"Do you like it?" I asked quietly as I held Carrigan's form arm in my hand to study the altered tattoo on her flesh. The area was still red and puffy from the edits, but overall it looked decent. I was afraid that it was still rather obvious that the tattoo was a Dark Mark that had been tattooed over.
I sat in the kitchen chair, with Carrigan standing before me, allowing me to inspect the new tattoo.
"Yea," Carrigan replied softly with some indifference. "It's an alteration of the design I originally wanted."
I nodded my head slowly, still looking at the ink on my fourteen year old daughter's arm. The skull of the Dark Mark had been widened and broken down the center with white ink. A spear filled the negative space of the broken skull, and stabbed down, disappearing behind it's eyes. The spear reappeared through the mouth of the skull and stabbed the head of the snake that was protruding from the mouth as well. The snake had been edited with white and black ink to look dead as well. Carrigan had asked Jeremiah to add a touch of color to the tattoo by adding eight, eight-petal red roses to the design. There were three roses to the left of the snake's dead head, below the skull; two more on the right side of the snake; two on either side of the broken open skull and only placed in the eye of the skull. The roses added an extra touch to disguise the tattoo as a Dark Mark.
"What will you tell people when they ask about it?"
"That I wanted my own symbol of defiance from Voldemort. This tattoo displays a destruction of him through the symbol he uses to mark his followers and murderous acts. The roses represent hope…that someday this war will all be over."
"In which, people will reply that you're only fourteen and shouldn't be thinking so deeply about such things," said Gabriel as he walked into the kitchen.
"I'm ignoring you," Carrigan said with a light smile. Gabriel shrugged and made his way past the kitchen table to the refrigerator.
"Eight roses with eight petals," I whispered as I released her arm. In art from the Renaissance, it was typical that roses were depicted with eight petals to represent rebirth and renewal. "Rebirth."
Carrigan turned her head to me. "I have been reborn," she said as she pulled the sleeve of her black shirt down over her arm. I nodded my head slowly, but had no response. I suppose she had, but how? Fear wavered in me for a moment, but I quickly pushed it from my mind so that Carrigan would not pick up on it. I gave her a weak smile and turned away to look at Gabriel.
He was pulling food out of the fridge and setting on the counter to make dinner. I stood up from my chair to lean against the counter.
"We are going to the Weasley's for dinner," I said softly. Gabriel paused with a head of lettuce in his hand. He looked at me quizzically.
"Why?"
"I wanted to see everyone before leaving for school tomorrow," Carrigan answered before me. "I'm going to change then I'll be ready to leave."
She left the kitchen without another word. I looked to Gabriel who looked disappointed that he could not prepare dinner. He began to put the vegetables and chicken that he had pulled out away in the fridge.
"Who's idea is this?" he asked.
"Not mine," I replied. "Carrigan thought it would be easier to see everyone tonight than tomorrow morning at the train station. She wants to get the awkward greetings out of the way."
Gabriel nodded his head slowly as he studied me. I could see in his eyes that he was trying to penetrate my mind, to see if I had anything to do with Carrigan going to the Weasley's. I stepped close to him and shoved him in the shoulder.
"You know very well that I would never make her do anything she didn't want to do."
"You're such an agreeable mother," Gabriel conceded. "It always baffles me how you're not an agreeable wife as well."
I smirked up at him as he wrapped me in his long, muscular arms. "If you didn't try to control me, maybe I would be more agreeable."
"I seriously doubt that."
He bent his head down to kiss me softly on the lips. His hand moved up my back to my neck, where he pulled at my hair gently and playfully. I couldn't help but smile against his lips. There was always a sexual hunger in his kisses and lustful desire in his touch. I suppose I kept him young and hungry for more passion, love and adventure, while he kept me grounded, confident and loved.
"If you two are done snogging," Carrigan said as she entered the kitchen. "I'm ready to go."
I smiled while pulling out of Gabriel's arms. He didn't let me get far though. As soon as I turned around to face Carrigan, he wrapped me tightly against his body from behind, pulling my back to his chest. I sighed with desire as his washboard abs pressed against me. The feeling of his body pressed against mine made me imagine the possible scenario if we were alone and naked.
