Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or NCIS or any of their characters. I do however own this story, I wrote it and I do NOT give permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you feel the need to share my work post a link.

Hadrian was on his way to the door when Gibbs knocked. He'd cast monitoring charms on Teddy and called Tollie to keep an eye on the little boy as soon as his wards had let him know that two people had entered Tim's apartment and one of them had just left. He hoped that Tim had come up to see him but wondered if that were the case who the person left in his apartment could be. He was grateful that he'd removed all his things in case it was one of Tim's team.

Hadrian paled recognising Tim's boss at the door.

Gibbs didn't know quite what he expected but this scrawny frightened looking teenage boy was certainly not it. Without the act of attitude and arrogance Hadrian had portrayed as Lord Evander he looked nothing like the Auror Gibbs had met and Gibbs didn't recognise him. "I'm looking for Timothy McGee's friend Hades?" he asks expecting the boy to call out for his sister or god forbid mother 'That would explain why he's wanting to keep it from Tony if he's dating a woman old enough to be this boy's mother' thought Gibbs.

"I'm Hadrian, Agent Gibbs. Tim usually shortens it to Hades" The boy said quietly further surprising Gibbs. "What's happened? Is Tim...?" Hadrian was now dangerously pale and beginning to sway as he clenched his hands on the door frame trying to hold himself upright.

Gibbs grabbed the boy and led him into the empty apartment noticing the full packing boxes and lack of any personal touches in the room. He sat him on the couch and sitting close said "McGee is going to be okay" he reassured "He was injured at work on Sunday and his phone was destroyed. He was discharged from hospital this morning. I've just brought him home to get some stuff because he isn't able to live alone for the next couple of weeks and he asked me to come up and let you know he needs to talk to you. He said to tell you that he has tried to call but his phone was destroyed and he couldn't remember your cell number"

"Is he really OK? What happened?" The young man asked anxiously.

"He was shot in the right arm and there were some shrapnel wounds from the bullet having gone through his phone first, he'll be in a sling for a few weeks but there was no major bone or nerve damage so the doctors expect it should heal fully."

Hadrian nodded distractedly. "I need to see him" he said.

"I'm sure he'll be glad for you to visit" Gibbs replied.

Hadrian visibly pulled himself together. "I'll just grab my jacket and turn off the stove, please tell Tim I'll be down in a minute" he said walking Gibbs to the door.

The investigator in Gibbs noted that there was no sound or smell of cooking in the apartment. The boy was lying about something. He stood outside the now closed door and listened. He heard the boy talking urgently though he was sure there hadn't been anyone else in the apartment.

Gibbs shook his head and walked very slowly down the stairs to give Tim time to complete his call in private assuming that that was who the boy had called. It seemed for some reason neither wanted to talk in front of him. Gibbs had his suspicions why.

-o0o-

"Tim, are you ok?" Hadrian asked anxiously as soon as Tim answered the phone. "Gibbs said you were hurt. Are you going to be okay? What's going on? Does Gibbs know about us? Are you in trouble?" Hadrian was so upset about his boyfriend's injury that he temporarily forgot about Tim storming out during their discussion a few days ago.

"I'm fine Hades" said Tim sighing in relief to hear his boyfriend's voice. "Gibbs is just being over-protective and wouldn't let me walk up to see you. He thinks I live alone and wants me to go and stay with him for a few days until I can cope on my own. I just couldn't leave without talking to you so I had to ask him to go up and ask you to come down seeing he wouldn't let me try and come up there. I don't know if he knows we're together. I love you Hades. I'm sorry I walked out. I never meant to be gone more than an hour or two. I love you and I want to be together no matter what. Please say you'll give me another chance to work this out."

"I love you Tim, we'll talk later I've got more stuff I have to tell you but I want to be with you too" Hadrian replied sniffling.

"Gibbs will be back soon. What should I tell him?" Tim asked.

"I need to see you, I'm coming down. I'd be happy to look after you if you want me to but I'll understand if you think you need to stay with Gibbs" Hadrian said sadly. It was times like this that the Navy policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell really sucked.

"Come down and offer to look after me and we'll see how he reacts before I decide. But you're right I should go with him if he hasn't already realised that we are together" Tim said resignedly. "He's pretty observant though and I wasn't exactly subtle about needing to come upstairs and talk to you."

"Will you be in trouble if he does know?" Hadrian asked anxiously. He knew Tim loved his job and he didn't want to be the reason it was in jeopardy.

"According to the strict rules I didn't tell him so I shouldn't be" Tim reassured him. "Besides we've already shown him I can keep it out of the workplace and not let it interfere with doing the job."

