December 1987
Amelia Bones sat at the bar with her drink in hand. She looked down at her watch and sighed. She would admit that it had been her own fault that she had to wait for her friend so long, she had gotten here quite early, but in a minute Minerva would be late and the blame would shift to her. Amelia had brown hair tied up in her customary sophisticated updo. She was wearing a long black dress and a silver necklace with matching earrings. It had been a while since she had dressed up like this to go out to something that wasn't a work function.
"Waiting for a boyfriend."
Amelia looked over and saw a man with black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes standing beside her, nursing a gin and tonic. He was wearing a grey blazer over a light blue dress shirt and black trousers. Amelia noticed that the top button of his suit was unbuttoned. Apparently he was very relaxed. He was leaning on the bar beside her though was not looking at her.
"Excuse me?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at the man.
"That's my guess," he said, looking over at her and giving her a crooked little smile. "You're sitting here waiting for a boyfriend. I would have guessed husband but you're not wearing a ring."
"And what made you think I was waiting for a boyfriend?" Amelia asked.
"Well, you're obviously waiting for someone. You keep checking your watch and sighing so I'm guessing whoever it is you are waiting for is late."
"You are very observant. Though, what made you think the person I was waiting for was a boyfriend?"
"That's more speculation than evidence based, I will admit," the man said. "Just thought that someone as beautiful as you would probably have a boyfriend."
Amelia couldn't help but smile a little though she tried very hard not to. "I'm sorry to say that you are mistaken," she said. "I am waiting for someone, that is true, but I'm waiting for a friend. Not a boyfriend."
"Well, I was close," he said with a smile. "So, what are you and this friend of yours planning for this fine evening?
"She's introducing me to someone," she replied.
"A blind date then."
"No, this someone is her someone."
"I see," he said. "Raj Patil, by the way. Maybe should have lead with that. Name's kind of important."
"I must admit Mr. Patil, I've never had someone use a chat up line like this on me," Amelia said with a smile.
"Call me Raj, please," he said, pushing himself off the bar and turning so he could give her his full attention. "And that wasn't a chat up line. That was me being genuinely interested in what a beautiful woman like you was doing in a fancy place like this all alone."
"Uh huh."
"Besides, I'm also waiting for a friend," he said. "He's introducing me to his new girl. Something about her being special and all. I suppose I'll see for myself though."
"I feel the same way about my friend's new man."
"We're good friends."
"We are."
"So, I've told you my name," Raj said. "Are you going to tell me yours?"
"Amelia," she said. "Amelia Bones."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Ms. Bones," he said with a smile, sticking out his hand for her to shake.
Amelia shook it and said, "you can call me Amelia."
"So, what do you do, Amelia?" Raj asked.
"I'm a judge."
"A judge? Wow," he said. "That's interesting. You seem quite young to have already attained a judgeship."
"How old do you think I am?" Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Come now, that's an obvious trap. I'm not answering that," he said making her laugh.
Amelia smiled. "What do you do, Raj?" she asked.
"I'm the COO of a company here in London," he replied.
"What's a COO?"
"It's the chief operating officer of a company. Basically the second in command after the CEO," Raj said.
"Wow. You're really up there then," Amelia said.
"I suppose," he said with a smile. "It's not that big a deal, really."
"Right."
Raj smiled and was about to say something else when he was cut off.
"Amelia!" Minerva's voice called from behind her.
Amelia turned around and saw her friend walking towards them holding the arm of a tall man with messy black hair and grey eyes. This must be the Jay Collins man that she spoke so fondly of. Amelia had to admit that, so far, she was quite impressed. She smiled and got up off the stool she had been sitting on. Raj also smiled at Minerva and Jay.
"Raj," Jay said with a smile. "How are you?"
"Oh," Amelia said, looking over at Raj.
Raj smiled. "It seems we were waiting for the same people," he said to her before turning to Jay and shaking his hand. "I'm good. At least this time when you were late you left me with some good company."
"You two have already met?" Minerva asked, looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow.
"We just did," Amelia said.
"I'm glad," Jay said with a smile. "Well, Minerva, let me introduce you to my friend and business partner, Raj Patil. Raj this is Minerva McGonagall, my girlfriend."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Minerva," Raj said with a charming smile, sticking out his hand for Minerva to shake.
