Chapter 29 - The Basement
A few hours later, after a rather large meal and rest, Noah and Jo had decided to explore the house on their own. Noah's initial curiosity had slowly started to fade after the tenth room, when they found the lift. Of course they had to see what else they could find. They pressed the button labelled '1B'.
Noah took a step out of the lift but immediately stopped, his jaw dropping nearly to his knees.
The doors slid open, and Josiah put an arm in front of his eyes, squinting a bit.
Apparently, they kept the sun in their basement. He followed Noah out of the lift and stepped immediately on something soft and pillowy. Jo looked down.
It was grass.
He was quiet for a long, long time. Then, he looked up again. They were in what appeared to be a walled-off garden, complete with a large oak tree, a small pond with a fountain in the center, and several benches along a worn cobble path. The flowers were in bloom in all manner of majestic pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges; Josiah had the feeling that, here, the flowers were always in bloom.
Further beyond the garden, there was what appeared to be a large, raised open field. On second glance, he would recognize those ring-posts anywhere.
"Oh, bloody hell," he said, raising his eyebrows. "You've got to be shitting me. All that time, and Greengrass has gone and had a bloody Quidditch field in his basement? Isn't that the kind of thing you mention when you get to know someone?"
Noah could only stare at the sight in front of him. "It's bloody sunny in here!" His voice was slightly higher-pitched than usual.
He took a moment to control himself, taking a couple steps further into the garden. He followed Jo's gaze… and swore under his breath.
"Sweet Merlin's freaking broomstick!" His eyes nearly popped out and he felt a deep pang of envy and an unreasonable amount of excitement. "He has a Quidditch field…" He looked at Jo. "He has a freaking. Quidditch. Field." He rubbed his hand over his face, not sure if he was annoyed or amused. "And to think I've been teaching him how to fly in the middle of the woods…"
"Yes, it is," Jo murmured, looking up at the sky too. The fake clouds floated by gently, propelled by an equally fake, but no less refreshing, charmed breeze. "Even I can't cast an Atmospheric Charm this good. This level of work…" he trailed off, awe apparent in his voice.
It wasn't until Noah started talking about Merlin's broomstick that the spell was broken, and Jo giggled so hard that it ended with a bit of a snort.
"Come on," he said, offering Noah his hand. "Take your time through the garden, though. No rushing straight to the goalposts. That's not romantic."
Noah hadn't realized he'd started moving towards the field until Jo offered his hand. "Well…" he started, but found nothing he could say to Jo's commentary.
His ears flushed red as he tried to ease his excitement. He hadn't been in a field in forever, but he composed a properly sheepish smile and took his boyfriend's hand. "Alright… I can be romantic," he murmured.
He looked around, trying to think of something Jo might find romantic. This had always been his weakness, though. Truly, he was a big child at heart, and the kind of subtle little somethings Jo probably expected looked to Noah a little cheesy and made him feel awkward. Especially if he did it wrong.
They approached the large oak tree. "Hmm, do you want to…" he started, smiling playfully hoping that would make it less awkward if that hadn't been what Jo had meant, "carve our names on that tree or something?"
Jo grinned and, slowly, began to lead Noah down the cobble path through the garden. It was really very beautiful; even more beautiful, perhaps, because it was the first time they'd been able to really relax in a long, long while. He looked up at the tree, then back to Noah, giggling.
"Is that really okay?" he asked, still laughing. He gave Noah's hand a reassuring squeeze, then reached over and grabbed his other hand, so that they were facing each other. He looked up and smiled.
"Noah," he began slowly. "We've been dating for ages. You can relax a little, you know. You don't need to have the first date jitters every date, aye?"
He leaned forward and planted a loud kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. Then, he turned to look at the small pond with the fountain.
"Oh bother, they've even got a bunch of wee fish," Jo said, grinning and putting his hands on his knees so that he could get a better look at the spotted koi swimming about in the gently rippling water. "Here, come here."
He pointed his wand at the closest fish, cast a nonverbal Slowing Charm on it, and then waved his wand in a tricky, hard-to-follow pattern. The black spots on the fish's back rearranged themselves so that they read 'J + N'.
"Aye?" he said, looking back at Noah and grinning. "Alright, we can go visit the field now. No use delaying the inevitable."
Noah gave a small shrug. "We haven't had many proper dates, actually," he mumbled, but grinned back at Jo.
He was truly enjoying this, actually. Not having to keep his guard up, for a change, and just talk about anything other than 'lifesaving plans' or 'escaping and hiding plans'. And most of all, just being with Jo. Any excuse to be with him and seeing that mesmerizing grin was good enough for Noah. So, if he wanted gardens, Noah could definitely give him gardens.
