The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Lost Souls
The chapter title is from the song:
Outlaw – Greenday.
Victoire was sitting on the steps with a cup of tea in her hands when Teddy stalked up the beach towards her.
"You have a lot of blood on you."
Teddy looked down and sighed, "Yeah, I need a shower."
She didn't question it when he walked around the side of her little beach hut and stripped off to jump into the outdoor shower. It wasn't entirely open. There was a little wooden surround around it which protected modesty for the most part.
It didn't really matter with Victoire and Teddy anyway; they had seen it all. For whatever reason, when they were growing up, everyone had expected them to get together. But beyond a silly crush Victoire had on Teddy when they were young, they just hadn't seen each other like that.
There was only a year between them in age, and they had always been close friends.
The shower began to run, and Teddy sighed.
"I want to drown myself in this today."
"Can I join you?" Victoire asked dryly.
Teddy looked at her over the top of the screen, "Why? What's up with you?"
Victoire groaned and let her head rest against the wooden surround, "I probably shouldn't tell you before I tell Nevee or Edith. This is the kind of thing you tell your girls first, you know?"
"I can be your girl," Teddy joked.
Victoire pulled her jumper closer to her body, "Okay, good idea. Be a girl for me."
Teddy peered over the top at her, "You mean pretend by saying girly things or legit be a girl for you?"
"Uh…" Victoire floundered, "Both? Either? I don't care."
Teddy closed his eyes and changed his facial features, making them a little softer. Then he lengthened his hair, which was currently black streaked with blue.
"How do I look?"
"Beautiful," Victoire chuckled, "Did you do the whole body or just the face?"
"That would be telling," Teddy joked.
Victoire peered around the edge of the shower screen and whistled, "You make one hot girl. I suppose Nick thinks so too."
"No comment," Teddy said with a grin, "Come on then, I'm your gal friend now. Spill it all."
Victoire took a breath, "Well, I'm six months pregnant. I have some weird rare magical pregnancy condition where my brain has tricked my body into thinking it's not pregnant, so I don't look pregnant, but I have a freakin' baby in here. I saw the echo spell, and he was kicking and…he was just there, but I can't feel that he's there or see that he's there, and it's making me feel weird."
She shook her head and sighed, "There's a spell Lilly can do to fix me and then all of a sudden, I'm going to look pregnant and start throwing up and get swollen ankles, and I just cannot wrap my head around it."
Teddy still had the shower running, but he was just watching her now, waiting for her to break down, no doubt.
"Anyway, I told Charlus, and he looked at me like I had three heads, then he ran away."
Teddy ducked his head out of the shower, "Want me to kick his arse? Also, congrats on the baby that you can't feel or see but know is in there."
Victoire laughed, "Thanks, and no. I don't think I want you to kick his arse. But…I don't know what I want. This just hit me so hard, then I'm pretty sure my parents slept together the night they found out they would be grandparents, which is just so messed up."
Teddy frowned, "But your dad and Lara?"
"Yeah, exactly," Victoire said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"And my mum is talking about how things with Pierre aren't that serious, so she might move back to Shell Cottage to be close, which basically means she wants to keep an eye on me."
"Or you know, keep banging your dad," Teddy said unhelpfully.
"That's not helpful, Teddy!"
"Sorry," Teddy returned sheepishly.
Victoire banged her head against the wall, "Yeah. So…what's up with you?"
"I think Almina's going to break up with me," Teddy admitted, "And before you say 'oh but Teddy, you just got engaged!' I think that's why. She's freaking out. I don't think she's cut out for a polyamorous relationship. Like, she gets it, the girl has two dads and every time I'm round there, they're hugging or whatever, but…that doesn't mean it's for her."
"Is she jealous of Nick?" Victoire asked curiously.
"I don't know, maybe," Teddy said with a sigh, "I told her I was going to stay with Nick for a while. Nat's dead, they have a funeral to plan, and Rob's been drinking himself into a stupor. It turns out I was right to say so. He nearly died in a bar fight last night."
"Shit," Victoire muttered, "Is Nicky okay?"
"Not really," Teddy said. He rested his head against the wood and looked at Victoire, "Mina and I argued. She said I picked Nick, but I didn't pick anyone, Vic. Nick needs me more than she does right now, and if she can't see that, then maybe this isn't going to work."
"Or maybe you just need to show her that you love her as much as you love Nick," Victoire said, "What's Nina's stance on the whole thing?"
