Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
...
Chapter Thirty-Eight
...
Tuesday, 6 August
Lettie opened her eyes, expecting pain to follow, expecting her rescue to be nothing but a dream, to be bound and still captured in Voldemort's camp. Instead, she was surrounded by white, ice and snow created walls around her, and she knew it wasn't a dream. Lettie knew it had all been real, some part of her just couldn't believe it, especially when she remembered the eyeball-carrying fairies and riding with a pack of werewolves to escape Death Eaters.
She looked down at her body hesitantly. Her wrists were almost completely healed now, no longer bound with rope, and she could see that a few of the nastier hexes and wounds were still a healing pink colour, but others had already faded to white. Even better, she was completely free of blood and multi-coloured bruises. Lettie almost didn't recognise her own body. Then she remembered the baby, her arm wrapping around her stomach protectively and wondering if it had survived, if she was still pregnant, if she even had been in the first place, despite her own certainty and Virginia's threat. Maybe the Cruciatus Curse had finally driven her insane, and she had imagined it all?
"Lettie? Can I come in?" Theo asked at the door; she hadn't even heard him knock or the door open a few seconds later, so engrossed in her thoughts as she was.
Lettie nodded, her body easing slightly as some of her tension and worries faded; her rescue hadn't been a dream, that much was real, at the very least.
"I'm going to check your vitals, see how your bones have regrown, and then I'll answer any questions you may have, is that all right?" Theo asked gently.
Not trusting herself to just blurt out her questions anyway, Lettie nodded again, and watched as Theo made his way over and pointed his wand at her. She flinched automatically, her heart speeding up, and even though she knew he was her friend and just trying to heal her, after her ordeal, Lettie had an ingrain fear that pain would follow soon enough. Theo lowered his wand out of sight quickly, not even performing the spell, and stepped back.
"I'm sorry, Lettie, but this is the only way I know to check your vitals."
"I know, Theo," she replied, her voice and body trembling.
"Will it help if you don't see the wand?" he suggested.
Lettie honestly didn't know the answer to that, and said as much.
"Why don't we give it a try, and we'll see how it goes, okay? I promise it won't hurt you," Theo added.
Lettie nodded, took a deep breath to try to ease her nerves and trembling, and made herself close her eyes. She still knew that the wand was in the room, something so similar that had caused her so much pain, and her shoulders ached with how tense she felt and how hard she squeezed her hands to try to stop the shaking.
"There, all done. You're healing well and your bones have regrown and set properly, and your baby is doing fine. Probably a little hungry, all things considered..."
"It's alive?" Lettie blurted out, eyes wide open now.
"Yes, it is. I'm not quite sure how considering the extent of your injuries, but it's definitely alive and well," Theodore assured her with a smile, his wand tucked away in his side holster. "Do you have any questions? I'm happy to answer anything you want."
"Where's Miles? And my Lady and Lord? Did you tell everyone about the baby?"
"Miles is still recovering in Hogwarts; his mind splintered and broke when he came close to finding you, and he hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm expecting him to wake up within the week," Theo added, trying to break the news to Lettie gently, seeing that she was pale and trembling again. "Ginevra and Draco are waiting outside the door, most likely with everyone else crowding them; they're all eager to hear how you are. And yes, I told them about your baby, as you asked. I'm fairly sure they've been arguing over baby names instead of training like they were supposed to yesterday," Theo said with a slight grin.
"What day is it?" Lettie asked, her hands clutching the sheet beneath her.
"August 6th, it's a Tuesday," Theo replied.
Lettie frowned slightly. "It's my Lady's birthday soon," she murmured, almost to herself.
Theo was glad that she remembered Ginevra's birthday - it was a good sign, considering everything that she'd gone through - but before he could respond, , there was an impatient knocking at the door. Theo glared over at the frosted door, a small clear panel appearing to show Padma's face practically pressed against it.
"I said for you to wait; Lettie may not want visitors yet!" Theo snapped as he stalked over to the door, pressing his hand against the clear panel to make it frosted again.
"It's all right, you can let them in," Lettie said behind him, her voice quiet.
Theo sighed, wishing he had more time to determine Lettie's mental wellbeing, but nodded and opened the door. Padma practically fell through the doorway, and Theo stepped aside, feeling a little better as he watched her stumble. The others followed her in, everyone crowding around Lettie's bed immediately.
"Glad you're back, Lett," Padma said, smiling.
Lettie nodded and tried to smile back at her, a little nervous and overwhelmed with everyone surrounding her now, licking her lips quickly.
"Silver's an interesting colour choice," Padma added with a slight grin.
"V-v-v... You-Know-Who healed my tongue; I didn't want him to, but I didn't tell him anything, I swear! I swear I didn't," Lettie said urgently, looking to Ginevra.
"I know you didn't, Lettie. You-Know-Who has no idea where we are, and we're still safe, thanks to you," Ginevra promised, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Lettie looked relieved at Ginevra's words, her fingers losing their grip in the bed sheet. "I... I'm not sure I feel up to talking. Theo said you were discussing baby names?" she prompted, hoping that they would understand and let her rest some more.
"Arguing, actually," Theo muttered.
"Ignore him, Lettie. I was thinking Seraphina if it's a girl, and Jowan if it's a boy," Parvati said quickly before anyone else could provide their suggestions.
"Well, I think it should be Jowan for a girl and Seraphina for a boy," Fred called, grinning.
"Don't make me hex you!" Parvati called over her shoulder.
Fred moved George so that his twin was standing in front of him, and Parvati shook her head at them, rolling her eyes.
"Abha for a girl, and Arjun for a boy," Padma said.
"Kimbra or Bran," Millicent suggested.
"Luke or Leia," Colin called, laughing.
The others all continued to call out names, descending into laughter when they started to call out characters and famous people instead of actual suggestions.
"Celestina! No, no, Weird Sisters! What? It could become a thing."
Lettie noticed that Luna stayed silent, simply listening to the suggestions with a smile (or wince, if it was appropriate). Ginevra sat beside Lettie, stroking her hair gently and keeping her calm when voices were raised above a certain decibel or someone waved their arm around just a bit too emphatically to argue their name. Sitting on the other side of her bed, Theo just watched the madness and shook his head.
"What did I tell you, Lettie? Arguing."
She gave a brief smile and nodded, feeling tired though she had barely moved. Slowly, Lettie reluctantly let herself be lulled to sleep by her Lady's soothing motions through her hair.
"All right, that's quite enough. All of you out," Theo said when he realised that Lettie had fallen asleep on her own without needing a potion.
"Aw, but I wanted to know which name she'd choose," Fred whined.
"You can ask Lettie when she's awake," Theo said, shooing them out. "Would you like to stay?" he asked Ginevra and Draco, who both nodded.
"We'll make sure she's all right, Theo. You go get some sleep," Ginevra said, nodding for him to leave with the others.
Theo didn't like leaving patients alone, especially when they were his friends and he felt more protective over them than most, but logically, Theo also knew that he needed more rest. If he didn't sleep now, he'd be useless when Lettie woke up again.
"All right. But be careful, I'm not sure how Lettie's mental health is faring at the moment. She may lash out at you when she wakes up."
Ginevra and Draco both nodded their understanding, and with one final look at his friends, Theo left to get some much-needed sleep.
Draco took Ginevra's hand, squeezing gently. "Lettie's here and she'll be fine, Ginevra. Theo'll make sure of it."
"I know he will," she replied, voice quiet as she looked to her companion and friend. "I just hate to see her in pain like this."
"We all do. We'll be here to help and support Lettie, and that's all we can offer right now," Draco pointed out, moving closer to Ginevra to wrap an arm around her.
