Chapter 3: For Your Eyes Only

It was when I woke up from my nap when things got weird. I usually don't nap much, more of a night-owl, but having kids, especially a new one, made sleeping kind of a luxury. Add into that the trip at o'dark-thirty with Harry to the UMS, and I was tired, so a nap was in order. When I woke up I was disoriented, mostly because I was in an odd position in my office, lying down on a sofa. I don't have a sofa in my office, so I figured Melody must have conjured one for me as the last thing I remembered was sitting at my desk in my office, listening to music and reading. Instead of that, the light coming through the window was dying, it was almost night-time and I heard laughing female voices from my living room. One was Melody, one was Lavinia, I was pretty sure one was Ginny Potter and the other was...

"Holy shit." I sat up quickly, looked around for my glasses and picked them up off of the desk at the exact moment the sofa changed from a sofa back into the little end table and the legs of aforementioned end table refused to hold my weight. I sank into the floor with the debris and started shaking my hand, which was bleeding. "Goddamnit! Ow!"

"Hank? Are you up?" Melody's muffled voice came from the other room and then footsteps. After the door opened I saw her look at me and make a 'whoops, sorry' face. "Oh dear, I didn't think...come here, let's fix that."

I stumbled to my feet and didn't say a word when she waved on the lights in the office. She knew I didn't like magic in there, too much fucked with the laptop something fierce, but with everything spinning through my head I just really didn't care. She did a quick 'Episkey' on my hand, healing up the cut and forcing a splinter out, but I only was really half-aware.

"Mel? Is that..."

She nodded. "Yes, Hank. Rowan Wright is in the living room along with Ginny and Hannah. Don't worry, we've been talking about the kids and Witch Weekly."

"Great." I listened but only heard soft murmuring from the other room. "And now it's gonna get awkward."

"Mmmm..." Melody shrugged. "I don't think so, Hank. She got a copy of Useless after the party and stayed up reading it. I think you'll be fine." She glanced over at the end table and with another wave of her wand fixed it up good as new. "I'll give you a moment. You don't have long, you and Lavinia have to be back to Hogwarts very soon, you know." She smiled at me and then gave me a quick kiss. "Remember who you are now, Hank. You aren't the boy who dated her, you're the man who married me..."

"Thanks, love." I gave her a hug. "Ok, will do. I'll be out in a sec."

Once she left I went over to the mirror, flattened my hair a little and began rubbing my face to get the wrinkles out of it from where I slept on the conjured sofa pillow.

"Hank? Who is this person in your house?" Minerva McGonagall gave me a look like I'd done something to merit detention in her class from her portrait alongside the mirror. "Is it one of my former students?"

"Nope." I shook my head and adjusted my glasses. "An old girlfriend of mine. I didn't know she was a witch when we dated and...I really thought back then she was the one."

"Yes...well, we end up where we're supposed to with who we're supposed to eventually." She nodded knowingly. "You and Melody..."

"I know, I know. And you sound like Dumbledore with all the 'end up where we're supposed to' stuff. But that's not always the case, you know. I remember you telling me about an American right before World War Two..."

"Hmph." She pursed her lips and gathered her robe around her neck. "I believe your guest is waiting, Hank. Be polite."

"You always avoid that subject, Minerva." I leaned over and checked my face; the lines were faded enough that I didn't feel like I was a human map of the tube.

After a deep breath I headed toward the door, my stomach in my throat. When I opened the door it didn't help; there, on the sofa, next to each other looking at a book of photographs was my wife and my ex-girlfriend. From out of the blue I had the thought that I finally realized what Hermione Weasley went through when Lavender was around Ron. Lavinia sat on the floor playing with Hieronymus while Ginny stood and swayed holding her goddaughter Virginia.

"Hello, Hank." Hannah Longbottom's voice came from the kitchen. "I owled Neville that you and Lavinia might be late, he said not to worry."

"Thanks." I went over and sat in my chair. "So, for the love of God, please tell me those aren't pictures of..."

"Hank..." Melody stuck out her bottom lip slightly. "You were so cute and skinny. And that hair..."

"Oh fuck." I sighed and sat back in my chair. "Thanks. Thanks a lot Christine...or is it Rowan?"

She smiled and pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "I don't mind, Hank. It's been years." She moved her legs towards me and put her hands together. "Listen...I think you know why I had to break things off, especially now. I'm sorry you were so surprised the other night...I know I was. I guess I never put things together, never thought that the Hank I knew was a real Professor at Hogwarts, of all places. It seems you've done quite well, if your books are any indication."

