The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Fate is Pulling You Miles Away
The chapter title is from the song:
Rewrite the Stars by Zac Efron and Zendaya [from The Greatest Showman].
When Bill opened the door of the humble home he shared with Lara to find Daphne on the doorstep, he was instantly suspicious.
"Hey," Daphne said with a false smile.
"Hey," Bill said. He took a step outside and looked around, "Just you?"
Daphne frowned, "Yes…why?"
"Because I have worked with you for decades, and I can count on one hand the number of times you've been at my house," Bill remarked. He shut the door to the house and leaned against the wall, "What's going on?"
Daphne sighed and sat down on the wall of the little front garden. She knew it was safe to speak here because a Fidelius charm protected Bill's house. Daphne knew that because she was the secret keeper.
"I'm going to Hungary," Daphne said, her eyes meeting Bill's.
"Harry is taking a team of Reserve Aurors and a team of Trauma Healers, but he needs Curse Breakers too. Obviously, I'm going, but I need backup."
Bill nodded, "Charlus or Me?"
"You," Daphne said instantly.
Bill raised an eyebrow, "Don't you think you learned some of the most important lessons under pressure?"
"Yes, I do," Daphne admitted, "But Charlus isn't like me and…I can't risk him being distracted."
"Why would he be distracted?" Bill asked, his eyes scanning Daphne's curiously.
"Because…" Daphne sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Fuck, Bill. I thought she would have told you."
Bill's eyes darkened, "Vic?"
"She's on the Trauma team," Daphne replied with a slight nod, "And at this point, I would trust you with your years of experience to keep your head more than I would trust Charlus. He loves your daughter, Bill. We both know that, even if he thinks we have no idea."
Bill sighed, "You really know how to drop it on me, don't you?"
"Is there a nice way to tell you that your daughter volunteered to run into a warzone?" Daphne asked. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"No, but sometimes a little bit of sugarcoating would be nice," Bill remarked dryly.
"I've never sugarcoated things, and I won't start now," Daphne said, her icy blue eyes meeting his darker ones, "So, are you with me?"
"Of course I am," Bill replied, "You think I'm gonna let my best apprentice try to hack this one on her own?"
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh, Bill, it's cute that you think you're in charge. Don't you realise, the apprentice became the master a long time ago."
Bill snorted, "Don't quote Star Wars at me. Dad dragged me to all of those movies."
"I know he did," Daphne said. She took a step back, "We ship out at 7 am tomorrow."
Bill nodded. He leaned on the door and looked at her, "I'm getting too old for this shit, Daphne."
Daphne smiled sadly, "We both are, Bill. Is Lara going to be okay about you leaving?"
Bill shrugged, "Lara doesn't care about much these days."
With a sigh, he grabbed the door handle. Daphne felt sorry for him, he was on his second marriage, and it wasn't working out, but it had lasted longer than the first one. He loved Lara; she was his best friend, but the spark had been gone for a while, and it had been getting Bill down over the years.
Daphne looked at him thoughtfully, "Do me a favour?"
Bill looked back at her, "Yeah?"
"Don't give Victoire too hard a time for not telling you," Daphne said, eyeing him carefully.
Bill snorted, "No chance."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "Then don't drop my name in it."
With a scoff, Bill yanked the door open, "No such luck. Cool Aunt Daphne is about to be the bitch that dobbed her in."
"Fuck you, William!"
"See you at 7 am, sunshine!"
The door snapped shut, and Daphne shook her head, then turned on her heel to leave.
Victoire lived in a beach shack close to Shell Cottage. It was the middle ground – somewhere between her mother's house and her father's. She was close to them both, but Charlus knew she would choose her dad if she had to pick.
As he headed up the six wooden steps to the door, Charlus realised that he knew a lot about her, considering that they were 'just' friends with benefits. He'd had friends with benefits before her, and there hadn't been any pillow talk. But Victoire had told him how she had almost become a curse breaker, then she realised that she would be doing it for her dad, not for herself.
With a grin, she looked over at him and said, I guess I'm just attracted to curse breakers, instead. At the time, he hadn't overthought about it; he had just leaned over and kissed her.