"Mom!" Carrigan snapped uncomfortably.
I frowned and bit my lip. "Sorry," I said standing up straight and pulling out of Gabriel's arms. I took Carrigan's new appearance in. She had changed into a blood red long sleeve blouse with a black vest on top. The vest was tightly buttoned close around her petite waist and accented her hourglass shape. She also wore straight cut black slacks with boots.
"Maybe you shouldn't read my mind all the time," I said in defense.
"It's second nature," she whispered. "I'm sorry. Is Benjamin home yet?"
"He's working late this evening, Carri," Gabriel replied. "I don't think he'll be able to come."
Carrigan frowned deeply. "I really didn't want to go without him."
"It will be fine. Gabriel and I will be there with you," I said calmly, hoping to ease her discomfort. "And if you want to leave at any time, we can. We only have to stay as long as you want to."
Carrigan nodded her head. Her deep blue eyes looked confident and nervous at the same time. I knew she was anxious about seeing her friends. She was afraid they wouldn't look at her the same, not trust her, or act as if she were fragile.
"Alright," Carrigan nodded. "Let's just rip the band-aid off and get this over with."
"Would you like to walk there?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes, it's nice out."
"You're going to be too warm in that," he motioned to her long sleeve outfit.
"Mom's wearing more clothing than me," she said turning her head in my direction. I looked down at my outfit and frowned slightly. I was wearing an over-sized knit sweater that fell off my right shoulder and dark skinny blue jeans. I pushed my brown curly waves over my shoulder.
"I think we're fine."
"You're both crazy," Gabriel said with a roll of his eyes. "It's the end of August."
"I'm cold all the time," Carrigan replied softly.
"Like your mother…" Gabriel whispered as he stepped forward and rubbed her shoulders. "Come on, ladies. Our friends wait."
A few moments later the three of us were walking down the dirt road towards the Burrow, where the Weasley's lived. We walked in silence, kicking up the dirt and holding each other's hands. Gabriel walked between Carrigan and I. He smiled down at me, releasing my hand and wrapping his arm around me, pulling me close to him. Carrigan smiled at both of us as we walked. We looked like a normal family as we walked, but looks were often deceiving.
When we arrived at the backdoor of the Burrow, Gabriel knocked politely. There was a few moments of silence, then quick shuffling of feet and furniture. Voices could be heard softly talking to each other on the other side of the door.
"Who is it?" asked the male voice of Arthur Weasley.
"Gabriel Quintin, with Cadence and Carrigan Coleman."
"Gabriel, was I a member of the Order twenty years ago?"
"No," Gabriel replied.
"Correct!" Arthur said cheerfully. There were footsteps behind the kitchen door, then a new voice spoke.
"Cadence, when did you meet my mother?" It was Harry Potter speaking.
"On the Hogwarts Express, at the start of my sixth year at Hogwarts," I replied.
There was a long pause behind the door.
"Carrigan?" This time, the voice was of a young woman. I had to assume it was Ginny Weasley, Carrigan's best friend speaking. Carrigan stepped forward to the door with a faint smile on her face.
"Yes, Ginny. It's me."
"What is the last thing I told you before we left for the Ministry in May?"
"That you were going to break up with your boyfriend because he was a controlling, jealous, jerk," Carrigan replied coolly with a beaming smile.
The door unlocked and opened. A flash of red and green flew by me and collided with Carrigan. Ginny Weasley threw her arms around Carrigan, almost knocking her over off the back porch step. Carrigan laughed as she embraced her best friend tightly in her small arms. Ginny stepped back with a cry of happiness.
"I've missed you so much, Carri!"
"I've missed you too, Ginny," Carrigan smiled as she hugged her friend again. "It's good to see you."
"Come on, you have to see—" Ginny took hold of Carrigan's hand and turned around to head back into the house. She collided straight into Harry's chest. "—Harry."
"Hello, Harry," Carrigan said slowly as she looked up at one of her closest friends. She ran her hand over her bald head nervously as she looked up at his green eyes.
