* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 43: The Stakes are High
"Uh…where do you think you're going?"
"Out," Draco said matter of factly, "I didn't think that was illegal. We are allowed to leave the premises during our lunch break."
"Yes, but you never have," Theo pointed out.
"We've only been here a few weeks," Neville sniggered.
Draco rolled his eyes, "Either way, I'll see you lot in an hour."
"Seriously though, where are you going?" Harry asked; he was just as curious as Theo.
Draco slipped out of the hallway before anyone could ask him any further questions.
"What do you think he's up to?" Harry asked the others as they entered the canteen.
"Well, I'm pretty sure he's not a Death Eater," Neville smirked, "So don't worry, Harry, you don't need to whip out the invisibility cloak and watch him piss."
"Oh, for the love of Merlin, once!" Harry exclaimed irritably, "I followed him into a bathroom once, and nobody has ever let me hear the end of it!"
Neville and Theo grinned at each other and sniggered while Harry stomped off to eat lunch with Blanche and Ophelia.
"What do you reckon he's up to anyway?" Neville asked Theo.
"I have no idea, but we'll get it out of him when he comes back."
"So, where have you been?"
Draco rolled his eyes, "You three are the nosiest people I have ever met."
"Harry wanted to whip out the invisibility cloak and stalk you, but he managed to control his urges this time," Neville joked.
Harry glared at his best friend, "One day, you will stop slagging me off for that and realise that I actually discovered some crucial things while stalk – I mean following – Draco that year!"
Draco snorted in amusement, "Like what bathrooms I preferred or how big my-"
"Black, Potter!" Frasier snapped, "Less talking, more reading!"
"I'm really glad I didn't have to hear the end of that sentence," Neville said under his breath as he shot a glance Lilly's way. She had been busy having a very in-depth chat with Keller and Carson, which meant that she hadn't even spoken to Neville in the half an hour she had been here. He was looking pretty miffed about the whole thing.
"Anyway, where did you sneak off to?" Theo asked.
"It's none of your business!"
"The last time you did a lot of sneaking, you were getting branded with a dark mark and doing bad shit for Voldemort, so I make it my business to know what you're doing when you sneak off," Theo whispered irritably.
"As nice as that is of you, Theo-"
"Nice?" Harry scoffed, "What he just said is basically the reason I followed you in sixth year, but when I do it, it's creepy stalking?"
"You did do it creepily," Neville admitted.
"Come on, Nev!"
"Sorry, but it's the truth."
Draco shook his head in amusement and looked down at the notes they were supposed to be studying before practising first aid on a dummy, "If you really want to know, I was in Diagon Alley, but I wasn't getting branded with a dark mark or doing bad shit for a dark lord."
"What were you doing then?" Neville asked curiously.
"I was looking at kittens because Hermione's birthday is next week," Draco told them.
"Aww," Theo cooed, "How cute and romantic!"
Draco smacked him around the back of the head.
"Did you see one that you think she'll like?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Draco admitted, "There were three kittens in the store, and I have no idea which one she would like best. There was a male ginger one, a female tabby and a female black kitten."
"I think she would prefer a female cat," Theo mused, "I don't know why I think that, but it's just a feeling that I get."
"You're probably right," Harry said, "I would go for the black one. Hermione went into Eeylops saying that she wanted a black kitten because, in all the muggle books that she had read as a kid, a witch had a black cat as its familiar. She ended up with Crookshanks because he was so ugly that nobody wanted him, and she felt sorry for him."
"Typical do-gooder Gryffindors," Theo said with a shake of his head, "Buying ugly cats and bringing lonely snakes home from the Amazon rainforest."
"Would you leave Dave out of this?"
"Do you think I'm ready to adopt Teddy?"
"I think if you're asking me that, then you aren't 100% sure that you are," Bill replied slowly, "These numbers are all just blurring together. We've been looking at them for so long…."