But in hindsight, that was probably the night that he had fallen in love with her.
Charlus raised his hand and knocked, and a few seconds later, the door opened.
"Charlie, hey!" She said, glancing around the beach.
Charlus frowned and looked behind him, "Expecting someone else?"
"Not exactly," Victoire said, ushering him into the little shack.
He loved that she chose to stay here. She made okay money as a Curse Breaker, enough to rent a shared flat with one of her friends in London if she wanted to. But Victoire had grown up on the beach, and she loved it. She loved her mother's France as much as she loved her father's England. And on a clear day, she could see the shores of the country her mother loved so much from the steps of this little hut.
It was small, but it was so much Victoire. If a house could embody a person, then hers did. The main floor was the kitchen-diner. There was a small corner sofa close to the glass-fronted doors, and then there was a tiny kitchen at the back. It only had a stove and a couple of cupboards, but Victoire only used it in the summer. She smoked fish and used the barbeque on the beach outside all summer long.
Victoire shut the door behind him, and Charlus raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean not exactly?"
"I did a thing," Victoire admitted. She shrugged and avoided looking at him, "And if my dad finds out, he might show up here to yell at me."
"If he finds out that you're going to Hungary, you mean?" Charlus asked, scanning her face to gauge her reaction.
Her blue eyes widened and snapped up to meet his. Charlus held her gaze and watched her nose crinkle up as she frowned.
"Your dad told you."
"My sister told me," Charlus corrected, "But my dad told her, yeah."
Victoire nodded, "Of course. Well…yeah, I am going to Hungary."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Charlus asked quietly.
Victoire smiled weakly at him, "Because we're not official. Which is a good thing, I guess. It means you get to be mad at me for running into danger."
"I'm not mad, that's true," Charlus said quietly, "But I am worried."
Victoire bit her lip, as she always did when she didn't know what to say. And Charlus reacted the same way he always had when she did that. He stepped forward and captured her lips in a kiss, picking her up with ease and backing her up against the wall.
Okay, so it wasn't what he had come here to do, but he had all night to tell Victoire he loved her.
"Charlie," Victoire breathed, "My dad could show up any minute."
"He's not gonna find out that you're going," Charlus mumbled. He reached up and grabbed a handle, then gave it a yank. A wooden ladder dropped down, opening up a hatch in the roof.
He stepped onto the ladder and raised an eyebrow at him, "You coming?"
"God, I hate you," She muttered, but all the same, she climbed up after him into her bedroom. It was as modest as the rest of the house – just a double mattress on the floor, which took up the entire floorspace of this little mezzanine. There was a small circular window at the head of the bed that was letting in rays of moonlight.
This whole house summed up Victoire. It was relaxed. It was all about free living, and if there was one way to sum up Victoire, it would be a free spirit.
Charlus pulled her onto the bed and flipped them so he was hovering above her. It was tight up here; Charlus couldn't sit up without hitting his head off the beams that supported the roof. But most of their activities up here involved lying down, so it hadn't been an issue yet.
"What if Daphne tells him?" Victoire asked.
"She won't. Quit worrying," Charlus said, capturing her lips in another kiss.
Victoire glanced to the windows, then she gave in and flicked her wand downwards to cast a precautionary locking charm on the doors.
Ten minutes later…
Bang. Bang.
"Victoire, I know you're in there. We need to talk!"
"Shit," Victoire hissed, pushing Charlus off her.
"Fuck," Charlus muttered.
Victoire shoved him under the covers and covered herself up, "Don't breathe or move!" she said in a hurried whisper.
Bill banged the door a final time. Then he removed the locking charm and stepped into the living area of the hut. Seconds later, his head appeared at the top of the ladder into the bedroom.
He looked at Victoire and raised an eyebrow, "Early night, is it?"
Victoire nodded, "I do work 12-hour shifts, Dad. It would be polite to send a Patronus before you visit so late."
"You're not going to be working many of them in the near future, are you?" Bill quipped, "Not with us shipping out to Hungary tomorrow."
"How did you know that?" Victoire snapped.
