A random thought I spent far too long debating in my head: how does sending mail via owl actually work? They'd have to send it to an address, not a person (imagine Lockhart getting swarmed by owls delivering fanmail while out trying to get a cup of coffee), but people don't leave windows open, not during winter. If you had your wireless or a record playing, how would you hear a bird tapping at a window? What if you were on vacation? Would you come back to find a pile of starving owls waiting to deliver back-dated issues of The Daily Prophet?

"Where's your little boy?"

Looking up from the sock puppet she was helping Ruby to assemble, Megan frowned. "He's not mine. And he's with his father."

Patricia squatted on her heels, down to her eye-level. "Sounds like you're regretting the decision to play house. Can't say I blame you." The bitterness in her voice was ill-disguised.

"Oliver?"

"Dumped me. Said he didn't need the distractions with the championship coming up. I offered a break of the more temporary sort, but I suspect he wants to be available for all the groupies he's expecting to tumble into his bed after they win."

"That's quidditch players for you," Megan said, but her reply was more feigned than heartfelt. She couldn't imagine Harry doing that, at least.

"Yea, well, bastards aside, I've got incredible news. There's been an anonymous donation to the hospital, earmarked specifically for the purchase of enough Wolfsbane for a dozen doses per month for the next year!"

"What- really? You mean…?"

"That's right. Next full moon, Ruby'll have the run of the utility room."

"That's incredible!" It really was - without her mental faculties taken over by her bestial instincts, Ruby's agony would be significantly lessened, and her recovery time massively decreased. "I- there aren't words. I can't believe someone was willing to give so much to help werewolves."

"Me neither," Patricia agreed. "Probably why they wanted it to be anonymous. You know how sensitive the wrong sort gets over helping them."

Megan did know, but it wasn't the sort of topic to bring up in this particular setting. Instead, they chatted about inane matters while Patricia did her rounds, checking on the children. She eventually left, but Megan stayed in the children's ward for hours longer than usual, well into the afternoon. Tricia finally chased her out at teatime, leaving Megan scrambling for an excuse to not go to Harry's.

The previous day - her unwanted 'day off' - had been awful. Megan was forced to admit that Brynne was right about at least part of what she'd said: she had gotten too attached to Teddy. Megan missed him like he was her own.

How was she going to leave him next summer? The thought alone made her ache. Maybe Harry would let her visit him. She could be a favourite aunt, who came and spoiled him rotten. Just because she wouldn't be his nanny forever didn't mean she had to say goodbye forever, right?

'But why would Harry's girlfriend - or wife - want you around?' That unwelcome thought left her stomach twisting. If he and Ginny were to patch things up, for example, Megan would surely find herself cut off permanently.

"That's not going to happen," she mumbled to herself as she threw a pinch of powder into St. Mungo's public access fireplace. Harry was a quidditch player! He wasn't going to settle down, certainly not until retirement. She'd have years and years before that became an issue.

Still…

Painful memories of Hestia patting her on the head, promising she'd stay in touch rose to the forefront of her mind. When Gwenog broke up with her, Megan was devastated. Being able to write to Hestia made up most of the reason she taught herself how to read. But as the years passed, the frequency of her correspondence diminished, lessening and eventually ending altogether. One more person whose love she couldn't earn.

She would never let that happen with Teddy.

All wound up and ready for a fight, Megan stepped out of the Floo into the Dusty Dragon. It looked like Mable was entertaining her bridge club, so she was mercifully able to slip through the unusually crowded interior unnoticed.

December arrived after this weekend, but autumn was well and truly gone. The cold served to ice over her heated defensiveness, a chill of fear arriving in its place. Megan was left with no alternative but to admit she'd put herself in a position with no power whatsoever. The outsider, the loner, pining away for scraps of affection from a family she had no right to.

Perhaps that was the real reason she'd been so attracted to Harry from the moment she saw him with Ruby. Few, if any of her peers demonstrated that sort of comfort with children, and Harry came as a package deal with one from the start. She thought back to her brief venture into the dating world, and wondered how a personal ad from Harry would read.