She smiled and took his hand. "It's nice to meet you as well, Raj," she said. "It seems you've already met my friend, Amelia."
"Yes, we've been keeping each other company while we waited for the two of you," he said. He looked down at his watch. "You two are six minutes late."
"Oh, six minutes," Jay said. "We are terribly sorry."
Raj smiled and gave a little shrug.
"Jay, this is Amelia Bones," Minerva said, taking her turn introducing her friend. "Amelia, Jay Collins."
"It's nice to meet you, Amelia," Jay said, shaking her hand.
"You as well, Jay," Amelia said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope," he said with a laugh.
"Of course," she said.
A hostess came over and led the way to their table. They ordered more drinks, looked over the menus, and ordered their food. As they ate, Amelia and Raj got to know their respective friend's new partner a little better. Raj asked Minerva about her work. When he learned that she was from Scotland, he asked her more about that and he seemed genuinely interested. Minerva liked Raj. He didn't talk down to her just because she did not make as much money as Jay did or because she grew up in a tiny Scottish town on the Northern coast.
"So, how did you two meet?" Raj asked, looking between Amelia and Minerva.
"We met at school when we were eleven," Minerva replied.
"Wow, eleven," Raj said. "That's a really long time ago."
"Not that long," Amelia said, giving him a look.
Jay laughed. "Of course," he said.
"When we first met, I didn't think that Minerva like me very much," Amelia said with a smile.
"Hey," Minerva said, "I believe it was you who called me something not so nice in French."
"Really?" Raj asked with a laugh.
"In my defence," Amelia said, "I didn't think that you would understand."
They all laughed. Raj told them that his and Jay's meeting was not as interesting. "We met in class during university. We were eighteen," he said. "So we haven't been friends for as long as you two."
"Well, it doesn't really matter how long you know someone," Amelia said with a smile. "Some people you could know for years and never learn a thing about them. Others you could know for a couple months and already know that they will be very important people in your lives. I think that I knew that Minerva and I would be friends for a long time after a few months of knowing her."
"I agree," Jay said with a smile, looking over at Minerva. Minerva smiled too and gave his hand a little squeeze.
"Very eloquently said," Raj said making Amelia roll her eyes.
They talked and ate more. Amelia asked Jay more about himself. She asked about work and Daniel. Jay liked his girlfriend's best friend too. She was very kind and thoughtful. He didn't think that he had ever met someone as genuinely nice as Amelia Bones.
"I really do like the work that your company does. You do a lot of charity work as well which is very nice. I actually attended one of your charity galas a couple of years ago," Amelia said. "I think it was for cancer research."
"Oh did you? What did you think?" Jay asked.
"It was nice. I don't usually like parties like those but some people from work were going and asked me to come along. I decided to go because it was for charity after all. Maybe if I had invited Minerva, you two would have met a long time ago."
Jay smiled. "Maybe."
After they finished their food, Minerva and Amelia got up to go to the restroom leaving Jay and Raj alone at the table.
"Minerva's really something," Raj said with a smile. "Seems like she's not afraid to call you on your bullshit."
"What bullshit?"
"Any and all."
Jay smiled and shook his head. "I'm glad you liked her. You should see the way she is with Daniel," he said. "She's just an amazing woman and I'm so glad that I haven't scared her off yet."
"I don't think anything could scare that woman," Raj said with a laugh. "What's Daniel think of her?"
"He loves her too," Jay said with a smile. "I was a little worried that he wouldn't take me dating another woman very well but he seemed okay with it."
"It's been a very long time, Jay. I'm glad that you're getting back out there again."
"I definitely love Minerva McGonagall," he said. "I think I'm going to marry her one day."
"Wow, that's fast," Raj said with a smile. "I expect to be Best Man again. Don't you go giving my job away to someone else now."
"Don't worry, I won't," Jay said with a laugh.
In the washroom, Minerva looked over at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "What were you and Raj talking about before we came?"
"Oh, nothing really," she replied, not looking at Minerva and walking passed her towards a stall.
"Uh huh," Minerva said with a smile.
"I know that tone and I don't appreciate it. I don't like what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything."
"Of course not."
They did their business and then walked over to the sinks to wash their hands.
