Wheels Within Wheels – Part Three
Iolanthe
Chapter Thirty-Six
Another Project for Iolanthe
The witches felt the magic when they crossed the threshold into the first of the Egyptian galleries. Iolanthe saw the great bust of Ramses up ahead before it saw her. She thought it was another museum piece on display until she heard his voice.
"The Greek said you'd be along," she heard.
Ramses' eyes shifted to follow her path between the glass cases.
"I've been here before, and you've never spoken," Iolanthe thought. "Why are you breaking your silence now?"
"Have you considered your ears may not have been capable of hearing?" asked the Great King. "Besides, you should know, it is very poor manners to question me without being invited. You don't want it going around that you are careless about protocol."
"Forgive me, my lord," Iolanthe said, looking down. "Thank you for your divine guidance. Of course I await your instructions."
"Oh," said Ramses, "You're a quick-learning little witch, aren't you? Here's a bit of a secret, just between us—I'm not divine, strictly speaking. Not anymore. I did have the priests enchant this thing though so I could inhabit it after my death. I do like watching the passing parade. I'm not allowed to give you instructions, per se, because the rules say you mortals have to be free to operate without benefit of inside information from museum pieces like me. Just know that we all wish you good luck."
"Iolanthe? Iolanthe Astoria?"
Iolanthe turned to Kendra, then Daphne.
"I'm sorry, was that you?" she asked Kendra.
"It was," Kendra said. "Having a little reverie?"
"Oh," Iolanthe answered, "You noticed. There's such a mixture of sensations in here, I can't sort it out. Voices…"
She looked back at Ramses, but the Great King's stone eyes stared straight ahead, as they had for thousands of years.
Daphne looked at Iolanthe, not saying anything. She did have her first and second fingers and thumb inside the left cuff of her blouse, though, which Iolanthe knew was the usual place she concealed her wand.
"It's getting better," Iolanthe said. "It was just when we came in…"
"Overwhelming," Kendra finished for her. "It can be that, I can attest. Lawrence and I were here once, with some others, and poor Lawrence was really affected. He is very sensitive to magic going on nearby, so he was not at all happy here. I think he swore off these kinds of museums and sticks to art galleries.
"So," Kendra continued, "The Rosetta Stone."
Iolanthe had seen it before but she stood, wooden, looking at the hieroglyphics, the demotic, and the Greek texts. She heard the scribes repeating the words as they carved them into the stone. The sounds were intertwined and confused, but the ideas came through. Iolanthe had not studied legilimency, but she was aware of it, and appreciated its utility for a witch. She let her eyelids droop, and her eyes go out of focus, while she felt the thoughts behind the text.
"Ptolemy V decreed…the leaders of the rebels were impaled on stakes…the soldiers and officers were rewarded by Ptolemy according to rank…"
Of course, the Ptolemies weren't Egyptian at all, not like the Great King Ramses. Foreign usurpers would have to use money and terror to hold their kingdom, wouldn't they? Not like the Great King, who led from his war chariot, letting his soldiers see his divine person in front, showing the way to victory. They followed because he was divine, and their king, and they would not wish to be anyplace else on Earth than exactly where they were, following him.
"Very good, young witch," said Ramses' voice, cutting through the clutter, the crazy-quilted sounds. "You're learning, aren't you? If we are cut, we bleed, if we are clubbed, we fall, but while we live we can always lead, if we believe. Can you do it?"
"Yes," thought Iolanthe, although she had no idea why she thought she could.
"I know you can," said Ramses. "So does the Greek, and her husband. Remember that when the time comes. Inventory your resources, know your troops, and be ready to throw it all in at the moment of crisis. Your cause is just."
"Iolanthe?"
She looked around. It was Daphne this time.
"Mother?"
"Everything alright?"
"Perfect," Iolanthe replied. "Were we going to have pizza?"
Kendra and Daphne exchanged looks.
"Just a healthy teenager keeping her priorities straight," Kendra said, smiling. "It does seem like it's time for lunch. Let's see, what do we have over this way?"
