"Legerdemain"
"Chapter Eleven: The One Where Ko Meets the Potters"
Lily sucked in a breath as she pressed her wand to the door of her parents' house where the doorknob should have been. She traced the familiar unlocking pattern into the wood as Rayko stood next to her with a treacle tart that she had baked at his penthouse earlier in his hands. There was a click and his free hand squeezed her neck. The door opened and his hand settled on the small of her back. They stepped inside. Lily led him towards the back of the house, freezing right outside of the kitchen door when she heard her parents arguing.
"I can't do this tonight, Harry!" her mother hissed. "I'm dead worried about Remus and Albus right now. Having a family dinner isn't something that I really care to do right now."
"Gin, we have to check out this bloke to make sure he's not using her or hurting her!" Harry insisted. "I didn't have time to look him up at work today because there was an Albus sighting in Dorkling that James heard about. Last week when I looked, I didn't have his full name and there were no Kos in all of England."
"You did not!" Ginny hissed. "Tell me you didn't try to figure out who he was last week!"
"Of course, I did!"
"She's nineteen, Harry. She can have a boyfriend! We have Albus missing after blowing up the Ministry. Remus is on a crap-ton of potions to try to rid his body of poison from an Inferi scratch that we were stupid enough not to have noticed for over a month. Lily having a boyfriend isn't really high on my worry list at the moment."
"She's young and naive and doesn't understand because of her last name that people would take advantage of her in a heartbeat! She's too kind and trusting!" her father practically yelled, his voice strained and exasperated.
"We were younger than her when we fell in love. Do you not think Lily is old enough to know her own heart, Harry?"
"No, of course not!" Harry exclaimed. "She has the biggest heart of anyone and I just... if he takes advantage of her, I'm afraid it will get broken!"
"Harry, Lily's not your little girl anymore and I know you don't want to admit that, but she's grown up. You have to let her make her own choices."
"But what if Krum is using her to just get her money, Ginny?"
"The Krums have more money than Merlin, Harry!" Ginny shouted. "You don't think that kid hasn't been taken advantage of in his day because of who he is? Because of who his parents are? The Krums might be in the paper even more than we are! I'm sure the last thing this man is looking for is her money! I can't believe we're having this discussion again!"
"Have you heard what's said about him? He has a new girl every other week and his parties, Gin! Merlin, if I have to read another bloody report on one of his rowdy, illegal parties, I will scream."
"He's a young kid, Harry. You should know more than anyone that what's printed in the paper is often not true," Ginny argued. "How many times have we been on the brink of divorce because we have cheated on each other with every famous witch or wizard in the entire bloody world? They've caught you in bad moods and painted you as some hot-headed arsehole over the years. The Harry Potter in the paper is a very different Harry Potter in real life. The two are utterly different people."
"Let's just leave," Lily whispered. "We can run away together."
Rayko pressed a kiss on her temple. "You wouldn't be happy running away. I'm not upset that your dad seems to not like me right now. I'll change his mind. We'll be best chaps by the end of the night."
Lily let out a small chuckle of disbelief. "Your confidence is overwhelming to say the least."
Rayko winced. "I'm just trying to hype myself up enough to pretend like I'm not petrified that your dad may kill me when he finds out about the B-A-B-Y."
"Did you just spell it?" Lily shook her head, her eyes wide. "My dad can spell, you know!"
Rayko squinted down at her. "I'm bloody nervous! Leave me alone!"
"All right, it's now or never. Let's break up their fight."
Rayko grabbed her hand in his, giving her fingers a tight squeeze. Lily pushed open the door to the kitchen to see her dad cooking at the stove in his The Man Who Defeated Dinner apron she bought him while her mother jabbed her wand to make a dessert at the island. They both turned when they heard the door.
"So, this is Ko," Lily greeted.
Her father stood frozen by the stove, his spoon hovering in midair over the pot and his glasses sliding down his nose as he stared at the pair. Her mother sat her wand down on the island before rubbing her hands on her paisley print apron. Ginny walked towards them, a warm smile that would rival Molly Weasley's whenever someone new was brought around to the Burrow.
"It's so nice to meet you," Ginny greeted. "Do you go by Ko then?"
She pulled Rayko into a warm hug. Lily glanced over at her father to see he had sat his spoon down onto the spoon rest and stood up to his full height as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Hello, yes, Ko's fine, Ginny," Rayko greeted as he pulled back from the embrace with a wide grin. "May I call you Ginny?"
"Oh, yes, of course, that's perfectly fine, Ko," Ginny said with a smile before turning to Lily. "You doing all right? I know you miss Albus."
Lily smiled back at how normal her mother was acting. "Yeah, I just… I hope we can find him soon and prove he's innocent."
Ginny nodded, pulling Lily into a quick hug. "Me too, darling, me too."
When they parted, Lily turned to her father. He still stood silent and stoic next to the stove, his lips thin and eyebrows low beneath his glasses. Ginny turned towards him and shot him a look. They seemed to have a silent yet intense battle before her father heaved a sigh and crossed the room towards them.
"Harry Potter," her dad greeted gruffly, holding out a hand for Rayko, and Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes at how he chose to introduce himself.
"Rayko Krum," he matched her father's formal greeting. "Nice apron."
Harry scowled and Lily sniggered behind her hand.
"Lily bought it for me," Harry replied, his jaw tight.
"I can tell. That's exactly her sense of humor."
"Ko, Lily, would you two set the table in the dining room, please?" Ginny said loudly. "Nine adult place settings, three kid settings, and two high chairs?"
"Yes! We would be more than happy to!" Lily replied, matching her mother's volume.
Lily showed Rayko where they kept the plates, goblets, and silverware. He helped her levitate them all into the dining room where there were already a couple bottles of wine, a salad, and some jacket potatoes in the middle of the table. They went to work setting the table before Lily went to grab the high chairs from the corner of the room and push them towards the table. By the time they had finished, her parents levitated in the last of the food and the rest of their dinner guests had yet to even arrive.
Lily walked around the dining room table. It felt weird to be sitting in the dining room as her parents rarely used it. They normally ate in the kitchen or outside. Rayko pulled out her chair and she smiled at him as she sat down. She scooted her own chair in and motioned for Rayko to sit down next to her. Her dad sat at the head of the table, his lips thin as he appraised Rayko. Her mum sat down on the other end of the table, her smile warm and eyes bright.
"So, Ko, what is it that you do?" Ginny asked.
"I, uh, secretly run a nonprofit. I keep my name off of it as to not draw unwanted attention to it," Rayko explained as he grabbed Lily's hand under the table and gave it a squeeze.
"You'd think using your name for a worthy cause would be a good thing," her father said nonchalantly and earning a glare from her mother.
"I work with kids," Rayko said. "No parent wants their kids on the front page of the paper with articles about me."
Harry didn't comment. Instead he leaned back in his seat.
"It's, uh, a little kids Quidditch league," Rayko continued. "Elle told me that Remus plays."
"Hmm," Harry said just as Riley rushed into the dining room with Henry on her hip.
"Sorry we are late!" Riley announced and James came in behind her with a nappy bag on his shoulder. "Henry had a blowout!"
James sat the nappy bag down by the server and made his way around the table. He held out a hand to Rayko. Rayko stood, taking the hand in his. James pulled him to his chest, his lips close to his ear.
"You hurt her and I'll kill you," James whispered only loud enough for Lily to hear and she rolled her eyes. James pulled back and clapped a hand on his shoulder and said in a normal voice, "Great to meet you. Firm handshake. You notice that, Dad? Can't be a bad bloke if he has a firm handshake."
"Are you high on potions right now?" Lily leaned forward and hissed.
James shot her a glare and hissed back, "I'm helping you out and protecting you at the same damn time."
"Stop the good Auror, bad Auror bit right now or I will fucking hex you," Lily seethed.
"Shut it and be happy that I got your back," James snapped back as he took a seat next to Rayko while Riley sat next to him, plopping Henry into the high chair between her and Harry.
