The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Time's the Only Healer
The chapter title is from the song:
Growing Old Young - Tenille Arts.
When Daphne stepped into Bones Manor, she figured the coast would be clear. After all, the floo had let her in, so Susan had to know she was coming.
She had been wrong, of course. She stepped out of the kitchen fireplace and headed upstairs to the drawing-room, only to walk in and find Susan straddling Caroline on the couch. She snorted in amusement and said, "Well, at least you have clothes on."
Caroline jumped in alarm, "Oh my god, Daphne!"
Susan groaned and looked up, "How did you get in?"
"The floo granted me access," Daphne replied. She sat down in an armchair and smirked, "I guess that wasn't you?"
"No," Susan muttered as she extracted herself from Caroline, who looked mortified.
"Honestly, someone would think you hadn't had a girlfriend for years," Daphne said with a grin.
Susan rolled her eyes, "I need to lock Alyssa out of the floo system before you walk in on something else."
Daphne chuckled and leaned back in the chair, "I'm here to fill you in on everything that's happened in the last 24 hours. Since, as you rightfully pointed out, I did ask you to look after my kids if we all died."
Susan narrowed her eyes at her old friend, "Okay…."
"Harry's awake," Daphne said happily.
"Really?" Susan and Caroline chorused.
"Yes," Daphne said matter of factly.
Susan nodded, "And he just woke up, did he? Of his own accord."
"Hm," Daphne nodded, "Medical miracle."
"Uh-huh," Susan said, she sounded entirely unconvinced, "What did you do?"
"Why do you assume that I did anything?" Daphne quipped.
"Because Neville is too noble to do anything bad to save Harry – not like everything that went down with the Black-Nott's and Lilly is too logical. You, on the other hand, you'd tear the world to the ground to get Harry back," Susan replied.
Daphne nodded thoughtfully, "True, but you forget that Lilly becomes far less logical when someone she loves is in danger. And I suppose I've been a bad influence on Neville because he's not quite as noble as he used to be."
Caroline raised an eyebrow, "What did all three of you do then?"
Daphne bit her lip, and Susan prodded her in the ribs, "My new girlfriend is very good at reading people, Daphne. What are you getting from her now, Car?"
"Guilt, tinged with happiness," Caroline admitted, "Which is a strange combination, to be honest."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "What we did is classified, but it happened in the Department of Mysteries, so it was slightly unethical."
"How unethical?" Susan asked eagerly, "Sex magic?"
"No, I wouldn't mind telling you about that," Daphne retorted.
Susan snorted, then Caroline joined in with the guessing game.
"Blood magic?"
"Kind of," Daphne answered.
Susan narrowed her eyes at Daphne, "Dark magic?"
Daphne grimaced, "Kind of…."
"Fuck me," Susan breathed, "How many laws did you break?"
"None, technically," Daphne shrugged, "Hermione pardoned us."
"Of course she did," Susan said with a shake of her head.
"But, Harry's awake," Daphne said. She was practically giddy with happiness, "And none of us tried to screw up time to save him. So overall, it's a win, right?"
"I don't understand your standards," Caroline admitted.
Susan snorted, "Good luck trying because you never will. I've known her for our whole lives, and I still don't."
Daphne chuckled at that.
"So," Susan pressed, "Are you going to tell me how your dark, blood magic ritual saved Harry?"
"We joined him in purgatory, and we convinced him that he didn't have anything to feel guilty about, over the deaths of people like Cedric and…" her eyes skated over Caroline.
"My dad," Caroline realised.
Daphne nodded, "So his soul was restored, and he woke up. But he's a little bit pissed off at us for doing something risky and stupid to wake him up."
" – Naturally," Susan cut in, "What was purgatory like?"
"Nice, actually," Daphne admitted, "You know in the old stories, the Land of Eternal Summer? It's real. We saw people there; they weren't shadows or figments of Harry's imagination. They were real."
Susan eyed her carefully, "Did you see…."