Gibbs walks in and smiles to himself to see Tim on the phone confirming his suspicions that Hadrian had rung Tim the moment he left the upstairs apartment needing their initial discussion to take place without an audience.

Tim hung up as soon as he saw Gibbs in the doorway and looks at him enquiringly.

"He said he'd be down in a moment" Gibbs said in response.

"Thanks Boss" said Tim smiling for the first time since having been injured.

"Don't Ask Don't Tell?" asked Gibbs quietly.

"Yeah Boss" Tim sighed looking at his feet afraid to look and see Gibbs reaction.

Gibbs sighed "There's one question I have to ask though Tim. How old is he because I know you wouldn't get involved with a kid so he must be older than he looks?"

"I'm 24" Hadrian lied, having silently let himself in.

Gibbs turned around surprised at both the boy's sudden appearance and his answer. He looked at the young man searchingly but Hadrian's occlumency allowed him to be one of the few people to ever lie successfully to the older agent and the mannerisms of a war veteran made Gibbs believe him in spite of Hadrian's youthful face. "Okay! I take it you'll be staying here to look after Tim for the next few days then?" Gibbs asked the young man.

Hadrian nodded "Yeah I'm happy to do it". He crossed over to the couch Tim was sitting on and carefully examined his boyfriend. "You look exhausted. You should go lie down and get some sleep" he said gently.

"Yeah OK" He looked awkwardly at Gibbs then turned to Hadrian "Can you help me to change"

"Sure" Hadrian agreed carefully helping Tim up from the couch.

The two men leave the room and Gibbs goes into the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

As soon as they were in the bedroom Hadrian turned to kiss Tim. He kept the kiss gentle in respect of Tim's injuries but it was still full of love and passion. Tim kissed back grateful to have this chance to reconnect.

Hadrian quietly offered to banish the shirt rather than risk hurting Tim removing it the conventional way. Tim nods and with a quick wave of his wand the shirt is gone. He unbuckles Tim's belt by hand and unbuttons his trousers. Tim sits on the side of the bed to allow Hadrian to remove his shoes and socks and free him from the trousers. "What pain relief have you had?" Hadrian asked seeing the amount of pain in Tim's expression.

"Just Paracetamol and Ibuprofen " Tim replied.

Hadrian looked up at him ready to protest.

"Pain meds make me goofy. I wanted a clear head to talk with you" Tim explained. "I've stronger stuff to take after we've talked."

"Drink these" Hadrian said pulling two small glass vials from his pocket.

"What are they?" Tim asked.

"Potions, one for pain and the other to speed up the healing" Hadrian replied. "They taste beyond disgusting but they'll work better than anything mundane medicine can do and they shouldn't make you 'goofy' though you'll be a bit drowsy and want to sleep for a while. The healer said they'd work on you even with your magic bound and they shouldn't affect your thinking. It's best to throw them back as quick as you can."

Tim trustingly chugged both potions. "Ugh I don't think I've ever tasted anything so awful" he said pulling a face.

"But you're already starting to feel better" Hadrian said smiling.

"Yes" Tim said surprised.

"Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up" Hadrian said reassuringly.

"But…" Tim began.

"We can't talk about it now. Gibbs is still here and we mustn't let him find out about magic" Hadrian reminded him. "If he overheard us I'd be forced to wipe his memory of the conversation and I don't want to do that to one of your co-workers. We'll talk when he's gone I promise. It's enough for me that you're going to be okay and that you want to sort things out. I've had a terrible three days imagining the worst. I figured you just didn't want to talk to me but it didn't make sense that you didn't come home or ring and ask me to leave. I almost rang you at the navy yard this morning just to check you were okay."
"I'm glad you didn't. It wouldn't have helped. If Tony or Ziva answered they wouldn't have told you where I was anyway" Tim said tiredly.
"I figured that" Hadrian replied. "That's why I didn't call." He didn't mention that he'd planned to station himself outside the Navy Yard that afternoon, under a disillusionment charm until he saw Tim come out safely.

-o0o-

Tim fell asleep and Hadrian knowing Gibbs was still sitting in the kitchen got up and went to face the interrogation.

"Coffee?" he offered having heard Tim talk about the man's addiction.

"Please" Gibbs said watching him closely. The young man was evidently comfortable in McGee's kitchen.

"I'm starving, would you like to stay for lunch?" Hadrian asked. Pulling stir fry ingredients out of the fridge.

"You're making awfully free with McGee's food" Gibbs commented.

"I bought most of this food. Tim is more of a plain cook" Hadrian replied. "The coffee is his but I'm sure he wouldn't mind me offering his boss a cup."