"I'm sorry, excuse my mental brother, please," Lily told Rayko. "He was dropped on the head one too many times as a child."
"Hi, I'm Riley," Riley leaned across James to shake his hand. "Ignore Jamie. This is normal for him."
James shot his wife an exasperated look when an ear-piecing scream sounded in the house.
"Sorry, we're late! Dora had a meltdown!" Teddy said as he entered the room with a very upset-looking Dora.
Her little arms were crossed over her chest, her bottom lip jutted out in an insane pout. Her brown eyes were filled with angry tears. As soon as she spotted Ginny, she squirmed and screamed for her. Teddy sat her down, sighing heavily. Dora ran over to Ginny, who scooped the tiny girl up in her arms and cuddled against her chest.
Victoire entered the room behind Teddy with Remus by her side. Lily smiled at her nephew who looked pale but normal. She wondered if the potions were working yet and what his poison levels had been that morning.
"Ko!" Remus shouted and ran around the table.
Rayko smiled and bent down to pick up the small child. Remus cuddled against his chest, showing off the stuffed dragon that Lily and Rayko had bought for him. Remus gushed over the little button in the dragon's foot and made it roar loudly.
Harry raised his eyebrow. "When did Remus meet him?"
"On the street!" James blurted out. "Just randomly on the street. Nothing at all weird or anything."
"Are you fucking high on potions?" Teddy asked, taking a seat next to Harry and across from Riley.
James glared at him. "No! Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because you're acting like it," Riley hissed. "Just stop acting so neurotic, please."
Victoire took a seat next to Teddy. "He's just mental, Teddy. You should know that by now."
"Oi, Vic!" James said, giving her a two-finger salute.
"Ko helped me mind the kids one night," Lily confessed, attempting to bring the conversation back around. "It's how Ko knows them."
"What?" Harry asked, his brows disappearing beneath his glasses. "That really happened?"
Lily didn't know how to reply, her eyes shifting over towards her mother for help.
"I wanna sit next to Grandpa!" Remus complained as he scooted off Rayko's lap. Teddy and Victoire slid down to make room for Remus.
"Sorry, I'm late!" Scorpius announced as he rushed into the dining room. "Some dragon pox burst on me. Don't worry, I made sure to sanitize."
"Ew, Scorpius, too much information," James commented, his face pinching. "None of us want to hear about dragon pox pus during dinner!"
"Nobody wants to look at your face during dinner, but we all manage," Lily hissed, leaning across Rayko.
"Fuck you, Lily!" James hissed.
"Grandpa!" Remus shouted. "Unca Jamie's saying bad words 'gain."
"Can you watch the language around the kids for once, James?" Victoire said. "You're such a bad influence. I would have thought once you had your own kid, you'd watch what you say but I guess that's too much to ask for."
"This isn't a gang up on James dinner! This is a meeting Lily's secret boyfriend dinner!" James retorted as he waved his arms wildly in the air. "Did you not understand what the dinner invite was, Vic? Do you want me to write it out carefully for you?"
"Nah, I'm good. No need to get out the crayons during dinner," Victoire snapped back.
"Merlin help us all," Ginny muttered, shaking her head and grabbing the platter of jacket potatoes to start passing around the food.
"So, Rayko, what is it that you do?" Teddy asked loudly as he grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself a large glass.
"I, uh, was just telling your father that I run a nonprofit for kids," Rayko replied, his face pale.
Lily sucked in a breath, her eyes locked onto Rayko's slightly panicked face. Her family had already done it. It was a new record. They were scaring off her boyfriend. Lily worried her bottom lip, her head snapping to her mother.
"I've never heard that before," James said, his gaze focused on Rayko. "What nonprofit? A make-believe one?"
"Of course it's not a make-believe one!" Lily snapped. "He runs Britain's Youth Quidditch Leagues and it's wonderful! Remus has a blast doing it!"
"This salad is marvelous, Ginny!" Scorpius exclaimed louder than necessary. "Are there almonds in this?"
"I run it under a pseudonym," Rayko explained, his hand reaching for Lily's under the table.
"Did you try the raspberry vinaigrette with the salad, Scorpius?" Riley matched Scorpius' volume. "I need to steal this! It's that good!"
"Where did you buy the dressing, Ginny?" Scorpius asked as he added more dressing to his salad.
"Harry made it," she replied, her eyes narrowed at her husband.
"Since when do you make dressing?" Teddy asked. "Is this your new hobby or something? Dressing making?"
"It's not that hard," Harry said through clenched teeth. "Now, if you could all stop interrupting Rayko, I'd like to hear what he does for a living."
Rayko let out a slow breath. "I don't technically work. I just run the nonprofit."
"And party? So, the press isn't completely wrong then."
Lily frowned at her father.
"I don't do that anymore," Rayko said.
Harry didn't look convinced. "Lily said you met in Apricity Lane."
"We did," Rayko replied. "She um… the press was hounding her and she's short, you know, so she decided to use me as a shield. I thought it was cute."
"And you knew who she was?" Harry asked.
"Not right away, no," Rayko admitted. "But once I saw the press, I made the connection."
"And you thought kidnapping her and taking her to Paris was a good way to get on my good side?"
"Merlin, Dad, he didn't kidnap me! He asked me to go and I went," Lily reasoned before turning to Rayko. "I told you he would think you kidnapped me, didn't I?"
Harry glowered.
Rayko clutched his wine glass. "Sir, with all due respect, no one forces your daughter to do anything that she doesn't want to do."
Teddy cleared his throat. "So, Ko, Remus loves your nonprofit! Tell us more about the workings of it. You never wanted to play Quidditch yourself?"
"So you just live off your trust fund then?" Harry interrupted.
"Harry!" Ginny hissed.
"It's a legitimate question," Harry snapped. "Our kids know the value of working hard and earning a living!"
"He runs a nonprofit that your grandson enjoys immensely!" Ginny seethed. "You don't need a paycheck to work and if he has the means to do so without a paycheck, then good for him."
"Are you saying you'd be okay with Lily going out and not making a living? Just living off family money?"
"Hey! Guess what happened at work today!" Teddy said loudly before launching into some stupid story that Lily only half paid attention to.
Lily sucked in a breath before she grabbed a bottle of Pinot from the center of the table. She poured herself a generous glass. The goblet was halfway to her lips when she stopped, suddenly remembering that she wasn't allowed to have alcohol. She snapped her head over to Rayko who stared at her with wide eyes. She wordlessly handed him the glass and hoped no one would notice.
"I want bangers!" Remus pouted. "Grandpa, did you make bangers?"
"No, Grandpa did not make you bangers, Remus," Victoire replied. "Grandpa doesn't always have bangers in the house."
"Actually, I can go make him some if he likes," Harry said as he stood up, throwing his napkin on the table.
"Why aren't you drinking?" James asked, his attention on Lily. "You're not up the duff, are you?"
"James!" Teddy hissed.
"What?" James questioned, bringing his own glass of wine up to his lips. "It's a joke!"
Teddy didn't laugh. Lily felt her insides turn to solid ice. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't even fucking blink. Her eyes snapped over to her father.
"Are you fucking pregnant?" James asked.
"Of course, she's not pregnant!" Harry snapped. "They barely know each other!"
"Oh, Lily!" Ginny sighed. "You're not, are you?"
"You know they not only have potions but bloody spells for that, don't you?" James added.
"The spell failed, all right?" Lily said in a rush. "It happens! Nothing is one hundred percent foolproof!"
No one spoke for a full minute.
Rayko stood up, his eyes locked on Harry. "I'm going to be there for everything. I love Lily and we already love this baby and Scorpius gave us a Healer recommend-"
Harry reeled his head over to Scorpius. "You knew?"
Scorpius sat frozen in his chair, his fingers tight around his wine glass. "Uh, er, well, you see, we sort of, kind of… it was right before she was-"
"Albus and Scorpius knew!" Lily answered for him. "We told them two days before we were supposed to tell you, the day Albus fucked everything up! Teddy knew too! I told him the day Albus went missing."