Kendra led the way. They left the Rosetta Stone behind and stepped into a large open space. Iolanthe saw the sign that said 'Bookstore.' She could smell food before she looked around the area and spotted a café to her left.
"I don't think they have pizza here," Daphne said. "I think it is the other way."
"This is it," Iolanthe said. "We need to be over there."
She indicated some tables in a corner of the great room. A skylight with an intricate framing pattern let in sunlight.
"I need to see," Iolanthe said as they found a table. "Let me sit looking that way."
Kendra and Daphne didn't know what to think of this Iolanthe. Theirs was always so deferential.
"What does everyone want?" Daphne asked. "It's easier if I just order for all of us."
"One of those wraps," Iolanthe said, sitting up in her chair, watching the people coming and going. Now and then she would hear something coming in from the galleries that she could decipher. She didn't know most of the languages, although she recognized the Latin and French speakers. She fingered the locket that hung a few inches below her chin.
The food arrived and Iolanthe cut her wrap into smaller pieces, keeping her eyes on the court most of the time. Iolanthe had just popped a chunk in her mouth when she stood up.
"Over here," she called.
Kendra and Daphne looked around and saw a young woman, probably in her late teens, with black hair worn tucked under an emerald green headband, wearing a green blouse, a black skirt, and plain black trainers without any decoration.
The young woman froze for a moment, as if debating whether she wanted to join the group, or just keep going. Iolanthe nodded toward Kendra and Daphne.
"They don't bite," she assured Lissette. "Here, sit down. I just cut this up, so it's not even germ-y. Eat something.
"Mother, Grandmother, this is Lissette Lestrange, another Slytherin witch," Iolanthe began. "This is my mother, Lissette-Daphne Potter, and my grandmother, Kendra Greengrass."
The older witches turned on the graciousness of which they each had vast reservoirs.
"Another Slytherin, how wonderful," Daphne said.
"Oh, I should say so," Kendra added in support. "You've just finished sixth year, Lissette? Did I get that right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lissette said. She picked up one of Iolanthe's bite-sized pieces of veggie wrap and bit off half. She chewed slowly, her eyelids drooping.
"Mmm-mmm," Lissette said, before popping the remainder in her mouth.
"I skipped breakfast," Lissette said. "These are really good."
She picked up another of Iolanthe's mini-wraps.
"Where did you come from?" Daphne asked. "If I'm not prying…"
"I…," Lissette began.
Daphne knew when someone was finding it difficult to converse. She spent her working hours patiently waiting for people to get around to revealing what was actually bothering them.
"Go ahead and eat, Lissette," Daphne said. "No need to try to talk and eat at the same time. Don't pay any attention to us.
"Iolanthe, what is your cousin getting for his birthday?" Daphne asked.
"From, ahh…" Iolanthe was stumbling now.
"Of course," Daphne said. "I think I know all the others."
"Oh?" Kendra asked, betraying a little surprise.
"According to Father…" Daphne began, before Kendra cut her off.
"The nerve of that man," Kendra said, just a little hot, "His evening just became considerably more difficult."
Iolanthe almost got a giggling fit, watching the two of them go at it. It was a lot more fun than sitting there while her mother called her father a monster.
"Slippers, leather sole, knit uppers," she managed.
"Did you see them?" Kendra asked.
"As of Friday, only one was finished, but there is still plenty of time."
"I had to get out of the house," Lissette said, the words coming out in a rush. "It wasn't safe for me there anymore."
She looked down at the napkin she'd spread out for her pieces from Iolanthe's wrap. Her statement, delivered without any introductory framing, took everyone by surprise. Iolanthe was the first to get her wits back.
"Lissette, I was afraid it was something like that. Do you want to talk about it here, or go for a walk someplace?" Iolanthe asked.
Lissette kept her eyes on the napkin. She put her fingertips to her temples and continued staring down.
"If they find me they'll take me back," she said.
