"Wow. I'd ask if you had a rough night, except I know where you spent it."
Megan rubbed at her bloodshot eyes, head throbbing in agony. "Laugh it up, Potter."
A clatter sounded from the stairs, and Teddy's cry of "MAY-GUN!" was like a spike driven into her skull.
Harry, bless his heart, intercepted his godson mid-charge, scooping him up and heading for the kitchen to finish breakfast. Over his shoulder he said, "We're almost done in here, and then Teddy's going to help me clean up before I head out. Kreacher might be able to help you get settled, if you need any assistance."
What a man, she thought to herself with a grimace. Putting away her coat and scarf and hanging her purse on the back of a dining room chair, Megan snuck upstairs to the guest room with the attached bathroom she'd used a few days before. "Kreacher?"
He appeared with a pop. "Yes, mistress?"
"Are there any hangover draughts here?"
"Right away." He vanished and just as quickly reappeared, an unstoppered vial in hand.
"Thanks, you're the best." Though it was her first time taking one of these, Megan knew what to expect. She took a deep breath and pinched her nose with one hand, raising the potion with the other. 'Right, down the hatch!'
'Curative' potions weren't consequence-free. Fixing a health problem almost always comes alongside trade-offs, often significant ones. The use of blood-replenishers, for example, if not measured in precise doses, thickened blood and added risks of heart attacks or strokes. Skele-Gro, as Harry aptly displayed the week before, promoted bone-growth but needed careful monitoring and stabilisation to ensure re-growth happened in an appropriate manner.
It was why, despite a fair portion of the population having the knowledge to brew medical potions at home, St. Mungo's was never empty. Without a trained healer to adjust and prescribe correct doses, the 'cure' was often as bad - or worse - than the ailment.
Thankfully, sobering solutions weren't quite so hazardous. Turbo-charging liver and kidney functions to 'burn through' alcohol at a highly accelerated rate would send you to bed much earlier than usual, but a standard market dose was fine for average-sized wizards and witches. So long as you were close to a toilet when you took it, that is.
Feeling much better, she returned to the first floor just in time to watch Teddy wave goodbye to Harry. "What would you like to do today?"
"Park!"
"Okay! Let me get settled and clean up breakfast, then we can get you dressed for the cold. Sound like a plan?" One that would give her a chance to Floo Brynne and hopefully spend some time with her again. Megan desperately missed seeing her daily since she'd lost her job with the Harpies.
Thankfully, she agreed, and it wasn't more than an hour before the two of them were seated on the same bench in Laudffen, watching Teddy run and play with other children. Bundled up in layers, they looked more like two-legged balls of frenetic energy bouncing around the playground.
"How're the grandkids?"
"Growing like weeds, the lot of them. Did you know little Gracie just turned eleven? She'll be starting Hogwarts next year."
"That's hard to believe." She vaguely remembered a little girl with straight brown hair. "And… what about work? How's Annie and the rest?"
Brynne gave her a shrewd look. "Looking for some inside information to pass on to your boss?" Then, perhaps realising the likelihood of that possibility, laughed and responded anyway. "The girls are all pretty healthy, although Weasley's throwing arm is showing some wear and tear. She's had a big year, so that's to be expected on the tail end of the postseason. All in all, it's made for some smooth sailing for the training staff. Nice to get bonuses for doing less work!"
"Extra gold right before the holidays is always nice," Megan agreed noncommittally, eyes tracking Teddy on a metal rocking horse.
"It really is. Especially the bump everyone in the organisation gets for this postseason run. And with my trip down under being delayed-" Brynne paused, waiting for Megan to refocus on their conversation. "-I was thinking how I might be able to put it to good use."
"Oh?"
"Yes, for example, helping a close friend realise her dream of becoming a healer."
"You don't mean…"
Brynne reached out and squeezed her forearm, a gentle smile on her face. "I do. I'm more than happy to help you out, in any way you need."