"You knew?" James shouted, his voice high and squeaky. "So much for being my best mate! How the bloody hell could you keep that secret from me? From everyone?"
Teddy winced. "It wasn't my news to tell!"
James gestured wildly towards Victoire. "She doesn't seem phased by the news!"
"Spouses don't count," Victoire snapped. "Of course, Lily wouldn't tell you. You can't keep a secret to save your life!"
"I will have you know that I never told anybody about the time Teddy-"
No words escaped James' mouth. Lily snapped her attention to Teddy to see he had his wand out and pointed at their brother. James crossed his arms over his chest and sank down in his chair.
"Look, this isn't the ideal time, I get that," Lily said. "But it's a baby. It's another teeny tiny human. While I'm petrified to death, I am a little bit excited too. I love kids and I love this baby already and, and we didn't plan this, but it happened and I hope you will all be there to support us."
"Are you gonna have a baby, Auntie Lily?" Remus asked in a small voice. "Where is it?"
Lily's face softened as she glanced at Remus. "It's in my belly."
"Why? Did you eat it?" Remus asked, his eyes wide with fear.
Lily chuckled. "No, you see when a man loves a woman-"
"Lily, this isn't the time," Harry interrupted. "Let Teddy and Victoire give the talk."
"I'm not giving the talk to a four-year-old, Dad," Teddy hissed before turning his attention to Remus. "Auntie Lily ate an egg and a baby hatched inside her stomach."
Remus' eyes grew wide. "I don't want any eggs ever again!"
Victoire shook her head. "Teddy!"
"A baby is a big responsibility," Harry said, his gaze directed on Lily. "It's not all dressing them up in cute outfits or taking their picture when they smile. It's a lot of hard work and sleepless nights."
"I know," Lily whispered. "I had the best example of parents a girl could ask for. I just have to think about what you and Mum would do and I'll be fine."
Harry's face softened. "It's hard being a young parent. Your mum and I experienced it with Teddy. I was only seventeen when he was born."
"I know, Daddy, I know. I'm ready. I really am. Ko said he's going to be there every step of the way with me," Lily insisted as she reached out to grasp Rayko's hand in hers.
"I am," Rayko added.
"What are you thinking about for childcare? Where are you going to live?" Harry asked.
"I, uh… we haven't really thought about it yet," Lily admitted. "It's still so early."
"These are things you have to think about, Lily! You're not married, you don't have a house. The things that were supposed to be established before having a baby need to take priority. I didn't have custody of Teddy for the first year of his life. I had time to get everything in order. You need to take the next nine months and figure everything out. This baby needs a home before he or she is born."
"I know, Dad. It's just… we wanted to tell you and Mum first and then Albus…"
Ginny stood up and moved around the table to embrace her daughter. "Are you happy, Lily?"
"Yes," she replied, hugging her mother fiercely. "Koko makes me so happy."
"Elle makes me believe that anything's possible," Rayko said. "We know it's fast and we know it's a lot to take in, but we're together and we're having this baby. We'll figure everything else out."
Harry stood up and walked past Rayko to pull his daughter close to his chest. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning. I love you, Lily, and I hate that you feel like you couldn't come to me with this, that you felt the need to hide it."
"I didn't mean to hide it for so long," Lily said, her eyes sliding close when her dad pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I just… I wanted to see if I liked him first and then… and then things just happened so quickly."
Harry pulled back from the embrace, tucking her securely into his side. She kept her arms around his waist as his arm slung around her shoulders. Harry turned towards Rayko.
"I knew your father a long time ago. I liked him."
Rayko nodded. "He said the same about you, Sir."
Harry nodded, extending his hand and Rayko accepted it. "Well, welcome to the family then, Ko."
Rayko's lips curved. "Thank you… Harry."
James clapped his hands together. "Great! Fantastic! Everyone is finally good! Everyone still has their limbs. No hexes. No little bat bogeys flying around. Can someone, for the love of Merlin, please pass me the bloody potatoes already? I have my knife all buttered and everything!"
"Merlin, Jamie," Lily hissed. "It's not always about your bloody stomach!"
"Nope," James said with a smirk. "Pretty soon it's going to be about yours. What do you say, Ted? How fat do you think she's gonna get?"
Riley smacked James across the back of the head. "What is wrong with you? Do you have no filter?"
"I will murder you," Lily said as she sat back down. "I am willing to make Henry fatherless."
"Just ignore him, Lily, it's what we all try to do," Victoire said with a sigh as she snagged the platter of jacket potatoes and smirked over at a fuming James.
"Oi!" James exclaimed.
Lily exchanged a look with Rayko and saw the amusement in his eyes and thought the worst was over with. Their families knew the truth and as relieved as she felt to no longer carry the burden of a secret, she couldn't help but think the room still felt empty without Albus there.
Where was he? Was he safe somewhere? Was he cold and alone?
She rubbed a hand over her stomach as Rayko squeezed the other hand in assurance. She needed him to come home and not just for her sake and for his unborn godchild, but for all of them. It wasn't a family dinner without him, and she couldn't help but think he'd be upset he missed this one.
Teddy jerked awake, his mind cloudy with sleep. He didn't exactly know what woke him at first until he heard another gasping sob echoing in the room courtesy of the Monitoring Charms on the kids' bedrooms. Teddy pushed back the covers off him and tumbled out of bed, falling into a heap on the floor.
By the time he jumped up, he saw a swish of blonde hair bolting from their bedroom. His heart twisted in his chest as he snatched his mirror off his bedside table before running after Victoire. It sounded almost as though Remus couldn't breathe, his sobs choked and heaving.
When Teddy entered his son's room, Victoire already had him cuddled in her arms. She brushed his sweaty dark locks off his forehead as his scared blue eyes stared at Teddy. Victoire pressed a hand against his forehead, her face wincing.
"He's burning up," she said. "Do you have your wand?"
Teddy shook his head as he took the last few steps towards the bed and pressed the back of his own hand against Remus' clammy forehead. He was hotter than Teddy could ever remember anyone ever feeling. He had felt a lot of foreheads in his life, always checking his siblings' fevers as a kid after he'd watch Ginny do it and later in life for his own kids. It was scorching, so hot that it seemed almost unnatural.
Teddy looked down at his mirror. "James Potter."
Sucking in a breath, Teddy waited impatiently for his brother to answer his mirror. He said the name again and again, hoping that James had his mirror by his bedside table. After what seemed like forever, the image of his groggy brother appeared in the mirror.
"What the fuck, Ted?" James asked, his eyes squinting and his hair more unruly than ever.
"How fast can you get to Grimmauld Place?" Teddy asked.
"What's wrong?" James sat up straighter, a little more alert than before.
"Jamie, is everything all right?" Riley mumbled out of the view of the mirror.
"Remus is sick. He has a fever and he's having trouble breathing. I need someone to stay with Dora," Teddy explained.
"Fuck, yeah, I'll be there in a second," James said as he reached for his glasses. "Riley, I have to go to Ted's, all right?"
"No, no, go to the hospital, I'll grab Henry and head over," Riley mumbled and there was rustling. "Take the mirror, because I want updates."
"Look, Ted, I'll be there in a second so you can get going. I'll follow you shortly after Riley gets to the house," James explained before he cut the connection.
The mirror shook, Teddy's entire body trembling. He glanced back at Remus to see him staring off into space, his body very still and stiff. Then his eyes rolled to the back until only white could be seen, his head lolling back and his small body convulsing. Teddy stood frozen as Victoire jumped into action, laying him on his side on the bed. Her hands hovered close to his body but she didn't touch him.
"Vic?" Teddy whispered.
"He's having a febrile seizure," Victoire said, her voice so small and quivering. "Let it pass and then we'll get him to the hospital."
Teddy nodded before looking back down at his mirror. "Harry Potter."
His dad answered the call a lot quicker than James had. Teddy wasn't looking at his father's face, his eyes were glued on his tiny son convulsing on the bed. The jerking seemed to lessen, his limbs just twitching.