"Hi, Carrigan," he said very carefully.
Carrigan bit her bottom lip and nodded her head slowly, awkwardly.
"Come in, everyone, come in," Arthur said inside the doorframe, welcoming us with open arms. Gabriel motioned for me to enter first.
Inside the kitchen of the Burrow, tasty smells of chicken, lamb, potatoes and greens filled my nose. I couldn't help but smile. Molly was a fantastic homemaker, cook and mother. She managed to run a household with seven children, which was more then I could ever do. I marveled at her strength and abilities.
While living in Maine after the Potter's had been killed, I had tried to be a homemaker. While I was able to pick up after Carrigan and keep the house somewhat clean, I could never cook. Carrigan and I survived on cereal, carry-out and frozen dinners bought from the Muggle grocery store. The only time food was cooked in my oven or on the stove was when Gabriel came over on the weekends.
"Hello Cadence," Molly said brightly.
"Hello, thank you for having us over."
"Of course," she replied still smiling. "It's good to have Carrigan home."
"Yes, it is." I looked at Carrigan as Ginny held her hand and led her into the family room. Harry didn't follow the two girls. He lingered in the kitchen as Gabriel and Arthur took seats at the table to talk. "Something the matter, Harry?"
He forced a weak smile at me. "Can I speak to you?"
"Of course," I nodded quickly as I moved away from Molly. Harry led me into the family room. Carrigan and Ginny were not present, they must have gone upstairs to Ginny's room to talk. "Is there something wrong?"
Harry looked nervous. He patted his hair down in front of his forehead to hide his lightening bolt scar. He pushed his black circle rim glasses up his nose before he spoke.
"Is she alright?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" I ask curiously.
"She doesn't want to talk to me."
"What makes you say that?"
"She always talks to Ginny and Ben before she talks to me," he shrugged.
I looked at Harry oddly. "Well, I think it's a question you should ask her if you want to know the answer."
Harry nodded uncomfortably. "She is fine, though. She is managing everything she has gone through. I think she feels a great deal like you do…she doesn't know how to feel. She is afraid that you will treat her different."
"She is different," he replied. "I mean…look at her…"
I shook my head. "Harry, by coming to me before going to speak to her, you're doing everything she was afraid of. You are treating her differently because of her experience."
Harry frowned deeply. "You're right, I'm sorry. I suppose, I just came to you because I'm afraid that I will treat her differently if I go to her. I wanted to be ready for how she'd respond."
I shrugged. "It's alright, she may have changed, but ultimately she is the same girl who followed you into the Ministry."
"Yea," he sighed heavily. "I get it."
He moved past me without another word. I frowned deeply, realizing the poor choice in my words. Harry blamed himself for everything that happened that night at the Ministry. My statement had just poured salt into his open wound. I watched, debating if I should try to say something comforting to him, as he made his way upstairs. He disappeared from sight before I could call him back. I bit my bottom lip with discomfort.
"What's the matter?" Gabriel asked coming into the family room. He had snuck up on me, causing me to jump with surprise. He gave me a wide, all-knowing smile as he peered down at me with his hands on his hips. I frowned up at him; even his sexy appearance couldn't brighten my spirits now.
"I've upset Harry," I whispered. "Can we leave now?"
Gabriel laughed. "We'll leave when Carrigan is ready to."
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine."
"Come on," Gabriel said placidly as he rubbed my shoulders and directed me into the kitchen where Molly and Arthur were sitting drinking tea while dinner finished cooking.
"Cadence," Molly said excitedly as we took a seat, joining them. "Arthur has told me that you are working for the Ministry again."
"Yes, as a private contractor," I nodded. "I haven't been doing much work though."
"Because she's so difficult to work with," Gabriel said.
"How is it being the new department head?" Arthur asked.
"More work, more stress and not enough pay."
"Isn't it that way for everyone?" Arthur joked.
They both laughed. "Yes, I suppose that is true. Cadence did not want me take the job."
"Of course not," I said instantly. "I still haven't forgiven you for it either."