"Your apartment is all packed up. It doesn't look like you're living here or there" Gibbs observed.

"I've mostly been living here and storing things up in my apartment because there isn't enough space here. My lease is up at the end of the month and I'm looking at buying a house so Tim and I can move in together properly" Hadrian said.

"You can afford a house or you're expecting McGee to pay for it?" Gibbs asked offensively.

"I can afford it" Hadrian said refusing to be baited. "I don't really like renting, it will be nice to have the security of a place of my own again." Gibbs had to agree with that idea. He was a great believer in the security of owning your own home.

"How did you meet McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"I met Tim a couple of years ago on a flight from England, I was moving here to work and Tim was coming back from a book tour" Hadrian said smiling. "We got talking and became friends. He introduced me to the building super and helped organise me renting an apartment here and we slowly became closer."

"McGee wasn't gay" Gibbs said.

"He still isn't" Hadrian replied amused. "But I'm not the first man he's been in a relationship with though he keeps it quiet, from what Tim has said the Navy Yard isn't the place to be openly anything but heterosexual."

"And are you openly 'not heterosexual'?" Gibbs demanded.

"My boss knows I'm gay, my colleagues know about Tim he's even met a few of them. I'm serious about this relationship Agent Gibbs. And so is Tim, you and the team may not know about me but Tim's other friends do" Hadrian replied calmly.

"You've obviously been worried about him. Why didn't you ring and check he was okay?"

"I've been ringing his phone but you're well aware why that didn't work. He doesn't want the team to know about me so I was respecting his wishes. I'm used to him being gone for days though usually he rings me daily we did have an argument before he left so I thought he just wasn't ready to speak to me. I was trying to give him space" Hadrian answered.

"What did you fight about?" Gibbs asked frowning.

"With all respect Sir that's between Tim and I. We'll discuss it when he's feeling a little better" Hadrian replied.

Gibbs glared at the younger man dating his agent but it had little effect. He secretly had to admit he was impressed with the young man's courage to stand up to him.

"It must have been one hell of a fight for you to pack up and take all your clothes" Gibbs commented.

"Hmm" Hadrian agreed busying himself with the meal preparation, refusing to say any more about it.

"Tim was dating a redhead a couple of months ago…" Gibbs began.

"He wasn't dating Rochelle" Hadrian refuted calmly. "She just did him a favour and rescued him from one of Abby's nights out."

"Rescued? Abby's nights out are that bad?" Gibbs asked surprised. "She's his best friend."

"Haven't you heard Tim try to get out of going out clubbing or to concerts with her? I'm sure you would have heard the music Tim said she plays in her lab. Would you want to go to a club that played music like that at ear-damaging decibels all night?" Hadrian asked. "Not to mention that Abby isn't your typical goth. The others all look down on people who dress like normal people. Tim doesn't exactly fit in with her friends" Hadrian was careful to keep his criticisms away from Abby herself.

"If it's that bad why'd Tim agree to go?" Gibbs asked concerned.

"Honestly? You don't know why everyone on your team bends over backwards to avoid upsetting Abby?" Hadrian asked disbelievingly.

"She's Tim's best friend" Gibbs repeated.

"No she's not. Tim's just Abby's favourite chew toy" Hadrian argued as he dished up the food and handed a plate to Gibbs.

"This is good" Gibbs said surprised after tasting it.

"Thanks, no need to sound so surprised" Hadrian grumbled.

"There's more vegetables on my plate than I'd normally eat in a week" Gibbs admitted.

Hadrian laughed. "You just need to learn better ways of cooking them. I'm not a fan of plain boiled veg either" he said.

"You didn't say what you did for a living?" Gibbs asked slyly.

"No I didn't. I do some consulting for the FBI, Homeland and the NSA but most of what I do is classified Agent Gibbs" Hadrian replied, hoping it wouldn't be enough to make him recognise him. It wasn't and Gibbs respected that Hades wasn't going to tell him more.

Gibbs finished his meal. "Thanks for the food. I'll send ducky over tomorrow to check on Tim" he said making his way towards the door.

"I promise you that Tim won't require the services of a medical examiner. I plan to keep him alive" Hadrian said amused.

Gibbs snorted in amusement. "Ducky also looks after the team injuries and medical needs. It's better than wasting hours sitting in some GP clinic surrounded by people couching up god knows what illnesses at you."

"Okay then I'll expect him tomorrow, though I am capable of looking after his wound" Hadrian agreed.