"I- I can't, it's too much to ask-"
"You didn't ask, though, I offered. And if it's the amount you're uncomfortable with, then if you prefer we can call it a long-term, interest-free loan. Just take it, Megan. Don't delay any longer."
Megan hesitated, caught flat-footed by the sudden offer. Brynne's urging brought to mind Andromeda's words, the last time they spoke. 'Grab onto life with both hands and don't let go.'
"I- you don't know how grateful I am for your offer, really. But I've got a job, I can't just walk out on them like that."
"Of course, and the holidays are barely a month away. I'm not suggesting you quit right now, just give Potter notice that he'll need to make other arrangements come January."
January was less than five weeks away. "I'm not sure St. Mungo's would even agree to let me start so late…"
"They wanted you to start last month, didn't they? Everyone knows you'll make a great healer!"
Madam Fulbright had offered her an immediate placement if she could pay her own way, Megan recalled. And she knew Brynne only wanted the best for her, and was genuine in her offer of support. But…
Logically, there was no reason not to accept. The championship was a week away, and afterward Harry would have plenty of time to find another nanny.
Her eyes sought out Teddy, seeing his chubby cheeks red from the cold and exertion. His sleepy 'I love you, May-Gun' echoed through her mind, and her heart clenched in a vise grip at the thought of leaving him so suddenly. It wouldn't be fair, not after he'd lost Andromeda so recently, and even though Harry was slowly but surely stepping up as a parent, Megan couldn't- she didn't want-
"I can't," she said softly. "You don't know how much your generosity means to me, but I can wait until August to start with the next group of apprentices. He needs me."
"You're not that little boy's mother, sweetheart. Do you really think it will be easier to leave him after you've spent a year caring for him? He's young, this will hurt you more than it does him." 'She's right' the rational part of her mind whispered, but Brynne had no trouble reading the lingering resistance. "Unless- which 'he' are you referring to? Teddy, or his father?"
"I- I don't know what you mean," Megan said, but her cool dismissal couldn't mask her suddenly blazing cheeks.
"Oh gods above, don't tell me- you've fallen for Potter, haven't you? Meggie…"
The knowing disappointment in Brynne's tone raised her hackles. "I feel nothing of the sort, I assure you."
It was like Brynne could see into her mind, like she knew what Megan planned for that very night. "I told you to be careful, didn't I? It's one thing to have a spot of fun, and quite another to be putting off your own plans and ambitions for his sake. You know better."
"It's just for fun," Megan said firmly. "I know what I'm doing."
Lips drawn in a firm line, Brynne gave her a light embrace. "I hope you do, sweetie. I dearly hope you do."
The rest of the day passed by in a blur. She couldn't stop thinking about what Brynne - and even Susan, the night before - said about her decisions regarding Harry. Everyone seemed sure this was a mistake to involve herself with him, and the forced acknowledgment of her- her impermanence in Teddy's life also weighed her down.
Harry was late at practice, again, missing Teddy's bedtime by nearly an hour. Megan was barely awake herself; the after-effects of the sobering solution were beginning to take their toll. She awoke when the fireplace flared, having nodded off on the sofa awaiting his return. Pushing herself up, she rose to greet him with a smile.
"There's a plate from dinner under a preservation charm," she said, even as her arms closed around his neck.
His kiss was scorching, their shared passion smoothing over the worries and doubts she'd harboured the whole afternoon. Megan wanted this, wanted him; she was a grown woman, for Merlin's sake!
Harry scooped her into his arms, kicking off his shoes and walking her up the stairs, pausing on each landing to lay another kiss on her lips. The others, they didn't understand. What she and Harry had was lust, not love. She wasn't aiming to be Mrs. Potter, she didn't want anything more than what he was obviously taking her upstairs to do.
This wasn't a mistake.
Tip-toeing past Teddy's room, Harry nudged his bedroom door open with his foot and set her down on the bed before crawling onto it himself. Crawling onto her. Her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, instinctively trying to pull him closer despite their bodies lying flush against one another. His kisses were heated, demanding; Megan wholly matched his intensity.