She sighed and gave a reluctant nod, then leaned on him as they slipped into silence while Lettie slept.
... b ...
In Hogwarts, Miles woke up groggily. His head felt as though it was filled with lead, and it was a Herculean effort just to open his eyes. By the time he did have them open, Madam Pomfrey was already standing over him, smiling gently.
"They've found her, Miles."
Miles blinked and frowned, wondering who she was talking about. Then he remembered, the memories crashing over him, and Miles immediately struggled to sit up and get out of the bed. Madam Pomfrey was stronger than she looked, or he was weaker than he felt, because she kept him lying flat without a problem.
"Let me go! Where's Lettie? Is she all right?"
"She's with Theodore and the others. He's looking after her, and I've been told to look after you. By more than one creature and being, I might add. So, gods help me, I am going to make sure that you are completely well before I let you go anywhere, and you will let me."
Miles felt heavy again, his body a leaden weight against the bed, but Madam Pomfrey's arm was heavier somehow. He struggled as much as his weak body would allow. Madam Pomfrey shook her head and clucked at him disapprovingly.
"You need to rest, Miles, or you'll never be strong enough to see Lettie. Damage to the mind affects more than you know," Madam Pomfrey pointed out, hoping to get him to see reason.
Miles' struggles slowed, his body already close to exhausted. He recognised the spell that Madam Pomfrey sent at him, and though it was a strong one, designed to make him sleep again, the touch of the spell itself was gentle. He stopped fighting, knowing that the witch didn't mean him any harm, and Miles' body went limp as he fell back to sleep once more.
... b ...
"The good news is that Miles is awake. The bad news is that I think you all traumatised poor Madam Pomfrey so much that she's refusing to let him leave until he's 110% better again," Theo said, turning away from the fireplace to look at the others.
"How long will that take?" Padma asked.
"She thinks a few days at the very least," he replied.
"I'm not sure that Miles will let her keep him there for much longer than that," Parvati said.
"I can understand why. Can we bring him here instead?" Fred asked Theodore.
"It's best to let him recuperate before trying to get him here before he's well again. If he Flooed or Apparated too soon, then he'd just get worse," Theo replied, shaking his head briefly.
"That's only sound advice if he's not already trying to crawl into the fireplace to Floo here," George pointed out.
"He's not doing that! Is he?" Pansy asked, frowning.
"Madam Pomfrey put him under a strong sleeping spell when she saw how weak he was; I doubt he's crawling anywhere right now," Theodore replied.
"Wake up, only to get put right back to sleep. That has to suck," Gregory muttered, Millicent nodding in agreement.
"If he sleeps, he'll recover faster. If he's up and moving, it will take longer for him to heal. I'd much prefer for him to be healed and with Lettie sooner rather than later, wouldn't you?" Theo said pointedly.
Gregory raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "I wasn't arguing with the logic, just saying it would suck, that's all."
"I'll tell Lettie he's awake," Padma said, leaving before the others could disagree.
Padma knocked on Lettie's door, entering a moment later, and frowning when she saw Lettie scrambling to hide something under the bed covers.
"What're you doing?"
Lettie sat up a bit straighter, looking over Padma's shoulder, and waving her inside quickly when she saw that she was alone. Padma hurried over, curious and surprised, and her head tilted to the side when Lettie revealed what she had hidden.
"Is that the Sword Master's catalogue?"
Lettie nodded firmly. "I want to find something for my Lady's birthday, and I know her training sword is either kept at Hogwarts with the others or at the mansion with Lady Agnes and Lord Xavier. I thought it would be a good idea," she added, flushing briefly when Padma was silent.
"It is a good idea. But those swords are much too tall. Ginevra might be a goddess or whatever, but I'm sure she still has the ability to fall flat on her face if she has a sword that's taller and far heavier than her," Padma pointed out with a grin.
"The sizes and weights aren't listed clearly," Lettie muttered sourly, glowering down at the page.
"Yeah, Sword Master's bad for that. Let me get Parv, she knows their catalogue better than I do," Padma said, giving Lettie's hand a brief squeeze before leaving to get her twin.
She returned a few minutes later, Parvati wondering what was so important that it couldn't be said in front of the others.
The expression on Parvati's face when she saw the catalogue almost made Lettie wince, and she was certain that Parvati had never looked quite that excited about anything back when she was still Lavender.
"That's last season's catalogue, Lett. The newer one is so much better: most of the swords have protection charms in the hilts now, and they even feature a golden sword," Parvati said excitedly, reaching into her robe to pull out a thick catalogue.
"You carry that thing around with you?" Padma asked, grinning.
"It makes for good protection against sharp things," Parvati said with a sharp grin of her own.
Padma rolled her eyes, but conjured two chairs for herself and Parvati, and seated them close to Lettie's bed.
"Everyone will want to chip in, I'm sure. No one wants Ginevra fighting with a mediocre sword, after all," Parvati said, skipping straight past several pages.
Lettie wondered if she wasn't getting in far over her head, but decided that so long as her Lady received the best birthday gift in the midst of this impending war, it didn't matter.
... b ...
Friday, 16 August
Madam Pomfrey was nothing short of evil, Miles decided.
While he was well enough to be let out of bed, she still refused to let him go see Lettie. Admittedly, Miles often found himself to be exhausted sooner rather than later most days, and he was reluctantly grateful for the witch's insistence that he stay at Hogwarts, but he was also frustrated and anxious to leave.
The others hadn't returned from Antarctica since he'd woken up, but the students that still remained at Hogwarts kept up their training regime, vampires and trolls and werewolves helping them train and work their defences against each other as well as against magical creatures. Any creatures that were twisted by Voldemort's promises and coerced into following the Dark Lord would have no scruples in harming children. Their illustrious leader had no such concerns, after all, and so, the children had to be prepared to fight any manner of being.
Miles stopped on the landing of the seventh floor, holding on to the railing tightly as he caught his breath. He had spent the last five days walking the stairs of Hogwarts to try to reach this destination, and at last, he had finally done it. He was out of breath and his side cramped, but he was here. A scant five metres away was a black door, out of place with the rich mahogany doors that led to other rooms on this floor of the building, but the Room of Requirement had never been just another door anyway.
His breath finally caught, Miles straightened and headed towards the black door to see Ric.
... b ...
"Is this really necessary?" Pansy yelled, eyes squeezed shut tight as she clung on to Gregory's arm even harder.
"Is your grip necessary? We've flown on Colin's back before," Gregory pointed out, trying to flex his numb fingers.
"Not this far! And you still haven't answered my question," Pansy yelled over her shoulder, trying to scowl at him.
With the wind whipping her hair into her face, Pansy doubted her scowl was very impressive.
We're almost there, Luna informed them calmly, patting Colin's scales from her position on his neck.
"I hate flying," Pansy groaned, her words lost in the wind.
They landed a few minutes later, Pansy sliding bonelessly to the ground below before Gregory could catch her. He helped her stand on shaky legs.
That was fun, Amphitrite said brightly.
"I hate you," Pansy muttered, Amphitrite laughing in response.
Pansy's response faltered when she realised she could hear and smell the ocean. Walking on still trembling legs, she headed to the cliff's edge, her eyes widening at the expanse of water that stretched all the way to the horizon.
"You made me fly when I could have swum here?"
Luna shook her head. "You would not have known the way, Colin would fly too fast, and you would have been distracted by a... uh, herd of narwhales."
"A pod," Gregory corrected, shaking out his arm, still sore from Pansy's grip, before looking to the small dense forest opposite to the cliff's edge.
"Ah yes, I knew you'd remember the correct name," Luna said with a bright smile. "Pansy, take three steps backwards, please."
