Their laughter slowed after Ron's joke, though they were all in a good mood. In a moment, though, that all changed.
The front of the house shook as someone tried to pass through the wards.
"You expecting someone, mate?" Ron asked, standing up to see if he was able to see who was at the oor.
"Teddy's at his Nan's and you two are here," he answered. "Besides your family, who else knows I'm- oh."
He moved quickly to the door, opening it to see a ragged looking Liv Wellwood standing there. Her dress was slightly ripped, her normally sleek hair all over the place, and she had fresh tears in her eyes.
"Liv," he said, stepping down onto the stoop. "What's happened to you?"
She shut her mouth for a moment as she collected herself. Then opened it, to try and explain it succinctly, but ultimately closed it. Finally she found a voice, but cringed at how watery and strained she sounded. "I just need a place to sleep tonight."
He nodded, knowing without a doubt in his mind this had to do with that her stupid boyfriend. "Come on upstairs."
She cringed as she walked past his kitchen and saw he had company. "I'm so, so sorry for interrupting- you should have told me you had people over."
"I was just about to kick them out," he said, gently. He led her to a bedroom on the third floor that must have been his. "Why don't you sit down and take a breathe? I'll be back in a few minutes."
She nodded, but as soon as he was gone felt herself crying again. It was the sort of cry that came from somewhere deep in her chest, that caused her whole body to seize. She was mortified and hurt and so vulnerable. This wasn't her. These were qualities she'd thought she'd managed to avoid.
This wasn't the Liv Wellwood she had let anyone see in years. She went into the en suite bathroom, finding it surprisingly spacious and nice, and searched for a wash cloth.
She found one in a drawer under the sink, ran it under cool water and pressed it against her puffy eyes. She tried to take deep breaths, though every time she caught a glimpse of her reflection, fresh tears spilled out. It only made her face more red and puffy, and generally fueled the cycle further.
Between sobs, she could only briefly stop to consider Ames. Tonight was the last straw. Her relationship with him was not salvageable. She could not stand to dwell on what may have happened if she had stayed there, continuing to resist. She refused to be in a relationship where at any time, she could be his victim.
That didn't make it any easier.
Unsure how long he would be, but even more unsure of what she would say to him when he reappeared, she considered her options. The overstuffed armchair in the corner looked inviting, though it had a stack of laundry on it, and she didn't want to disturb his belongings. She was surprised his bed was made, but took at seat at the end of it, dabbing the still-cool wash cloth at her eyes.
She felt guilty for breaking up his dinner party, since he'd just returned from holiday and probably wanted to socialize with people other than his godson. She didn't mean to make herself his responsibility. She hated feeling like a burden.
Her breathing had almost slowed to a normal pace when the door knob squeaked and he entered the bedroom. He didn't seem particularly phased by her presence, which was oddly comforting. He carried two porcelain mugs of tea.
"I thought tea might be nice," he said, offering her a cup, and taking a seat next to her. She accepted it with both hands, not realizing how shaky she was. She concentrated on stilling her visibly trembling wrist. "I sent them home. It's just us here."
She nodded, resigned to the embarrassing fact she'd ruined his evening. Her voice was hoarse as she managed, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said, almost sternly. "I'm glad you came here. You are safe."
"I ruined your dinner party," she said, unable to look at him again.
"Have you got even your wallet on you?" he asked her, as he got up. She shook her head. From the chest at the end of the bed, he pulled a white, hand knit blanket, and gently wrapped it around her bare shoulders. He was careful not to let his fingers brush against her skin, afraid of scaring her. She mouthed thank you, and pulled it tighter around her.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked, any sternness gone from his voice.
She made eye contact with him, which she'd been avoiding, and his green eyes were kind. They were curious and soft, though she sensed they hid a fierce anger behind them.
"What did he do to you?" he asked, softly. He went out to cup her arm with his palm, but jerked it away at the last second, placing his arm awkwardly behind him. "Do you need healing?"
She shook her head quickly, a speediness that caused his anxiety to tick up. He couldn't ask, though he wasn't even sure he wanted to know the details that led to Liv Wellwood ending up in his bed. Well. Not like that. Not like he might have preferred.
"I'm okay," she said. "I promise."
He was silent, nodding. She had a brief suspicion he didn't believe her, but he didn't say anything. "That was the last time this happens."
"Oh?"
"I cannot," she said, her voice beginning to waver, and she worried for a second she would burst back into tears. "I cannot be in a relationship with… I can't share a bed with someone who is okay with hurting me over and over."
