A/N- Do not own. Sorry for the wait. X's are scene break like usual. And as always, use your words. Enjoy
~Case

-x-

Eric shook his head, a soft smile on his lips as he watched the young woman sleep on for a moment longer. She never would go to bed when she was tired as a teenager, he shouldn't had believed she would do so now. Instead, Alexis was sound asleep, her head resting on her arms, a piece of parchment stuck to her cheek. He could guess what had happened. She had probably come back to her office after making sure the boys were alright and had worked until exhaustion took over. Or a sleeping draught, if the smell from the half-finished tea was anything to go by. Bless that elf. He hesitated for a moment before fishing a camera out of the depths of his robes. A quick snap later and he shoved it back to where it had came, moving silently toward the messy desk and the sleeping Headmistress. Eric moved her off the desk gently, lifting her easily up into his arms. She was too light but it did help in this situation, it would make it much easier to get her to bed. He walked steadily toward the door to her quarters, which swung open for him and closed behind them, and then toward her room. He raised an eyebrow at the teenager in the kitchen, hesitating before shrugging and pushing open the door to her room. He would talk to the boy on his way out, if only to make sure everything was okay. Eric bit back a chuckle, smirking at the elf who moved the covers aside for him. "Thank you, Minzi." He whispered. The elf merely nodded, smirking back, before silently disappearing. He slowly laid the younger woman on the bed, waving his wand at her clothing to change it to something more comfortable. He tucked the blankets securely around her, pressing a light kiss to her forehead before leaving her to her sleep.

Elijah rummaged through the cold box, searching for the chocolate that he knew was in there, somewhere. There had to be chocolate there, unless Bain had eaten it, which he wouldn't put past the older boy. Bain ate everything in sight. He sometimes wished that he could do that. But he couldn't. His body was not growing like Bain's, he was not getting taller and he refused to get rounder. If he did, Robert wouldn't like him. Would he?

"A little late for a snack isn't it, Elijah?" Eric questioned quietly, leaning against a wall and watching the child. The boy should have been in bed, although he did understand teenagers and hunger. Particularly those teenagers who refused to eat normal-sized meals which caused their stomachs to wake them up in the middle of the night. Of course, nightmares could also be at play here. Either way, it was two in the morning. The child should be sleeping.

He startled, turning to glance at the older man. What was Eric doing here? Shouldn't the older man be asleep? "No sir." He responded with a shrug, pulling the chocolate cookies that he had finally found out of the cold box. It was never too late for chocolate.

"I see. If you are hungry, I could make you something. But it is a bit late for that much sugar, Elijah. It is past time for you to be asleep." Eric replied, raising a brow at the boy. He would make him something to eat, if the child wanted something besides junk, but it was also late and the teen was growing. His body and magic needed sleep, otherwise he would be crashing tomorrow afternoon.

"You're not asleep." He retorted.

"I'm on duty. You, however, do not have that excuse. " Eric stated casually, moving to put on a kettle for tea. Perhaps if he made the child a cup of one of Severus' special blends, he might relax enough to go back to sleep. For the moment he mentioned sleep, the boy had tensed. He would bet that it was nightmares giving the teen up this night; perhaps the same ones that caused the rings under the boy's eyes.

Elijah rolled his eyes, dropping into a chair at the table. He wasn't going back to bed. He wasn't tired. Not really. But he was actually hungry. He opened the container of cookies, reaching for one when the box was summoned out of his hands. "Hey!" He protested, glaring at the man who didn't even bother to look at him, rummaging around in one of the cabinets.

"Again, it is too late for sweets." Eric set a plate of rolls and cream cheese in front of the youth, fighting back a snort when the child tore into one. He turned back to the stove, moving to fix two cups of tea. "If you eat all of that and are still hungry, I will make you something to eat." He added quietly, knowing that the chances of the boy eating that much food was slim. He finally moved back to the table, setting a cup in front of the teenager who eyed it suspiciously.

Elijah sniffed the tea before taking a careful sip. It was hot but good and it tasted just like the tea that Alexis made for them at night; it probably was the same tea, actually. It had come from their cabinets after all. "Why are you on duty so late?" He questioned between bites of his second roll. The bread was quickly satisfying his intense hunger. Perhaps his hunger was because he had skipped two meals that day, but he really didn't care.