"I don't know. She's being weird lately," Teddy admitted, "Not like she's jealous because she isn't. But…things have been different since Mina came in, you know? Before Nick and I would have sex, and Nina would be there, it didn't bother her. I feel like maybe it kind of freaks Mina out."
"Shouldn't you have worked through this stuff before you proposed to her?"
"Shouldn't you have dated Charlus before he knocked you up?" Teddy countered.
"Touche."
"I just want Mina to accept it," Teddy said honestly, "I don't want to have to pick between her or Nick. If she just grew up a little, she'd see that."
"Well, she is younger than you," Victoire said, "But still, do you want me to kick her arse?"
Teddy smiled ruefully, "Nah, but you're a great friend. I love you."
"I know," Victoire said with a fond smile, "You're gonna be this sprogs godfather…or godmother, what's your preference?"
"I would be so fucking honoured either way," Teddy said with conviction, "I'll cry, now and when he's born and every time I hold him. Also, I'd look damn good in a ballgown."
"Godmother, not fairy godmother," Victoire said through her laughter, "But you'd be great, either way."
Teddy laughed too, and that was how Bill found them a few seconds later when he stepped up onto the decking. He raised an eyebrow at them.
"Hey, Ted."
"Hey, Uncle Bill," Teddy said, waving a hand from out of the shower.
"What's going on here?" Bill asked curiously.
"Teddy's being a girl for me," Victoire said, motioning to Teddy, "Shit, should I have changed your pronouns?"
"Yes, you fucking should have," Teddy joked, "I'm a lady, Victoire."
Victoire choked on a laugh, "He's kiddin' Dad, or should I say she's kiddin'?"
Bill shook his head at them, "Is there a reason that Teddy is being a girl for you?"
"I needed girl advice," Victoire said with a shrug, "I told Charlus about the baby, and he ran away."
"Right," Bill said, "Well, it's a bombshell. You do need to give him a little time to come around, I suppose."
Victoire nodded, "You need to go home, by the way. Lara sent me a Patronus earlier. She hasn't seen you since you told her I was out of the hospital, and that was two days ago."
Bill nodded.
"She thinks you're working," Victoire added.
"I am working," Bill said evenly, "It's all hands on deck right now with what happened to Harry."
Victoire nodded, but she seemed unconvinced.
"Maman is staying in Shell Cottage," Victoire said.
"I know," Bill said stiffly.
"She's worried about me. She's talking about staying long-term," Victoire said with a shrug, "Apparently, things aren't serious enough with Pierre for him to come over here with her."
Bill looked at her warily, "Why are you telling me this?"
Victoire gave him a knowing look, "I'm not an idiot and…I won't let you and Maman screw around behind Lara's back. She doesn't deserve that, Dad."
Bill's shoulders slumped, "I…I know she doesn't."
Victoire gave him a hard look, "Go home, Dad. Tell Lara the truth."
Bill's face fell. To have screwed up that badly was one thing, but to have his daughter school him for that mistake? It made it ten times worse. He was avoiding Lara out of guilt, but he was avoiding Fleur for an entirely different reason.
That door had been opened now. He couldn't stop thinking about it, about her. It was driving him crazy.
A loud crack sounded behind them, which drew Bill out of his thoughts.
Victoire's breath caught when she saw Charlus walking up the beach.
"I'm so sorry, Vic."
"You came back?"
"I came back," Charlus promised.
Victoire ran down the beach and threw herself into his arms. Charlus caught her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hard even though her dad was right there.
Bill just smiled, "I hope he does right by her."
"He will," Teddy said, "Can you throw me a towel, Uncle Bill?"
Bill chuckled and threw a towel into the shower cubicle, "So what's your 'girl' name then?"
"Oi, excuse you, Teddy is unisex!"
Bill barked out a laugh and smiled as Victoire and Charlus talked in hushed tones. It made him think about that conversation with Fleur and that other conversation with Charlie.
He was confused, bitter, and angry with himself. There was only one person he felt would simultaneously understand and give him the bitch slap he deserved.
When Bill stepped into Harry's hospital room, he was pleased to find Daphne on her own. He sat down next to her and sighed.
"Are you here to see Harry?" Daphne asked, cocking her head to the side, "Because I hate to break it to you, but he's not really one for conversation right now."
Bill shook his head, "No…I came here to talk to you."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that," Daphne said, "How's Vic?"
Bill leant back and groaned, "Don't even ask. My life sucks."