"You deserve so much better than he can give you, Liv," Harry said, this time making contact with her arm. She didn't flinch. "I know it's hard to walk away from someone you've been with for so long, and love, but you're doing the right thing. The right thing for you. I promise."
She nodded, unsure of what to say beyond that. "I just need a place to crash tonight. Tomorrow, I'll get my wallet back or go to Gringotts and get access to my money and I'll figure something out from there. But I really appreciate your kindness tonight."
"I have this whole stupid house to myself," he said, gesturing with his right hand towards the entire rest of the huge house. "You can stay as long as you need, Liv. Company might be nice. For both of us."
She wasn't sure what to say to that, or what he even meant by that, so instead she just yawned and nodded.
"Speaking of," he said, taking her empty mug from her. "Why don't I go get a room ready for you, yeah? Do you want something to help you sleep?"
She nodded. She normally had no issues sleeping. But tonight, the thought of basically turning her brain off really appealed to her. From his nightside table, he plucked a small vial of brown liquid. In the brief second the drawer was open, her curiosity was peaked, but it wasn't a conversation for then, not at all.
He offered her the dropper of Calming Draught, but when they both realized her hands were still tremoring, he nudged her jaw up gently with his knuckle and placed them under her tongue himself. She winced at the bitterness before swallowing.
"That should help," he said. "It's always in that drawer if you need it. Why don't you just take some deep breaths, I'll go get the bed made up."
"Can I help?" she asked, though the world around her had started to haze out. He knew this by the look on her face.
"No need, Liv," he said. "Why don't you just relax here, five minutes and we'll have you asleep in your own bed.
When he returned a few moments later, she was asleep on his bed. For the first time since she appeared on his front step, her face wasn't creased with worry. He stopped for a moment to consider what to do. Ultimately, he was just glad that she was okay. He didn't mind sleeping across the hall at all.
She stirred, realizing she'd fallen asleep. The Calming Draught had hit her stronger than he'd anticipated, though he didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing. She was in desperate need of a good night's sleep. "Harry?"
"Go to sleep, Liv," he said, quietly. He loosened the quilt from under her, and tucked it around her. He usually kept his bedroom chilly, and though he didn't think she'd been shaking from cold, he didn't want to make it worse. "We'll get you all situated in the morning, just focus on getting some rest."
"Okay," she breathed, truly not far from sleep.
"I'm just going to get a few of my things, and I'll be in the bed across the hall if you need me."
She nodded. He changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, then went about closing the shades in the bedroom. She lay still in his bed, not quite asleep, but working on slow breaths until she could ease into sleep. She seemed restless, though, and Harry wasn't quite sure what to offer her to help with that. He regretted waking her at all.
Even after swapping his jeans for pajama pants and brushing his teeth, he noticed she was still awake. It was dim in his room, with one light casting a low glow along the opposite wall. He hoped it wasn't the light keeping her up.
"Hard time sleeping?" he asked quietly, as he pulled his book out of his night stand.
She looked up at him and nodded. "I'll be okay, though."
He knew what he wanted to do, and what might help, but he hesitated for a moment before asking. "Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"
She was glad he asked, when she quickly nodded and moved over. He lay next to her, contemplating how to conduct himself. What did Liv need? How could he best support her?
He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and she sighed contentedly into the embrace. She needed comfort, he recognized. Despite embracing her like that for the first time, he tried to remain level headed about how he could soothe her. His fingers brushed through her hair gently, eliciting a soft sigh from her lips. He could see her physically begin to unwind.
He thought she would be rigid against him, or timid, but she seemed to melt into his embrace. Following her cues, he wrapped the other arm around her, circling her waist until his body hugged hers tightly.
"Mmhm," she whispered.
"Is this okay?" he asked her.
"I feel safe now," she murmured.
"You're very safe," he said. "My house has-"
"Exceptionally strong wards," she sleepily said, imitating his tone. He laughed, and she enjoyed the way his cheek shook, pressed against her skin.
"And I won't let anyone get you."
"I know."
They were quiet for a few minutes, and he wasn't quite sure if she'd fallen asleep yet or not. He remained embracing her tightly, like she might float away.
"He'd been drinking," she said. Not in a whisper, but her voice was as soft, and far away as he'd ever heard it. Of course he'd been. Ames was looking for happiness at the bottom of a glass bottle.
"Yeah?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know what came next. Well, he had his ideas of course. But something told him that he needed to let her speak her truth.
"We'd had a nice dinner," she said, a little more definition in her voice. "Truly, it was nice. I saw glimpses of the man I fell in love with. But then when we got home, he insisted…"
Her voice wavered as his heart rate increased.