Pansy frowned, but did as Luna had requested. Half a second later, a large wave from the ocean smashed against the cliff's edge, salty spray covering Pansy from head to toe.
"Feel better?" Luna asked.
"Yes, actually. Thank you for not letting me get that wave straight in my face," Pansy added, feeling herself relax and her shoulders lose their tension now that she could feel cool water against her skin.
"It would have been unpleasant; I think Poseidon might have done something stupid in retaliation."
"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to sit here while Lu shows you around. I haven't flown that long in quite some time," Colin said from where he was sitting against a tree.
"Watch out for Nargles, dear," Luna said over her shoulder, heading into the forest. "Come along, Greg, Pansy."
Not seeing another choice in the matter, they both followed after their friend and headed into the forest together.
...
Fred and George made their way to Ollivander's shop, Shielding Cloaks sitting firmly on their shoulders. They paused at the door, George looking to his twin, then to the deserted alley around them.
"All right, Gred?" Fred asked quietly, wand already in hand.
"Old Voldy really wants Ollivander. Could be a trap inside," George replied.
"I'd be disappointed if there weren't any," Fred said, grinning. "Come on then, Gred. We've got supplies to steal."
George grinned and nodded. "Let's do this."
Fred removed the spells locking the door, George blasted the wooden barricades, and they both opened the door. Waiting in silence, Fred and George tried to see into the murky darkness of the boarded shop.
"Lumos," George said, the tip of his wand brightening and illuminating the darkness.
"After you," Fred said gallantly, grinning. "If you're not inside the shop in the next second, I'll push you in myself," he added when George hesitated in the doorway.
"What if there are Death Eaters lying in wait? Would you push your own brother into a potentially fatal situation?" George asked, stepping into the shop cautiously.
"If there were Death Eaters here, they would have started blasting hexes at us the moment we opened the door," Fred said, following George easily. "And you know I'd never push you into a situation like that unless I was right there with you," he added, clasping George on the shoulder.
"That's not exactly reassuring, y'know, Forge," George muttered.
Fred lifted his own illuminated wand, the light playing with shadows on his face, and he grinned when George rolled his eyes at him. "I know, Gred. C'mon, the sooner we get these things, the sooner we can get out."
He moved backwards towards the workshop entrance of the shop, and promptly tripped over a stack of wand boxes. George muffled his laughter and Fred scowled and muttered as he stood up again.
"Oh, shut up. Come on."
Fred led the way, wand lit and facing the proper way this time, and George followed when his laughter had subsided enough. Fred already had a bag sitting by his feet, filled with empty wand boxes, and he added a large bag of tree seeds. George rifled through the various drawers scattered through the workshop to try to find Ollivander's carving knife. A small work lantern was added to the bag, as was a magnifying glass, and all of the brushes that were still sitting atop the table.
"Not one trap. I really am disappointed," Fred muttered when they'd filled the bag with all of Ollivander's requested items.
"The things aren't traps, are they? Tracking spells can be put on anything, y'know."
Fred stopped, turned, and glared at George. "You couldn't have thought of that before we filled the bag?"
"Better than thinking of it after handing them over?" George replied, a little guiltily.
"You take things out and check them, I'll put them back in," Fred said with a big sigh, holding the bag open for George to take everything out again.
... b ...
"Ah, it's been far too long, Miles. It is a pleasure to see you again, cousin. Or is it Great-cousin? I never get those familial titles correct," Ric muttered, waving it off. "I don't suppose you're here to free me?" he asked Miles, smiling broadly.
"Where is your mother?" Miles asked, voice steadier than his trembling hands. He'd used too much energy making it up the seven flights of stairs.
"I've no idea. Haven't seen her in... a month? To be honest, I've no idea what day it is, so I can't be certain of that. Of course, the bouts of torture by those two terrifying Indian witches hasn't exactly helped my memory."
Miles' jaw clenched at the mention of Padma and Parvati. He knew they were Lettie's closest friends, and they'd only done what they needed to do to protect and help Lettie. Ric was very close to insulting Lettie by insulting them, and if he said another word against them, Miles would be sorely tempted to snap his neck.
"I hope you've come for more than that one question, Miles. I've been very lonely, here on my own," Ric said, smirking a little.
"Perhaps I could organise for Parvati and Padma to pay you another visit, if you're wanting for company," Miles suggested, a little vindictively, a thrill of pleasure rolling through him as Ric's smug smirk slipped away.
"No, you know what? I'm perfectly fine on my own. Definitely, absolutely, no need to see another soul for however long I'm being kept here," Ric said quickly.
"That's what I thought you'd say. Now, are you going to tell me where your mother is? You know all of her hiding spots, surely."
Ric scoffed. "Mother's far more paranoid than most people realise. She only let me know about some of her hiding spots because she didn't want both of her children dead before she reached her next milestone; besides, even then, I'm fairly sure she still had some places closer to where I was than she let on."
Miles' eyes widened, and he turned and walked out of the Room of Requirement as fast as his aching and exhausted body would let him. He barely heard Ric call out in confusion, the door slamming shut behind his hasty exit immediately.
Madam Pomfrey was only briefly startled when the hospital wing door slammed open. Years of dealing with teenage children with hormone-fuelled bursts of magic meant that not much could overwhelm her anymore.
"Miles, what's wrong? You're back from your walk sooner than I expected," she said, setting aside her inventory checklist.
"Fireplace. I need... to call... someone," Miles said between breaths, his chest heaving.
Madam Pomfrey noticed that his skin was paler than usual and somewhat sweaty, as if he'd run down seven flights of stairs.
"Very well. But you can do that while seated. You're about to fall over your own feet," she scolded, conjuring a plush chair for him in front of the fireplace, and moving to help guide him over, ignoring Miles' token protests.
"Can I make this call in private, please?" Miles asked once he had his breath back.
"Of course. But when it's done, you're to call me straight away, and you're going back to bed, is that understood?"
"Understood."
"Good," Madam Pomfrey said.
She took up her checklist once more and headed into the small walk-in potions cupboard, closing the door behind her. Miles waited for a heartbeat longer, to compose himself and to ensure that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't come out to reclaim something, then threw some powder in the flames. He barely had to wait for an answer, and Miles smiled at the face in the flames.
"Francesca. It's good to see you again."
... b ...
Pansy felt exhausted. Her adrenaline after riding Colin's dragon form had finally ebbed away, and even her curiosity couldn't stop the fact that her feet were aching.
"Are we almost there? We've been walking for an age!" she called to Luna, who was standing in front of a fallen log on the pathway.
"Almost," Luna replied. "Gregory, could you move the log over... hmm, there, please?" she asked, pointing to the left.
Pansy leaned against a tree, watching and waiting a little impatiently as her boyfriend levitated the log. She couldn't wait to get back to the cliff and ocean; maybe Luna would take pity and let her go for a swim before they had to leave again. She glanced over as the log was caught in the trees, catching on the branches overhead and getting stuck, no matter how Gregory flicked his wand, nor which spell he tried.
"Actually, that will be much nicer. Thank you," Luna said with a broad smile.
"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Greg muttered, while Luna just smiled and pretended not to hear.
"Pansy, are you ready to continue?" she asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Pansy replied.
"I can carry you the rest of the way, if you'd like?" Gregory offered.
Pansy nodded gratefully and Gregory stood with his back to her. Pansy clambered up onto his back quickly, Gregory holding her thighs as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek and then closed her eyes, trying to flex her aching feet without falling out of his grip.
"Thanks, Greg."
"'Welcome, Pans. Where to now, Luna?"
"This way. It's just over the hill. Now, keep in mind it's probably old and in need of repair, but the lower area does lead into the ocean itself, so hopefully that makes up for the rest of it."