He watched silently as Jo spelled the fish. He snorted an amused laughter. "So, it's not cool to mark the tree, but it's fine to mark the fish?" He leaned over to watch Jo's work, then leaned over against Jo's ear. "Forever," he whispered, kissing his temple.
He beamed at Jo's permission to check out the Quidditch field. It was a very faithful replica of the field at Hogwarts, if only slightly smaller; or maybe it looked so because there were practically no seats around it.
"This is amazing," Noah murmured, approaching the ring-posts and giving them a shake.
At the end of the field where they were was a small building, which Noah assumed was some sort of locker room. They approached it, Noah feeling like a kid unwrapping Christmas presents. The door was unlocked, so he pushed it open.
His eyes settled immediately on the wall in front of them. He let out a soft groan of joy. "Oh, Sweet Merlin, it's like a Quidditch store… look at all these brooms!"
Lined up in a wooden display were several brooms, all sizes and shapes. Noah approached it with a look of awe in his face. There were brooms like he'd had when he was little and was only starting to learn how to fly, some medium sized practice brooms, regular riding brooms, much more suited for long trips, and finally – his heart skipped a beat looking at them – the best and latest models of racing broomsticks.
He touched them gingerly as he walked by. "Nimbus 1001, 1500 and 1700," he read on the handles. "There are also Comets, Cleansweeps and," his breath caught and he carefully took the last broomstick out of its holder, handling it so carefully one would think it could break with a simple shake. "The new Oakshaft 79," he breathed in awe, sliding one finger along the broomstick until it brushed the twigs.
"It's not even for sale yet, in most places…"
Josiah closed his eyes as he felt Noah's lips brush his temple. A small smile graced his lips; a faint, pink flush crept into his cheeks.
"The fish doesn't mind," he said with good-natured defensiveness. He lifted the charm so that the fish could swim at a normal speed again, and then watched it for a short while. "I love you," he said, softly. He stood up, grinning as Noah's eyes sparkled at the mention of the Quidditch field.
How could he deny that face?
He walked a little more slowly than Noah, still admiring the roses as they walked by. He wondered, briefly, if the elves kept these gardens too; it made sense, he supposed. Pinky had said there were many elves working in the house, but only enough to keep it running. He wondered how many more surprises there were around the estate, waiting to be discovered.
Of course, they could always simply ask Ezra, but that didn't seem like quite as much fun.
"Must have been big on Quidditch, his parents," Josiah murmured, looking up at the rings. They were just as tall as the ones at Hogwarts, as far as he could tell. Looking for too long made him a little dizzy, so he looked back at Noah… who was already investigating the shed at the far wall. He hurried to catch up, although Noah's gasp of amazement preceded his arrival.
"Oh dear," Jo said, grinning. "Well, if you go missing in the middle of the night, I'll know where to look for you," he teased. He slipped into the small locker room behind his boyfriend, looking less at the brooms and more at the memorabilia on the wall.
"His father, I suppose," he murmured, scanning the vintage jerseys with his eyes. They all said GREENGRASS on the back in embroidered silver letters. There was also an entire wall of photos, which Jo had to squint at so that he could properly read the captions. "'After winning the House Cup, 1943'," he read out loud, raising his eyebrows.
He could see Ezra's father, young and tall and strapping, just like his son; the hair was different, and the face shape, but they had the same proud, confident smirk. He felt a strange pang that wasn't quite sadness; he knew that Ezra's parents had done bad things, terrible even, but to die like that…
He sighed.
"Oh," said Jo, brightening considerably. "What a cute little wee broom. Is this what he learned to fly on, do you reckon?" He held up the child-sized broom and inspected it. Some of the twigs were out of place, but it was in very good condition otherwise. He looked up to see Noah fawning over the new Oakshaft model, and gave him a knowing look.
"Why don't you try it out?" he suggested nonchalantly. "I don't reckon Ezra will mind. It's his now, innit?"
Noah looked away from the Oakshaft long enough to check out what Jo was looking at, then resumed his careful assessment of the broom.
"You know, they say it's pretty fast, but," he held it with three fingers in a point between the middle and the twig end of the handle. The broom started to move slowly, the twig side dropping. "It doesn't have as good of a balance as the company claims…" He was mostly talking to himself, but at Jo's mention of the small broom, he walked over to his side, still holding the broom in his hand.
"Hmm, yes, it seems like it." He pointed a finger at a few chipped places. "Most definitely a kid's broom, and a worn-out one. Makes sense, I suppose, since he didn't have any siblings."
He looked at Jo, then at the broom, then back at Jo. A smile was blossoming, but he shook his head. "I'm not sure I should… I doubt even Greengrass has seen it yet. It looks like it hasn't been used yet." He looked at Jo again, with a look that was almost pleading. 'Just give me a reason to', it said.