Just before Gibbs left, the answering machine took a call and Hadrian heard his mother ask if Tim was all right and telling him that they were on their way to see him.

"Have you met the in-laws?" Gibbs asked.

"No and I don't think tonight would be a good night for it either" Hadrian said sighing. "Tim hasn't spoken to his father in a long time and emotions are likely going to run high."

Gibbs left and Hadrian cleaned up before casting a charm to alert him when Tim woke up before returning upstairs to Teddy.

"I really need to tell them about each other" he said to himself. "I can't keep spelling one or the other to sleep while I look after the other."

-o0o-

Tim woke up feeling much better. He was about to get up and go looking for Hades when he noticed a note on the table beside the bed.

Tim,

Your director must have informed your family that you were injured. Your parents are on their way and their flight gets in at five. There's a chicken casserole in the slow cooker which will be ready about seven and the fresh bread in the bread-maker should be ready then too.

I'll be upstairs. Call me when they leave for the night.

H.

Tim sighed as he read that his parents were coming. He loved his mother and it would be good to see her. Good to see his father too if he'd keep his opinions about Tim's job to himself. However, he felt uneasy about the situation between he and Hades and really wanted to talk to him before he had to face anyone else. He picked up the phone and rang Hades.

"Hadrian Black" Hadrian answered.

"Hey I got your note" Tim said.

"Yeah I figured you wouldn't want to introduce me to your family until we got things sorted out so I made myself scarce. Particularly after what you've said about your father. I didn't expect you to wake up so soon. Did you need any help before they get here?" Hadrian asked.

Tim sighed. "You did the right thing. My father and I haven't got along very well since I refused to join the Navy. He and I haven't spoken in several years. He is also known for campaigning against the presence of women or homosexual men on Navy vessels so I don't think he'll be too accepting of our relationship. I've only ever told them about girlfriends in the past."

"I understand Tim. I don't have a family but most of my friends back in England wouldn't accept our relationship either and now isn't the time to bring up the issue with them until we've sorted things out ourselves" Hadrian replied. "Call me and I'll come down as soon as they leave. Even if you're too tired to talk I want to see that you're okay. The last couple of days have been hell."

"Okay. I love you Hades" Tim said.

"I love you Tim"

"We still have an hour before my parents get here" Tim suggested.

"And you're going to need all your energy to deal with them" Hadrian reminded him. "Are you happy to entertain your parents in your pyjamas or do you want me to come down and help you get dressed."

Tim looked down at his bare chest. "Please help me put a shirt on" he said.

"I can do better than that" Hadrian said.

After helping Tim into a loose pyjama top and transfiguring Tim's pyjamas into something his father would find more suitable Hadrian had flown around the unit checking he'd removed his belongings and put away anything of Tim's that indicated a second person normally lived in the flat before the Admiral could arrive. Luckily all his stress relief cleaning and packing up when he wasn't sure Tim wanted him to stay was an advantage now, everything was perfectly clean and tidy. He kissed Tim quickly and left only minutes before Admiral McGee and his wife arrived.

"Why are you here?" Tim asked surprised to see his father turn up in full dress whites.

"SecNav said you were shot" Admiral Thomas McGee stated.

"Yeah, four days ago" Tim replied unimpressed. "I've been hurt worse than this before. You've never come to check on me."

"I've only just heard about it. Why didn't you at least inform your mother? And how does a computer analyst manage to get themselves shot?" Admiral McGee huffed angry at being questioned like that.

"I'm a field agent Dad" Tim said for what must have been the tenth time since he'd joined NCIS. Like the last nine or more times his father ignored him.

"Are you okay? Will it heal without any permanent damage?" Heather McGee asked.

"The surgeon couldn't promise 100% return of function but he thinks it should be enough to pass my physical to get back into the field" Tim replied.

"Are you sure you want to back out in the field if it's so dangerous?" Heather asked.

"It's what I do Mom" Tim said firmly.

"What exactly do you do that you could get shot?" Heather said worriedly. "I thought you were safe investigating computer crime. Didn't they promote you for your computer expertise?"

"I do spend a lot of time doing computer searches and breaking encryptions to get data off suspects' computers or to check a suspect's communications and financial details but I'm on the MCRT, NCIS's top team, we investigate murders and serious crimes. Often I'm out investigating crime scenes or interviewing witnesses but sometimes I am needed to help arrest or take down a suspect. Don't worry most days the most dangerous thing I do is get in the car while Ziva or Gibbs are driving." Tim tried to reassure his mother, who didn't get the joke.

"So will the person who shot you be charged? When will the trial be?" Thomas asked.

"No" Tim replied calmly.