"Thanks." I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I get it now, the secrecy stuff." My giant grey cat Virgil decided to take that moment to make an entrance, walked over and jumped up into my lap, demanding attention. I petted him for a bit and didn't say anything.

Ginny decided to break the awkward silence. "Hank, Rowan has agreed to take a family photo for us. Mum's been after us for a while for a new one."

"I offered the same for Melody, Hank." Christine gave me an embarrassed smile. "If that's ok with you."

"Sure. Fine with me." I nodded, pretending this wasn't beyond weird. The mention of Molly Weasley made me think of Hermione again, and I thought that if Hermione could manage with Lavender I could manage with Christine. Rowan. Christine. Whatever. "It'd have to be on Easter holiday, though. I'll be at Hogwarts until then."

"Of course." Christine agreed quickly. "Of course." She stood up quickly. "Well, I know you have to leave soon, and I must be going as well. I have an appointment in Milan soon, fashion week."

That was the cue for everybody to stand up and start the goodbyes. As the ladies promised to owl each other to arrange things I stood there and watched as my past and present came together in a weird confluence. When it came time for my turn Christine and I stood in front of each other and for a moment I was back in that little bar she used to work at, right next to the jukebox, when she told me she was leaving for good, but instead we were in my house, Colony House, with my wife and my kids. I looked at her, a good look, and I could see that time had been kind to her. She was still a very good looking woman.

"Hank." She pushed her hair behind her ear again. "I read your book. Books, actually, though I haven't been through the genealogy one. Your textbook is much better than the one I had at Houdini. I'm sorry I ended it the way I did, I was young, I didn't know how to handle things." She glanced back at the sofa, at the photo album lying open on the middle cushion. "Those are some photos that I took back then, I thought Melody might want to see what you were like back then. Some of them are Wizarding photos, some are Muggle, but there's nothing bad, I promise."

"Thanks." I nodded.

"You have a wonderful family, Hank. We'll catch up soon, I promise." She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. "Promise."

"Mmm-hmm." Then for some reason, it just came out. "Mike Greene's over here now, too. He married a witch who teaches at Hogwarts. You remember Mike, right?"

A confused look came over her face. "I thought he was going to marry that girl, what was her name?"

"Ah, Cori. He did. She died in a car wreck."

"Oh." Her expression softened. "I'm so sorry." Once again the silence descended until my daughter Virginia's cry broke the silence. Christine glanced at Virginia, in Ginny's arms. "And that's my cue. Good night, Hank."

"Night, Chris."

She raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. After she took the Floo and had disappeared everyone looked at me.

"What?" I moved my head back and forth, looking at the assembled witches. "Screw it, I know I'm heading back to Hogwarts tonight but after that I think I deserve a drink."

-ooo-

Lavinia took the Floo back to Hogwarts since it was late, ending up in Headmaster Titus' office. He was out and about, but had left the Floo open, so after not actually answering any of Lavinia's questions I left her to head down to the Hufflepuff quarters and made my way to my room. I wasn't worried about her; after all, she was a seventh year, almost done with Hogwarts, and had been through enough of all of the stuff that had gone on at Colony House over the years that I didn't have to say 'don't say anything' to her. She knew that. And while it would be somewhat juicy gossip to some of the students I knew I could trust her, as she was my oldest daughter in every way except for biology.

I puttered around my room for a bit, going over the lesson plan for Monday, but my head just wasn't in it as I found myself looking over the third year plan at least five times. I needed to talk to someone and I knew exactly who I needed to see.

Neville was lounging around in a pair of pajama pants, his ancient slippers, an Atlanta Braves t-shirt I gave him for Christmas a few years back and that lurid red and gold-striped dressing gown that just screamed 'I was a Gryffindor' from the rafters. He sat down the magazine, some herbology journal and took out his wand. With a quick wave the windows opened wide.

"How'd you know?" I pulled out my pipe and began packing it.

"Hannah Floo called. Said to expect you. Didn't say why, though."

"Thanks, Nev." I took out my wand and the flame sprouted full and high from the tip, almost singing my nose. I took a step back. "Shit!"

"Here." Neville took his wand off of the arm of the chair and made a small, controlled flame come off of the end.