Ezra held his wand aloft in the small tunnel, holding his arm behind him so that he could keep a firm grip on Daniella's hand.
"The stairs are a bit worn," he said apologetically, trying to illuminate them as best he could. "My great-great-grandfather had this particular passage built because he was too lazy to take the main stairs from the ballroom. His son was the only one who thought to install the lifts," he narrated the family history somewhat sardonically. Then, coming to the end of the path, he turned to her and grinned.
"I expect you'll like it," he said quietly, grabbing a lever on the side of the wall which happened to connect to a wall sconce in the broom shed in the basement. The paneled wall swung open. Ezra and Jo jumped back at almost the exact same time.
"Merlin's pants," Jo murmured first, putting a hand to his chest. Then, he looked at the passage that had opened in the wall with reverence. "So you do have them in this place, then? Noah and I looked behind the tapestry earlier, but no dice."
Ezra blinked several times, an amused smile blossoming on his face. He led Daniella through the makeshift doorway and tugged on the wall sconce to close the passage behind them. He saw Noah, then, and looked at the broom clasped in his hands.
He smirked.
"I suppose I should have known," he drawled. Then, his eyes gave a subdued twinkle. "Have you ridden it yet?"
Daniella entered the shed behind Ezra. "You two were fast!" She teased, glancing at Jo with resigned patience. Was this what Ezra thought she would like, his private collection of broomsticks?
She looked around at the trophies and the pictures with polite interest. She hadn't known Ezra's family had been so into that magical sport.
Noah's eyes widened when Ezra showed up. He would've flushed, if it wasn't for Ezra's expression. He offered him a smug smirk. "Well, after all the work I had to get your skinny bum here, I needed to make sure you wouldn't kill yourself using one of these…"
He waited a couple seconds, then asked hopefully, "May I?"
Jo grinned sheepishly, looking from Dan to Ezra with a slight flush in his cheeks. Ezra, meanwhile, looked around as though he hadn't seen the place for a century. His smile faded for a moment, but he looked back quickly to Noah as he spoke. He arched one dark eyebrow, smirking more widely.
"Don't be so quick to write me off, Ledger," he said silkily. "Remember whose house you're in. Perhaps I'll join you, after I show Daniella the garden." He gave her hand a slight squeeze, smiling back at her.
"I hope you didn't think I brought you here for the Quidditch," he murmured, bending over so that his nose touched hers. He grinned wickedly and led her, gently, out of the shed and onto the field.
"Knock yourself out," Ezra called over his shoulder to Noah. Josiah pursed his lips.
"Please don't literally knock yourself out," he added, with affectionate emphasis.
Daniella's smile was relieved; she perked up at the mention of a garden. "Good, I was starting to think you'd bumped your head or something…" She wasn't sure how a garden could grow in a basement, but stranger things had happened. "Let's see that garden, then," she said, winking at Jo as she passed him by.
She walked out of the shed, took a long, astonished look at the field with the ring-posts, then looked ahead towards the place Ezra was taking her to. She squinted under the intense light of the sun that hurt her eyes after the darkness of the tunnel and the dim lighting in the shed.
There were a few bushes ahead of them, but she was looking up, shielding her eyes with one hand. "Oh my…"
A fluffy white cloud passed by in the magical sky that took the place of what should've been the ceiling of the basement, momentarily hiding the sun.
She looked down again, "It's an actual garden!" She gasped in a choked voice. "Ezra, it's beautiful!"
She looked at the pond, the lovely benches scattered on the sides of the path, all the flowers that created an explosion of color and life in that place. "Are those real?" She said, looking over at the pond and the fish swimming in there.
Ezra allowed himself to be pleased at her positive reaction; he took a moment to look at the happiness on her face as she looked up into the enchanted sky. She was so incredibly, achingly beautiful. He studied her for several long moments before she looked back at him. Gently, he began to lead her down the path so that they might sit on one of the benches and watch the fish.
"Yes, they're real," he murmured, staring down at them with a pleasant look. "There's a full-time garden staff whose only job is to trim the hedges-" he motioned to several shrubs in the distance, some tall, some short, but all trimmed into interesting shapes. "-mow the lawn, prune the flowers, and feed the koi."
He gave her a small smile.
"It was my favorite place when I was young," he murmured, leaning back on the bench and crossing his legs at the ankles. "They change the flower selection every season. They put up a tree in Christmas, and snow, although they remove it if you ask - it's all just enchanted, of course."
He looked over at her, then, studying her intensely.
"So? Does the Mistress approve?" he asked softly, grinning.
