Chapter Sixty

The Ribbon

Mike knocked on the door using the Auror's knocking pattern, waiting until Jamie opened the door.

"That's the old pattern," Jamie informed him.

"What do you expect? It's not like I'm active at the moment, is it?" Mike pointed out. "Can I see Delia?"

"You sure she wants to see you?" Jamie asked.

"No, she probably doesn't, but I want to talk to her anyway. It can't keep going on like this," Mike said. Jamie sighed.

"Yes, I agree with you. Come on," Jamie said, taking him upstairs. She knocked at a bedroom door and then peered inside, saying something. She sighed at the response, then opened the door fully.

"Sorry, Delia, but I'm letting him in anyway," Jamie told her, loud enough that Mike heard it too.

Mike walked in to see a large bedroom with a small sitting area and a tall window with a window seat, where Delia was sitting. The moment she saw him, she folded her arms and turned towards the window, attempting to ignore him.

"Nice room," Mike said appreciatively. "The second floor must be a lot bigger than the first floor."

"Yes, it is. I'll be downstairs," Jamie said, closing the door as she left.

"Delia, I think it's time we talked this out," Mike said firmly. "No matter how painful it might be."

"I thought you went to your sister's wedding," Delia said quietly.

"No, I didn't go. I dress like this every day," Mike said sarcastically. Then he heard a familiar sound and saw the chimes next to the bed. "Chimes of Aepheri!" he said in surprise, stepping over to them. "This looks just like mine."

"Ambrose gave it to me to help me sleep," Delia said quietly, still facing the window. But Mike noticed that her eyes were turned as if she was watching him in the reflection.

"Does it help?" Mike asked.

"Sometimes," Delia shrugged.

"I got mine just before Christmas one year, after I was re-sorted into Hufflepuff and my father turned on me," Mike remembered. "You and I were already friends before that... because of football practice."

"Yes, and because of the order when we were let in," Delia added, then sighed. "I only got in because I knew Lucky's secret. I figured it out on my own, and then Aurelius found me and made me promise not to tell anyone. Lucky invited me so she could keep an eye on me."

"You were always really good at figuring things out, and at asking the right questions," Mike said.

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Delia said. "Minister Craw commented on that too. He asked me if I wanted to work at the LE Department as an Investigations Interviewer, actually."

"You'd probably be good at it, but I don't see why you'd want to, considering you just got your dream job with that Wireless program."

"I can tell you never watch it. I got sacked for that right after that Oracle article telling everyone what happened," Delia snapped. Mike blinked.

"What? Why would they sack you for that?" Mike asked.

"Code of conduct clause, my controversial actions may cause detrimental publicity for the station, et cetera. Which is just a lot of fancy words meaning they don't employ talk show hosts that bonk serial killers," Delia said tersely.

"What? That's hardly your fault!" Mike said angrily.

"Unfortunately, after that article, they didn't see it that way," Delia said.

"Which station was it? WIZ1? Maybe I'll go buy the damn station and put you back in there to spite those dumb asses," Mike growled.

"Yeah, funny, Mike."

"No, I'm quite serious. I'll show them where to shove their codes of conduct," Mike seethed.

"Like that's going to happen on an Auror's salary," Delia replied.

"Guess I'm not the only one out of the loop then, if you think that," Mike retorted. Delia glanced over curiously. "You remember who my grandfather was, don't you?"

"Sure, Sir Wisecraft," Delia said, shrugging.

"Wisecraft's holdings made Coventry Properties and Industries look like pocket change. Just why do you think my father was willing to marry a squib in the first place, anyway?" Mike challenged her.

"Oh, I see now. Your father cut you off from the Coventry fortune, but you lived with your mother and grandfather, so you inherited some of his, I take it?" Delia concluded.

"Actually, I inherited all of it, minus my sister's trust vault, and my sister's dower, which goes to Maurice," Mike corrected, sitting down.

"Really? So what are you going to do with your life now?" Delia asked curiously.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Mike challenged her. Delia thought about it.

"Go back to being an Auror," Delia decided.

"See? You know me better than you thought you did," Mike said. A pained expression came over her face and she looked back out the window. "So, do you want me to buy that station for you? It might be a lot of fun, and we can raise a little hell at the same time." Delia snorted at the suggestion with a soft smile.

