The Eighth Year Universe

Love Wins

Hands, Put Your Empty Hands in Mine


The chapter title comes from the song:

Stand by You – Rachel Platten.


St Mungo's

Saturday the 4th of September

When Michael dropped in to check how Lilly's physical therapy was going, they ended up having a decent catch-up.

"How's the foot?"

"Sore," Lilly replied, "And stiff."

"Well, new bone and all," Michael shrugged, "It'll feel like that. How's the physio going?"

Lilly groaned in response.

Michael chuckled and sat down next to her bed, "That good, huh?"

"It's shit, Michael," Lilly said honestly, "I've always told patients how nice Lucy is, and she is nice."

Michael grinned, "To have coffee and gossip with, yeah. Not so much when she's yelling at you though?"

"How do you know she's been yelling at me?"

"I've known you pretty much my whole life, Lil," Michael replied with an amused smile, "I know you'll try and go too fast, at which point you'll fall and swear. Then Lucy will shout at you and tell you to watch your language and slow down."

Lilly rolled her eyes and changed the subject, "That's only half true. I fell, but I didn't swear. Anyway, how is Mum doing?"

"She's fine," Michael replied honestly, "You know what she's like. She's acting like this wizened old woman who's been through all the wars and knows all the stories. I had to sit her down and tell her, 'Lin, you're 58, not 88', you didn't live through the goddamn blitz."

Lilly grinned in amusement.

"Honestly, Lilly, you should have heard her telling James the one about the three crosses by the side of the road," Michael added with a shake of his head.

Lilly rolled her eyes, "Not that again? Her gramps wasn't a preacher. He was a drunk!"

Michael laughed and nodded, "I know, but you know how she is."

"One of a kind," Lilly said, she shook her head, but her smile was an amused one.

Michael's smile faded a little, and Lilly said, "How are you doing, by the way? There were a lot of names on that list close to us – colleagues, like Poppy Cornfoot and her husband."

"That one probably touches you more than me," Michael admitted, "I was a bit of a dick in school. I always called Stephen names. He was your friend."

Lilly shrugged, "I didn't feel too sad, actually. I just sort of thought that they must be at peace now because they're with their son."

"Yeah," Michael agreed offhandedly.

"Your grandfather died in the Leaky, Michael," Lilly said quietly, "And you haven't mentioned it."

Michael shrugged, "I'm alright, really. My parents are dealing with the funeral arrangements. I'll go and all, but he hasn't spoken to me in a while."

"Since you married my mum," Lilly realised.

Michael put on a smile, "It's fine, though. I knew it was going to happen. You don't generally turn around and tell your family that you're proposing to a Muggle who is 17 years older than you and get an 'okay, on you go then' reaction."

"True," Lilly mused.

"I knew people were going to say things," Michael admitted, "My dad wasn't happy about it, and my grandfather was furious about it. My mother was understanding though, her and Aunt Aurora."

"Well," Lilly shrugged, "Greengrass's tend to be."

Michael shot Lilly a knowing look but said nothing more on that subject.

Lilly saw the look anyway and rolled her eyes, "I just meant that the Greengrass's have always been different from the Malfoy's and the Black's. They are open and quite French, actually."

"Hm," Michael mused. He, like Lilly, had spent some time training in France, so he nodded.

"I can see where you're coming from with that."

Lilly cocked her head at Michael, "You don't regret it then?"

Michael looked over at her, "Marrying her? No, not at all. I had spent so long being hounded to make a good match, Lil. My mother wanted me to marry Daphne when we were younger. She kept setting up playdates, but Lareina Greengrass wanted better for her daughter than a Corner, so this whole marriage contract was drawn up with the Malfoy family."

Lilly made a face, "As open as the Greengrass's are, I do not get their obsession with marrying their second or third cousins."

"At least it wasn't first cousins," Michael joked, "Like the Blacks."

"Don't remind me," Lilly muttered. She rolled her eyes, "Regardless of my Grandfather's surname, I am not a Black."

Michael chuckled and looked down at his hands, "But in all seriousness, even when you and I were together, my parents were thrilled. My dad said, 'Well, at least she's a witch, I suppose'."

