A/N: Second to last chapter. Forgive lack of D/G. There will be D/G fanservice for all in the last chapter. I promise. They will have their happy ending. All that stuff. And until then, enjoy this chapter and keep all whips away from me? *beseeching smile*
Disclaimer: I might have breathed life into the bloke, but Su isn't the type of girl to share.
~*~
It was in the middle of the night when the man opened his eyes.
That he was not at the same place he last remembered being in... that much was obvious. As he shook his head, wincing slightly at the pain and trying to make sense of everything, he stiffened, with a grim expression. "Su!"
Quick footsteps, and then the door to his room opened, the silhouette of a female figure with curly hair standing at the doorway. Warrington squinted. "Who are you, and where the hell am I?"
"St. Mungo's," came a soft, gentle voice, "And my name is Penelope Clearwater. Do you remember me?"
"Ravenclaw," he rasped out, "What time is it, and where is Su? You know Su, right?"
Penelope the nurse carefully walked into the room, igniting a lamp with her wand and handing him a glass of water. "It's three minutes past one o'clock, and it's the 2nd of April, 1999..."
"Fucking hell," Warrington almost choked on his water, "Last time I checked, it was July 1998..."
Even as Penelope quietly explained what had happened between that time and the present, the man in the bed, grimacing slightly at the pain in his unused joints, tried to sit up and move. Atrophy-stopping Charms not-withstanding, he had to school his brain, which was trying to focus on the nurse's words, to make his limbs move.
"... And the war ended, about two months ago," Penelope concluded, "But from what I heard, no one from Hogwarts was injured in the last battle."
THERE! He was able to bend his knees and sit up straight, though he felt weak as a newborn. "And Su?"
"Well, as she has been teaching Defense this past year at Hogwarts," Penelope said candidly, "Of course she would be included in that group. My fiance... he was there at the last battle in Hogsmeade. He's an Auror... and I don't think he mentioned her as a casualty. Why do you ask, though?"
"We had an unfinished discussion," Warrington's pale lips curved into a slight grin. "Say, when can I get out of here?"
~*~
On a sunny day in mid-April, a class of 3rd years were attending Defense Against the Dark Arts, being given a lesson on demon-repelling spells. Su Li was busily lecturing and writing out notes at such a furious pace that the students could barely keep up. Though they knew better than to NOT stay alert, quiet and on task.
But even then, a few students turned around when the door of the classroom opened silently, and a tall young man, whom a few recognized as a former Slytherin, Head Boy and Chaser, walked into the classroom. Li was still writing, and the man who'd just entered put a finger to his lips before the closest student could call out.
And as the students watched, bewildered, Warrington took a seat towards the back of the classroom, near the door, giving all and sundry a smarmy sort of grin before taking out a sheet of paper and a quill.
And then, despite their habits of complete obedience in the class, a few students started whispering. What was he DOING there? He looked pale, like he'd just recovered from from some long illness. And why was he scribbling down things on a sheet of parchment just like a student?
"Quiet!" Li called out, still writing notes down. "Pay attention, class!"
When the whispers didn't die down, for the first time since the beginning of the school year, she'd frowned. And then, in her peripheral vision, a small paper airplane whizzed past, amidst giggles from the students.
Su scowled darkly. What was with the class today?!
"WHO THREW THAT?!" Whipping around to face the class, chalk in hand and angry scowl on her face, she surveyed the class with snapping eyes...
Which widened to astonishing proportions, as the chalk dropped from nerveless fingers and her face paled to the colour of ivory.
And Warrington, sitting in the back, his hands folded on the desk top and a patently beatific expression upon his face, widened his eyes and pointed to the little blonde Hufflepuff sitting in front of him. "SHE did it, Professor, I swear!"
And even as the girl protested with a high-pitched "I did NOT!", Su felt her knees buckle, her mouth going dry and her vision suddenly blurring with tears. And then, almost as fast as if he'd Apparated, he was standing next to her, hands warm and strong on her arms, steadying her before she could fall. "As much as the idea of a woman swooning all over me has its intrinsic appeal, you're going to get chalk dust in your hair, sweetheart."