"Rest of what?" Pansy asked, still miffed that neither of them had told her why they were here.
"You'll see soon enough," Luna promised, continuing through the small forest.
Greg stopped to adjust Pansy in his grip when he saw a portal, the rocks standing as tall as himself and the blue glow unmistakeable. "Luna! Did you know the portal was here, or was it just a guess?"
"Oh good, we're closer than I thought. We'll come back to the portal later," Luna said off-handedly, heading down the decline more confidently.
Greg looked at the portal for a moment later and then followed after her. He was about to ask Luna another question when he saw that she'd stopped up ahead, and when he saw the mansion before her, he stopped as well, his jaw hanging open.
Pansy jolted awake when she realised that Greg had stopped. "Wha-? Whoa." Pansy slid off Gregory's back and walked up to where Luna was waiting.
"How didn't we see this place? We were above the island for almost two minutes before we landed, Luna, and I couldn't see this at all," Greg said, looking up to where the mansion towered above the trees.
"It's an Unplottable island with numerous charms that are all-but forgotten to the rest of the wizarding world. Most of those charms are to ensure that this island and everything else on it stays hidden from the rest of the world. Not even the Muggles with their technology knows this place exists," Luna replied, smiling briefly.
"Who owned it last?" Pansy asked, wondering just who would be paranoid enough to make an entirely ordinary island Unplottable. It seemed all together unremarkable, nothing like Azkaban or the Isle of Drear.
"To be honest, I haven't the faintest idea," Luna replied, grinning.
"So, because you have no idea, we can have it?" Pansy asked, arms folded over her chest.
"Of course not. It was listed for sale after the previous owner died about 50 years ago. No one was interested, so the real estate agents stopped advertising, but the island is still available."
"How much?" Gregory asked, thinking of the Galleons in his vault and how much a place like this might be worth, especially with the portals and the island itself being so secure that no one could see it properly even while flying over it.
"Six hundred Galleons."
"What?!" Greg had been expecting thousands, if not more. Six hundred Galleons was downright laughable.
Luna shrugged. "I could add a finder's fee of a hundred Galleons if that would help?"
"What on earth is wrong with this place for it to be sold that cheap? Even after 50 years, it shouldn't be that cheap," Pansy muttered.
"I did mention that it's in need of repair, didn't I?" Luna queried, frowning. "Unless we're not standing in front of a ruin and I've possibly brought us to the wrong place?"
"It's a ruin all right, Luna. But it still doesn't explain why it's so cheap - or Unplottable," Pansy added.
Below them, the land seemed to tremble and shake. Greg grabbed onto Pansy quickly, and reached out for Luna. She stepped back out of his reach, and then, just as suddenly as it had started, the trembling and shaking stopped.
"I forgot to mention the most important detail," Luna said, turning and heading towards the castle ruins.
"Which is?" Pansy called, hurrying after her with Gregory in tow.
"The island isn't an island at all, it's a giant turtle."
... b ...
Saturday, 17 August
"Can we stop now, Theo?"
"One more lap, Lettie. Both your fibula and tibia were broken and then set incorrectly, so you've had to regrow them. It takes time to those two leg bones to heal completely, so you need to keep walking as much as possible to help strengthen them."
"I know I've regrown them, Theo. The pain kept me up all night," Lettie muttered, sour with her pain and exhaustion.
"I did offer a pain-numbing spell," Theo reminded her pointedly, continuing to guide her along the hallway.
"I know," Lettie sighed, clenching Theo's arm tighter when she faltered on her next step.
"Almost back to your room. Just a few more steps."
Lettie looked ahead eagerly, her expression falling when she saw that there was still about three metres left. "That's not a few more steps."
"It will be if you keep walking."
Want me to curse his hair bright red when we get back? Padma offered.
No, don't do that. Purple would be better, Parvati snickered.
I don't see why you both had to go to pick up a sword, Lettie muttered.
Fred and George are off running errands, Parvati said.
We'd prefer not to be out here alone, Padma added.
Lettie sighed. She understood their reasoning, honestly, she did. But she was still sore, tired, and she hadn't spoken to Miles in person, despite him being awake for quite a few days now. She was irritable and taking it out on everyone else, but she couldn't quite bring herself to apologise for her behaviour just yet.
"Millicent's almost finished preparing everything," Theodore informed her quietly, smiling as they reached the final step to her door.
"Really? That's great. How did she manage to do everything so quickly?"
"Mill can be just as organised and terrifying as Pansy when properly motivated," he replied, sounding proud more than anything.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Millicent said from behind them, grinning. "Theo, you need to go have your lunch or it's going to get cold. I can help Lettie to bed," she added.
Theo would have protested, but Lettie let go of him and gently pushed him down the corridor.
"You heard Millicent. Go eat your lunch," she said, taking Millicent's offered arm, and starting the slow arduous walk towards her bed.
"We have chicken pot pie for lunch, and I know how much Theo hates when it goes cold and soggy. I'll bring yours in when you're tucked in, if that's okay?" Millicent asked.
"Sounds good to me. I'm starving," Lettie said, only then realising just how true her statement was.
"Doesn't surprise me; you managed eight laps of the place."
"Eight, really?" she asked in surprise and a hint of pride.
"Yeah. Tomorrow, you can try for ten," Millicent said with a grin. "You should be on your last dose of Skele-grow tonight, yeah?"
"Gods', I hope so. That stuff tastes awful," Lettie said, ending with a groan as she slowly lowered down onto her bed with Millicent's help.
"The kids' version tastes like strawberries, but it's a sickeningly sweet taste, so it doesn't exactly improve it," Millicent said with a bark of a laugh.
"There's a kids' version?"
Millicent shrugged briefly. "Sometimes kids fall down stairs or fall off their training brooms or accidentally interrupt Death Eater meetings. Stay here, I'll be back soon," she said, leaving before Lettie could say anything.
Lettie's hand curled over her stomach protectively. A slight swell was showing already, and she felt so protective of the tiny helpless thing growing inside of her. She couldn't imagine ever hurting her own child.
Millicent returned a few moments later with a tray, her lunch, drink, and potion all sitting on top. "Theodore suggested to have the juice after the potion to help with the taste. Hopefully it works," she said with a quick grin.
"I'll let you know if it doesn't," Lettie said, smiling back at her as she took the offered tray. "Will you talk to me?"
Surprised at the request, Millicent nodded and sat on the chair beside Lettie's bed. "Any particular topics you'd like me to talk about?"
Lettie was tempted to ask about her upbringing and the Death Eater meetings, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to ask, nor could she ask Millicent to relive potentially traumatic memories just for her.
"What's it like to be a werewolf?"
Millicent must have thought Lettie would ask about her childhood, so she had a look of surprise all over again. But she gave a nod, seeming relieved, and started talking.
By the time Padma and Parvati returned an hour later, both Lettie and Millicent were fast asleep. They wrapped the sword with a few charms, paper and ribbon flying out of their wands, and then placed the long box underneath Lettie's bed. Parvati shook Millicent awake gently, and both Padma and Parvati led their friend out of Lettie's room so she could go to her own bed where Theodore was resting.
...
Blaise raised his bow, fit the arrow's notch into the bowstring half a breath later, and fired in the next half. The arrow hit its target with a dull thud, as did the barrage of six arrows that followed after it, all of the targets spread out in various places around his spot on the grass.
"All bullseyes, nice. Want me ter make 'em move around?" Seamus offered, coming over with Neville.
"Not yet. I want a few more stationary targets before I go on to moving ones," Blaise replied. "How's your foot?" he asked, looking to the bandage wound around Seamus' foot.
"Better. And me eyebrows are comin' back nice, too," he added with a grin.