"Ted? What's wrong?"
"Remus is sick," Teddy gasped out. "He's having a seizure and I'm taking him to the hospital as soon as it's over and Jamie's coming over to stay with Dora and I… can you meet me at the hospital?"
Teddy felt like a small child. He wanted his mum and dad more than anything in that moment, for them to tell him everything would be all right. His throat felt so narrow and tight that he was afraid it would begin to become difficult to breathe. Teddy just stared at the very pale face of his son with dark bruises under his eyes and his lips looked like they had a small tinge of blue to them. He wanted to scream, to cry, to throw something.
"We'll be there," Harry said before the connection ended.
Remus' body relaxed, his little chest heaving.
"I think it's over," Victoire whispered.
Teddy tossed the mirror on the bed before scooping his son's limp body up in his arms. "I'll meet you at the hospital. Can you pack a small bag for him and us? Jamie should be here soon."
He didn't wait for a response. He bolted from the room and made his way towards the kitchen where the fireplace was. He pushed the door to the kitchen open with his shoulder to see James stumbling out of the fireplace in nothing but a pair of boxers.
"I'm going to borrow some of your clothes. I didn't think to change," James said before jutting his chin towards Remus. "How is he?"
"He had a seizure," Teddy explained as he marched towards the fireplace.
"Is that bad?" James asked.
"I don't… I don't know. I got to go," Teddy said. "Can you call everyone? I only contacted you and Dad."
"Fuck! I forgot my mirror," James mumbled. "Riley's going to murder me."
Teddy slid his sockless feet into a pair of shoes by the fireplace. He readied the fire before stepping inside. He got a glimpse of a hole in the butt of James' boxers and he just shook his head before he disappeared in a whirl of flames. He only thanked his lucky stars that he had enough sense to go to bed in a t-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts.
When he landed in the hospital, he shouted for help. Healers rushed towards him and took Remus from his arms to lay him on a gurney. They started walking towards the double doors when he heard his father yelling his name. Teddy turned around, not stopping in his stride, to see his mum and dad running to catch up with them.
They entered a small room and one Healer pointed their wand at Remus. A pale blue light emitted from the tip as Teddy bounced on his heels. Harry wrapped an arm around his shoulders, steadying him.
"Can you tell us what happened?" a Healer not scanning Remus asked.
"He was scratched by an Inferius and he was on potions to rid his body of the poisons. He spiked a fever and had a seizure," Teddy said in a rush. "His Healer is Scorpius Malfoy."
"Healer Malfoy isn't on duty tonight," the Healer who was poking and prodding Remus with her wand said. "I'm one of the Pediatric Healers on duty tonight. I'm Healer Harris."
"Can we call Scorpius in?" Teddy asked.
"Harry, give me the mirror. I'll call Scorpius," Ginny said as Harry dug into his back pocket for the shrunken mirror and handed it over.
Teddy didn't even care that Healer Harris scowled as his mother stepped away from the small group and called out Scorpius' name.
"Daddy," Remus croaked.
"I'm here, I'm here."
Teddy reached down and grasped his son's hand in his. Remus blinked blurrily around the room, his body shivering and sweat dripping down his face. Rattling, harsh huffs of breath escaped his lips. Somehow, he seemed paler underneath the lighting of the hospital.
"I'll be right there!" Scorpius' voice rang from the mirror. "Tell whoever is on duty tonight to admit him, give him a Calming Draught and put him to sleep, place a respiratory bubble on him, and book a procedure room for him now! I'm on my way!"
Ginny marched over towards the bed, flipping the mirror so that Healer Harris could see Scorpius in the mirror. Harry's grip tightened on Teddy's shoulders, his hand giving him a squeeze. Ice felt like it was pumping its way through his entire body. Another procedure? It had only been three days since his last procedure. It seemed too soon, way too soon to put him under again.
"You're not the Healer here, Malfoy," Healer Harris practically snarled. "I haven't even finished my assess-"
"The poison in his system is unstable!" Scorpius shouted in a harsh tone that Teddy had never heard him use before. "His heart stopped in the last procedure because the poison was working its way through his system at an alarming rate once we punctured the wound. We've placed barriers around his heart and other major organs to block the poison, but it sounds like the barrier around his lungs is disintegrating. We need to replace the barriers and slow the spread of the poison!"
Teddy could hear the blood pumping in his ears, could feel his father stiffen next to him, could hear the tiny sob that escaped his mother's lips. His wide eyes stared down at a trembling Remus who attempted to gulp in as much air as he possibly could.
"If you kill my grandson," Harry growled, "I will see to it that you are held personally responsible!"
Everything happened so fast that Teddy didn't even know what was happening. Remus was given potions, a breathing bubble was placed on his nose, and then he was being levitated out of the room all before Victoire had even arrived. He didn't have a chance to ask questions or even speak to Scorpius. They were ushered out into the waiting room where Victoire stood with a bag slung over her shoulder and clenching Remus' stuffed Hippogriff. Teddy bolted to her upon seeing her, gathering her up in his arms and attempting to explain to her what had happened while trying not to cry.
Family spilled into the waiting room in a seemingly endless stream. James had been the first to arrive, luckily fully clothed with his mirror clenched in his hand. Bill and Fleur were the next to arrive, immediately asking Harry and Ginny what had happened. Lily and Rayko arrived just after midnight, his sister looking like a small child in flats with no makeup on. She clung to Teddy for a few moments, tears in her eyes, before she rushed over to seek comfort from their father. Finally, she settled on sitting on Rayko's lap in a chair, curled up against his chest like a little cat. Andy and Hugh arrived moments before Arthur and Molly. Dominique was the last of the family to arrive.
Teddy felt numb. His mind wandering from a bad scenario to an even worse scenario. He sucked in a breath as he listened to his mother cry softly into his father's chest. Teddy couldn't even look over at Ginny, knowing if he saw her crying that he wouldn't be able to hold back his own tears any longer. Instead, he watched as James spoke quietly into the mirror to give Riley updates, with Dominique asleep on James' shoulder and he glanced over to see Lily and Rayko asleep in their chair. Molly, Arthur, Andy, and Hugh stood around in a small circle talking quietly with large cups of tea in their hands – all of them looking worried and upset. Bill and Fleur spoke in low voices on a sofa across the room. Victoire let out a shuddering sigh into his chest. She had curled up next to him long ago, the stuffed Hippogriff still clenched to her chest, dried tears on her face.
Teddy just didn't understand. Remus seemed fine at home the past couple of days. He had remained pale and extra tired, but he had been playing and laughing. He thought that Scorpius had stopped the spread of the poison, that the potions had been working.
Time seemed like it didn't exist. There was only constant fear and worry. Teddy finally understood why his dad had always been so paranoid of one of them being hurt. The fright that gripped his heart was unbearable and suffocating. He would give anything to be in Remus' place.
"Oi, Ko!" a slurred male voice called, a harsh reality check that they weren't the only ones in the hospital.
Teddy lifted his gaze to see a very obviously drunk and possibly high wizard walking towards the family. Lily stirred on Rayko's lap, her glasses lopsided on her face. Rayko frowned at the individual as he gently pushed Lily off his lap and onto the small space of cushion next to him.
"Everett, what are you doing here?" Rayko asked as he stood up, his arms crossing over his chest as he walked towards the man.
"Uh, Wes needed to be brought in," the man named Everett said. "The you-know-what kind of backfired."
"I don't want to hear about this," Rayko hissed.
Teddy dared a glance over at his parents. His mother was fast asleep, her face red and she was breathing out of her mouth. His father looked at the interaction between Rayko and Everett with interest.
Everett gestured his chin to a still-sleeping Lily. "Is that the no-fun bint I've been hearing about? The one that stops you from coming out and having fun with Wes and me."
"What the fuck is the matter with you?" Rayko snapped. "Don't call her that."
"Ooh, so sorry, Ko. I heard you were smitten but come now. She can't be that great in bed to stop you from coming out with us."