When she finally found her voice, it was shaking as much as the hand she lifted to touch his face. He WAS paler, cheekbones standing out... but it was him and he was THERE and damn it all, smirking at her as if nothing had happened and it was just another THING and... "You're... alive... you're really HERE..." she whispered hoarsely, her lips trembling.
"Apparently so. Commendations on the astute observation," he drawled, looking down at her face. "What WILL you think of next?"
"You utter BASTARD," she muttered thickly, and just as he was about to thank her with that typically smarmy grin upon his face, she'd raised herself up on tiptoe, throwing her arms around him and nearly shoving him against the wall, lips fused with his and fingers locked behind his neck, leaning closer in when he slid his arms around her waist. She hazily noticed the class giving whistles and catcalls, but she couldn't let go... she hadn't felt so warm for so long.
One of the students' remarks, however, brought her somewhat back to reality. "Wonder if she'll be less demanding after a good shag..." And Su, lips dewy and swollen, eyelashes still somewhat lowered, pulled away, though not out of his arms.
"Detention with Filch tonight, if that answers your question, Mr. Brockman. Class dismissed." There would be gossip, but at the moment, Su's mind and heart was overflowing with so many OTHER things, among them anger and pain and hysteria and relief and shock and love and the secret tears that she'd shed... and when he reached out for her again, she glared at him with overflowing eyes. SLAP! "You... you... how DARE you DO that that day do you even REALIZE... ..." And then she was yelling, everything coming out in a peculiar incoherent mix of Chinese and English, all the worry and the pain and her face was flushed, her hair shaking as she clenched her fists and hit him in the shoulder.
Wincing slightly, he grabbed her wrists, "Now, now, pet... calm down..."
Rather than obeying this simple direction, Su Li gave him a long look, and then quite abruptly burst into stormy tears.
It WAS something of a shock, he supposed, and accordingly, Cassius Warrington released her thin wrists, pulling her back into his arms and reaching up with an uncharacteristic gentleness to stroke her hair as she sobbed against his chest, shoulders shaking and tears soaking through his shirt. They simply stood like that for several minutes, no one keeping track, in silence as everything went from cold to chaos to the way they were supposed to be again, slowly but surely. And then, with a half-sniffle, half-hiccup, she finally shifted to look up to see him giving her a little smirk. "I am grateful for the warm welcome. Now... the note."
She laughed weakly as she wiped her eyes with the back of one hand, peering over at the airplane that had landed on her desk. Unfolding it, she read the message, and felt the beginnings of a very wide grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "I think Professor Li is quite beautiful. A name change and shagging, though, would do her a world of good. There's one way of addressing this issue nicely at the same time. Besides, Professor Warrington sounds better anyway. Wouldn't you agree?"
Walking slowly back over towards him, she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, sparkling like dark jewels on her face. "There's something distinctly Lockhart-ish about this whole... thing," she finally managed to say, a twitchy smile at the corners of her lips.
He gave her a mock-scowl, "Now, you take that back, Li."
"Oh? Or...?"
"Or I shall not kiss you again." Though the look in his eyes spoke otherwise.
"Is that so, Warrington?" she giggled slightly, peering up at him with an almost coy look.
"Indeed. For at least another three seconds."
"Heartless demon."
"Perhaps," he reached out to take her hands in his, "But you do know that all you have to do is say yes in answer to my question... and then, we can progress to the sarcasm and snogging part."
She moved his hands towards her shoulders, and slid effortlessly into his arms again, leaning her head against his chest. "As much as I hate to admit it, seems like a good plan," she whispered against the fabric of his shirt. "And I still have... this." Reaching into her blouse, she extracted a silver necklace, on which a small silver hoop hung like an odd pendant. Removing it from the chain, she handed it back to him.
He took out his wand, waving it over the hoop and murmuring an incantation, and before her slightly teary eyes, it twisted slightly, changing in size to a silver band... with a sapphire in the middle. "Actually," he jibed as he slid the ring onto her slim finger, "I lied. You can keep it."