"What do you think of him?" Minerva asked.
"Jay? He seems wonderful," Amelia said with a smile. "You are a very lucky woman."
"I am but you know that's not what I'm talking about," Minerva said with a laugh. "Raj. What do you think of him?"
Amelia shrugged. "It doesn't matter what I think of him. It matters what you do. He's Jay's friend after all."
"Well, I think he's quite nice," she said. "And I think you like him."
"And I think you're crazy," Amelia said with a roll of her eyes. She grabbed some paper towel and headed for the door.
Minerva laughed and followed after her. They walked back to their table where they ordered some dessert and talked some more.
When the night came to a close, Jay and Minerva shook both Raj and Amelia's hands, said goodbyes and parted ways.
"Will you stay the night at Rochester?" Jay asked Minerva as they walked down the street away from the restaurant to find an alleyway to Apparate in.
"Of course," she said. "I liked Raj. He's very nice and quite charming."
Jay smiled. "I'm glad you like him. We've know each other for a long time now. Not as long as you and Amelia but still quite a long time," he said. "Amelia is very nice as well. I don't think I've ever met a kinder person."
"I'm glad you liked her too," she said. "I can't wait for her to meet Daniel. She's excited to meet him and I think he'll love her too."
"I'm sure he will," Jay said with a smile. He looked at his watch and shook his head. "I'll bet he's still up waiting for us."
"I'm not stupid enough to take that bet."
Jay smiled. They slipped into an alley and Apparated back to Collins Mansion in Rochester. Christie answered the door for them and, to no one's surprise, Daniel was still awake. He asked them how their dinner went excitedly. It took them sometime but they were finally able to coax him into bed before going to Jay's room and getting into bed themselves.
Friday, January 2nd 1998
"Welcome back," Raj said, opening the door and letting everyone into the house.
"Hey, Uncle Raj," Daniel said, carrying his and Nina's bags into the house. Raj took one of them from him. "When did you get in?"
"Earlier today," he said, putting the bag down on the floor and taking Lucy's from Nina. "Maria sent groceries over as well so I put those away for you."
"Great, thank you," Daniel said, taking off his shoes and coat.
Lucy and Minerva came in next. Lucy smiled and raced over to her uncle when she saw him. "Uncle Raj! Uncle Raj!"
"Hello, Princess," Raj said happily, picking her up and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you? How was your trip?"
"It was good," Lucy said. "We got to see my nani and my aunts and uncles and my cousins. We played in the snow and we got presents and we stayed up to see the fireworks on New Year's Eve!"
"That sounds lovely," Raj said with a smile, putting Lucy down so she could take off her shoes and coat. He looked over at Minerva. "Minerva."
"Raj," Minerva said. "Happy New Year."
"To you too," he said. He reached down and tousled Lucy's hair a bit. "I hope this one was well-behaved through the flight."
"She was lovely, of course," Minerva said, putting her coat away in the closet. She went to take her bag upstairs but Raj stopped her.
"Allow me," he said, taking the bag from her. He picked Lucy's up as well and headed up the stairs. "Daniel, you'll bring the others?"
"Yep," Daniel said, picking up his and Nina's bags again and taking Lucy's backpack from her. He followed Raj up the stairs to his own bedroom.
"Well, I'm tired," Nina said with a yawn. "I could use a nap. What do you say, Lucy?"
"Naps are for babies."
"Really?" Nina asked with a laugh as she headed towards the living room. Lucy followed after her and Minerva smiled.
They sat down in the living room and Nina kicked her legs up on the couch, trapping Lucy under her. Lucy tried to push them away but Nina kept them down on her. Lucy laughed.
"Stop!" Lucy said with a laugh, trying to get out from under her legs. Nina laughed and pushed down against her harder.
Minerva shook her head. "You two are ridiculous."
Just then Daniel and Raj walked back into the room. Raj sat down in an armchair beside Minerva and Daniel walked over to the couch to sit down with Lucy and Nina. He saw Lucy sitting with Nina's legs over her lap and raised an eyebrow at Nina.
"I want to sit," he said. "Are you going to move?"
"Nope," Nina said. "Go sit somewhere else. I'm laying here."
"Daniel, help me!" Lucy said, struggling against Nina's legs again. "I'm trapped!"