"No. Don't be silly," Delia said. "Maybe I'll try that job Minister Craw offered. It sounded like he genuinely needed the help. He said he got stuck in some big cases that needed a lot of interviews done and they got bogged down."

"Boy, did they! Between that Eclipse case and that Bridal Clan Muggle trafficking case, both of which involved tons of people... it was a nightmare. Are you sure you can handle the stress, though? You're going to hear about a lot of really tough stuff," Mike asked seriously.

"I don't know. But I want to try," Delia decided. "At least I'd be doing something that actually meant something to people."

"Don't do a job because it might mean something to other people," Mike said sternly. "Do a job because it means something to you." Delia thought about it.

"You're right, that's good advice. Thanks, Mike," Delia said. But as she looked out the window, she realized it had grown uncomfortably quiet. "So... are we friends again?" she asked nervously.

"No," Mike snapped, standing up, her sad expression reflecting in the window. Mike began to pace around. "No, I don't want to be your friend. Being your friend is how you got hurt. It's what got us into this mess in the first place! We've been friends since I joined Hufflepuff... in fact, I made a lot of friends while I was there... Ambrose, Winnie... that crowd over at the Owls. My brother would pick random targets all the time but he never singled anybody out, and with the hell my father was putting me through, nobody needed any part of that. Well, I guess Ambrose saw enough because we were roommates, but typically he left the room when my father Flamed. I didn't really want to let anybody in because my life pretty much sucked. And then Harry had that Auror Club of his, and complemented me on my skill at Cat and Mouse, no less, and I thought... this is what I want to do. Even though I know things could get bad, it didn't matter, I knew I was making a difference. My family didn't understand it, which was a definite bonus. Still, I knew it wasn't a job I could really talk about with my mates, and that was just as well. There was no need to bring you or anyone else into it, and anyway, it wouldn't be safe."

"You're rambling, Mike, and I really don't know what you're getting at," Delia said bluntly.

"What I'm trying to say is that the entire point of us just being friends was to keep you safe, Delia," Mike said angrily. "To keep you from being a target... first from my family, then from my job. I had no intention of getting too close because I was afraid you'd end up getting hurt by one or the other. Part of me knew all along my family was just as dangerous as my occupation, Don most of all. So I kept everyone at a distance, because if I was by myself, I knew that if they did come down on someone, it'd always come down on me. And I was so sure that I was successful that I was blind to the fact that by pushing you away to keep you safe, it also meant that I was not around to protect you. You were just a friend, after all, why would they bother? I wasn't expecting Don to remember our friendship enough to let him use it to seek vengeance on me. It was just as much my fault that this happened as it was anyone else!"

"So you're solution now is to have no friends at all?" Delia asked, then shook her head angrily. "Well, it's your life, I guess, if that's how you feel about it. And since that's the case, I don't even see why you're still here. Please just get out."

"No. You still don't get it," Mike said, walking up to her. "I am not leaving you again."

"You are making no sense!" Delia told him with exasperation.

So, Mike took her by the arms and pulled her to her feet, kissing her. But just as it felt like she was starting to relax, she stiffened up again.

"No, no, I don't believe it. I need some sort of proof that it's you. I don't want to go through all that again," Delia protested stubbornly. Mike smiled at her and dug in his pocket, pulling out a hair ribbon. She stared at it.

"That looks like one of the ones I used to wear at school!" Delia said with surprise, taking it from it and inspecting it carefully.

"It is," Mike admitted apologetically. "I sort of pinched it back before I was an Owl, that day we had football camp." Blinking in realization, Delia felt her face grow hot. "I've always been into you, Delia. I just didn't want to give Don a reason to hurt you, so I stayed away. And because of that, I wasn't there when you needed me..." Delia interrupted by kissing him, no longer hesitant and just wanting to convince herself it wasn't a dream. Mike took back a step in surprise, accidentally bumping the bedpost.

Suddenly loud sirens, bells. and flashing lights starting going off around the room, causing both of them to stop what they were doing and put their hands over their ears. Jamie rushed in, turning off the alarm. The two of them looked up at her, wondering what just happened.

"Those are boyfriend proximity detectors," Jamie explained expressionlessly. "Dad put them in back when this was my room as a teenager. So um... if you guys want to... talk more... you might want to try a different room. Try the room at end of the hall," Jamie suggested, going back downstairs. Mike looked over to see Delia blushing even more furiously now. He chuckled and shook his head.

