Cassiopeia Black cooed as she looked up at her mummy who was bouncing her on her knee. "I don't think I'm ready," Bella called to her wife. This wasn't a new conversation. They had been talking about this for the past couple of weeks. The baby was turning 12 weeks today which meant she was old enough to attend the daycare at the ministry and Bella could go back to work to deal with Kate who had been on paid leave since the fiasco in Diagon Alley. "She's too small," she looked down at her little girl. She had grown quite a bit since leaving the hospital but she was rather petite for a three month old baby. "The other babies will bully her for being small."
Hermione laughed coming into the room with a large bag, "your arguments are getting weaker and weaker. She's ready darling and they need you back at work."
"No, they don't. I know what kind of employee I am. Trust me they are better off without me."
"I know you are going to miss Cass," Hermione walked over and grabbed a few extra onesies and put them in the bag. She had gone back to work the week prior so she knew what Bella was going through. "At least she'll be at the ministry. You can go visit her as often as you'd like. Luna wouldn't dream of telling you to leave."
"She'll be too far," Bella pulled the baby up to a standing position. Cass was making her happy noises reaching for dark curls to put into her mouth. "She needs me."
Hermione would never get used to how adorable her wife was around their daughter. Cass truly had the dark witch wrapped around her finger, "the daycare is on the same floor as the DMLE just a couple of suites down."
Bella looked up at her wife and pouted, "but I need her."
Hermione put the bag down, walking over to the rocking chair, squatting in front of her wife and baby. "I know you do, love. She just a short walk down the hallway. I promise you, everything will be okay."
Bella laughed, "after everything we've been through the past couple of years, do you really think I'm going to believe that?"
"Well no," Hermione kissed the top of their daughter's head before standing up, "but I had to try."
"Are we sure we trust Luna to watch her?"
"She's been watching the babies for a month now," Hermione shrugged. "Nothing has happened to James or Lyra. Oh and I think little Freddy has been going."
"Junior Superior Weasley is there?"
"Does that change your mind about going today?"
"No," she said as a matter of fact. "But at least there will be one classy baby there besides Cass."
"Lyra is your niece."
"I said what I said," she turned back to her baby. "Now," she rested her forehead against Cass's, who instantly reached out and grabbed at Bella's face. "We don't associate with the Potter baby. We are not friends with the Potters. Not willingly anyways. Junior Superior Weasley is fine to socialize with as long as no other Weasleys show up. And Lyra is okay in moderation only. Remember us Blacks are a higher class than the rest of them that includes the Malfoys," she kissed Cass's cheeks rapidly causing the baby to squeal.
"Bella," Hermione walked back over and slapped her wife on the arm, grabbing her baby. "Don't listen to your mummy. She's a pure blood snob. You can certainly be friends with whomever you fancy," she whispered, "even if they will be a Gryffindor."
"Absolutely not," Bella stood up trying to reach for her baby. "No daughter of mine will be seen socializing with a Gryffindor aside from you of course, pet. That's been my long standing rule that I intend to pass down onto our future generations."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "so I guess putting her into this little lion onesie isn't happening today."
"Where did you get that rubbish from?" Bella walked over picking out a suitable black onesie for her baby. "She can wear this. She's going to shit all over it anyways."
"You can't always dress her in black."
"I know that," she reached in and pulled out a handful of green, silver, purple and white onesies. "See there's a variety."
"I fail to see any maroon in that pile."
"That is very interesting," Bella smirked and took the baby back from Hermione. "I'll get her ready. Did you have Twiggy make the bottles for Luna?"
"I'll go check to see that they are ready. Meet me downstairs? It's Cass's first floo trip. I'm a little nervous."
"That's what you are nervous about? Please. Baby's usually floo home from the hospital. We could apparate if you want but I'm not flushing myself down the toilet with the baby. That's just ridiculous."
Hermione laughed, "no the floo is fine. I'll meet you downstairs."
