A/N- Do not own. This is a bit shorter than normal and heavily Alexis/Teddy focused. Mostly Alexis. And she might get into a bit of trouble. Italics are thoughts, there is a lot of Italian in here, and x's are scene breaks. Now, I must go tend to my cat. Let me know what you think. As always, use your words.
~Case
-x-

They were in Italy. According to Alexis, they were in a place called Milan in Italy. But they were in Italy! He had never been outside of Britain and Scotland before, not even to France. And yet Alexis took him to Italy to shop. Teddy had been nearly overwhelmed when they first stepped out of the floo. Even now, he was really excited. There were so many sights and sounds. And he had Alexis all to him self for a few hours. The older two boys hadn't wanted to come, but she hadn't said they were going to Italy. Just that they were going shopping.

Alexis smirked, keeping hold of the bouncing preteen's hand. She was actually glad she hadn't brought all three boys. Apparently Saturday was a busy shopping day in Milan's wizard centre. Not that they would just be shopping there; she needed to travel into the mundane part of Milan, if only for a few minutes. There were so many people that she was nearly afraid that she might lose Teddy. Not that Teddy would let go of her hand. "Where would you like to head first?" She questioned, glancing around at the myriad of store fronts near them. She knew there were at least three different toy stores and she had a feeling they would be visiting all three.

"How about there?" Teddy shrugged, pointing toward what appeared to be a plant shop. He could get Neville something from there. Neville liked plants.
She glanced at the shop, frowning slightly. "I think there might be another herbology store a few streets over. A much better herbology store." She replied slowly, biting back a sigh. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't read Italian. But even if she could, she was not taking her son into a store that literally translated to 'Poison Plants and Herbs'. "There's a toy shop, a book store, a general supply shop, and a clothing store on this street that we can go into. Would you like to visit any of them?" She inquired, knowing that a list of choices would not only be helpful, it would also keep her son from wondering into any stores where he shouldn't be going.

"The toy store first, then." Teddy turned toward it, not letting go of Alexis' hand. There were way too many people here. It made him uncomfortable.

Thirty minutes and two stores later, Teddy had yet to find anything he liked. Although, she had found a gift for Eric in the bookstore. Teddy had been excited until he realized all the books were in Italian. Eric would love this one, his birthday was coming up, and she could easily tell him that she owl-ordered it. After all, what he didn't know didn't hurt him. "I need to run in the supply shop for a minute and then, unless you want to look at robes, we can move on." She remarked, drawing the child back to her. She still held onto his hand while they were on the street, but that didn't mean he didn't drift off to see one cool thing or another. Currently, that was hopping toads. Which he didn't need and would not be getting, no matter how adorable his pleading face could be.

Teddy sighed, scoffing his feet into the dirt before entering the large shop with her. He glanced around for a moment before catching sight of the writing supplies. He slipped away from Alexis, drawn to the colorful pens and inks. There were shelves and racks full of writing and drawing supplies. There was even a dragonhide sketch book that came with charcoal sketching pencils. He picked it up, turning it over to see the price before setting it back down. While he wasn't so sure of Euros to Pounds, he did recognize the galleon symbol below the euro one. Alexis would never let him buy something so expensive, especially as a gift. Although the woman did tend to spend money on all the kids at the camp like it was nothing. She had even made sure that every single one of them had books and toys of their own. But this was different.

"Find something you like?" She inquired, sighing when he startled. She had made noise approaching him, but perhaps he had been absorbed in his own thoughts. She shifted the large parcel of parchment to one arm, lifting the sketch journal off the shelf. She flipped through it, nodding to herself at the quality of the paper. That was why she loved shopping here. This store had some of the highest quality parchment and quills, even if they were a little pricey. It was worth it and this sketch journal would hold up to a lot of wear and tear. It even had room for additionally pages.

"It's too expensive." Teddy bit his lip, staring down at his feet. Harry would love it, but he knew he should find something else, something cheaper.
Alexis frowned, glancing at the price for a brief moment. The child thought that was expensive? Really? That was cheap, compared to how much it would have run at an art store. She turned toward the shop assistant who had been following her around, partly to carry some of her purchases and partly to annoy her into buying more. "Perdono, è questo diritto?" She tapped the price with a finger, raising an eyebrow at the assistant.

"Si, Magnifico Rettore. C'è qualcosa che non va?" The assistant hesitated, biting her lip. This was an important customer. If she thought the price was too high, she knew she would have to change it.

Alexis gave the woman a small smile as reassurance. She wasn't about to leave without her purchases. She knew that look of fear well, having seen it many times before. Her purchases were mainly for the school, with a few colour changing inks thrown in for her boys. A small present would not break her. Hell, her entire purchase wouldn't even make a slight dent in her value, thanks to Jakob. "No, è bene." She replied calmly, turning back to her son. "It is a good price for a fine quality book that will last for a long time. For Harry?" She remarked finally, easily switching back to English.