Daniel laughed and waved his hand at her dismissively. He sat down on the floor in front of Nina's head instead. "Sorry, kid," he said. "Nothing I can do for you."
Nina laughed and Lucy managed to get one arm free. She banged her fist on Nina's leg but Nina didn't move much.
"Uncle Raj!" Lucy called.
"Just stop fighting, love," Raj said with a laugh. "Relax, it'll be easier."
"Are you trying to teach my daughter to give up?" Minerva asked, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow.
Raj rolled his eyes but smiled. "No," he said. "Stop fighting and think about it."
Lucy stopped struggling and thought about it like Raj said. She got an idea, reached over and tickled the bottom of Nina's foot. Nina flinched and Lucy slid free.
"Yay!" she cheered, running towards her uncle. "I did it! I got out all by myself!"
Nina shook her head and gave her a playful glare. She turned over and started running her fingers through Daniel's hair instead. Daniel looked up and smiled at her. Raj pulled Lucy onto his lap. He tousled her hair and she hugged him.
"So, how are Isobel and the others?" he asked, looking over at Daniel.
"Good, they're good," Daniel said. "She was in Germany. Just got back a little while ago. We had fun with everyone and Nina really liked them."
"Yes, they were very nice," Nina said with a smile. She looked over at Minerva. "Thank you again for letting me come along."
"Of course," Minerva said with a smile. "I wouldn't say I -"
Just then the doorbell rang, cutting Minerva off. Lucy looked up excitedly and slid off of Raj's lap. She raced towards the door. "I'll get it! I'll get it!"
"I wonder who that could be," Raj said.
"I'll go take a look," Minerva said before he could get up. She got up and walked towards the entrance hall where Lucy was opening the door. Lucy opened it only a crack and looked outside. Her eyes widened but Minerva couldn't see who it was.
In the doorway stood a woman with brown hair tied up in a sophisticated updo and a long black coat on. She had brown eyes and a soft face and looked exactly the same as she had two years ago. Lucy stared at her for a long time and Amelia Bones gave her a small smile.
"Who's there, Lucy?" Minerva asked with a frown. Lucy didn't say anything. She kept staring at Amelia.
"Hello, Lucy," Amelia said. "May I come in?"
Lucy finally regained movement. She took a step back and pulled the door open further. Amelia walked in and Lucy closed the door behind her. Amelia looked around and saw Minerva. She gave her a small smile and Minerva smiled back.
"Hello, Amelia," she said, walking over.
"How are you holding up?" she asked, giving Minerva a hug.
"I'm okay," Minerva said. "You don't have to worry about me."
They pulled away and Amelia took off her coat. Minerva took it from her and Amelia kneeled down in front of Lucy. Lucy kept staring at her with wide eyes. Amelia smiled a little and took her hands.
"How are you doing, my love?" Amelia asked.
Lucy shrugged.
"You remember who I am, right?"
Lucy nodded. "I called you."
"You did."
"You gave me my doll, Rin."
"I did."
"Amelia's actually your godmother," Minerva said with a small smile.
Lucy looked at Amelia for a second before letting go of her hands, moving closer, and wrapping her arms around her neck. Amelia smiled a little and wrapped her arms around her. Minerva watched them and smiled too.
"Aunty Amelia," Lucy whispered. "Please don't leave for that long ever again."
"I won't, love, I won't," Amelia said.
Just then Raj walked out of the living room. "Who was at the - oh." He stopped in his tracks to see Amelia on the floor with Lucy. "Hi..."
Amelia looked up and smiled at Raj. She stood up properly, Lucy still close to her, hugging her legs. "Hello, Raj," she said. "It's been a while."
"It has," Raj said with a frown.
There was a pause. The silence felt heavy. Lucy looked up from her aunt to her uncle and then to her mother. Minerva sighed and stuck out her hand for her.
"Come on, let's go sit in the living room," she said. Lucy nodded and ran over to her, taking her hand. Minerva looked at Raj and Amelia. "Shall we?"
Amelia nodded and followed after her. Raj waited for them to walk past him before walking behind them into the room. Daniel and Nina looked up from the couch.
"Daniel," Amelia said with a smile. "How are you?"
"Amelia, hello," he said, standing up. "I'm okay."