Eric took a sip of his own tea, studying the youth for a moment. "It comes with the job, really. With healers, someone always has to be on call, or on duty, every minute of the day. Healers typically work twelve to eighteen hour shifts with the ability to take short naps during longer shifts. Since this is a school, naps really aren't an option. It is trickier to work with children than adults." He answered after a moment, giving a slight shrug. He didn't mind the late shift, he almost preferred it actually. Although, as Head Healer, he would rarely work it during the school year and instead just be on call for anything that his healers could not handle. Once he replaced the healer he had recently fired, of course. Until then, he would gladly work this shift.

"Robert wants to be a healer. Or a veterinarian. " Elijah commented, tearing a third roll in half. He, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with either of those careers. Too much blood and death in one and too much sadness in the other.

He raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. People or animals...that was two very different career paths, two different fields of study. "What about you, Elijah? What do you want to study?" He questioned, biting back a groan when the teenager smirked. He hoped to the gods that this was not another teenager who wanted to be a 'dragon wrangler', 'pirate', or 'magic carpet operator'; dragon wrangler wasn't even a career and pirating was still illegal. Magic carpet operator while a real job, in Saudia Arabia and India at least, was a career path for sixteen year-old dropouts.

"I want to be a curse breaker. But don't tell Alexis." He grinned, knowing quite well that the woman would probably consider that job dangerous. At least he didn't want to be a dragon rider and trainer, like Teddy did. But Teddy was still a kid, hopefully he would out grow that fascination. He fought back a yawn, finishing the last of the rolls. At least he wasn't hungry anymore.

Eric fought the urge to roll his eyes. Alexis would be proud if her son was a curse breaker. Hell, Alexis would probably be proud if one of her children ended up as a shop keeper; he knew he would have been. Curse breaker was a legitimate career choice, even if it was a bit on the danger side. Perhaps he could convince the child to look into other jobs that involved adventure and excitement; if not, the boy was only fifteen. His career path was bound to change at least ten more times before he was twenty. He smiled when the child yawned again. "I think it is time to sleep." He stated not unkindly. The rapidly shaking head was quite the contrast to the quick blinks to fight sleep.

"Not tired." Elijah yawned, fighting to keep his eyes open. Damned tea.

Eric shook his head, standing and moving to the boy's chair. "Your body is tired." He retorted softly, offering the child a hand. The boy glared at him but finally took it.

"Don't wanna."

He chuckled softly, placing a hand on the child's shoulder and guiding him back to his room. "I know. If it will help, I can give you a dreamless sleep potion." He offered, gently prodding him toward the bed.

Elijah groaned, crawling into his bed under the watchful gaze of the older man. He finally nodded, taking the vial when it was offered. At least this would keep the monsters at bay, for tonight anyway. He snuggled down under his covers, quickly feeling the potion take effect.

"Dormir mon petit." He murmured softly, gently brushing hair off of the young teenager's face before setting a charm to alert him if the child woke again. He would check on the other three occupants of this apartment before heading back to his office. There was always work he could do, after all.

-x-

Alexis sighed, running over the list of things she needed to accomplish that day. All of the acceptance letters had gone out and most of the students had replied already, as well as several transfer requests. She had finally approved all of the book lists, which Severus would be sending out in the next couple of days. Eric had taken over searching for Jemma's replacement and Filius was doing the search for a handful of professors; Lucius was handling the legal part of custody battles, although she was handling the emotional fallout from it. She had gone through every student file already and was compiling them into groups based on the needs of the students. But there was still a long list of things that needed to be finished, work that no one else could do. She also needed to take Teddy shopping this weekend for Harry and Neville's birthdays. Remus had offered but she wanted to do it. Granted, taking her son to Italy to shop for a birthday present might be considered a bit extreme. Not that anyone would know that was where they were going. Besides, Teddy would enjoy it. She glanced up from the parchment she had been staring at when a knock came at her office door. She frowned at the light blue glow. A student then. She straightened up, setting the parchment aside before waving her hand at the door. "Come." She called as the door swung up. The preteen who stepped into her office did not look happy; then again, they rarely did.