I leaned down and lit my pipe. "Thanks." I took a few puffs off the pipe and sat down across from him. "Got a rather weird shock, Nev. The woman I dated in college, well, I was finishing up college and she was working at a bar...anyway, the first woman I really loved, the one I wanted to marry? She dumped me and I never saw her again. She fell off the face of the earth. Saw her again the other night and found out she's a witch."

"Bloody hell, Hank."

"Exactly." I took another puff off the pipe. "Gets weirder. She's a famous photographer and Melody wants her to do stuff for Witch Weekly. Oh, and she's taking a family portrait of the Potters soon. Melody's completely cool with this and it freaks me out. I wonder how Hermione does this shit, with Lavender and stuff...I mean..."

"Explains why you almost burned your face off." Neville chuckled. "You can't control your emotions. At least this time you didn't burn any of my plants."

"Come on, man, that was a long time ago and I didn't know I could actually do anything with my wand. Besides, that was Harry and Ron's fault, they were giving me crap because I was a Muggle."

Neville shook his head. "Not exactly, Hank, if I remember right it was because of the WLF. Regardless, mate, Harry sent something to me for you. Your eyes only, I believe."

I started laughing but Neville was oblivious. "For your eyes only...James Bond? Never mind. So what'd Harry send?"

He reached down and picked up a package in brown paper with the Auror seal on top. "This. It literally is for you, Hank. I couldn't open it if I wanted to, Auror seal spell would prevent that."

I took the package and opened it up and, sure enough, it was just what I thought it was, the latest Potter Adventure Series book. "I'm pretty sure I can tell you about this, Nev. Hell, you might be in it. It's the latest one of the..." I watched his face turn angry. "You know these are bullshit. Don't let it bother you."

"Hank, would it bother you if someone wrote horribly inaccurate things about you?"

"You mean, like the bullshit in the papers?" I shrugged. "I'm used to that."

"No." He shook his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Imagine they wrote about you and Melody, about what happened with you and the WLF and Cassandra Palliurum."

"Fuck. Ok, I get it." I opened the book and flipped through it, looking for the place I left off. "So...you wanna know?"

"No." He sat back in the chair and looked around the room for a minute. "Ok, yes. I do."

"Let me look. Last part I read has something about Harry becoming Lord Baron Potter-Black and picking Hermione to be Baroness Black."

"Merlin's socks..."

"Pants and underwear." I laughed quickly. "Yeah, I know. Let me look."

-ooo-

The snakeslayer moved silently through the shadows, the Sword of Gryffindor bright and shining at his side, all goblin silver and edged death. He knew that the remnants of the Death Eaters, manifested in the new mythology of the martyr Voldemort, were assembled together in the small shack on the outskirts of the Muggle village. He knew that the element of surprise was on his side, as the anti-Auror defenses they had erected would hold no difficulty for him, for he was Neville Longbottom, The Snakeslayer, defeater of Nagini, but for a quirk of fate he would have been the Boy-Who-Lived. Instead he was Death in a long, black robe.

As he came closer he heard their voices, how they planned and plotted, how they schemed to have the WLF rise again, have the WLF become more than a regional power, how the WLF would grow and change, enveloping all those discontented witches and wizards, those dissatisfied with the way Muggles and Muggleborn were tolerated and not cleansed from the earth. He heard their plans and felt the dread anger take over, felt the red mist begin to descend. He strode over towards the house, ignoring the Muggle woman walking her dog, ignored her cry of surprise at seeing him. She glanced at his angry orbs and fled, pulling her yelping mutt along in fear.

He stopped at the door and raised the sword high above his head. In a quiet voice, full of anger, he softly sword on his life and magic that he would end the threat once and for all. With his wand in his left hand and the sword of Gryffindor in his right he blasted the door open, splintering the wood, covering the plotting evil-doers in a hail of deadly missiles.

"AAAAH!" A man in a black robe stood up in pain, the cowl of his robe falling away to reveal a bald head covered in tattoos. "It's the Snakeslayer!"

It was no contest. Before even one of the assembled could raise their wand he was upon them like the wrath of Merlin, swift, terrible and precise. One, two, three heads fell upon the floor instantly, the sword of Gryffindor singing through the air, it's goblin precision-honed blade wreaking a terrible vengeance, spells issuing forth from his wand with staccato surety, bodies falling like branches from an ill-kept plant. The Snakeslayer was a gardener, clearing the weeds, removing that which was not meant for this place, and as he struck them down he was silent, a grim visage of death and justice, meting out what those who dealt in the darkness deserved.