"Please sit. You don't have to get up for me," she said, trying to play off the hurt she felt for him not calling her Aunt Amelia. She looked at Nina and gave her a little smile. "Hello, I'm Amelia Bones."
"Hi, Nina Chaudhry," Nina said with a small smile, reaching out her hand towards Amelia. "It's nice to meet you."
Amelia shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you as well, Miss Chaudhry."
"Please, call me Nina," she said.
"Nina's my girlfriend," Daniel said. "Please sit."
Amelia sat down in the armchair Minerva had been sitting on and Raj moved over to the couch, leaving his seat for Minerva. Lucy let go of Minerva's hand and ran over to sit down with her uncle. Raj pulled her up into his lap.
"I heard what happened and I wanted to come over as soon as possible but Minerva told me that you all were going up to Castletown for the holidays so I decided to wait and give you time," Amelia said. "I'm very sorry. To all of you. For what happened. For not being here. I should have made it easier for you to contact me and I am sorry that I did not do that."
"Ah, how about I get us all some tea?" Nina said, getting up quickly. She didn't wait for a response from anyone, walking briskly out towards the kitchen. She left and everyone sat in silence for a while.
Eventually conversation started. It was awkward at first. Short sentences, awkward pauses, silent shared looks. Nina came back and handed out tea. She had brought juice for Lucy as well. She sat down, tension still thick in the air.
Then it got better. It became easier, more natural, less laggy. And it only got better from there. Suddenly there were smiles and laughter. There were jokes, old stories and new ones. The years of absence forgiven, yet not completely forgotten yet. Amelia knew that and she didn't fault them for it. She understood it would take time.
They moved into the dining room for dinner and then back to the living room for drinks. Somewhere in the middle, Amelia was convinced to stay the night. Slowly people left for their bedrooms. Lucy first, complain the whole way as Nina dragged her up the stairs. Daniel and Nina left next. Then Raj and then finally Minerva convinced Amelia to go up too. She showed her to her bedroom and gave her some clothes to change into. Minerva left and Amelia sat on the bed for a while before deciding to get up and get some water. She made her way down to the kitchen and poured herself a glass.
"You're up late."
Amelia turned to see Raj standing in the doorway. She gave him a small smile. "I could say the same to you."
He shrugged as he walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. "They have quite the collection, you know," he said, pulling out a bottle. He showed her the malt whisky, same kind they drank when the four of them went out. "I don't touch the expensive stuff. Don't feel right about it but I do indulge myself every once in a while."
He pulled out a glass and poured some scotch into it. He held it out to her. Amelia shook her head. "I really shouldn't."
"Come on," he said, pushing it closer to her a little bit. "Daniel won't mind and I will replace it."
Amelia sighed and took the glass from him. "You've done a lot for those children, Raj," she said. "I am very impressed."
He shrugged as he pulled out another glass and poured himself a drink.
"Some could easily think that they were your own."
"They've always been my children," he said, looking back at her. "I'm their godfather after all."
"It's a terrible thing," Amelia said, choosing to ignore his jab. "Jay was a great man and I know you loved him. I'm very sorry for your loss."
"He was," Raj said with a sigh. "He's what motivates me to do all this. He was an amazing man and if the tables had been reversed I know he would not have hesitated in doing the same."
Amelia nodded though she didn't say anything. She leaned back against the counter and he looked down at the bottle on the counter.
"Besides," he said, "they do as much for me as I do for them, if not more. If it wasn't for Lucy and Daniel I would have problems getting up out of bed every morning too."
"Minerva didn't leave her room for days after she found out," Amelia said. "I'm glad she has you all now. You all motivate her to get up too."
Raj didn't say anything. She had trouble did she? Didn't leave her room? How unfortunate for her. Raj did not have time to waste on feeling sorry for Minerva McGonagall. He had more important things, people, to worry about.
Amelia sighed. "Minerva told me about the custody issue," she said. "She was very upset. Furious at you for even suggesting such a thing."
"You were a lawyer," he said suddenly, turning and looking at her. "How easy would it have been for her to take Lucy away from us if she had wanted to?"
"She wouldn't -"
"If she had wanted to."
Again Amelia sighed. "Very easy."