"They always have," Neville said, pressing a kiss to Seamus' cheek. "Come on, I want to train some more too."
"How're we goin' ter do that?" Seamus asked curiously.
"I want to try to catch Blaise's arrows before they hit the targets."
Blaise smirked. "Good luck with that."
An arrow hit the target before he'd even finished talking, and Seamus scowled at Blaise. "We weren't ready!"
"I know," Blaise replied, lifting his bow and arrow again.
He fired before Seamus could say anything in response, but the dull thwack of the arrow didn't hit. Neville's hands were glowing green, and a thick wave of grass was holding the arrow mere millimetres from the target. Seamus laughed and kissed Neville firmly.
"Good work, Nev."
Blaise nodded in agreement with Seamus, and with a grin, he hurried to set another arrow to his bow.
... b ...
"Where have you two been? Lettie's been looking for you," Theo said, looking between Pansy and Gregory with a frown.
Pansy, who was looking quite windswept and still trembling slightly, shook her head and left towards Lettie's room without answering. Theodore was almost positive he heard her muttering about giant turtles, and he had no idea what that was about. He looked to Greg for an explanation or answer of some kind.
"Luna and Colin showed us a place we might like to live. It was..." he paused for a moment, trying to determine how best to describe the island. "It was more than we expected."
"More what?" Theo asked, confused.
Gregory laughed here, a little hysterically, and Theo regretted asking. "More everything. I don't even know how to explain it, Theo."
"Uh, all right," he replied, wondering if he needed to worry about his friends' sanity along with everything else.
"You said Lettie's looking for us?" Greg prompted. "Any reason why?"
Theodore looked around to make sure they were alone. "Ginevra's birthday tomorrow. I think she wants help organising things."
"Pans'll enjoy that," he mused, grinning. "Thanks, Theo."
Theodore just watched as Gregory headed down the hallway to Lettie's room, and wondered where on Earth Greg and Pansy had been for the last two days and what had happened.
... b ...
Miles waited impatiently for Madam Pomfrey to finish setting up the Floo channel. He was finally going to see Lettie, he needed to talk with Ginevra and Draco as soon as possible, and as soon as he could bring himself to leave Lettie, he needed to go to Francesca and hopefully convince her to join their side of the war against her mother and Voldemort.
"There, all done. Now, you mustn't say the grate number out loud. There are security wards on this Floo channel for a reason," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, I know," Miles said, close to snapping at her. He'd already been told five times in the last hour alone!
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips, not at all impressed at his tone, but finally stepped aside. Miles looked at the green flames, took in a deep breath, and stepped into the fireplace a moment later. He closed his eyes, thought and willed himself to arrive at his destination, and the flames whisked him away.
"Thank the gods you're here; Lettie's driving us insane," Padma said with a grin as she offered him a hand.
He took it and let the Patil twin pull him out of the fireplace. Parvati and Padma both worked fast to remove any soot from his robes, and Miles almost felt overwhelmed by the time they were finished barely a minute later.
"Stand back, girls; you're going to send him into a fluster," Fred said, tugging Padma away.
"Poor man's probably not seen nary a soul other than Madam Pomfrey for days," George added, keeping Parvati close.
"And you're both over him in seconds of arriving," they finished together.
"I'm all right. Where's Lettie?" Miles asked, impatient and manners gone now that he was so close.
"She's coming. You stay here," Parvati replied firmly, Padma leaving Fred's embrace to look out the door into the hallway.
"Lett's about halfway down; give it about two minutes," Padma said over her shoulder.
"Is she all right?" Miles asked with a frown, knowing that it shouldn't take more than a minute to walk down a hallway.
"Still re-learning how to walk; Theo says she'll be fine in a week or so," George answered.
"Re-learning how to walk?" he asked, his voice little more than a growl.
"Yeah. Old Voldy and Virginia broke her legs and they set wrong," Fred replied.
"Lettie had to have Skele-grow over the course of three nights to make sure she'd heal properly this time round," Millicent said, coming in with a tray of tea and biscuits, another tray hovering behind her.
"Stop talking about me; I can hear you!" Lettie called crossly.
"We're just explaining, not saying anything mean!" Fred called back.
"Not the point, Fred!"
"It could have been George, how'd you know it was me?"
"George sounds prettier," Lettie snarked, and Millicent laughed so violently that the trays almost tipped over, the tea spilling out of the cups.
Miles hurried to grab the trays and set them on the coffee table before the tea spilled further.
"Sorry. I'll get another teapot," Millicent said, hurrying back out of the room.
"Where's Ginevra and Draco?"
"Uh, Pansy kind of banished them," Parvati said with a cough.
"What?" Miles asked, eyes wide in surprise; what had they done to be banished?!
"It's Ginevra's birthday tomorrow, and we're planning a surprise party for her," Parvati said, and Miles let out a sigh of relief that the banishment wasn't permanent.
"It's hard to plan a surprise party with her right here," Padma added.
"I have seventeen hours to organise Ginevra's party, and that doesn't include whatever sleep I'll manage to get tonight, so I regret nothing," Pansy called over her shoulder as she passed by, Greg a step behind her with streamers bundled in his arms.
"I need to talk to Ginevra, it's urg- " Miles stopped short when Lettie appeared in the doorway.
He took a moment to look her over, the fading bruises and firm way she was gripping Theodore's arm to help her stay upright, the light in her eyes as she looked back at him, and her stomach, slightly swollen with a steady heartbeat just under the surface. Careful with his mind still a little fragile, Miles reached out mentally and felt the baby respond immediately, the response far stronger than he would have guessed. His eyes widened and Lettie's smile became uncertain at his expression.
"Lettie, you're... I'm so grateful that you're alive," he breathed, in front of her in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around her firmly.
Lettie clung to him tightly, her eyes closed as she breathed in his scent. "You're really here. I've... I've missed you, Miles," she admitted, voice close to breaking.
"Missed you too," he said softly.
Neither of them paid the others mind as they left the room with their teacups and biscuits in hand, leaving Lettie and Miles alone.
Miles led Lettie over to the couch, careful and slow, and trying not to squeeze her hand too tightly as he felt rage flowing through him, boiling his blood. How dare Virginia and Voldemort hurt Lettie like this!
Lettie sat down with a grateful sigh, not letting go of Miles' hand as she looked at him, eyes and expression intense. "You can probably tell I'm pregnant," she said, her expression softening a touch as she looked down to her stomach. "It's yours, I swear it is. They... They hurt me in other ways, but the baby's yours."
"I believe you, Lettie," Miles replied, his hand covering hers over her stomach. "I can sense the baby, just as my parents swore they could with me and my siblings, and even if I couldn't, I would still believe you," he promised, kissing her gently.
Lettie's hand clutched at his shoulder with her free hand and he felt her tension drain away under his fingertips.
"I just... I wanted you to know that, before anything else," she admitted with a soft sigh. "Are you all right? The others said your mind broke when you were looking for me?" Lettie asked, stroking his temple as if she could see the damage itself.
"I am better now, especially now that I am with you," Miles said, turning his face gently to kiss her palm. "My mind splintered, but I healed, and I'm here now. Are you all right? Theodore and the others weren't exactly forthcoming with information about what happened to you."
Lettie sighed, shook her head, and looked down at her legs, her limbs still aching from her ten minute walk that should have only taken two at the most. "I'm sore and aching, mostly. Virginia and Y-You-Know-Who tortured me with the Cruciatus curse, broke several bones several times, and I bit out my own tongue when they tried to get information out of me with the Imperius Curse," she added, a hint of silver between her lips. "Voldemort healed my tongue, and it still makes me feel disgusting, to have his magic in me daily. Theo says it's been embedded with the rest of my real tongue and can't be replaced," Lettie added, sighing. "But... Virginia, she," Lettie trailed off, trembling, and Miles hated that he couldn't save her from her nightmares and thoughts. "She threatened our baby, said she was going to drain the baby's blood, and I... I hate her for that."