Bella waited until after she was sure Hermione had made it downstairs. "First things first," she said to her daughter. "We need to dispose of this," she held the lion onesie up with a disgusted face. "Looks like something Lovegood would've made." She walked Cass over and laid her down on the changing table. "Should I light it on fire?" She laughed when Cass made a happy noise. "Yes, we do love a good fire," she tickled the baby's belly. "No," Bella sighed. "If I light it on fire I'll be sleeping in the library. I hate when your mum makes me sleep in the library. I'll just have one of the elves hide it later." She folded it up and put it in the back of the bottom drawer of the baby's dresser. "How's your nappy?" She checked to see if it was soiled and decided to change it anyway. "Might as well be fresh for your classmates." She chuckled and removed her pajamas the rest of the way. "Well I can't resist that little belly now can I?" She bent over and blew raspberries on Cass's belly. The little baby started laughing. Ever since she learned how to smile and laugh, Bella made it a goal to hear those sweet sounds at least once a day. "You are too cute and I'm afraid that you already know it," she scrunched up the black onesie and pulled it over her head. Her few sparse black curls sprung when she pulled her head through. "Yes, this is perfect." She adjusted the onesie and snapped it over the fresh nappy. "No one will forget your name." She tickled under her chin and pointed to the Cassiopeia constellation on her onesie. Then she pulled up a pair of black leggings and a little green tutu. "You are so cute I just want to bite you sometimes," she picked up her baby and carried her over to the muggle car seat. When the baby started to fuss, "I know mummy doesn't like this part either." She quickly put her in and buckled the straps. "There," she wiped the tears from Cass's eyes and covered her with a little gray blanket covered in snakes. "All done. Now, let's go find your mum."
Hermione was standing by the fireplace with the large baby bag over her shoulder. "I need to start lifting weights if I'm going to be lugging this thing around."
"You are a witch. You could shrink it," Bella laughed.
"It's fine," Hermione pulled the blanket down and peeked at the baby's outfit. "It's not a lion onesie but it's pretty cute."
"She's gorgeous and you know it," Bella leaned over the car seat and kissed her wife. "Let's get this day over with."
"But you get to yell at Kate. You love yelling at her."
"I do," Bella smiled as she walked into the floo with her one arm around Hermione's waist and the other one wrapped through the car seat.
"Ministry of Magic," Hermione called out as she dropped the powder into the fireplace.
When they exited the other side, Bella grip tightened on her daughter's carrier, "why don't you go on up to the office. I'll get the baby settled in with Lovegood."
"I feel like I should be there. To say goodbye."
"No," Bella shook her head. "You are a very busy woman," she pointed to the group of people trying to get Hermione's attention. "You go on. I know the information to pass along and how about we both spend lunch with Cass?"
"If you insist," Hermione said as Bella was removing the bag from her shoulder. "Goodbye my love," she bent down and kissed Cass on the forehead. "I'm going to miss you today."
"She always misses you," she kissed her wife once more. "See you later, pet." She shooed her away toward the people who were waiting. Once she got to the lift with the baby, "now that we've gotten rid of her," she looked at her baby, "you are coming to the office with mummy today."
Kate had been sitting in Bella's office for over 30 minutes without the dark witch saying anything to her. This was more torturous than if her boss would've just been yelling at her. She had prepared for that. This was a new level of punishment that she decidedly didn't like. "Is the yelling going to start soon?" She knew she had to be in some sort of trouble. Kate had been on sabbatical since the confrontation and was told that her boss would handle the situation when she got back. The Ministry didn't feel comfortable making the disciplinary call and Harry deferred it to Bella. Of course he did, he never did have a backbone, is what Kate told her husband when she was sent home from work. "I've been sitting at home for 12 weeks. I've been anticipating the verbal assault I would get from you when you return and you won't even look at me. Don't you want to hear my side of the story?" Bella turned around slowly in her chair and the site caused Kate's mouth to turn up into a smirk. Cass was strapped to Bella's chest, facing out staring at the hufflepuff. "What's she doing here?"
"If you fuck up on the job one more time then she will be your replacement," Bella tried to surpress her chuckle when the baby made a happy noise.
"She has a little spit up," Kate pointed to the area of her chin where Cass would've been dirty.
"And yet she's still classier than you," Bella rolled her eyes and pulled out a burp cloth, cleaning her baby's chin. "So tell me," she put the cloth on her desk, "why is it everyone here besides me works under one shared brain cell?"
Kate stared at her boss, "I feel like that's rhetorical."
"We have plans in place for a reason, Kate. What could you possibly have been thinking that day? Draco said he told you that Potter said to call it off. Why would you go ahead with everything just you and the prostitute?"
"Ex-prostitute."