Finally all but one were dispatched, a wretch who knelt down in fear. Urine spread through his robe and pooled on the floor in front of him as he looked to the Snakeslayer for mercy. He raised his hands together in succor, pleading for his life.

The snakeslayer paused the blade of Gryffindor, gleaming and bloody, at the man's neck, almost piercing the flesh. "Do you wish to live?"

"Yes! Yes!" The man wildly bobbed his tattooed head in abject fear. "I'll do anything you ask!"

"You will never raise a wand for them again." The Snakeslayer brought the Sword of Gryffindor down in a rapid arc, almost too fast for the eye to see. The man's hands, still clasped together, separated at the wrist and fell to the floor, the fingers still clutched together in hope. With another flourish the Snakeslayer sealed the wounds and the man fell to the floor in agony, writhing in his own urine. "But you will tell them that I, Neville Caesar Longbottom, Scion of the House of Longbottom, Order of Merlin First Class and Snakeslayer, will hunt them down. I have shown you mercy so you shall tell them that I will have none. Leave."

As the man scrambled to his feet and hurtled out of the door The Snakeslayer stood triumphant, the blood of his enemies running like a river over the floor. He laughed at their feeble attempts and turned on the spot, Disapparating to give his report to Lord Baron Potter-Black. They would raise many firewhiskeys that night.

-ooo-

"Oh bloody hell!" Neville stopped pacing and shook his head. "Hank, that's...that's complete and utter rubbish!"

"Yeah." I laughed. "But you have to admit, they make you out to be a real badass."

"But I'm not a badass, Hank!" Neville went over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey, poured a small glass and downed it. "I did kill Nagini, but a lot of people did things...I just happened to be the one. Anybody else would have done it. I...I teach Herbology, for Merlin's sake! I don't lop off heads and hands I...I...I'm tending gardens! Shit, I'm teaching second years about Abyssinian Shrivelfigs tomorrow!"

I knew he was upset because I'd heard Neville say 'shit' about four times since I'd known him. "Like I said, Nev, it's bullshit. We know it's bullshit. And this hasn't gone to press, yet."

"Thank Merlin for small favors."

His tone was sharp so I knew he was really, really angry. I had to change that, as pissing off one of my best friends was not what I had planned for the evening. "The thing with the guys with the tattoos on their heads, that's the Knights of the Wand."

"The who?"

"Knights of the Wand. They're like the WLF, Death Eater wannabe's from the UMS. Ran into them at my brother's wedding. You know, the night when everything went to shit and my parents found out about..."

"Oh." His tone was much calmer. "Right. Yeah. I remember." He turned his head to me. "I take it that's why Harry sent you this book?"

"Yep, shit like that." I closed the book and tossed it on the table. "Plus that section is totally a different style than the last part I read. Either someone is trying on different styles or there's more than one author. I mean, look at how they refer to you as the Snakeslayer. Sometimes they capitalize it, sometimes they don't, sometimes they capitalize the 'The' in front of it, and how they do the same with the sword of Gryffindor. Somebody's a shitty editor, that's for sure. The other sections aren't like that, much cleaner. Then there's the language, Jesus, what purple prose." I saw his look. "An expression about overly descriptive language. I really think somebody different wrote this."

"I'm sure Harry will be interested in that." Neville walked back over and sat down. He tapped his fingers over and over on the arm of the chair as he talked. "You should send him an owl."

"I will." I stood up and took the book off of the table. "But not tonight. Listen, Neville, the only thing connecting you and what's in that book is your name and that you killed a snake with the sword of Gryffindor. That's it. I mean, when's the last time you actually saw the sword, not to mention hold it?"

"I...I don't know."

"Exactly." I walked over and shut the windows. "That guy has nothing else in common but the stuff I said earlier; they're making a pulp fiction superhero movie guy out of that and it's not you. I'd tell you to ignore it but that's just...I couldn't do it. Tell you what, if you want, I'll look through and let you know if there's anything else. You don't have to hear it or read it, ok?" After he nodded I sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, Nev. Didn't mean to do that."

"Yeah." He cocked his head in my direction. "Your ex-girlfriend is much more interesting."

"I guess."

"Not feeling as upset anymore, Hank?"

I shifted the book, manuscript, whatever the fuck it's called over to my other hand and realized I'd been really stupid. I was just dealing with that, and Christine had been really nice, not to mention that Melody had handled things better than I ever expected, and to be honest better than I would if the shoe was on the other foot. Neville had shit like the Potter Adventure Series spewed out to deal with..and anytime the whole 'Snakeslayer' thing was brought up, either in the shitty book series or occasionally in the papers, anytime that happened Neville was somewhat withdrawn after that. I was an idiot, a selfish, self-absorbed idiot.