"No they won't," said the other three at once.
Lissette looked around the table. "How..." she started, then stopped.
"Lissette, Mother is a Healer. She works at St. Mungo's," Iolanthe said.
"If you're in danger, or if you have good reason to believe you are, I am obligated to report what I know to the proper authorities," Daphne said.
"That could make it worse," Lissette said. "They have lawyers…"
"Darn this thing, I think it has a little burr on it," Iolanthe said, reaching up for the clasp that closed the chain for her locket. "There."
She brought the two ends of the chain around and pressed the release on the locket, sliding it over in front of Lissette. The open locket sat there while Iolanthe rubbed the clasp with her thumbnail. When she stopped rubbing, she turned and looked at Lissette, then back down at the open locket. Daphne saw a little note in the locket, where normally a photo was placed.
"Do you want to speak to someone official?" the note said.
Lissette continued to look down, head immobile in her fingertips, thinking. Iolanthe clicked the locket closed and put it back on. As she lowered her arms she felt something sharp press into her shoulder. More accurately, she felt some sharp things pressing into her shoulder. Iolanthe turned her head and was face to face with an owl.
"Can they see you?" she thought.
"No," she heard.
"Your stepmother…?" Iolanthe thought.
"Perhaps," said the owl. "Are you ready?"
"If someone thinks they are going to mess with this witch I am," Iolanthe said. "She is now under my protection."
Iolanthe emphasized the MY.
Later she thought through her conversation with Athena and wondered where she'd gotten that slightly excessive bravado. If she were to put anyone under her protection, one would have thought it would have been James, or Rose, or Zelda, even the twins. She decided, eventually, that it didn't matter.
"Oh, fighting spirit," Iolanthe heard. "You know that is ambrosia to me. If you're provoked, don't hold back. No one will blame you for defending those who need defending."
A hulk of a man walked up and stood behind Kendra and Daphne.
"Lissette!" he said, in a voice too loud for the surroundings.
Lissette jerked upright, her face a mask of terror.
"Get out here!" he growled. His face was flushed, and he wore a traveling cape that was much too warm for the early June day. Iolanthe thought from the shimmering air around him that he must have occluded himself from the muggles' sight, but he was fully visible to witches and wizards.
Kendra and Daphne were still just starting to react to the unwelcome presence, when Iolanthe slammed her open hand down on the table, standing up at the same instant.
"NO," Iolanthe said, "YOU will be getting out of here and letting me get on with having lunch with my friend. Begone! You have provoked me enough for one day."
Daphne and Kendra sat, frozen. What witch had possessed Iolanthe? Their sweet magical naturalist couldn't be doing that, could she?
"Why…," the man started, reaching inside his cape, where Iolanthe assumed a wand waited in a sheath sewn just into the left side.
"Enough!" Iolanthe repeated, bringing the disbelieving face back to her from Lissette, just as her headful of platinum hair transformed into a headful of platinum adders, all writhing to and fro, their reptilian eyes, and Iolanthe's, fixed on the intruder's. The man, who didn't even get his wand clear of its sheath, stiffened, then toppled backwards, as if he were a statue someone had pushed off its plinth. Iolanthe stepped around the table. The man still shimmered at his edges, so it seemed to Iolanthe that he remained occluded, in his paralysis. She stopped thinking of snakes. She didn't want to frighten any of the muggles, other than for reasons of operational necessity.
"O Great King?" she thought.
"It's the little sorceress," she heard Ramses say. "Somehow witch just doesn't seem quite grand enough anymore, does it? What can I do for you?"
"He needs to hear the laments of the dead, but softly, while I counsel him. Can you do that?"
"Oh, I thought you were going to ask me something hard," said Ramses, "Right, you can proceed, he hears them now."
The man's eyes said he was conscious and not at all happy listening to the weeping and wailing of sinners from the underworld. Iolanthe stood over him, looking into his streaming eyes.