Bill gave her a disbelieving look, "Who do I possibly know who could be going on that mission? Oh, yes – Daphne Potter, who I'd class as one of my best friends."
Victoire scoffed and began to say, "Well, she had no right to tell you and – wait – did you just say us?"
"Yes," Bill remarked, "I did say us. You see, Daphne needs another Curse Breaker to go with her for backup. Initially, she wanted to take Charlus – throw him into a warzone, make him sweat and learn under pressure."
"Good plan," Victoire said non-committedly.
"It would have been," Bill agreed, "Only, it doesn't work because he can't be objective, can he? Not with him sleeping with you?"
"Dad!" Victoire exclaimed.
"If you think I don't know he's under those covers right now, then you must think I'm bloody stupid, Victoire!"
Charlus peered out from beneath the covers, "Hey, Mr Weasley."
Bill rolled his eyes, "You're lucky it takes a combined decision from Daphne and me to fire someone, Charlus, or you would be looking for a new job pretty damn soon."
Charlus swallowed, and Victoire shook her head, "Dad, get out. This is my house, and it's up to me who I let inside it. I can sleep with whoever I want. I'm 22 years old!"
"I'm not here to talk about who you're sleeping with," Bill said distastefully, "It would have been nice if you'd actually told me, though. Instead, I had to find out from Daphne who caught you two in the goddamn office, Charlus."
Charlus grimaced but said nothing.
"I'm here to tell you that volunteering for that mission may be incredibly brave. But it's also foolish and reckless and-"
"Exactly like the actions that resulted in you becoming half-werewolf?" Victoire cut in, raising an eyebrow at him, "Because I'm not you, Dad."
Bill sighed, "I'd like to think we've always been honest with each other, Vic. It kind of hurts to think that you didn't trust me enough to tell me."
Victoire sighed too, "Of course I trust you, Dad. I just didn't want to worry you."
"I'm your dad, Victoire," Bill said, his eyes softening, "I'm always going to worry about you, whether you're here or halfway across the world. I would never stop you from going though, I hope you know that."
"I do," Victoire promised.
Bill sighed and grabbed onto one of the rungs of the ladder.
"A word outside Charlus, once you've got your clothes back on."
"Yeah, sure thing, sir."
Bill left, shutting the door behind him, and Victoire blew out a breath.
"That could have gone worse."
"It is gonna go worse, for me, in about five minutes," Charlus muttered as he threw his clothes on.
"You're the one who said he wouldn't show up!" Victoire pointed out.
Charlus snorted and pulled his jeans on, "Yeah, I didn't think he would show up. And I know your dad is gonna put me through the wringer. But do you know what, Vic? I'll take that hit because I love you."
Victoire stared at him in disbelief, "What?"
"I love you, Vic," Charlus said boldly, "And I want to be more than your friend. I want to give this a real shot when you come home."
Victoire opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She shut it again and frowned, shaking her head at him.
His heart sank when he realised what was happening.
"Charlus…I just…I don't know how I feel about you," Victoire finally managed to say.
Charlus swallowed and nodded, the colour rising in his cheeks. He felt like a complete and utter idiot, and all he wanted to do was run away and hide.
He scaled the ladder at record speed and shot out of the door. Victoire bit her lip and threw herself back onto her bed with a groan.
When Charlus hit the beach, Bill was waiting for him by the water. He was sitting on a bit of driftwood, so brushing his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket hastily, Charlus walked over and sat down next to him.
"Before you give me the protective father rant, save your breath," Charlus said bitterly, "I told her that I loved her, and she looked at me like I had three heads."
"Yeah, she gets that look from her mother," Bill said, giving Charlus a small smile, "And you are a Black-Nott, so that's kind of understandable."
Charlus sighed and let his head rest in his hands.
"You think that's why I'm not good enough?"
"Because you're a Black-Nott?" Bill snorted, "No, she's a Weasley. You two are pretty much at the same status level. Who'd have thought we'd end up in a world where there are no Malfoy's, and the Blacks and Nott's are down here with us paupers while the Potters and Longbottoms rule the world?"