Lilly scoffed, and Michael nodded, "I know. When I dated Ginny, he asked me why I had to be attracted to the lesser among us."

"I thought I hated your dad already, but I think I can find more hatred within me," Lilly mused matter of factly.

Michael snorted and said, "You and me both. He kept trying, but nobody he matched me with was anyone I actually liked. By the time Beckett coerced me into finding out who you really were, I was convinced I'd die alone. I mean, I looked at my exes, and they all had husbands and families, you know?"

Lilly nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I met your mum, and I had this instant connection with her," Michael said honestly, "She didn't care about who I was or what I could give her. She just liked me for who I was. It was so refreshing, and…yeah, none of that was fake."

"I know," Lilly said. She rubbed her eyes, "Even if it did take me a really long time to admit that."

Michael smiled weakly, "I know it must have been hard to accept, and Merlin, I know it was weird for you. Especially when we had Grace."

Lilly hummed, "You know, I always thought that was just some desperate shot to have an heir on your behalf. But you didn't care that she was a girl and…I started to reassess you after that."

Michael's smile was a genuine one, "I know it took you a long time to believe it, Lil, but I'm not my father."

"I know you're not," Lilly promised.

They fell silent for a moment, and Lilly glanced over at Ron, who was awake but didn't seem at all interested in their conversation. She sighed and looked back at Michael.

"Look, I know you're going to tell me that it's not possible because of my health and the lockdown situation here, but I need you to get me out of the hospital for a couple of hours tomorrow."

"It shouldn't be possible," Michael agreed, "But we have to be reasonable, the lockdown situation aside. We've all lost people, we all have funerals to attend to, and I know what it would mean for Clara to have you there."

Lilly swallowed the lump that rose in her throat and nodded.

"You two have been friends for years," Michael added.

"She taught me everything," Lilly admitted, "She was my mentor, then my friend, and when I got to call her my colleague, then my equal? I knew I'd hit the big time. I've always respected the hell out of her."

"I never saw it," Michael admitted, "Clara Selwyn, then Clara Cauldwell, this hotshot Trauma Healer. Then Diagon Alley happened, and I realised why they all said she was so good."

"Because she is," Lilly said with a smile, "And right now, she needs all the support she can get, or I don't know if she'll get through this because sometimes…the strongest people crumble the quickest."

Michael nodded and reached out to squeeze her arm, "You can go to the funeral, but there are conditions."

Lilly shot him an exasperated look, "Of course there are. Lay them on me then."

Michael held up one finger, "Rule one, Neville or Harry has to pick you up and officially sign a one-day release form."

"You know, we really should re-word those forms if we want this place not to sound like a prison," Lilly pointed out sarcastically.

Michael ignored her and held up a second finger, "Rule two, you use a wheelchair for the entire time you are not on the premises of this hospital. I'll ask Neville, and he'll tell me the truth because I've got the dirt on him from the war."

Lilly snorted, "Anything else?"

Michael held up a third finger, "I want you back in here by 8 pm, and there will be a full table of meds and potions which if you don't take, you'll have my wrath to deal with."

With a roll of her eyes, Lilly replied, "Fine, and just so you know, I'm trying so hard not to make a Cinderella joke right now."

Michael gave her an exasperated look that time, then rose to his feet, "Get some sleep. Tomorrow will take it out of you, physically and mentally."

"Yeah," Lilly sighed, "Thanks, Michael."

He nodded and left, and the room fell silent for a moment, then Ron spoke.

"I'm getting out tomorrow too."

Lilly looked over and realised that Ron was pretty pale – that wasn't too much of a change from normal, but his eyes seemed more haunted than usual too.

"It's Felicity's funeral."

Lilly wished there was more she could do to help than just say, "Sorry, Ron."

Ron shook his head and looked down, "It's small, just close family. She wouldn't have wanted more, and I don't think the kids could handle that….right now. Is it wrong that all I want is to see my kids again when the only reason I can is my wife's funeral?"

Lilly shook her head, "No. You went through a tragedy, you're still going through it, and your children are your anchor. Of course you want to see them. You're being strong for them. Everything you do is for your kids. It's not wrong to be a good father, Ron."

Ron swallowed and nodded, "Thanks. I…I needed to hear that, Lilly."

Lilly gave him a small, supportive smile, and then the room fell silent once more.


Sunday the 5th of September

Sorenson's funeral was awful. Not that funerals were ever fun, but this one was the most heart-wrenching one that most of them could remember, since Percy's anyway.

It was hard on Susan because it was the first funeral since her husband's. Usually, she would lean on one of her best friends in such a crisis, but Clara was mourning her husband, and Daphne was focusing on her troubled daughter. And Susan couldn't begrudge either of them that.

It was very obvious that Lotus had planned the funeral. It was very official – a proper Aurors funeral. Every Auror in attendance was in their formal robes, which only came out for funerals and events like Order of Merlin ceremonies.

Yet somehow, the funeral felt quite cold - like all that was being said were facts – things Sorenson had done or achieved. There was no emotion in the service.

Still, there was a point when it got emotional for all of them. The six pallbearers were Ben and Owen (as was traditional when an Auror died, the Head and Assistant Head would almost always be pallbearers), Theo, Charlus, Caspian and of course, Oscar.

They carried the coffin out to the churchyard after Theo had read Sorenson's eulogy, and it began to feel real. Susan felt the tears pricking at her eyes, and she saw Sadie and Clara breaking down. She had to hold herself together and draw Josie and Cora in for a hug.

The coffin was put in place – ready to be lowered into the ground. Then the six pallbearers folded up the British flag draped across the top of the casket. Then, Owen placed it in Ben's arms and put Sorenson's badge on the flag.

Even Harry and Neville had tears in their eyes when Ben handed the flag and badge to Clara. They were standing on either side of Lilly, who had stuck to Michael's rules and was still in her chair. She had been emotional for a while, but Harry and Neville put a hand on each of her shoulders, practically in unison, when they saw Clara nod tearfully as she took the flag.

After that, the coffin was lowered into the ground, and they were all to retreat to Cauldwell House for the wake. That was when everyone split off into smaller groups, and Harry made his excuses to leave.

They were all gathered in the large drawing-room where people talked quietly. There was free firewhiskey on offer, and after the week Harry had had, he didn't trust himself not to take advantage of it.

He knelt in front of Lilly's wheelchair so that he could meet her eye, "I'm gonna have to go," he murmured.

She nodded. Her eyes were still bloodshot from the ceremony, "Is this too much?"

"A little bit," Harry admitted, "I'm already finding it hard not to slip right now if I'm honest."

Lilly took his hand, "Nobody blames you for that. It's the toughest thing we've all gone through since…Lucia."

Harry swallowed and nodded, glancing down at the ground for a moment, "I need to go to the Burrow, Lil. I promised Ron, and they're my family."

"I know," Lilly said simply. She leant forward and kissed his cheek, "So go, and if the urge to have a drink gets stronger, tell Neville straight away, please."

Harry nodded and met her eye, "I will, I promise."

Lilly believed him, so she let go of his hand. Harry pushed himself to his feet. He looked at Neville who smiled sadly, "Give Ron and the Weasley's our condolences?"

"Course I will," Harry promised. He drew Neville in for a hug and murmured, "If Lilly flags and you start worrying, let me know."

"Course I will," Neville mirrored.

Harry smiled slightly then patted Neville on the shoulder as he walked past his best friend.

Neville watched him go, then he glanced down at Lilly, "How worried should we be about him?"

Lilly shook her head, "Not too worried. He took himself away from the temptation because he knows he would take it now. Before….he wouldn't have recognised those signs. I think he's going to be okay, Neville."

Neville nodded and looked over at the Cauldwell's, "And do you think they will be?"

Lilly watched them for a moment before replying, "Eventually."


Not long after Harry left, Lilly made a point of apologising to Sadie on Daphne's behalf.

Sadie smiled sympathetically at Lilly and said, "You should still be in the hospital."

Lilly shrugged and forced a smile, "I'm fine. The fresh air is doing me some good."

"You don't look fine, Lilly," Sadie returned, "You look exhausted."

And truth be told, she was. But that didn't matter right now, so Lilly just shook her head, "I needed to be here, for Clara."

Sadie nodded and looked across the room at Clara. She was sitting on a sofa with Susan, and they were talking in undertones.

"I've been there," Sadie said, a haunted look in her eyes, "I honestly don't know how I would have carried on without Theo and…I've done stupid things to make sure that I don't have to."

Lilly frowned, "What do you…?"

Sadie sighed and sat down on the arm of a chair so she could lower her voice, "Remember the portal that you all went through to save Harry?"

Lilly nodded slowly, "Yes."

"It demanded a sacrifice," Sadie said pointedly, "And Daphne very quickly worked out how I knew that. She spoke to me about it after Harry woke up."

Lilly's eyes widened, "You've been through it too?"

Sadie glanced around to make sure that nobody was listening, then she nodded, "More than once, yes. I calculated roughly how much magic I had to lose to have the same lifespan as Theo. When I'd reached that point, I stopped going through."

Lilly stared at Sadie for a long moment, "You've given up like….a quarter of your magic…so you don't have to spend decades living after Theo's gone?"

Sadie nodded and looked away from Lilly.

"Do they know?" Lilly asked, referring to Theo, Draco and Hermione of course.

Sadie shook her head, "No, I haven't even told Theo because I know how he will feel and…Draco and Hermione will say that it's selfish because I only thought about myself, not how they would feel if they lost us both."

"Well," Lilly mused, "They would be right, but we live in a world of free choice, Sadie. You made a choice. Now you need to own it, or…own up to it."

Sadie's eyes darkened, but she nodded.

Lilly sighed, "But for the record, I would have done the same thing. Knowing that Harry and Daphne would be furious, I'd choose not to live on without Neville."

Sadie looked over in surprise, "Really?"

Lilly nodded, "Really."

A relieved sigh left Sadie's lips. Then the blonde woman glanced down at the redhead, "But you would have told them, wouldn't you? That's the difference."

"I'd have made the same choice, but I would have been upfront about it from the beginning, yeah," Lilly agreed, "Still, I can't compare my family with yours. We have to be honest with each other. Harry sort of started that tradition by being dishonest and becoming an alcoholic and nearly getting himself killed on more than one occasion."

Despite the nature of the conversation, Sadie chuckled, "We're honest with each other, but sometimes I don't feel like we need to have big conversations. We just sort of know what's going on in each other's heads. We didn't talk about how things were going to work when we moved into the castle, we just did, and it slotted together. We didn't have a big talk about what the kids would call us when we realised they essentially had four parents, and it was confusing; they sort of decided for themselves."

Lilly nodded and cocked her head at Sadie, "So maybe deep down, they already know, and just like you, they don't want to talk about it, or they don't know how to?"

"Maybe," Sadie agreed, "Either way, it's something we should talk about, you're right."

Lilly nodded thoughtfully, "Daphne wanted me to tell you that she's sorry for not being here, by the way."

"She sent a letter, and don't worry, I understand," Sadie promised, "She's my oldest friend. I can't begrudge her not being here because her daughter needs her."

"She did want to be here for you," Lilly promised, "But she had to focus on Thea."

"And with everything Thea is going through, I understand," Sadie promised, "If the roles were reversed, I would do the same as Daphne, and I know she wouldn't begrudge me it."

Lilly nodded again. Then they fell silent for a moment.

"I ought to talk to Clara before I head back to the hospital," Lilly said apologetically, "Michael let me out on the condition I get back for 8 pm on the dot."

Sadie smiled in a strained way, "Thank you for coming. I didn't expect to see you and…I appreciate it."

Lilly gave Sadie a slight nod in response, and Sadie reached down to hug her.


Oscar wasn't drunk, but he wasn't sober either. Sage was with Cassie's parents, and Cassie was watching him warily from across the room as he sat by himself, moving an empty whiskey glass around the table.

An unfamiliar voice from behind him asked, "Can I join you?"

"I'm not exactly good company, but go ahead," Oscar said, motioning to the seat opposite him without turning around to look at the person who had spoken. He supposed it was an Auror that his dad had worked with or something like that.

A chair slid out, and the clink of a glass being placed on the table sounded. That was when Oscar looked up to ask the person how they knew his father. But the moment he looked at her, he realised that he didn't need to ask the question.

He already knew.

She looked a little older than his dad. Her skin was an olive shade, not too dissimilar to Oscar's. He was frequently told he looked like he had a good tan even though his father's skin had been paler. This woman's skin was slightly darker than Oscar's, and her hair was dark brown, in contrast to Oscar's dirty blonde hair. Her eyes were brown, not blue like Oscar's, but they were the same shape as his.

In fact, all he could see were similarities – they had the same nose, the same slightly pointed chin, giving them both heart-shaped faces.

Oscar sighed and forced himself to look away from her, "Aurora Sinistra, I suppose?"

"You know who I am, then?" She asked, her tone quiet but severe. She sounded like a teacher, for sure.

Oscar nodded, "Yeah, my dad left me a memory explaining who my mother was. I didn't expect to see you here, though."

Aurora frowned and looked down at the table, "I do not doubt that your father formed a rather strong opinion about me in recent years, but…I did love him, Oscar."

Oscar scoffed, "Yeah, you loved him so much," he said sarcastically.

Before Aurora could say anymore, Oscar continued, "You dropped a two-week-old kid on his doorstep weeks after he had finished school with a shitty little note saying his name is Oscar. Yeah, it sounds like love."

"Oscar, it was - "

"It was a difficult time," Oscar finished darkly, "Yeah, I imagine it was for a young teacher who had just given birth to a students child."

Aurora's eyes flashed, "I understand that you are angry, but please, keep your voice down."

Oscar laughed humourlessly, "Yeah, don't want the big scandal coming out, do we? There's no way you would be allowed to prune the minds of young children anymore."

He shook his head and got to his feet, "Look – you gave birth to me, and you 'loved' my father. But you're not my mother, and you never will be, mainly because you don't actually want to be. That's pretty clear."

Aurora frowned and opened her mouth to say something further on the subject, but Oscar didn't let her.

He pointed at Clara and said, "That's my mother and those two girls there," he pointed to Josie and Cora, "They're my sisters."

Hurt flashed through Aurora's eyes, but she said nothing.

Oscar looked from Clara to Aurora, "I was four when Clara met my father. She healed him actually, saved his life in the second war against Voldemort. One thing led to another, but she worked in France, and he lived here, so I didn't meet Clara until I was six years old. Two years, that's how long my dad held her at arm's length for."

Aurora swallowed and met Oscar's eye.

"I thought that was because of me," Oscar admitted, "And it was. I found out from my dad later that it was, but it wasn't because Clara didn't want to meet me. It was because he didn't want to bring a woman into my life, only for her to walk out on me like you did."

"Oscar - "

"No," Oscar cut in, "Let me finish. I was horrible to Clara when I first met her. I thought she was taking my dad away from me. But no matter how horrible I was, she persevered, and she was always kind, and she always included me. When she got pregnant with Josie, I was 12. I came home from Hogwarts, and they told me they were having a baby. I lost control of my magic in my rage because I thought that was it. I was at school now, so they were starting their own family and replacing me."

Aurora looked up at him sympathetically, but Oscar didn't care about her sympathy.

He shook his head and took a step closer, "And it would have been so easy for Clara to lose her temper and yell at me because she's not my mother, but she didn't! My dad did, he told me to grow up and stop acting like a baby, but Clara hugged me and told me they weren't going to love me any less because they were having another baby."

Oscar wiped his eyes hastily, "And she meant it because she has never treated me any differently and my sisters? I'm their brother, no half-brother nonsense; I'm just their brother. When I married Cassie, my parents were there, and they were proud. When Cassie went into labour early with Sage, it was Clara who saved them both, and it was Clara who moved us into Selwyn Park so she could help us with a sick pre-term newborn."

With another shake of his head, Oscar finished, "My daughter's full name is Sage Clara Cauldwell because she - " he pointed across the room at Clara, " – is my mother. You're just the woman who gave birth to me, and if it's all the same, I don't really want to see you again, Aurora."

Before Aurora could reply, Oscar had stalked off in the direction of Cassie.

It took her a minute to gather herself, but she did. Then Aurora drained the entire glass of whiskey she had sat on the table for Oscar and looked at Clara, who was nodding and talking to Lilly.

She took a breath and got to her feet, walking towards them with trepidation. When Clara looked up and saw her, Aurora could instantly tell that she was 'in' on the secret from the way her eyes darkened and her body tensed.

"Professor Sinistra," Lilly said in surprise, "I didn't expect to see you here."

Clara eyed Aurora carefully, "Sorenson liked Astronomy. I suppose he was something of a favourite student of yours, Aurora?"

"For a time, yes," Aurora replied, keeping her tone even, "He was a promising student."

Lilly frowned slightly, "Do you attend all the funerals of 'promising' students? I mean, it's fine if you do. It just seems a bit…."

"Odd," Susan finished with a nod.

Aurora cleared her throat, "I just wanted to pass on my condolences, but I really ought to get going - "

"Aurora, wait," Susan said, pushing herself up from the armchair she had been sitting on with Clara.

Aurora turned to look at Susan, who she knew rather well. After all, Susan had been Assistant Headmistress at the Hermione Granger School for as long as Aurora had taught there.

"You were talking to Oscar just now," Susan said as she eyed the older woman, "Who was at Hogwarts by the time you started teaching at the Hermione Granger school, so there's no way you two should ever have met. That in itself is a bit odd, almost like you wanted to leave Hogwarts before he started."

Aurora frowned, "I have no idea what you're insinuating, Susan, but - "

"I'm insinuating that you didn't want to teach Oscar Cauldwell because he's your son, Aurora," Susan said boldly. Lilly's eyes nearly popped out of her head because, while she had found Aurora's presence here odd, she hadn't jumped to that conclusion.

"The similarities are quite striking when you know what to look for," Susan added calmly, "That combined with the fact that Sorenson was very tight-lipped about who he told. My husband, Percy, his Auror partner, was even sworn to secrecy. He never told me, and he took that secret to his death. Sorenson would only do that to protect someone – like a teacher who would lose everything if the truth came out."

Aurora's calm façade broke, "Susan, please – it was so many years ago, and it was a mistake - "

Clara cut in then and lowered her voice, "You say 'it' was a mistake, but you mean 'he' was a mistake. If you don't look at that man and the life he's carved for himself and feel sick with guilt over all that you missed, then you might as well walk out of this house and never step one foot inside it again."

Aurora swallowed, "He…he made it quite clear that he already has a mother and that I have no place in his life. I will leave, and I won't trouble either of you again. I just wanted to thank you for being the mother that I could never be."

"That you wouldn't be," Clara corrected.

Aurora's eyes flashed angrily, and Susan took a step closer to Aurora.

"As heartfelt as that was, I have to give you an ultimatum," She said quietly, "What you did was a violation of trust, Aurora. He was in your care, and you took advantage of that. I know it was a mistake, but you work with younger children now, and I cannot in good conscience let you carry on working at the school."

"Susan, please - "

Susan shook her head, "Two days, Aurora. That's how long you have to hand your notice in. If you haven't handed it over by Tuesday night, Theo will fire you, and it will go on your record. You will never teach again. Harry won't take you because I can guarantee you that Lilly here, who can't keep a secret for ten minutes, will tell him the first chance that she gets, so that's Hogwarts out of the equation too."

Aurora swallowed hard.

"I don't doubt that you regret it," Susan said honestly, "But Theo and I won't let you work in our school anymore. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Aurora said, her voice rough with emotion, "And…I'm sorry, Clara. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you - "

"No, you can't," Clara agreed, her eyes steely and cold, "Because whatever twisted infatuation you felt for Sorenson, it wasn't love. We built our relationship up from the ground. I had to carve my way into his heart because he was so shut off by what you did to him. You don't know what it felt like to know the instant that the person you love is gone because you feel like someone has just ripped a piece of your soul out, so with all due respect, Aurora, get out. You've paid your respects, and you are not welcome here anymore."

Aurora bowed her head then turned to leave. Clara let out a breath and sank back into the armchair next to Susan the minute she did.

Lilly looked across at her, "Aurora Sinistra is Oscar's mother, and you never told me that?"

"Probably because she knew you'd take it right to Harry," Susan said, giving Lilly a pointed look.

Lilly made a face, "I'd probably tell Neville first, or Daphne."

"Either way, it would have gotten to Harry within 24 hours, then the whole of wizarding Britain would know," Susan pointed out.

Clara nodded and looked over at Lilly, "So tell him."

Lilly blanched, "What?"

"Tell Harry," Clara shrugged, "Let him spread it. I don't care if she loses her credibility."

"No," Susan said simply.

Clara frowned over at her friend, "What?"

"I said no," Susan repeated, "You're angry, and you're upset. You've just buried your husband, and then she had the brass neck to show up, but what you're saying now…it's not how you feel, Clara, and if you let Harry spread the news to the rest of the community, you'll regret it."

Lilly saw where this was going and nodded, "Because it's not what Sorenson would have wanted."

Susan nodded and looked at Clara, "He kept Aurora's secret for nearly 30 years. He obviously cared about her deeply, and I know that hurts, but if he never wanted her to be exposed then, he wouldn't want it now either."

Clara rubbed her eyes to hide the tears burning behind them, "I hate it when you two agree."

"Normally because on that odd occasion when the stars align, and we actually agree on something, it's because we're right," Lilly pointed out with a slight smile.

"Yes," Clara sighed, "Exactly."

"Support Oscar through this, but from what Aurora said, he wants as little to do with her as you do," Susan said with a shrug, "But don't expose her. She won't go to Harry because I scared her with what I said, even though I fully intended on begging Lilly not to tell Harry. That means she's lost any chance she has of working with magical children in the UK."

"That's enough," Lilly agreed softly, "And I won't tell Harry because I can actually keep a secret," she shot Susan an exasperated look.

Clara sighed and reached out, grabbing Susan and Lilly's hands.

"Thank you both for being here, even when this is obviously killing you inside to be at another Auror funeral, Suse," Clara said, looking sympathetically at Susan, then shifting her gaze to Lilly, "And when you look like you're about to pass out."

"Hm," Lilly shrugged, "I feel more like I'm going to space out, actually. I swigged the pain potion because I didn't have anything to measure it into, and I think I might have taken a bit too much."

Susan rolled her eyes and got to her feet, "Should I deliver Cinderella back to her evil stepmother before her wheelchair turns into a pumpkin?"

Clara snorted and nodded, "Yeah, take her back to Michael and let him know she was on her best behaviour."

Lilly stuck her tongue out at them both, "I hate you guys."

"No, you don't," Clara said, smiling despite the sombre nature of the day.

Susan shook her head in amusement and started to push Lilly's wheelchair towards the fireplace so she could floo her back to St Mungo's, "Now that Clara's out of earshot, you can tell the truth. Did you mix firewhiskey with pain potions?"

"Maybe?" Lilly admitted.

Susan snorted and shook her head, "Oh, you're going to regret that in a couple of hours, Lil."

Lilly scoffed, "Oh, please, I'm fine. I mean, the room is spinning a little bit, and I did kind of think I was hallucinating when you said that Sinistra was Oscar's mother, but I'm fine. I've had way worse."

They stopped by the fireplace, and Susan shot Lilly an amused look, "Uh-huh, well, I'm not a healer, but even I know that mixing whiskey with pain potions is one of the stupidest things anyone can do, regardless of how good their constitution is. Do you remember sixth year, that party you and Michael came to in the Hufflepuff common room?"

Lilly made a face, and Susan chuckled, "So that's a yes then. You remember how Michael persuaded you to try mandrake leaf when you were already really drunk, and you spent the night sleeping in-between me and Daphne so we could make sure you didn't throw up in the middle of the night and die?"

Lilly frowned and looked up at Susan, "Daphne was there that night?"

Susan snorted, "Wow, that bad, huh? Well, if you even remember how bad you felt that night, tonight is going to be worse, mark my words."

Lilly waved a hand in disbelief, "Pfft, I'll be fine," she said.

"Famous last words," Susan said, activating the fireplace and smirking at Lilly before sending her through it.

- TBC -