Once again, the light woke her up. This room needed better curtains. When she had her wallet back, she was buying him better curtains. She owed him that, knowing he would never accept money.
Harry's arm was around her loosely, and she could feel him, gently pressing into her backside. She didn't dwell on it, but slipped out of the bed and the embrace to use the bathroom. It was after eight, and she could hear a bit of commotion Teddy was causing downstairs. Out of curiosity, she quietly shut the door and moved down the stairs.
In the living room, the radio was on and he was reading. It was on pretty damn loud, but he lowered it when he saw her.
"Your music's pretty loud, bud," she said.
"I wanted to wake Harry up without actually waking Harry up," he admitted, and they both laughed. "Can you make pancakes as good as his?"
"Nope," she said. "I won't lie to you. But if you want, I'm sure we can go whip something up in the kitchen."
"What do you like to eat?" She asked.
"I like pretty much anything," he said.
She opened the fridge. Harry's fridge may have looked plentiful, but he had only one egg left, so that wasn't helpful. She pulled out the griddle and the package of pancake mix, and decided to give it a go.
"The chocolate chips are in the left cabinet," Teddy reminded her from the table.
"Can't forget those," she said. "Why don't you go get that radio? I'm a Weird Sisters fan."
His eyes lit up, and he was off to get it. She set it up next to the griddle, where she'd just poured two big pancakes and covered them in chocolate chips. He turned the radio up again, and they both danced around the kitchen to the music. She started to throw chocolate chips at him, which he was surprisingly good at catching, despite their little dance party.
Harry woke to the faint sound of the Weird Sisters and a room full of bright sunshine. He rubbed at his eyes and grabbed for his glasses. There was an impression in his bed where Liv's body had rested last night, and he smiled fondly.
Wondering what the music was all about, he swung his legs over and out of bed and headed downstairs. He paused just outside the kitchen, watching Liv fling chocolate chips at Teddy across the room. He couldn't help but take her in for a second. Her dark hair was all over the place, and Ginny's old clothes didn't quite fit her. The red, flannel pants stopped mid calf. But that did not stop him from admiring her every movement.
He was exercising the utmost restraint with her. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her. He wanted to snog her, to feel her body wriggle in pleasure beneath his- but he knew there was a long way to go for that. Patience, Hermione had reminded him, when they'd spoken last.
They then saw him enter the kitchen and froze for a second. Liv flipped the slightly burnt pancakes, then moved towards him. "Come dance with us."
He took her hand, spinning her in the small kitchen, before the song ended and a commercial came on. Teddy lowered the radio, and took a seat at the table.
"Oh," Liv said, sounding dejected. "I think they're ruined."
The pancakes were burnt on the outside, but still doughy in the inside. "Perhaps you should let the real professional take a try."
Liv playfully glared at him, before taking a seat next to Teddy at the table.
"He usually throws the first pancake away too," Teddy informed her, whispering loudly.
Harry turned around, letting them both know he heard, but they just smiled at him innocently.
"How about some bananas in today's pancakes, eh?" Harry asked. "Your Nan wants you getting those fruit and vegetables."
"I had three servings in dinner last night," Teddy explained. "Pineapple, jalapeño, and onion. Oh, and there was a piece of lettuce on the sandwich Liv made me yesterday. I think that means I'm good for at least a week."
They both laughed at his attempt at an argument, but Liv grabbed a banana and began slicing it up, handing a few slices at a time for Harry to place in the pancakes.
"I'll take the end," Harry said, and she held it up for him to eat out of her grip. His lips grabbed it from between her thumb and forefinger, and she felt like it was a very intimate gesture. She felt no need to be shy here. For whatever reason, she was incredibly comfortable around him.
They enjoyed their pancakes- banana and a few chocolate chips, at Teddy's insistence.
"You about ready to go back to Nan's?" Harry asked as they finished up eating.
Teddy made a face. "Do I have to?"
"Yes," Harry said, sternly. "You know she needs your help 'round the house."
Teddy nodded. "Can I come back next weekend? I really want to teach and beat Liv at chess."
She smiled, feeling an unusual feeling in her chest. She realized it was the first time in a long time someone had explicitly wanted her around. It was such a nice feeling. Harry laughed. "We'll see if we can work something out, yeah? Now c'mon, let's get you all packed to go."
She helped him clear the dishes. "I'll just be gone about fifteen minutes dropping him off at 'Dromeda's."
"Okay," she said, charming the dishes to wash themselves.
"Why don't you take a bath while I'm gone?" He asked. "The one in my bathroom's quite nice, I'm sure you could use the relaxing..."
"That sounds nice, actually."
"Then we'll get ready to repo your stuff?"
She nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
She made her way upstairs, stopping in Teddy's room to say goodbye. She noticed the posters all over his room, noting his good taste. "Will I see you next weekend?"
She honestly had no clue how to answer that, but felt awful at the idea of letting the kid down. "You'll see me soon, Teddy. Promise."
He gave her a big hug, which surprised her, since she wasn't a particularly affectionate person. Except maybe she was, and just hadn't known it. Or had the opportunities to express it. She ruffled his hair, noticing it had lightened just a tad during their embrace.
"Be good to your Nan," she said, backing out of the bedroom and heading to Harry's bathroom. He was right, the large, white marble tub looked like the perfect place to unwind. She turned the tap on hot, threw some eucalyptus scented Epsom salt in, and got in herself.
The hot water was soothing against her achy skin, and she let her body relax against the sloped back of the tub. She took in deep breaths of the earthy scented steam, trying to find peace within her.