"He insisted we shag, but I didn't want to, and he thought it was just me playing hard to get, but I made it very clear that wasn't what was happening-"
"He raped you?" he words tumbled out of his mouth, as he reached for his wand.
"No," she said, intently, pushing his hand away from his nightstand. "But if I hadn't left, I'm fairly sure that's would've happened. When I realized he wasn't going to let go of me, I…"
He propped himself up on his elbow to look at her better. "You what, Liv?"
He sincerely hoped she wasn't about to say she used a very dangerous curse on him, though that was exactly what he wanted to do at that moment.
"I kneed him in the balls and ran."
"Good," he said, trying to stifle the anger he felt so intensely towards Ames. "You did the right thing."
"I know," she said, though it was pained. She was tense again, and he relaxed his grip on her. For a moment he thought she might cry again, which was justified, but the Calming Drought had seemed to dry up her tears.
"I'm so sorry, Liv. I'm so sorry you went through that."
She was quiet, and in the still and dark room he tried to figure out what she needed. Absentmindedly, his fingers began stroking her hair again, enjoying its unruliness. The sensation seemed to distract her. He offered her another drop of the Calming Draught, and she accepted.
"You'll help me get out of there?" She asked, a slight tone of misbelief evident in her voice. She was vulnerable, and he knew how alone she'd felt. It was why she'd stayed with Ames so long in the first place.
"Of course," he said. "We'll make a plan tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded slightly, the movement causing her hair to rub pleasantly against his face. "Thank you, Harry."
The tone in her voice made it clear she was fading, drifting off to sleep in his embrace, and he was glad for it. He felt the rise and fall of her chest slowing down and evening out, and waited until he was certain she was totally asleep before he moved at all.
His head spun, while he held her sleeping body. Everything that had happened over the course of the evening took him by complete surprise. He hadn't seen this coming- not her appearance at his house, not Ames' mistreatment of her to the extent he had, not holding her until she felt safe and fell asleep. There hadn't been a girl in this bed for over a year- and now there was. And he wasn't even shagging her.
As tempted as he was to continue to enjoy laying with her, he knew it wasn't best for her. He soaked in a few more moments of the embrace before slowly and carefully untangling his limbs from hers, trying hard not to wake her. She readjusted in her sleep, sliding precisely into the middle of the king sized bed. He couldn't resist pressing a small kiss into her forehead before leaving the room.
He wouldn't have done it if she was awake. He knew about his feelings, but he didn't want to let them lead things. Not right now. She needed stability and safety and his feelings would not foster that. He thought he had done an okay job on concealing them, for now at least.
As he headed downstairs, he felt the searing anger towards Ames hit him in the middle of the chest. Oh, how he wished he could punch him square in his jaw. That would not make Liv's life easier, nor would it be a good headline to wake up to on Monday. It would make everything messy, but the thought hitting his smug face was pleasant.
He found the remnants of dinner in the kitchen, not having thought to charm it to wash itself up. Two notes waited for him on the kitchen counter. One he had expected. One he had not.
He started with Hermione's.
Hoping everything is okay with your friend. Can Ron and I be of any assistance? Please let us know.
It was nice to see you tonight. Seems like Egypt was a successful trip for you and Teddy. What about Romania, next? I could recommend a handful of places that would tie-in nicely with his upcoming curriculums.
With love,
H + R
It was well-intended, if not a bit nosey. He knew he had to respond. How, though? He was unsure he'd even made sense when he'd hurriedly told them that he was sorry, he really needed them to leave, could they talk more later?
Everything is okay. I think she'll be staying with me awhile. It's for the best.
I'll reach out and make plans with you soon. We can discuss Romania then?
He reread it a few times before sending it off. The "It's for the best." line troubled him, because he felt a massive guilt that he knew she hadn't been in a good relationship and hadn't intervened more. But it was for the best, right? Her leaving Ames was a step towards a much better life.
In the end, he sealed it off and sent it, deciding the line could stay.
He opened up the next envelope, a bright orange one with no name on the front.
In messy, smudged ink, a note was scrawled.
I've a room at Daster and Foley's this evening and next, as part of an article Alistair's arranged. Care to join me?
He crumpled the paper up quickly, and stashed it somewhere it wouldn't be found.
Author's Note: What'd you think of this chapter? I know it's what many people have been waiting for! The offer is still on the table, should any chapter I post this week get five reviews, I'll release an extra chapter! Thanks to my beta, potter-reading-coastie, for all his help.