'Ready-made family, wife not included. Some assembly required.'

She laughed at the thought, but it was more an expression of sadness than amusement.

Maybe she should try and meet someone else? Even as the thought appeared in her mind, Megan dismissed it. Only because she had healer training on the horizon, she told herself. It didn't make much sense to start a personal relationship with that sort of looming professional commitment.

The way Harry Potter made her feel was entirely irrelevant to her taking herself 'off the market.'

Unlocking her door, Megan paused in surprise at the size of the great grey owl perched on her dining room table. It made for a lovely distraction from her worries.

"Who are you from?" she asked, reaching out and removing the tightly wound scroll from its leg. The moment she did so, the owl took off, it's wingspan so great it barely made it through the charmed window she had for correspondence.

Both the name and return address printed at the top of the scroll were unfamiliar.

Dear Megan, it read, We've never met, but Director Fulbright relayed the circumstances of your delayed admission to the apprentice healer program, and I'd like to present a possible solution to the problem of scheduling.

Before I retired, I held the position of master healer, overseeing the children's ward at St. Mungo's. I was a healer for thirty-five years, through the worst of You-Know-Who's rise in the 70s. When he came back, I knew I couldn't bear to see what horrors more war would bring.

Part of me regrets walking away in such a manner; I'd like to leave on my own terms, ones not dictated by fear. If you're amenable, I am willing to rejoin St. Mungo's specifically as your instructor. We can arrange your training so as to not interfere with your work outside the hospital.

Reply with a time that we might meet to discuss this arrangement.

Cordially,

Millie Bickerstaff

Megan read the letter once, then again to be certain she had it right. Why would Madam Fulbright do such a thing? A master healer, solely there to work as her teacher? This was- things like this didn't happen to her. She was just a regular, run-of-the-mill witch. Dumpy, dull, destined-for-mediocrity Megan Jones.

But St. Mungo's didn't think so. The proof was right there in her hands.

Megan spun on the spot and apparated with a loud crack!

Both Harry and Teddy were mute with surprise at her sudden arrival, but Teddy didn't take long to recover.

"May-gun! I missed you so much!" he cried, running headlong into her embrace.

"I missed you, too, baby," she mumbled, cradling him tight against her, looking over his shoulder at his father. "You've got to see this!"

"You apparated here. You never travel by apparition." Megan blinked. It was true, she never apparated for fear of splinching. But she'd been so excited, and wanted so much to share her good news with her- her friend. That's all it was.

Adjusting Teddy so she could hold him against her hip with one arm, she held out the letter with the other. "Look!"

He quickly scanned it, glancing from the parchment to her face with a growing smile. "This is amazing!"

"I know!"

"We have to celebrate! We're going out tonight!"

"Huh? What about Teddy?"

Harry took him out of her arms, shifting him only enough so that they wouldn't smush him between them while he embraced her. "He's coming too, of course. This is so wonderful, dinner's on me!"

In that moment, nestled beneath Harry's arm with his godson holding onto them both, Megan was hard-pressed to remember what she'd been so worried about not even an hour before.

The Gilded Griffin lived up to its reputation. It was Megan's first time at Magical Britain's most exclusive restaurant, and she soaked in the luxurious accommodation as they stepped inside.

"Mr. Potter, right on time. If you would follow me this way," the maitre'd said, leading them through the dining room. It was filled to bursting, every table occupied.

"You made a… reservation? When?" Had he planned a date with someone else?

"They always hold a table for me," Harry replied, breezily waving away her question while increasing his speed to help Teddy into his booster seat. "When are you going to meet with her?"

"I'll see if she's free tomorrow. No sense putting it off, right?"

"You could ask-" a waiter approached, and Harry paused to order a bottle of champagne and a cup of milk for Teddy. "Right, like I was saying, you could see if she wants to watch the game. Plenty of time to talk things over."

"Maybe." That did sound appealing. As the surprise wore off, Megan sipped her champagne and studied her dinner companion. "What did you do yesterday?"

"We went to see Miss Weasley!" Teddy chirped, and Harry's smile became fixed.