"How about lunch? Let me go back to the mansion to change and I can take you to the Enchanted Spoon or something," Mike suggested.

"What, you're leaving me? Then how am I going to know you're you when you get back?" Delia asked anxiously. Mike rolled his eyes.

"The ribbon?"

"Well, what if he finds out? He could be spying on us."

"In Harry Potter's house?" Mike asked flatly.

"Yes, but still... really, you're an Auror, surely you can come up with better ideas..."

"I'll be gone less than an hour, Delia," Mike assured her.

"Well, yes, I know, but we're going to have to come up with something better than that! For one thing, I should give you a lock for Witchlock paper, and we should use code words or something..."

"How about a temporary fix?" Mike suggested with exasperation.

The guests had thinned out significantly when Mike keyed back to the Craw Mansion, and it was obvious that the two couples had already escaped the reception. Hoping to slip past unnoticed, he was halfway to the door when Thomas called his name and he froze in his tracks, slowly turning to where Thomas and Severus had been talking.

"Where have you been lurking at?" Thomas asked him. Neither Thomas or Severus missed the red marks on his neck.

"Um... I went to Harry's for something. Excuse me, I'm going out for lunch today," Mike explained quickly.

"Fine, but be careful and be back for dinner or I'll send Enforcers after you," Thomas threatened.

"Right, I'll be careful," Mike said, hurrying inside. Thomas shook his head.

"You know, it always fascinates me just how much these kids think I don't notice," Thomas said.

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean," Severus agreed.

"Severus!" Jennifer called out from where she stood with Andrew. "Aren't you ready to go yet?"

"Don't worry, I'll watch Mike," Thomas said in a low voice. "Enjoy your holiday while it lasts."

"Yes. I have a feeling it won't be long," Severus agreed, walking over to meet Jennifer and Andrew. "Andrew, you know what's expected of you, of course."

"I am to be your eyes and ears while the two of you are off on your intimate excursion. I am to periodically check on Quintin at Pyther's, Leu at Hadrian's,and Icarus at Hogwarts, all while keeping alert for checking papers and other media for signs of Don and other threats. Seriously, Father, it's like I don't do this every year," Andrew said with exasperation.

"Well, try to find time for yourself too, Andrew, and perhaps someone to spend time with," Jennifer suggested. Andrew rolled his eyes, shaking his head at that.

"I know it's a wedding, but that's enough of that sort of hint, Mum, you know me better than that by now," Andrew said, giving her a quick hug. "You were my first love, and I wouldn't ever be interested in a girl that didn't remind me of you." Severus blinked. "Now, go have your alone time, I've got it covered."

"All right, Andrew," Jennifer said with a resigned smile. "See you when we get back." Nodding at that with a smile, Andrew went to say goodbye to his grandfather. "Ready Severus?" she asked, gazing at him curiously when she saw her husband watching Andrew speculatively as he walked away. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking," Severus mused, not looking at her directly. "I was thinking that next year is going to be a very interesting school year."

"Oh, Severus, really!" Jennifer exclaimed. "It can wait. I can't," she added flirtatiously.

"Oh, very well," Severus said with feigned exasperation. Jennifer gave the guests a quick wave. Pulling out the key to the Wizard's Temptation, the two of them left.

End of Heritage Book 10

A/N 1: First, I am begging for reviews, since I want to know how everyone liked the book, it's killer not to know especially when it's a book I particularly enjoyed writing. Also, feel free to join my twitter(DoublequillMLP), I'll be giving daily updates, also I tend to answer questions there.

A/N 2: Book 25 Teaser: The next book in the Heritage series book 11 (of which there will be 12, with likely one more regular 3-7 book series after that, then the 3 book finale series) will be called Jennifer Craw and the Agents of Mystery. If you're one of those folks who was curious about more of the backstories of JC Alt-uni OC's, then happy birthday, this is your book. The next book is a very, VERY, character driven book, and I'm already 6 chapters in and having a blast. This book will go up in the summer, but I'll have some teasers like releasing some chapter titles to get folks interested in reading it. Until then, I'll see you guys soon, (coughreviewcough) ~Doublequill