"You will get up and walk out of here, soon, but Lissette Lestrange is lost to you. She is under my protection now, until I declare otherwise. You are listening to the sounds of your new home, if you ever intrude on us again," Iolanthe concluded. The owl on her shoulder gave her a little more of a squeeze, though not enough for her talons to puncture.
"Bring your lunch, if you want to finish it," Iolanthe said to Lissette. She looked at Daphne and Kendra, her demeanor indicating she was leaving, if they were interested in coming along.
"Happy?" Iolanthe thought, thinking of the owl.
"Ecstatic," was her reply.
"I will not stand by and see witches mistreated," Iolanthe declared. She still felt a little battle heat, so she tried to moderate the emotion. She knew she had to get outside, fast, and cool down, or she risked doing some real damage.
"Got to fly," said the owl. "Whenever you do what is right, you'll carry my spear and shield."
"Give Auntie my love?" Iolanthe thought.
"Of course," the owl said, and Iolanthe felt the pressure released from her shoulder.
"Mother," Iolanthe said as they walked down the stairs at the front of the building. "Do you feel like a walk?"
"I've been craving a walk," Daphne said. "Mother? Islington? Walkies?"
"Do you still refer to yourself as a country bumpkin witch?" Kendra asked.
"Sometimes," Daphne answered.
"I could use a walk," Kendra admitted. "Even if this is concrete underfoot."
The British Museum to #12 Grimmauld Place is a route measured in miles, but Iolanthe used every yard to cool down, and probably could have walked on if she hadn't worn out her escorts. She walked with her chin jutting and her teeth clenched, not saying anything for the first few blocks, everyone giving her some distance, but then she tired of reviewing her little scrape over and over. Eventually she fell in with Kendra, who kept in very good shape rambling around the fields and lanes at Greengrass Manor, and they embarked on a long, disorganized conversation about Anglo-Saxons, brooches, capes, Iolanthe's need to go back to the museum shop and look through those lovely picture postcards of the items on exhibit and see if she couldn't find one with a medieval brooch that she could have the goblins copy. Exhausting Anglo-Saxons, they moved on to marbles, Hera, the ancients, Astoria and The Odyssey, and Iolanthe's dream of someday walking home to Devon from Hogwarts.
Kendra turned around and looked back at Daphne and Lissette, who were involved in some deep conversation, before she raised another issue.
"What are you going to do with Lissette?" Kendra asked. "You declared her under your protection. That is a very old concept, hardly ever used anymore, but as far as I know, it continues to be the law."
"Hmm…tell me about it?" Iolanthe asked.
"As I understand it, powerful people, not always titled, but usually, would protect the weaker members of their communities by declaring them under their protection. Young widows who might be seen by unscrupulous wizards as fair game for exploitation, orphaned children who weren't necessarily blood relations, that sort of thing. There weren't official protective services then. The concept evolved to a formal relationship. Your father can find out the details for you."
"Ah," Iolanthe said. "So I've adopted a Slytherin witch? That's rich."
"Something like that," Kendra said.
Iolanthe turned around to see Daphne and Lissette bringing up the rear, still locked into their one-on-one.
"I'll treat her humanely, see that she finishes her education, and negotiate a good marriage contract for her," Iolanthe said. "It looks like that will be an improvement over whatever was going on at home."
"Iolanthe Astoria, you're aptly named, although, your aunt never declared anyone under her protection," Kendra said. "At least not to my knowledge. That might be a first, for the Potter and Greengrass families."
The blocks flew by. It was a beautiful June day in London, a delight to the eyes, walking through the physical record of two millenia of Londoners' work, imagination and energy.
"This is it," Iolanthe said, turning around and pointing to the stairs that led up to the front door of #12 Grimmauld Place. "Home."
Kreacher opened the door when Daphne's foot touched the top step.
"Welcome home, Lady Daphne, and Lady Kendra, an honor as always, and Miss Iolanthe and friend," said Kreacher. Iolanthe was happy to see he was wearing his tunic, in honor of Monday, or something. She didn't really care what the reason was, it was just a more pleasing look for a well-wrinkled house elf than a threadbare terry sarong.
