
Theo nodded, "It's earlier than we wanted, but we'll make it work."
"We will," Sadie agreed, and she smiled genuinely for the first time in a few days.
"So, what now?" Theo asked.
"I'll tell Egypt tomorrow," Sadie replied honestly, "And I know exactly how they will react, so the sooner I can get it over with, the better."
"That makes perfect sense," Theo said, "And I don't think you need to worry about me or my security. I mean, I'm friends with Draco Black, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, who are all pretty influential people, so the chances of me getting kicked out of Auror training are fairly slim. And even if I do get kicked out, we both have pretty sizeable inheritances to live off."
"I know, but I don't want to be a privileged pureblood living off my inheritance!" Sadie snapped, "I want to do more than that."
"And you will," Theo promised, "But all I'm saying is don't panic about money because it isn't something we need to worry about. Okay?"
"Okay," Sadie said quietly, "It's just…there's so much to think about, isn't there? We'll need to get a nursery ready. We'll have to start thinking about names-"
"Yeah, baby, we'll need to do all of that," Theo agreed, "But right now, you need to try and relax. Tell Egypt about the baby, drink water, get plenty of bed rest, and stay calm. That's all going to bring your blood pressure down, and then you can look at volunteering in the Apothecary in Diagon Alley for a bit, okay? Once everything is looking up, we can start thinking about names and a nursery."
"Alright," Sadie said, she blew out a breath, "Thanks, Theo, I needed you to be the cool, calm one this time. I know it's normally the other way around."
Theo smiled and gripped her hand tighter, "It's a good thing that I can do both the immature, silly prat husband and the cool, calm, collected husband quite well then. Isn't it?"
Sadie smiled back at him, "Yes, it is," she agreed.
* ~ TBC ~ *