And when he pressed his lips to hers, one hand resting on her waist and the other tangling through her hair, she was smiling.
Disclaimer: I might have breathed life into the bloke, but Su isn't the type of girl to share.
~*~
It was in the middle of the night when the man opened his eyes.
That he was not at the same place he last remembered being in... that much was obvious. As he shook his head, wincing slightly at the pain and trying to make sense of everything, he stiffened, with a grim expression. "Su!"
Quick footsteps, and then the door to his room opened, the silhouette of a female figure with curly hair standing at the doorway. Warrington squinted. "Who are you, and where the hell am I?"
"St. Mungo's," came a soft, gentle voice, "And my name is Penelope Clearwater. Do you remember me?"
"Ravenclaw," he rasped out, "What time is it, and where is Su? You know Su, right?"
Penelope the nurse carefully walked into the room, igniting a lamp with her wand and handing him a glass of water. "It's three minutes past one o'clock, and it's the 2nd of April, 1999..."
"Fucking hell," Warrington almost choked on his water, "Last time I checked, it was July 1998..."
Even as Penelope quietly explained what had happened between that time and the present, the man in the bed, grimacing slightly at the pain in his unused joints, tried to sit up and move. Atrophy-stopping Charms not-withstanding, he had to school his brain, which was trying to focus on the nurse's words, to make his limbs move.
"... And the war ended, about two months ago," Penelope concluded, "But from what I heard, no one from Hogwarts was injured in the last battle."
THERE! He was able to bend his knees and sit up straight, though he felt weak as a newborn. "And Su?"
"Well, as she has been teaching Defense this past year at Hogwarts," Penelope said candidly, "Of course she would be included in that group. My fiance... he was there at the last battle in Hogsmeade. He's an Auror... and I don't think he mentioned her as a casualty. Why do you ask, though?"
"We had an unfinished discussion," Warrington's pale lips curved into a slight grin. "Say, when can I get out of here?"
~*~
On a sunny day in mid-April, a class of 3rd years were attending Defense Against the Dark Arts, being given a lesson on demon-repelling spells. Su Li was busily lecturing and writing out notes at such a furious pace that the students could barely keep up. Though they knew better than to NOT stay alert, quiet and on task.
But even then, a few students turned around when the door of the classroom opened silently, and a tall young man, whom a few recognized as a former Slytherin, Head Boy and Chaser, walked into the classroom. Li was still writing, and the man who'd just entered put a finger to his lips before the closest student could call out.
And as the students watched, bewildered, Warrington took a seat towards the back of the classroom, near the door, giving all and sundry a smarmy sort of grin before taking out a sheet of paper and a quill.
And then, despite their habits of complete obedience in the class, a few students started whispering. What was he DOING there? He looked pale, like he'd just recovered from from some long illness. And why was he scribbling down things on a sheet of parchment just like a student?
"Quiet!" Li called out, still writing notes down. "Pay attention, class!"
When the whispers didn't die down, for the first time since the beginning of the school year, she'd frowned. And then, in her peripheral vision, a small paper airplane whizzed past, amidst giggles from the students.
Su scowled darkly. What was with the class today?!
"WHO THREW THAT?!" Whipping around to face the class, chalk in hand and angry scowl on her face, she surveyed the class with snapping eyes...
Which widened to astonishing proportions, as the chalk dropped from nerveless fingers and her face paled to the colour of ivory.
And Warrington, sitting in the back, his hands folded on the desk top and a patently beatific expression upon his face, widened his eyes and pointed to the little blonde Hufflepuff sitting in front of him. "SHE did it, Professor, I swear!"
And even as the girl protested with a high-pitched "I did NOT!", Su felt her knees buckle, her mouth going dry and her vision suddenly blurring with tears. And then, almost as fast as if he'd Apparated, he was standing next to her, hands warm and strong on her arms, steadying her before she could fall. "As much as the idea of a woman swooning all over me has its intrinsic appeal, you're going to get chalk dust in your hair, sweetheart."