"I stopped going out with you and Wes long before Lily came into the picture," Rayko whispered coolly. "Look, we're having a little family crisis right now. I don't really have time to chat."
Everett raised his hands up in the air. "Oi, you'd think you'd be a little more concerned about Wes being in the hospital and all. He couldn't bloody remember his own name!"
"Serves him right," Rayko hissed. "Wes and I aren't on speaking terms."
"I heard," Everett said slowly. "Shame, really. The four of us had so much fun. Nolan's being a little stick in the mud as well."
"I told you I don't have time to chat right now," Rayko repeated.
Teddy stilled when he saw Harry crossing the waiting room, his shoulders squared and jaw tight. He stepped up next to Rayko and rested a hand on his shoulder. Rayko's attention snapped to Harry.
"Is there a problem here?" Harry asked, his voice hard like steel.
Everett snapped his gaze to Harry. "Uh, no, no, of course not, Mr. Potter. Just… chatting up an old friend. Eh, Ko?"
"I'm not quite sure I would say you're old friends," Harry appraised. "I'm pretty sure he told you he was busy right now. We are having a family issue, and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave before I alert hospital security that there's a drunk and disorderly wizard harassing my family in the waiting room."
Everett sneered as James rose from his spot on the sofa. Teddy suppressed rolling his eyes. Of course, James couldn't resist the urge to get involved.
"Oi, Rosier, long time no see," James commented as he took a spot next to his dad. "I didn't know you knew Ko."
"Potter," Everett Rosier greeted as he jutted his chin up.
James sneered. "Still a dick, I see."
"Still a git, then?" Everett challenged.
"I think you need to leave," Harry said, making no room for argument.
Everett let out a huff of air before snapping his attention back to Rayko. "Making friends in high places, eh, Ko? I'll, uh, see you around... if I remember. Funny thing, isn't it, Ko, one's memory?"
Everett backed away slowly, a wide grin on his face. Rayko paled considerably during the exchange. Lily stirred on the chair, lifting her head and squinting over at Rayko and Harry. She sat up straighter and adjusted her glasses on her face.
"Thank you," Rayko whispered. "We had a falling out."
"Is there something that I should be concerned about?" Harry asked, his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets.
"No, Harry, it's all good," Rayko said with a smile before turning his attention to Lily.
Rayko made his way back over to the chair, his body stiff and tense. He squeezed onto the chair as he pulled Lily back on his lap. She pressed her lips to his cheek, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.
"Who was that?"
"Nobody. We're not friends anymore," Rayko said darkly. "Let me know if he bothers you, all right?"
"What did he want?" she whispered, concern evident on her face.
"It doesn't matter. He's a ponce right along with Wes. We don't talk anymore."
Harry went back to a now-awake Ginny. Teddy couldn't help but feel that there had been something off about the interaction between Rayko and Everett, except he didn't have it in him to question it too much. His mind was solely on Remus and what the bloody hell was taking Scorpius so long.
He wrapped his arms tighter around Victoire, his eyes gliding towards his parents on another sofa. Harry held Ginny close to his side, one arm wrapped securely around her shoulders while the other one cupped her cheek to hold her head against his chest. His thumb brushed along her cheekbone and wiped away the constant stream of silent tears that leaked from her eyes.
It wasn't until an orange glow streamed into the windows that Scorpius stepped out into the waiting room looking exhausted and worn. He ran a weary hand through his wavy blond hair as he stopped short of the family, his eyes glued onto Teddy and Victoire. Teddy couldn't recall a time that he had ever seen the young man look so grave. He was normally so bubbly with a smile on his face.
"Remus is stable," he began. "The poison was disintegrating the magical barriers I placed to protect his vital organs, so that it wouldn't spread there. It was as though the magic was rotting away. I reinforced the barriers and we've started Remus on some pretty heavy-duty potions, harsher ones than the ones he was taking at home. These potions need to be taken while in the hospital, so I started the process to admit Remus for at least the next week."
"The next week?" Lily gasped.
"The outpatient treatment wasn't working, obviously," Scorpius said with a sigh.
"What kind of treatment are you giving him?" Victoire asked, sitting up and still clenching the stuffed Hippogriff.
"So, the potions don't seem to be working all that well," Scorpius admitted. "We could continue to try some different types of potions that could potentially make him sick to his stomach and be hard on the system which I've already started to keep him stable or, which this is what I advocate for, we can try some phage therapy."
"Phage therapy? What's that?" Bill asked, his arm tight around Fleur.
"It's introducing a virus into the body to attack the poison in his system. The poison is sort of like an infection," Scorpius explained. "If we can have the virus attack and consume what's ailing him, then that's what we want."
"So, you'll make him sick in a different way?" Harry asked. "Then what? Cure him?"
"No, no, the virus wouldn't be like Dragon Pox or anything like that. It's more so components of a virus. It could take a while to figure out what phage is needed that will attack and consume the poison, if there is any at all. It's not an exact science."
"Can I just see my son?" Teddy asked, his voice soft. "We can discuss this while he sleeps. I want to see him."
"Four can go back at a time," Scorpius replied. "I'll start researching in case you decide to go ahead with the phage therapy, all right?"
"Thank you, Scorpius," Victoire said with a sniff.
Teddy, Victoire, Harry, and Ginny were the first group back to see Remus. Teddy held Victoire close to his side, tucking her away safely in his arms. His heart ached horribly and he had no idea what to even do to make things better.
Remus was asleep when they stepped into his room. His skin was so pale that he blended into the sheets. Dark circles akin to bruises shone prominent under his eyes. His little chest rose and fell harshly as though it were taking a great deal of effort to even breathe. Victoire sobbed as she broke away from Teddy and sank down onto the mattress of the hospital bed. She tucked the plush Hippogriff between his arm and his side before running a hand through his dark hair.
Teddy sank down onto the mattress behind Victoire. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other hand gripped Remus' knee. Teddy leaned forward, his face burying into Victoire's soft hair. Salty sea air assaulted his senses. For the first time ever, he didn't feel comfort wash over him. He just felt empty and cold. He choked back a sob and willed for his son to be all right.
Albus hadn't really been that nervous about hitching a ride with some Muggle. He had his wand tucked securely away in his pocket in case things went south quickly, but he didn't anticipate on using his wand at all. The entire point of traveling the Muggle way was to avoid using magic so that the Hit Wizards couldn't locate him. Except Albus side-eyed the man in the driver's seat as he listened to the goats bleating in the back of the truck.
"So… nice goats." Albus gestured to the back of the truck where the goats were in a little trailer behind them.
The man grunted, eyeing him suspiciously. "You aren't touching my goats."
"Err, right. Of course not," Albus replied, his hand fingering his wand in his pocket. "Wouldn't dream of touching the goats."
The ride returned to more uncomfortable silence. Albus wanted nothing more than to be in his own bed at his home in Wiltshire and tell Scorpius about his adventures. He had no doubt that Scorpius would be exceedingly proud of him that he managed to avoid kicking some annoying cats and helped a little old lady who knew his dad once upon a time. Part of him wished he didn't ditch his mirror at Dudley's home. Maybe he could have gotten away with talking to Scorpius just once without being detected.
Albus and the goat man sat in awkward silence for another half hour before Albus felt a wave of magic wash over him. He shivered, his eyes scanning around frantically and he spotted a house. It was completely dark inside. His eyes flickered for a mailbox but found none. He looked for a car and a garage and didn't see any. He knew it was a wizard's house and considering the dark interior, nobody was home. Maybe they would have a Daily Prophet he could snag, see what the papers were saying about him and if the Aurors and Hit Wizards were on his tail.
"I'd like to be dropped off here," Albus said. "Please."
The man turned towards him, his eyes narrowed. "Why? There's nothing here but woods."
Ah, so he didn't see the house. Definitely a wizard's house then.
"I fancy a stroll in the woods. Want to see some wild life. Sleep in a tree. You know, outdoorsy stuff," Albus commented.
"You'd die out there," the man commented.
"I'll touch the goats if you don't let me out," Albus threatened.