"It's not my fault." She stated instantly, eyes focusing intensely on the floor. She knew, of course, that the woman probably wouldn't believe her.

"I see. What, exactly, wasn't your fault, Jessica?" Alexis questioned, raising an eyebrow at the rising third year and gesturing toward a chair. The child reluctantly dropped into one, fidgeting and not looking at her. Usually when they started with that statement, it tended to be something that they had done, accidental or otherwise. It was barely half past ten, what could the preteen had possible done?

"I didn't know she couldn't swim." Jessica shrugged, twirling a piece of red hair around a finger. She hadn't known that the brat couldn't swim, otherwise she wouldn't have shoved her into the lake.

"Okay...why don't you start from the beginning Jessica? Tell me what happened." Alexis ordered calmly, biting back a sigh. She had a bad feeling that this was going to give her a headache, again. If she remembered correctly, it was too early for that group to be swimming. Instead, they would have had free play time outside. So why was someone in the lake? And how exactly was that Jessica's fault?

"She was being annoying again and I was tired of her being such a brat. So I was playing around and she fell in the lake. I didn't know she couldn't swim. Rani got her out but she wasn't happy with me since she was crying so Rani sent me to you. But it wasn't my fault. It was a joke." Jessica huffed, kicking her feet against the legs of the chair.

"How did she 'fall' into the lake, Jessica?"

The red-headed preteen shrugged, pulling at the hem of her shirt. "I shoved her. But it was a joke! It's not my fault she can't take a joke!" She snapped, glancing up to meet emotionless gray eyes.

"You shoved her into a lake as a joke? She could have been seriously hurt, Jessica. Why would you do that?" Alexis questioned, forcing her tone to remain calm and bland. One of her students just admitted to bullying another and yet, she couldn't find fault in her own behaviour.

"She's a brat. She acts like she is so much better than us. Rani and Kate are always babying her and she refused to talk to any of us." She explained, hoping that the Headmistress wouldn't take the baby's side over hers. The girl was a brat and she was always getting the adults to play with her, but she never played with other kids and it was so annoying.

She bit back a growl, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach. She could guess exactly who the girl had shoved into the lake and that did not make her happy. The girl in question was a child, not even really a preteen yet, but she had to be sure. "Who are you talking about?"

"Lila. She always gets her way!" Jessica pouted, glancing up under lowered lashed at the woman once more. She grimaced at the flash of anger in the older woman's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

Alexis sighed, running through an appropriate punishment in her head. "Jessica, do you like bullies?"

"No ma'am."

"Then why would you bully someone much younger than you? Lila is a child. She won't be eleven until the end of August. I seriously doubt that a ten year old believes herself to be better than you, a rising third year. She doesn't speak but it isn't out of choice. The monsters that give you severe nightmares also cause her mind to shut down the part that allows for speech. Kate and Rani treat her like she is ten, just as they treat you like you are a young thirteen. They aren't babying her, but taking care of her appropriately. And trust me, she doesn't always get her way. " She remarked steadily, watching the girl fidget for a moment. The preteen huffed, banging her foot into the chair. "Jessica, do you understand why what you did was wrong?" She questioned finally. She wasn't quite sure that the girl did.

"Yes ma'am." She shrugged, groaning at the pointed look. "I guess she could have been hurt and that it wasn't nice to shove her. I'm not a bully, really. I just...she never wants to play with us." She finished, biting her lip. It really was a silly reason, when she thought about it. She didn't want to be a bully, she didn't want to be like Derek and his friends. So maybe it was her fault, after all the Headmistress was right. Lila was just a kid.

"Perhaps it's not that she doesn't want to play, but that she doesn't know how. The games you and your friends play may be completely unfamiliar to her. There are games that she plays that you could ask to join in with. I know some of them might seem childish to you, but do not forget Lila's age." Alexis suggested quietly, forcing down a smirk when understanding had shown in the child's eyes. Good, at least she realized that what she had done was wrong.

Jessica hesitated, thinking it over. Lila never played any of their games and she tended to stay away from the shelves with their toys and games on them. Instead, she was always playing with the animal figures and the dolls..." She likes dolls. Maybe I can play dolls with her?" Her mom had said she was too old to play dolls but her mother wasn't here and she did miss her dolls, especially after bad dreams.