"Lord Harry, Mistress Tracey and Mistress Victoire are upstairs with young Masters Fabio and Kingsley, and Master James Greengrass and Master Teddy are in the garden."
"Thank-you, Kreacher, that is so kind of you. May I introduce Miss Lissette Lestrange, who will be spending some time with us?" Daphne said. "Lissette, Kreacher manages #12 Grimmauld Place. There is a lot of magic at work here, and you won't learn your way around it overnight. I strongly suggest you accept that and learn a little at a time. Kreacher can be a big help.
"Now, Kreacher, we've just had a wonderful walk so I think we're all ready for some of your iced tea with lemon, if you please?"
"Of course, Madame," Kreacher said, before popping out of sight, presumably to the kitchen.
"Sweetheart, Lissette may want to wash up, can you show her the bath on the third floor, and make sure there is a towel and whatever she needs?" Daphne said to Iolanthe.
"Certainly, Mother," Iolanthe said. "This way."
"Everything's occupied on the second floor, but these are all nice bedrooms," Iolanthe said, becoming something like the #12 Grimmauld Place bell-person.
"I suggest this one," she said, pushing a door open. The room was nice, if a bit plain. No one occupied it full-time, so no one had put a personal touch on anything.
"What did you leave with?" Iolanthe asked.
"This is it," Lissette said, sweeping her hand down in front of herself.
"Mmm-hmm, okay," Iolanthe said. "That needs attention. You can wear some of my things, with an expansion charm, but that won't do you for long. What do you like when you're not in school?"
"Jeans. These trainers. Blouses like this one," Lissette replied.
"Okay, we'll make do until we can shop," Iolanthe said. "Bathroom's this way."
The bathrooms stayed fully set up all the time. Kreacher loved being able to say 'Yes' whenever Harry or Daphne asked if they could accommodate a guest on short notice, so he always took care to have the baths ready to go. Iolanthe showed Lissette where everything was, then left her alone. She pulled her largest pair of jeans and a blouse that fit her loosely from her closet and took them back upstairs. She was thinking they might have to do a little visit to Diagon Alley that afternoon and acquire a barebones kit for Lissette so she at least owned a change of clothes, when Lissette walked in wrapped in her towel.
"Better?" Iolanthe asked.
Lissette just nodded.
"Some things," Iolanthe said, indicating the jeans and blouse. "Feel free to enlarge them, if you need to. If you don't want to do it yourself there are witches around here who are good at that sort of thing."
"Thank-you," Lissette said. "What should I call you?"
"Call me Iolanthe," answered Iolanthe. "I'll get out of here. Take a nap if you want."
Lissette sat down on the bed.
"Oh," she said, "You don't want to…?"
"What?" asked Iolanthe. "What's on your mind?"
"You don't want me to, ahh…" Lissette tried, but ran out of words. Instead, she stood back up, unwrapped the towel, and dropped it on the floor, before lying down and getting comfortable.
"No-o-o-o, that's not what we're here for. I think you misunderstood," Iolanthe said. Another thought occurred to her, unbidden, and very discomfiting.
"Lissette, what were they making you do?"
"Oh, Oh Merlin!" Lissette burst out. "What have I done? I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Iolanthe saw another intervention in her immediate future, just like the one at Hogwarts nearly two years before. Again, she knew she was on the spot and out of her depth, but she couldn't walk away.
"Here," Iolanthe said, holding out her clean jeans and blouse, "Put these on. Forget underneath, just get dressed. The other stuff will work itself out."
Iolanthe turned her back and waited.
"Okay," said Lissette, between sniffles.
"Time for iced tea, come," Iolanthe announced, and went out the door to the stairs.
