The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

This Famous Goodbye

The chapter title is from the song:

Heaven Knows – Five for Fighting.


It was late, and Draco was lying in bed with Theo. Hermione was downstairs working on something with Sadie. The two men supposed that it had something to do with the Statute Saboteurs and what had been stolen from the Department of Mysteries.

He sighed heavily, and Theo rolled over, snaking an arm over his waist and murmuring against the skin on the back of his neck, "What's on your mind?"

"I'm just worried," Draco admitted, "I can't sleep."

"Me either," Theo confessed, "I keep thinking about the prophecy."

Draco sighed and shut his eyes, "It's about Hermione, I know it."

"Yeah," Theo said quietly, "I think it is too."

They fell silent, unsure what more there was to say about that. Draco contemplated getting up and going into the study because he didn't think sleep would come to him anytime soon.

Then a soft wind picked up, and a silver lion jumped through the window. It bounded towards them and sat down on its hind paws.

Draco's throat was already tight. Neville had sent him a Patronus – not Ben, but Neville himself.

"We are en-route to the international apparition centre awaiting consent to return to England. We have four prisoners in our custody, and medical evac has already left for St. Mungos. We have a Healer and two men down, one of them pretty badly. Full debriefing at 0800 hours in your office."

The Patronus disappeared into a puff of silvery smoke, and Draco got to his feet in a hurry. He grabbed his work robes from where they hung behind the door and put them on with a flick of his wand.

"Draco," Theo said, getting to his own feet, "Why didn't Neville give you a name?"

"Because Patroni can be intercepted," Draco said, turning to look at Theo, "And he wouldn't want anyone to find out that Harry Potter got injured."

Theo's eyes darkened, "Get Hermione and go. Sadie and I will sort the kids out in the morning."

Draco nodded and left without another word. He jogged down to the library, where Sadie and Hermione were huddled over a hefty tome together.

They looked up, expecting Draco to be here to tell them that it was after midnight, and they should really come to bed. But when they saw the look on his face, they knew it was worse than that.

"I just got a message from Neville," Draco said quietly, "One Healer and two men down, one pretty badly. They've been sent to St Mungo's via medical evac, and the rest of the team are awaiting extradition."

Hermione got to her feet, "Who…?"

"Neville didn't say," Draco said, "But it was Neville who sent the Patronus, not Harry, which implies that Harry wouldn't have been able to."

"We need to get into the ministry," Hermione said. She grabbed her cloak and reached out for Draco's hand, "I want to know what the hell happened in Hungary."


Daphne kept it together and helped everyone pack up. They apparated to the Hungarian International Apparition Centre. Neville showed them the documentation that gave them a right to be in Hungary. He had to fill out more paperwork on account of them taking international prisoners across borders.

Once he had supplied proof that they could do that and that it wasn't out of their jurisdiction, all that they could do was wait. Their prisoners were stunned, bound and had been shrunken down to be held inside a case. Ironically enough, the way Mad-Eye Moody had spent a year imprisoned in his own trunk was something Barty Crouch Junior had discovered while observing him. It was a standard method of transporting prisoners that Aurors still used.

John, Oliver and Lorne were very quiet. They hadn't said much on the way here, and Nevaeh hadn't said a word. The others supposed she was worried about Victoire, which was understandable.

Daphne couldn't bring herself to sit down, and neither could Neville. While everyone else was sitting, tapping a foot or twirling their hair – Daphne and Neville were both on their feet. Neville was still, but Daphne was pacing.

"Daphne, you're making everyone else nervous," Neville murmured, "Sit down."

Daphne's eyes flashed, "Don't you dare tell me to calm down," she snapped.

Neville looked at her for a moment, "I didn't tell you to calm down. I told you to sit down. Pacing isn't going to get us home any faster."

"How can you be so calm?" Daphne asked in disbelief, "Don't you care about him at all?"

Neville's eyes flashed then, with real anger.

"He….what happened to him was our fault, and you're just standing there like nothing has happened!" Daphne snapped, "So don't tell me to sit down! Maybe you can act like nothing has happened, but my world is falling apart right now!"

"So is mine!" Neville snapped, taking a step towards her, "He's my brother, and if you think this isn't killing me, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did! But this is the mission, Daphne. Someone has to stay calm and get everyone else home, and if it were any of us, Harry would be calm too because he would have to be."

"Yeah, well, I'm not Harry!" Daphne yelled, truly raising her voice for the first time, "And right now, I'm facing the prospect of spending the rest of my life without him, so shut up and let me deal with that in my own way."

Neville didn't, though. Instead, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to the side and lowering his voice.