Bella put her hands over her baby's ears, "I don't care who the fuck she is or what her occupation was. You once again put your own life in danger. Why? You are the most reckless human being I've ever met and I'm me! I can only defend you so many times before someone takes action against you, Kate. You know there was talk of sending you to Azkaban?" She took a breather and gave herself a moment to refocus. "So I'm in the hospital, almost dead from labor and I have to deal with her," she pointed to her baby, "and have to keep your ass from going to prison. So," her eyes narrowed, "what were you thinking?"
12 weeks earlier*
"Aunt Bella went into labor. She was rushed to the hospital and Harry says that it's not looking great. He told us to call it off and get over to Mungos."
Kate's face remained neutral. "Okay," she softened slightly. "You go on ahead and Kandi and I will set a scene for him then obliviate his memories so he has no recollection of what happened here today but so that he still remembers Kandi so we can do this again."
"And that's it," Draco gave her a look knowing his partner a little too well. "Right?"
"Right," Kate thinned her lips and nodded. "Then I'll be right over and Kandi can go home and wait for further instruction and a new go date." Draco stood unmoving, his eyes darting from the lump of a man on the floor to Kate. "It's fine Draco. Trust me. Go, Bella needs you. I'll be there shortly."
He hesitated before shaking his head and apparating from the hotel room. "So how are we going to do this? I'm not good with memory magic," Kandi started to clean up the bedroom.
"Oh we aren't doing that."
"But you said…"
"I know why I said but we have the murderer here and if he honestly though I was just going to let him walk away then Draco doesn't know me all that well."
"Oh he knew," Kandi's smart mouth was coming into play. "What makes you think we can handle him?"
"He's unconscious and we have his wand. We can bind him and make him talk. Keep him incapacitated and when the poly juice wears off, we wake his ass up and get a confession."
"And when Harry and Draco can't come because your supervisor is in hospital giving birth to what I assume is a premature baby?"
"I haven't worked it out that far in advance yet but give me a minute," Kate started pacing the room while Kandi shook her head and went over to get comfortable on the bed.
"Any idea who this asshole is going to turn into when that potion wears off?"
"Not a clue," Kate shrugged, casting a feather light charm on the imposter Arthur and lifting him up into the desk chair. She quickly conjured some rope and tied it around his body. She also tied his wrists and ankles for good measure. "I think Bella was getting close to figuring it out but I don't think she got that far. But I can tell you when this fucker wakes up there's no way he is moving." She picked up his wand and walked it over to the bed. "I should snap his fucking wand in half right now."
"That's illegal," Kandi laughed. "I guess the ex cons aren't the only criminals around."
"I'm not actually going to do it," Kate rolled her eyes. "This piece of shit deserves it though. After what he did to my mom."
"Your mom?"
"She was one of the victims from his first wave of assaults back in the 90s," Kate wouldn't make eye contact with the woman sitting next to her. "So believe me when I say, whatever happens to him is what he truly deserves."
"Okay," Kandi didn't need to say anymore than that. Kate knew that she had her full support no matter what happened when the imposter Weasley woke up.
A few hours had passed without any movement from the man and suddenly Kate felt herself being shaken awake, "you fell asleep," the prostitute hissed at her. "He's moving," she pointed across the room to the chair that wasn't facing them. "And look. No more red hair."
The man's brunette hair covered head was lulling back and forth as if he was trying to wake up, "time to see who this son of a bitch really is."
present time*
"So you just tied him up and hoped for the best. What didn't you do though? You didn't search him. That's DMLE 101, Kate. Honestly snapping his wand wouldn't have caused as much grief and paperwork around here. Now tell me," Bella leaned in closer. "How did it feel finding out your father was the one who killed your mother all those years ago? I figured it out that day. I was just about to tell Potter and then everything happened so fast. When I came to after I found out my daughter survived, I asked Potter where you were. I was afraid you had done something stupid."
"I can take care of myself," Kate didn't budge.
"Oh I'm well aware of that," Bella's voice was no longer soft. "We are a team here Kate. The vigilante shit only takes you so far. Did you think maybe a good idea would've been to transport him to a holding cell while he was unconscious and under the featherweight charm? Lock him up until you had proper backup? Someone could've helped you Kate. But no you weren't thinking. You went in with your gut and forgot to use your brain. You damn hufflepuffs. Drumbledore really should've kept you on a tighter leash. I blame Pomona for that one."