"Six hours," Daphne said, she stifled a yawn, "Not that I've been counting."
"Whoever this Busby guy was, he was a pretty powerful wizard," Bill agreed. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, "I'm starting to think we should take a half-hour break to go and get some food and a coffee before we make a serious attempt at breaking this thing."
"I think I have it."
"I think I do too, but I've been looking at it for so long that I'm starting to doubt myself," Bill said. He scribbled a lot of numbers and letters down in a notepad, "Come on, let's grab something to eat and drink at the museum café."
"Alright," Daphne conceded. She and Bill stepped out of the dingy storeroom/office together and began to make their way up a narrow staircase towards the main museum.
"So, what are your doubts about adopting Teddy?" Bill asked conversationally.
"I didn't think that I had any, to be honest," Daphne admitted, "But I suppose I do. I'm worried about how Harry and I will find time for each other once Teddy lives with us. I'm worried about the effect it will have on our relationship."
"Well, having a baby, whether it's a newborn one or not, does put a strain on your relationship," Bill reasoned, "Fleur and I aren't the same people that we were before Victoire came along. Neither of us gets to go out and have fun like we used to. We don't get as much sleep as we used to either, which makes us crankier and prone to arguments. And yes, it is hard to find time for each other and ourselves."
"Is there a but in there?"
Bill shot her an amused look, "Yes, smart arse. But, it's worth it when we see Victoire learn to do something new. It's worth it 99% of the time, but then there's that 1% when I want to scream, storm out and go back to my old life. I suppose what I'm saying is that it's fine as long as your relationship is strong enough to withstand it."
"Do you think Harry and I have a strong enough relationship?" Daphne asked him, "And I need you to give me an honest answer, Bill, even if it isn't what I want to hear."
"I think that if you can stand by each other in your worst moments, then you can stand by each other through parenthood," Bill said honestly, "Has he been there for you at your worst?"
Daphne thought back to those long weeks after Tracey's death; she could still feel the deep depression she had sunk into. She remembered Harry trying to cheer her up and bring her out of it gently, rather than forcing her to live her life the way she had before. She was also transported back to the dark days after the ordeal with Fawley; Harry could not have been more supportive if he tried.
Daphne nodded, "Yes."
"And have you been there for him at his worst?" Bill asked.
Daphne found herself thinking about the horrors in Harry's past and how he couldn't seem to escape them, no matter how fast or how far he ran. She remembered the Halloween Ball, how he had disappeared early and cried himself to sleep because he missed his parents. She thought back to Memorial Day when she had truly seen how deep his scars were. She thought about the nights that Harry would wake up screaming and soaked in sweat, terrified of the demons from his past. She was the one who told him that it was all going to be okay, who told him that he didn't need a firewhiskey; he just needed a hug. She was the one who lay awake with him and soothed him back to sleep.
She nodded slowly, "Yes."
"Then I think you two will do just fine," Bill said. He smiled at her and clapped her on the back, "There's never a right or wrong time to give that little boy the love and family that he deserves. I think you're ready whenever you want to be."
Daphne smiled over at him, "Yeah…you're right. Thanks, Bill."
Bill grinned at her, "Hey, if curse-breaking ever lets me down, I'll make one hell of a psychiatrist!"
"Good morning."
"You're in an awfully good mood," Neville noticed.
"So are you," Harry commented.
"Well, it's the Paris weekend," Neville said cheerfully, "I'm going to be romantic. I have this whole weekend planned with Lil to show her how much I miss her, you know?"
Harry snorted, "Are you gonna propose?"
"Yeah, right," Neville said, "We've just managed to get things back on track. Never mind the fact I don't have a ring. I just want to treat her like a princess cause she deserves it."
"Yeah, she does," Harry agreed thoughtfully.
"What are you doing this weekend?" Neville asked.
"Oh, just spending time with Teddy," Harry answered, "Like I do every weekend, to be honest."