"Oh, we're playing this game, are we?" Daphne asked dryly, "Because I'll win. I always win."
"Well, that's normally because you're a drama queen, to be fair," Bill muttered under his breath.
"And today, it's because my husband is in a coma and might never wake up," Daphne retorted.
"Yeah," Bill grimaced, "Today, it's fair enough."
"What makes you think you have it worse?" Daphne asked, glancing over at him.
Bill shook his head, "Oh, I don't even know where to begin…I mean, Victoire is six months pregnant with Charlus Nott's baby, for a start."
Daphne's head snapped around, "What?"
"Yeah," Bill said, running his hands through his hair.
"Would we not have noticed the baby bump or a glamour if she had one on?" Daphne asked in surprise.
"It's some weird medical thing. It's rare," Bill said offhandedly, "I'm sure Lilly can tell you about it since it was her who broke the news to Vic."
"Lilly knew, and she didn't tell me?" Daphne asked irritably.
"Don't pout, Daphne; it makes your cheeks look fat."
"You're such a dick. You're like the older brother I never wanted," Daphne muttered.
Bill snorted, "She's due in October, anyway…."
"Your gonna be a grandad," Daphne said in disbelief.
"Yeah," Bill said, his eyes dark, "Which I'm happy about it. After we all stopped arguing, we all kind of felt happy about it, and Charlus knows now, and he's going to stand by her, so that's good."
"But?" Daphne pressed.
"I told Fleur that Vic had been hurt," Bill said, "So she came to the hospital, and we were both there when we found out about the baby. Vic got discharged, and Fleur took her back to Shell Cottage. She was muttering on in French about how I obviously didn't feed her right. I went home to tell Lara that Vic was okay, then I went over to Shell Cottage to check on Vic, and I just…."
Bill breathed in deeply, "I watched my little girl and her mother making dinner together, and I just got hit with this wave of nostalgia and regret and….I cooked dinner with them, and we ate together. Then Fleur convinced me to stay, and she and I sank half a bottle of firewhiskey, just reminiscing about what it used to be like…."
"Oh no, Bill," Daphne said, her eyes widening.
Bill grimaced, "I slept with her.
Daphne stared at him in disbelief, "I can't believe you."
Bill let his head drop, "You don't understand. It's…she…she's different from Lara."
"If she's so different, why did you divorce her in the first place?" Daphne asked coolly.
"You know why," Bill said with a sigh, "You were there throughout all of that. I just mean that I can be myself with Fleur, it was…it was the full moon, the night we…and I don't do that with Lara. I can't, I'd hurt her, and she'd freak out, but Fleur is part Veela. She's…different."
"I understand that part," Daphne said, her icy eyes on Bill, "I have Veela blood, and I'm not quarter-Veela like Fleur. The more diluted it is, the less obvious the effects are, but still, I had two flawless pregnancies and…I understand the struggle to be satisfied with one sexual partner. That was the real problem between you and Fleur. You had a baby, you couldn't have sex, so you fought. I…do understand that."
"Lilly," Bill realised, "That's why you two are a thing?"
"Lilly and Neville," Daphne admitted, "With Lilly, it's different. She's….different, Neville is only ever with me like that when Harry is there, but…yes, that's how we became the way we did. When the kids were young, and life was busy, Harry struggled to keep up sometimes."
Bill didn't even have it in him to laugh at her expense.
"Fleur's probably the same. Looking back on it, you'll probably realise that you always argued when you hadn't had sex for a while," Daphne shrugged.
"Maybe," Bill admitted.
"But you should have worked this out 20 years ago," Daphne pointed out, "Before you divorced her and then remarried and had another child."
Bill sighed, "What am I supposed to do? Now I've slept with her once, its like there's this fire, and I'm just….yearning for her. It's like a physical, feral need."
"Yeah, it is," Daphne said dryly, "You're part wolf; she's part Veela. You're mates, essentially, aren't you?"
Bill's eyes widened.
"And now you're going to be grandparents, so you're going to be around each other all of the time," Daphne said with a shake of her head. "And if you've realised that Lara isn't doing it for you, then you need to leaver her because it's disgusting to treat her as less than human, but…."
She looked over at him, "This will be the second marriage you have left, the second child you have left."
Bill shook his head, "No, that's not fair. Vic was a baby, Artie is 15. He's almost an adult - "
"And how is he going to feel about you leaving his mother for your hot French ex-wife?" Daphne asked calmly.