"I just don't know how it's happened. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's always been awesome," Charlus said with a shrug, "But one minute we were friends having a bit of fun and then…it all changed, for me, anyway."
"Look, she's not great at getting put on the spot," Bill admitted, "And by your own admission, until this evening, you were friends with benefits."
"How long have you known about it for?" Charlus asked glumly.
"Daphne told me last month, but I'd suspected for a couple of weeks beforehand," Bill said. He gave Charlus a half-hearted smirk, "I might be a Weasley, but I've run a company with Daphne Potter for the last 15 years. One thing I'm not is oblivious."
Charlus looked out at the water, "I've only ever said those words - 'I love you' that is - to two people, you know? The first time…I thought that was it, that there wouldn't be anyone who made me feel the way he did. Then I met Vic, and everything I thought I knew about love just disappeared. It wasn't a whirlwind. It was slow; it crept up on me. One minute she was my friend, this beautiful girl with a beautiful smile and then the next thing I knew, I was looking at her in the moonlight on this beach, and all I could think about was how I wanted to marry her one day."
"I've been in love a couple of times," Bill said with a smile, "And trust me, in my opinion, the slow love that creeps up on you? It's the best kind."
"Is that how you feel about Lara?" Charlus asked.
Bill glanced down, "No, that was how I felt about Victoire's mum. She was young when we met, and there was an instant connection, but the love? That was slow; it built up over months of working together and getting to know each other."
"If you don't mind me asking, why did it…not work out?" Charlus asked.
Bill shook his head and sighed, "Because I gave up on it too soon. Divorce is the easy way out; Lara taught me that."
Charlus sighed too, "Do you think this mission is going to be as safe as they say? That you're going to go there, strike and then come home?"
Bill looked sceptical, but he took a moment to answer.
"Honestly, Charlie, hardly any mission goes to plan, especially when you don't know what you're walking into," Bill said quietly.
"But I trust Daphne Potter to have my back, I always have done. And with Harry and Neville running this? I think we're going to be okay."
"And Vic?" Charlus asked quietly.
"She's going to be okay," Bill replied, glancing at the younger man, "She's good at what she does, and they aren't sending her in there alone. She's part of a team, led by Lillian Longbottom."
"Vic is obsessed with her," Charlus said with a slight smile, "She's always going on about how badass she is."
"She's right. She is badass," Bill said with a smile, "So try not to worry so much, alright?"
Charlus swallowed, "But with Harry Potter leading this thing…it can only mean one thing, right? That this is war."
"It looks like it," Bill said, a darkness in his eyes that Charlus didn't usually see.
"And Victoire's walking into the eye of the storm," Charlus said.
Bill smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "You're alright, you know? For a Black-Nott."
Charlus chuckled and got to his feet, "Thanks, boss. I guess this means I'm running P&W while you're gone?"
"Damn right you are. Don't burn it down," Bill said, watching the other man walk along the beach.
Charlus laughed lightly.
"Oh, and Charlus?" Bill called.
Charlus paused and turned around, "Yeah?"
"You're on paperwork duty for the next month," Bill said, smirking at him, "If you thought you were getting away with sleeping with my daughter behind my back, you thought wrong."
Charlus nodded, "Yeah, that sounds fair."
He turned around and apparated away with a crack.
Bill smiled and turned back to the beach house, where he saw Victoire sitting on the steps.
She waved him over, so Bill got to his feet and headed in that direction. When he sat down next to her on the steps, Victoire handed him a cup of coffee.
"It's an olive branch."
Bill accepted it and nodded, "Thanks."
"I kind of eavesdropped on your chat with Charlie," Victoire admitted. She pulled her legs up tightly beneath her, and between that and the brightly coloured pyjamas she had slipped into, she seemed younger than her 22 years.
Bill glanced over at his daughter, "I know he put you on the spot, and you probably freaked out or lashed out because you're just like your mother sometimes."
Victoire sighed and leant forward, "I wish that wasn't always an insult."
"It isn't," Bill promised, "I loved your mother, Vic. Comparing you to her, it's not an insult, I promise."
Victoire looked down at the sand.
"It's just a fact," Bill added, "You were unfortunate in the sense that you inherited her French temper and my Weasley temper."