"Not that you ever complain," Neville said with a smile.
Harry hummed thoughtfully, "Yeah, you know, talking about Teddy and babies and all that. I always thought that Sadie and Theo would be the first to have kids, but I didn't think they would start their family so young. Then again…I didn't think that Daphne and I would either."
"It's not quite the same, though," Neville said, "Although it's still a huge commitment."
"Aside from the pregnancy, it is the same," Harry argued, "In fact, in some ways, it's harder. We don't get to start anew; we have to come in halfway through and try to work out what we're doing. We muddle through okay, though, so if we can keep doing that, I think it will all work out for the best."
"I think it probably will," Neville said. He patted Harry on the back, "You and Daphne have been through a hell of a lot together. If anyone can do this at our age, it's you two."
Harry smiled at his best friend, "That means a lot, Nev, thanks."
From that point, their day progressed normally for a little while, but it was a Friday which meant that they had the simulation room in the afternoon. When they got there, Sheppard stood outside as usual. He always gave them a little brief before they went in, but this week, it was different.
"Wood and Zabini, Harper and Wilde," Sheppard said, "You guys are going to be dealing with a serial rapist today. There will be a case file when you get in there, and I expect the four of you to work together to catch your guy. Understood?"
They all nodded, so Sheppard opened the door to the 'Junior Trainee Simulation Room', and they went through.
Sheppard shut the door behind them and clapped his hands, "So that means what you think it does, boys. You have all gotten enough points to advance to the next room. From now on, you will be in the 'Intermediate Trainee Simulation Room', and I expect, like everyone else before you, that you think this means you get cooler, more difficult cases."
They couldn't lie; that was what they had expected.
"But the truth is that the cases aren't any harder, or any more dangerous," Sheppard explained, "But the stakes are higher. Do you see these little lights above the simulation room doors?
They nodded. There was a light above each room. The only one lit up was the one above the 'Junior Trainee Simulation Room', and it was green.
"Green means the room is active," Sheppard said. He waved his wand, and the light above the 'Intermediate Trainee Simulation Room' turned red, "And red means the room is live. Do you know what that means?"
Draco nodded, "It means that anything that happens to us in there really happens."
"That's right, to a degree," Sheppard agreed, "You can't die in the simulation room. A killing curse will knock you out for a good two days, though. But any cuts, bruises, burns that you receive in there will remain on your body when you come out. That's why this will be your first mission with a Healer."
Neville looked up hopefully as a door opened, but his face fell when he realised that it wasn't Lilly.
"Sorry to disappoint, kid," The dark-haired woman said, "But your girlfriend isn't allowed on field missions just yet."
Sheppard chuckled, "This is Clara Selwyn; she's an STH which stands for Senior Trauma Healer. We have two grades of Trauma Healer here at the centre and in the Auror ward of St. Mungos. Anyone know the difference?"
Neville nodded and said, "STH and JTH. Junior Trauma Healers have got the same medical expertise as Senior Trauma Healers, but Senior Trauma Healers have completed an intensive year-long programme which also qualifies them as Aurors."
"Correct, Longbottom," Sheppard said, "When we send you out on a real mission, we send you with two Healers, an STH and a JTH. You'll address Clara here as Auror Selwyn when you're working with her in the field, and you'll address Longbottom's girlfriend as Healer Moon; that's the difference."
They all nodded their understanding.
"For the moment, until Moon is qualified, you'll just have Selwyn with you in the simulation room," Sheppard explained, "And this is the first time we've had this happen."
Harry looked at him in surprise.
Sheppard smiled proudly and said, "We get our JTS's shipped back from France in February, and normally, the Recruits aren't ready to progress to the intermediate room until March."
"Well, we're not your normal recruits, sir," Harry admitted.
"Yes, Potter, you aren't," Sheppard said, "And you have done more than enough to prove that, but just remember, when you go into that room today, you can get seriously hurt."