"You sent Harry and Draco after me," Kate shrugged.
"But it was too late by then, wasn't it? Your father was already dead," she bit the inside of her cheek before continuing, "and so was Kandi."
"That was an accident," Kate hung her head. Bella assumed she was finally feeling the weight of her actions.
"The accident that almost got you a life's sentence in Azkaban," Bella wasn't sure the severity of the situation was sinking in. "So walk me through it. Convince me that I made the right decisions putting everything on the line."
"You've seen it in the pensive."
"I want to hear it from you."
*back in room 5*
Kate stood, walked across the room and spun the chair. The initial shock of what she saw caused her to stumble slightly. "What the fuck?" She whispered, staring at the man she believed to be dead since her second year of Hogwarts. "I thought you were dead."
"Well, well, well," the patronizing voice of her father sounded. "You turned out to be a nosey little bitch just like your filthy muggle mother, didn't you?" Kate's hand reacted, slapping him hard across his face before she could stop herself. He just laughed, "finally trapped your old dad. I suppose congratulations are in order."
Kate felt a presence next to her, "that's your father?"
"You are dead," Kate said again.
"Catch up, Katie. No wonder you were sorted into Hufflepuff. I'm not dead. Alive and," he looked down and shrugged, "perfectly well I suppose as soon as I get out of here and kill the both of you."
"You aren't going anywhere," Kandi spoke up. "Backup is on the way." She was acting on instinct knowing full well nobody was coming.
"I suppose you want to know why. Why did I kill your mother? Why did I murder all those women? What was in it for me?"
"Let's start with this," Kate finally came to her senses rolled up his sleeve revealing a faded dark mark before putting the tip of her wand under his chin.
"I think that's self explanatory, Katie."
"Don't!" She shouted. "You don't get to call me that."
"Fine, you want the truth. You aren't going to like any of it."
Kandi leaned over and whispered, "should we call Harry?"
"Let's have it then," Kate didn't stand down.
"I was sorted into Gryffindor. That much you knew. I was at school at the same time as those annoying idiots. Don't look at me like that. You know who I'm talking about."
"Who is he talking about?" Kandi whispered again.
"The Marauders. Bunch of jackasses. The squirrelly one always seemed to wander so I followed him. Black mailed him and got him to get me in the ranks with Tom. It worked out well until the idiot got himself killed by an infant. I didn't want to go to Azkaban so I ran that night. I went to muggle London. Funny thing, muggles weren't looking for death eaters. I had enough money saved that I wasn't desperate for a job yet. I met your mother at a bar. She was just as good as any other muggle bitch out there. Married her and a few years later you came along. It was fine until I got bored. Nobody was looking for me. My affiliation with the death eaters wasn't public knowledge. Turns out they weren't looking for Gryffindors."
Kate's grip on her wand was getting tighter. The way he was speaking of her mother like she was expendable made her want to kill him on the spot. "So you killed my mother? For fun? And what about these other women? Killing for sport?"
"When Potter went to Hogwarts there was talk that The Dark Lord was rising again. I knew I had to make my way back to the wizarding world. Got hired at the ministry. Those assholes would hire anybody. I mean look at your boss. Fucking right hand to Voldemort. Now what good is she? Married to a mudblood. A traitor to her own kind."
"Leave Bella out of this," she shot a stinging jinx at him.
He just laughed, "you can't hurt me, Katie. Not the way I can hurt you. Your mother was never truly what I wanted. The first murder was an accident. I was having fun with this woman…"
"And by fun you mean non consensual rape."
"Call it whatever you want. She was too loud. Too annoying. I killed her. This was before I started crafting polyjuice from my fellow idiots at the ministry. Your mother… she was onto me. Following me around. Nosey reporter couldn't just let me live. She really gave me no choice but to kill her." There wasn't even a glimmer of sorrow in his eyes, "you were better off without her. She was weak. Useless. Your second year at Hogwarts the Dark Lord rose. I had to go back to him. I felt the call. I faked my own death and joined his ranks once again."
"You didn't care that you left me with nan," she hated how the sentence came out as a whisper. "I got an owl post saying you died and there was no funeral. Both my parents were dead."