This shut Bill down.
"What sort of example does that set for him?" Daphne pressed on.
Bill didn't say anything, and Daphne rubbed her eyes. "I don't know if you came here because you wanted validation, advice or harsh truths, but…I've never lied about who I am, Bill. I've never tried to hide from it, not like you have with the wolf in you. I'm proud of who I am and of who I love. All three of the people in my life are amazing, and…."
She swallowed and looked at Harry, "If he doesn't wake up, I know we'll be okay. I know we'll get through it because we'll have each other, but we won't be the same. It will never be the same without Harry and if that's how you feel after this little reunion, then be with Fleur. Make it right, break Lara's heart. But don't ask me for advice again because I am furious at you for hurting your wife."
Bill nodded and got to his feet, "I…I get it. Sorry, Daphne. If there's anything I can do - "
"There isn't."
With a final nod, Bill left, leaving the hospital room in semi-darkness and silence.
Almina found Teddy in the first place that she looked for him. The Victory Graveyard at Hogwarts Castle. She knew he could get in there easily enough, having grown up with his dad's Marauders Map and then in later years, having his Uncle Neville as Headmaster.
She supposed he thought that nobody would find him there. But she had still been in school when they got together; he had shown her lots of ways to sneak in and out of Hogwarts Castle.
So Almina snuck in via the Shrieking Shack, using a spell to stop the tree's branches from attacking her. Then she headed across the grounds to the little graveyard encased with ornate metal railings.
The gate creaked when she opened it, but Teddy didn't look up. He had probably been expecting someone to come and find him here eventually. There he was, sitting in-between his parents' graves. He looked younger than his 23 years; sitting there cross-legged, he seemed smaller.
Almina pointed her wand at the grave and murmured a Herbology spell. Dogwood flowers blossomed and weaved themselves into a wreath, then it floated down to sit between the graves.
"Mina," Teddy said weakly, "I thought…Nick."
Almina sighed and sat down next to him, "Sorry that I'm not Nick."
Teddy reached over and took her hand, "I'm glad you're not Nick. I'm glad it was you who found me."
Almina looked at the graves ahead of them, "But you chose Nick."
"I didn't choose anyone," Teddy said. He weaved his fingers through hers, "I never want to have to choose between you, but…this is how I'm built and if you can't…."
He shook his head.
"It's not that I'm not okay with it," Almina promised, "I get it, and I like Nick, I really do. I love Nina. She's the best friend I could ask for, but…we feel a little left behind."
Teddy frowned over at her, "What do you mean?"
"You and Nick, you know each other inside out," Almina said softly, "You can tell when he's about to flip and intercept it with a joke. He can tell when you're going to spiral before you even start spiralling, and he can nip it in the bud. Nina and I, we don't know you like that and sometimes….it's like your leaving us to our own devices while you fix each other."
Teddy didn't say anything at first. He just looked away from her, back to his birth parents graves.
"I can't lose another parent, Mina."
Almina tightened her grip on his hand, "You're not going to, Teddy."
Teddy shook his head, "Don't give me the same bullshit everyone else has. I need you to be the one who's honest about it, and the honest truth is that this looks bad."
"And it's looked bad before," Almina said simply, "It looked bad when everyone saw my Dad die, but he's not dead. He's alive to flirt with my Pops, and kiss my Mum in the kitchen and make stupid jokes, and give me crappy relationship advice."
Teddy laughed weakly, "You went to your Dad for relationship advice?"
"I always go to my Dad for relationship advice," Almina admitted, "More than my Pops, actually. I love them both so much, but there comes a time when you have to realise, having four parents, there are some things that one can do better than the rest. Mama can cook better than the rest of them. Dad is great with relationship advice. Pops is the fashion police, he will not let me out the door looking anything less than respectable, and Mum is my life coach. She would be the first one to tell me to chase my dreams over a boy."
Teddy smiled slightly, "I kind of get it, you know? I don't have four parents, but my Uncle Nev and my Aunt Lilly literally live across the field. I spent more time in Uncle Nev's greenhouse as a kid than I did in my own house. He's always been the one I go to when I don't feel like I can talk to my dad, but….there's not much Dad and me don't talk about."
"And right now, he's the person you want to talk to about Nat and Rob," Almina said with a nod, "But you can't, and it's all hitting home quite hard?"
"Yeah," Teddy said quietly, "And Nick…he has his dad to worry about. He's…I do love him, but I love you too, and it's different, Mina."