Harry abruptly raised his arm and grabbed his shirt collar with one hand to yank it off, but paused. He gave himself an exaggerated sniff and winced. "I should've showered before I left the stadium."
She slid her hand under his shirt, feeling the stickiness of dried perspiration on his skin. "Why didn't you?"
The look he gave her said 'what do you think?', but aloud he admitted, "I was afraid you'd be asleep if I took too long."
He didn't smell bad to her. Muskier, maybe, but still appealing. Raising herself on her elbows, legs still firmly locked around his torso, Megan's tongue darted out, tentatively tasting the hollow in his throat. "I, um, I don't mind."
Harry groaned, tossing his shirt before letting his weight rest on her once more. This was really happening, she thought, excitement replacing her earlier exhaustion. She unbuckled his belt, and with her own long skirt bunched around her waist, soon only the flimsy barrier of their underwear separated them. His tight, grey boxer-briefs, and her…
Her plain, white, cotton knickers.
"Wait," she pushed at him, turning her head to break their kiss. Harry, however, was content to keep kissing along her face, lips sucking at a sensitive spot under her ear. "You should go shower after all."
"What?" He met her eyes, expression full of need and surprise. "You said-"
"I've got a surprise. It'll be worth the wait, trust me. Hurry up, the sooner you finish, the sooner…" She swallowed, trying hard to sound seductive. "The sooner we can begin."
"I could just use a scouring charm," he offered, making no move to pull away.
"Harry…"
"Okay." They both groaned when he stood up, and Megan waited only long enough to admire his shirtless walk into the bathroom before she got out of bed and hurried downstairs. Retrieving her purse, she double-checked both her wand and the outfit Susan gave her were still inside before heading back upstairs.
Her legs felt like leaden weights as she ascended the staircase, and her knees trembled as she carefully balanced to slip her panties off before pulling up the bottoms to the black lingerie set. She'd only just crawled into bed, when the shower turned off.
How did she never notice how sinfully comfortable his bed was? It was like floating on a cloud! Megan let her head rest against his pillow for a moment, taking a deep breath to inhale his scent.
She'd just lie here for a moment, she had it all planned out in her head. Harry would step out of the bathroom, and she'd be on her side, resting on one forearm. Her elbow would push her breasts together to make for some truly impressive cleavage, and crossing her knees would show off her new knickers. He wouldn't know what hit him!
Just for a moment, she thought, faintly hearing the sound of a door opening before falling deeply asleep.
Megan woke up, feeling Harry's steady heartbeat against her ear. She was sprawled out, half on top of him, arm thrown over his chest and her face curled against his neck.
Despite being up for only a moment, it didn't take long to figure out what happened. Raising the blankets showed her still in her lingerie and Harry in nothing more than a pair pyjama pants. Somehow resisting the scream of frustration at - yet again - being foiled at giving in to her desires, Megan slowly allowed the blankets to fall over them.
Gently raising herself up, she gave into the temptation to simply observe Harry in such an unguarded state. Without his glasses, he looked older, more mature. Less boyish. A slight stubble shadowed his chin, and she remembered the scratchiness against her face when they kissed the night before.
Thinking about what nearly happened, the feel of his body on hers sent a pleasant rush through her, warmth settling behind her belly button. Gently sliding the blanket off their bodies, she carefully extricated herself from on top of him, once more staring pensively over his slumbering form.
This time, though, her observation didn't stop at his chin, her eyes brazenly roving over his body and settling between his legs. The pyjama pants were low-slung as it is, seated down on his hips. She could see the 'V' where his abdominal and oblique muscles met, a sparse line of hair trailing further down. His breathing changed then, an inhalation sharper than one before it. She went still, but he didn't move. A quick glance showed he was still asleep, and Megan reached out and tugged at his pants.