"Yes, Cadence told me how she feels about it," Molly nodded remembering the short conversation I had with her concerning Gabriel's new job a few hours after he accepted it.
"It put us in more danger," I said with a shake of my head.
"We're in danger either way, Cadence," Gabriel said wisely as he poured himself some tea from the kettle on the center of the table. "Would you like some?"
"I'm fine thank you," I replied coolly. "I just think you're putting a bigger target on our heads."
"Maybe in the public sphere," he shrugged as if it did not matter.
"Exactly," I replied. "Our family is already hunted by Voldemort—" Molly let out a high pitched squeak when I spoke my father's name. "—Death Eaters have been after both of us for individual reason, together we're in greater danger then ever and with Carrigan added to the mix, we're red hot. Now, you've gone and become a public figure within the Ministry. The press and public care about you and your business—private and work related."
"You're afraid that you've lost your privacy?" Arthur asked.
"We never had it to begin with because of who Cadence is," Gabriel answered before I could.
"Exactly, that's what I'm saying. We have it hard enough as it is, you've just made it worse."
"Hasn't been worse yet," Gabriel replied quickly with a sharp look at me. He wanted the conversation to be over, so that the argument (and grudge I was holding) would be silenced. "Especially since Carrigan is home."
"How is she doing?" Molly asked carefully. "Ginny has been a wreck, worrying about her. We all have been."
"She's doing as well as can be expected," I shrugged as I gave into the subject change. Carrigan was bound to be the topic of conversation at some point. I wasn't sure if talking about her was much better than talking about Gabriel's new career choice.
"You think she'll be okay at school?"
"I think Hogwarts is exactly what she needs to fall back into a routine," I replied. "She's been keeping up a healthy routine since her return. Her training is complete, she is healthy, she seems to be doing well."
"Good," Molly forced a smile and nodded her head. "I can't imagine what either of you have been through…"
"You can't till you go through it," I said mildly. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I was going to burn down all of England to find her."
"Good thing she made her own way home then," Arthur said very quietly.
"Are you worried about her…?" Molly's voice trailed off.
"Her loyalties?" I said with a sharp tone.
Molly looked at me with apologetic eyes. She knew she had offended me with her question. I wasn't sure if she had the right to ask it and it bothered me immensely that she did. I tapped my fingers nervously on the tabletop while staring darkly at Molly. I turned my eyes away, blinking and looked down at my lap.
"Everyone is wondering it," Gabriel whispered very softly.
"There is no reason to," I insisted hotly.
"Mom," Carrigan came into the kitchen abruptly. "I'm ready to leave. Can we go please?"
I turned in my chair to look at her with surprise. "Okay, we can go," I said as I started to stand.
"But Carrigan, you haven't had dinner yet," Molly said surprised.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley," Carrigan said politely, though I could tell she was forcing herself to be polite. Her dark sparkling blue eyes betrayed her true feelings of anger and frustration. "But, I need to go."
Gabriel stood up as well and wrapped Carrigan in his arm. "Let's get going. Thank you for the tea Molly. Arthur, I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Alright, if you're sure," Arthur said. "Good night."
I went to the door and opened, motioning for Carrigan and Gabriel to leave before me. "Good night, everyone," I said softly.
"Carrigan, wait," Ginny called running into the kitchen. She straightened her green sweater when she arrived before us. Carrigan looked back at her friend from the doorframe of the Burrow with dark, threatening eyes. "I'm sorry about what he said. Don't listen to him, he's being stupid."
"It doesn't matter if he's being stupid or not," Carrigan said calmly. "He's articulating his feelings, and I'm sure he's not the only one who is feeling it."
"You don't owe him an explanation."
"Harry doesn't see it that way," Carrigan shrugged.
"Just ignore him," Ginny insisted. "He's just being an ass."
"Ginny!" Molly said surprised.
"Don't worry about it, Ginny," Carrigan smiled. "I know you're all still my friends. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright," Ginny said uneasily. "Bye."
Carrigan turned and exited the house without another word. I raised my eyebrows high and looked at Gabriel, who just shrugged and followed Carrigan out.