She was eternally grateful for Harry's presence the past few days. He kept her moving and happy. He and Teddy had made her feel more a part of something then she ever had.
But she knew that going to collect her belongings from the apartment would be hard. She was not looking forward to it, and prayed that Ames would not be there.
She thought about him, and couldn't feel anything but anger right now. He had been the closest thing she had to family since her mother passed, and he had betrayed that trust. She had done so much for him, put up with so much. And it all meant nothing now. Years, down the drain.
She was sure he thought it was her fault, somehow. She didn't understand he was just joking. She was too sensitive. She didn't understand the stress of his career. All his mistakes could be explained away with her shortcomings.
After about twenty minutes, she drained the tub, got dressed and decided she was ready. Harry was in the kitchen, the radio on, covering Ames' game.
"Let's do this."
"They just announced he's on the bench today," Harry said. "But he is there, so let's go."
Ames wasn't intelligent enough to change the wards, so they went right through the Floo.
"Swanky place," Harry commented, though it felt more sterile than attractive today.
They started in the bedroom, with Liv piling all her clothing into a box. Next was the few things she kept at her bureau, her perfume and makeup came with her, but she left the diamond pendant that Ames had given her for her last birthday. She didn't want to take that with her.
She took her underwear drawer out of its track, dumping the whole thing into another box. She could go through that later. On top of that box, she stuck her two pillows, sans cases.
Harry piled up the boxes by the Floo, so that when she was done, they could leave immediately. She had so much stuff in the bathroom. Did she even use this much stuff? Hell no, but she certainly wasn't leaving it.
"Kitchen stuff?" Harry asked, peeking in a cabinet.
"He can have that," Liv said. "I'm not going to be petty and take the couch I paid for either."
"Is there anything else, then?" He asked, looking around.
She had yet to find her wallet. Nothing inside was sentimental, but her work badge and sixty galleons were in there. She needed it.
"Where the fuck did he put my bag? I haven't seen it or my wallet anywhere." She muttered, tearing through the cabinets and all the hidden places of the flat. As she opened the hall closet, she noticed a particularly important box.
"Oh," she said, frozen in her tracks.
"What's that?" He asked, picking it up.
"Everything I have that was my mother's," she said. "I can't believe I almost forgot that."
"It's okay. Look, I'll hand deliver it to the house, and you keep looking for your bag."
It wasn't in the washer or dryer. Not under the bed. It wasn't hanging off the balcony. She couldn't believe him. He was keeping it hostage so she would have to see him.
That was the tipping point.
She'd managed to keep her cool until now, but she found herself sitting in the hallway, sobbing. She was glad Harry was elsewhere, because she would have been hideously embarrassed acting like this in front of anyone.
She loved Ames for so long, part of her still did. Maybe, part of her would always love him. Who he was. Why did the one person she picked to settle down with end up to be an abusive arse? Why was that her luck? Where had she gone wrong?
She didn't want to admit it, but this was grief she was feeling, and she hated it. She despised that she was dwelling on someone who had treated her like he did.
"Oh dear," Harry said, coming back to her side of the Floo to find her crying.
"Please," she begged. "I just need a moment. I'll be fine."
He moved the rest of the boxes through to the other side, before joining her on the floor. He put his arm around her gently, giving her the chance to back away, but she leaned in instead.
"I thought I had a future with him," she said, in a strained voice between sobs.
"I know," he said, rubbing her shoulder. "It's so incredibly hard to walk away from a long relationship."
"I thought we were on the same page, on the same team," she cried. "Why did he hurt me?"
"I can't answer that," he said, soothingly. "But I think we should get back to my place. We'll figure out the wallet thing tomorrow."
"I can't work if I don't have my badge," she said, a fresh round of tears springing to her eyes. "And they need me at work."
"Liv, we'll figure something out, I promise you. Now let's get out of here, please."
She gave the apartment one last glance, as if saying goodbye, then followed Harry into the Floo.
She was tired. It had been a long day, and she was emotionally drained, so she crawled into Harry's bed. He joined her, wrapping his arm around her, encouraged by her leaning into the embrace.
"I don't know what I'm doing," she said.
"About what?" He asked.
"About where I should live," she said. "I don't want to intrude more than I already have, I mean you have your friends and Teddy and he deserves some stability-"
"But?" He asked, knowing it was coming.
"I feel so safe here," she said, meekly.
"You are so safe here," he said. "You've seen my wards. Nothing can happen to you here."
She was quiet, focusing on her breathing.
"If you want to get your own place, by all means. I'll help you look, and I'll make sure you get all moved in. I'll put the same wards up that I have here," he said, running his hand up and down her arm. "But if you feel safest here, you're welcome to stay as long as you like."
There was a pause in their conversation as he could see her dark eyes mulling it over. He could tell she wasn't done asking questions.
"What...are we doing?" she asked, quietly.
He sighed. "I don't know, Liv. I like… whatever's happening though."
"Me too," she whispered.
"So, just let things progress naturally. You're welcome to the room across the hall. I want you to be comfortable."
"I'm comfortable here," she said, turning her body to face his. "If that's alright."
"Absolutely," he said.
She moved her face slowly towards his, until he met her lips with his. Every single part of her felt happy in that moment, a new kind of exhilarating comfort that made every cell feel more alive.
He continued the kiss, running his hand lightly through her hair and cupping her head so he was kissing her at precisely the right angle. The way he handled her body was new to her. It felt reverent.
"I've wanted that for so long," he said, a happy smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile herself. "One step at a time, Liv."
"One step at a time," she agreed.