Teddy and James were planting and generally making a mess in the garden, but they were fully absorbed and probably wouldn't be interested in eavesdropping. Iolanthe took Lissette to the kitchen, poured their iced tea, and went back to the second drawing room and closed the door. Iolanthe was accomplished at quite a few spells and charms, so Harry and Daphne had a rule that she could use her own judgment and cast whatever she needed, inside the house. The wards at #12 were layered. Even though Iolanthe and James had the Trace on them, there wouldn't be any embarrassing letters from the ministry complaining about underage magic over the odd muffliato.
"Lissette," Iolanthe began.
"Yes, Miss Iolanthe," Lissette replied.
"You don't have to call me Miss," Iolanthe said. "What has been going on?"
Lissette Lestrange let out a long sigh.
"That man today was my step-father," she said. "My father and mother split up years ago and my mother remarried. Last year they started to go to lectures. Jacques Lafleur lectures, where Jacques sits on a cushion and chants and talks about philosophy and magic and how witches and wizards are all natural-born philosophers, studying with him multiplies one's power, and so on. They really got into it. They went on retreats with others from the lectures, to learn advanced exercises. All of our money, which wasn't a lot, started to go to the organization, one way or another. Then one of the leaders took a fancy to me, and I had to sleep with him when the family went on the retreats.
"He got tired of me pretty quickly. I was a virgin when he picked me out. I didn't know anything, and I was scared, so I just went limp. He didn't like that, so he started looking for someone else and I was back in the pool. Another leader said he'd see what he could do with me, maybe I just needed to learn some techniques. Ugh. Disaster. Then one of the senior women…"
Lissette stopped.
"Upstairs, I thought…"
"Don't think about it," Iolanthe said. "That's already over. Look ahead. We have to figure out what you're going to do next. Did you plan to go to Hogwarts for seventh year?"
"I wanted to, but it might not be safe," Lissette said. "I know you're really powerful, but they're everywhere. They're the ones handing out the flyers on the platforms at the train stations. Besides, I don't have any money now. I don't know what I'm going to do."
The last came out in a bit of a wail.
"We have three months," Iolanthe said. "It will all get sorted. Want to meet the family?"
Without waiting for an answer, Iolanthe took the iced tea glasses and walked out into the hallway. She went down the stairs into the kitchen and put the glasses on the drainboard. Kreacher didn't seem to be nearby so Iolanthe led the way back out into the hall and upstairs.
"Hullo?" Iolanthe called out, knocking on the master bedroom door.
"Come in," Daphne said.
Harry, Daphne, Kendra, Tracey and Victoire were spread around the room. Tracey and Victoire held Fabio and Kingsley.
"Introductions," Iolanthe said. "Everyone, this is Lissette Lestrange, who is a few years ahead of me. She just finished sixth year. Lissette, this is my father, Harry Potter, you know my mother and grandmother, then this is my mother's cousin Tracey Davis, you know Zelda, the Gryffindor keeper, Tracey is Zelda's mother, and this is my cousin Victoire Weasley Lupin."
"Pleased to meet everyone," Lissette said. "Thank you for everything."
"Of course," Harry said. "You're finding your way around our little piece of London okay?"
"So far," Lissette said. "Can I look at the babies?"
"Sure, here, let's get you a rocker and you can hold one. Whose arm is tired?" Daphne asked. She took Fabio from Tracey, who gave up her chair so Lissette could sit.
"This is Fabio Evans," Daphne said, arranging Fabio on Lissette's lap, carefully placing his head in the crook of her arm. "Have you held babies before?"
"Not a lot," Lissette admitted.
"Well, the thing to watch out for is their heads," Daphne said. "They don't have any strength in their necks, so their little heads can flop around and that's not good. If you need to adjust their position, reach around with your other hand and support the head. Other than that, just make him feel secure and stable and he'll sleep until he's hungry."
Lissette adapted quickly to baby holding, putting the tip of her finger in Fabio Evans' tiny hand and feeling his reflexive grip. Things went well at first, until Lissette slowly tipped forward from her waist, her torso arched over little Fabio. Daphne crossed to Lissette and slipped her hands under her baby, extracting him without disturbing his sleep. She handed him off to Harry, who was sitting on the edge of their bed, before turning back to the non-responsive Lissette.