"Why not? He shot you. Even if he hadn't meant to hit you it's assaulting a federal agent" his mother protested.

"You can't charge a dead man" Tim said bluntly.

"Someone killed him?" Heather said shocked.

"That's what tends to happen when someone stands in the open and shoots at a federal agent Mom" Tim said gently.

"Who killed him?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know" Tim replied. "I've been in the hospital so I haven't kept up with the investigation, but Gibbs, Tony and I all hit him so we have to wait for the autopsy and ballistics results to see who made the kill shot."

"You seem awfully calm about possibly having killed a man" Thomas said surprised. For all his lifetime career in the navy he'd never been responsible for firing the weapons or giving the orders that resulted in a man's death.

"It was a good shoot. Whoever killed him, saved my life, and Tony's too. They'll be cleared of any wrongdoing and allowed back in the field by now" Tim replied.

"It's never that easy to take a life Tim" the Admiral said finally concerned about something.

"I know that but he wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. Don't worry Dad I can deal. I have friends that will help if I need to talk it out."

There was an awkward silence before Tim's mother noticed the smell of cooking and baking bread. "Someone's been looking after you" she commented questioningly.

"A friend and neighbour made them" Tim replied smiling at his mom.

"Is she nice?" Heather McGee asked making Tim blush is what she thought was embarrassment over a girl he liked but Tim knew was discomfort at lying to his mother.

"They're no doubt taking advantage of your injury to show you how well they could look after you. Don't get taken in by them Tim" the Admiral warned.

"I'm sure their only motive was to help me out. I'm not an Admiral, so there's not a lot of women jockeying to become the next Mrs McGee. What I do doesn't attract a lot of women, and those it does attract tend to be a little bit crazy" Tim replied not sure whether to be insulted that his father thought him that naive.

"That ridiculous car of yours gives the impression that you have more money than you do" Thomas replied.

"Well if my car's responsible for the amazing cooking I've been getting lately I'll drive it til I'm eighty" Tim said trying to avoid losing his temper with his father.

"It does smell amazing" Heather agreed.

"There's more than enough for three. Are you staying for dinner?" Tim invited.

"No I have an official dinner to go to" Thomas said checking his watch. "We must go" he said to his wife.

"You look really nice Mom" Tim said boosting her confidence.

"Thanks Tim, you look good too, other than looking ill of course. You've been working out" Heather replied gratefully.

"And eating a lot more home cooked meals" Tim couldn't resist one more dig at his father.

"I'd like to meet this friend" Heather said softly.

"Really Mom? Even if it's someone I know Dad would disapprove of?" Tim asked equally quietly.

"Would he?" Heather asked concerned.

"Not everybody Dad disapproves of is a bad person, Mom" Tim replied.

"Your father's a very astute man, Tim" Heather replied sternly.

"My father is also very narrow minded" Tim argued.

"I've got to go. He'll be angry if I make him late" Heather said worriedly.

"Blame me" Tim told her giving her a one-armed hug. "Have a good night. I'll call you in a couple of days."

"I'd rather stay home with you" Heather said sighing. "But it wouldn't look good for your father if I wasn't there."

"Just like it wouldn't have looked good if he couldn't say he'd seen me and I'm alright after he'd been told of the shooting?" Tim said cynically. He went back in and shut the door before his mom could reply. He was on his new cell phone before he reached the bed. "I need you" was all he said.

A/N: Thank you to icyquest4, lgbtlovechick, charm13insomnia, julschristine975, Luluca Amekaze, eyann85, Kourtney Uzu Yato, Guest, xDarklightx, gabrieljuarezl, LuckyNumber1, Firehedgehog, dadysprinces1994, DS2010, lilly-flower15, Dreamwind1, Rori Potter, Afrodity, Syret, avidereader101, acherongoddess, Merlenyn, buterflypuss, aoin88, Almonda, Silvermane1, Locket1, Village-Mystic, A Random Bowser, Fandommember, Vladimir Mithrander, Maben00, Magouille, KalShadal, Blackest of the Soul, DaemonWolfe, lotje01, Not A Muggle, artie em, salahidden, Aiko819, ANGEL-BABY9868, PotterAvenged, Tom Tardis, FlameArrow18, Encrypted Silence, Sandringham, mdclj4331, dnjs7365, MookFree07, Heaven Cross, Photon Stars, Noomii, kikawd, birdkids55, charms92, rosiegirl1666, Saishi55, DarlingAbyss, Mijakicalnight, catspaw439, anndvos, 96flowers, punkrockwriter13, Rike1Rike2, ProfFrankly and clinekorky7 for your support.