"I thought he'd like it. He likes to draw." Teddy met her eyes for a moment, hesitating. "I could pay you back." He suggested after a moment.

She snorted, shaking her head. "You have an allowance, you know. Harry will love it, Teddy. It isn't too expensive. Get it and I will get Harry some coloured inks for his birthday."

He hesitated for a moment longer before taking the sketch book back with a nod. If she said it was okay, he would get it. Harry would like it, that much was for sure.

"Noi siamo pronti." She stated to the assistant, picking up a pack of coloured inks before heading toward the counter. If they didn't leave soon, she might just buy another set of journals. Granted, she already had a hundred notebooks on the counter for the staff and seventy journals for the camp kids, plus any other child who might need one. She loved this store but she could spend hours and thousands here if she wasn't stopped. It was time to move on.

-x-

It was several hours later, just after lunch in non-magical Milan, when she felt it. Someone was watching them. That, or she was paranoid. But she was willing to bet the former. She wrapped an arm around Teddy's shoulder, pulling the child closer to her body, even as she continued the journey down the street. They had already purchased all of the gifts for his friends and even a few things for his brothers. Not to mention the things she had bought for Teddy, although the child asked for nothing. They only had one last stop to make, if she could just get them into the shop. But she had to get there first and she saw someone out of the corner of her eye, following them.

"Alexis?" Teddy whispered, feeling her arm tighten around him. Something was wrong. They had been having a good day but now...he could feel it. Something wasn't right.

"It's alright, Teddy. Just stay close to me." She responded softly, eyes glancing from shop window to shop window, watching their backs even as she tried to find a safe place to get her child. It wasn't much further until they would reach that shop. If necessary they could seek refuge inside another shop, just long enough for her to work the emergency portkeys, but she hoped it wasn't necessary. The man following her didn't look like a contracted mercanary but that didn't really mean anything.

Teddy kept his eyes forward, slipping as close to her as he could get with her arm still around him. Something was wrong and Alexis was tense. He would have been scared, if he had been with anyone else. But he knew that his Alexis would never let anything happen to him. She would always protect him, she had promised him that and she hadn't broken a promise yet. He felt her relax slightly as they entered an odd little shop.

"Maria!" Alexis called out, slipping her pendant over her head and tapping it twice with her wand. When she had programmed them for use by the staff, she had added an emergency portkey, just in case, to every one of them. Including hers.

"Alexis? Didn't you get my message?" A short woman appeared from the back, frowning at the younger woman for a long moment. She had sent her an owl yesterday, telling her not to come to Milan today. It wasn't safe for the young woman, not right now.

She bit her lip for a brief moment, before shrugging. She had received, and promptly ignored, the letter. She had figured that she would be quite capable of keeping Teddy safe. And she was. But now that they were being followed, it was time to leave. She was not going to have her child witness a confrontation if it could be helped. And it could. "Could you send the supplies to Eric? I want to take my child home." She inquired quickly, raising an eyebrow when the older woman merely sighed.

"Of course. Were you followed?" Maria questioned, glancing at the child before turning her eyes toward the front of the store. There was someone lingering just outside the door. The younger woman had never been good at following orders for her safety, but she had thought that the woman would for her son's sake. Apparently not. Well, if she was sending the supplies that Alexis had ordered to Eric, there was no reason she couldn't include a quick note to him. Someone needed to know the danger the younger woman routinely placed herself in.

Alexis gave a brisk nod, turning to Teddy. "We're going to portkey home but it would be easier if I held you. Is that alright?" At the child's nod she picked him up, settling him on her hip. She held the pendant tightly in one hand, tightening her hold on Teddy before grasping it with the other and tapping it with her finger. "Zu Haus." She whispered, feeling the jerk as the portkey activated, just as the man who had been following her entered the shop. She sneered at him as they vanished, reappearing in her office. She stumbled slightly, growling under her breath. She hated the landings. She hugged Teddy tight to her for a moment before setting the child down.

"Alexis?"

"Hm?"

"Who was that?" He asked softly, watching her un-shrink their purchases. The woman had seemed scared and he didn't like that. He didn't want anyone harming his Alexis.

She sighed softly, setting her personal purchases apart from the school's. "Someone was being paid to follow us. You were in no danger. I wouldn't let anyone harm you, I promised you that, remember?" She reassured quietly, gently grasping the child's shoulder for a moment.

"But what about you? What if they were planning to harm you?" Teddy looked up at her with large, worried brown eyes. What if they want to hurt Alexis? She needed someone to protect her, too. He had her to protect him, as did his brothers and practically every child in this school. But who did she have? He was under no illusions; he wasn't knowledgeable of enough spells to be able to protect her. She needed an adult, just like he had. He had her, so who did she have?