The breaks screeched to a halt. Albus almost slammed his face into the dashboard. He shot the goat man a disgusted look but immediately backed off when he saw the fury in the man's eyes.
"You better not touch my goats, you freak," the man hissed.
Albus fumbled for the handle to the door and pushed down. He scrambled out of the truck, grabbing his rucksack as he went. He barely had time to shut the door before the truck peeled off, the goats bleating loudly.
Running a hand through his now shoulder-length hair, Albus scowled. So maybe Lily was right and he was stress-growing his hair. It had never grown so fast in his life and he had no idea how to even stop it. The thought of Lily made his heart ache for his sister. He wanted her to boop him on the nose, to call him Alby, and to whine about how he wasn't feeding her. He wanted to hold her baby in his arms and tease her when she was all belly. Gulping, he set off towards the house.
Albus' instincts had been right. There was a small pile of Daily Prophets piled up below a window around the back of the house. He picked up the top copy and his heart dropped to his stomach at the headline.
Harry Potter's Grandson Hospitalized with Mystery Illness
Family Refuses to Comment
Albus looked at the picture of his parents, both sets of grandparents, James, Dominique, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, and Lily and Rayko sitting in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. They all looked exhausted and stressed. Albus blinked, so the family knew about Rayko Krum and probably knew Lily was pregnant. He couldn't help but feel disappointed he hadn't been there for the big reveal and wondered how it had gone. More importantly, he was worried sick about his nephew.
He no longer wanted to be on the run. He no longer wanted to do any of this. It all seemed so unimportant knowing that Remus was hospitalized and he wasn't fucking there. He should be there with his family.
Albus glanced up at the window and peered inside. He could vaguely make out that it was a kitchen. He licked his lips before shoving his elbow at the glass and shattering the window. He shrugged off his suit jacket and cleaned up the glass a bit before reaching in to unlatch the window and push it up.
He helped himself to some food, figuring that the family was on holiday and didn't want the food to go to waste. He took a quick shower and browsed through the wardrobe to see if any new clothes would fit him. Lastly, he pulled his hair up into a bun on the top of his head and thought he looked absolutely ridiculous. If only Lily could see him now, she'd tease him until the end of time.
He stared at himself in the mirror and barely recognized himself. His palm brushed against the beard that now graced his cheeks. His green eyes looked so dull and lackluster. He felt exhausted, and even looked it with large bags under his eyes. There had been no good night's sleep when on the run from the law. There was no calm, no peace, no nothing. It was lonely and dark and cold.
His heart ached for Scorpius. His heart ached for his family.
He wasn't cut out for life on the run. While he liked to say he loved being alone and not bothered, this was an entirely new level of isolation. He had never wanted a hug from his dad more or a kiss on the cheek from his mum. He wanted to hear Teddy's laughter, watch James pull a prank, listen to Lily prattle on about something soppy and stupid. He wanted to hold Remus and to listen to Henry and Dora babble and drool. He wanted to make love to Scorpius.
He momentarily considered turning himself in and dealing with the consequences, but he thought of the stories of his dad during the height of Lord Voldemort's reign. Of how he, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Hermione had lived in a tent and survived off very little. How his dad had been hunted for months. The end result wasn't jail but death. If his dad could have endured that then Albus could as well.
He just had to be patient and hope to Merlin that between Draco and Robards, they came up with something to help make his case because until they did, he was Undesirable Number One and turning himself in wasn't going to change that.
It was the first time Lily would see her baby. She was nervous, beyond nervous actually. She didn't want to be seen by the press, didn't want something to be wrong (since everything seemed to be going wrong as of late), and just wanted to know exactly when she was due.
She sat in the small Healer's office in St. Ives by the sea. Rayko sat to her right, his knees bouncing in anticipation as he held Lily's hand tightly between his own. Scorpius sat to her left. He lazily flipped through a parenting magazine, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"Look, at this article, Lily! It lists the best tips for a happy baby. Assign your baby their own theme song!" Scorpius said as he pointed out the first bullet point. "It will instill confidence in them apparently."
"That sounds utterly ridiculous," Lily whispered back. "What sort of song do you even assign a newborn besides a nursery rhyme?"
"Nursery rhyme?" Rayko snorted. "They mean something longer than a thirty second rhyme, Elle. Our kid needs to have a wicked theme song like Unfortunate Wizard or Enter the Werewolves."
Scorpius frowned. "I don't think a baby would appreciate a loud head-banging theme song. What about Waltzing by the Sea by Celestina Warbeck?"
Lily shook her head, snatching the magazine out of Scorpius' hands. "You've been hanging around my grandmother too much."
"It's a nice, slow ballad. Something that will soothe the baby," Scorpius argued.
"Do you change the theme song when they're toddlers and insane?" Lily inquired. "Remus was definitely not calm after the age of two. He's still a maniac."
"I don't know. Maybe if he had a nice calming theme song, he would have been calmer as a toddler," Scorpius said with a shrug. "I wish my theme song would have been Waltzing by the Sea. I could use some calm right now."
"What you need is a good shag from your fiancé, but he's an arse who had to go on the bloody run," Lily said bitterly. "Did he not think about us before he just decided to make the Ministry go boom?"
"Honestly, probably not," Scorpius replied with a frown. "I'm more than certain that my grandfather was involved somehow."
"You think Albus aimed for your grandfather but hit a wall instead?" Lily inquired.
"Honestly, I wouldn't put it past Albus," Scorpius said darkly. "He seems to think violence is the answer to his frustrations as of late."
Lily inhaled, ready to argue with Scorpius when a woman appeared in the doorway.
"Alba Ko," the woman called.
"That's me!" Lily said and stood up, dragging Rayko with her.
"Alba Ko?" Scorpius asked as he stood up as well.
"It's my alias," Lily replied with a shrug. "I mean, this is still a Healer's office, Scorp."
"But you didn't change your appearance, only your name. That's not very sneaky," Scorpius complained.
Lily shrugged as she walked towards the back of the waiting room to be weighed, measured, and then shown a room. The woman gestured for her to sit down onto the bed before she ran her wand all over Lily's body, a pale blue light emitting from the tip before a small strip of parchment burst out from the end and she placed it into Lily's file. She peered at the file to see a bunch of numbers on the page.
"The Healer will be right in," the woman said with a curt nod before leaving.
"Uh, that was welcoming," Lily hissed as soon as the door closed. "Why would you pick this place for me, Scorpius?"
"Well, I know the Healer, not the staff," Scorpius protested. "I trained under this Healer. She was my mentor. She used to specialize in the neonatal unit at St. Mungo's before she moved to open her own office. She sees expectant mothers and special needs newborns now."
Lily merely nodded, trusting Scorpius' judgement. Her fingers coiled tightly around the edge of the bed, her eyes looking down at her stomach. It seemed odd. There was no way she was more than two months along but her stomach seemed like it had the tiniest bulge to it. Perhaps it was because she was so small or maybe she was just seeing things, but she pressed her palm against the small pouch, sucking in a breath. It seemed unbelievable that she was already showing at only eight weeks. Maybe she needed to stop snacking so much.
After a soft knock, the Healer stepped into the room. She was perhaps her parents' age with long, dark hair. She looked rather serious, as she nodded to Scorpius before turning to Lily and Rayko.
"Hello, I'm Healer Patil," she greeted. "I have an inkling that you are not Alba Ko."
"No, my name is Lily Potter," Lily said. "I just didn't want the press or anyone finding out I was here."
"I see," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you know who I am?"
"Uh… Healer Patil?" Lily questioned, her eyes darting over to look at Scorpius to see him looking as clueless as she was.
"I went to school with your parents," she explained. "When you were born, your dad didn't want you confined to a hospital room where he couldn't go home to your brothers at night or see your mother since he refused to leave you alone in a neonatal ward. He hired me to be a nurse for you. I took care of you for the first several weeks of your life."
Lily blinked. She knew she had been a premature baby and had arrived over a month early. She knew that her mother had been hospitalized and bedridden for a little bit after her birth and her father had refused to put her down for the first few weeks of her life. She never knew her dad hired a personal nurse for her.