"Maybe everyone could leave us?" Healer Daphne asked, although it was not really a question. "Babies can go to their cradles. Mother, if you'd stay behind…"
Everyone left but Kendra. They got Lissette upright in the chair and Daphne drew her wand.
"There are some hand towels in the bathroom, Mother, if you could soak one in cold water and bring it out," said Daphne, moving her wand over Lissette.
"Just hold it on her forehead," Daphne said, then went silent while she held Lissette's wrist.
"Kreacher," Daphne called.
"Kreacher is here, Mistress," said the elf as he materialized.
"Kreacher, we need a glass of orange juice right away, then you can go back and make a sandwich for Miss Lissette, something with some protein, meat, chicken, sprouts, whatever you have on hand," instructed Daphne.
"Of course, Mistress," Kreacher said before he disappeared.
The orange juice arrived as Daphne was getting Lissette back to consciousness.
"What happened?" Lissette asked.
"A little fainting, I'd say," said Daphne. "Here—sip, don't gulp. What have you been doing since the train, before you met us in the café?"
Lissette started to talk, slowly at first, but getting stronger as she went on.
"Friday night there was a lot of shouting. My parents are followers of Jacques Lafleur. I told them I'd decided it wasn't for me and I wouldn't be going to any more of the activities," Lissette said. She took a moment for some more orange juice.
"There were some slaps. I was to be locked up until it was time to go," she said, then stopped again.
"I kicked my stepfather in the shin and managed to get out of the house. Thank Merlin I passed my apparation test. I took two days and nights getting to London. I didn't come directly. I ate behind those muggle burger restaurants. At night. Like an animal."
Lissette didn't continue, but stared out over the rim of her glass at the floor.
"From the trash."
Kendra made it a statement. She looked at Daphne, her face grim. Lissette just nodded.
"I didn't have a place to go. I didn't want to bring anyone trouble, so I kept moving, slept rough…" said Lissette, clearly not a witch used to those kinds of conditions.
"Lissette, if I'm going to help you, I need you to tell me the truth about a couple of things," Daphne said. She reached over and took Lissette's hand.
"I can't gossip or talk about your business outside this room, without your permission. I'm speaking as a Healer. Do you understand? And my mother," Daphne looked at Kendra. "Well, she could teach me some things about confidentiality, okay?"
Lissette nodded again.
"Do you remember when you had your last period?"
Lissette nodded.
"March," she said. "Second week of March."
"And have you had sexual intercourse between then and now?"
Another nod.
"They took me to a weekend seminar the first and second of April. Lafleur's deputy. Ohh-I'm pregnant, aren't I?"
Daphne caught Kendra's look. It was now beyond grim. It might have been lethal.
"I suspect you are," Daphne said, giving Lissette's hand a squeeze. "I can't do the definitive testing here, but the signs are all present, and the timing is right. The last forty-eight hours' stress, inadequate nourishment, a little fainting episode, early stage pregnancy would fit that quite neatly."
It had all been building up to this point, and Lissette couldn't hold it any longer. She let out a low moan and sank against the back of the rocker, tears pouring down her face.
"Oh, Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, what am I going to do?" she wailed.
"Come over here, dear," Kendra said, taking the hand Daphne wasn't holding. She led Lissette over to the armchair by the window, sat down, and pulled Lissette onto her lap. She sat there, holding Lissette and saying soothing things, for close to half an hour.
"It will all be fine, dear, you're with some competent witches now. How old are you?"
"Seventeen. Almost seventeen. Later this month," Lissette said.
Kendra looked at Daphne, her growing anger showing clearly, while her voice got smoother and softer.
"The people who did this to you are criminals, Lissette," Kendra said. "You didn't do anything wrong, do you understand?"
"But I…," Lissette managed.