"I get that you're upset, and I am too. But making a scene at the international apparition centre is not the way forward!" Neville hissed, "Not unless you want the kids to find out that their father is in critical condition via the newspapers, Daphne!"

"I'm sorry that I can't just shut it off like you, Neville!" Daphne hissed back, "I wasn't trained to be a machine like you were!"

Neville's eyes darkened, "In a few minutes, we will be cleared to go home, and as soon as we do, we will go to the hospital. When you see Harry, you're going to realise that all of this? It's just you projecting."

Daphne looked up at him, and for the first time, he saw her begin to crumble. Her eyes didn't fill with tears. She didn't burst out into sobs, but he saw the pain in her eyes, and he heard it in her voice when it cracked.

"This is my fault, Neville."

Neville moved his hand from her wrist to grab her hand, "No, it isn't," he promised her quietly, giving her hand a hard enough squeeze to anchor her to reality.

"Yes, it is!" Daphne said tearfully, "I said we should go into the loft floor without any backup! I said that! This would have never happened if I had let him take us down to the lower levels to fight the others! His soul is tearing itself apart, and it's all my fault!"

Neville gripped her by the shoulders and shook his head, "Daphne, none of this is your fault. Harry has only just stopped being an active Auror, and we both know how good a dueller he is. Sometimes no matter how good you are, you just can't be quick enough."

Daphne let out a shaky breath, then nodded.

"Take a deep breath, get your emotions under control," Neville said softly, "I know you break down and cry, but the world doesn't need to. Right now, I need you to be the Ice Queen until we get home."

Daphne shut her eyes, took a few deep breaths and then opened them. When she did, the pained look was gone, as were all traces of tears. Seconds ago, Neville had been able to read every emotion in her eyes, but now her wall was back up, and her eyes were steely and icy.

Neville nodded and let go of her hand.


St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies

Approximately 3am.

When they landed at the hospital, Lilly sent Victoire off to the trauma ward, where she knew Clara was working tonight. Knowing that she was in good hands, she grabbed a passing Healer and asked him to transport Cameron to recovery.

Then she took Harry into the intensive care section of the Spell Damage Ward. The severity of Harry's condition didn't really hit her until she briefed the Healers who were on duty.

There were four of them in the room, standing around Harry's bed. Lilly felt out of place because this wasn't a ward she often worked in. Trauma Healers were ostracised by a lot of others in the hospital. Other Healers thought they were bigheaded or reckless because they rushed into the danger zone.

As such, she felt out of place standing in this room with Hubert Davies (the Head of the Spell Damage Ward), Poppy Cornfoot (the top Neurology Healer at the hospital), and Delphi Black, a promising young Healer who had worked her way up in the Janus Thickey Ward just down the hall. That was a ward for those who had suffered permanent damage and would therefore be long-term patients.

"This is unknown magic," Hubert said once Lilly had told them everything that she knew.

"I have worked in this field for almost 50 years, and never have I seen a fragmented soul inside a body."

Poppy shook her head, and Lilly looked at her. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hubert, but she did take Poppy's opinion a little more seriously because she knew her. Poppy Cornfoot was Stephen's mother, and Stephen had been a Ravenclaw with whom Lilly had gone through school. He had helped her run the makeshift hospital wing in the Room of Requirement during the war, and then he had been killed in the final battle.

"No, I haven't either," Poppy confessed, "I do wonder why you paged a Neuro, though?"

"Because the only time I've seen anything like this, it was the nightmare curse," Lilly admitted, "His stats are fine. He's breathing by himself, his blood pressure is good. There's no sign of any organ degradation. He just won't wake up."

"Which implies that whatever is keeping him asleep is in his head," Poppy said with a nod. She stepped forward and cast a diagnostic charm that projected an image of Harry's brain onto the wall behind the bed.

They all surveyed it, and Poppy said, "There's no swelling or bleeding, which is good. The brain activity looks normal for someone in a coma."

Lilly nodded. She had noticed that too. There were blue shaded areas around the edges and green interspersing it, which meant that Harry was minimally conscious. There should have been red and yellow to intersperse the green and blue if he were fully aware.

"He won't respond to voices, sound or activity," Poppy finished.

"But it's not entirely normal," Delphi said. She took a step forward and pointed to a section of the brain that was shaded in yellow. It was very light and difficult to pick out, but Delphi used her wand to zoom in on the small section, "That implies that he's feeling something, doesn't it, Healer Cornfoot?"

Poppy nodded and zoomed in a little further, "That's the part of the brain that controls our emotions. It's how we feel pain, know we're hungry and…it also initiates our fight or flight response."

"He's fighting for his life," Lilly said quietly, "Just like Bill said. The Judgement of Osiris…"

Delphi frowned, "Like in Egyptian mythology?"

Lilly looked at the young Healer, "Bill said it's the only way to put your soul back together once you have created a Horcrux is by weighing the good you have done against your sins."

"So his consciousness is weighing up all the good versus the bad," Poppy realised, "And only if the good wins will his soul restore itself?"

Lilly nodded.

"Then, I don't see what we can do to help him," Hubert said darkly, "This is a psychological condition, Healer Longbottom, not a physical one."

"No," Delphi argued, "It's not a psychological condition. It's a supernatural one. He can't heal himself. He can't put his own soul back together. Only a higher power can do that. He isn't judging himself right now. He's being judged by whoever controls it all, up there," she pointed upwards.

Lilly sighed and nodded, "I think you're right Delphi. This is called the Judgement of Osiris for a reason. It's out of his hands, but that doesn't mean it's out of ours. I'll do whatever it takes to find a way to wake him up."

Delphi nodded, "I'm happy to help you. I've done a lot of research into…" she paused and chose her words carefully, "…magic that causes this kind of damage."

Hubert cleared his throat, "For now, all we can do is free up a bed. This man does not need to be in intensive care. Take him to the Janus Thickey Ward and make him comfortable. I think he is going to be with us for the long haul."

"With all due respect, Healer Davies," Lilly said, her tone completely devoid of respect, "This man is Harry Potter. We're not throwing him into a ward with people who are brain dead or clinically insane. He gets a private room on this floor, and he gets round the clock care. It's the least we can do for him after all that he has done for us."

Poppy and Delphi both nodded their agreement, so Hubert sighed, "Fine, see to it then."

Without another word, he swept out of the room.

Poppy looked between the two women, "I'm sorry, Lilly. I know how close you and Harry are."

"Yeah," Lilly said offhandedly, brushing her hair away from her face, "Thanks, Poppy. I know you have rounds, so feel free to carry on with them. Delphi and I can move Harry and get him comfortable."

Poppy nodded and left the room, leaving Lilly and Delphi alone.

"I know why you've been researching Horcrux magic," Lilly said quietly. They levitated Harry's body between them, "But you really ought to be more careful. If anyone else found out and they looked too hard into your parentage…it wouldn't look good."

"I know," Delphi promised, "But I'm just trying to make some sense of all that he did and…it might help Harry."

"God, I hope that it does," Lilly said.

The two women fell silent after that because they were in the corridors where anyone could listen to what they were saying. They moved Harry into a private room, changed his clothes, and set up all the required equipment. By the end of it, Lilly had to pause and take a few deep breaths.

The Harry Potter she knew was Head Auror. He was a badass. He was strong all of the time. But this man? With a tube down his throat to keep him hydrated and fed, and a waste pipe fitted because he couldn't go to the toilet…he wasn't the Harry Potter she knew, and it broke her heart.

"Are you okay?" Delphi asked, reaching out to grab Lilly's hand.

Lilly inhaled sharply and blinked back tears, "No," she said, sucking in a breath and picking up a clipboard to start Harry's chart.

"Lilly," Delphi said softly, "Let me do that. He's your…."

Lilly's hands were shaking, "He's my what?"

She turned to look at Delphi, whose eyes were alight with sympathy.

"He's my friend," Lilly said stiffly, "That's all he can be."

Delphi smiled knowingly, "Maybe. But you love him. You shouldn't have to write up his chart. Let me do it."

With a sigh, Lilly gave the chart to Delphi and sat down by the edge of Harry's bed. She looked at him and felt a lump rising in her throat.

"I know it's hard," Delphi said. She sat opposite Lilly and said, "We both do. We deliver the bad news all of the time. But when we're actually on the receiving end of it, we realise how hard it is to see someone we love like this."

Lilly rubbed her eyes and nodded, "He's the boy who saved the wizarding world. He's the man who has had my back and stood by my side through warzones and dragon attacks, and I just can't…."

She swallowed and let a few tears fall, "I can't think of him like this with all the tubes…."

Delphi reached over and grabbed her hand, "Then don't. Think of him however you need to – as the boy who saved the world or the man who stood by your side. That's who he is, regardless of how he looks now, so think of him like that."

Lilly nodded and looked up at Delphi. She smiled sadly, "You're so good at this, Delphi."

Delphi looked up in surprise, "You think so?"

"You have so much empathy," Lilly confessed, "Even for the man who…."

" – killed my father," Delphi agreed with a nod, "My father was a monster, Lilly. My Aunt Narcissa is my saving grace, and I know she has nothing but respect for Harry. Her and Uncle Cygnus both do."

Lilly sighed, "Cygnus. God, Delphi, if Daphne loses her husband and her father - "

"Don't think like that," Delphi cautioned, "Positive thinking is hard in times like this, but it may be the only thing that gets you through."

Lilly had told patients that herself, so she knew it was true. If she couldn't be positive for her own sake, then she had to be for Daphne.

Ironically enough, that was when Daphne and Neville arrived. When Daphne saw Harry, she broke down. She shook her head and sat down next to his bed, taking his hand and letting her head drop onto the bed as she whispered something to him.

"He can't hear her, can he?" Neville asked.

Lilly shook her head and whispered, "His brain activity is very low. We think he's in some sort of dream-coma. Something is happening inside his head, but we have no idea what. With such little brain activity…we can't even attempt to get in there with Legilimency."

Neville swallowed and pulled Lilly into a hug. It was only then that Lilly let it out a little. She didn't sob like Daphne though, she just breathed shakily and let a few tears fall as she held Neville tightly.

"Someone needs to tell the kids," Lilly said, her voice breaking.

"And it shouldn't be you," Neville said firmly, "You've done your part. Let me do mine."

Lilly could only nod, but before anything else could be said, a knock sounded, and the door opened up by a fraction.

Clara looked in sympathetically, "I am so sorry to interrupt, but there's a situation in Trauma with Victoire Delacour, and I need your input, Lilly."

"I can keep watch for the moment, Lilly," Delphi promised.

Lilly nodded at her, "Thanks, Delphi," she said as she rose to her feet.

She glanced back at Neville, "Stay with Daphne until I get back?"

Neville nodded, "Of course," he returned.

With that, Lilly swept out of the room, and Neville placed his hand on Daphne's shoulder as her body shook with silent sobs.


"How are you doing?" Clara asked when they hit the main corridor.

"I'm fine," Lilly replied stiffly, her mask back on.

"Like hell you are," Clara muttered.

"I'm fine because I have to be fine," Lilly said, looking up at Clara, "I can't lose it. He's Neville's brother, and he's Daphne's husband. I need to be the glue right now."

"That's fine, as long as you admit that you're breaking under this façade," Clara said, waving her hand in Lilly's direction, "To someone."

Lilly sighed and shook her head.

"He's basically your second husband. We've joked about it for 15 years, Lil, about how he's your 'work husband', but there's a truth in it," Clara said under her breath.

"Yes, there is," Lilly admitted, "And I'm trying very hard to keep it together, but I am managing, so I'm fine."

"For now," Clara said.

"For now," Lilly echoed. She nodded at her friend and former mentor, "Anyway, what's going on with Victoire? Is she okay?"

"She seems to be, but there was an unexpected test result," Clara said quietly. They fell silent when they got in the elevator and then rode it down to the sub-level beneath reception where the Trauma Ward was located.

Nevaeh was pacing the waiting room, her hands and jumpsuit still stained with Victoire's blood.

When Clara and Lilly reached her, Clara motioned for Nevee and Lilly to follow her into a consultation room. The two women did, and when the door snapped shut, they both looked at Clara expectantly.

"I need to know everything that you did," Clara said simply, "Every spell, every potion."

Nevaeh hesitated, "I…uh…I numbed the wound as soon as it happened, and I used a slowing spell to control the blood loss. Then I had Bill keep pressure on the wound while I cleaned it with a saline solution, and I used a standard magical sealing charm to close the wound."

Clara nodded, and Nevaeh continued, "Then I put dittany over it, placed a makeshift bandage on it and gave her pain potion."

"How much?" Clara asked.

"30ml, which is - "

" - the perfect amount relative to her weight and height," Clara finished with a nod. She let out a sigh, "You did everything perfectly right. Thank you, Nevaeh."

"Is she going to be okay?" Nevaeh asked anxiously.

"She is going to be fine, but we won't be allowing any visitors until the morning," Clara said. She placed a hand on Nevaeh's shoulder, "For now, hit the showers and clean up, then go home."

Nevaeh let out a breath, nodded and left the consultation room.

Clara then turned to Lilly, "Did you give Victoire anything after Nevaeh provided initial care?"

"No," Lilly answered, "I was going to give her a sleeping draught because she was in noticeable pain, even after the pain potion. But my basic diagnostic charm flagged it, so I didn't."

"Do you know why it flagged it?" Clara asked, her eyes still on Lilly.

"I assumed she was allergic to something in it," Lilly answered honestly, "It's common with sleeping potions. Some of the ingredients are hallucinogenic and therefore cause allergic reactions."

"That's true, and it's usually the reason for diagnostic charms flagging up with sleeping potions," Clara agreed, "But it wasn't the case for Victoire. There's another reason she couldn't have it, and….someone needs to have that conversation with her."

Lilly's eyes widened in realisation, "I see…."


Nevaeh was desperate to hit the showers and get the hell out of the hospital. She had been on several missions before as a Junior Trauma Healer, but never an international one. She had also never seen someone she cared about get hurt on the job before.

For that reason, she stayed in the shower for as long as she dared. She ran the water as hot as she could, and she scrubbed at her skin to get her best friend's blood out of it. She was oblivious to the comings and goings of Healers around her, scrubbing in and out of their shifts. Honestly, she had no idea how long she had spent in the shower when she eventually turned the water off, wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out.

In a daze, she walked to her locker, pressed her palm against it and took out her clothes. She sat down on the bench with them in her lap and stared ahead. Images of the arrow hitting Victoire flooded her head. She remembered her best friend's pained screams, and it made her shudder.

"Nevee?"

Nevaeh took a breath to compose herself and turned around. Still, the minute she did, she was hopelessly distracted because of the person who had called her name.

"Eee - " Her voice cracked when she saw the redheaded girl standing in a towel, her hair wet from the shower, "Edie."

The nickname alone threw Edith, and Nevaeh saw the panic fill her eyes, "What happened?" she asked, reaching out for Nevaeh's hand.

Nevaeh took another breath – she's just my friend, she told herself. But god, what a lie. Nevaeh knew she felt more than friendship for Edith, but it was tangled up in everything that had happened to Victoire too. And Nevaeh had barely been holding it together since she got back.

"Vic," Nevaeh said, "She…she got shot, and I healed her, but there was so much blood, and she was screaming, she…she wouldn't stop screaming."

Nevaeh's voice broke on the last word, and Edith pulled her wrist to bring her into a hug. She held her tightly, "Oh my god, Nevee. Are you both okay?"

It took Nevaeh a minute to reply because all she could focus on was how close Edith was, how her hair smelled like apples, and how soft her skin was. The adrenaline buzz had died down now, and Nevaeh was so tired, but all of those feelings made her do something reckless.

She pulled back from the hug and said, "Vic's in recovery, she's fine and I….I'm okay, but I can't do this anymore, Edith. I can't pretend you're my friend when…. you're not."

Edith frowned and looked Nevaeh in the eye – her icy blue eye was cold, like always, but the dark green eye was swimming with emotions that Nevaeh usually kept close to her chest. She was so bare right now, with no glamour charms, wet hair, no lipstick or the usual crutches that she used to make herself 'better'. But Edith looked at her exactly the same way she did when she was all made up.

"We're not friends?" Edith asked, frowning slightly, "I…I mean, I know we bicker, but I thought you liked me, Nevee."

"I do like you," Nevee said, pressing on before she lost her nerve, "But I don't want to be your friend, Edie. I want more. I've always wanted more."

Edith opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and Nevaeh was waiting for it – the shutdown. The nervous laugh, followed by the 'I don't like girls, sorry Nevee', But it never came, Edith just looked at her for the longest moment.

She had taken enough risks, so Nevee leant down slightly to close the gap between them, and she kissed Edith tentatively. She gave her every opportunity to pull away if that was what she wanted.

Edith inhaled sharply but didn't push Nevee away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her neck and deepened the kiss, pressing herself against Nevaeh.

Having that permission was enough, Nevaeh ran her tongue along Edith's lip, and Edith granted her access, sweeping her tongue over Nevaeh's tentatively. Nevaeh moved her hands to the back of Edith's neck and kissed her deeply, she had been holding back on doing this for years, and it felt so good not to have to fight it anymore.

The door opened loudly at the other end of the hall, and they broke apart with a gasp. Edith grabbed Nevaeh's hand and pulled her into one of the shower cubicles.

Nevaeh threw up a silencing charm and locked the door, then she claimed Edith's lips again and pressed her against the cool, wet wall. Edith gasped, and her towel slipped, so Nevaeh threw it to the ground and removed her own, kissing Edith again and pressing their bodies together.

Edith's moan died as soon as Nevaeh deepened the kiss, but she pushed her away slightly to look at her with wide eyes.

"Nevee, just wait for a second," Edith said breathily.

Nevaeh paused and rested her forehead against Edith's, "Sorry," she breathed, "Have you ever…done this?"

Edith nodded, her blue eyes searching Nevaeh's, "Um, yeah. But not with…."

"A girl," Nevaeh finished, "Right."

She was starting to worry that maybe this had been a bad idea. That Edith was about to freak out.

Instead, the redheaded woman smiled and said, "Yeah and…not with someone I care about as much as you."

Nevaeh's eyes met hers, "Really?"

"Really," Edith promised, wrapping her arms around Nevaeh's neck and kissing her again.


The Ministry for Magic

Approximately 4am

"What do we know?"

Ben crossed his arms over his chest and stood with Draco and Hermione, looking into the holding cells in the DMLE.

"Neville gave me a brief rundown then went to the hospital to be with Harry," Ben said quietly, "This seems to be the bulk of their leadership. Two escaped, including the one who cursed Harry."

"Of course she did," Draco muttered irritably.

"The guards that the strike team took down were all under mind-altering charms," Ben explained, "We think this little gang are the only ones who are doing it of their own accord."

Hermione nodded, "Well, that's encouraging, at least. The use of mind-altering charms clearly gives the impression that they have reached further than they really have."

Ben gave her a slight nod, "We've fingerprinted the prisoners and searched the system. Nothing came up here as you'd expect, but we've had results coming in from other countries in Eastern Europe."

He motioned into the first cell where the dark-haired girl with red eyes was sitting. She was staring at them through the bars, which was moderately unsettling.

"Katerina Zhukova. She's a witch, but she didn't attend any magical school as far as records go. She was born in Staluk, Russia in 2000, along with her twin brother, Isaak."

Ben motioned to the second cell, where the dark-haired man with the one amber eye was standing against the bars, glaring at them through them.

"Their parents died when they were five years old. After that, there was no record of them." Ben explained.

Draco looked from the two siblings to Ben, "How did the parents die?"

"There was a bad fire in their apartment building," Ben explained, "In their rush to get out, they did magic and were seen by the Muggle police. The reports are vague. According to the Muggle report, they escaped, but so much of it is blacked out that it's difficult to say anything for sure."

Isaak scoffed, "That is because they killed our parents!"

Ben ignored him and looked at Draco and Hermione.

"The Russian Ministry for Magic's account states that they died due to misconduct in the presence of Muggles, which is Russian for 'the police killed them for doing magic'."

Hermione frowned and cast a silencing charm over the cells, "Did Neville tell you anything else?"

"Just that they aren't the big bad guys that we think they are," Ben confessed, "The girl, Katerina, she said something about the Muggle police. Apparently, they were captured as children and experimented on. It sounds like a cock and bull story, but look at their physical appearance…."

Hermione nodded, "The eye colour alone is unusual. You checked that none of them were under glamour, I presume?"

Ben nodded in response.

"Then maybe there is some truth to the story," Hermione said, "Who else did you remove from the scene?"

Ben motioned into another cell where a younger girl was sitting in the back corner. Her legs were drawn up beneath her, and she was crying. Her hair was black, flecked with white and pale green, and her eyes were the most vibrant green – not emerald like Harry's, but the colour of the leaves in a lush forest after it had rained.

"Esma Emre," Ben said, "Born in Selim, Turkey in 2006. The Turkish Ministry's records are appalling, so there isn't much on her. Her mother died when she was young, and from what we can tell, Esma disappeared off the radar in 2016, which is coincidentally when her father died from 'unexplained magical causes'."

"She lost control of her magic," Hermione realised.

"Small town, single father," Draco said, his eyes dark, "He was probably abusive."

"Yeah," Ben sighed, "That was my hunch too. I don't know how she found Katerina and Isaak, but it seems like they took her in. They are very protective of her. The entire time we were wrestling them into cells, they were screaming for her."

Hermione bit her lip and sighed, "She didn't ask for any of this. She was only a kid."

Draco sighed, "Kids get roped into terrorist groups more often than you would think."

Hermione glanced over at him and nodded, "I know."

Ben motioned to the fourth cell, "Finally, we have Jelena Levitsky. Born in Vovka, Slovakia in 2003. She's a witch, but it doesn't appear that she attended any sort of school, like the others. She disappeared off the radar in 2007 after a fatal explosion in the orphanage that she was living in. It looks like that explosion was staged by the Russian police."

Draco ran a hand through his hair, "None of them went to school, and it seriously looks the Russian police were out to get them. Their story is standing up, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded. Her eyes were on Jelena – the young woman had dark hair too. In fact, all four of them had hair so dark it could be considered 'raven', which unsettled her. Jelena was pretty with a pixie-like face and naturally red lips. But her eyes were what drew attention. They were like pearls, almost the same colour as the whites of her eyes but different somehow, shining in a luminescent way.

"What the hell did the Muggles do to them?" Hermione asked darkly.

"Whatever they did, it doesn't excuse the fact that these people tried to kill you," Draco reminded his wife, "And they did kill Natasha."

Hermione said nothing, But Draco turned to Ben, "Come in with me to interrogate the leader. I want to know what the hell they did to Harry."

Ben nodded, and he stepped into Katerina's cell with Draco. Hermione removed the silencing charms and watched through the window. The cells were lead-lined and magic proof, so there was no chance of Katerina doing any serious damage.

"So, do you believe us now?" Katerina asked, quirking an eyebrow up at Draco.

"I do," Draco confessed, "But I don't think your tragic past condones the murders you have committed."

Katerina laughed, "Don't you? That's a little hypocritical, don't you think? I know all about you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco maintained his composure and leant against the wall, "Do you?"

"Of course I do," Katerina said, "Do you really think that we didn't do our research? Draco Malfoy reformed into Draco Black, an upstanding pillar of society. Only you weren't so different to us once upon a time, were you? You committed atrocities too, against your own kind. At least we only manipulate Muggles."

"And assassinate wizarding politicians," Draco added dryly.

"Or kill innocent witches," Ben added darkly.

"Why are you all so hung up on one Unspeakable?" Katerina asked curiously.

"Because she was the daughter of an Auror, and I don't know how it works in Russia, but here, we take our oaths seriously," Ben said. He took a step forward, "When you killed her, you messed with our family, and we don't take that lightly."

"I can see that," Katerina said, and it made Draco furious because she almost sounded amused.

"What did you do to Harry?" Draco asked, crossing his arms and looking at her.

"I didn't do anything to him," Katerina replied with a smirk.

"What did your friend do then?" Draco asked.

"She did what she does best," Katerina said, "She protected us."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "How?"

"Katrin has always protected us," Katerina said calmly, "She got us out of that godforsaken facility that the Muggles were holding us in. She led us out of the frozen wasteland, and she taught us how to make this right."

"Then she let you get captured?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow, "Some friend, huh."

Katerina's eyes flashed, and Draco smirked.

"Ah, so more than a friend then?"

"That's none of your business," Katerina said coolly.

Draco shrugged, "Since we're interrogating you, it kind of is because you are not in a position to negotiate right now. You have screwed with someone important to everyone in this room."

"Because he's the boy-who-lived?" Katerina asked mockingly, "Your saviour? The golden one?"

"No," Draco said, his steely gaze on her, "Because he's my friend, and he's this man's mentor and see her, out there?"

He motioned to Hermione, who was watching through the bars.

"She's our Minister for Magic, and the man you put in a coma is her best friend," Draco said darkly, "So you are in for a lifetime in Azkaban."

"Azkaban," Katerina mused, "You say that like it is such a threat, but I have grown up in prison far worse. Your pathetic prison does not scare me."

"Then maybe this will," Draco said. He took a final step towards her, "Tell us what Katrin did to Harry, or I will go back to Hungary and burn that research centre of yours to the ground. Tell me what she did to Harry, or I will put your brother in Azkaban, and I'll have you deported back to Russia. Maybe you aren't scared of our reformed prison, but I suspect you will be afraid of Chimera. Last I heard, most inmates didn't last longer than five years in there."

Katerina's eyes flashed with fear, and she visibly swallowed.

"There is nothing you can do to help him," She said, "Katrin was an Unspeakable before she rescued us. She knows things about the soul and the human mind that nobody else does. Your friend's soul is ripping itself apart as we speak, and there is no cure for that."

Draco turned on his heel and left before he lost his temper. In the corridor outside, Hermione grabbed him and pulled him close to her out of eyeshot of the prisoners.

"She forced his soul to separate," Draco hissed, "She used Horcrux magic on him."

Hermione's face drained of all colour, "Draco…that….nobody can survive that."

Draco swallowed and shook his head, "If anyone can, it's him. He's survived plenty of things that he shouldn't have done."

"Draco…"

Draco shook his head, "I have a meeting with Neville in a few hours, but I need to get Sadie on the case. If an Unspeakable did this to Harry, then maybe an Unspeakable can fix it."

Without waiting for Hermione to say anything else, Draco strolled down the corridor, his black robes swishing behind him in a way that was reminiscent of Severus Snape.


Lilly stepped into Victoire's hospital room and smiled at her, "Hey. How are you doing?"

"I'm good," Victoire said. She smiled weakly.

Bill was sitting by her side, his hand on his daughters, "I've floo-ed her mum. She's on her way from France."

Lilly nodded, "Good. Technically visiting hours aren't for a while yet, but we can make an exception for your mum, Victoire. She must be worried sick."

Victoire nodded, and Lilly picked up the chart at the end of the bed, "How is the pain?"

"Awful," Victoire admitted.

"Can't you top up her pain potions?" Bill asked.

"Not yet," Lilly replied, "In an hour or so, we can. Bill, I need to speak with Victoire privately about some of the tests we did this morning. Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?"

Bill frowned, "I'm her father. I can stay."

"She's not a minor," Lilly said calmly, "So respectfully, I need to speak with her alone."

"It's okay, Dad," Victoire said, squeezing his hand and giving him a small smile, "You can come back in when Lilly's done. It's just procedure."

Bill nodded and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll be right outside," he promised before taking his leave.

Lilly cast a silencing charm on the door once it had shut, then she sat down on the edge of Victoire's bed.

"Am I going to lose my arm or something?" Victoire asked nervously, "You usually only tell the companion to leave if the news is horrible."

"Or really private," Lilly added. She looked Victoire in the eye and said, "Do you know that you are pregnant?"

Victoire's eyes widened, "What?" she barked.

"That will be a no then. I did expect that," Lilly admitted, "It's quite late for you not to have noticed. Have you had periods?"

"Yeah," Victoire said, staring at Lilly as this sunk in, "Uh, yeah. They've been a little bit weird, but I've still had them every month."

"No nausea or sickness?" Lilly asked.

Victoire shook her head, "No…. nothing."

Lilly cast a spell over Victoire and said, "There are no signs of irregular bleeding around the womb, and some people do get periods throughout pregnancy. It's called Cryptic Pregnancy, and although it's rare, it does happen."

Victoire looked at her in disbelief, "What are you…what are you saying?"

"Can I look at your stomach?" Lilly asked.

Victoire was in so much shock that all she could do was nod.

Lilly lifted the hospital gown and looked at Victoire's stomach, then she pressed gently all over.

"No swelling…it's certainly not obvious that you're pregnant and with no symptoms…you wouldn't have thought to do a test."

"Lilly," Victoire said, panic creeping into her voice now, "What do you mean about how pregnant I am? What are you talking about?"

Lilly looked up and met Victoire's eye, "How long have you been sleeping with Charlus?"

"Months, on and off," Victoire replied nervously, "Recently it's been more of a thing, but it started in January, at the new year party at the Potters place."

Lilly bit her lip, "Just Charlus? Nobody else?"

"No one else," Victoire agreed.

With a nod, Lily said, "You're six months pregnant, Victoire. I'll need to do some more tests to be sure, but right now, I estimate your due date to be in early November."

Victoire looked at her in disbelief, "November…but I…how…Lilly…I…"

Lilly reached over and enveloped her in a hug, "I know, honey, it's scary."

Victoire burst into tears and hugged Lilly tightly, "Don't tell my dad, please."

"That's why I asked him to leave," Lilly said, running her hand over Victoire's back in the same soothing motion she used on her children when they were ill.

"It's your body, and it's your baby, Victoire," Lilly murmured, "It's entirely up to you when you decide to tell your dad or…Charlus."

"Charlus," Victoire sobbed, "Oh my god, what's Charlie going to say? We're barely even together, it's just like with my parents, and they ended up hating each other!"

Lilly sighed and pulled back from the hug, "Don't compare it to what happened between your parents, Vic. You are not your mother, and Charlus is not Bill."

Victoire sobbed, "How can I be six months pregnant? How? I don't look pregnant!"

"Like I said, it's called Cryptic Pregnancy," Lilly said, "And in the case of a witch, there's also Magical Cryptic Pregnancy. That is when your body tricks your brain into believing that you are not pregnant. There's a real chance that your magic is suppressing the pregnancy, and if I tap into your magical core, I can fix that. But if I do, there's no hiding this."

"Then don't do it right now," Victoire said tearfully.

Lilly nodded, "Okay. You call the shots here. All I do is make the suggestions, alright? You must know that Victoire, you are in charge."

Victoire nodded and wiped her eyes, "What am I going to tell my dad?"

Lilly thought about that for a moment, "I need to do some more tests to make sure that you and the baby are both in good health. I will tell your dad that one of your blood tests came up abnormal and that we need to isolate you until we rule out any contagious infections. Okay?"

Victoire took a shaky breath and nodded, "Okay. Thank you, Lilly."

Lilly smiled and got to her feet, "Anytime," she promised as she slipped out of the room to break the fake diagnosis to Bill.

- TBC –