"Missus Weasley, Teddy. I took him to the Burrow-"

"I fed chickens, and a gnome took one of my toys! We ate a big piece of meat-"

"A roast," Harry interjected quietly, eyes still on her.

"-and she gave me a new jumper! It's warm!"

Her thoughts from earlier came back full bore. Had he reconciled with his ex? Megan knew how quickly Gwenog's interest waned. She kept her focus on Teddy for the next question. "Was Ginny there?" From her peripheral vision, she could see Harry frown at her query.

"No, but My-Knee and Ron were! I told them all about you!"

'Great' Megan could only imagine what the excitable little boy might have said. "I'm glad you had fun."

Teddy reached out, his balance on the high chair precarious as he held both his arms out to her. "I missed you, May-Gun."

Plucking him out of his seat and onto her lap, Megan squeezed him to her. "I missed you, too. Lots."

The waiter returned, and Megan ordered the special, more for the sake of convenience than any other reason. When he departed with their menus, Harry topped off her champagne and sipped his own, and with Teddy distracted by a piece of bread back in his seat, the table was silent.

"The Weasleys are really important to me." She glanced up, feeling her eyebrows raise at his response to a question she didn't ask.

"I know."

"They aren't- it's not just that Ron's my best mate and they're his family. They're sort of like my family, too. They-" He scrunched up his face, obviously uncomfortable. "All I meant is, what happened with Ginny doesn't have anything to do with my relationship with the rest of them."

"Okay." 'Why are we talking about this?'

The unspoken question must have been obvious, because he leaned back in his seat, earlier awkwardness gone. "Just so there's no misunderstanding."

It was what she said to him, after the night she spent at St. Mungo's. "I wasn't jealous," she mumbled, pulling away the silverware Teddy managed to grab off the table.

"Just wishful thinking, I suppose."

Mercifully, their food arrived right then, sparing Megan the need to reply.

"So this healer, the one who wrote to you. If her schedule is as open as it sounds, how would you like your training to work? I mean, ideally, if things worked out exactly how you wanted."

Megan took a bite of gnocchi, savoring the flavour as she thought it over. "What do you mean?"

"Would you still want to, um…" Harry nodded his head in Teddy's direction. "Even while you're training?"

"Of course!" It really was the best solution, the more she thought about it. "I guess we'll have to work out more of a concrete schedule for me."

"That won't be a problem. Do you think you'd rather do your training in the morning or the evening?" Harry reached out, taking hold of her free hand on the table.

"More champagne?" The waiter appeared as if out of thin air.

"No, we're fine."

Megan tried not to pout; the champagne was quite good, after all. "Well… I work for you, so we should do whatever you think is best. And- and we need to renegotiate my salary if I'm only working part-time."

"Sure, we can talk about that later." Harry kept his eyes locked on her from across the table while his thumb started running slow circles over the back of her hand. "I'm really glad things are working out like this."

"Me too."

"What's for dessert?"

"Whatever you want, little guy," Harry said, finally releasing her hand to read out the dessert menu for his godson. When Teddy decided on a sorbet, Harry signalled the waiter to approach. "Did you want anything?" he asked, offering the menu to her.

"Maybe some more champagne?"

The waiter arrived, and Harry ordered the sorbet - but no champagne - and requested the check. Once they were alone, he leaned over the table, voice hushed. "Why don't we have a drink at the house, instead?"

Megan felt like her whole body quivered with the next breath she took. Yes. "That sounds lovely."

The sorbet arrived quickly, and she'd never felt so grateful for the child's enthusiasm for ice cream as she did right then. The idea of having to wait for a souffle to be completed might have driven her spare.

What was she so worried about, earlier? Everything seemed to have fallen perfectly into place, one after another. Ruby's wolfsbane potion, realising her dream of starting healer training, Harry willing to accommodate her new schedule. It was like someone waved their wand and just fixed all of the obstacles she faced.

This time, it was Megan that reached for Harry's hand, smiling happily at him while running a gentle hand over Teddy's hair.

"-and the nundu knew they'd be friends forever." Megan wriggled in her seat, feeling Harry's fingers toy with a strand of hair behind her back. "The end."

"Read it again," Teddy said, but his eyelids were drooping and his voice was drowsy.

"I will, during naptime tomorrow." 'With your father at a safe distance, preferably' she thought. Without once straying near anything 'inappropriate', Harry had been tormenting her through the entirety of storytime. Running his fingertips down her back, leaning in close to 'read' over her shoulder, pressing his knee lightly against her thigh.

They said their goodnights, extinguishing Teddy's lamp and closing the door behind them. Harry started walking towards the staircase, but Megan lingered in the hallway. He paused at the head of the stairs, looking back expectantly. "You- you'll stay for a drink, won't you?"

How many glasses of champagne did she have at dinner? 'Not that many' she admitted to herself. Nevertheless, warmth suffused her; standing there watching him, she felt heated and not from alcohol. "I'm not very thirsty," she said, but before his face fell, added in the next breath, "And I'd rather not go downstairs."

The air felt thick, the heat inside her building to a dull throb, a foreign ache that she'd never before experienced. Harry was in front of her in two long strides, his larger frame pinning her against the wall, dipping his head to meet her lips in a kiss that started slow and sensuous. It didn't stay slow very long, though, the pressure of his body against hers forcing her to tilt her head to stay engaged with him as their tongues danced within her mouth.

He fumbled with her skirt, but the long ankle-length garment defied his attempts to reach beneath it. When he tried, instead, to slide his hand in her waistband, Megan unwrapped her arms from around his neck and pushed at his shoulders. Harry didn't budge, slipping his leg between hers and cradling her jaw with both hands, deepening the kiss.

Megan shamelessly ground herself against his thigh, and the throbbing was now an insistent pulse. This wasn't anywhere close to enough! She squirmed against him, feeling his need pressing into her hip. Her body was tense and coiled, desperate for him. For all of him.

Pushing harder at his shoulders, Harry pulled back but only a bare inch. Instinctively, she followed, catching his lower lip in her teeth and giving it a gentle nibble. "Can you summon my purse?" The sound of her own voice surprised her - breathy and deep.

When Harry turned his head, holding out one hand and focusing on his spell, Megan slipped out from between him and the wall, walking to his room. Pausing in the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see him grab her purse out of midair.

He'd just turned in her direction when her skirt dropped to the floor. Megan watched his eyes track the descent of her panties, pushed down past her thighs, gravity dropping them the rest of the way to land atop her skirt. She stepped out of them and started for his bed.

By the time he caught up with her, Harry was down to his boxer-briefs. Her fingers curled into the waistband, but before she could tug on them, Megan had to raise her arms so he could strip her jumper off her. She undid the clasp on her bra herself, her last piece of clothing falling to hang off her elbows as she completed undressing him.

She spread her legs, but Harry laid beside her, rather than on top of her, one hand sliding up her thigh. Megan's hips bucked off the bed involuntarily when his fingers grazed her center. She gasped, pulling on his wrist to roll him on top of her.

"Now- I'm ready, please," she whispered, feeling for him with her hand.

Harry installed himself between her legs, and Megan stared down at him, practically vibrating with need. It was finally happening! Only, just as he came into contact with her, she had a moment of lucidity. Fumbling to pull her wand out of her purse, he suddenly entered her with a short, sharp jab of his hips.

Megan cried out, but it was truly more out of surprise than pain. Susan wasn't wrong; his penetration stung, but the hurt was brief and her excitement smothered the lingering discomfort.

Unfortunately, Harry easily distinguished the difference between a cry of pain and one of pleasure. "Were you- is this your first-?" He'd started to pull away, so Megan hooked her ankles at the small of his back and pulled him down to her, kissing away his questions. She finally found her wand, yanking it - and a half dozen other items - out of her purse. Breaking their kiss, she verbally incanted the contraceptive charm before tossing her wand to the floor.

"Keep going."

Harry was slow, moving back and forth, inching deeper with every push. When their hips finally pressed together, the cry she let out had nothing to do with pain. This was what she'd needed, to fill the emptiness she hadn't even realised was waiting for him! When his movements sped up, thrusts growing harder, more insistent, she unwrapped her legs from around him, planting her feet on the bed to push back against him.

Megan never imagined- she never thought sex would be like this. Her whole world shrank, condensing down to his body and hers, the way he surged into her, how she shuddered in his arms. Their sweat-slicked bodies moved faster, harder, building to a crescendo that washed over her like a tidal wave.

It was like her body reacted outside of conscious control. Her back arched, pressing her breasts to his chest. Her toes curled, legs clenched in the air. Every fibre of her being coiled, tightened, squeezed and then, all at once, released.

Megan fell back onto the bed, boneless and limp. "You were- that was wonderful," she sighed.

"It still is," he said, wearing a look of intense concentration.

Oh. In the novels she read, in the steamier Wireless dramas she listened to, the couple always… finished together. Had she done it wrong?

"Megan," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. "Stop thinking."

He was right, she mused as their rhythm resumed once more. Nothing about this could possibly be wrong.

"So…"

"Mmm." Megan pressed herself closer, curled half on top of him. "We should have done that ages ago." Feeling a chill as their bodies cooled, she tugged at the bedspread around their feet, pulling it over them.

"That was really your first time?" His voice was strange, almost strained.

Suppressing the urge to pull the covers over her head to avoid the question, she nodded. "Yes." Megan bit her lip, refusing to give into the temptation to ask 'Did I do it right?' like she was still a Hogwarts student.

"And you picked- I mean, why…?"

Somehow, he'd managed to steal all the bliss out of what was, to that point, a pretty spectacular moment. "Does it matter? I wanted you, and it seems like you wanted me. I had to lose it sometime."

Harry blew out an exhalation through pursed lips, but thankfully didn't pursue that particular topic further. "Are you going to stay the night?"

She definitely didn't feel like moving. "Yes. Did you not want me to?"

"I want you to stay."

His quiet declaration drained away Megan's defensiveness, and she burrowed into his side once more. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so- it's just, I'd been so worried about this pretty much since I decided to- since we decided to… you know."

He rubbed a slow circle on her back. "Was I what you expected?"

"Don't go fishing for compliments," she said, and they laughed.

Lying together and soaking in the postcoital endorphins, Megan didn't think she'd ever felt so comfortable. She couldn't wait to do this again; preferably at the next available opportunity.

The bed was empty when she woke up.

Harry's scent was recognisable before she'd even opened her eyes, so it wasn't as disorienting as she might have imagined. Her clothes were folded neatly at the foot of the bed, with her wand seated next to her purse on the nightstand. Whether it was Harry or Kreacher who did that, she couldn't be sure, but the small act of kindness was a nice, if lonely, start to her day.

"Hello?" There was no reply, and the downstairs was quiet. "Teddy?"

There was no one home. On the dining room table, she found yesterday's letter from Madam Bickerstaff neatly folded alongside a blank roll of parchment. A small note from Harry told her he'd taken Teddy out to give her the chance to go home, next to - as it was Monday - the Gringotts draft with her pay for the week.

'Of course' she thought, he wouldn't want Teddy to see her emerge from the upstairs in the same clothes she'd worn the night before.

The gold, though, made her uncomfortable. Megan knew it was stupid, that he paid her every Monday, but after what they'd done together it made her feel cheap. Made her feel like she was sleeping with her boss.

'Which you are' her mind helpfully supplied.

Swallowing her discomfort, Megan gathered the letter and blank parchment, eyeing the draft slip with distaste. She didn't want his money, not like this, even though all her plans for the next year revolved around having this job. There were still bills to pay, after all, and it wasn't like he'd thrown in a bonus for being a good shag, right? This was no different from all the other times he'd left her pay.

But it felt different to her, here today. She tapped the draft slip with her wand, muttering "Evanesco" and waiting until it vanished before she left for the fireplace.

"Morning, Miss Jones! Lookin' as lovely as ever!"

"Hi Garth, how's your day been?"