She knew it was true, which was why Victoire didn't argue with her dad.
"You need to work out how you feel about Charlus," Bill advised her, "Before it's too late."
Victoire frowned over at him, "So you don't disapprove?"
Bill looked her in the eye, "I disapprove of how I had to find out."
Victoire glanced down sheepishly.
"But I'm trying really hard not to let that opinion reflect badly on him. I remember how it felt when your mum took me to meet her parents," Bill shook his head, "I was the English guy, with the tattoos, the long hair, the ear-piercing and the motorbike. She was this French pureblood from an influential family; it was the princess and the pauper, Vic and…."
Bill looked at her, "I don't want to do that to you. Regardless of how I looked, I had a stable job when I met your mother. I was able to provide for her and you."
Victoire nodded thoughtfully.
"And Charlus is the same," Bill confessed, "He's got a stable job, and even if he acts like a flyboy, he's got his head screwed on, and he obviously adores you."
"So you're okay with all of it…." Victoire frowned, "The flying motorbike and tattoos and piercings…."
Bill raised an eyebrow at her, "Don't you think I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I disapproved?"
Victoire snorted and looked down at her hands, "Maman hates him."
Bill grinned, "All the more reason for you to date him."
Victoire bit back a smile, "Dad."
With a chuckle, Bill put an arm around her, "In all seriousness, Vic, this isn't the first war I've lived through. It's actually the third, and even though I was young during the first one, I still learned a vital lesson."
Victoire looked over at him, and Bill sighed, "Life is short. You never know when it's going to end. I lost my uncles, who were young, fit and healthy; they were Aurors, so they knew how to fight. Then in the second war, I was all grown up, with a family fighting and a brand new wife I didn't want to lose. I know how quickly things can change during times of war, and I know how many people never got a chance to tell the person they loved how they felt."
Victoire swallowed and looked down.
"So if you don't love him, that's fine," Bill finished, "Don't tell him you do to make him feel better or because we're at war. But if you do love him, you need to tell him. Even if you're scared that it's not the right thing or that it will cause problems. Even if you're scared that it will burn your whole life down to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud. Then you go from there because life is too short to miss chances like that."
"Nice speech, Dad."
Bill smiled and nudged her in the ribs, "I stole it from Daphne. It was the speech she gave Teddy when he was too scared to tell Almina how he felt."
"What was he scared of?" Victoire asked curiously.
"Her terrifyingly intimidating parents, and that she was too good for him," Bill shrugged, "But Daphne was right, you know? Your Uncle Charlie, he lost the love of his life. She died, and he never got the chance to apologise, to tell her that he still loved her and that haunted him for years. He had to get therapy to make it go away."
"Was that the therapist he slept with?" Victoire asked, raising an eyebrow at her dad.
"Yes, that would be the one," Bill admitted with a grin.
"The one whose daughter is now one of my best friends?" Victoire added.
"The same one, yep," Bill remarked.
"I don't know why Aunt Astoria puts up with him," Victoire joked.
"Oh, I'm sure he must have some redeeming features," Bill said, shooting Victoire a smile, "Just like Charlus Nott must do. Because you are like your mother in another sense too, you're picky, Victoire. You wouldn't sleep with someone you didn't like, and especially not for months either."
"Look, Dad, it's just that, from everything I've heard and everyone I know, young love just doesn't seem to last," Victoire said quietly, "Look at you and Maman, I've never known you to be together. When you do have to meet up, you argue or bicker."
Bill sighed, "Vic…things are complicated with your mother and me. We were….something special, and we lost that. I can't speak for her, but I've spent my whole life trying to match that, and I was never quite able to with Lara. It's probably why Lara hates your mother so much."
"You hate Pierre too," Victoire pointed out.
Bill made a face, "That's because Pierre is a stupid French Healer who looks like a model and also happens to be such an annoyingly nice person that you feel bad for hating him."
Victoire gave him a pointed look, "At least you admit it. Maman pretends she loves Lara, you know, to her face. But at home, she's always ranting like, sa stupide femme anglaise pense qu'elle est si parfait! C'est un idiot!"
