Chapter 38

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 want to share it post a link.

-o0o-

Hadrian stormed into Gibbs house early Saturday morning and following Tim's directions down to the basement.

"How could you ignore that Tim was injured for hours and hours?" He demanded without waiting to be acknowledged.

"Where's Tim?" Gibbs asked concerned.

"In surgery" Hadrian snapped. Healer Roberts had detailed exactly what he would have needed to do to if he were to treat Tim's injury the muggle way. Hadrian had comforted Tim until he fell asleep then cast a light sleeping charm on his husband so he wouldn't wake up while Hadrian was out confronting Gibbs. "He needed to have the whole wound debrided and then the layers of muscle repaired. The plastic surgeons are still hopeful of a complete recovery but said that the risk of infection is very high because he waited so long before coming to the hospital. Why didn't you or Ducky send him for proper treatment straight away?"

"And to make him drive that bloody dog back to the yard and let Abby abuse him like that. He shouldn't have been driving at all with his injuries and the amount of cocaine in his system from the dog bites" Hadrian continued ranting.

Unbeknownst to him his magical aura was flaring just below the visible range, making Gibbs hair stand on end as a never before experienced breeze blew around the basement.

"What was he even doing at the back door by himself? Why wasn't someone with him. There were four of you. Did you really need three people at the front door that much? Why didn't you call for backup rather than making Tim take such a risk?"

"We really didn't think there was a risk. We believed the house was empty" Gibbs replied.

"He could have died Gibbs. I could have lost him" Hadrian began to sob, turning in an instant from someone even Gibbs was wary of into a worried spouse. "I've got to go."

"You shouldn't be driving. Would you like me to drive you back to the hospital?" Gibbs offered.

"No! I'm fine, unlike Tim I haven't just been injured" Hadrian snapped bitterly. "I don't want you anywhere near Tim. You can wait to see him on Monday. I'm sure he'll insist that I bring him in to work. If I had my way Agent Gibbs, Tim would be applying for a transfer to a team that will give him the respect he deserves and back him up in the field properly. He has received offers from most of the other agencies here in Washington and I would happily leave DC if he wanted to stay with NCIS and be posted elsewhere. Make no mistake Gibbs things need to improve in your team if you want to keep my husband." He subtly cast a couple of spells, one to make Gibbs remember his words and take his threat seriously, and the other to permanently increase his need to protect Tim."

-o0o-

To say Gibbs was stricken to see the immobiliser sling Tim turned up in the next day indicating the seriousness of his injury, would be an understatement. His reaction when he saw the pictures of the damage and the doctor's certificate saying that Tim would be unable to use his arm at all for the next month had him cursing. He stormed down to Autopsy and threw the pictures on Ducky's desk.

"Jethro? What…" Ducky asked.

"McGee's injuries. He had surgery last night and is out of the field for three months" Gibbs said.

"I had no idea he was hurt that badly" Ducky said. "He wasn't in that much pain."

"Probably because the dog had cocaine in his teeth. I also have a letter from the doctors explaining why I won't be able to pass a random drug test for at least the next few weeks" Tim interjected, having followed his boss down.

"I'm sorry Timothy. I had no idea" Ducky apologised, horrified that he'd let an injury like that go untreated. Particularly since it was caused by a bite and was therefore a high infection risk. "Does your surgeon think you'll get full use back in the arm?" he asked.

"It's possible" Tim replied.

"Well I'll see HR and get you put on injury leave for the next month" Gibbs said. "Hang about while I get it sorted and I'll have someone give you a lift home. You didn't drive in did you?"

"No Boss Hades drove me in" Tim replied. "But I can still do computer searches and stuff."

"You were injured in the field through no fault of your own. Don't worry about your job Tim, it will be here waiting for you when you've recovered. I'm sure Hadrian will appreciate the extra hand finishing up the unpacking and settling onto the new house, even if it is only one."

Tim laughed. "I'm sure he will." He agreed thinking of his now quite pregnant husband and the struggle he was beginning to have keeping up with the active three year old they had at home. "I'd still like to finish this case though."

"Okay then, go and start the computer searches and I'll arrange a ride home at lunch. There's no need for you to be here and in pain all day."

Tim felt guilty because he wasn't in any pain and his arm was fully healed, he just wasn't able to let his non magical boss and team know that. "Thanks Boss."

-o0o-

"Abby's pressuring me to take Jethro" Tim said hesitantly as they arrived at the healer for him to reglamour the wound to show the healing beginning a couple of days later.

"To take Gibbs where?" Hadrian asked confused.

"Not Gibbs, the dog. She's renamed him Jethro and she talked the navy dog handlers into retiring him rather than reassigning him then found out her apartment doesn't allow dogs. Apparently my old apartment did. Abby rang to check. I think I'm going to have to agree to take him to get any peace" Tim said reluctantly, embarrassed to admit that Abby could manipulate him so easily.

"Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind?" Hadrian asked incredulously.

"I don't want to take him any more than you do but Abby will be impossible until I agree. I don't know what to do" Tim moaned. "She said that refusing to take him will prove to everybody that I'm a really lousy friend and can't be trusted."

"That's bullshit Abby has never been a good friend to you and she hasn't acted like a friend at all since you were shot. Don't worry about what she says about you. Everyone that knows her will just see it as another attempt to manipulate you and get her own way like a spoiled child. Abby can't get through our wards. She's never going to know if we don't keep the wretched dog" Hadrian exploded.

"If she's just planning on visiting the dog the wards wouldn't register that as meaning me harm. She might be able to get through the wards" Tim said uncertainly.

"Then I can set another ward specifically keyed to keep her out" Hadrian pointed out.

"You said you're already at the maximum amount of wards we can have without destroying the neighbours' electronics" Tim reminded him.

Hadrian sighed. "Yeah we are" he agreed reluctantly.

"That dog is a trained drug dog. It's never been trained to be a pet. It's never been around children. What about Teddy. He's only a little boy if he's rough with the dog he could be attacked, and the baby in a couple of months when it starts to crawl" Hadrian pointed out.

"What are we going to do?" Tim moaned.

"Well I'd like to sick that dog on Miss Abby Scuito, or we could agree to keep the dog only until her lease runs out. I could permanently transfigure him into a stuffed toy or statue of a dog until she's ready to take him or we could contact Pax River and hand the dog over to them. You said that they were willing to reassign the dog until Abby talked them into letting her keep him" Hadrian replied.

"Will it hurt the dog to be transfigured like that?" Tim asked.

"No we used animals all the time in class when we were learning transfiguration and they didn't seem distressed by it' Hadrian reassured him.

"And can you be sure the spell won't wear off or something?" Tim asked.

"With the level of power I have the spell should last years if not decades but we could keep the toy in the cage just in case if it makes you feel safer" Hadrian suggested. "This is the only way I'm willing to have that killer in our home so it's either I transfigure it into something harmless or you find another home for it Tim" he added firmly.

"Yeah I don't want it here and it would be easier if it's a toy we won't have to feed it or walk it or clean up after it" Tim agreed to the plan. "Can you meet me at the Navy Yard after work tomorrow and make it sleep or something until we get it home?"

"Of course' Hadrian said hugging Tim as he realised how frightened he still was of the dog. "It might be better to stop somewhere and do the transfiguration too. We don't want the neighbours seeing us bring a dog into the house and then have it disappear. Not to mention I'm not sure we'd get the dog through the wards unless it's been rendered harmless."

"We don't have to keep the dog in the house at all. We could keep it in your apartment or hire a storage shed for it. It's not like a plushie toy needs company or supervision" Hadrian suggested. Tim had a few weeks left on the lease on his apartment and his lease hadn't allowed him to sublet so it was sitting empty. This suited Tim just fine as it meant that he didn't have to file a change of address at work and explain how he was now affording to live in such an expensive house.

"But then we'd have to go and check on it every day so that it wouldn't starve if the spell wore off" Tim objected.

"I think the notification charms for intruders would trigger if it became a large dog again" Hadrian replied. "I could tweak them a bit to make sure. You know though the simplest thing would be to talk to Gibbs and get him to make her back off. He was genuinely upset when he realised how badly you'd been bitten.

"A dog who has mauled a human as badly as this should be put down" Healer Roberts said.

"But he was cleared of murder" Tim replied.

"Murder? What murder? I'm talking about your injuries" the healer said firmly.

"He's right Tim. Even if he didn't kill his handler he would have killed you if you hadn't shot him. He's not safe to have around children" Hadrian said. "It would be one thing if he were going back into service where he was with a trained handler. But neither of us nor Abby is. What would happen if she kept him and took him for a walk one day and one of the children in the park got too close and upset him somehow?"

Tim paled "You're right. I'll contact Pax River."

-o0o-

Tim did contact Pax River and they agreed to take the dog. He also told them about the entire incident how while the dog had been cleared of any involvement with the death of his handler he had seriously mauled an NCIS agent. They requested that he email the photos of the agent's injuries and after seeing them decided that the dog was to undergo strenuous retraining before being cleared to return to the field.

"Your scientist Miss Scuito seemed very attached to the dog" he commented. "What lead to the change of heart?"

"Not attached enough to break her lease and move to housing that allows pets" Tim said dryly. "She's still against putting the dog back into service and is pressing me to adopt the dog for her but I'm worried about the safety of my children."