"I thought I knew her. A couple years ago I would never have dared suggested it but now I realize that I don't know her. I know very little about her so I just wanted to cover all my bases," he said, looking away again. "I wanted to make sure that Lucy stayed here with Daniel. That is all."
"I understand," she said. "Though, she didn't sign it and now we're here. Lucy's here. Doesn't that mean something? Doesn't that show you something?"
"It's only been about two week," he said. "Things don't change in only two weeks. It takes much more time than that. I'll see when her work actually starts up again."
"And when it does and she comes home every night," Amelia said, "will you forgive her?"
Raj doesn't say anything.
"Daniel and Lucy have."
"Of course they have," Raj said. "They're her children. They love her and when you love someone you forgive them, even if what they did was shitty. I know all about forgiving your parent because they are your parent, Amelia."
"Of course, I'm sorry. I never -"
"They forgive her. It's not my job to tell them not too. I never tried to interfere with that," he said. "My job is simply to protect them. That's all I'm trying to do. That's all I ever tried to do."
Amelia sighed and looked down. "Okay," she said. "You don't forgive her. I can understand that. I do hope that eventually you'll change your mind though."
"Do you know what excuse she told Daniel?"
She didn't respond.
"Work. She said she had to leave for work," he said. "Two years, Amelia. She left her children, her husband, for two years without so much as a phone call for two years because of work. What kind of work could a teacher have that would require her not to speak to her family for two years?"
Amelia didn't say anything again.
Raj looked over at her again suddenly. "What's the real reason?" he asked. "What's the reason she gave you to make you and Isobel and the others leave Lucy and Daniel as well?"
"I don't -"
"I know you know."
"I don't know what to tell you Raj," she said. "It was a complicated situation and Minerva needed time. She was busy."
Raj stared at her for a second before shaking his head. "Fine. Don't tell me," he said, looking away again. "What was your reason, then?"
"What?"
"You were gone too, Amelia," he said. "You left too so I want to know what your excuse was. Minerva leaving is one thing but that didn't mean that you and Isobel and the others had to completely abandon them as well."
Amelia sighed. "I can't give you a good reason," she said. "You won't believe it like you don't believe Minerva."
"Try me."
"Lucy and Daniel are Minerva's children. If she asked me not to come see them I have to respect her wishes."
"You're right. I don't believe that," Raj said. "That's a lie. I know it is. You're Amelia Fucking Bones. You don't take shit from anyone, not even her. You loved Lucy and Daniel and you wouldn't have let her tell you not to see them. Neither would Isobel. So I don't understand what could have happened to make both of you change your mind."
"That's the best answer I can give you right now," she said.
He looked her up and down before looking away again and pouring himself another drink. "Very diplomatic of you."
"I work in government," Amelia said. "I suppose I've picked up some things."
He shook his head. "Always been the diplomat," he mumbled. "You would do well in politics."
There was another pause. They stood there in silence, sipping their drinks.
"Raj," Amelia said finally breaking the silence. She set down her glass in the sink so he wouldn't pour her another. "Things are stressful right now. That's why you've been drinking more, right?"
"Only when they're asleep."
"Of course," she said. "You've done so much, Raj, but now you can finally relax a little bit. You can share some of the work with Minerva. Working together will be so much easier than being at odds."
"We're not at odds."
"But you're not working together."
Raj sighed and shook his head. He put the top back on the bottle and put it away. He dumped the rest of his drink in the sink and set his glass down in it as well.
"Go to bed, Amelia. It's late."
With that he headed out of the room and up the stairs. Amelia sighed. She turned back to the sink and turned it on. She cleaned the glasses, dried them, and put them away. After that was done she headed up the stairs. She walked over to her bedroom, opened the door and was about to go in when she heard a click from a door a little ways down the hall. She looked over to see Lucy's door open and her look out a little.
"Lucy?"
Lucy froze and looked up at her aunt. Amelia saw the tears in her eyes and immediately walked over. She kneeled down in front of her.
"What's wrong, darling?"
Lucy rubbed her eyes with her hands and took a couple deep breaths before whispering, "I - I had a bad dream."
"Oh, darling, it's okay," she said. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucy shook her head quickly.
"Sometimes it helps."
Lucy shook her head again.