Bill laughed, "She still rants about me in French?"
"All the time," Victoire said with an amused smile.
Bill smiled slightly, "The first French words I learned were curse words, you know?"
"I can believe that," Victoire admitted, "But it's not just you and Maman. Look at Uncle Charlie and Aunt Astoria; they got divorced, then they remarried. Then there's Uncle Ron, he never ended up staying with Lilly or - "
"Okay, I'm going to stop you there," Bill cut in, "Please don't use Uncle Ron as an example for anything related to romance."
Victoire sighed and looked at him in exasperation, "Daphne and Draco, they dated, and now they're step-siblings."
"Fine," Bill said, "If we're playing this game, I raise you Charlus's parents – they fell in love when they were 17, they got married at 19, and had Charlus not long before their 20th birthdays. Nothing has shaken them, and nothing ever will."
Victoire rolled her eyes.
"Daphne and Harry. Okay, so maybe they weren't each other's first loves, but they were 18 when they got together, and they have weathered so many storms together."
Bill looked up at the moon, "It's not the age you are when you fall in love that matters, Vic; it's the person you fall in love with."
Victoire nodded thoughtfully, and Bill pushed himself to his feet.
"So think about it, and if you love him, tell him."
Victoire promised, "I will."
Bill paused by the steps and looked up at her, "See you tomorrow at 7 am, I guess."
"Yeah, and promise me something, Dad?" Victoire asked quietly.
Bill looked her in the eye, "If I can."
"Don't hover or act like a protective dad," Victoire begged, "I'm a Trauma Healer, and I'm so bloody good at it. When we get to Hungary, just let me do my job, please."
Bill smiled, "I think I'm gonna be too busy to hover, but I know how good you are, Vic. You didn't get chosen for this team because you're mediocre. With what I do, if I let my concentration slip to worry about you, then you would end up healing me. I know the stakes, and when I'm on the job, I get on with it."
"So do I," Victoire said, a slight smile on her lips, "I guess I know where I get it from now."
Bill smiled again, properly this time.
"See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Victoire echoed.
When Caroline stepped into the kitchen of Bones Manor to find Susan knocking back a firewhiskey in one shot, she raised an eyebrow.
"Bad day?" She asked.
Susan looked over at her and sighed, "Bad week. You're a sight for sore eyes."
Caroline leant against the kitchen table, "Long weekend, sorry."
Susan shook her head, "It's not your fault. I'm just…."
"Spiralling?" Caroline asked, cocking her head at the other woman.
"Addison is grieving, and she's not here," Susan said. She got to her feet and shook out her long dark red hair.
Caroline didn't know how much she'd had to drink, but it was late, and from how flushed Susan's cheeks were, it was probably a little too much.
"Instead, she's staying at Blacknot Castle," Susan said bitterly, "And they're looking after her. They are, Caroline, not me. Draco brought her here, and she cried, stayed the night then went 'home' and home is Blacknot Castle."
"Home is a concept, Susan," Caroline said softly, "Here will always be home to her too. But right now, that's what home feels like."
Susan gave her an exasperated look, "Are you going into Mental Health Healer mode with me, really?"
Caroline raised an eyebrow, "I didn't intend on it. Why? Do you want me to?"
Susan rolled her eyes and pointed at her, "No. I'm too pissed off with my daughter to have sex with you right now."
Caroline bit back the rather unhelpful 'your loss' comment that was on the tip of her tongue.
"Draco Malfoy gave her advice," Susan huffed, "Not me."
"Draco Black gave her advice," Caroline agreed, "Then she came home and cried with her mum because that's what little girls do."
Susan sighed and shook her head, "Except she isn't little anymore, Caroline. She's all grown up."
"So is Edith," Caroline said, smiling softly across the room at Susan, "But they never stop being our little girls, trust me."
Susan looked at her and bit her lip, "Still…I feel like she hates me. Sometimes…I think she blames me for Percy's death."
Caroline sighed and rounded the table to grab Susan's hands. She leaned against the table and pulled Susan close to her. Without dropping her hands, she met the other woman's eye.