"How?" Almina asked quietly, "I need to know how. I need to know what place I have in your life, Teddy, because right now…I don't feel like I fit."
Teddy took a breath and nodded, "If we do this, buy an apartment together, I want us all to be sure that it's what we want. So if that means the four of us need to sit down at the table and discuss it, then we will."
He looked over at her, "Right now, I guess it feels like there are three relationships in our little quad, and they all work on their own. But none of them really slot together, it's…I don't mean to say you're jealous, Almina. But I'll spend the night with you sometimes, and other times you'll go home, and I'll stay and go to bed with Nick and Nina. I don't want that. I don't want to split my time between you – one night with you and one night with them. I want all of us to be in it together, like a family."
Almina nodded. Come to think of it, as a kid, when she had gone upstairs early in the morning to wake her parents up, they had almost always been sleeping in the same room.
"And as for where you fit in my life," Teddy continued, "From the minute I met you, I knew I wanted to marry you. I could see you in a wedding dress, I could picture our first dance. I knew one day I wanted to have a family with you, and that's not my way of saying I'm using you for kids."
Almina swallowed and looked over at him.
"Because it wasn't a generic image of a wife and kids in my head," Teddy said quietly, "It was you. You with your two left feet and me laughing at you as you tried to get it right. You glowing with happiness because we were having a baby together. You bandaging kids up with a smile and a kiss. I just knew I wanted that with you."
Almina smiled tearfully and closed the gap to kiss Teddy lightly. He returned the kiss, brushing his thumb over her cheek as she pulled back.
"I didn't think you wanted me to spend the night when you were with Nick," Almina admitted, "I didn't want to encroach."
Teddy laughed, "Merlin, this has just been one big, stupid misunderstanding, hasn't it?"
With a chuckle, Almina said, "Yes, but maybe it had to happen. Better we argue now than after we're married, I suppose."
Teddy nodded thoughtfully. Almina knew he thought that his dad would probably die, and therefore wouldn't be at the wedding.
"We'll have an engagement party," Almina decided, "When your dad wakes up, we'll celebrate."
Teddy frowned at the grave of his birth father, "What makes you so sure that he's going to wake up?"
Almina kissed him on the cheek, "I've met your mum. She is a badass bitch, and she's totally devoted to your dad. She will find a way. I know it."
Teddy smiled slightly and shifted his head, brushing his lips against hers briefly.
"I love you," He said, his voice soft, "I've always been in love with you."
Almina smiled tearfully at him.
"I always will be in love with you," He promised.
Greengrass House
Surrey
Daphne visited her dad on Harry's birthday. It was relatively late; dinner time had come and gone. But when she got in, Narcissa asked her to have tea with her father in his bedroom.
She didn't want to stay too long, but she knew that her father didn't have long left, so she accepted the offer and headed up to his bedroom. He was asleep when she got there, so Daphne sat in a comfortable chair by his bed and looked over at him tearfully.
"Harry turned 41 today," Daphne said quietly, "And he has no idea because he's still in a stupid coma. The kids brought a cake in, and I had to try and eat it, but I feel sick, Dad. I just feel sick all of the time. I don't think I've ever felt so tired but awake at the same time."
"It's called depression, sweetheart," Cygnus said weakly.
Daphne blinked her tears away and looked at him. He had never looked older or more tired himself.
"And you look as awful as you must feel," Cygnus added.
Daphne sighed and looked down at herself. She supposed he was right, she wasn't unclean, but she certainly hadn't been taking care of herself as much as she used to.
"You know who I look like?" Daphne asked, her voice hoarse, "I look like Mother did when I visited her in Azkaban."
Cygnus reached out, and Daphne placed her hand in his.
"I'm already losing you, Dad," Daphne said, her voice breaking, "I can't lose Harry too."
"You won't," Cygnus assured her, "Right now, I think you are underestimating your husband."
"Or everyone else is being overly optimistic," Daphne said dryly.
"Harry fell in love with me because I looked at him and saw Harry, not the golden one, not the chosen one, not the boy-who-lived. Right now, they see a man who is going to pull another miracle out of the bag, but I just see my husband wasting away in front of me."
"I know how that feels, love."
Daphne looked around at Narcissa. The older woman set the tea tray down on the table, and it began to pour itself.
"In my experience, being optimistic is the best way to keep the person you love alive," Narcissa said softly. She sat down on Cygnus's other side and took his hand.