"I… that's kind of neat," Lily admitted. "You took care of me and now you'll deliver my baby."
Healer Patil smiled. "Yes, it is. How did Harry and Ginny take the news?"
"Um… they were shocked but I think they're used to the idea now," Lily replied.
"I could only imagine how Harry took the news. I don't think he likes surprises."
"No, not really," Lily admitted.
Healer Patil looked at Lily's chart, a frown on her face. "Do you normally have high blood pressure?"
Lily blinked. "Um, I don't know? No one has ever said anything to me about it, but then again, I don't really see a Healer on a regular basis."
"Let's keep an eye on it, shall we? Why don't you lay down?" Healer Patil instructed. "I'm sure you're anxious to see the little babe. Can you lift your shirt? We'll do a scan and then we'll go over some things."
Lily eagerly lifted her shirt up below her breast. Rayko stood next to her head and she fumbled for his hand as Healer Patil placed a pale blue circle over her belly button. Scorpius stood near the foot of the bed and offered her a reassuring smile. When Healer Patil pressed her wand to the little button, pale blue and silver swirls appeared above her belly. Lily blinked, her heart clinching at the little odd-shaped bean in the picture. She squinted at the little blob of silver as she tried to figure out what she was actually looking at since there appeared to be two silver beans and she couldn't determine which one was her baby.
Scorpius gasped, a small huff of air escaping his lips. Lily tore her eyes away from the image hovering above her belly to look at her friend. There was a large smirk on his face, his eyes filled with tears. Lily snapped her attention back to the image, upset that she couldn't tell what the head was from the limbs or anything. It was just weird little lumpy seeds. Lily pushed up her glasses with her free hand and squinted. Why the fuck wasn't it clearer?
"So, Lily, the blue area is your amniotic fluid."
"So the silver lump thing is the baby? Which lump is it?"
Lily wrinkled her nose, squinting even more at the image. Part of her was disappointed. She was only two months and knew she wouldn't see anything substantial, but she couldn't help the tinge of disappointment that clung at her heart. She wanted to see a head shape and little limbs sprouting. All she got was a little tadpole type thing.
"This is a baby," Healer Patil said as she traced an outline of one of the lumps. She then traced the other lump and said, "This is another baby."
Lily squinted. "What?"
"It's twins!" Scorpius squeaked. "There are two babies in there, Lily!"
"Fuck…" Rayko whispered, his hand squeezing her fingers.
Lily could hear herself breathing. "Are you sure it's not… like my baby and my placenta? Or something?"
"I'm positive," Healer Patil said. "Let me prove it to you."
She pressed the tip of her wand to Lily's belly, right next to the little circle. Whooshing sounds echoed throughout the room… two very distinct whooshing sounds. Lily felt tears tickle her eyes. For the first time since she saw the word pregnant on the Muggle test, she felt connected to the baby… no, babies. With the hand that wasn't holding onto Rayko, she dabbed the tears off her face.
"We tell nobody," Lily said. "Only the four of us know it's twins."
"Why?" Rayko asked.
She looked up at him, a smile on her face. "Because I want to surprise the shit out of our families. It would be so much fun."
Rayko chuckled. "That's one hell of a surprise."
Lily just gave him a watery smile. "It'll be worth it."
Turning her attention back to the silvery and blue image above her belly, Lily could now clearly see two little babies and not two little lumps. A choked sob of happiness bubbled up her throat. She was pregnant. Actually pregnant. It was real and tangible and all of the anxiety she had been harboring about the situation seemed to cease. These were her babies. Hers. She was a mother.
And nothing had ever felt more right in her entire life.
James tapped his quill on his desk, his eyes staring at Gastrell talking in low tones with Montgomery Reed. He squinted behind his glasses and tried to read their lips, but he was rubbish at it. Something fishy was going on, but James couldn't pinpoint exactly what. His dad had told him not to trust anyone except for him and Uncle Ron – not even his partner Hunter Lowe could be considered trustworthy until they figured out what exactly happened with Albus and the Department of Mysteries.
"Jamie."
James whipped around to see his dad standing behind him, a grim look on his face and his hands shoved into his trouser pockets. He was only in his suit, his work robes nowhere in sight. He gestured with his head to follow him. James slowly stood up, shrugging off his own work robes and tossing them on the back of his chair before he followed his father out slowly of the Auror Department.
Mind reeling, James tried to figure out what had happened. Harry must have had a lead on Albus. It was the only explanation of why he was being so secretive and silent. James glanced down at his watch to see it was nearly four in the afternoon. It had been a dull and uninteresting day in the office, so hopefully everyone was watching the clock in order to go home and not noticing that the Head of the DMLE and his son were attempting to slip away unnoticed.
Harry glanced around them once they exited the back entrance of the Ministry of Magic next to a smelly dumpster in a back alley. Upon seeing no one, he gestured for James to follow him some more. Patience wasn't James' strong suit. He wanted to know what was happening and why Uncle Ron wasn't with them.
Wordlessly and without permission, Harry grabbed his wrist and they Disapparated on the spot. They appeared in a field. James could barely see a couple houses in the distance as they were spaced far apart. He had no idea where they even were. Nothing looked familiar.
"Albus was here," Harry said as they started to walk down the dirt road.
"How do you know?"
"Uncle Ron and I tracked him here," Harry replied as he looked around.
"Do I even want to know how?" James asked. "I feel like you and Uncle Ron have illegal ways you track people. Is that why you had such a good solve rate?"
Harry scowled at him. "When you've been on the job as long as Ron and I have, you pick up a thing or two."
"Like trackers in watches?" James challenged. "You still haven't taken mine out yet. Riley couldn't even figure out how you did it!"
"You're keeping that tracker until we figure out what happened with Albus," Harry declared, leaving no room for discussion.
James thought about protesting but bit his tongue. Once his dad made up his mind about something, there was no changing it. If his dad really wasn't just spying on them all the time, maybe it was best that they kept the trackers on. Being an Auror, it could come in handy he supposed.
"Where's Uncle Ron?" James decided to ask instead. "Why isn't he with us?"
"It would look too suspicious if all three of us left. You and I leaving together was less suspicious than Ron and I leaving together as we've been making quite the stir with Reed lately."
James frowned. "Wait, am I your second choice? You'd rather be here with Uncle Ron, wouldn't you?"
Harry sucked in a breath. "Look, Ron and I just work well together."
"We could work well together! I'm your son!" James protested. "I'm literally made up of half of you!"
"I don't mean anything bad by it, Jamie," Harry replied with a sigh. "Would you just calm down?"
"It's because I'm neurotic, isn't it?" James pushed. "You know, I wouldn't be so neurotic if my family didn't always tell me I was neurotic!"
"Your mother and I have never said that to you," Harry snapped.
"No! Not you! But others! Rose! Uncle Percy! Fucking Victoire!" James continued. "You know, I'm still not over Olivia Hanson breaking up with me because I was odd and neurotic. Do you know the kind of damage it does to a person to literally have your first real girlfriend say you're too odd to date? I mean, I lost my virginity to that girl!"
Harry paused in his stride to look over at his son. "I don't need to hear about you losing your virginity. You should be happy you're not with a cheater like Olivia Hanson. Her cheating on you and breaking up with you was probably the best thing to happen to you because you started dating Riley and now you have Henry. Let me tell you, I like Riley a lot more than I ever liked Olivia."
"That's not the point I'm making, Dad! Of course, I'm happy I ended up with Riley because she's a trillion and a half times better than Olivia ever was, but people always telling me how odd I am is upsetting. Lily is always asking if I'm high on potions or Albus saying I'm dramatic doesn't really help one's ego."
"Jamie, you can't change who you are. You're an incredibly kind and smart man who happens to be overdramatic at times," Harry reasoned. "That's okay. That's what makes you you. I never knew that stuff bothered you. You always seem so… confidant."
"Look, all I'm saying is – Albus!"