"Yes, sir," They all echoed.
"Alright," Sheppard said, "Today, you're dealing with an attack on a muggle school. You have dark wizards and school children; you need to protect the kids while ensuring you catch the guys responsible. It is based on a real attack that happened during the second wizarding war, so if anyone feels that they need to sit it out for personal reasons, please say so."
None of them said anything, so Sheppard nodded, "Alright then. Good luck, guys. Clara, keep them alive for me; they are the most promising recruits I've seen for years."
"Yes, sir," Clara said with a smile. She holstered her wand and looked at the four younger men, "You ready?"
They all nodded, but as they entered the room, Theo whispered, "Is it wrong that I find her hot considering she'll be my sister-in-law when she marries Sorenson?"
"Is it wrong that I agree even though she's my girlfriends boss?" Neville whispered.
Harry snorted in amusement, "She's pretty badass," he agreed.
Their conversation came to an end as the door to the room shut, and the simulation materialised around them. They were inside a muggle school, which was surrounded by Death Eaters.
"Why are Death Eaters attacking a muggle school?" Harry muttered with a frown.
"Because, towards the end of the war, Voldemort stared to seek out magical children so that he could train them up from a young age," Clara replied darkly, "And he found one in this school, a pureblood who had been adopted and raised as a muggle. They besieged the school to get to the child."
"So it's our job to get the kids out of here," Harry said with a nod, "Alright then, first things first, let's do a diagnostic charm. Theo, would you do the honours?"
"Of course," Theo replied. He shut his eyes, whispered an incantation, performed a fancy wrist movement and thrust his wand upwards.
A golden dome shimmered around the entire school, "Anti-apparition wards," Draco muttered.
"Of course, it would be too easy otherwise," Harry said. Theo moved his wand in a circular motion, and as he did so, red spots glimmered in the playground. Each one was at a gate or exit."
"Proximity charms," Neville sighed, "So we either break down their defences and get the kids out sneakily, or we need to defeat the Death Eaters first."
"We need to defeat the Death Eaters first," Harry said with a frown, "Because some are in the school, I'm sure. Theo, can you do a life-form scan, but only scan for magical signatures?"
Theo nodded. He cast the charm, and a silver number appeared in the air before them, "9."
"Five of them are us," Neville said.
"So that means there are four Death Eaters in the building," Harry said, "And I saw another three outside."
"I hate to suggest the obvious then, but shouldn't we split up?" Theo asked.
"If we split up, who does Auror Selwyn go with?" Draco asked.
"No one," Clara replied, "I'll find myself an empty classroom and set myself up in case anyone gets injured. I will give each of you one of these."
She handed them all a box with a tiny beetle in it.
"Put it on your skin, and it will burrow in," Clara instructed them. She pulled a stone tablet out of her medical bag, "All of your life signs will show up on here, so I'll be able to monitor you remotely. If you urgently need assistance, extract the bug with Accio, and I'll be with you as quickly as possible."
"That's disgusting," Theo said as he looked at the bug.
"But necessary, so do it," Harry said. He took the beetle out and placed it on his arm, it burrowed in, and he winced at the sharp pain he felt as it did so. The others all did the same, although Theo did look a little green at the prospect.
"Okay," Harry said, "Neville and I will go this way. You guys go that way. Take out Death Eaters without hurting the kids and be prepared for mass obliviation. If you need help, send a Patronus. Got it?"
"Yep," Theo said.
Draco nodded, "Got it."
"Great. Then let's move out," Harry said. He pulled his wand from its holster and jogged off down the corridor with Neville hot on his heels.
"Trust you to get injured in our first live simulation," Harry said with a snort as he sat next to Neville's bed.
Neville blinked his eyes wearily, "Where am I?"
"Hospital wing," Harry replied.
"What time it is?"
"7 pm. You were out for a little while," Harry yawned, "How you feeling?"