"You haven't achieved your majority, so the man who did this raped you. You couldn't consent, because you weren't of age. That is rape. You had no part in it, other than being a young girl who wasn't given a choice. Now you're here, and we will see none of those people can hurt you again. You have nothing to be ashamed of. This was done TO you, it wasn't anything you did. Understand?"
"Please, please…" Lissette's speech began edging toward the inarticulate.
"Lissette, you need to listen to me, carefully," Kendra said. "Can you do that?"
Lissette just nodded.
"You need to finish your sandwich, or as much as you can, and then you need some sleep, and tomorrow we'll all get up fresh and face the day. Right now, no one but the three people in this room know about your condition," Kendra went on. "It is best if we keep it that way for now. I don't think you should discuss this with anyone, including Iolanthe. Don't you agree, Daphne?"
"Yes, Mother," Daphne said. "Lissette, until it's confirmed, Mother is right. Nothing will be gained by spreading this around. Have you been keeping your suspicions to yourself? You didn't tell anyone, including your mother?"
"No," Lissette said. "I didn't know what was wrong, and I can't talk to my mother about any of this. Madame Pomfrey had to explain what was happening when I had my first monthly at school. That was how I met Iolanthe. She found me in the bathroom, no idea what going on. I was a mess. I thought I might be dying. She just took over and got me cleaned up and gave me a pad and walked me straight to the infirmary. Merlin, it's still embarrassing."
"Oh, well, Lissette," Daphne said. "Iolanthe just happened to have a mother who is a Healer and finds all of that anatomical that stuff fascinating. We were talking about it when she was three or four years old. It's all the luck of the draw. Thank Merlin for Poppy. I wonder how many times she's given the Talk about it all?"
Daphne looked at Kendra.
"Beyond counting," Kendra said. "She added a few more this year, I'd wager."
Kendra and Daphne dissolved in laughter. Lissette was a little unsure about how she'd ought to react. Kendra and Daphne were two powerful, accomplished SLYTHERIN witches, by Merlin, trading earthy observations and laughing together like a couple of first-years, only much more sophisticated. She'd never met women like these before. It was intimidating, and exciting, just being in the room with them. She wondered how much she would be able to learn about their world before she had to move along.
Lissette didn't doubt she would have to move along. She didn't have a family with significant enterprises she could join, so she had planned to return to Hogwarts for her seventh year in the expectation that she could try for a job somewhere in the ministry, or do some tutoring. Her only real goal was to get herself out of the situation at home, which she knew was haywire. She also knew that was not a plan, in itself, for getting out and setting up an independent life.
She couldn't expect the Potters to just keep her. What could she do for them? If she had been family, they would have a place for her until she married or was settled in some occupation. Iolanthe had gotten her out of her situation, perhaps saved her life. At least she'd been spared the serious beating her stepfather's face said she had coming. That was more than anyone had done for her before, and it was more than enough. She wouldn't expect the family who had done all that to take her on as a charity case.
"Mother, I'm stepping out for a moment, then I'll be back. It's almost the young Potters' mealtime. Surprised they haven't started objecting already. Just pick them up and give them a little rocky-time if necessary," Daphne said.
It really was a moment. Kendra and Lissette had moved to the rockers and were chatting quietly when Daphne got back. She carried a glass holding three fingers of a green liquid.
"Did you finish the sandwich?" Daphne asked. "Good. This is a mild sleeping draught. I'd like you to get a good night's sleep, after all your adventures. Tomorrow is another day, and you'll want to look at it with fresh eyes."
She handed the glass to Lissette, who took a sip.
"Mmm…they made it taste pretty good," Lissette said. She tipped the glass back and finished it off.
"Good one," Daphne said. "Now off to bed. Do you like to sleep in a nightgown? Here…"
Daphne opened a drawer in a dresser, pulled out one of her own neatly-folded nightgowns, and handed it to Lissette.
"Off you go," Daphne said, opening the door. "Remember the way?"
"Yes, ma'am," Lissette said, as she began climbing the stairs.