"No, I'm not. Thanks."

"Anytime."

"Oh, and Hank? You know my middle name's not Caesar. It's Francis."

"Yeah. I remember. Night."

After I left Neville's room and headed down to mine I realized that I would not be reading anymore of that damned book to him. At anytime.

-ooo-

The next two weeks settled into the normal routine. I'd teach during the day, do the whole Hufflepuff Head of House stuff, spend the weekends with Melody and the kids and during the weekday evenings I'd read and send Harry reports on the Potter Adventure Series manuscript. I didn't get anything back from him but quick 'Thanks' owls, so I knew he was busy.

Cho Greene was obviously the Charms professor for a reason because she charmed me into telling her a few things about my ex-girlfriend. It didn't help that she could ask Mike. She also let it slip that Mike was bringing a few mementos over from those days when they visited at Easter. I told her to tell him that I had an equal amount of blackmail material, but she just laughed and said they didn't have any secrets. I didn't think Melody and I did, either, but then again I didn't think I'd need to go into excruciating detail about a romance that died before I started grad school.

One of the interesting things I found out was that Harry had done something to the manuscript so that I was the only one who could read it for what it was; everyone else saw it as a copy of My Wand is Useless, my first book, and asked me why I was working on it again. Well, Petal Farnsworth, the Defense instructor, asked me that, anyway. The other person who mentioned it was Louise Libreth, one of my third year Slytherin students. I left it on the desk in the classroom while I went to see about one of the fifth year Hufflepuffs who was hurt at Quidditch practice and in an act of brown-nosing Louise brought it to me at dinner that night.

Mostly, though, I just taught Muggle Studies. Oh, and filled up the swearing book. Dammit. Eventually, though, the calendar turned so that Easter holiday was right upon us, causing everyone, students and staff alike, to look forward to spending time away from Hogwarts. Everyone except me, though. Oh sure, I wanted to spend time with my wife and kids. That's a given. What I wasn't looking forward to was the box of surprises that Mike Greene was going to bring.

Before I knew it I was walking through Hogsmeade with Lavinia on the way to Stintborough and Colony House. She was usually quite talkative, but this time she was rather quiet. My attempts at conversation didn't go far so instead of continuing to walk I nudged her.

"Come on, let's stop in and get something for Melody." I pointed towards The Magic Neep. "We need to make sure she's got everything."

"Sure." She shrugged and followed me into the grocery store.

I grabbed a basket and we walked through the aisles, occasionally picking something off the shelf. "Vin, are you ok?" I put down the sack of potatoes. "Come on, I know you. Something's up. What's going on?"

"Willy an' me..." She sighed. "I..."

"It's ok, Lavinia. I get it." I put my arm around her. "I'm sorry. Is this a fight or..."

"He wants to...he wants to go to Muggle university, Hank."

I heard the sadness in her voice but I didn't get it. "Um, ok? So what's the problem?"

"In Norway!" She turned to me and shook her head. "Norway! They don't even speak English!"

"I'm pretty sure they do speak English there, but probably not as a first language..."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not the point, Hank. I'm starting the daycare when I leave. I already have a spot picked out an' some investors and Melody and Lane have helped and Tinney too but I thought we'd be together and if he goes over there he'll meet one of those Norwegian women and they all look like models..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...hold on, there." I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Has he been accepted yet?"

"No..."

"Does he even have the Muggle documentation yet? He'll need transcripts and stuff."

"I don't think so..."

"Vin, it's March. Their term probably starts in September or maybe August, so if he doesn't have a place yet he probably won't. We haven't had the career talk yet, that's after Easter, so I'll talk to him, ok?"

She picked up the potatoes and put them in the basket. "Ok. Thanks. And we do need more potatoes. We always run out."

As she headed down the aisle, browsing at items I took a deep breath. Virginia wasn't even a year old and I was already afraid of conversations just like the one I had, in The Magic Neep, looking at potatoes. It was also at that moment that I realized that the feelings I had once upon a time for Christine Rowan weren't that much different along the timeline of adulthood than Lavinia and Willy Smythe. I was much older now, hopefully more mature, and suddenly Easter with its trip down memory lane thanks to Mike's box of mementos didn't seem so bad.