"Alright, well, where were you headed?"
Lucy pointed to a door across the hall. "Daniel and Nina's room."
"Oh," Amelia said. "Well, I can stay with you instead if you'd like. That way you won't have to wake them."
Lucy thought about this for a second before nodding a little bit. She walked back into her room and let Amelia in. Amelia walked in and closed the door behind her. She smiled and looked around a little. "Your room's changed since I last saw it."
"It's not a baby room anymore," Lucy said, climbing back into bed. Amelia walked over and sat down beside her. Lucy picked up the blankets and looked up at her. "Do you want to lay down?"
"Sure," she said with a small smile. She laid down, pulling blankets over herself. Lucy moved a little closer and leaned into Amelia's chest. Amelia put an arm around her. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Lucy sighed. "I have a nightmare every night."
"Every night?"
Lucy nodded. "It's always the same one," she said. "It's about the hospital and my daddy."
"Oh, darling," Amelia whispered. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," Lucy whispered. "Daniel said it would go away soon but it's not. I think something's wrong with me."
"No, no," Amelia said, giving her a hug. "Nothing's wrong with you. What you went through was horrible and it's normal to still be having nightmares now. They will go away eventually. "
There was a pause and Amelia heard Lucy sniff a couple times. She heard Lucy's breathing get shaky again and sighed. Before she could say anything, however, Lucy spoke. Her voice was quiet and shaky.
"I miss my daddy so bad," she whispered.
Amelia moved closer and pulled Lucy into a hug. She sobbed into Amelia's chest. Amelia rubbed her back soothingly and kissed the top of her head.
"I know things happened and I know it's still hard but it will get better," she said. "I'm so sorry for everything. I really am and if you need anything, I'm here. I'm here now and I'm not going to leave again."
"I - I'm glad you're back too."
"Me too. I missed you all so much."
"I missed you too."
Lucy yawned and closed her eyes a little. Amelia smiled. She pulled the blanket a little closer and said, "let's get some sleep, sweetheart. I'll be right here if you get scared, okay?"
"Okay," Lucy said. "Goodnight, Aunty Amelia."
"Goodnight, Lucy."
...
The next morning Amelia woke up to find herself alone in Lucy's bedroom. She got up and walked out of the room just as Nina was walking out of hers and Daniel's, dressed and ready for the day. Nina smiled at her.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Did you stay with Lucy last night?"
"I did," Amelia said with a nod. "I saw her leaving her room crying so I asked her what was wrong and she said that she had a nightmare."
"Oh, I was wondering why Lucy didn't come over last night. I was hoping she was finally having a peaceful night," Nina said with a sigh. "Thank you for staying with her."
"Of course," Amelia said with a smile. "It's no problem at all."
"Well, I can get you some of Minerva's clothes if you'd like to change and I'm sure I could find a new toothbrush around here somewhere," Nina said. "Just give me a minute."
"Thank you, Nina," Amelia said, heading back to her room so she could wait there.
"Of course," Nina said with a smile. She walked off to grab Amelia's things.
When Nina came back, Amelia got changed and ready for the day. She went downstairs to find everyone sitting there eating breakfast. Nina got up and gave Amelia her chair before pulling a stool over to sit down herself.
A little while after breakfast, Amelia walked into the library. She had always loved this room of Collins Mansion. Shelves lined the walls filled with books. Comfy couches and armchairs sat around the room next to end tables piled high with books. A huge window looking over the back garden let in a lot of natural light. Brown wooden stairs led up to the balcony that wrapped around the whole room. More shelves lined the walls up there. She knew that up the stairs on the very last shelf, hidden away in the furthest corner of the room easily missed by visitors, was their small collection of magic books. Raj must not go up there very much as he had still not found them, it seemed.
Amelia saw Daniel sitting on a couch reading a book. She smiled and walked towards him. "Hello."
Daniel looked up and gave her a smile. "Hey."
"I was just about to head out. Thought I'd say goodbye before I did," she said.
"Oh, you're leaving already?" Daniel asked as she walked over and sat down in an armchair.
"Yes, I have a lot of work to attend to back home but before I do, I thought I'd come see you," she said. "We haven't really got the chance to talk. How are you doing, Daniel?"
"I'm okay," he said with a little shrug.