"Early starts are always hardest in the winter. Somethin' unnatural about waking before sunrise, ain't there?"

Megan wouldn't know, it being years since she'd done so, but she nodded in sympathy. "I imagine so. You're not working too hard, are you?"

He laughed. "Now don't you go worrying about me, you've got enough on your plate, young lady!"

For some reason, Harry's offer to invite Madam Bickerstaff to the championship game rose in her mind. Garth was an avid quidditch aficionado. "Harry asked me to bring his godson to the championship game, to watch it in his private box. Would you like to join us?"

"That's a mighty kind offer, but we'll have a roaring crowd here for the game. Can't turn away that sort of coin, you know," he said regretfully. "You should find yourself a handsome lad to bring along. Mable always says it's a marvel no one's managed to win your heart!"

She couldn't hold back a laugh. "Tell Mable I'll keep that in mind. I better run, see you later!"

Back at her flat, she showered and changed clothes, then on a whim threw several outfits into an overnight bag. Shrinking it down and stuffing it into her purse, she took a seat at her kitchen table to ink out a reply to meet with her prospective trainer.

The edge of an envelope sticking out of her pile of unsorted mail caught her eyes, the distinctive penmanship bringing back familiar memories of her younger years. A note from Susan!

Meggie - I can only assume the reason you never told me how things went is you've been shagged rotten nonstop since we last spoke. You owe me details, girl, so throw some clothes on and meet me Monday. Afternoon cocktails, Longbottom Manor. Don't make me find you - you know I can!

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she set the note aside and completed her letter to Madam Bickerstaff. Sealing the envelope, she grabbed her purse and coat to prepare to head out. On a whim, she scribbled a 'See you there' on a scrap of parchment to send to Susan when she mailed her other letter.

"Are you sure? It sounds… drastic."

Sliding the plate with grilled cheese sandwiches closer to them, she took a sip from her tea. "I've worked it out in my head. I know it seems like a lot, but I've still given myself each Sunday to rest and recuperate." She'd proposed a reduction of only one-third in her wages, in exchange for continuing to watch Teddy each afternoon, six days a week.

"One day a week? I can't speak from any real experience, but I don't imagine healer training is a walk in the park." Harry paused to take a bite before he continued. "Why not take more time off here? The offseason's coming, I won't be gone as much. Is the gold worth pushing yourself so much?"

"Well… there's my normal bills, like rent and such. And I want to purchase some supplies and equipment, so I can study at home." Specifically, a copper cauldron and potions ingredients, in the hopes of getting herself back to the Acceptable she'd scored on her OWLs. What if Madam Bickerstaff thought she was hopeless and decided to work with a more worthy candidate? "I'm a hard worker, I can handle it."

"I thought the whole point of this healer working only with you was to make things easier for you. Teddy and I'll get by."

Maybe he was over whatever this was between them. He said she wouldn't be needed here as often. Was it because he- he'd had her, now she wasn't as exciting? Patricia's comment about expecting groupies to tumble into bed popped into her mind, with an accompanying nauseating mental picture. 'No. Harry's not like that!' "You're right. What would you be more comfortable with?"

A frown crossed his face, then he pulled Teddy down from his booster seat. "Kreacher's going to take you upstairs to get ready for naptime, okay? Megan will be up to read you a story soon."

"I'm not tired!"

"Maybe not, but I am," Harry shot back with a grin. "Naps for everyone!"

While Kreacher made sure the surly three year old got up the stairs safely, Harry came around the table to sit next to her. "I just want to make sure you don't burn yourself out doing too much. Your life can't be all about work and training."

"I'll be okay. And- and I really like taking care of Teddy. I don't want to give him up."

"You don't have to be his-" Harry abruptly went quiet as she leaned towards him, stopping short to give him a chance to pull back. Instead, he closed the distance and kissed her.

What was it about him that made her feel so… Megan couldn't think of an appropriate adjective to describe what he did to her. It wasn't all lust, she thought as his fingers deftly undid the buttons on her blouse. They shared an understanding of the world's little cruelties, even if they wanted different things out of life.

He scooped one of her breasts out of her brassiere, capturing her nipple with his lips, teasing it ever so lightly with his teeth. Megan threw her head back, threading her fingers through his hair to keep him locked in place.

Megan stopped trying to think when Harry pushed aside the dishes on the table, knocking Teddy's juice cup to the floor and spilling her half-empty teacup. He easily hefted her weight, gently laying her on the tabletop.

She tried to pull him on top of her, but he resisted. "Teddy's still waiting for you, we don't have time for that." Even as he said that, though, he was reaching up her dress to strip her of her panties.

"Then what are you… Oh! Oh," she gasped, as his head dipped between her thighs.

Naps for everyone, indeed.

"Now remember what you promised, okay?"

"I'm a good boy!" Teddy affirmed, holding onto her hand as she tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace and called out their destination.

Megan winced at the antiques lining the walls of Longbottom Manor as a house elf led them to a sitting room. Bringing Teddy wasn't ideal, but Harry had to watch a memory of a Harpies match at Puddlemere's stadium. She'd Floo-ed ahead, prepared to cancel, but Hannah assured her it wouldn't be an issue.

As was so often the case at Hogwarts, Megan hadn't been surprised Hannah would be present for this get-together, but Sophie Roper - the fourth Hufflepuff girl in their year - was more unexpected. "Hi, sorry we're late. Teddy had a bath after his nap."

That she'd also needed time to fix her just-been-shagged appearance was left unsaid.

"You didn't tell me you have a son!" Sophie was always slight, almost waifish, making her pregnancy bump look positively massive on her slim frame as she rose from her seat. She held out a hand to the little boy, who shrank back, hiding behind Megan's skirt in a strange place with strange people. "Oh my, he's got your eyes. Hi cutie, I'm Sophie! Your mum and I are old friends-"

"Teddy's not my son," Megan interrupted. "I'm just his nanny."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sophie said, clearly embarrassed.

"It's alright, Teddy's a really special boy. He's a metamorphmagus, so his appearance can shift depending on who's around. He normally looks like a carbon copy of his dad."

"Would you like a cocktail?" Hannah asked. "We're drinking some tequila Nev and I brought back from our honeymoon."

"No thanks, I'm working. How was Mexico?"

Susan snickered behind her palm. "Hannah wishes her hubby would have spent less time on the local flora and more time plowing her garden, if you know what I mean."

"Suz!"

"What? We're all big girls here. Speaking of…" Susan turned her wicked eyes to Megan.

'She wouldn't dare!' "I hardly think that's appropriate in the current setting."

Hannah chuckled. "What do you think you're doing here? We've taken care of it." In a louder voice, she called out, "Oh, Neville, dear? Your play-date has arrived!"

Unlike Hannah, Neville had a deep tan, making the contrast between his skin and his blonde hair all the more striking. "That's Teddy?" he asked, looking between him and Megan. "I remember him looking a little different."

Before she could explain, he squatted on his heels, dropping down to eye-level with him. "My Gran and I were going to make some biscuits and we need some help. If we give you some, will you give us a hand?"

Predictably, the lure of baked treats overpowered Teddy's shyness. "What sort?"

"Chocolate chip. After that, we can go to the greenhouse and I can show you what I brought back from Mexico. What do you say?"

Teddy tugged on Megan's hand, coming out from behind her skirt. "Can I?"

"Maybe I should come with you…" she really didn't like the idea of leaving him with someone else.

"Augusta will be there, and our elves," Hannah protested. "And you'd be doing me a favour; Nev hasn't had a lot of experience taking care of children."

Still reluctant, Megan smoothed Teddy's blonde locks. "Be on your best behaviour, and if you need me for anything, send an elf and I'll come get you, okay?"

"Okay!" And with that, Teddy flounced away, chattering about the snacks he often got from the Dusty Dragon.

"Now that innocent ears are out of range, take a seat and fill us in, Jones." She joined the other three around a small table, reaching for a pitcher of water. Susan shoved a tequila sunrise into her hands instead. "Just one won't hurt."