Daphne sighed and shook her head, "I didn't see Percy, sorry."
Susan nodded, "Who did you see then?"
"Tracey," Daphne admitted, "Which…brought home a lot of things, I suppose. Honestly, Susan, this entire thing with Harry has brought home some hard truths we've been avoiding for a while. I think it might be time to admit that we are more like the Black-Nott's than we thought."
"Of course you are," Susan said matter of factly. "Only Harry and Neville are the Sadie and Hermione – you know, the only ones not involved in a romantic relationship of some sort."
Daphne nodded thoughtfully, "You knew about Harry and Lilly then? Because they've only recently admitted that."
Susan snorted, "Still, it's been obvious for a while, hasn't it? He's been calling her his work-wife for over a decade even though she's long since transferred out of Trauma."
"True," Daphne mused, a small smile on her face, "Either way, he's awake, and there's still a little way to go. But it's going to be okay, eventually."
"Speaking of Tracey, just remember her old life motto," Susan said, smiling warmly at Daphne, "Because it's true, you know. What's - "
" – meant for you won't pass you by."
Bill was in his office at Potter and Weasley Curse Breaking when Cheryl sent a message up via the floo-system, "Visitor here for you, Bill!"
He frowned and looked down, "I don't have any appointments, Cher."
"I know, but she says it's important," Cheryl's voice returned.
"She's not French, is she?" Bill asked warily.
"Yes," Fleur's voice said from the doorway, "She is."
Bill shut his eyes tightly, "Hey Fleur."
"Hello William," Fleur said airily, "Have you been avoiding me?"
Bill opened his eyes and felt that rush of lust once more. He groaned, "No?"
"Hm," Fleur said. She perched on the edge of his desk, "I haven't got the allure on, but you are acting like I do."
"That's because…." Bill trailed off and looked her in the eye, "It feels like you do."
Fleur eyed him carefully, "I got over you a long time ago."
"I got over you a long time ago too," Bill returned.
"Did you really?" Fleur asked. She raised an eyebrow and surveyed him carefully, like she could see through his soul.
"No," Bill admitted.
Fleur was a little surprised by the bluntness of his answer. But she remained steely anyway, "Well I did get over you."
"And I did get over you too."
"You just said – ugh!" Fleur exclaimed, "Tu es impossible, William!"
"I got over you. Then there was that night in Shell Cottage and you washed over me all over again, like a new wave crashing against the shore," Bill said, his eyes on hers.
Fleur's irritable expression flickered at the softness of his words.
Remaining sincere, Bill asked, "Have you ever felt anything like it, Fleur? Anything like the connection between us?"
"No," Fleur confessed, "But you were my first love. It is only natural to compare everything else to that."
Bill shook his head, "It's not that. You're part Veela, and I'm part Werewolf. The reason nothing has compared, the reason we're like this when we see each other…it's chemical."
Fleur frowned, "Chemical? No…you don't mean…?"
"Mates," Bill said with a nod.
Fleur looked at him in disbelief, then she picked up a paperweight and threw it at him.
"Accoupler?"
Bill ducked, "Victoire made that for me!"
Fleur scoffed, "It is a pebble from Shell Cottage. There are hundreds more where zat came from!"
"Why are you so French when you're angry?" Bill muttered under his breath, "It's not my fault! I mean, you didn't realise either, did you?"
"Why would I realise?" Fleur asked irritably, "I was so much younger than you!"
"But you knew more about Veela traditions than I did about Werewolf mates!" Bill exclaimed.
"I am only quarter Veela!"
"I'm not even half werewolf!"
The two of them were on their feet now, both yelling at the top of their lungs.
Why did it always end this way?
"Uh, Bill…we have customers down here," Cheryl's voice said, "You maybe wanna put up some silencing charms or something?"
Bill threw up a silencing charm rather aggressively, and he looked at Fleur, "If you came here to yell at me, congratulations, job well done. You can leave now."