"I think that is a good idea. But ask her first, Jessica. " Alexis replied, allowing the small smile to grace her lips briefly.

"I will, I need to apologize to her." Jessica shrugged, biting the inside of her lip again. She would ask but she wasn't sure Lila would want her to play...or that Ariana and Karrie would let her. Both of the other girls were extremely protective of little Lila.

Well, that solved one problem then. "Good. After you talk to Lila, you are grounded for two days. If I find out that you have been bullying other children, you will not like it Jessica. I also want an essay from you, on the reasoning behind your actions and what you should have done different. Alright?" Alexis stated briskly. Honestly, the punishment was lenient, but since it was the first she had heard of the child bullying others and the girl was extremely social, she knew the punishment would be taken by the preteen as horrible. Two days of being grounded to her bunk room, excepted meals, would not kill her. She did have a feeling that the girl would drive the counselor whose turn it was to watch over those grounded crazy.

Jessica grimaced but it really wasn't unexpected. She hated being grounded, especially when there was no one to talk to. "Yes ma'am." She answered quietly, standing at the dismissal nod and retreating from the office as quickly as possible. She had a little girl to find, after all. And then to report to the camp's quarters. Ugh.

-x-

"Stop it, Harry." Karrie grumbled, pulling away from the hand that tugged her braid. She knew he wasn't doing it to be mean, that he was just playing, but it had taken forever for her to do those braids on her own and Harry's pulling was only making it looser.

"Is it suppose to look like that?" Harry asked, frowning at the mess of his sister's hair. She had said she wanted to copy Rose's most recent hair style but the uneven, messy braid looked nothing like the one Rose had. Not even close. Karrie couldn't even get it to stay wrapped around her head but she refused to ask the older girl for help.

She groaned, throwing a sock at her brother. "I can't get it right." She ducked the sock as it flew back at her, reaching for her pillow. They were in her room, Harry sprawled out across the foot of her bed. Neither of them had wanted to spend their free period in the camp quarters, especially since Teddy was in a session so that they couldn't even play together.

Remus paused in the doorway, watching the two smack each other with pillows for a long moment before shaking his head and pulling the ever-present camera out of his robe pocket. They weren't harming each other, so he saw no reason to stop their fun and he wanted proof, for when they were fighting, that they actually enjoyed each other. He had noticed the sibling bond growing quickly between them and strongly. So strong that it mirrored bonds of fraternal twins, which meant the fights would be bad, when they came. And he knew it would happen. All siblings fought, even those who were several years apart. Having two children who were merely days apart would mean that the fighting would be bad anyway. But that bond would make it worse. Really, it would be like Severus and Alexis, but as twelve year olds. He bit back a groan, tucking the camera away once more. That was a terrifying thought, Alexis and Severus as preteens. He shook his head before knocking on the door frame.

Harry stopped in mid-swing, turning to look at the older man. "We're just playing." He shrugged, meeting Karrie's eyes and fighting hard to not burst into laughter. She was making faces at him, but only when Remus looked away from her. They were just playing and they liked playing together, usually.

"I know, Harry. You're not in trouble." Remus replied calmly, watching both children. He hadn't wanted to interrupt their play but it was nearly lunch time and they needed to eat. He surveyed them for a moment longer, biting back a sigh at the state of Karrie's hair. At least she hadn't taken scissors to it... yet. He wasn't so sure that she would let him help her, though. Or that she wouldn't get upset if he suggested it. But he did know that she would get teased if he did nothing. "It is almost lunch time, so I need to know where you want to eat today." He added finally, raising an eyebrow at the last face Karrie had made and the snort of laughter from Harry.

She hesitated, running a hand over her braid. She didn't want to eat in the Great Hall but Harry wouldn't go without her and Teddy would be lonely if they didn't go. But perhaps Teddy could come eat with them? "Where's Teddy eating?" She questioned finally, catching Harry's eye. Her brother gave a slight nod. He, at least, understood the purpose of her question. She didn't realize that Remus probably would as well.