"My skin hurts," Neville groaned, "It feels tight and sensitive."
"That might have something to do with the second-degree burns you got when you jumped in front of a flamethrower curse to save those little kids," Harry said calmly.
"Shit, are we in trouble?" Neville asked.
Harry shook his head, "Sheppard called you stupidly noble, but we're not in trouble. You might be when Lil finds out that Paris won't be happening this weekend, though."
Neville's face fell, "Fuck!"
"Clara's gone back to France for the weekend," Harry continued, "She said she would tell Lilly the bad news when she got back, but I'll floo her when I get home for good measure."
"Is there no way I can go?" Neville asked desperately.
Harry shook his head, "You've got raw skin, Nev. Frasier and Keller had to remove all the dead layers; it was brutal. You were in a right state when you came in, but they reckon you'll be fine by Monday. You just need bed rest all weekend."
Neville threw his head back against the pillow, "Lils going to be gutted."
"She'll just be glad you're okay," Harry assured him, "So rest, alright? And I'll nip in and visit you on Sunday."
"Fine, see you later, Harry."
"Hey."
Lilly looked up from her cold cup of coffee as Clara walked into the break-room, "Hey."
"Heard you lost your first patient today," Clara said. She dropped down across from her and placed a brown bag on the table, "You feeling okay?"
Lilly shrugged, "I guess. It's just…I did everything that I could, you know? But he still died, and I know it wasn't my fault, but I still feel so helpless. The whole thing just reminds me of the war and this friend I had, Stephen. I trained him up to help me in my makeshift hospital wing, then he died in the final battle and…I know I couldn't have healed him of the killing curse, but that didn't make me feel any better."
"It happens to all of us," Clara said with a sad smile, "We lose patients, but it's what drives us on to keep healing people. We do it for the ones we couldn't save, and we always remember them. I can tell you the name of every patient I've lost, and I can still see all of their faces in my mind."
Lilly nodded but remained silent.
Clara opened the bag and placed a blueberry muffin in front of her, "That's your favourite, right?"
"Yeah," Lilly said with a weak smile, "Thanks, Clara."
"Well, it's not entirely out of the good of my heat," Clara admitted, "I have a bit of bad news from England."
Lilly frowned, "What kind of bad news?"
"My field assessment today was with the trainee Aurors back in England," Clara confessed, "You know how they have simulation rooms there?"
Lilly nodded.
"There are different levels of simulation room. Normally, the recruits move up to the intermediate room in March, around a month after the Healer goes back there to work in the field with them," Clara explained, "But your boyfriend and his friends are just too damn good. They have already been upgraded to the intermediate room. So this afternoon, I was with them in simulation, and it was their first live simulation, meaning that any injuries sustained remain when the simulation ends."
Lilly's eyes widened, "Oh God, is Neville okay?"
"That depends on your definition of okay," Clara said with a vaguely amused smile, "He's alive, but he's in the hospital wing, and he will be for a couple of days which means he won't be able to make it this weekend."
"Great," Lilly sighed, "I really needed our weekend in Paris after today. What did he do?"
"Something stupidly heroic," Clara snorted.
Lilly scoffed, "Sounds like him. He needs to stop trying to copy Harry bloody Potter."
"Yeah," Clara said thoughtfully, "He surprised me, you know?"
"Who, Harry?" Lilly asked in surprise.
Clara nodded, "You describe him as quite goofy and funny, but he was intense. He just took charge, and he was a natural."
Lilly shrugged, "Well, that makes sense. I see him at home with his snarky fiancé and his cute little kid, you know? But from what I've heard of how he was in the war, I guess he probably just snaps back into that sort of War Harry mode when he's in the field. But how exactly did Neville get injured?"
"He jumped in front of a flamethrower curse to save some kids," Clara replied.
Lilly looked at her incredulously, "Why didn't he just use a shield charm?"