"Albus what? You know how he is," Harry said with a sigh.
"No, fucking Albus is walking towards us across the way," James stressed as he pointed to the tall figure with a man bun and a beard gracing his cheeks. He was ninety-nine percent sure that was his wayward brother. "Is he stress-growing is hair? Look at it. It's going to be down to his arse soon if he doesn't bloody stop."
Harry sprinted away, closing the space between them and Albus. James jogged to keep up, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't believe that his dad and Uncle Ron had successfully tracked down Albus before the Auror Department did. James really needed to be let in on their secrets. His solve rate would jump through the roof if they didn't keep their methods so tight-lipped and under wraps.
"Albus!" Harry shouted.
Albus looked up, his eyes growing wide when he noticed his dad and brother rushing towards him. Harry engulfed Albus into a hug, pressing his youngest son close to his chest. Albus looked too shocked to do anything other than return the hug, tears springing to his eyes. When Albus' shoulders shook and a strangled sob escaped his lips, James felt a lump lodge itself into his throat.
"H-How did you find me?" Albus whispered.
"That doesn't matter," Harry said in a rush, pulling away from Albus. "Look, we only have moments together before we're found out. What happened, Albus?"
Albus paled. "What? Like the Hit Wizards are coming?"
"Of course, they're bloody well coming," Harry snapped. "They've been following us ever since you disappeared. That doesn't matter, you need to tell me what happened quickly so I can help you. You running was the bloody stupidest thing you could have done! It makes you look incredibly guilty!"
Albus shook his head. "It's bigger than I thought!"
"What is?" Harry urged, his voice pained and strained.
"I can't, Dad, they'll bury you. You're the Head of the DMLE. They'll make sure you look implicated," Albus replied in a rush. "You have no idea what they're plotting."
"Then tell me, Al, you have to tell me!"
Pops rang in the distance.
James whipped around, his eyes searching around the open fields for Hit Wizards. They were already found out. James drew his wand on instinct as his eyes continued to scan for the first sign of movement.
"Follow the money," Albus whispered. "You need to figure it out on your own, find the evidence. I've been trying for months to pin it on him, to find the evidence, but I can't. I don't know who the bloody buyer is."
"Buyer? What are you talking about, Albus?" Harry pressed.
"The buyer is behind everything, the start of it. Draco has the files. Please, Dad, find the evidence!"
"Dad," James whispered as he spotted movement. "We've been followed."
"I can't run anymore," Albus choked. "I can't do this anymore. Arrest me so you're not implicated."
"Albus…"
Albus let out a dry sob. "Please, I don't want you and Jamie to… please, Dad, slap the cuffs on me quick before they get here."
James turned to look at his kid brother. Their dad held Albus' shoulders tightly, steadying him. Tears clung to Albus' dark lashes, his face pale and body trembling. His normally stoic brother who was quick to snap and grumpy all the time looked so much younger than twenty. No, twenty-one. It was then that James realized it was his brother's birthday. His brother was going to be arrested on his own birthday. James' throat narrowed as he stared at his brother.
"Drop the wand!" a familiar male voice shouted.
James looked down at his hand, the wand clenched in his fist. He blinked, his own tears prickling his eyes. In a flash, his wand slipped from his grasp and soared through the air. James looked up at see his coworkers surrounding them with their wands out. His lips twitched when he saw Gastrell smirking at him.
Remy Ellis shot him an apologetic look as he grabbed Albus' wrists and pulled them behind his back. James cringed as he watched the cuffs snap onto his brother's wrists. Then, James felt his own arm being pulled behind him and the cuff slapped on his wrist as his other arm was twisted behind him. Reed grabbed Harry by the bicep, whirling him around.
"Can I just say, Potter," Gastrell said in James' ear as he tightened the cuffs on James' wrists tighter than he should have, "that I signed up to be one of the Auror liaisons for the Hit Wizards because I wanted to be there when they arrested your brother? Your entire family is nothing but pricks. I mean, you're a git and a half along with your brothers, cousins, uncles, and even your bloody dad. Nobody's been very welcoming since I started dating Rosie. I just wanted to see your face when your brother was arrested and arresting you has just been a bonus. It feels so, so good. Thanks for the laugh, Potter."
James wired his mouth shut, not giving Gastrell or anyone else any satisfaction.
"They were arresting me!" Albus protested as he was being arrested. "They were reading me my rights! They were arresting me!"
James stood frozen, watching as his brother shouted at the Aurors. He chanced a glance over at his father to see Harry and Reed having a staring competition as Sutton grabbed Harry's wand from his pocket and then pulled his arms behind his back.
"Albus Potter, you're under arrest for the explosions at the Ministry of Magic that killed six people," Ellis said before reading Albus his rights.
James couldn't look away. It was like watching brooms crash in the sky during a high stakes Quidditch match. Albus, his moody albeit incredibly kind brother, was being arrested for treason, terrorism, and murder. He couldn't reconcile the charges against Albus to the man he knew his entire life. Albus was a lot of things, but he wasn't a killer.
The press had crucified him - committing libel and painting him as the black sheep of the Potter family. He was an abomination, an aberration, an anomaly. His parents were painted as victims, hoodwinked and bamboozled by their Slytherin son. If Albus read any of the papers as of late, James knew he would believe every word of it. He often felt like he didn't belong in the Potter family no matter how many times they tried to beat it into his thick skull that he was loved and wanted.
Albus raised his head, green eyes meeting brown. James tried to convey that he believed that Albus was innocent, tried to mentally channel his support. Albus shook his head, tear tracks down his cheeks.
"James Potter, you're under arrest for aiding and abetting a person of interest," Gastrell said in a light tone.
James' heart thumped in his chest, his eyes snapping back to his father. He couldn't believe he and his father were being arrested as well. What would this do to their mum, Lily, and Teddy? They'd lose their jobs. They'd lose the ability to help Albus. James felt like he couldn't breathe, his chest heaving as he stared at his father and willed the older man to give him some reassurance that everything would be all right.
"I tried to warn you, Harry," Reed whispered. "You just had to get involved, didn't you?"
"Fuck you, Reed," Harry spat, a sneer working itself onto his features. "Let's see you make these fucking bullshit charges stick. You're going to paint me as some villain in the papers too? I know what you did."
"What is it that you think I did, Harry?" Reed asked in a casual voice, his arms crossing over his chest. "Please, tell me what I did."
"I know you're covering up who really was behind the explosions," Harry challenged. "I know it has something to do with the Inferi case that you're so keen to downplay and sweep under the rug. Curious how ever since the explosion, there's been zero whispers of Inferi. Curious how fucking Inferi rained from the ceiling during the explosion. You may think I'm dumb and clueless, but you're wrong, Reed. I know more than you think I know."
James held his breath while his father spoke with such malice in his voice. In his twenty-three years, James had never heard his father speak to anyone the way he spoke to Reed. Sheer hatred shone in his father's eyes. Sutton clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder and gently tugged him away from Reed.
"Prove it, Potter," Reed challenged. "You're pulling shit out of your arse right now."
"Am I?" Harry laughed coldly. "Let's wait and find out then!"
Gastrell pushed James forward, forcing him to walk. Then, Harry met James' eye. His father shook his head, his eyes flashing angrily. James knew exactly what his father was trying to convey. Stay quiet. Don't talk. They have nothing. James merely nodded before his father turned around to look at Albus. James twisted to see if Albus understood as well. He just barely saw his brother nodding in understanding before they disappeared from the field. The cuffs dug into his wrists and James wondered how the hell he and his father were going to get out of this to help Albus and how exactly Draco Malfoy was involved.
I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! We are really getting into the thick of the plot right now, and I hope you are ready for a wild ride! Don't forget to spare a minute and leave a review. A lot of time and hard work goes into each and every single chapter. The most you can do is send a little appreciation and encouragement my way. Your reviews keep me writing, keep me motivated, and keep me wanting to churn out content.
Special thanks to Bell for editing. Special thanks to Brie for always being there to help me out with this story.