When she finally found her voice, it was shaking as much as the hand she lifted to touch his face. He WAS paler, cheekbones standing out... but it was him and he was THERE and damn it all, smirking at her as if nothing had happened and it was just another THING and... "You're... alive... you're really HERE..." she whispered hoarsely, her lips trembling.
"Apparently so. Commendations on the astute observation," he drawled, looking down at her face. "What WILL you think of next?"
"You utter BASTARD," she muttered thickly, and just as he was about to thank her with that typically smarmy grin upon his face, she'd raised herself up on tiptoe, throwing her arms around him and nearly shoving him against the wall, lips fused with his and fingers locked behind his neck, leaning closer in when he slid his arms around her waist. She hazily noticed the class giving whistles and catcalls, but she couldn't let go... she hadn't felt so warm for so long.
One of the students' remarks, however, brought her somewhat back to reality. "Wonder if she'll be less demanding after a good shag..." And Su, lips dewy and swollen, eyelashes still somewhat lowered, pulled away, though not out of his arms.
"Detention with Filch tonight, if that answers your question, Mr. Brockman. Class dismissed." There would be gossip, but at the moment, Su's mind and heart was overflowing with so many OTHER things, among them anger and pain and hysteria and relief and shock and love and the secret tears that she'd shed... and when he reached out for her again, she glared at him with overflowing eyes. SLAP! "You... you... how DARE you DO that that day do you even REALIZE... ..." And then she was yelling, everything coming out in a peculiar incoherent mix of Chinese and English, all the worry and the pain and her face was flushed, her hair shaking as she clenched her fists and hit him in the shoulder.
Wincing slightly, he grabbed her wrists, "Now, now, pet... calm down..."
Rather than obeying this simple direction, Su Li gave him a long look, and then quite abruptly burst into stormy tears.
It WAS something of a shock, he supposed, and accordingly, Cassius Warrington released her thin wrists, pulling her back into his arms and reaching up with an uncharacteristic gentleness to stroke her hair as she sobbed against his chest, shoulders shaking and tears soaking through his shirt. They simply stood like that for several minutes, no one keeping track, in silence as everything went from cold to chaos to the way they were supposed to be again, slowly but surely. And then, with a half-sniffle, half-hiccup, she finally shifted to look up to see him giving her a little smirk. "I am grateful for the warm welcome. Now... the note."
She laughed weakly as she wiped her eyes with the back of one hand, peering over at the airplane that had landed on her desk. Unfolding it, she read the message, and felt the beginnings of a very wide grin tugging at the corners of her lips. "I think Professor Li is quite beautiful. A name change and shagging, though, would do her a world of good. There's one way of addressing this issue nicely at the same time. Besides, Professor Warrington sounds better anyway. Wouldn't you agree?"
Walking slowly back over towards him, she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, sparkling like dark jewels on her face. "There's something distinctly Lockhart-ish about this whole... thing," she finally managed to say, a twitchy smile at the corners of her lips.
He gave her a mock-scowl, "Now, you take that back, Li."
"Oh? Or...?"
"Or I shall not kiss you again." Though the look in his eyes spoke otherwise.
"Is that so, Warrington?" she giggled slightly, peering up at him with an almost coy look.
"Indeed. For at least another three seconds."
"Heartless demon."
"Perhaps," he reached out to take her hands in his, "But you do know that all you have to do is say yes in answer to my question... and then, we can progress to the sarcasm and snogging part."
She moved his hands towards her shoulders, and slid effortlessly into his arms again, leaning her head against his chest. "As much as I hate to admit it, seems like a good plan," she whispered against the fabric of his shirt. "And I still have... this." Reaching into her blouse, she extracted a silver necklace, on which a small silver hoop hung like an odd pendant. Removing it from the chain, she handed it back to him.
He took out his wand, waving it over the hoop and murmuring an incantation, and before her slightly teary eyes, it twisted slightly, changing in size to a silver band... with a sapphire in the middle. "Actually," he jibed as he slid the ring onto her slim finger, "I lied. You can keep it."
And when he pressed his lips to hers, one hand resting on her waist and the other tangling through her hair, she was smiling.