"Are you and Neville going to start trying for a baby?" Megan asked, and Hannah nodded.

"He wants our child to have a chance to know his grandmother. I understand why, but Neville's didn't have any brothers or sisters. I don't think he understands how much work kids can be. Sophie, if you don't mind, once your little one arrives I'd like to come over. Preferably when the baby won't stop screaming!" They all laughed, but Megan's was more wistful than heartfelt. Hannah was so lucky.

"Speaking of getting experience," Susan began, doggedly focusing on Megan. "How was your weekend, Megan?"

She could feel her cheeks heat up. "I guess I do have big news." She sipped the cocktail, making a face at its strength. "There's been a change at St. Mungo's, and I'll likely begin my training before the year's end!"

"Congratulations!" Both Hannah and Sophie sounded genuinely excited.

"Thanks! A healer decided to come out of retirement to take over my instruction, and just today, I worked out my schedule with my boss." Megan quickly explained the circumstances of her application to the healer apprentice program, and why she had to delay her entrance. "I'm really lucky it worked out this way."

"I'll say," Sophie remarked in surprise. "It sounds loads easier than the normal training. An instructor all to yourself! Wow!"

"What do you mean?" Hannah asked, though Megan was curious as well.

"You're friends with Patricia, right?" Megan nodded. "You should ask her about how her apprenticeship went. It sounded, uh, different from what you've been offered."

She wanted to press further, but Susan broke in at that point. "That's all well and good, but I've been waiting for an update for ages. Meggie's got scandalous stories to tell, girls."

The others waited in expectation, and Megan grudgingly said, "It was really great. I appreciate your help."

Susan squealed with joy, leaning forward. "I'm so glad it went well! The whole weekend I was wondering." To the others, she said, "Megan's met someone."

Sophie applauded, but Hannah's eyes widened and she sat silently. "It's not serious," Megan said. "But I definitely have no regrets."

"So, tell me about it. You don't have to give us all the details, though you're welcome to!"

"Susan!" She really was shameless. "It happened at his place, after we went out for dinner. We- it just felt like the right time. And you were right, I didn't need to worry about- um, you know."

"Wait. You're dating Harry?"

Susan coughed, choking on her drink at Hannah's incredulous question. "The mystery man is Potter?!"

"Why would you think that?"

"Neville and I were at the Gilded Griffon. I saw you there."

"And you didn't say hello?"

Megan's deflection, naturally, elicited no reaction in the face of Hannah's reveal. "Merlin, Megan! He's not still with Weasley?"

"They broke up a few weeks ago."

"Right, you said he was on the rebound." The mood was no longer playful. The other three looked more concerned than anything. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, I do."

"You don't think this is a bit… complicated? I mean, he's your boss-"

"Wait," Sophie said, "Teddy is Harry's? And you're sleeping with him?"

Megan sighed, taking a long drink of her cocktail. This wasn't turning out to be as fun as she hoped. "Look, Harry and I have an understanding. We both know exactly what this is, so no, it's not complicated." She gave a hard look around the table, meeting each woman's eye. "And I'd rather keep it that way."

"None of us will say a word," Susan promised, and the others agreed. "But… you said you worked out your schedule for this healer training with him. You're going to keep seeing him?"

"I- well, Teddy needs me, and St. Mungo's doesn't have the funding for a stipend right now."

"And that doesn't seem risky? What happens if you break up?"

"It's just a fling, okay? I know what I'm doing."

A heavy silence fell over the table, and eventually Sophie hesitantly spoke up, telling about Justin's new job in the muggle world. All parties present jumped on the topic change, but the mood was irrevocably broken.

Megan felt the same discomfort she did at Harry leaving her the Gringotts draft that morning. She felt like a whore.

A/N: No editing on this chap, it was rushed, so excuse any SPAG errors.

Next chap is FINALLY the championship game (which was planned for like, chapter 6/7). I'm so far off on my outline. This fic might break 80k words, but i dearly hope not.

Thanks for the reviews, and thanks to LSIR and gbbz for promo-ing this fic. Very grateful!

Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles