The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
What If It Never Gets Better?
The chapter title is from the song:
What If I Never Get Over You? – Lady A.
In his five-year tenure as Headmaster of Hogwarts, Neville had broken bad news several times. He had been forced to call children into his office to tell them that a parent or grandparent had passed away, and every time, he hated it.
But this was harder than anything he had faced as Headmaster.
Walking into Potter Manor and following the sounds of laughter and chatter to the kitchen would typically have brought a smile to his face. But at 7am that morning, it just made him feel sick to his stomach.
When he first stepped into the kitchen, they didn't notice him. Teddy was sitting on the counter drinking coffee. Andrea was at the table with a newspaper open in front of her. Alastor had his head buried in a Herbology text, and Thea was yawning into her cereal.
"Morning, guys."
Four heads swivelled around when they heard his voice.
"Uncle Nev!" Thea chirped, "You're back."
Alastor looked behind him and frowned, "Where are…Mum and Dad, and Aunt Lilly?"
Neville swallowed and stepped into the room, "They are at the hospital right now. I've come to take you there too, if you want."
Teddy's jaw set, and his eyes hardened, "What happened?"
"Your dad was…." Neville had to pause to catch his breath, "…your dad was hit by a curse. It was very dark magic, and it has forced his soul to fracture. He is in a coma at the moment while his subconscious tries to piece his soul back together."
There was a brief, eerie silence in the kitchen. Then all hell broke loose, just as Neville had expected.
"Is he going to wake up?" Andrea asked.
Neville's breath caught when he saw the look in her eyes. Although they were emerald green, just like Harry's, they were steely like Daphne's when she tried to keep her emotions in check.
"We don't know yet," Neville said honestly.
"Of course he is," Teddy said, his tone was hard to read, "He's survived everything else. Of course he's going to wake up."
"You can't know that, Teddy," Andrea said, her face gave nothing away, and she appeared perfectly calm.
Alastor yelled and threw his plate against the wall where it shattered, "First Grandpa, and now Dad? Why can't we get a fucking break?"
With a yell, he threw his empty coffee mug at the wall too.
The other three were used to Alastor's temper, so they didn't react to this.
Teddy shook his head, "He should have let me go. If I'd been there, I could have stopped this!"
"No, you couldn't have, Teddy," Neville said quietly, "I couldn't stop it, and neither could your mother. We were right there when it happened."
"Mum," Teddy said. His eyes were wide, "Fuck, this must be killing her."
"It is, which is why she needs you," Neville said. He looked from Teddy to the others, "All of you."
Alastor was quietly fuming, but Andrea just nodded.
"We need to go to the hospital," Andrea said quietly, "Thea - "
When she turned to her sister, Andrea froze. Her eyes were glowing amber, and an orange glow had begun to manifest itself around her clenched fists.
"Teddy, get your siblings to the hospital," Neville said quickly as he moved across the kitchen towards Thea, "I need to get your sister out of here."
In a movement so fluid, it surprised all of the Potter kids, Neville pointed his wand at the ceiling and uttered a warding counter-curse. With a flash, the wards rained down around the house like sparks from a fire.
Then he grabbed Thea, spun on his heel and disappeared from view.
Alastor yelled and ran his hand along the table cloth, knocking the dishes to the floor and smashing them.
Teddy swore loudly and threw a blasting curse at the door.
Andrea sighed and muttered, "Reparo," then, "Scourgify," to clean up the mess. Then she raised an eyebrow at them, "If you two are quite finished, can we go and see Dad, please?"
Alastor gave her a dirty look, "Fine, Ice Queen 2.0."
Andrea just ignored the immature comment and brushed past her brother towards the fireplace.
Neville had expected a small burst of magic, followed by tears. What he ended up having to deal with was a blast of magic, which he contained within an impenetrable dome, just like he did when Harry lost it.
Thea dropped to her knees on the hard ground and threw her hands out, letting out a blood-curdling scream that could rival that of a banshee.
Then orange-gold magic burst from her hands and swirled around her. Neville wanted to hug her and tell her it would be okay, but he couldn't until the magic died down. Eventually, the storm died down, and as grey ash rained down onto Thea, Neville dropped the charm and walked forward.
She was kneeling on the ground, her arms hanging loosely by her side. Her body was shaking with the force she was crying with.
Neville knelt in front of her and pulled her close to him. She sobbed and said, "He can't die, Uncle Nev, he can't."
Neville sighed and kissed the top of her head.
"He won't. Thea, I have seen your dad walk out of fire, I've seen him walk away from a killing curse," Neville said, his voice soft but determined, "He will walk away from this too."
"Do you promise?" Thea whispered weakly.
"I promise that we will all do absolutely everything in our power to bring him home," Neville said. He pulled back from the hug to look Thea in the eye, "Because we are a family, and family do not leave each other behind, not ever."
Thea nodded, her eyes full of tears, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get so angry. I don't know why I do, but it just…I bottle it up, and then it just comes out."
Neville smiled sadly, "You are your father's daughter. He was the same at your age and when he was older. In fact, the only other person I've ever had to bring here was him, when he lost his temper and lost control of his magic like that."
Thea looked up at him, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry for feeling everything too much," Neville said softly, "It's what makes us human, and it's what makes people like you and your dad great humans. You have immense magical power though, did you know that?"
Thea shook her head and looked down, "I'm not good at school, not like Andie is."
"Neither was your dad," Neville said, "But that doesn't mean he didn't become great."
Thea smiled tearfully, "I'm really worried about Dad, Uncle Nev."
"I know you are," Neville said. He pulled her to her feet and put an arm around her shoulder, "So, let's go and see him, okay?"
"Okay," Thea said shakily.
"And on the way, we'll get you some Honeydukes chocolate," Neville joked, "Losing control of your magic for the first time is exhausting."
Thea fought back a yawn and lied, "I'm fine."
Neville knew she was lying, "Liar."
Thea laughed, despite herself, and Neville promised, "You can have a nap at the hospital."
When the kids got to Harry's hospital room, their reactions varied. Teddy stayed by the door, his eyes on his dad's feeble figure. Andrea swallowed but stepped fully into the room, sitting down and putting her arms around her mum.
Daphne smiled tearfully and hugged Andrea tightly, murmuring a thank you to her daughter.
Alastor stepped in, and his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head and opted to pace the room rather than sit down.
"Where's Thea?" Daphne asked, looking up at Teddy.
Teddy opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't take his eyes off his father.
"She lost control of her magic," Andrea explained calmly, "Uncle Nev took her away."
"We all lost our tempers," Alastor spat, "Apart from perfect Andrea, whose nice and calm in her ice palace!"
"Oh, fuck off, Alastor," Andrea said coldly, "We all have ways of dealing with our pain. Yours just happens to be rather destructive."
"Not unlike your father's way of dealing with things," Neville said, stepping into the room with his arm around Thea.
Andrea scoffed, "Like that's an excuse. You're adopted, Alastor!"
Alastor glared at her, "Yeah, well, at least they wanted me!"
"Enough!" Daphne snapped, looking around at them all, "Your father is in critical condition. Fighting about it is not going to help him!"
Neville bowed his head, "Your mother is right. All we can do right now is be here for each other and do whatever we can to help your dad wake up."
The room went silent, and everyone nodded or bowed their heads in shame.
With a click, the door opened, and Lilly stepped inside. She smiled tiredly at them all and said, "Hey, everyone. Are we all doing okay?"
"Now that Thea's not losing her shit, I think we're okay," Teddy said, crossing the room to hug her, "You okay, Aunt Lilly? You have blood on you."
Lilly opened her mouth to say that it was fine, but Teddy ran his wand down her body to remove all the blood before she could.
It made a lump rise in Lilly's throat because Harry had done that very same thing just a few hours earlier when everything had been so different.
"It's not…." Lilly swallowed, "It's not my blood. But thank you, Teddy."
She reached up to kiss him on the cheek, and she smiled a little sadly.
"Anytime," Teddy said offhandedly.
Lilly reached for Neville then, and he was there, ready for it. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Any change?" Lilly asked, looking over at Harry.
"No," Daphne replied quietly.
Neville pressed a kiss against Lilly's hair and whispered, "I have to go. I have a debriefing with Draco in less than half an hour."
Lilly nodded and closed her eyes, turning in to hug him properly, "Go. When you get back, I'll need to go to Ivy House and break the news to the kids…."
Neville sighed against her hair, "I had to tell his, and it…broke my damn heart, Lilly."
Lilly looked up at him, "You're a good uncle, Nev," she murmured, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
Neville couldn't even find it in himself to smile, so he just gave her a slight nod.
"Thea lost control of her magic, and she's exhausted," Neville said. He forced himself to pull away from his wife, "Give her a pepper-up potion and some chocolate."
"I'll look after them," Lilly promised.
Pulling his hand out of hers, Neville drew back and took his leave.
Lilly took a deep breath and stood behind Daphne, hugging her tightly from behind.
"He's going to wake up," She murmured into her best friends ear, "He's had worse scrapes than this, and he's gotten through them."
Daphne closed her eyes tightly and reached up for Lilly's hand. She nodded as if she was trying to convince herself, but she couldn't bring herself to put that hope into words.
The debriefing was very small and very private. It took place in Draco's office behind a locked door, with silencing charms and wards on every entrance – doorway, window or vent.
It comprised of Neville, Ben, Draco and Hermione. Neville could feel the solemn air in the room when he stepped inside to join them.
Draco nodded and motioned to the final seat.
Neville sat down and looked at them expectantly, "Have you managed to get anything out of the prisoners?"
"Nothing good," Draco said darkly, "The leaders appear to be Katerina and Isaak Zhukova. Katerina told us that a woman by the name of Katrin had placed the curse on Harry and that there was no cure."
"She's right," Neville said quietly, "We don't know much yet, but from what we do know, it's a psychological curse. Harry is going through the Judgement of Osiris in his head, which means his sins are being weighed against his good deeds. If good wins, his soul becomes whole again."
Draco swallowed and looked at Hermione, "It's just like the nightmare curse."
Hermione could only nod.
"No, it's worse," Neville said with a tired sigh, "Because his brain activity is so low that we can't even use Legilimency to help him."
Draco shook his head angrily, "So we can't do anything to help him?"
"It doesn't seem like it," Neville said. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. Somewhere amongst all of this, Thursday had bled into Friday. The sun had come up, and a new day had dawned.
It made Neville so angry how the world could just keep spinning when his was falling apart.
Hermione raised her head high and said, "Well, what now? From what you said in your initial statement and the information we received from interrogation the prisoners, it does not seem like the Statute Saboteurs are the villains we think they are."
"No. It didn't seem that way when we spoke to Katerina," Neville admitted.
Hermione shook her head, "We can try them for attempted murder, but we can't link them to Natasha's death, can we?"
Ben shook his head, "From what they have said, I think Katrin is the real ringleader, and she got away. Our best guess is that she's Katrin Luther, a radicalised Unspeakable from Germany. She started campaigning against Muggles after her family were killed in an anti-Muggle attack, orphaning her at 14 years old."
"Did she go to school?" Neville asked.
Ben nodded, "Yeah, she went to Nurmengard."
The other three all looked up sharply at that.
"The school they built in the prison after Grindelwald died?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
Ben nodded, "Yep, that's the one."
"Well, three guesses where she was radicalised then," Neville said sarcastically.
"There's no way it's registered with the ICW," Draco agreed.
Hermione shook her head, "It isn't. It's privately run, which means the teaching won't have to conform to ICW regulations."
"That's clear, from the dark magic she's shown that she's capable of," Draco said. He and Hermione both sounded as tired as Neville felt.
Neville nodded, "Yeah, well, if she's the ringleader, then all the mysterious curses, the weaponising the imperius curse? It was all her."
"She's an Unspeakable. That's how she's got this absurd knowledge," Draco said with a wave of his hand, "Which is why I've asked Sadie to go to the hospital and see if she can unearth anything that the Healers can't…with Harry."
"I appreciate that, thank you," Neville said sincerely.
Draco nodded and looked across the table, "How is everyone doing?"
Neville sighed, "Lilly is keeping herself going for the kids and Daphne. And Daphne is…she's a mess, honestly, but she's doing what she can to hold it together, and I'm…fine."
Hermione reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his, "It's okay if you're not fine, Neville. He's your brother in every sense that matters."
Neville swallowed and looked down. He nodded at the table and said, "I just need to keep believing he's going to win this fight because I can't afford to lose hope."
"He will," Draco said confidently.
Hermione sighed and rubbed her eyes, "But what are we going to do? About the prisoners we have in holding cells, and about the wider problem?"
"The wider problem?" Ben asked.
"These people have been experimented on by Muggles," Draco said. He looked over at the Head Auror, "That's a breach of the International Statute of Secrecy that ought to be reported to the ICW."
"And then what?" Neville asked.
"Then the Russian ministry handles it," Draco said simply, "It's out of our jurisdiction."
Hermione scoffed, "And you honestly think that the Russian ministry doesn't already know about it? They've just elected to do nothing, and the ICW can prod them in the right direction, but they can't force them to take action."
"And if we do, we put the Russians nose out of joint and end up at war," Draco said starkly, "We can't wade into this."
Ben pushed a file forward, "I had medicals done on all of the prisoners like you asked. I think reading that might change your opinion."
Hermione pulled the file towards her and flicked it open, scanning the statistics and results on each page.
"These people weren't experimented on by Muggles," She said, looking up at Ben.
Ben shook his head, "No, there's no way Muggles could do the things that they did. Those people down there? They were experimented on by other witches and wizards."
Draco swallowed, "Who would do that? Take children and experiment on them?"
"I don't know," Hermione said quietly, "But whoever they are, they are the real enemy, not the Statute Saboteurs."
"If anything, the Saboteurs are just a red herring," Neville agreed, "What do you reckon that this Katrin Luther is with the real bad guys?"
"That's not starting to sound like such a crazy theory," Ben said, fighting a yawn.
Hermione looked down at the file once more, then said, "This explains their unusual eye colour, anyway. Their magical cores have been experimented with, which is very dangerous, as we know from what happened to Theo. It can make magic unstable."
"That explains the friends she had to keep in holding cells for their own protection," Neville said.
Draco nodded, and Hermione continued.
"The experimentation changed their eye colours to reflect their magical cores," She said, looking up at the others, "And one of the prisoners, Jelena Levitsky, has unusual brain activity."
"Katerina said that they were brainwashed," Draco reminded Hermione.
"Are you telling me that they kidnapped kids and tortured and brainwashed them?" Neville asked in disbelief.
Hermione sighed and nodded, "It looks that way and if these people are amongst the few who escaped…Merlin knows how many more there could be."
"So, what do we do?" Neville asked, looking between them.
"I am going to find a trustworthy delegate and take them with me to Switzerland," Hermione said assertively.
"The only way to convince the ICW to let us pursue this with it being on foreign soil is to meet them privately. If I can show them that the Russian ministry is corrupt, then we may get the go-ahead, but until we do, none of you set one foot out of Britain, do you understand?"
They all nodded. Draco leant forward, "Hermione, you realise how risky that is, don't you?"
"It's a risk we have to take." Hermione said firmly, "It's a risk I have to take because I won't be able to live with myself if I don't. For now, Draco, I need you to keep things afloat here while I'm gone. And Ben?"
Ben looked up at the Minister, "Yes, ma'am?"
"Put the prisoners in a safe house with magic suppressing wards," Hermione said, which made all three of the others look at her in surprise.
"You don't want to press charges?" Ben asked.
"No, I don't," Hermione returned, "They may be the key to finding the person who is really behind all of this. But they will only confide in us if we show them that we are trustworthy."
Ben nodded, "Yes, ma'am," he said again.
Hermione gave him a slight nod, "Thank you, Ben."
He knew he was dismissed, so he took his leave. Once the door had clicked shut behind him, Draco got to his feet and walked around the desk.
He perched on the edge and looked at his old friend, "Neville, how are you really doing?"
"I'm fine," Neville said stiffly.
Draco shook his head, "I'm not fine," he said, his voice cracking, "So if I'm not fine, then you are definitely not fine."
Neville swallowed and looked up tearfully, "I'm not fine, but I'm trying to keep it together for everyone else."
"We're not everyone else," Hermione said softly, "We're your friends. You don't have to keep it together for us."
Neville nodded and let out a reluctant sob. Hermione took a few steps and pulled him into a hug. It was only then that Neville truly felt that he could break down – with Hermione, who had been his friend at the lowest point of his life, and Draco, who he had known for so long.
Hermione looked at Draco tearfully as she held Neville tightly.
Draco returned the look with as much anxiety and trepidation in his eyes as she felt.
One thing was for sure. Whatever happened now, nothing was ever going to be the same again.
"William!"
Bill smiled half-heartedly at the woman dashing towards him. He pulled her into a hug instinctively when she reached him in the waiting room.
"Where is she? Is she okay?" Fleur asked, pulling back.
"She's getting some extra tests done," Bill said, keeping his hands on Fleur's shoulders, "The Healers said they would tell me as soon as I could see her."
"Why can't we see her? What tests are they doing?" Fleur asked, her accent thicker than it had been for years. She had moved back to France after Victoire had left school.
"I don't know, Fleur," Bill said honestly. He ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair, "They said they needed to check for any contagious infections because the arrow could have been laced with something."
Fleur sighed and shook her head, and Bill really looked at her for the first time in a long time. They had always seen each other regularly when Victoire was young, for drop-offs and pick-ups, but now their paths rarely crossed. Victoire spent one Christmas in France and another in England. She saw both of her parents on her birthday but never together.
And it hit Bill then. He hadn't seen Fleur for 4 years. In those 4 years, he supposed he'd gone even more grey – the flecks and strands had spread pretty damn quickly, and he probably looked old. He was older than her, after all, but she still looked flawless.
It almost made him smile. She was in her 40's, but her hair was as platinum as ever, without a hint of grey – just like Daphne. He supposed it was the Veela blood, keeping her skin flawless and glowing.
If she noticed him staring, she didn't say anything, but she had been giving him a strange look too. Maybe they had both realised how quickly time had passed, or perhaps she had just realised how old he had gotten.
Still, the moment was broken by the door to Victoire's room opening. Lilly smiled and said, "All clear. No contagions and you are both very welcome to come in."
Fleur sighed in relief and pressed past Bill, sweeping into the room to hug Victoire and utter in French, "Mon bébé! Que t'est-il arrivé ? J'étais si inquiète! (My baby! What happened to you? I was so worried!)."
Victoire hugged her mother back and murmured, "Je vais bien, maman. Mais je suis si heureuse que tu sois là (I'm fine, Maman. But I'm so glad you're here)."
Fleur kissed her daughter on the cheek and said, "Toujours, ma chérie (Always, my darling)."
Bill smiled from the doorway and said, "Et moi, je suis quoi? Un paillasson? (And what am I? A doormat?)"
Victoire laughed, albeit a little tearfully and Fleur looked at Bill in surprise.
"Your French is very good," She remarked.
Bill raised an eyebrow, "Well, I did have a French wife once upon a time."
With a frown, Fleur said, "That was over 20 years ago, William. You haven't forgotten?"
With a fond smile, Bill replied, "Je n'oublierai jamais (I'll never forget)."
They both knew that they were talking about more than Bill's ability to speak French, but that wasn't the time or place to have that conversation.
"And Daphne swears at me in French, a lot," Bill said with a shrug, "Which helps."
Lilly had watched the interplay between them with interest. Despite Bill being married to Lara and Fleur having a new French boyfriend, there still seemed to be a degree of fondness between them.
Victoire shuffled in her bed and reverted to English, "I'm glad you're both here because I have something to tell you."
Bill and Fleur both looked over at their daughter expectantly.
"The extra tests," Victoire said. She looked over at Lilly, "They were to make sure that everything is okay because when I got hurt, one of my blood tests did come up with an unexpected result."
Fleur sat by her daughter's side and took her hand.
Victoire took a breath and finished, "Because I'm pregnant."
There was a stunned silence, and Victoire grimaced, bracing herself for the worst.
"Enceinte?" Fleur asked, reverting to French in her shock.
Victoire nodded, "It was a…Uhm…a…"
"Magical Cryptic Pregnancy," Lilly stepped in.
"It's when the mind tricks the body into believing there is no pregnancy, so the witch's magic covers it up and masks any symptoms, particularly the obvious bump."
Fleur looked at Victoire in disbelief, "Then this is a….how long?"
"Six months," Lilly asked for Victoire, "Your daughter's due date is the 24th of October."
Fleur brought her hand up to her mouth, and Bill swallowed.
"Is it Charlus's?" He asked.
Victoire could only nod.
"Charlus? Le garçon avec la moto? Des garçons comme ça ne font pas de bons pères! (Charlus? The boy with the motorbike? Boys like that do not make good fathers!)"
Bill looked at her in disbelief, "Quoi que tu penses de moi, je sais que je suis un bon père, Fleur (Whatever you think of me, I know I'm a good father, Fleur)."
Fleur glared at him, "Non! Elle était sous ta garde quand elle est rentrée à la maison. Tes soins, William! (No! She was in your care when she came home. Your care, William!)"
Bill took a step towards her, "Si vous y teniez tant, vous n'auriez peut-être pas dû revenir en France! (If you cared so much, maybe you shouldn't have moved back to France!)."
Fleur's temper flared and her eyes flashed red for a moment, "Si elle avait travaillé avec les Aurors à Paris, cela ne serait jamais arrivé ! Je ne l'aurais pas permis (If she had worked with the Aurors in Paris, this would never have happened. I wouldn't have allowed it!)."
"C'est assez! (That's enough!)."
They all looked over at Lilly. She crossed her arms over her chest, which made her look surprisingly intimidating for a woman who was scarcely 5 foot tall.
"I'm a Trauma Healer too. I trained in Amiens, and my best friend is Daphne Potter, so yes, I speak French."
She looked between them and said, "This is about your daughter, not about you. Sort out your petty problems and focus on her. It doesn't much matter what you think of Charlus Nott because he's going to be involved in your daughter's life forever now. You know, as well as anyone else, that a baby ties you together, whether you stay in love or not."
Bill hung his head and nodded, and Fleur looked at Victoire's tear-stained face guiltily.
"But for the record, Charlie Nott is a good guy," Lilly finished, "He has a good job. He makes decent money. He's from a good family, and I don't mean that because they have status or money, but because they have good values and raised him right. And you of all people, Fleur, should be able to see past the motorbike, the tattoos and the boyish grins."
Fleur looked up at Bill, something strange passed through her eyes, and she nodded.
"Je suis désolée, bébé (I'm sorry, baby)."
Victoire nodded tearfully, "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for being so stupid and throwing my life away."
"Hey," Bill said, sitting down on the other side of her, "You are not throwing your life away. Look at the incredible women that we know – look at Lilly, she had three babies in the house, and she still worked her arse off as a Maternity Healer. And look at Aunt Daphne, four kids and still killing it in the office and the field."
Victoire smiled weakly, "You think I can have it all?"
"I think you're a modern woman," Bill said, propping up her chin to stop her hanging her head, "And you have nothing to be ashamed of."
Fleur squeezed Victoire's hand and murmured, "Mais je suis bien trop jeune pour être grand-mère (But I am much too young to be a Grandmother)."
Victoire laughed tearfully and hugged her mother, then she looked over at her dad.
"I'm sorry, Dad."
Bill shook his head, "I was shocked, but I'm happy for you," he promised.
Victoire held out her hand, "Pinky promise."
Bill smiled and put his pinky in hers, "Pinky promise, but this kid isn't calling me Grandpops or anything that makes me seem that old, alright?"
"Deal," Victoire said, wiping her eyes and saying, "When they did the tests, to make sure everything was okay. They…found out what it is."
Bill cocked his head at her, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Victoire said, her eyes filling with tears once more, "A boy."
Bill leant forward to kiss her on the forehead, and Fleur reached across, grabbing his hand with her free one.
Lilly felt she had encroached on the moment enough, so she slipped out of the room and headed for the showers. It was time for her to go home to her children now.
By the time Lilly traipsed into Ivy House, it was gone 8 am, and she had finally showered and changed into spare clothes that she kept in her office. She hadn't slept since the previous afternoon, and she was beyond exhausted and not at all equipped to deal with her mother.
Still, she had to pick her children up, which left her little choice. She headed for the kitchen, but her mother intercepted her in the hall.
"Oh, here she is," Linda said spitefully, "Finally dragged yourself back home, have you?"
Lilly sighed and waved a hand at her, "I'm too tired for this, Mum."
"I don't care," Linda snapped, "You going around telling your kids that I'm a cheap whore?"
"What?" Lilly asked in disbelief.
"Telling 'em money's changed me, innit?" Linda said, crossing her arms over her chest, "What gives you the right to get in-between me and my grandkids?"
Lilly shook her head, "So Jamie's stirring the pot, go figure. Mum, I don't think you're a cheap whore, but I really ain't got time for this."
Linda scoffed, "Ain't you? Funny how you lose the accent until your fighting with me,"
"Which is every other fucking week," Lilly said. She tried to push past her mother, "Where are the kids?"
"I ain't tellin' you till we've sorted this out," Linda argued.
Lilly snapped, "What is there to sort out? You married my ex, a guy 17 years younger than you. You have a bloody kid with him! It's done, there's no sorting it out, there's just living with it."
Linda took a step forward and raised her voice, "No, there is sorting it out, Lillian, and you know how we do that? You grow the hell up and get over it!"
"Mum, just shut up!" Lilly shrieked.
The argument had brought Michael out of the kitchen now. He cast a silencing charm so the kids couldn't hear what was happening, and he walked towards them.
"Lin, I told you not to fly off the handle at her - " Michael started to say.
"I don't give a shit about you or Michael!" Lilly roared, "I just want to pick my kids up and go home! I have to tell them that their Uncle is probably never gonna wake up. I've got to go back to the hospital and see Daphne. I can't deal with this stupid fucking drama right now!"
By the time she was done, she was breathing heavily and clutching at her chest.
Michael stepped forward to help, but Linda pushed him out of the way and grabbed Lilly by the shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Lil, I'm sorry," She said quickly, "I didn't know, but you gotta calm down, alright? You're having a panic attack like you did when you was a little girl, and you got lost in Camden market. You remember what I said when I found you then, all curled up underneath one of the stalls, yeah?"
Lilly nodded and tried to breathe.
Linda nodded and said, "I said I got you, and it's gonna be okay, just breathe."
Lilly nodded again and let out a shaky breath.
"That's it, baby," Linda said, pulling her into a hug, "Just breathe."
The minute Lilly buried her head in her mum's shoulder, she broke down, and Linda looked over at Michael anxiously.
"It's all my fault, Mum," Lilly sobbed, "I couldn't do anything about it. I tried everything I knew, but he won't wake up, and I need to tell the kids, but I can't. I just don't know where to start."
Linda rubbed her back and said, "It's okay, we can tell them together, alright? Me and you, that's how we've gotten through life, innit? Together."
Lilly drew back and rubbed her eyes, "Not lately it's not because I've been such a dick about all of this and…." She shook her head, "I'm sorry."
"You don't got to say it now," Linda promised, "I'd never of gone off on one at you if I'd known you were in such a bad way."
Lilly shook her head, "No, it's not an excuse for the way I've been since you married Michael. I didn't talk to you until Grace's first birthday. It was petty, and it was fucking pathetic."
She looked over at Michael and said, "You treat her well, Mikey, and you're such a good man now. I'm sorry, you didn't…you didn't deserve it, neither of you did."
Michael smiled and said, "I was never as bothered as your mum was. Kind of felt like I deserved it for the longest time, to be honest. It's not conventional. You had every right to be mad."
"For a year, maybe," Lilly said with a shrug, "But not for over a decade. It's not conventional, but conventional relationships don't always work, and I'm hardly one to talk about how unconventional it is, not when I'm…."
She swallowed and shook her head, "Not when I'm as upset at the prospect of a world without Harry as I would be about a world without Neville. So I'm sorry, I mean it."
Linda and Michael both nodded, and Michael put a hand on her shoulder, "I didn't know you suffered from panic attacks."
"I don't, anymore," Lilly said, rubbing her eyes, "Even during the war, I was so calm. I don't…I was a kid, the last time I had one."
"Sometimes you revert to that when you lose someone you love," Linda said softly, "And ain't no denying you love him, no matter what kind of love it is."
Lilly swallowed and looked down, "He's not dead. He just won't wake up."
"What happened to him?" Michael asked.
"A curse, an ancient Egyptian one," Lilly said quietly, "It ripped his soul apart, but Daphne managed to intervene and contain it to his body. He's going through something in his head, like a reckoning or judgement about whether he's lived his life right. There's nothing anyone can do but wait."
Michael frowned and said, "Well, until about a decade ago, they thought that about the nightmare curse until that Unspeakable found a counter-curse and developed a potion to wake the person up. So never say never, alright? I know I trained in cardio, but I did all sorts before I specialised and wrote my final paper on brain function in coma patients. Consider me on board. Whatever I can do to help you find a way to wake him up, I'll do it."
Lilly looked at Michael and nodded tearfully, then she threw herself at him and hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry, Michael."
Michael patted her on the back and looked at Linda over her shoulder. Linda was just as alarmed by this development as he was.
"It's okay, really," Michael said, pulling back from the hug, "I'm not bitter about it."
Linda grabbed her daughter's hand and said, "Chin up, love. Michael, glamour her tears up. The kids need to see her being strong."
Michael nodded and flicked his wand in Lilly's direction.
Linda smiled and said, "Much better."
She kissed Lilly on the cheek and tugged her towards the kitchen.
Michael trailed behind them, and when they got to the door, Linda whispered, "Take a deep breath and be strong. I learned you gotta do that, when I had to tell you about your dad moving out."
Lilly nodded and looked at her mum. It was with genuine love in her eyes that she said, "Thanks, Mum."
Then she stepped into the kitchen and put on a smile for the sake of her kids.
"Mum!" Harry said, grinning and hugging her.
James frowned and waved, "Hey, Mum. Why didn't you tell us that you were coming back?"
"Because it wasn't exactly planned," Lilly admitted, pulling Laurel into a hug.
James's frown deepened, "What do you mean?"
Lilly gripped the back of an empty chair and took a breath, "Uncle Harry was hurt quite badly in the raid. He is at the hospital with Aunt Daphne and your cousins…your dad is at the ministry discussing what happened with the Minister for Magic."
James swallowed but said nothing.
"Uncle Harry is hurt?" Harry asked quietly.
Lilly nodded, "He's in a coma, and we can't get him to wake up right now. There's a battle going on inside his head, and he has to win, or he won't wake up."
"Ever?" Laurel asked, her voice smaller than usual.
Lily nodded, and her voice cracked, "Ever."
"But," Michael cut in, "Your Uncle Harry is one hell of a guy, isn't he? Look at all the things he's survived so far. If you think he's gonna let this beat him without a fight, you're damn wrong."
"Michael is right," Lilly said, managing a small smile in Michael's direction, "He will not go down without a fight."
Harry nodded tearfully, and Lilly looked at James, who was unusually quiet.
"Okay, James?"
James nodded and bolted from the room with tears in his eyes. Lilly swallowed and made to follow him, but before she could, Harry got to his feet.
"It's okay, Mum," He said with a sad smile, "I'll talk to Jamie."
When he left the room after his twin brother, Lilly's shoulders slumped slightly, and Laurel hugged her again.
Lilly placed a kiss on her daughter's head and looked across the room at her mother and Michael with a sigh.
"Do you think - "
"They can stay here for as long as they need to," Linda interjected.
Michael nodded, "We're family, Lilly. What are we here for if not to help each other in our darkest moments?"
Lilly nodded and blinked away the tears burning her eyes, "Thank you, both of you."
- TBC -