She should have expected he wouldn't sleep in those boxer-briefs, suppressing the brief surprise at his nudity. They'd been awfully tight, judging from the memory forever seared into her mind's eye. Surely it would have been uncomfortable to wear them all night, just as it was whenever she made the mistake of falling asleep in a brassiere.
Harry didn't look anything like the graphics and diagrams Madam Pomfrey showed her. Megan had no clue whether he was larger or smaller than average, but it looked plenty intimidating to her inexperienced eyes. Looking to his face one more time for assurance he was still asleep, she moved in for a closer examination, trailing her fingertips over his erection, curious at how it could feel so soft but clearly be so hard-
"Enjoying yourself?"
His tone was very obviously 'Gotcha!', and Megan felt exposed at being caught. Ironic, given what her hand was currently curled around. "Not as much as you seem to be," she answered tartly.
Harry blinked, struck speechless by her sass and Megan couldn't hold back a giggle. A moment later they were both laughing. "Now where was this eagerness last night? I pop into the lav for a jif, and you're drooling onto my pillow when I come out."
She groaned. "Tell me I wasn't drooling!" His lips twitched, and he gave a gallic shrug. "Harry!"
"Fine, you were conked out with an angelic smile. I confess to trying to wake you up several times. You in my bed with those knickers on, and me unable to so much as touch you? I'd have preferred a Cruciatus to my John Thomas. Less frustrating, I should think."
"Would it help- I mean, we could, ah, do something about that?" Who was this, making such suggestive remarks? Certainly not Megan Jones!
A single eyebrow cocked - she needed to work on her word choice, given she still hadn't let go of him! - and he looked regretful. "Judging by the sun shining in the window, I suspect we'll soon have company. I suppose you get one more day of being 'the one that got away'."
This easy camaraderie was disarming. Finally moving her hand off his bits, Megan curled up alongside him, feeling his heartbeat beneath her palm. For all that she should feel awkward, given the circumstances, she didn't. It was relaxing, comfortable; laughing and joking with Harry, practically naked in bed together wasn't at all something she'd imagined. It was the sort of thing a girl could get used to, waking up together and sharing quiet amusements-
"What's wrong?" he asked, as she physically recoiled, withdrawing from him like he was the prince that turned back into a toad.
This was dangerous, those fantasies were dangerous. Megan knew she desired him, wanted him, but she didn't want to be with him. Naughty moments in his parlour, seduction in lingerie, touching and kissing and even shagging was one thing. It was entirely something else to wake up in his arms, to share in fun and- and couple-y sorts of moments.
Susan's and Brynne's warnings didn't seem so outlandish, not right now. Not when she was waking up in his bed, the two of them waiting for a child to burst in and interrupt them, cuddling together like a- like-
"Listen, there's something we should talk about." He nodded, expressionless, for her to continue. "If you and I are going to do this, I need you to know it's just physical. A little fling, nothing more."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I'm not going to pretend there's not some… some crazy chemistry between us. I think," she said carefully, "that it's easy to mistake hormones for something else in the heat of the moment." Oh yes, she knew all about losing her head around him. "And I think it's important to set some boundaries before things, um, get messy."
"'Messy'? I'm not sure your old boyfriends have been doing it right," he joked, but there was no mirth in his voice. A long moment went by, the two of them feeling miles apart despite only being on opposite sides of the bed. "Is this because of St. Mungo's? Because you'll be leaving next summer?"
'No, it's because everything about you is exactly what I've spent my life trying to avoid. Because you're completely wrong for me in every way except the raw lust I feel around you' Megan thought, but aloud, she said, "Yea. No point in getting attached, you know."
"Right."
He seemed moody, and Megan couldn't understand why. She'd offered him a free shag, no-strings-attached! Wasn't it what every man dreamed of? "What's the matter? Don't tell me no one's ever propositioned you before!"
"It's not that," he said, offering her a smile that was at least fifty-percent grimace. "I just never thought it'd come from you."