"Good bye, everyone," I said politely again. I closed the door behind me before quickly walking down the garden path to Carrigan and Gabriel who were standing by the front gate of the Burrow, waiting for me. "What happened?" I asked softly as I approached. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes," Carrigan nodded her head slowly. "I just didn't want to sit through an awkward dinner of Harry glaring at me from across the table."
"What happened?" Gabriel asked as we began to walk down the dirt road back home.
"He is questioning my loyalty," Carrigan said with a bitter tone. "He can't trust his own instincts, he's angry and frustrated, so he is taking it out on me. I'm not going to sit by and let him flattening me."
"I'm sorry, Carri," Gabriel said as he took her hand while they walked next to me.
"It's not your fault, Gabe," she said pleasantly. "Harry is stubborn and very rarely sees things from any other perspective than his own. That's why we ended up in the Ministry that night."
"You blame him?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I blame myself for following his instincts instead of my own. I spent the first few weeks of my captivity blaming myself and fearing that I couldn't trust my instincts. I learned very quickly that not trusting myself wasn't really an option. I was my only friend in that situation and if I was going to get out I could only rely and trust myself. Harry just needs to remember right now that he has to trust himself before he can trust anyone else."
"You're very forgiving."
"No," Carrigan shook her head. "I just have a little more perspective. I'm sure this year is going to be incredibly awkward, just like I feared it would. But he is my friend and if this is what he needs, then it's what he needs."
I squeezed her shoulder as we reached our property. No other words were exchanged as we passed our gate and made our way to the porch. Once inside, Carrigan and Gabriel went to the kitchen and began to cook dinner.
I took a seat at the kitchen table and watched them work with a small smile on my face. Gabriel watched over Carrigan while she tried to cook, leaning in to correct some of her technique and skills from time to time, with fatherly pride. I was happy that he was in my life and a part of Carrigan's. I was sorry that Sirius couldn't have been more of an influence and now that he was gone he'd never get the chance to be more of a father to her. Carrigan deserved all of the protection and family she could get, which is why I was thankful that I still had Gabriel. Somehow, he managed to love me, even for my weaknesses, and he loved Carrigan as his own. He saw past our flaws.
There was a violent knock at the front door that broke my attention from the romanticized family scene in my kitchen. Gabriel and Carrigan fell silent and looked to me with raised eyebrows. The knock erupted from the front of the house again. Gabriel and I instantly pulled out our wands. I moved down the hall first, with Gabriel straight behind me. As we arrived in the foyer, whoever stood on the front porch knocked for the third time aggressively. I thought the door might be knocked down if they hit it again. I grabbed the handle and looked back at Gabriel. Carrigan was standing a few feet behind him, in the hall, peering down at us with curious eyes.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Benjamin Snow!" His voice sounded frantic.
"How far did we go running this morning?" Carrigan asked coming forward, closer to the door.
"Eight miles," he replied. "You wanted to kick it up a notch."
Carrigan nodded as she looked between me and Gabriel. "That's right. It's him."
I squeezed the doorknob, but Carrigan grabbed my arm to prevent me from opening the door. She squinted her eyes with a curious expression, as if she were trying to listen to something.
"Benjamin?" she asked quietly. "Who is with you?"
"Haiden," he replied quickly. "Open the door, please. She is hurt."
I opened the front door slowly and stepped back in utter shock as Benjamin advanced forward into the foyer carrying an unconscious woman's body in his arms. Carrigan stood up straight and glared at Benjamin quickly while I took in the woman's appearance. Her hair was half pin-straight and blonde, while the other half was wavy and dark brown.
"Benjamin…" Gabriel sighed as he looked at Haiden Drake's limp body that was cradled in Benjamin's arms.
"I found her like this," Benjamin insisted. "Please, we have to help her. She is your niece and my friend. Please."
I bit my bottom lip harshly and nodded my head despite my better judgment. "Take her upstairs to the spare room. We'll be up in a moment."
With that, I slammed the front door shut violently. It was going to be a long night.