He had expected that, actually. It was a common question the trio asked lately, where was their friend and what was he or she doing; so common that their camp counselors tended to tell each other where each one of them was, so that when the child asked, they could just tell them. It made life easier. "Teddy is having lunch with Tim." He had also expected the twin looks of worry. "He is fine. I believe Teddy wanted to tell him something new he had read about dragons. " Remus answered, fighting a smirk at twin groans. Someone, he suspected Charlie, had given the boy an encyclopedia of dragons and the child was spouting facts to anyone who would listen.

"Then can we eat here?" Harry questioned, trading glances with Karrie. They would have to leave the quarters eventually, but at least they could hang out here during lunch. He liked it down here and he knew Karrie did as well.

"Of course. Karrie...would you like me to show you an easy way to do that braid?" Remus offered, giving the child a slight smile. He hoped she would agree to let him help. He was quite good with doing little girl's hair and any styles he didn't know, he was sure a few of the teenage girls would teach him. His daughter would not look like no one took care of her, not anymore. She wouldn't have to struggle to fix her own hair; he would teach her. If she let him.

She bit her lip, touching her braid once more. She knew he wasn't mocking her hair; no, Remus was trying to help her. She would be taunted if she left her hair like this. And Ariana was terrible at hair. The older girl could do a simple ponytail or bun but that was it. If she could get this braid down, she could do Lila's hair. The little girl loved it when she did a simple braid for her. "You know braids?" She inquired finally, raising an eyebrow in a very Severus fashion.

Remus bit back a chuckle at the expression, giving the girl a solemn nod. "I am quite proficient in hair." He replied seriously. Two tilted heads, a traded glance and then, finally, a smile.

"I would like that." Karrie grinned, tugging on the messy braid until it came out.

Remus sat on the side of the bed, taking the girl's hairbrush. He carefully undid the mess of knots and tangles before gently brushing it out and away from the child's face. The crown braid that the child had been trying for was easier to do as a french braid, not whatever mess the girl had been trying to create. Quick fingers braided black hair before wrapping it gently around her head and securing it with a summoned pin. "There you go." Remus conjured a mirror, holding it up for the child to see. It had only taken a few minutes but her hair looked much better. "French part of it first then the other part before wrapping. That will make it easier." He explained quietly, a soft smile gracing his lips when green eyes lit up and skinny arms hugged him quickly.

"Thanks Remus!" Karrie grinned, running a hand over the elegant braid. It was so beautiful and it stayed in place, unlike her attempted. Perhaps she should have Remus to her hair more often.

"Alright, now. Lunch." Remus ordered with a smirk, standing a beckoning for the children. He would have to get some ribbons for Karrie when they took the two of them out this weekend. Then he could braid the ribbon into her hair; she would enjoy that. Anything to see his children smile.

-x-

"I have an idea I wanted to put past you."

"Okay, shoot." Alexis raised an eyebrow at the younger woman, leaning back slightly. She had been working when the young woman had knocked on her door, which was fine, she was here to listen to the counselors after all. But it didn't explain why Kate was fidgety and nervous. She had thought they had gotten passed this. Apparently not.

She took a deep breath, tapping her fingers against her legs and trying to stand still. The headmistress had gestured for her to seat but she was a bit too anxious to sit. After all, the woman could say it was a terrible idea, that it wouldn't help. But she thought it might. "Sensory room." Kate blurted out, meeting her eyes for a brief moment before finding her hands more interesting.

Well that was unexpected. And confusing. Sensory room? For who? If Kate had noticed signs of autism in a student, she should have already let them know. Autism was rare in magic-born children. Although, it did occasionally appear in those from non-magical families. And while there was no cure, nor was it something that needed curing, there were ways to make it easier on a child. "Alright...explain. Why do you think we need a sensory room?" She inquired finally, running through all the children currently at the camp. Perhaps she was missing something. Perhaps Kate's intentions weren't for autism at all, but for therapeutic purposes, which a sensory room would be good for.