His words were delivered casually, but struck her like a slap across the face. 'Real nice, Meg' she thought sullenly. Before she could respond, though, excited knocking sounded at the door, followed by Teddy's "Wake up, Daddy!"
While Harry pulled his pants back up, grabbing a shirt and making for the door, Megan slipped into the en suite bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, she tried in vain to understand how it was possible for a virgin to feel like such a slag.
"Can you try to change it back?"
"I donno." Teddy scrunched up his face to no visible effect. "How do I do that?"
"I'm not sure, sweetheart." It felt like a two-ton weight sat on her chest, but Megan was proud to show no obvious reaction to this unexpected development. "Maybe we can find a way at the bookstore?"
The nearly four-year old pondered this, looking adorably deep in thought. "Can I have ice cream?"
Megan ran a hand through his hair, fingers brushing away the blonde locks that fell over his eyebrows. He'd come downstairs from his nap this way, matching her own blonde hair and blue eyes, much to her complete surprise. With Harry's features and her colouring, Teddy looked exactly how a child of their own might- Megan thoroughly quashed that thought. "Well, come on then, let's get you dressed for a trip to Diagon Alley."
"Okay," he agreed, still sleepy from his nap and not at all concerned about his changed appearance.
A few minutes later, she gripped his tiny hand tightly in her own as they navigated the busy environs of the Leaky Cauldron through to the Alley. It had been ages since Megan was last in Diagon, likely since she'd run into Susan and Wayne before the Longbottoms' wedding.
Things seemed as busy as ever as they stepped into Flourish and Blott's, standing in line for several minutes to speak with a clerk manning the references desk.
"Next," he called out in a bored voice. "What are you looking for?"
"I want some materials on meta- meta-morph-mag-us," Megan said, stretching the unfamiliar word out to not sound so clumsy.
"Metamorphmagi? Fiction or non?"
"Nonfiction." Teddy pulled on her hand, tugging away from the desk. "It'll be just a moment and we can look around, I promise."
The clerk unrolled a scroll, reading for a few seconds before pointing behind them. "Aisle six, the section on section on hereditary magics. You may want to look for-"
He pulled harder. "My knee?"
"-interesting material, he travelled around the world documenting various magical abilities and-"
At that moment, Teddy broke free, darting in between two passing customers and disappearing in the rows of shelving.
"Teddy!" Megan hurried after him, waylaid after nearly barrelling over an old woman with an armful of books. "I'm sorry!" she called out, scanning for Teddy as she glanced up and down the aisles.
There! She found him in the arms of a young woman, long chestnut curls falling past her shoulders.
Hermione Granger, of course.
"Teddy! You can't run off like that!"
"My-Knee's here," he said matter-of-factly, no further explanation required.
"You're his… nanny?" another woman asked, someone Megan belatedly realised must be here with Hermione. She was older, a bit heavy-set with greying light-red hair. "Harry mentioned he'd found someone to help after… well, you know."
After Andromeda's death. "Yes, that's me. I'm Megan Jones."
"Molly Weasley." Megan stiffened, cursing herself for not jumping to the obvious conclusion about a red-haired woman who knew Harry. Granger and her son were still an item, obviously.
"I like your hair, Teddy!" Hermione shifted the toddler so she could hold out her own hand. "Hermione Granger. You were our year in Hufflepuff, weren't you?"
"That's right." Megan wasn't sure what else to say, and her fingers twitched with the impulse to yank Teddy out of her arms and make a quick escape.
Molly regarded the boy with a very interested expression, looking between him and Megan. "I've never seen you as a blonde."
"Like May-Gun!"
"That's right," Hermione told him, "You're a positively dashing young man!"
The exuberant laughter Teddy responded with showed his level of familiarity with them. "We were looking for a book about his powers."
"You won't find much. After I met Tonks, I read as much as there was in the Hogwarts library on the topic. Anything you find here will just be a description of what it is, rather than how it's used."