"Suse, I think I need to go full Mental Health Healer on your arse."
Susan laughed weakly, "Go on then."
Caroline smiled in that way she did – it was fond, understanding. She was so empathetic, which was one of the only reasons she could keep up with Susan. Even Percy hadn't known what she was feeling half of the time.
"Addison doesn't blame you for Percy's death," Caroline said softly, "But you blame yourself, and you're projecting that onto her."
Susan frowned, "I don't…I don't blame myself."
Caroline cocked her head at her, "Yes, you do. And it's okay to admit that, but it's also important to know that Percy's death is not your fault. You did not fail by not noticing any signs before the aneurism because the type that he had is almost impossible to diagnose because of the lack of symptoms."
Susan swallowed and looked down.
"Nothing you could have done would have changed it," Caroline murmured. She looked into Susan's eyes, "And you feel horrible about the fact Addison found his body, but that wasn't your fault either."
"I should have been here," Susan said quietly, "I shouldn't have been working so late."
"Percy was looking after the children," Caroline reasoned, "You had no reason to think that you shouldn't work late."
"But she's obviously been traumatised by it, Caroline," Susan said. Her eyes were full of pain when they met Caroline's again, "And as her mother, I should be able to help her with that."
Caroline shook her head, "I loved my dad. God, Susan, I thought he spun the earth, but there were some things that even my dad couldn't fix. When Eddie died, he did all that he could. But I was pregnant with a baby who was never meeting its father, and he couldn't do anything to help."
Susan blinked away her tears but didn't try to wrestle her hand out of Caroline's to wipe them away.
"Sometimes people have to help themselves first," Caroline said simply.
Susan leant forward slightly, "Thanks," she murmured, brushing her lips against Caroline's.
Caroline was a little taller than Susan, so she dipped her head down to deepen the kiss. She dropped Susan's hands to grip her hips, and Susan subconsciously moved closer to her.
"Ugh, Mum!"
Susan jumped and pulled away from Caroline when Alyssa stepped into the kitchen in her pyjamas. She had a disgusted look on her face.
To make matters worse, Daphne was standing behind her, and she was smirking.
"I told you they'd be snogging, Aunt Daphne," Alyssa said with a roll of her eyes, "They're always snogging!"
"Alyssa!" Susan exclaimed.
Daphne laughed, and it was a little more of a cackle than she would have admitted.
Alyssa grabbed a cookie from the jar on the worktop and raised her hands, "I'm outta here. I swear if you have sex on that table, I'm gonna move out too."
Susan rolled her eyes, and Alyssa bounded up the stairs loudly.
Daphne stepped into the room and shot Susan a grin, "It's been a while since I've seen you kissing a girl like that."
She opened a cupboard, pulled out three wine glasses, and added, "Hey Caroline."
"Hi Daphne," Caroline said, smiling in bemusement.
"There have been other girls since you, you know?" Susan said, shooting her old friend a smirk.
"Oh, I knew there had been other people since Percy died," Daphne said. She poured out three glasses of red wine and sent them towards their new owners with a flick of her wrist, "Men and women, no doubt. But there's never been anyone quite like me, has there?"
Susan shook her head, "Are you ever going to stop being so bigheaded?"
Daphne grinned, "Did you know that Hermione had a crush on me when we were 13?"
"Why am I not surprised by that? Considering what I know about her and Sadie's relationship," Susan scoffed.
Daphne leant forward, "Wait, what do you know about her and Sadie's relationship?"
"More than you, obviously," Susan retorted.
Daphne whistled, "Wow. So Theo is the only one Hermione doesn't sleep with?"
Susan gave Daphne an amused look, "I think we both know they got past the 'cousin' issue a long time ago. Their foursome is a foursome. Unlike yours."
Daphne smirked at her old friend, "Excuse you, I've slept with everyone in our foursome. All at the same time, once."
"Yeah, I don't need to hear about your 40th in Paris again," Susan said, holding up a hand, "It was too saucy for even my ears to handle."
Caroline looked between them and said, "So you two…?"
"Have a history," Susan finished with an amused smile.
"From before you and Harry got together, I suppose?" Caroline asked.