She stared down at the preteen for a long moment, attempting, and failing, to form words. The child was afraid for her. He was worried about her getting hurt. It nearly made her heart hurt. She could feel his fear along the bond they were forming and it hurt. It hurt to know her child was afraid for her and she had no words to make it better. Nothing to fix it. "I won't let that happen. I promise Teddy. No one will harm you, your brothers, or me. I will protect all four of us, alright?" She answered finally, knowing quite well that this might be a promise she couldn't keep. But she would deal with that if it happened.

"Alright." He replied quietly, hugging her for a moment before grabbing the unshrunk packages he had bought and darting through the door of her office to take them to his room. It wasn't alright. Alexis needed someone just like he had. Maybe he could find her someone who would protect her? Maybe he could learn the spells to protect her? He knew he could ask Remus and Severus to teach him a few spells. They would do so without asking questions. Because although she hadn't said anything, he was quite sure she hadn't wanted them to know what had happened. He wouldn't have, if it had been him. Maybe Bain would teach him some more spells.

-x-

"She did what?!"

"Calm down. They are both fine." Eric replied calmly, leaning against a wall in Filius' study. He directed his gaze at his son for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the younger man. His words applied to him as well, considering the snarl the younger man had given off. Which meant he was not as absorbed in his reading as he would have had them believe.

Filius muttered darkly under his breath for a moment before taking a deep breath. He knew quite well that Eric's initial reaction had probably been much like his. But the younger Head had a bit of time to accept it. It was, after all, something Alexis would do. Taking a child to Milan to go shopping, for Merlin's sake! Her being stalked was no fault of her own, although ignoring a warning from a local friend was. One of them would have to deal with this latest act of disregard for her own life. And she dragged one of his soon-to-be grandchildren along for the ride! Anything could have happened. He followed Eric's gaze, biting back a smirk for a moment. The youngest of them was not pleased, either. Filius caught Eric's eye, tilting his head toward Remus with an arched brow. The other man hesitated for a brief second before nodding his consent. "One of us needs to speak with her. She needs to learn that the family rules still apply to her, even if she is Headmistress, and that there are consequences for her actions. Remus, you will be responsible for enforcing the family rules this time." He remarked, breaking the tense silence. He forced down a chuckle at the expression on the younger man's face.

"She needs to realize that all three of us will take her to task if necessary, especially if it involved putting herself and others in danger, which is exactly what she did today. She knowingly went somewhere when she had been warned that it wasn't safe and she put herself and her son in danger. She needs to know that that is not already knows what Filius and I would do, but she doesn't know, or believe, that you would also provide consequences for such actions. Not as a Head of her family, at least." Eric added quietly, watching amber eyes for a moment.

Remus bit back a sigh, abandoning all attempts at reading the book in front of him .They were right and he knew it. He just didn't have to like being that bad guy. "I understand. I will talk to her." He responded finally, shaking his head slightly. He had a feeling it would not go well.

-x-

Alexis bit back a groan, shifting through the piles of parchment on her desk once more. She knew it was here, somewhere. It had to be. Papers didn't just get up and walk off and only Severus really had access to her office when she wasn't there, as deputy. But he had his own office and it wasn't a piece of paper he would have taken. She shuffled through one stack, cursing softly as a knock came at her door. She had to find that piece of parchment. She glanced at the door, turning back to the stacks since there was no light. It wasn't a child or counselor then, not that a counselor would be coming from her quarters. "Yeah?" She called out, starting to dig through a fourth stack.

Remus stepped into the office, raising an eyebrow at the young woman. She didn't even look up, rather she was tossing papers every which way and muttering to herself. That was never a good sign.

Perhaps it had fallen in the waste bin? But no, she had already checked that. She growled, staring at the mess on her desk for a long moment before her eyes settled on the untouched box of incoming mail. It was fuller than when she left, which meant Minzi had delivered it...It could be there. She grabbed the box, shifting through it quickly. No, no, no...there it was! Alexis smirked, pulling the parchment out of the box and setting the box back into its place. She glanced at the mess of paper on her desk and waved her hand, watching for a moment as the papers settled back into their neat stacks. She relaxed slightly, finally turning her gaze to the person who had enter her office and raised an eyebrow. "Need something?" She inquired, tilting her head slightly. He seemed upset about something.

"We need to talk." Remus responded, settling down in a chair in front of her desk. She merely nodded, quill scratching quickly across whatever piece of work she had just found. The concentration on her face told him that it was important; he was willing to wait. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation. He understood their point, of course, that he was also a Head of this family and so he should act as one. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

She wrote on for several minutes before folding the parchment and tapping it with her wand to seal it before tapping it again. She sighed softly as the parchment disappeared, setting her quill down and finally turning to look at Remus. "Sorry about that. What did you want to talk about?" She inquired, frowning slightly at his expression. Something was up. She had felt it a moment before and she could feel it even stronger now.