"Oh." Megan shouldn't be surprised Hermione knew everything there was to know about an obscure topic. She always had the reputation of being brilliant. "Well, I suppose we'd best be off, sorry for-"
"We're getting ice cream!" Teddy told them. "Wanna come?"
"We'd love to!"
And just like that, Megan found herself seated across from Harry's best friend and his ex's mother, escaping the cold outside for Florean's warm atmosphere. While Hermione busied herself talking to Teddy, she was left to entertain Molly.
"I don't know why he didn't ask me to help. I already take care of my granddaughter during the week while my son and his wife work. I'd have been happy to take care of Teddy."
Megan wet a napkin and wiped away some of the chocolate smeared on his face. "I'd spent some time with him, and we get along well. It's worked out great."
"It's obvious he's quite taken with you. I've never seen him morph to anyone but Harry or Andromeda."
"Really?"
"Metamorphmagi gain greater control over their powers as their magic develops. It'll likely be a few years before he can do more than mimic the people he lives with," Hermione jumped in with a helpful tidbit.
If that news came away from present company, her eyes might have teared up with that joyful implication of how much she meant to Teddy. Instead, Megan's face burned, imagining a different sort of inference the other two women were drawing.
'May-Gun came out of Daddy's room this morning!' The possibility was horrifying.
"So you went into childcare after you finished Hogwarts? A woman after my own heart, not that I had much choice in the matter!" Molly laughed. "Seven children, you see. I'd have given my right arm for some help taking care of them!"
There was nothing false about her warmth, and Megan did her best to cast aside her scandal-ridden imaginings. "Ah, no. It's a recent thing. I'm actually going to be starting an apprenticeship with St. Mungo's in August."
"Healing! How wonderful!"
"I'm really looking forward to it."
"What were you doing before, though?" Hermione asked, sliding her scoop of plain vanilla across the table for Teddy to 'sample'.
"Only one bite for a taste, it'll spoil your dinner," Megan told him. "I moved to Wales after school and worked there for a few years. It's where my family's from."
"Oh? From what part?" That came from Molly, bless her heart, offering an evasion.
"Laudffen, outside Swansea."
"We're not far away! We live in Ottery St. Catchpole, in Devon."
"Devon's lovely-" Megan started, but Hermione interrupted.
"But what sort of work did you do?"
"I was in sports medicine. A trainer."
"Quidditch?" She had their attention now. "For a League team?"
"...Yes."
"Is that how you met Harry?"
'SHUT UP, GRANGER!' Megan wanted to scream, but instead she pushed the vanilla back towards Hermione and shook her head in a prim manner. "No, I met them at St. Mungo's. With Andromeda. When-" she glanced at Teddy to gauge his attention in their conversation. He appeared to be considering a covert grab of the ice cream she'd just taken away, so Megan felt comfortable enough to go on. "When Andi passed, I offered to help out."
"That's quite generous of you. Not a lot of people would walk away from a League job to change nappies." Both Megan and Molly reared back at the way she said that, and even Hermione looked somewhat embarrassed. "Sorry, that isn't what I meant-"
"I'd say Teddy's very lucky to have you, then. Harry's so young, and his career's very demanding." Molly reached over and patted Hermione's hand. "We should get going. Teddy, I hope you'll come visit us soon!"
"Okay!" He clambered down from his booster seat and gave each of them a hug.
"You're more than welcome as well, dear. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice to meet you also, Mrs. Weasley." Megan gathered her purse, taking hold of Teddy's hand as he returned to her side.
Hermione lingered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come off so- it's just, things are difficult, with Harry and Ginny being on the outs right now. You were with Holyhead, weren't you?"
'She knew.' And why wouldn't she? Hermione was one of Harry's best friends, and dating Ginny's brother. "I was."
Hermione gave her a long, calculating look. "I'll see you at the game, then, I'm sure. Ron and I will be watching in Harry's box. We can talk more then."
"Uh, sure."
"Nice meeting you, Jones. Hey little guy, one more hug?"