"When he first got diagnosed, your father was told he had months," Narcissa said, "And here we are, a year later."
Daphne looked at them and nodded, "But being optimistic isn't going to help Harry wake up."
"No, but it will help keep your head above water," Narcissa said with a sad smile, "And that is just as important."
Daphne didn't say anything at first. She didn't think it was important. She didn't think her mental health was anywhere near as important as Harry's life. Still, she wouldn't say that to her father, not now when he had days to live if he was lucky.
Instead, she nodded.
"Do you think you're up to a game of chess, Dad?"
"Always for you, Daphne," Cygnus said with a weak smile.
Narcissa pressed a cup of tea into Daphne's hands, and she took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly and let her parents take care of her for an hour or so.
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies
London
When Sadie walked into Harry's hospital room, she felt moderately uncomfortable with the conversation they were about to have. Still, it had to be done.
Daphne was sitting by Harry's bed. Neville was standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Lilly was wandering around, checking his vitals and keeping herself busy.
"Hey, Sadie," Daphne said, looking over when she stepped into the room.
And Sadie couldn't help but think she had never seen Daphne Greengrass look worse. Her hair was flat and dull, she had no makeup on, and all her glamour charms were removed. Her usually perfectly manicured nails were chipped, her eyes dark and bloodshot with bags beneath them.
She looked like a shadow of herself, just like Draco had during the war when they had been sure that Theo would die in the Dark Tower.
Sadie smiled weakly and stood by the door. She cast a silencing charm that none of them had ever heard of, then she sealed every door and window with magic and pulled some parchment from her bag.
"It's like meeting M from James Bond," Lilly joked weakly.
"You joke, but Unspeakables are essentially wizarding spies," Neville said honestly.
Sadie nodded, "I have formally quit, so I am no longer affiliated with the Department of Mysteries in any way. That means the Unbreakable Vow I took upon joining is now no longer valid, and by the terms of my contract, I can never go back."
"Seriously?" Lilly asked in surprise, "Once you quit, that's it?"
Sadie bowed her head in agreement, "I was never going to go back anyway. I was on sabbatical for a reason. I realised I didn't like who I had become during my time down there."
"Still," Daphne said softly, "We're so grateful. You know that, don't you?"
Sadie smiled and nodded, "I do. But keeping in mind that what I am about to tell you is a Ministry secret, I do need you to sign these."
She held out three rolls of parchment to each conscious person in the room.
"It's a non-disclosure agreement," Sadie said when they unrolled them.
"By signing, you agree that you will not repeat anything discussed in this room to anyone. If you do, the consequences are severe. If you tell the press anything, you could be sent to Azkaban."
Neville nodded as he looked through the scroll, "Okay…."
"And this is a permit," Sadie said. She held up another scroll of parchment, "Because I should not be discussing any of this with you, and by doing so, I'm technically committing treason which warrants life in Azkaban. This permit gives me permission to discuss sensitive matters with you without the risk of imprisonment, and it's signed by both the head of the DMLE and the Minister herself."
Daphne smiled slightly, "Oh, it pays to have you on our side, considering you can get both of them to do anything you want."
Sadie smiled slightly too.
"Does Draco like it when you get all authoritative like this?" Daphne teased.
Sadie smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, "A lady doesn't tell."
"Which is a ladies way of saying yes," Daphne said, signing the document and giving it back to Sadie.
"He married Hermione Granger," Lilly added. She signed her non-disclosure and handed it to Sadie, "I think it's safe to assume he likes controlling women."
Neville shook his head and signed his agreement, "That's more than I ever wanted to know about his sex life, to be honest."
Sadie chuckled and put the agreements back in her bag. At least the light-hearted air had eased the tension a little, which would make this next part a little easier.
"There is a way to help Harry, but it won't necessarily save him," Sadie began, "We do know something about this condition. It's commonly called the Judgement of Osiris, but that's just because the Egyptians were the first to discover that there was a purgatory."
"He's in purgatory?" Daphne asked in shock.
Sadie nodded, "Purgatory looks different to everyone. To a priest who has lived a good life, it's a pearly gate where you wait to be welcomed in by whatever biblical figure you believe in. To the Egyptians, it was a waiting room where your sins were weighed up against the good you had done by Anubis. It can be anything from a forest to an ocean, a kingdom you created in your head, or somewhere that means something to you."
"Do you know what it is to Harry?" Daphne asked.
"No," Sadie confessed, "But wherever he is, he is being assessed. Not by a God though, by Death. You were right, Daphne, or Salazar was anyway. Death is trying to claim him, and if Harry lets him win, he'll die."
"But you can do something about it," Daphne pressed, "Can't you?"
"I can't," Sadie admitted, "But you can. There are a lot of tales about judgement day, the judgement of Osiris or whatever you want to call it. But the most ancient text is virtually lost, so this part doesn't tend to make it into the myths. During the judgement, there can be three defendants, symbolising the three brothers, the three wise men, whatever you want to call it based on your faith."
Daphne nodded slowly.
"The only problem is that to get there, you need to get into purgatory."
"Get into purgatory?" Lilly echoed.
"Not summon Death like I originally thought?" Daphne asked Sadie.
Sadie shook her head, "No, summoning Death would probably just get you killed. But if you get into purgatory, then you can plead as Harry's witnesses."
"How do we do that, exactly?" Neville asked with a frown.
"There is only one known gateway into purgatory," Sadie confessed, "And it happens to be in the Department of Mysteries."
"The veil," Neville realised. He was the only one who had seen it in their fifth year, after all. Daphne and Lilly had only heard the stories.
Sadie nodded, "Once activated, the veil is a gateway to purgatory. If it is not activated, it simply causes instant death, which is what happened to - "
"Sirius," Neville finished.
"The problem comes in activating the gateway," Sadie confessed, "It's not as simple as an incantation. There is a degree of sacrifice too."
"Blood sacrifice?" Daphne guessed.
"That is part of it," Sadie said, her eyes scanning the three of them.
Lilly sighed and rubbed her eyes, "Just say it, Sadie. Whatever it is that you're trying so hard not to say, just say it."
"Have you all magic-shared with Harry?" Sadie asked.
"Obviously, I have," Daphne answered.
Neville nodded too, "He and I did it a couple times to increase our power. It wasn't the same as it was with Daphne. It wasn't intimate."
"That's fine. It doesn't matter how it happened, just that it has happened," Sadie said calmly. Then she looked to Lilly.
"I…we have, yes," Lilly said.
Daphne glanced at her, "Cardiff?"
"Cardiff, yeah," Lilly admitted.
Sadie took a breath and continued, "To enter the gateway, you need to activate it with a spell. Then each person who intends to go through must offer their blood. That's not as scary as it sounds; it's just a slight cut to the hand."
Daphne nodded, "And then the sacrifice?"
"Yes, this is the part that you're not going to like," Sadie admitted, "The veil runs on magic. It's a living thing, and every time a witch or wizard dies, it absorbs their magic, which keeps itself alive. It's thousands of years old, and it's a truly fascinating creature."
Sadie paused and took a breath, "To enter purgatory, you need to make a small sacrifice of your own. We have done a lot of experimenting on the veil, and we estimate that the magic it takes from you when you step through is the equivalent of around five years."
"It takes five years of your life?" Neville asked quietly.
"Approximately," Sadie nodded.
"No," Neville said quietly.
"Harry will be furious," Lilly agreed.
"Well, Harry gave up half his magic and shortened his lifespan to give Alastor a good life," Daphne said hotly. "So if he tries to judge us for doing the same thing, then I'll tell him where to stick it."
She looked over at Sadie, "We'll do it."
Sadie grimaced, "Are you sure?"
Lilly rubbed her eyes, "Daphne's right. I'll take his wrath."
The two women looked at Neville, who seemed a little more indecisive. After a long moment, though, he nodded.
"Once you step through the gateway into purgatory, you can become Harry's witnesses and help him win the trial - " Sadie began to say.
"And if Harry dies?" Neville asked, "Then what happens to us?"
"You can still leave purgatory. It's not a package deal," Sadie assured them.
"It's not a package deal?" Lilly echoed, "Are you for real?"
Sadie gave her a long-suffering look, "Normally, we need a celestial event to open the gateway. But we can probably piggyback off the meteor shower that happened a couple of days ago if we do it tonight."
"Okay," Daphne said, "Let us know when and where, we'll do it."
"No questions asked? Just 'okay, we'll do it'?" Sadie quirked an eyebrow up.
"It's Harry," Neville said quietly, "We'd burn the earth to get him back."
"It's good that you're prepared to do that," Sadie said, darkness to her voice that Neville had never heard.
"Because you might be about to."
- TBC -