Daniella looked away a little self-consciously when she realized Ezra had been staring at her. She sat with him on the bench, studying the details that showed all the care and love put into that garden.
"It's breathtaking," she murmured, as if to not disturb the soft sound of the water in the fountain and the rustling of the leaves when an enchanted breeze passed by. She looked at her fiancé, her heart so full it didn't fit in her chest anymore, "And so are you." She leaned over to give him a kiss, long and soft.
Ezra leaned into the kiss, feeling more at home than he ever had, even in his own house. Despite all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours - the torture, the beatings, the sorrow, the death - he was happier in this moment than he had been for months and months.
This was everything he'd been waiting for. He pulled away, still smiling softly.
Meanwhile, Josiah was beside Noah, inspecting a broom he'd picked out for his own. It had a thicker handle, which he liked, and was a little older and so hopefully wouldn't go quite as fast as Noah's had. Curiously, he looked over at the garden.
"I think they're having a moment," he whispered to Noah, stifling a giggle so that it became a soft, airy chuckle. He lifted one leg over the broom carefully, trying to get a feel for the weight of it. "Ye know, somehow, this doesn't seem as intimidating as it did in the woods," he said, kicking off and swinging his legs idly.
Noah hadn't been expecting Jo to grab a broom as well, but he was pleasantly surprised. He looked over his shoulder at the couple in the garden, meeting Jo's chuckle with a grin.
"I reckon those two deserve a break too, right?" He straddled his Oakshaft and took off the ground, testing its balance. It seemed like a pretty sturdy broom, at least. "Wanna race?" He asked Jo teasingly.
Jo snorted, easing the broom higher as Noah joined him on the Oakshaft.
"Sure," he said sarcastically, watching the ground below him get further and further away. "You can pretend it's racing, if it makes you feel better." He grinned at his boyfriend, teasing back.
Jo looked up, ignoring the jumpy feeling it gave him in the pit of his belly and rising higher, higher, until he was so close he could see the charmed surface of the ceiling. He looked down; he was really very high up. He grimaced.
He'd flown all the way up there for a reason, however, and he wasn't touching back down until he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do.
"Oh, wow," he murmured, reaching out one hand shakily and touching the ceiling. It rippled slightly where his fingers grazed it, but quickly filled in the gaps after they left. It was cool, like silk. "That's really… marvelous charmwork. Absolutely breathtaking."
He looked over his shoulder with some difficulty, calling out to his boyfriend.
"Noah?" he shouted. "You really ought to come see this. It's fantastic."
Meanwhile, Ezra looked up from Daniella's lips, arching one eyebrow.
"What in Merlin's name are they doing?" he murmured with a wry hint of amusement.
Noah watched Jo with amusement at first, then incredulity, then worry. He flew as close to Jo as he could, wondering if his boyfriend had lost control of his broom again.
But he didn't sound panicky, he sounded excited. Raising an eyebrow, he rose higher to see what had called his attention. When he realized Jo was checking out the Charm work on ceiling he started laughing so hard his Oakshaft started to jerk a little to the sides.
He sobered up long enough to regain control and then looked back at Jo, shaking his head. "You're impossible! I've been trying to teach you how to fly this whole time, and turns out you only needed some Charm work to do it…"
Daniella frowned, then followed Ezra's gaze above their heads. She grabbed onto Ezra's arms, concerned. "Is Jo alright? Why is he so high up?"
Jo grinned, feeling a little braver now that he realized the broom was a lot sturdier than he had originally given it credit for. He touched the ceiling again, this time with a more critical gaze.
"I don't think this is an Atmospheric Charm," he murmured, watching it ripple under his fingers. "They're supposed to be firm. This is some sort of... I've never seen anything like it before. It's really incredible."
Ezra looked up at the Ravenclaw boy, then back to Daniella.
"We could go find out," he said, trying to make the prospect sound enticing. He wrapped one arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You can ride with me. I won't do anything you don't want me to do."
He studied her eyes, searching for approval.
Daniella looked unsure from Jo, all the way up there at a terrifying height, to Ezra. "How can I say no when you look at me like that?" She asked, exasperated. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright… Let's go before I think about what I'm going to do."
They left the safety of their bench and headed to the Quidditch field, to get a broomstick. She looked at all the broomsticks suspiciously. "Why didn't they make flying couches instead?!" She grumbled. "It would've been much more fun…"
Ezra grinned, following her closely down the path, over the field, and into the broom shed. He studied his options carefully, selecting a long-handled riding broom with sleek, black bristles.
"Would you like a flying couch?" he asked her seriously. "Because I can have that arranged." He carried the broom out to the center of the field and looked back, waiting. When she was closeby, he mounted the broom and waited for her to get on behind him.
"Just let me know when you want to go back down, and we'll go back down," he said in a soothing, silky tone. Then, he rolled up the sleeves of his white linen shirt, preparing himself.
Daniella chuckled, looking slightly alarmed. "No, I'm fine, thanks! Don't get any more ideas…"
She followed him out to the field, took a long, deep breath and lifted a leg over the broom, holding on tightly to Ezra's waist. "Just make sure this old looking thing can support our weight without breaking or something," she demanded. "I'm ready," she said when she made sure she was seated as comfortably as she could.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt when her feet left the ground. She looked up at where Jo and Noah still were, the latter now looking down at them, seeming amused. "Jo," she called out. "If I die today, I'm going to come back just to kill you for this."
Ezra shrugged; he'd thought that a flying couch seemed like a pretty good idea, now that he thought of it. Speaking of couches... his eyes lit up, and he pulled the broom back, taking them very, very gently upward.
"Where does one buy a television?" he asked Daniella over his shoulder, rather excitedly. "Do you suppose we could have electricity installed? Although it might be a bit of a hassle, having Muggles in the place... I wonder..." he trailed off, gliding to a smooth stop beside Noah. Josiah was still prodding the ceiling with interest.
"Ezra," Jo started with a curious tone. "What sort of charm is this? Do you know?"
Ezra blinked, momentarily distracted from his thoughts about television.
"Elf magic," he replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Elf magic," Jo repeated dryly, feeling a bit dismayed. "And... can wizards learn to do this sort of thing? This..." he motioned vaguely to the ceiling. "You know. All of this. Do you think?"
Ezra bit his lip, thinking.
"Maybe," he said, tilting his head. "You should ask Pinky." He stated this as though it was the obvious solution, then tugged the broom slightly to the right and began to fly a little lower, over the gardens.
Josiah stared at Noah, then looked down, grimacing again.
"I can't tell if he's being cheeky or not," he mumbled, looking put-out. "What do you think? Can wizards learn elf magic?" He looked at Noah with starry, hopeful eyes.
Daniella realized she wasn't surprised. It was as if, somehow, she'd been expecting that question since they'd stepped into that house. "Jo told me there are stores that sell all sorts of electronic devices, but I don't know where it is… You'll have to ask him or Noah."
She chanced a quick glance down when they passed over the oak tree. "Merlin's pants, I really was not born to do this," she whispered, but when she focused her eyes further ahead of them, instead of directly down, she didn't feel as dizzy and could actually enjoy the view a bit.
She rubbed her thumb – it was all she dared to move – up and down his side. "As long as you keep the elves out of sight, I suppose any Muggles who came in this house wouldn't be too traumatized with its opulence," she said teasingly, grateful for the distraction that kept her mind busy enough to not think about how high she was now.
Noah shrugged. "With him, you can rarely tell… But I'm sure Pinky will be thrilled to help you out." He glanced at Jo, then at the Quidditch field. "Are you alright up here? Do you mind if I go to fly on the field for just a minute?"
Ezra pondered this, humming in the back of his throat as they soared over the tree, the water, and the flowers. He pushed the broom a little lower, until their feet brushed the top of the tree on the way back around.
Yes, he would definitely be asking them later about these electronic device stores.
He turned the broom slowly, smiling into the wind.
"It just takes a bit of practice," he said encouragingly, trying not to sound too much like Ledger. "I used to get airsick, but father would make me practice anyway. Pokey had to follow me around with a towel."
He smiled grimly, easing the broom into a few more laps.
His broom. His garden. His house.
No… their house. All of them.
He wondered when it would begin to seem real.
"Do you think Johnston would feel more comfortable if we had electricity?" he wondered out loud, not sure if this was a rude thing to ask or not. Indeed, the other boy had obviously spent plenty of time at Hogwarts, but perhaps… Ezra had never stopped to think about what it would be like to use magic at school and then go home to a completely different world. It must have been difficult, he supposed.
Meanwhile, Josiah was beginning his slow descent.
"I'm fine," he murmured, concentrating heavily on not falling onto the field and breaking every bone in his body. "Aye, you go on ahead. I reckon I'm going to put my feet on solid ground now, if it's all the same to you."
Daniella slipped her arms further around Ezra's waist comfortingly. She couldn't bring herself to feel much more than relief that his parents weren't around anymore to hurt him, but she felt sorry for his loss, nonetheless. Except, his loss hadn't truly happened that morning, it had happened throughout his life. The people who should've loved him the most, unconditionally, hadn't loved him at all. She could only hope to love him enough for all of them.
"Hmm," she said noncommittally, "I'll think about it. Most of the time, I just prefer to have my feet firmly touching the ground, though." She kissed him between the shoulder blades.
"I'm not sure Jo cares much about that," she said thoughtfully. "He's always loved to do magic, and I've never seen him watch television much. His sister spent hours watching something they call cartoons in the morning, though." An amused smirk blossomed again. "If you want her to like you, when she comes, you should consider having that done before the wedding."
Noah looked at Jo, following him down onto the field. He glanced at Ezra and Daniella, still flying lazily over the gardens and sighed. Damn that Greengrass, that seemed to know all the right things to do… "I'd prefer to stay with you, if you want to do something else," he said in a soothing manner. "Sorry, I know I get a little carried away, sometimes… But this is not very romantic. I can do it another time. What would you like to do?"
Ezra smiled, comforted by the thought that, even if Daniella didn't fancy flying, she could now ponder the possibility without the threat of impending doom hanging over her head. The war wasn't over, he knew; at this rate, he didn't suppose the war would be over for a long, long time. But he drew comfort, however small, from the fact that he could provide them - his lover, his... friends? - with safety, at least for the foreseeable future.
He found the concept of having friends outside of Daniella a bit strange, and so shook it out of his mind for the time being.
"I see," he murmured, lost in thought again. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Josiah watch the television at all, even when they'd had one. And, as an aside, he hadn't even known the other boy had a sister. They'd been living together for so long that he'd felt like they knew each other quite well, but he was beginning to wonder if they truly knew each other at all. Hadn't Johnston and Ledger been surprised at the size of the manor? When he was attending Hogwarts, he'd always assumed that everyone around him knew the state of the Greengrass family, and of their long, illustrious history. Now he was coming to realize that he must have been a pompous jerk, and only other pompous jerks had found his status desirable.
He resolved, silently, to get to know the others better from that point on.
After several leisurely laps around the garden, he brought the broom down and landed, gently, on the plush grass of the field. He turned to face Daniella, his eyes slightly apprehensive.
"Do you think they might…" he trailed off, feeling uncertain. "Teach me? Muggle Studies, that is," he murmured, slightly embarrassed. "My parents never allowed me to enroll, but I should like very much to learn."
Josiah looked over at Noah, smiling lightly with a hint of nervousness now that his fascination with the elf magic had passed. He saw Noah look with furrowed brows over at Greengrass, then back to him. He laughed.
"Oh, don't give me that tripe, Noah Ledger," he said jokingly, rolling his eyes. "If I wanted to date Greengrass, then I'd just date Greengrass, wouldn't I now? You do a few laps and enjoy yourself, I'll meet you down on the field."
He gave his boyfriend a keen, playful look before pushing the broom forward with a little more courage, landing beside Ezra and Dan on the pitch.
Daniella didn't waste time getting off of the broomstick. Ezra had been cautious and it had been sort of nice, but she was still relieved to touch the ground again.
She met Ezra's eyes and smiled lightly. "I'm sure they will! Jo always taught me whenever I asked him questions – and I asked plenty, the first few times I hung out with him outside of Hogwarts. Besides, he has been eager to learn some things from you too!" She winked at him. "I'm sure they'll have a ton of fun teaching us."
Jo landed beside them at that point. She looked up and, without any surprise, Noah was now circling the Quidditch field at full speed, looking a little confused. Daniella quickly looked away when he turned himself upside-down and focused on her friend.
"He couldn't resist, huh?" She asked Jo, grinning. She looked up at Ezra teasingly. "You can go too, if you want. I know that flight just now wasn't particularly exciting for you."
Jo grinned at Daniella, inspecting the broom that was now clasped in his hands. He supposed he had plenty of time to get used to riding one, but for now, it was not his favorite activity.
"Well, you know," he said, noncommittally. "Boys." He smiled softly to himself. Truly, the fact that Noah had wanted to impress him by being romantic was more valuable to him than forcing him to do something he was uncomfortable with would have been.
Ezra looked up at Noah, down to Josiah, and then over at Daniella.
"I was excited," he murmured defensively, raising his eyebrows very slightly. "It's not as though I'm a… a 'speed demon' or something," he added in a low mumble.
Josiah couldn't help himself; he burst into giggles. Ezra looked at the ground petulantly, his cheeks filling with heat.
"Would you all…" he began, looking up curiously and then back down. "I mean, when Ledger gets down, would you all fancy a tour?"
Daniella laughed with Jo, then noticed Ezra's expression and cleared her throat a few times in an attempt to resume a serious face. "Well, I guess I should be happy that you haven't bought one of those 'motorbrooms' for yourself yet," she said with not-very-faked-relief.
She patted Ezra's shoulder lightly. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself. We'll accept that tour after you're done. Jo and I can take a walk on the garden while we wait. Maybe we can start planning some… I think this garden is lovely, we could have the ceremony here." She searched her fiancé's eyes for a reaction.
As much safer as they might be now, they weren't out of trouble yet, and the last thing she wanted was for Logan or any other Death Eaters to ruin the happiest day of her life. "Would you like that?" She asked, realizing she hadn't actually told him her idea yet.
Ezra blinked.
"Yes," he said, nodding slightly. He looked around at the garden, then back at her, looking slightly bewildered. "Yes, that would be nice. I'd be delighted."
He searched Daniella's eyes and, with her permission and a small smile, walked off to the broom shed to grab a racing broom instead of a riding one. A few minutes later, he shot out of the open door like a rocket, joining Noah just below the enchanted sky.
"Look sharp, Ledger," he called out as he whizzed by, round to hover face-to-face with the other boy. He had a Quaffle under one arm; he tossed it gracefully, catching it on the tips of his fingers.
"Fancy a go?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'll let you play Chaser, even."
He tossed the large, red ball at the other boy.
Josiah was watching the pair with interest, using his hand to shield his eyes from the imaginary sun.
"I suspect they'll be occupied for a while," he said with a playful lilt, grinning over at Dan. Then, he looked out over the garden, too. His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. "It really is lovely, hey?"
He began the slow, leisurely walk toward the path, stuffing his hands into his pockets and mostly watching his feet.
"So…" he began slowly, trying to bring up the subject gently. "He's alright, is he? I mean, Noah and I were wondering… just that, you know, his parents and all…"
Daniella slipped her arm through Jo's and walked with him. They hadn't had many chances to actually talk much in a while, with everything that had happened and the four of them living together in a tiny house.
She looked to the side as they passed by the fountain. "It's amazing! I wonder if it has been appreciated by anyone other than the elves who tend to it and Ezra, in the last few years…"
Daniella sighed, not sure what to tell him. "He's handling it quite well, considering what happened…" She looked off at the end of the path, as if reaching it would bring them all peace of heart. "He'd told me a bit about what it was like, but… in those few minutes we were in the same room, if you had seen how they treated him…" She paused, trying to keep the memory of that morning from returning; like she would ever be able to.
She glanced over her shoulder, to where Ezra and Noah were still playing. He'd come so far since she'd met him! "I suppose he's going to mourn in his own way, eventually. He's been telling me a few things about them, at least. But I don't want to force him to think about it too much. He gave away too much of his life and happiness for them already."
She knew she sounded bitter and resentful, but it was all too fresh. Maybe one day she could forgive them… but not in the foreseeable future.
"I reckon you start to take it for granted if you live here your whole life," he murmured, admiring the fountain with her. "At least now we're all here to appreciate it. I thought we were goners, nearly, there at the end," he said, with a hint of desperate amusement.
They reached the end of the path and Josiah sat down on the bench, leaning back and looking up at the Quidditch pitch. They had a very good view of Noah and Ezra from there. He watched for a few moments, then turned back to Daniella.
"Is he in shock, d'you reckon?" he asked passively. "I can't imagine… I only heard a bit of the fighting, but I'm sure it was awful. I'm sorry we weren't able to get in sooner. It took us a while, of course, to find out where they'd taken you…"
He sighed, feeling as though any excuses he could make were too weak to stand. They'd done all they could; it was simply that Logan was bound and determined to ruin lives, especially theirs. He couldn't help but think that the fact that he kept failing at it was sheer dumb luck.
"But you're alright?" he asked, after a few beats of silence. "I mean, if you're still talking about the wedding, and we're here flying about on broomsticks, it's alright, right?"
He slid down further on the bench and closed his eyes, hoping.
"Given any thought to your dress?" he added, somewhat wickedly.
Daniella shook her head. "No, it's good you didn't. They might just…" She shook her head more firmly. "They were willing to erase everything their own son had lived for over a year just because he wouldn't give me up. I don't even what to think about what they would've done to you. And Logan… he got money from them for getting their son to them. He doesn't stop at anything anymore."
She looked at the two figures flying; saw as Noah tried to get past Ezra and failed. "I'm not sure. I'll make him a potion to help him sleep tonight, just in case. We'll probably need to have some patience with him," she said, looking at Jo almost pleadingly.
"It's not like he tells me how he feels, but I think he's… unsure. About you and Noah, about all of this…" She rested her hand on Jo's and patted it, smiling. "But he's alright. We all are."
She let out an exasperated groan. "No… I have so much to do!" She rubbed her face, then looked at Jo expectantly. "Do you think your family would come? I wanted to invite them. Ezra said they could stay a while," She gave him a big grin.
Josiah furrowed his eyebrows at Daniella's words, finding it difficult to imagine that any parents could even think about doing something like that to their only child. He had only ever known love. He looked back up at Ezra, who was smirking at Noah as they tossed the Quaffle back and forth.
They had been so hard on him at first, but now he realized that all the time he'd been with them, he had been struggling to fit in.
In that moment, he felt as though he didn't really know much about Ezra at all, which made him sad. Had he excluded the other boy just by assuming that he understood how the rest of them were feeling?
He grit his teeth as Daniella mentioned Logan, his mind temporarily drawn back to the present.
"Well, no surprise there, I'm sorry to say," he murmured bitterly. "I'm not sure I reckon there's anything he wouldn't do anymore. What a great prat."
He didn't feel like prat was a strong enough word, but he'd had a long day and it was the best he could do under the circumstances. It wasn't until she brought up potions that he looked up, suddenly remembering something.
"Oh," he started. "I shoved as many things as I could into my bag after... well, you know, after what happened. I'm not sure I got everything, but you might want to take a look and sort it out. I brought some of your clothes, too, from the cottage. If you want them," he added, only now realizing that any of them could probably have anything they so desired as long as they were staying in this kingly mansion.
He smiled at her, then, nodding.
"I can be patient," he assured her, reaching over and giving her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "I'll have a talk with Noah, too, and see if I can explain it to him a bit. He can be a little… emotionally obtuse, but he's good at heart. And I think they're becoming fast friends," he added, with a hint of amusement. As she patted his hand, he looked over again, touched at her suggestion that he invite his family to her wedding.
"Are you sure?" he asked, but he was smiling. "I think they'd love that. I know they miss you terribly. Merlin, I miss them terribly. It would be nice to see them again. Although what they'll think of this house I can't say..." his eyes scanned the garden again as he tried to picture his simple parents' reaction to such a luxurious place. "I'll write to them, though, and let you know. And then we can start looking for a dress for you, hey? I bet Juney can send a couple of catalogs by post."
"Thanks, I'll do that. The potion brewing room I was in earlier has everything you could've possibly heard about, ever! But I like to have my own ingredients too. That'll be mostly Ezra's room, I reckon. And I can definitely use the rest of my clothes."
She suspected the elves – or Ezra – would take care of providing them all with new wardrobes soon enough, but still, they needed something to wear.
"They're already best friends and they are the only ones who don't know it yet," she said, just as amused. "But the rivalry will always be there, which will provide us with quite a few laughs!" She winked at Jo.
"I'm positive. Jo, they've been more of a family to me in the short time I spent with them than mine was."
It was something she'd never shared with anyone, out of embarrassment, mostly, but if she'd been spared the kind of abuse Ezra had gone through, was because of her brother. He'd always acted as a shield between her father and herself, especially since she'd started to rebel against her parents' ideas. For all that Logan was doing wrong, for all she didn't forgive him anymore, or even trust him anymore, she would never forget what he'd done for her in the past. But he'd chosen his path; she'd done what she could for him, and he'd refused her help. She'd finally learned to let go.
"I didn't go through the kind of things Ezra did, but if I have any idea of what a family is supposed to be really like, I learned from yours." She sat back, allowing herself to relax completely and watched the improvised Quidditch match, imagining what Pea would say if she was there.
She giggled. "Well, Pea will love this. And I'm sure your mom will enjoy having a little break from all the house work." She looked at Jo sideways, still wanting to giggle. "Can you imagine me in a wedding dress?!"
Josiah laughed, picturing the look on Noah's face if anyone told him that Ezra was his best friend to his face.
"They're secretly quite a lot alike, aye," he murmured, still grinning with amusement. "I expect if they were colorblind in school, so as not to tell the difference between green and scarlet, they'd've already been getting on before now."
He studied his best friend as she talked about his family; it meant a lot to him that she felt that way, of course, but it also made him a little sad. He remembered the first time they'd met outside of Hogwarts - he'd been so nervous, but probably not nearly as nervous as her. He'd done it because he'd wanted her to feel like she had a safe place to be, a place where nobody was judging her and nobody expected her to be this or that.
He felt now like he'd always had three sisters instead of only two.
"Gosh, Pea will go wild," he said, laughing again. "You did warn him, right? That she'd be a handful? It will certainly be a good show, but I'd feel too bad thrusting my family on him without the proper warning he's due." He grinned over at her again, then sighed.
"Aye, I can imagine it," he said honestly, smiling warmly. "Of course I can. You think it's very odd, only because you're you, I reckon. But anyone else can plainly see you're crazy about each other, so it's only natural. It wouldn't be right any other way, really," he said softly, watching the fish he'd marked earlier swim near the surface of the pond and then turn away quickly in a flash of mottled white and orange.