"If the dog does not pass its retraining it will be put down. In no way, could I tell anyone that this dog would be a safer family pet. They're not trained that way and having mauled someone once it will always be a risk of doing it again. I know there were extenuating circumstances but frankly that's the only reason Butch is even being given a chance at retraining" the head of the dog handling division said.

"If you can give me a time for the collection, I'll make sure Abby isn't present" Tim offered.

-o0o-

"I need you to get Abby out of the yard by sixteen-hundred tomorrow afternoon" Tim said to Gibbs.

"Why? What's happening at sixteen hundred?" Gibbs asked.

"The handlers from Pax River are coming to collect Butch" Tim said bluntly.

"Abby told me you wanted the dog" Gibbs said questioningly.

"I have a small child at home Gibbs, and another on the way. Why would I possibly want a dangerous dog in the house?" Tim asked.

"Then why do Abby, Tony and Ziva all believe you wanted the dog?" Gibbs asked.

"Abby wanted me to take the dog because I'm the only person she thinks she can manipulate that doesn't have a lease that precludes pets. And once Abby decided I should take him no other possible outcomes existed in her mind" Tim retorted. "Ziva and Tony just believe that I'll cave and go along with her to keep the peace and if it wasn't for Hades support and the risk to Teddy, I might have done."

"I'm sorry McGee. I should have realised" Gibbs broke Rule 6 for him.

Tim sighed, "The handlers will be here about Sixteen hundred tomorrow and they will be taking the dog by force if necessary. After the commander at Pax River saw the photos of my injuries he agreed that the dog isn't safe for civilian life. Butch will go through retraining and he's on his last strike. If he attempts to bite anyone else or if he fails his drug training he will be put down. If you care about Abby then have her out of here when they come."

"I'll see to it" Gibbs replied gruffly.

-o0o-

"Why didn't you let me say goodbye to Jethro" Abby demanded stomping into the bullpen they morning after the dog was collected.

"After the fuss you made last time the handlers arrived to collect him I thought it was easier for everyone if they came while you weren't there" Tim replied refusing to sound apologetic for not exposing the dog handlers to Abby's hysterics.

"You sent him back to Pax River? You were supposed to take him home with you McGee. You can't just abandon your responsibilities like that. Call Pax River and get them to bring him back" Abby ordered.

"I told you time and again that I didn't want to take the dog. That dog nearly killed me and I would never feel safe in its presence" Tim replied barely keeping control of his temper.

"But Timmy how could you do that to Jethro? He needs a living home" Abby demanded.

"He's a working dog Abby, he'll be happier with a purpose in life" Tim replied.

"But I'll never see him if he's reallocated a handler" Abby pouted.

"Pax River is just over ninety minutes from here. I'm sure his new handler would let you visit if you're prepared to follow his rules about the dog" Tim said exasperated at her selfishness.

"You should have kept him. He was your responsibility.

"No he wasn't Abby, it was your insistence that he not go back to work that made him homeless. He was your responsibility" Tim argued futilely.

"You shot him" Abby screeched, "you owed him a home."

"I shot him in defence of my life. Surely you wouldn't have preferred that I lay there and let him kill me" Tim said bluntly.

"What? No of course not but Jethro wouldn't have killed you" Abby argued. "I told Jethro that you would take him and give him a home. He deserves a real home after all he's been through."

"And I have a right to feel safe in my own home Abby" Tim yelled. "It's time that you learned that the world in general and my life in particular doesn't have to bow down to meet every little desire of one Ms Abigail Scuito! You didn't want to keep him. You insisted he was my responsibility" Tim said. "So, I did what was in everyone's best interest including Butch."

"His name is Jethro" Abby yelled.

"The dog's name is Butch. You can't just change an adult dog's name" Gibbs replied. "And Tim should never have been in the position of having to decide the dog's care. He was a lot more generous with Butch than I would've been. He argued that the dog deserved a chance at retraining rather than being put down."

"They weren't going to put him down. Jethro was cleared of the murder" Abby argued.

"But not of the attempted murder of McGee. Once the handlers at Pax River saw McGee's injuries they decided he wasn't safe to retire" Gibbs replied. "It's done Abby. Let it go! That's an order."

"I'm going to see Jethro" Abby declared.

"You can't" Tim said. "Butch is not allowed access to anyone except his handler while he's in retraining. And if you keep calling him Jethro while his handlers call him Butch you're going to confuse the poor dog."

"You've got him locked up in prison" Abby screeched moving to slap Tim.

Gibbs caught her hand. "You ever try to slap one of my agents again I'll have you up on disciplinary action" he threatened.

-o0o-

Six weeks later Tim got a call from the officer at Pax River informing him that Butch had attempted to bite a handler and had been put down.

-o0o-

Hadrian rang Tim about five o'clock on a Wednesday night. Luckily, they were in the office writing up the reports for the case they'd just closed.

"McGee" Tim answered distractedly.

"Hi Tim. I need you to come home" Hadrian replied. His voice sounded a little off as if he was grimacing.

"Is everything okay?" Tim asked concerned.

"Everything's fine but I'm in labour. Tollie is bathing Teddy now and Zillie is cooking them dinner but

I need to go to the hospital" Hadrian said.

"Do you want me to meet you there?" Tim asked.

"I'm not sure where it is. It will be quicker if you come home here and we use the portkey that Healer Tulen gave us. I've already called him and he'll meet us there" Hadrian explained.

"I'll just tell Gibbs and I'll be on my way. Do you need me to use the emergency portkey?" he asked trying to be quiet but starting to panic.

"No the healer said I still have a couple of hours before I absolutely need to be there but to come as soon as I can because there's no need to put up with the contractions when I can't deliver that way anyway" Hadrian said calmly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can" Tim said "I love you."

"I love you too" Hadrian replied.

Tim hung up and looked at his team leader. "Boss I've got to go. I've got the report format on my tablet and can work on it at home and print it for you first thing in the morning" he said anxiously.

"Got a hot date McGoo? You know Boss won't just let us leave like that" Tony replied.

Gibbs however looked at his young agent assessingly. "Is everything all right?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah! I just really need to be home right now" Tim answered urgently.

"Go then. You can explain in the morning" Gibbs replied, insinuating that the explanation had better be a good one.

"Thanks Boss" Tim said grabbing his stuff and just about running to the elevator.

"How come we have to stay and finish our reports if McGee gets to snip out early?" Ziva asked.

"I think you mean cut out Ziva" Tony corrected. "But she's right Boss we should be allowed to finish our reports tomorrow too?"

"Weren't you listening when he asked to leave? He obviously got some news that upset him and made him need to go. Tim will complete his report tonight. And it's been weeks since I've had to send his reports back to him to fix the information contained or the spelling and grammar so the draft he gives me first thing in the morning is likely to be the final copy so his report will still probably be finished before yours Ziva" Gibbs replied.

Tim hurried home and found Hadrian calmly waiting in the lounge with his bag packed and beside him. Teddy was playing on the floor at his feet with Tollie watching from across the room as she dusted the already immaculate room to keep herself busy. "You are allowed to just sit and watch him, or join in playing with his toys if you like" Hadrian was telling the conscientious elf.

"I knows Master Hadrian" Tollie replied. "I enjoys beings cleaning and Master Teddy is happys with you."

"He's happy playing with you too" Hadrian reassured her.

"Are you ready to go?" Tim asked rushing over to help Hadrian to his feet.

"As soon as I've had a hug from Teddy" Hadrian replied reaching out for the little boy who happily ran over. Tim picked him up hugging him before holding him out so he could hug Hadrian without Hadrian taking his weight.

"Bye Teddy, be good for Tollie and we'll see you tomorrow" Hadrian said calmly.

"Bye Teddy" Tim said kissing the little boy on the forehead.

"Teddy come too" Teddy asked.

"Sorry Teddy you can't come with us" Tim said firmly. "We're going to be late home and you need your sleep so you have plenty of energy to play tomorrow."

"Harry and Tim play with me tomorrow?" Teddy asked.

"I'll definitely play with you after work tomorrow" Tim replied smiling at the little boy and putting him down in front of his toys. He picked up the bag and Hadrian held out the portkey making sure they were both touching it before saying the activation phrase.

A/N: Thank you to Gottahavemyncis, icyquest4, Rori Potter, Vladimir Mithrander, julschristine975, sifshadowheart, lilly-flower15, Bella216, .9, Almonda, Locket1, BCgurlie, SpiritBlackPaw, Winged Dire Wolf7, xDarklightx, Lady Rosencrantz, charm13insomnia, Firehedgehog, serenityselena, notsofrilly, Guest, DS2010, mother oracle, gabrieljuarezl, buterflypuss, acherongoddess, Magouille, TheHuntresss, Silvermane1, mayawene, PercyJacksonROCKS4ever, Dedicated4reading, Kris (Guest), Gracie15Trowa, DavidNeko, sunnyskies07, IcyThing, Naezee, ciel-de-crystal, chivini, Sehmet, Harriet Noir, Beautiful Kaos, CrimsonHellcat, mmagicwolf, DavusAntonius, rbone5, flagirl91, Lilypad1820, Skye Kitten, The Lazy Princess, Readerholic90, Gaia-GoddessofEarth, InkWave, Alathea18, PianoGirl1932, viki83, Cat728, , 0Thunderbird0 and Chishio Ame for your support.