"G'bye, My-Knee!"
"Goodnight, sleep tight." Harry closed the door to his godson's room and met her waiting gaze. "Glass of wine?"
"Sure."
Harry grabbed a bottle and glasses and met her in the parlour. "What have you told your friends about me?"
"Nothing," he said, passing her glass over. "Just that you're Teddy's nanny. Why?"
Earlier, Teddy wasted no time in telling Harry all about their outing to Diagon Alley the moment he got home. "No reason." That meant it was Ginny who'd relayed the circumstances of Megan's termination at Holyhead.
Harry reached out as if to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and paused halfway before pulling his hand back. "Teddy surprised me. Suppose I got used to a mini-version of myself running around."
"Does it bother you?"
"No." A very obvious lie, judging from his odd expression. "He really loves you, doesn't he?"
Was he jealous over his godson's affection? That hardly seemed fair, given the way he'd acted when she first met him. "He spends almost all his waking hours with me. You're at practice all day and into the night."
"I know. I've got the weekend off, and this week will be better. No more double practices. A few hours here and there watching penseive memories of game footage, then I'll be home the rest of the time til the game."
"That's good, Teddy will be happy to have you around more." Were they fighting? Is that what this weird tension was? "Hermione said she'd see me at the game - did you want me to bring Teddy?"
"I'd like it if you did. A few other friends are attending, it'll be fun." A small grin appeared on his lips, but didn't reach his eyes. "Even for someone who hates quidditch."
Megan doubted that would be the case, but she wouldn't deny Teddy the opportunity to see his dad compete for the championship. "Okay."
He was staring into the fire, lost in his thoughts, his own wine untouched on the coffee table. Megan scooted a little closer on the sofa, enough that their shoulders grazed one another's, but he didn't react.
Had he changed his mind about- about them? Was it because of Teddy?
Or was it what she'd said that morning?
"You should probably head home."
Well, fuck. "Now?"
"It's been a long week," he said, still not looking at her. "Those doubles just about killed me."
"Right. Okay." Megan gathered her coat, looping her scarf around her neck, grabbing her purse before returning to the parlour. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
She'd turned to head for the fire, but paused halfway at his next words. "I've been asking a lot of you this week. You can take the day tomorrow, I'm sure Teddy's missed spending time with me."
"Oh. Sure, he'll love that." She waited, but he didn't say anything else. "Well, goodnight then."
She threw a pinch of powder and stepped into the green flames, throwing a harried wave to Garth as she hurried outside. It was terribly cold, the wind cutting through her coat as though it were made of parchment.
Megan crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly as she trod the path to her flat. It wasn't fair. She could hardly control what Teddy did, could she? And if it was about that morning, didn't she have the right to get a say in how her and Harry's relationship- how their non-relationship was going to work?
For some reason, her attempts at righteous indignation all failed. Megan couldn't summon the requisite feeling to be angry, or indignant; instead, all she felt was alone. Arriving home, she threw off her coat, changed into sleepwear, and crawled into her bed.
Sleep didn't come easily. Her sheets were cold, pillow lumpy, and her mattress felt too hard. It wasn't until the third time that she rolled over, though, her arm instinctively reaching out to lie flat on the mattress that she silently admitted the truth behind her insomnia.
She missed Harry being next to her.
A/N: First things first - sorry for the delay. I picked up a second job, so I'm working 7 days/week now. Doing anything other than walking my dog and falling asleep is tough most days. Sad, but true. IDK how long it'll take to write more in the future.
Second - because I do manual labor, I have a lot of time to think up new ideas (even if I don't have the time to write them). I've been tossing around a 'dimension-traveler!Harry' story. Offered my discord server the chance to pick the pairing, and because they're a contrary bunch, it was a tie between Susan and Fleur. I put up a poll on my profile page (very top, have to click 'vote' or something for it to appear), so you all get to be the tie-breakers.
Lastly - dodged the lemon for one more chapter, ha!
Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles