I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. And Vega Sailor owns Veda Baragon and her family.
It was a good thing that Liz had those few days with the Baragons because she quickly found out what her home life was with James over winter break.

Awful.

They fought at least nightly, actually came to play slapping, and James pushed her once or twice, making Liz truly grateful when the holidays ended. So amidst grieving and aching heart Liz struggled to finish out her year.

Summer came, and though the Baragons invited her to stay as often as it was convenient, Liz went to find a job in desperation to avoid home. Unfortunately, no one was interested in taking her on, being young and a mother. They all felt that she was better to go home and tend her child. It got the point where she actually applied to Malfoy Manor for a nanny job.

Funnily enough, Narcissa took a shine to her, and the icing on the cake was, Lucius couldn't fire Liz because she was qualified for the job and experienced in childcare. So, they reached a, business agreement, making Liz the first person to successfully blackmail Lucius Malfoy. He paid her a good salary for a nanny, Liz wasn't eager to touch the Malfoy riches since she knew exactly where it came from, which went to a trust fund for Gabby's future education. Liz wasn't proud of it, but she figured Lucius owed that much to their daughter.

One time while Lucius and Narcissa were away on "business" for a day Liz brought Gabby for a visit to her half-brother. Veda helped, by dropping Gabby off once Liz had given the all clear. It was fun watching the two rolled a ball back and forth, babbling in their baby talk. Liz fed and changed them, then laid them down for a nap, let them play for a bit afterwards, and then Veda came to get Gabby, about two minutes before Lucius and Narcissa returned.

James remained as cold and as aloof as ever, maybe even a little colder to Gabby, but working and Gabby made things bearable.

It was while she was working that she happened to meet an old friend and the two got to talking. He asked her out to dinner and she agreed happily. And for the next month, Liz found herself seeing him quite a bit while Lily watched Gabby.

In August, the Baragons offered her an inventorying job, allowing her to quit the nanny job, much to her relief.

Then, things with James reached the breaking point.

Liz had just come home from another date shortly before she was to leave for Hogwarts. James was sitting on the couch, the ugliest look she'd ever seen on his face, watching her as she made her way up to the door and walked in.

"What is it?" She snapped, in no mood for him tonight.

"Who do you go out with every night?" Liz balked, shocked that after eight months of ignoring her, he had suddenly taken an interest in her life.

"None of your business!"

"Another married DEATH EATER then?" He snarled, and Liz froze.

Oh Merlin, he knew.

"How long?" Liz whispered, feeling the color drain from her face as James rose off the couch, and they stood facing each other.

"Oh I've alwaysknown Liz. How could you shag a murderer?"

"I didn't know James, alright! It was the biggest mistake of my life. I only knew he believed in that rubbish about pureblood. I couldn't exactly ask him 'Oh by the way, do you support Voldemort or Dumbledore?'! I kept out of his business, and he for the most part kept out of mine."

"Well APPARENTLY not enough otherwise you wouldn't have had a baby at FIFTEEN!" At this point Lily arrived on the scene carrying Gabby, her black hair in tiny pigtails, and a happily babbling Harry.

She froze however noticing the dark expressions on James and Liz's faces. Lily then settled both babies on the ground for a moment, about to ask, when to her horror, they crawled over towards their respective parent, but the two siblings were so busy screaming things at each other, they failed to notice the little ones.

"NOT THAT IT'S ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS AFTER THE WAY YOU'VE BEEN TREATING ME, BUT HE'S NOT MARRIED, AND HE'S NOT A DEATH-EATER. AND I'LL THANK YOU TO KEEP OUT OF MY LIFE!"

"WELL THAT'S A RELIEF, GOD KNOWS ONE DEATH EATER'S BASTARD AROUND HERE IS ENOUGH!" Suddenly Liz saw only red, and before anybody knew what she was doing, she'd backhanded James. He retaliated by trying to slap her too, but she caught it. Then Liz kicked him, he caught her foot and shove it back.

And then, it happened.

"James! Liz!" Lily screeched at seeing her son in the line off fire. Liz snatched her daughter up just in time for James' fist to connect with her face then ricochet into Gabby's cheek, sending the two crashing onto the coach, blood spurting from Liz's nose and a black eye rapidly forming, and the toddler screaming and sobbing. There was a shocked pause from the adults as Lily snatched up Harry. Liz sat up, blood pouring down her face

He'd hit Gabby. HE HAD HIT HER BABY! Liz stood up and swallowed hard. Bouncing Gabby a few times to comfort her as she snuggled deeper into her mothers chest. James appeared to be in total shock. Then he opened his mouth.

"Liz I…" Her glare cut him off short,

"James, I know I started the physical part of this, but NEVER would I have imagined you'd do what you just did YOU BLOODY ARSE! YOU WANT US GONE THAT BAD, THEN FINE! WE'RE GONE." With that final statement, Liz stormed out the door, slamming it shut hard enough to send the entire wall shaking. Lily stood there, patting Harry on the back, glaring at her husband.


Veda Baragon was just settling down with her one-almost two-year-old brother, Orlando, for an evening of baby-sitting when the door belle rang. Sighing she hoisted the boy onto her hip and answered the door, only to find Liz standing there, babe in arms, sporting a black-eye and blood stained shirt

Veda didn't ask, she just let her friend in, and while the babies were watched by a house elf, Liz broke down and sobbed out the story, followed by her falling asleep on Veda's bed…

And that was how the Baragons found them, two hours later.


A note from
The Chica: And that's it for the flashbacks, ladies and gents. This may not be the last flashback though, but this is the last full CHAPTER of them. Next chapter, Liz will summarize the last fifteen years of her life, then Gabby and Harry return, and the two cousins start bonding. Until then, REVIEW PLEASE!