"I came here to tell you that I have moved back into Shell Cottage," Fleur said, glaring at him, "For Victoire, not for you."
"Great," Bill said dryly, "Well, when I go home tonight, I'm going to tell Lara the truth about what happened between us, and she's probably going to kick me out. And that is for you!"
Fleur's eyes flashed, and she stared straight at him. They were both breathing a little more heavily from the force of the argument, and before Bill knew what had hit him, Fleur had taken a couple of steps towards him.
She kissed him hard, and that spike of arousal he had felt the last time hit him again. At least now he knew why it was always like this was Fleur. But it didn't make him feel like any less a bad person for what he was doing to Lara.
That thought made him pull back. He kept Fleur close to him but rested his head on her shoulder, "I can't, Fleur. Not here….not before I set things straight with Lara."
Fleur nodded and pulled away from him, "I find it hard to resist too. This…connection between us. Since the full moon, it has only gotten stronger."
"I know," Bill said. It almost physically hurt to deny it, but he had to.
"It isn't fair to Lara, though," Bill finished, "Once we've spoken…well, I know where you are, and I'll probably be at Potter Manor."
"You can come to Shell Cottage," Fleur said softly, "It was our home. You will always have a place there if you need it."
"Thank you," Bill said, his tone just as soft, "But I think I'll go to Potter Manor first. Straighten my own head out, you know?"
Fleur nodded and stood in the office door, "Goodbye then?"
"For now," Bill said with a small smile.
"Au revoir," Fleur said, and for a moment, Bill saw her 20 years ago, hair aglow as she dashed out the door with those words on her lips.
"Au revoir," He echoed in a whisper to the empty office.
When Bill got home that night, he felt sick. He had been putting this off for days for a reason, after all.
Still, it had to be done. He stepped into the kitchen, where a pot of soup was sitting on the stove. Lara was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of her and a letter from an old friend who lived in the States in her hand.
"You came home," Lara remarked dryly, without actually looking up at Bill.
Bill nodded, "Yeah."
"There's soup on the stove," Lara said.
"I'm not hungry," Bill admitted.
"I wonder why," Lara said sarcastically. She put the letter down and looked up at Bill, "Guilt, probably. It eats away at most people, but you, in particular, aren't very good with that emotion, are you?"
Bill sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "This isn't working, Lara."
Lara scoffed, "I know. It hasn't been working for years, Bill. I always assumed we both knew that. We're friends, good parents, and we have fun together, but the spark has been gone for a long time. I assumed we were just carrying on with the charade and that when Artie finished school, we would go our separate ways."
Bill looked down at her. For a brief moment, he thought maybe this would be amicable after all.
Then Lara looked at him darkly, "But then again, I didn't fuck my ex-husband, so," she shrugged.
Bill swallowed, "You know?"
"Bill, we've never treated each other like idiots," Lara said dryly, "Don't start now. You came home to tell me Victoire had been hurt, and then I didn't see you for the best part of a week. Do you really think I didn't know that Victoire's mother was back in the country? Did you really think I didn't connect the dots and work out who you were with?"
Bill's heart was beating fast, "Lara, I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just…Fleur and me…."
"I know all about the connection between you and Fleur," Lara said, her calm composure finally breaking. She got to her feet and glared at him.
"I was forced to sit through so many birthday parties and Christmases with you two!" Lara snapped, "You said there was no threat, but then you would bicker with her, laugh with her. You looked at her in a way that you never looked at me, Bill! She would call you William, and you would smile. I call you William, and you roll your eyes. I felt threatened by her for a reason, even if you were too blind to see that!"
Bill sighed, "I didn't see it, Lara. I swear, I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt you, but I didn't see it."
Lara nodded and swallowed, "And if that had been all it was, then this could have been amicable. I could have said that I always knew you loved her more than me, but I stuck around like an idiot anyway. We could have been friends, co-parents, but no, Bill. You slept with her. That's not an accident; that's intentional."
Bill opened his mouth to apologise.
Lara shook her head and pointed to the door, "Just get out."
"Lara - "
Lara fixed her cold, stern glare on him.
"Get. Out."
With a nod, Bill Accio-ed a bag of his possessions and slung it over his shoulder, "But…what about Arthur?"
"Arthur will be told why you no longer live here," Lara said calmly, "After that, he can make his own decisions."
Bill swallowed and nodded, "Just…don't make him hate me, Lara, please."
"I'll tell him the truth, Bill," Lara said coolly, "If he hates you for that, don't blame me."
Bill had spent the last few days sleeping at the office. But he knew that wasn't sustainable, which was why he had gone to Potter Manor. The kids and house elves all knew him anyway, and nobody really blinked an eye when they saw him drinking coffee in the kitchen.
"Hey, Uncle Bill," Alastor said offhandedly as he passed through the kitchen with a bucket full of dung.
Bill made a face, "Hey…Alastor?"
Andrea stepped into the kitchen after him with a massive stack of paperwork in front of her, "It's a Herbology thing," she said as she dropped the parchment on the kitchen table.
"Huh," Bill mused. He sipped his coffee, "What's that, a bit of light reading?"
"No," Andrea remarked sarcastically, "That's the sort of thing Ella would say."
Bill smiled slightly because of course it was; Elladora was more Granger than Black or Nott.
"I had an epiphany," Andrea said calmly, "When dad was dying. I think I finally realised what my calling in life is."
Bill raised an eyebrow, "Okay?"
"I want to be a Healer," Andrea said. She was separating the sheets of parchment into piles as she spoke.
"But there are six different training programs to become a Healer, so I have to pick the best one," Andrea finished.
"Course you do," Bill chuckled, "You're the weirdest mix of your mother and your Aunt Lil, you know?"
Andrea rolled her eyes, "Don't start. Thea always says I'm their love child."
Bill snorted, "That's not even biologically possible…"
"Yes, I know, but Thea never was the brightest wand in the shop," Andrea said sassily.
With a grin, Bill said, "Yeah, fair point."
"Andie!" Daphne's voice called as a door snapped shut somewhere upstairs, "You better not have company! I told you I needed at least six hours to sort myself out."
Bill sniggered, "Oh, don't you worry about sorting yourself out on my behalf."
Daphne stepped into the kitchen wearing a green silk gown. Her hair was wet, and she had some sort of shimmering spell on her face.
"What are you doing?" Bill asked in amusement.
"Exfoliating her face and deep conditioning her hair because she let herself go a bit when Dad was dying," Andrea replied matter of factly.
"Oh so you're not just born flawless then?" Bill asked with mock shock.
Daphne smirked at him, "It takes effort to look this good. I'm not quarter-Veela, William, I don't wake up perfect. Unlike some people."
"Trust me, she's anything with perfect," Bill said, looking down at his coffee.
"Hm," Daphne mused, "So how are things going with the deep fried twinkie?"
Bill looked up, "Seriously? You and Charlie talked about me behind my back?"
"Of course we talk about you behind your back," Daphne said airily, "We're basically your siblings."
"Yeah, one of you actually is," Bill said with a roll of his eyes, "You're just the second little sister I never asked for. I never asked for the first one either, come to think of it."
"Neither did I," Andrea said dryly, "But life finds a way."
Bill snorted, "It's not exactly hard for life to find a way in this house."
"William, if you are just here to make sassy comments, you can see yourself out," Daphne said calmly, "Between Harry and Lilly, there's enough of that going around as it is, and don't even get me started on the kids."
She looked pointedly at Andrea, who smirked.
"But as I assume you are here to beg for a bed because you finally told Lara the truth, then I suggest you be on your best behaviour," Daphne finished.
"How do you know everything about my life before I've even told you?" Bill complained.
"It's a talent, sweetie," Daphne smirked.
Bill rolled his eyes, "I can only guess from your perky mood that the rumours are true and Harry is awake?"
"Yes, he is," Daphne said cheerfully, "And yes, you can stay. But you're in the tiny bedroom on the first floor. And it will be loud because it's nextdoor to the kids lounge, and there's a door to the balcony over the drawing room just across the hall. You'll hear all of Andie and Thea's arguments."
Andrea snorted, "What's wrong with the other four spare rooms?"
"They'll be otherwise occupied," Daphne said offhandedly, "Uncle Nev, Aunt Lilly and the kids are staying so that Dad can come home tomorrow and recuperate here rather than in the hospital. The Ward Sister okayed it on the condition he has round the clock care from a qualified Healer."
Andrea smiled widely, "Awesome. Do you think she'll help me decide what course to apply for?"
"I'm sure she will," Daphne promised.
She poured herself a glass of water and turned to Bill, "So….Lara kicked you out?"
"So….Harry is awake?" Bill returned.
"The ins and outs of that are classified, before you ask," Daphne replied airily.
"And I'm your partner, so go on," Bill said, leaning forward, "Tell me."
"No," Daphne replied, "Because I'm mad at you for screwing over your lovely wife, who I assume is about to be your ex-wife?"
Bill sighed, and Andrea looked up in surprise, "What?"
"Hm," Daphne said, "This is what happens when you sleep with your ex-wife, you see, Andrea."
Bill abandoned his coffee and ran a hand through his hair, "Fleur came into my office, we kissed. I said I had to set things straight with Lara, so I went home, and she already knew."
"Of course she did," Daphne said dryly, "She's not stupid. You married her because she had a brain."
"Yeah," Bill sighed, "She kicked me out, which is fair. But…she said I had been in love with Fleur this whole time, but I didn't know it."
"She's right," Daphne said. She leaned against the counter and looked at Bill, "Lara didn't want to get married; Lara didn't want kids. You were the one who pushed on both fronts. Did it ever cross your mind that she didn't want to commit because she always felt like you had one foot out the door? I mean, you're a Weasley, so it probably didn't."
"It didn't," Bill admitted, "I loved Lara…but I never stopped loving Fleur either."
Daphne nodded and then sighed, "What's Arthur's opinion?"
"I don't know," Bill confessed, "Lara said she would break the news then let him come to his own decision."
"I wonder what your 15-year-old son will think of this," Daphne said, giving him a pointed look.
Andrea shrugged, "Artie is a Slytherin, so he'll probably just use the split as a way to get as much money and attention out of you and Lara."
Daphne raised an eyebrow at her, "Uh-huh? You know this how, Andrea?"
Andrea smirked at Daphne, "It's what Thea would do."
"Good point," Daphne said with a light-hearted laugh. She looked over at Bill.
"I'm still pissed off with you, but you did the right thing by Lara, eventually," She said with a wave of her hand, "So please stop sleeping in the office. Cheryl called into the hospital to tell me that you were starting to look like a street urchin."
"You smell like one too," Andrea said, wrinkling her nose.
Daphne grinned at that and Bill laughed.
"Thanks," He said dryly, "When is Harry coming home?"
"If Lilly gets it her way, tomorrow," Daphne replied, "Which means I have plenty to do to get us ready for the influx of admirers he will have when he does come home."
"You mean you need to order the elves around all afternoon, right?" Andrea asked offhandedly.
"Precisely," Daphne smirked.
She shot Bill an amused look, "So make yourself at home, sweetie!"
With that, she turned on her heel and left. Bill shook his head at Andrea, "The next time she calls me sweetie, I swear I'm going to hex her."
Andrea smirked at him and got to her feet, "Why? Does it bother you, sweetie?"
"Oh, you're her mini me! Everyone thinks it's Thea, but it's you."
With a grin, Andrea left the room.
Ivy House
Yorkshire
Lilly was smiling when she stepped into the kitchen, where everyone was tucking into lunch.
"Mum!"
"Hey Lilly," Grace said with a wave.
Lilly waved back and looked at her children, "I have great news. Uncle Harry is awake."
There were various different reactions to that. James cheered and fist-bumped Harry. Laurel grinned and hugged her mum, and Linda said, "What, for real?"
Michael smiled at Lilly, "You'll be happy then."
"I am," Lilly promised, "But…until Uncle Harry has recovered, things are going to be a little different."
Laurel gave her mum a knowing look, "We're moving into Potter Manor, aren't we?"
"Temporarily, yes," Lilly replied, "You three can have the rooms across from Teddy and Thea. Teddy's room is probably going to be empty anyway; he spends most of his time at Nick's flat."
Linda raised an eyebrow, "You're movin' in?"
"To help care for Harry before you get started," Lilly said, giving her mum a look. It was the 'shut up mum' look.
"I've taken two weeks leave from work," Lilly explained, "I'm on call if they desperately need me, but Harry needs round the clock care at the moment, and he needs to come home. Two weeks trapped in a hospital isn't going to do him or any of us any good."
Michael nodded, "You're right; he's the sort who will go mad cooped up. Who's running things in Maternity?"
"I've left Caroline in charge," Lilly said with a smile, "But if you fancy volunteering as a consultant for Maternity over the next few weeks, the help wouldn't go amiss."
"Consider it done," Michael promised.
Linda looked between them, "Still ain't use to you two liking each other."
"It's really weird," Grace agreed through a mouthful of cereal.
"I think I preferred it when you hated each other," James agreed.
Harry rolled his eyes at Laurel, "Mum, if we're staying at Potter Manor, who's going to look after the greenhouses?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Lilly said offhandedly, "Alastor kept everything alive while you've been staying here. And the greenhouses are just across the field and within the wards. I think it will be fine for you to head over there whenever you want."
"Even with the Saboteurs?" Laurel asked, motioning to the paper.
Lilly looked down at the leaked photographs of the apprehended Statute Saboteurs.
With a nod, Lilly said, "I don't think they are as bad as we believe, Laurie. Just soldiers, misunderstood but ultimately doing it for the right reason…."
Lilly looked at Michael, who nodded and agreed.
"It happens more often than you might think."
They were both thinking about the DA and the war in Hogwarts. They hadn't been that dissimilar to the Statute Saboteurs themselves back then.
Harry yawned, and Laurel nodded.
Lilly smiled at them, "Let's go home."
"To Potter Manor," Linda mused.
"It's home as much as Longbottom House is," Lilly said offhandedly, "You've seen the newspaper Mum, you know why."
Michael nodded and put an arm around Linda, "She gets it."
Lilly scoffed and ushered the kids towards the fireplace, "After she mouthed off about it, no doubt?"
"I'm downright offended you'd think that!" Linda objected while Michael nodded at Lilly behind her back.
Lilly just snorted and threw some floo powder into the fireplace.
"Thanks for looking after them these past few weeks."
Linda nodded, "Family is family, ain't it?"
Lilly smiled and nodded, "Yeah, it is."
Blacknot Castle
Scotland
"I have good news."
"So do I," Hermione said.
They were sitting around the kitchen table having supper. The younger kids were all upstairs, but Almina was in the kitchen with her parents.
"You first," Draco said, motioning to his wife.
"Head Auror Smith is sending Aurors over to Russia tonight," Hermione informed them, "Thanks to the information Almina got from the Saboteurs, they have something to go on, so the recon starts now."
"Hopefully something comes of it," Almina mused as she pushed her food around her plate.
"I'm sure it will," Draco said with a smile, "But the other piece of good news is that Harry is leaving the hospital tomorrow. Lilly's taken some leave from work to look after him at home. I spoke to her on the floo earlier. She thinks he will be well enough to receive visitors tomorrow."
"Thank Merlin," Hermione sighed, "Do you think he would be okay with me visiting him? After all that happened?"
"I think he nearly died, and you're his best friend," Theo said, patting Hermione on the back, "You've got the right to go and visit him."
Sadie nodded, "After what his family did to save him, I think he might understand what we did to save Draco now."
Draco nodded and reached over the table to grab Hermione's hand, "Visit him. He'll appreciate it," he promised.
Hermione nodded, and Sadie asked, "Where's Charlie?"
"He probably stayed with Vic last night," Almina replied as she fought a yawn.
"Where were you last night?" Theo asked his daughter.
"With Teddy," Almina replied, "Well, with him and his family in the hospital, then with him and Nick at the flat later on. Nina was on the night shift at St Mungo's."
"Does that mean things are okay between you two again?" Theo asked.
Hermione and Sadie frowned because they hadn't been aware of any problems in the first place.
Almina smiled, "Yeah. We talked, and I was open about how I was feeling, just like you two said."
"See," Draco smiled, "Honesty is your best friend in a relationship like that. Did Teddy mean to push you out?"
Almina shook her head, "It was kind of my fault, actually, and just a big misunderstanding, really. When he went to bed with Nick, I went home because I thought I wasn't wanted, but that's not what he wanted. He wants all of us to be in it together, as a family."
Hermione shot Draco an amused look.
"Like you guys," Almina finished with a smile, "And I can hardly be afraid of that. I'm so thankful for the way I was raised and for everything you gave me."
Hermione smiled slightly, "That's a lovely thing to say, sweetheart."
Almina replied, "It's the truth."
Draco smiled too, "I happen to know for a fact that you are not on night shift, so get on up to bed before you pass out. It's obviously been a tiring few days for you."
Almina chuckled and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, "Love you all."
There was a chorus of "Love you too" around the kitchen. Then Almina dragged herself up the stairs towards her bedroom.
When she was gone, Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I'm going to have to go into the Ministry first thing tomorrow."
"About the leak?" Theo guessed.
Hermione nodded and looked at the evening edition of the Prophet, "It's not a small leak. Somehow they got a hold of photographs of the Statute Saboteurs and the fact they're in a safehouse."
"It's the safehouse leak I'm worried about," Draco admitted, "If they really did escape from this Lazarus guy, then he's going to be monitoring our press. When he sees this, he'll know that they betrayed him and he's going to try and kill them."
Hermione didn't say anything, but her eyes were on the prophet.
"The leak has to be in the DMLE," Theo realised.
Draco nodded, "Which means I'm going to have to do the part of my job that I hate tomorrow. I'm going to have to be the big bad boss that goes in and rips Ben a new one to make him find the mole."
"Do we think they're telling the truth?" Sadie asked, "About this 'Lazarus' person?"
"Almina said that they seemed genuinely terrified," Draco said, his eyes on the paper, "And Mina's a good judge of character. If she believes it…well, I believe in her."
Hermione sighed, "And it makes sense. Their story adds up, I really do think that there's a bigger picture to all of this that we can't quite see yet. I just don't understand the 'Lazarus' connection. The last time we had a mystery like this the name was a clue – Lucia Cross, literally Lucius Crouch. But this…it feels symbolic."
"Symbolic how?" Theo asked.
Sadie frowned over at Hermione, "Somebody who wants to be reborn?"
Hermione nodded, "Draco's hunch is that we think this person is dead and that…well, it might be a good one."
"As long as Severus Snape isn't going to crawl back from the dead or something," Draco muttered.
"No, he's really dead." Hermione yawned, "Harry saw it with his own eyes."
"It's not going to be Lucia, is it?" Theo asked, fear flashing through his eyes.
Draco shook his head, "No, I identified her body. She's definitely dead too…can you think of anyone whose body we didn't see?"
Sadie sighed, "My father, but I think the stench of burning flesh and the pile of ashes they found next to his suicide note makes him definitely dead," she said dryly.
Hermione rubbed her eyes too, "I don't know. Maybe we're barking up the wrong tree."
"Maybe," Theo mused, "But let's focus on the good things, yeah? Harry is awake."
"Yes," Hermione said. She surveyed her best friend and smiled slightly, "Are we going to talk about how Harry woke up, Sadie?"
"Oh, I have no idea," Sadie said, smirking behind her mug of tea.
Theo leant forward and smirked right back at her, "Oh, you totally do have an idea."
Draco chuckled and said, "Tell him what you did."
Theo quirked up an eyebrow, "He knows?"
"I'm the Head of the DMLE. I had to sign off on it to avoid her going to Azkaban for treason," Draco said with a smirk.
"I did too," Hermione admitted.
"Woah," Theo said, holding up his hands, "Hold on a minute! I'm your husband, and you're saying I'm the only one who doesn't know?
"It just didn't really fall into your remit, Theo," Sadie said, eyeing him with amusement, "You're a school teacher. These two kind of run the country, in case you hadn't noticed. I had to get permission from them."
"A school teacher?" Theo asked in mock disbelief, "Is that all you think I am, Sadie Cauldwell?"
Draco snorted, "Oh, here he goes."
Hermione chuckled and nudged Draco in the ribs.
She looked over at Theo and smiled, "You are a wonderful father and an educator of vulnerable young minds, Theo. You ought to win medals for your patience levels, but in this case, it was on a need to know basis, and you didn't need to know."
"If I didn't know you lot any better, I would say you were trying to wind me up," Theo said, chuckling in amusement, "But seriously, Sade, what did you do?"
"I just gave them a nudge in the right direction," Sadie admitted, "The only way to help Harry was to get in his head and to do that, they had to go to where he was."
"Purgatory," Hermione filled Theo in.
"Which is possible, but it required dark magic and a blood sacrifice to open the gateway. Then… a hell of a sacrifice," Sadie admitted, "I really didn't know if they would go for it, but they did. I was a little surprised by how willing they were, actually."
"Really?" Theo frowned, "What did they have to do?"
"They had to cast a dark spell to open the gateway, which is in the Department of Mysteries. Then they had to cut their hand and sacrifice blood before going in. Otherwise, the gateway would have taken their magic."
"You made that part clear, then?" Theo asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Abundantly," Sadie returned dryly.
"Once they had activated it, they had to enter the gateway. By doing so, they had to sacrifice some of their magic because the veil runs on the magic of deceased souls."
"How much of their magic?" Theo asked, his eyes still wide.
"Five years, approximately," Sadie answered.
"Five years?" Hermione echoed.
Sadie nodded, "Once they were in, the gateway took them to purgatory, where they could argue Harry's case. They obviously did a good job because if he's awake, then that means his soul was restored."
"Right," Theo said. He leant back in his chair, "Sadie Cauldwell, sweet little quiet Sadie…teaching people how to use Necromancy magic... Using her connections to get the people in charge to sign off on it…."
He shook his head, and Sadie leant forward.
"Don't pretend you don't like it a little bit."
"Oh, there's no pretending here," Theo smirked, "I like it a lot."
"Guys, do you mind? I'm trying to eat, and the kids could come down for supper at any minute," Draco said, glancing down at his paper.
Hermione nodded her agreement, "If that eyesex is about to become full-on sex, take it upstairs."
Theo grinned and got to his feet, pulling back the tapestry that hid a secret passageway up to the top bedrooms.
Sadie smirked and got up, and Theo's grin widened, "After you, love."
They disappeared, and Draco snorted in amusement, "Theo has a thing about controlling women."
With a chuckle, Hermione got to her feet and put the kettle on to boil, "Don't pretend he's the only one."
Draco grinned but couldn't say anymore because the Wonder Twins barrelled into the kitchen.
"Hey Mum, hey Dad! Where are Mama and Pops?"
"Oh, they're a bit under the weather," Hermione lied flawlessly, "They've decided to have an early night."
Draco hid his grin behind the book in his hands.
- TBC -