"Seems you turned out exactly the way I expected you to. No better than your mother," he spat the words out. "You've married a muggle. Weak. Pathetic."
"So what's your endgame? You've just confessed to everything. We have your confession on tape."
"The Dark Lord will rise again."
Kate rolled her eyes, "please. He's gone. Forever. Dead. Evaporated."
"For now," he shrugged as best he could. "My end game? It's so funny that you think you've won," he laughed. "We've been talking here for what? 20 minutes. Why haven't you killed me yet? You don't have it in you."
"Don't let him manipulate you Kate," Kandi whispered beside her. "I'm calling Harry."
"Don't," Kate shouted. "I have this under control."
"Oh please. Call Mr. Potter. I'd like to kill him next. Then I will move onto your boss. That pathetic excuse for a pureblood. Bring the minister as well. I'd like for you and her to watch as I slice open Lestrange and show her just how much of a threat I've always been…" before the words left his mouth, he had finished working the knots loose on his wrist bindings and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Kandi. "You can't save them all Katie," were the last words her father spoke as she cast the killing curse but not before he pulled the trigger, sending Kandi to the ground as the light left his own eyes.
Kate immediately dropped to the ground, reaching to pull Kandi into her lap. There was too much blood, she couldn't find the source fast enough. Episky wasn't strong enough for this. "I'm so sorry, Kandi," was all she could whisper as she felt the life drain from the woman in her arms.
"Kate!" She heard shouting from the other side of the door. "We are coming in," Draco announced before the door was blasted off of the hinges.
"What did you do?" was all Harry could ask as he quickly surveyed the scene in front of him.
Kate sat there covered in blood having just taken her own father's life. The tears falling down her cheeks were for the woman laying lifeless in her lap. "I'm sorry."
current time*
"Draco said they had to apparate you back to the station. You didn't speak to anyone for days. They just assumed you were in shock over everything." Bella was now holding her daughter, feeding her as she looked up to speak with Kate. "Luckily for you, the finger prints on the gun weren't yours so you couldn't be held accountable for her death. Believe me when I say the Wizengamot wanted to pin that on you, too. The Aurors were livid with the outcome of the situation. The killing curse came out of your wand. I don't know what to say here, Kate."
Kate didn't know what to say either. She had tremendous guilt over what happened to Kandi. It wasn't supposed to end like that. She was glad her father got the ending he deserved. Should she have taken him back to the station before he woke up? Yes. Should she have searched him after tying him up? Yes and that's a guilt she will live with forever. If she had just done that simple search, Kandi would still be alive but there was nothing she could do about that now. "I'm not sorry he's dead."
"I know you aren't. I wouldn't be either. He was a worthless human being. He got what he deserved. I'm disappointed it came at the cost of another innocent life."
Kate dropped her head, "me too." They were quiet for a few moments and the only sounds that could be heard were the little noises Cass was making as she ate, oblivious to the conversation around her. "Does it ever get easier?"
"What's that?"
"Living with yourself after someone died because of you."
"No," Bella answered honestly, "but that's what soul healers are for. I've recommended as your corrective action plan that you meet with my soul healer twice a week for six months. And I am requiring you to have weekly supervision meetings with me until I say otherwise."
"I'm sorry I've made extra work for you."
"When I was broken, I attribute most of my rehabilitation to my weekly supervision meetings with Minerva. You are an important member of this team Kate and I refuse to let you fall," she turned her attention back to her baby who had just finished up her feeding. She sat her up so she could burp her properly. "The ministry has to keep your wand for a while. We can issue you a temporary one that has limitations to the spells you can cast with it," after Cass burped she pulled a wand out of her desk drawer. "She served me well," she handed Kate the wand she had to use after the Ministry took her wand and dagger. Kate took the wand from her boss. She knew that this was Bella's way of telling her everything was going to be okay. "If all of this seems fair, then I have some paperwork for you to sign. You'll be doing a lot of office work in the beginning and after your soul healer and I agree that you can go back into the field, I'll sign off on that. Sign these papers and you can go out there and get back to work," Bella nudged the papers and quill across the desk.
Kate didn't hesitate to sign them. She nodded, stood and walked to the door. "Thank you for this Bella. I won't disappoint you."
She turned to leave when she heard Bella speak up, "I'm not happy with the outcome of the situation but I'm proud of the way you handled yourself. Good work, new girl."