"Oh, don't worry, he got those exact words roared at him by Harry while I was performing emergency first aid," Clara snorted, "Then he apologised for yelling, and he was still sitting by Neville's bed hours after he passed out. I reckon he'll stay there until he wakes up."
Lilly laughed, "Yeah… that just sums up their relationship perfectly."
Clara smiled and said, "I know it's shit, Lil, but there will be plenty of other weekends in Paris."
"Yeah," Lilly said with a sad smile, "I know. Thanks for telling me, Clara, and for the muffin."
"Anytime," Clara said as a buzzer sounded.
Lilly moved to get to her feet, but Clara shook her head, "You're off-duty for the day. I'll see you bright and early on Monday."
"What time do you call this?"
Harry shot his fiancé an amused look, "You got my Patronus then?"
"Yeah, of course, I did," Daphne replied, "Foods in the oven for you if you're hungry. Hows Nev?"
"He's fine. He's just gutted that he can't go to Paris," Harry said, "He had this whole romantic weekend planned."
"Poor Lil," Daphne sighed, "She was really looking forward to it."
"I know, but his health has to come first," Harry shrugged, "And he'll be fine, but he needs bed rest."
"How did he get hurt?"
"He threw himself in front of a flamethrower curse to save some little kids," Harry replied as he threw some floo powder into the fire, "In true Neville fashion. I mean, shield charms are for amateurs, obviously, you know?"
Daphne snorted, "Well, he's okay. That's the main thing."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "I'm just going to floo Lilly. I know Clara was going to tell her, but I thought she might want some reassurance that Neville's okay."
"Go for it," Daphne said with a yawn, "Teds in bed, by the way. And do you want me to get your dinner out of the oven?"
"Yeah, please do," Harry said. He knelt in front of the fire and said, "Centre for Trauma Healing, Amiens. The dorm of Lillian Moon."
There was a pause while the floo connected; it always took a while when going between countries. Then the flames roared green, and Harry put his head inside them. For another few minutes, he looked at a stone wall until Lilly granted him access.
The wall slid away, and he smiled at her, "Hey, Lil."
"Hey, Harry," Lilly said with a weak smile, "How's my heroic idiot of a boyfriend?"
"You've spoken to Clara then?" Harry chuckled.
"Yeah, she told me what happened. Is he alright?" Lilly asked.
"He will be, but there's no way he'll make Paris this weekend," Harry admitted, "He had second degree burns all over his body. You can imagine how much new skin has to grow over the weekend."
Lilly nodded, "And if he tries to get back to normal too early, he'll have scars."
"He knows that, but he's gutted that he's ruined your weekend," Harry admitted,
Lilly sighed, "I'm disappointed, but there will be other weekends in Paris, I guess. It's just been a hard week, you know?"
"How come?" Harry asked.
"Things are getting tougher here," Lilly replied, "I assist in a lot more operations, and today, we lost our first guy. I mean, I've seen Clara lose a patient, but this was the first time that I did too."
"I get it, Lil," Harry promised, "And I know it must be shit, but I reckon you need to focus on all the ones you have saved rather than the one person that you lost."
Lilly smiled, "That's very wise of you, thanks, Harry."
Harry shrugged, "Try and have a good weekend anyway, okay?"
"I will. See you next weekend."
"Yeah, see you, Lil."
Harry pulled his head out of the fire and immediately got in trouble when the connection cut, "Hey! Do I not get to talk to her?"
"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, "She wasn't really in the mood for talking. She lost her first patient today."
"Oh shit," Daphne said.
Harry nodded, "So I think she was looking forward to Paris."
Daphne frowned for a moment, "I think…I have an idea!"
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"I'll tell you later!" Daphne called, disappearing from the room in a flurry.
Harry shook his head in amusement and sat down at the dinner table with nobody to talk to apart from the portrait of Anastasia Malfoy, "Hey Ana, what's up?"
* ~ TBC ~ *