"Your trip to Milan this morning. Specifically your constant need to place yourself in dangerous situations." Remus replied calmly, leaning forward slightly. He felt the magic shift in the room, the change from a working relationship to a familial one. He still found it strange that he could now feel familial magic when before he had only felt his and Severus'. But it wasn't a bad feeling; it was a strong, good feeling of magic. Powerful.

She bit her lip, forcing her face to remain blank. "I have no idea what you are talking about." She replied slowly, flinching when his eyes turned amber and narrowed dangerously at her.

He raised an eyebrow, clasping his hands together. "So you didn't go to Milan today?" He inquired almost nonchalantly, as if he was merely asking about the weather. But his eyes dared her to lie to him. He knew it wouldn't be the first time if she did, but she should know how he felt about lying by now.
She hesitated, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before gazing down at her desk. She had felt the shift of magic as well. She was still his boss, of course, but in this conversation he was in charge. As much as she didn't like it, she wasn't in control here. "No, I did go to Milan. I took Teddy shopping for birthday presents. But it wasn't a dangerous situation." She stated firmly, shaking her head. It hadn't been that dangerous. She had had it under control. The man didn't try anything, she had already run a diagnostic spell over herself just to check for trackers, and she would never let harm come to any of the children.
"Oh? According to the letter Eric received, you were followed by a Hitwizard. You were also warned that it wasn't safe for you to come to Milan. And you have been told, repeatedly, to let someone know where you were going, because there is a man who wants you dead." Remus replied silkily, watching the emotions flit across her face. Anger, confusion...and fear. But he knew instantly that the fear was not for herself.

He had been a hitwizard? But he had held himself differently...once he spotted Teddy. When they had portkeyed away, she had seen his wand out, but it was lowered. Like he couldn't cast at her, even if he could catch her before the portkey vanished. And he could have. There was a twenty second window and that was plenty of time for a good wizard to cast. Hitwizards are often extremely fast. He could have got her. But her child...he wouldn't cast with a child on her hip. Bless that code. Hitwizards had ethnics, even if their job was to track and hunt people. Usually, they hunted criminals. But everyone had a price. Even then, there wasn't enough money in the world to get a professional hitwizard to go after a child. Children were sacred to them, just as they were to many other magicals. "Damn." She whispered finally, biting the inside of her cheek. If he was a hitwizard, then she would have been in danger. And she had put Teddy in harms way. Because while professional hitwizards would never harm a child, it could had just been a criminal tracking her and they would have had no qualms at hurting her son.

He saw the realization hit her and he sighed, watching the fight flee from her. "This cannot continue. We've talked about you putting yourself in danger before, about ignoring warnings and thinking things through. One of these days you will not be so lucky; you or one of the children could be seriously injured. So there can be no next time. Do you understand?" He remarked dryly, his tone leaving no room for argument. She had put herself in danger, again. He could see it in her eyes, even as her face remained an emotionless mask. She knew she was in trouble.

"I understand." She responded quietly, not meeting his eyes. Of course she understood, they didn't like it when she did something they considered dangerous. Even if it wasn't always dangerous. She knew, however, that today could have ended badly. The man had just followed them, but he could have tried to harm Teddy. And that would never be acceptable to her. Today had been dangerous, it had been stupid on her part, to ignore a warning from someone she knew would not lie to her. Not about this. She just hoped he would accept her agreement and leave it at that.

"You know the rules in our family, as well as the consequences for breaking them. Let's get this over with." He ordered briskly, after several minutes of silence. She gave a soft sigh but nodded, standing to move with him. Good. He wouldn't do this if she was truly against it. But it was his duty, as much as he disliked it.

-x-

Remus smiled softly, gazing down at the young woman who was curled up against him, her head resting on his shoulder, sound asleep. His arm was still wrapped around her, even though her tears were long gone. He had known she was probably tired, with all the work she did, but he hadn't realized how exhausted she really was until he had pulled her into his arms to comfort her. And she had fallen asleep soon after. He would have to see if he could convince her to let him and Severus take on some of the extra work that came with fixing Hogwarts. It was too much for her to do alone. He summoned a book with his free hand, gazing at the woman for a moment longer. She looked so peaceful and young when she slept, so very young. He didn't want to wake her, not when it was clear that she had not slept recently. Instead, he would read until she woke, there wasn't anything else he needed to do right now, after all. This was part of being family, taking care of one another. And if she felt safe enough to sleep curled against him, well he wasn't going to wake her. Not anytime soon.

-x-