Miles forced himself not to squeeze Lettie tightly in the burst of anger that overwhelmed him. The feeling of anger he'd had for Voldemort and Virginia for hurting his beloved Lettie paled in comparison to this feeling, to the all-encompassing feeling to hunt them down and break them apart, limb by bloody limb, for daring to threaten his child and hurt the woman he loved.
Through their bond, Lettie could feel the anger that warred in Miles' mind, and she looked at him for a moment, amazed at the man that could feel so much for her, plain old Lettie. She pressed a firm kiss to his lips, feeling the anger ebb away for the moment. Lettie pulled away and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm scared, Miles," she admitted, for the first time aloud.
"What about?" he asked, not wanting to make any presumptions.
"Right now? Nearly everything," she said with a short, humourless laugh. "I'm scared for my Lady and Lord, I'm scared about the war, I'm scared we won't survive, I'm scared for our baby, and I'm already worrying that I won't be a good mother. I'm just so tired of being scared about everything. It's exhausting, yet I can't stop."
Miles wrapped his arm around her securely, holding Lettie against his body the best he could. "That's not a bad thing, Lettie. Being scared means you still have something to live for. You have me, the baby, your friends, your own life. You're scared of losing all of these things, but that's because you care about them, and that's not a bad thing, love."
Lettie hummed softly in agreement, threaded her fingers through Miles', and closed her eyes to rest. She knew that despite her fears, she would be safe in his embrace. Miles would never let anything or anyone hurt her, or their baby, again.
... b ...
Ginevra shouldered the bag the twins had given her before she and Draco had been sent away from the Antarctica base. She'd sent Draco off to their apartment in Muggle London, claiming she needed to run a few errands first, and Apparated before he could follow her.
Knocking on the door to Ollivander's hideaway, Ginevra ignored the illusion and stepped through the doorway. Ten seconds later, she discovered that her brothers had updated Oscar's security details, and spent a few moments trying to get the scorch marks out of her robes.
"Ah, Ginevra. I do apologise for that; I had assumed Fred and George would tell you about the security improvements," Ollivander said with a slight wince when he saw the state she was in.
"It's all right, Mr. Ollivander. They'd probably think it funnier this way," she muttered, using a spell to clean the soot from her hair.
"Most likely," Ollivander conceded with a nod. "I do hope you're well; I haven't heard from you - or anyone else - in quite some time."
"My friends and I have been trying to find our friend who was kidnapped by Voldemort and Virginia."
Ollivander's expression fell slightly and he looked to the cooling cup of tea beside his armchair. "It was the same way when Voldemort first rose to power when your parents were your age. People would be taken and family and friends would spends weeks or months trying to find them again. It drove most of them to insanity."
"If they were hidden in the same kind of wards my friend was, then they may have been close enough to find them; Voldemort was using various runes and spells to break the minds of anyone close to the one he'd kidnapped," Ginevra replied. "We ended up getting outside help to rescue her."
Ollivander sighed and without a word or motion, a box appeared in front of me. "Fred and George were kind enough to bring the supplies I requested on one of their previous visits. You should have enough for most of your army."
"I don't have an army," Ginevra said, shaking her head.
"Your friends at Hogwarts would disagree; they're not staying there and training day in, day out for fun, Ginevra," he replied.
Ginevra was surprised at his response, so sure and certain of himself, and she had to wonder if she'd inadvertently turned students - her fellow classmates, even - into soldiers without even knowing it. Sighing, and deciding that it was probably out of her hands and too late to stop now, Ginevra took the bag off her shoulder and held it out for Ollivander.
"More supplies?" he queried, eyebrow raised.
"Of a sort," she replied with a brief smile.
On seeing his tools from his workshop, Ollivander smiled so broadly that Ginevra's face ached in sympathy. She noticed that a few leaves were growing out of his robes, but decided not to comment. A dryad's happiness wasn't one to taunt.
"Will you stay for a while? I can make another pot of tea, and I have biscuits," Ollivander offered.
Ginevra deliberated for a moment and finally nodded, smiling at him. "That would be lovely."
A few more leaves sprouted in Ollivander's hair as he smiled back at her happily.
... b ...
While Ginevra was off running her errand, Draco decided to do last-minute shopping for her birthday. He knew the others were banding together to buy a sword, so he decided that a few gifts to complement the sword would be perfect.
Lettie? Draco called, retreating when he realised she was asleep. Padma, Parvati?
If it's about anything other than the party, you'll have to wait, Padma replied promptly.
Unless you're being attacked and/or dying, Parvati added.
If you're not, you will be, Padma said.
Did the sword come with a scabbard? Draco asked as fast as possible, as he wasn't sure if his question actually related to Ginevra's birthday party or not.
Padma and Parvati were silent for a long while, and Draco was almost foolish enough to prompt them again.
No, it's just the sword itself, Parvati replied, checking the Sword Master's catalogue, just to be certain.
You need the measurements to make sure you get the right sized scabbard? Padma offered.
Yes, please.
Parvati read them out and Draco wrote them down on a scrap of parchment so he wouldn't forget, thanking both of them for their help.
Would you stop distracting the twins? They're meant to be hanging streamers, not gossiping with you! Pansy snapped.
Draco apologised and retreated hastily, knowing far too well that Pansy would probably hex him on sight if he interrupted again.
Using a Glamour to mask his hair was easy enough, and Draco checked his brunette hair didn't have any streaks of blonde showing. He didn't want to take any precautions about people refusing to serve him as a Malfoy, and besides, he had no idea where Ginevra's own errands would be taking her. It wouldn't do to spoil her birthday gift. Lettie would be disappointed, and then Draco was positive that he'd have a small army of people lining up to hex him.
Tucking his wand into his sleeve, Draco stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron and headed down to the armoury towards the end of Diagon Alley.
... b ...
Sunday, 18 August
The base at Antarctica was large enough to fit everyone from Hogwarts and then some. Ginevra had known that it was large, but to actually see it was completely different. Pansy had stretched the biggest meeting room somehow until even the trolls could stand upright, and everyone from the students to the mythical beings and creatures could fit comfortably without bumping into each other or the tables of food that the house elves had specially prepared. Ginevra wasn't exactly surprised to see Pansy sitting on a bench, looking a little worn out.
"You okay?" Ginevra asked, sitting beside her friend.
"Had a busy few days," Pansy admitted, looking around the decorated room with a slight smile.
"I can see that; it looks lovely. Well, it did," Ginevra amended, grinning when Pansy shook her head and laughed.
The streamers had been caught in several of the trolls' ears soon after they entered, as the creatures tall enough to catch on the low-hanging decorations. As soon as the werewolves had arrived, the children had a glorious time trying to literally run up the walls to catch the floating balloons that bounced along the icy ceiling. (Maxine was closer than Caleb, but just barely; apparently Fred and George were taking bets on which child would catch a balloon first.) Their parents had tried to get them down, but no one really minded the laughter, so they'd left Max and Caleb to their game after Theo had put a cushioning spell on the floor to ensure they wouldn't hurt themselves if they fell.
The Veela had arrived soon after the werewolves, and Rob had taken it upon himself to ease the tension between the two species by flirting with one of the Veela almost immediately. As far as Ginevra could tell, she was actually impressed with his ability to talk rather than drool or trip over his feet at the sight of her. Millicent and Parvati had already placed their bets on whether or not Rob would be leaving with or without the Veela woman.
Lettie had been coerced to walk around the room several times by both Theodore and Miles, and in retaliation, Lettie was now kicking small clouds of confetti across the room as she walked instead. Theodore didn't mind, as it helped strengthen her leg muscles as well, and Pansy had all but given up on keeping the room in the same pristine state it had started in barely two hours ago. Seamus laughed at the clouds of confetti, and he and Blaise were in some sort of competition to catch as much confetti before it landed on the ground as possible. Padma and Parvati were taking bets on them; Millicent had informed Ginevra that Seamus was winning so far, but she expected Blaise to make a cunning strike to win at the last minute. As the confetti seemed to be never-ending, Ginevra wasn't quite sure when the game would end.
The vampires had opted to finish training with the Hogwarts students and weren't expected to arrive for another hour or so, with Luna and Colin leaving to bring them to the base in small groups. Ginevra was ever so patiently waiting to unwrap her presents, and thought it a cruel punishment that her friends had placed the wrapped presents on the table for her to wonder over for the last two hours.
"Will you give me a hint?" Ginevra asked suddenly.
"No. Stop asking or we'll Obliviate you and hide the presents," Pansy threatened.
"I'm the birthday girl, you wouldn't dare! Besides, I've only asked you once."
"You've asked everyone once; just because I'm the last, doesn't mean I'll cave in and tell you a thing. Now stop asking and go mingle instead," Pansy said, waving her off with shooing motions.
Ginevra sighed in defeat and headed over to where Draco was talking with Julianne.
"I don't suppose you're going to ask the guests about your presents now, are you?" Julianne asked with a laugh.
"I think Pansy might really go through with her threat if I do," Ginevra replied, grinning.
You know I will! I've got my ear on you, Pansy muttered.
"Besides waiting all day for your presents, how're you doing?" Julianne asked.
"Good, actually. I had cake for breakfast," Ginevra admitted.
"Ooh, what kind?" Julianne asked eagerly.
Beside her, Draco groaned, his head lolling back as he looked up to the ceiling. "Now you've done it; you've awaken Jules' sweet tooth."
"You weren't complaining the last time you came hunting for chocolate," Julianne pointed out.
Draco's cheeks reddened slightly and he clamped his mouth shut, ignoring Jules' victorious smirk.
"It was mud cake. I think this one's a different kind though," Ginevra said, looking to the white-iced cake sitting in the middle of the presents table.
"I can tell you!" Caleb called, grinning broadly.
"It's supposed to be a secret," Draco said quickly, before he could ruin the surprise.
Caleb's face fell and he nodded. "All right, but I still know what it is!"
"I believe you," Ginevra replied. "Have you or Maxine caught one of the balloons yet?"
"Nah, not yet. Max almost got one," Caleb said brightly, nodding over to his cousin who slid back down the wall, only to start running at it again immediately.
Ginevra was impressed at her determination. "Are you going to try again?"
"Trying that wall instead," Caleb said, nodding over to the wall near the trolls. "They're not gonna eat me, are they?"
"No, they're not interested in you when there's cake nearby," Gregory promised, chuckling when Caleb gave a whoop and ran at the wall.
"Having a sweet tooth must be a creature thing," Draco mused, seeing the way the trolls were eyeing off the cake. He just hoped there'd be enough for everyone.
"I don't think so; I still prefer savoury foods," Greg said with a shrug. "But it's a nice idea."
"How so?" Ginevra asked.
"Well, I imagine that Muggle fairy tales would be quite different if they could simply lure creatures away with sweets and cakes. Little Red Riding Hood, for example, or Hansel and Gretel would be a very different story with the witch's gingerbread house."
"Can I be Gretel?" Maxine asked beside Gregory, tugging on his trouser leg briefly.
"Huh?"
"In your story. Can I be Gretel?" Maxine repeated, eyes wide.
"I didn't mean... I was just... That is... Yes, you can be Gretel."
"Caleb can be Hansel, can't he?" Maxine asked.
"Sure," Gregory replied, looking to his friends helplessly, not at all confident about what to do with a small child asking to be in a story.
Thankfully, Grant came to Gregory's rescue, knowing exactly what his daughter wanted. "Max, sweetie, Gregory's not played story time before, you'll have to explain."
Gregory wasn't exactly expecting that kind of rescue, and suddenly felt as though he'd rather take on all of Voldemort's Death Eaters rather than face this small, tiny, innocent child and whatever on earth 'story time' meant.
"You have to say the story, and me and Caleb - "
"Caleb and I," Grant corrected quickly.
"Caleb and I will play the story," Max finished.
"That sounds entertaining, but we don't have anywhere big enough for you and Caleb to - " Gregory tried to explain, hoping to get out of this thing entirely.
"Yes, we do!" Neville and Parvati called out, ignoring Greg's firm glare at both of them.
I hate you both.
No, you don't, Neville replied certainly.
It'll be fun, c'mon, Parvati cajoled.
This is not my idea of 'fun!', Gregory said.
We never said it'd be fun for you, Padma added with a smirk.
I'll get my revenge, I swear I will.
Somehow, everyone wanted to watch this whole thing play out, and they all filed out of the room down towards the largest meeting room. Neville and Millicent organised chairs as Blaise, Seamus, and Parvati and Padma Transfigured the table into a large stage instead. Caleb and Max started begging their parents for their costume box. At their request, Fred and George conjured a box of cloths of all shapes and sizes, stating it was probably easier to retrieve than the one at the werewolves' homes in France. Ginevra had no idea where they'd gotten a box of material, nor why they had it in the first place, and she found that she really didn't want to know.
As all of this was set up in a matter of minutes, Gregory stood in the middle of the room, clutching on Pansy's hand in a small bout of terror.
It's all right, Greg. Just think of the best thing, Pansy said, her tone soothing despite the grip on her hand.
Greg went still for a moment, thinking she'd say something about training for when they had their own children. He wasn't even sure that he wanted kids, but since Vince, he and Pansy hadn't even come close to that kind of discussion, just barely discussing living together in these last few weeks. Before Vince, they hadn't discussed it in great length either, far more interested in the act rather than the consequence of sex.
What's the best thing? he asked hesitantly.
When you're done with this, you can give the kids back to their parents.
Greg almost burst out laughing in pure relief. Sensing the overwhelming emotion from him, Pansy looked at him with a frown.
I thought... I thought you'd say it'd be practice for our kids, and I like kids, but I just...
Don't want one of your own? Pansy guessed when Greg went silent.
Mouth dry and heart in his throat, Gregory nodded in response.
Thank the gods, Pansy sighed. I wanted to talk with you about it before we moved in together, but it's just...
Never been the right time, Gregory finished along with her, nodding again.
We'll discuss it more tonight. Or, more likely after all of this cake and sugar, sometime tomorrow night instead, Pansy added with a slight grin.
Good plan, Pans, Greg replied, kissing her on the temple gently.
I thought so. Now, let's see the master storyteller at work, Pansy said with a soft laugh, getting her hand back out of his grip and pushing him towards the stage.
Gregory sat on the chair that had been produced for him by one of the twins - he had no idea which one, but considering the chair made a loud farting noise when he sat down, his first guess would be Fred - and went completely blank. He had no idea how stories started. He was sure he knew how, he'd read them for himself when he was younger, but at this moment, Greg had absolutely no idea. He stared out to the crowd before him, and tried desperately to remember.
Once upon a time, Pansy prompted him.
"Right... Once upon a time, there was a brother and sister named Hansel and Gretel," Gregory began, with Caleb and Maxine dressed in varying shades of the rainbow and waving out to the crowd. "When they were young, their mother died and their father re-married."
Greg had no idea when the adults had been drawn into this impromptu play, but Grant was on stage with Selena - or was it Serena? - and dressed just as awfully as the children, but waving just as enthusiastically.
"Times were tough, but Hansel and Gretel's father loved them very much. Their step-mother probably loved them too, since she knew what she was getting in to when she married the guy, but she was more self-centred than the father. The step-mother and father were running low on money, which meant they couldn't eat much either, for most of the food had to go to Hansel and Gretel to keep them strong and healthy."
Greg was somewhat surprised to see how enraptured the trolls were by the story already. Herlorr had his head sitting in his hands and was watching everything carefully.
"One night, after eating scraps for weeks, the step-mother convinces the father to take Hansel and Gretel out to the woods so they can fend for themselves."
"I can't believe what you're saying; they're children, they can't fend for themselves!" Grant said, waving his hands around.
"They're werewolves, honey. They'll probably scare whatever's in the forest and then eat it," Selena - or Serena - replied pointedly. "In fact, why haven't we got them hunting for food already? There's probably a whole herd of deer in the forest that's waiting to be eaten."
"Ew, deer."
Gregory almost laughed at Maxine's not-quite-whispered input.
"Well, the kids are fussy eaters and won't go near deer after what your mother did to them last year," Grant said.
"It was a joke," Selena/Serena replied, rolling her eyes.
"Putting a deer head on and running after a child is only funny if you're wearing the deer head. It was terrifying to everyone else," Grant muttered.
"Well, how about this? You take them out to the woods for a bit, I'll go hunting for the deer, and when you all get back, I'll have deer stew ready. The kids won't even know it's deer by the time it's done."
Grant seemed to think about it, putting a hand to his chin every now and then, and tapping his temple dramatically. Fred and George snickered, and it was only then that Greg realised Max and Caleb were sneaking along the bottom of the stage.
"All right, I'll take them into the woods tomorrow."
"Good, when you've done that, you can go buy vegetables with the last of our money to add to the stew."
"But that means I'll have to leave the children alone."
"If you go to the market and come straight back, then you'll be gone for half an hour at the most," Selena/Serena pointed out.
"All right, I'll go to the market tomorrow as well," Grant said, both of them leaving the stage.
"From their room in the basement, Hansel and Gretel heard every word their father and step-mother said," Greg prompted when Caleb looked over at him, obviously waiting.
"They're going to make deer stew, yuck," Maxine groaned in disgust.
"And leave us in the woods alone," Caleb added.
"And put vegetables in the stew, too."
Both children fell silent for a moment, and Greg wondered how he was meant to prompt them - weren't they meant to discuss rocks or pebbles or something?
"We should run away now instead," Maxine said, voice firm.
"What?" Caleb said, Greg echoing him and earning himself a firm glare from the children.
"Step-mother and father obviously won't survive the winter with us still living here, and like she said, we're werewolves; we'd be better off scaring and eating anything that crosses our path."
Caleb thought about it, putting his hand on his chin and another on his forehead, copying Grant's motions so perfectly that the audience laughed immediately.
"All right."
Caleb and Maxine mimed sneaking out of the house and heading into the forest. Gregory really had no idea where to go with this, and looked out to the audience for help. The werewolves were silent, obviously waiting to see what he'd do, and it seemed his friends were following their cue, not offering an ounce of help.
"Hansel and Gretel walked through the woods for two days before they found anything worth scaring that was also worth eating. Unfortunately for Gretel, it was a deer."
"Eww," Maxine said, wrinkling her nose and making the audience laugh again.
"They kept walking for another day, until even the idea of deer stew sounded tempting - " Gregory said.
"Never," Maxine muttered, not exactly under her breath.
"Then Hansel and Gretel came upon a house made of gingerbread and sweets. Everyone knows that werewolves are susceptible to sweets."
"What's suspectible?" Maxine asked, frowning over at Gregory.
"Means you can be influenced by it," Grant answered from the side of the stage.
Maxine frowned, turning the word and its meaning over and around in her head, then nodded and pretended to chew on the gingerbread house that had appeared.
"The owner of the house - a mean old witch - was not happy to see two young children gnawing on her house. Durable gingerbread's hard to come by these days, and - "
Gregory had to stop because the old witch that limped out of the house was none other than Ginevra, who was covered in so many Glamours that she looked more like a wretched old hag than her seventeen year old self. He supposed that was the point of the Glamours anyway, and tried to remember where he was up to in the story.
"Hey, you kids stop eating my house!" Ginevra called out, Draco spluttering his laughter at her fake elderly voice.
"We're hungry and your house tastes good!" Caleb called back, taking another big chunk out of the house.
"Hansel, wait. We can just eat her instead."
"Bloody hell, you're vicious kids, aren't you?" Ginevra asked, her elderly voice slipping as she tried not to laugh as hard as the audience.
"Why eat her when we've got this house?"
"Eat her, keep her house, eat whenever we want," Maxine listed out promptly.
Ginevra's eyes widened. "Keep the house, I'm Apparating out of here!"
Once Ginevra disappeared from sight, Gregory laughed so hard that he almost forgot he had to finish the story. Eventually, Maxine and Caleb both had to growl at Gregory to get him to concentrate again, and he pushed away his laughter to sit up properly.
"Hansel and Gretel lived in the gingerbread house until they ate the very last piece, and then they were so sick from eating nothing but gingerbread and sweets for a month that they had to go back to their father and step-mother's home after all.
"Thankfully, the witch left a few boxes of treasure in the basement of the gingerbread house, so they didn't have to eat deer stew again," Gregory added.
Maxine grinned over at him broadly.
There was a loud bang from outside of the meeting room, everyone startled out of their seats and armed to the teeth in a matter of seconds. The door swung open.
"So sorry to have missed the play, but Hogwarts is being attacked again," Luna said, her face pale and bloody as she swayed precariously in the doorway.
Behind Luna's sudden appearance, Colin was holding Ginevra's wrapped present. "Sorry to ruin the surprise, Ginevra, but you're going to need to use this sooner rather than later," he said, throwing the box towards her.
The Glamours and fabrics removed, Ginevra grabbed the box and tore into it in a matter of seconds. She grinned at the sight of the silver blade and a simple onyx jewel sitting in the hilt of the sword.
"Thanks, everyone; I love it."
"You'll need this too," Draco said, producing his own gift and watching as she ripped off the wrapping quickly. "Thankfully, I had it pre-oiled and enchanted, so you don't need to worry about the leather being ruined when you put the sword away," he added.
Ginevra kissed him firmly. "Thank you, Draco."
"You're welcome. Happy birthday," he said, feeling a little foolish at the sentiment when they were about to go into battle.
Ginevra simply smiled at him for a moment, then her smile faded and she turned to the rest of their friends and guests. "All right, everyone. It's short notice, but let's go save Hogwarts."
At George and Padma's spell, the doorway widened enough for several people to get out at once. Lettie and Miles opted to stay behind with Caleb and Maxine, and Theodore said that he would be in and out with patients so they could help him too. Before Ginevra could leave after the others, Luna grabbed onto her forearm with startling accuracy, her grip firm despite the tremble in her fingers and the goosebumps that trailed along her arms.
"This is the beginning, Ginevra. The battles are over, and this is war."
Ginevra could feel the truth of Luna's statement down to the very core of herself, and she took a deep steadying breath, her fingers clutching around her new sword. "I know."
Luna's grip lessened enough for Ginevra to continue on, and she stepped into the fireplace with Draco and Theo on either side of her.
"Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry," Ginevra enunciated clearly.
In a whirl of green flames, they were transported from ice and snow, and straight into chaos.
... b ...
End of the thirty-eighth chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!