She hesitated for a moment before sitting on the edge of a chair. "I think it would be helpful. It might help some of the children open up and, well, it might help with Lila. I think a sensory room would be good for her. And not just her, but other children might find it relaxing and comfortable. Like Karrie and Rose. When kids feel safe, they are more likely to talk. And while the safe rooms help with that, a sensory room could help when they feel overwhelmed. The rooms are designed to help kids with sensory overload and they are designed to help children with autism feel safe and comfortable. I'm not sure if any of our kids have autism, but Lila might be somewhere on the spectrum and it could help." Kate rambled, biting her lip to make herself shut up. She rambled when she was nervous and right now she was very nervous. She had spent part her apprentice years working with children who had autism or sensory problems, she had seen quite a few selectively mute children like Lila. The sensory room had helped them, she thought it might help her. But she was afraid the headmistress would just dismiss her suggestion.

Alexis fought the urge to smile, watching the slightly younger woman for a long moment. It was actually a good idea. If nothing else, they could use it for play therapy. She snapped her fingers, smirking when her elf appeared instantly. "Minzi, could you see if there is an empty room on the fourth floor? It needs to be large enough to hold climbing equipment for a sensory room." She inquired briskly, turning back to the younger woman when the elf popped away. Minzi would find the perfect room for them and then they could set it up. "Since it is your idea, you get to design it. Give me a list of what you need and I will make sure you have it. The elves and I will then help you set it up. " She added, not unkindly, meeting brown eyes.

She gaped for a moment before nodding quickly. She couldn't believe that the headmistress had just accepted it so quickly. She was glad the woman agreed with her suggestion but she never thought she would be the one to design it. Great, now she would be even more anxious. "Thank you, headmistress." She replied, moving to stand.

"Sit down, Kate." She ordered quietly, biting back a sigh at the confusion on the brunette's face. At least the woman obeyed, unlike certain other counselors that she knew. "We need to talk." She frowned when the woman became completely rigid. Kate didn't do still. Damn.

The dreaded four words, which usually meant she was being fired or in trouble. But what had she done? Nothing immediately came to mind, but that didn't really mean anything. She had been let go from previous jobs for extremely minor things. "I'm sorry." She apologized automatically. It was habit, although perhaps not a good one.

Alexis arched a brow at the woman, shaking her head. "For? You have done nothing to apologize for. You are not in trouble. I am not firing you nor would I want to. I offered you a position for the school year, remember? And you accepted. So you are not going anywhere. This is where you belong." She stated firmly. The younger woman had been projecting, though she probably didn't even realize it.

"Sorr-"

"Do not apologize." She growled, interrupting her quickly. "You were handpicked by Tim, approved by Eric and myself, the best of the best. And yet you have no confidence in yourself. None. You do not have to fear dismissal here nor are you expected to be perfect. I don't know why I make you nervous, Kate, but I hope that with time you will find that I am nothing to be afraid of." Alexis finished quietly, sighing softly. She had no idea why the woman was so nervous around her but she wished she wouldn't be. After all, she wasn't that much older than her, if by a few years. She did know that Kate had gone through quite a lot in her life, but the woman had nothing to fear here. And she was great with the younger girls, truly one of the best.

She hesitated for a moment, staring at her feet. She wasn't scared of the headmistress, exactly, and she was really only anxious around her and Eric. Eric because she had heard quite a few stories about the older man, he was practically a legend. Tim was too, but she had known Tim from the university. He had taught that one class that everyone wanted to take and she had been lucky to get into it. "I'm trying Head- Alexis. I really am." Kate answered finally, meeting gray eyes. Truthfully, she knew why she was anxious around the older woman, other than the fact that she had heard stories of her too. Alexis was one of the best touch healers in the world; the other woman was ranked fifth internationally, the youngest person in the top ten. Hell, the youngest on the entire list. And with age and experience, she would probably make the very top of the list. But no, that didn't make her anxious. It was awe-inspiring to be sure. But she liked the older woman, even though she would never tell her that. After all, she didn't need to have a relationship with her boss.

Alexis tilted her head slightly, giving a brisk nod. "I know you are. Go design that room. And Kate? Don't be so harsh on yourself." She dismissed, smirking slightly at the woman. Kate merely nodded, meeting her eyes for a long moment before leaving the room. She doubted the young woman would listen to her. But that was alright. She had a month left to get everything and everyone to a semi-healthy place. It was doable. By the gods, she would do it.
-x-