Daphne smirked despite herself, "Mostly. But there was that one time…."
"That one time in eighth year that we never talk about?" Susan asked in amusement.
"I don't mind talking about it. Harry seems to be more taken by our current arrangement," Daphne said diplomatically.
"Anyway, if we're finished discussing our sordid past, Daphne – why are you here?" Susan asked.
"Apart from to ply Susan with alcohol that she doesn't need," Caroline said, taking the glass from her.
"Ugh," Susan complained, "I do need it. You're a terrible girlfriend. Give it back."
"Girlfriend?" Caroline chuckled, "Is that what I am?"
Susan frowned at her, "Shit…we never really decided that, did we? We just made out in your office, then had amazing sex for a whole weekend."
Daphne chuckled into her wine.
"Then you practically moved in here, but we never established that we're dating," Susan continued.
"You just started making pancakes for Alyssa and inviting Edith over to join us for tea, and then we adopted a street cat. Oh Merlin, Are we even dating? Or are we just friends?"
Daphne shook her head in amusement, "I know roughly how many times you've had sex, so no, you are not just friends."
"Exactly," Caroline said with a nod, "We're dating, Susan."
Susan let out a sigh of relief, "Thank Merlin for that because I'm totally in love with you."
Daphne nearly spat out her wine, and Caroline froze.
"Fuck," Susan muttered, "I did not mean to say that."
Caroline shook her head and reached out for Susan's hand, "It's okay. I feel the same," she promised.
Daphne downed the rest of her wine and cleared her throat, "Should I just tell you why I'm here before this turns into another threesome?"
Susan shot Daphne a long-suffering look.
Daphne leaned against the kitchen counter and said, "I'm going on a top-secret mission tomorrow. But it's not just me – it's me, Harry, Neville and Lilly."
Susan tensed because she knew where this was going.
"And you don't need to babysit or anything like that," Daphne promised with a wave of her hand, "I've told Teddy, Al and Andie to keep an eye on Thea. If you could maybe nip in briefly just to make sure that it's not complete carnage, that would be great, but….there's a more sinister reason for my visit."
"Daphne, no," Susan cut in, "You're not dying."
Daphne shook her head, "I don't want to, but this is a dangerous mission, Suse and…if something happened to Harry and me, the kids would always have had their godparents. Still, with Neville and Lilly both coming along…."
"I'm your backup plan," Susan finished.
Daphne scoffed, "Shut up, you are not my backup plan. But you are one of my oldest friends, and as we've gotten older, I would say I've gotten closer to you and drifted apart from Sadie."
Susan nodded her agreement.
"If anything happened, Suse, I know you would look after them," Daphne said softly, "So that's why I came here, just to reaffirm that."
With a sigh, Susan crossed the room and pulled Daphne down from the counter so that she could hug her.
"I love those kids to bits, Daphne," Susan murmured, holding her tightly, "You know I would look out for them."
Daphne pulled back and smiled, "I know."
Susan caught her eye, "Is it really that dangerous?"
Daphne sighed and bit her lip. She worried it between her teeth for a moment, then nodded.
"It's not going to be easy, and it's not going to be without risk," She said in the end.
Susan nodded, "I worked in the DMLE for long enough that I can read in-between the lines, so…be safe."
Daphne smiled and kissed Susan on the cheek, "Of course."
She took a step back and waved to the two women, "Enjoy the rest of your evening," she said, her tone light and airy all of a sudden.
Her heels clicked away, and Susan sighed.
"That happy attitude is fake," She murmured to Caroline, "Daphne is really worried, and that's bad."
"Why?" Caroline asked cluelessly.
"Because…they didn't just call her the Ice Queen because of her eyes," Susan finished, her eyes meeting Caroline's, "Like an iceberg, it takes a lot to move her."
"So if something has, it's big," Caroline realised.
"And even if it happens in Hungary, the waves are going to wash over us here," Susan finished darkly, her hand finding Caroline's in the dimly lit kitchen.
"Then I suppose when they hit, we'll shelter from them together," Caroline said softly.
Susan smiled slightly and nodded at her.
"I guess we will."
- TBC -