"It's a lot, I know. Things have changed so much in such a short period of time," she said quietly, leaning back in her chair. "I know Lucy's having a little bit of trouble with things so I just wanted to make sure that you were doing okay."
He smiled a little and nodded. "Yes, I'm okay," he said. He closed his book and put it down beside him. "A lot has changed and sometimes it is pretty hard to wrap my head around it if I think about it too much. It's just so complicated... but I'm okay. I try to be. For Lucy."
"You been so good to her, Daniel. I'm very proud of you."
Daniel shrugged again. "She's my sister. I'm just doing what older brothers are supposed to do," he said. "Nothing special."
"No, you're doing much more," Amelia said. "And I know Lucy really appreciates it."
"She's a good kid," he said. "Helps me out just as much as I help her, really."
"You two are great for each other," she said with a smile. "And that Nina's really something. I approve. Not that you need my approval, of course."
Daniel laughed. "I'm glad you like her," he said. "She is something. I can't imagine having to go through all this without her."
Amelia smiled. "I'm glad you've found each other."
Daniel nodded. He sighed and looked away. "So… ah," he said a little uncertainly, "this war... how bad has it actually gotten? What's going on? Min's not told me much about it."
Amelia's smile faded away and she sighed. "It's pretty bad, Daniel," she said. "A lot of good people have died. A lot of people are missing. A lot of people have moved into Hogwarts where it's safer."
"Do you think it's safe here?" he asked.
"I do," she said. "There are a lot of enchantments on this house to make sure that you, Lucy, Nina, and Raj stay safe. If anything changes I'm sure Minerva will come up with a way to keep you all safe. I mean if worse comes to worse you could always come up to Hogwarts or go back to Castletown."
He nodded though he didn't like any of those options. He loved his home and he didn't want to leave it.
"You know, this has always been my favourite room in your house," Amelia said.
Daniel smiled a little. "It's Lucy's favourite as well," he said. "I go back and forth. I really like the greenhouse outside."
"The greenhouse is very nice as well," Amelia said with a nod. "The gallery is also really something."
"I think you just like our house in general," Daniel said with a smile.
"Maybe," she said with a small laugh. "I really hope that things can go back to how they were between us, Daniel. I really missed you and Lucy both these past two years. I know that it may take some time and some work on my part but I really do hope that eventually we can get back to having very academic discussions on the intricacies of the Batman universe."
Daniel smiled. "Do you still think Gotham would be better off with billionaire, philanthropist Bruce Wayne than Batman?"
Amelia smiled. He was also trying to go back to how things were too. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who had to put in the effort. "I do," she said. "Bruce Wayne could provide the education and social reform that Gotham needs that Batman just could not provide."
"Though, that would make a worse comic book than a masked vigilante cleaning up the streets," he said with a smile. "Wouldn't it?"
"Of course," she said with a laugh.
They talked about Batman for a while longer before Amelia got up to head home. Before she picked up the notepad and pen sitting by the phone on the side table and wrote down her number.
"I'm sorry I didn't make it easier for you to contact me when I left," she said, ripping the paper out of the notepad and holding it out to him. "I don't want make the same mistake again so here's my number. If you or Lucy or Nina ever need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to call me. No matter what time of day it might be."
Daniel took the paper from her, looked down at the number, and smiled. "Thank you, Amelia," he said. "Thank you for coming by. We really missed you and I'm sure that Uncle Raj will come around too. I think he still likes you, you know."
Amelia rolled her eyes. She blamed Minerva. It was her fault that her stepson thought this way. She was filling his head with ridiculous ideas. "I don't think so, Daniel," she said, giving him a look, "and when I said get back to how things were this was not what I meant. I don't need you or Minerva to hound me about feelings neither of us have for each other."
"Uh huh," Daniel said with an annoying smile. "Whatever you say."
Amelia rolled her eyes. She reached up and smacked him lightly on the cheek making him laugh. "You have not changed a bit," she said. She turned and walked towards the library doors. "Goodbye, Daniel. I'll come by again next weekend. Try not to burn down the house while I'm gone. It would be a shame for such a lovely house to go up in flames."
Daniel laughed, sat back down on the couch, and picked up his book. "Goodbye, Amelia," he said. "I'll try my best."