Author's Note:
First, thank you to everyone who said they missed me and my story — that is so lovely to hear! It's nice to be appreciated.
Second, thank you to all who commented on how well the removal of the Dark Mark was, I worked very hard on writing it and trying to come up with a way to do it. I spent weeks on it and as you saw, I showcased some of it with Blaise's research in earlier chapters. Thank you for the lovely comments!
Reviews and Comments: To Matt71478: Harry wouldn't be Harry if he didn't feel guilty for almost killing Bellatrix. To Allyriablack8: There will be justice at some point. To Leapyearbaby29: I agree, Crouch is not going to be a good father. I am sorry I killed Finn, but I have to go where the story takes me. To PurpleLotus: Ted and Andy do rock! I really wanted Blaise to find a way to remove the Dark Mark and I've been working on the how to and the process for quite a few weeks now until I had it the way I wanted it. Harry's visit from Sirius made me tear up as well. To Endinium: Thank you. It is nice to be missed! And well, I like to make the Death Eaters as vile as possible I guess. To Steelcode: What is Voldy up to? That is the question. To Hannah: Thank you. Theo will find his friends and his footing, he just will have a lot to deal with.
To Raindrops & Flowers: Wow! Thank you for such a beautiful and moving review. I like to think that Voldy does not feel them remove the Mark because in my mind set, he would want something to give them pain, but nothing that would hurt him in return. When he doesn't feel the Mark any longer, it means that person has died (or so he thinks). To Vritz: Thank you! I'm happy to have ticked all of the boxes you wanted in an AU. To Jmcglynn522: Best Harry Potter story ever might be an exaggeration, but thank you for saying it nevertheless. I didn't mean to pour salt in the wound by having Theo be alone and then having Sirius visit Harry, that was just where the story took me. The Weasleys are definitely there for Theo! To xXQueenofDragonsXx: Really fucked up is a good description of the ending LOL.
To Seriously Sam: Remus is a great dad! I really like the idea of Blaise having a zebra Patronus. I spent a long time researching the symbolism and meaning behind different animals just to find one that I thought suited him. Andy is of course, a sweetheart. To Periwinkleeblue: Hope everyone you know and yourself are also safe during this pandemic, thank you. To notthatchhavi: Theo will be all right, I promise, but he will be struggling. Interesting to say if Snape wasn't obsessed with Lily you think he would be a zebra too, hmm. To tim2604: Yes, I did kill him LOL. You're one of the few who enjoy the Sirius coming back scenes, so thank you. Yes, there will be some more Harry-Zee stuff coming up soon. To Tiegdalewills15: Blaise is pretty great, so thanks. To DeadFish37: A message will get to Draco's parents, yes. To Apurva roy: I wish Sirius was there for real as well. To rodrimiry: Hello, Puerto Rico! Thank you! To Tmropotterhead250: A squeal when you saw I posted? Thank you! Lucius and Narcissa are so in love! I'm glad you're enjoying them. I can't wait to share the twins with you either, but still a few chapters away. Ophelia did hold her head up like a queen.
To Wolf's scream: In regards to Draco saying "do it," I don't consider it bravery or foolishness, but more of him thinking it was this or death and since this had a good chance of killing him, he took it. He didn't care if he lived or died. To HGRHfan35: I did not, because chapter 253 had the final death scene. He is dead. To DetroitNate: Well, thanks for reading 253 chapters. Hope you find a story that gives you what you're looking for. To LifeonEarth: Aww, sobbing? I'm honoured that you love and hate my writing. To JamesTKent: Thank you for saying the Dark Mark removal was brilliantly and painfully done. I don't believe it could have been done in any way outside of painfully. The scene with Sirius was meant to be all of the above (sweet, funny, and painful) so, thank you for noticing. To pix25: Thank you! To vulpixtales: Voldemort won't be finding out about the Mark anytime soon, but trust me, he won't be happy. I'm glad you think I'm showing true evil because I am trying.
To Pottermum: Thanks for the welcome back! Thanks for saying the Dark Mark removal hasn't been done in that way so thanks! I tried my best. To Dianne: We will all miss Finn and giving him that shocking and sudden death was meant to be a surprise because he was a strong warrior, but even the best of us can be taken from life at a moment's notice. To coloredwords: Thank you. It's nice to be missed. I'm glad Blaise figured it out himself as well. To mchirx: Wow! You read all 253 chapters in two weeks? Thanks for the dedication! I do hope to throw some surprises with the Dumbledore lessons as you will soon see. As to killing Remus or Zee, well, I make no promises. To Ironhidensh1: There can never be enough Hinny, I know. Thank you for saying I wrote dad Remus well. To alexproblematicopuentes: Thank you very much!
To Undead Gothic Princess: Thank you. I agree, the potions were necessary because the marriages were forced so giving them potions is one step worse in my opinion. To Bumlewis: Thank you. Poor Kata indeed. And of course Sirius would tease him about the sex conversation. To Chintan: It was 3 weeks with no update and yes, it was a lot to take in. To boomer21b: Crouch will get what's coming to him one day. To PeevesTwinBrother: Haha, I'm making you regret agreeing to Hinny living and the rest being fair game? That makes me happy. To Krazyasibe and alix33: Thank you. To adelkins83: Lucius and Narcissa are definitely in a tight spot right now! To fancy blood: BTVS is one of my favourite shows of all time so if there was an unintentional Giles vibe, I consider that a compliment! To speedsONEandONLY: Regina or the Evil Queen depends on the tone of the chapter LOL. Thank you for saying that you saw Zee's face without me having to describe it. To Tabseyy: There will be future bits, but not a full length story after Voldemort is defeated. To Nightwing2013: I'm loving your comments as you re-read, thank you for that! And yes, that is one sick and twisted tradition. To ladyinwaiting2005: Sorry to give you nightmares. To Saz J: Thank you! To GreekGreek: Thanks, hope you like what's coming next!
My posting schedule: Once a week.
Thanks to Dusk for her amazing editing skills.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR:
George woke up slowly, the early morning sunlight reflecting through the small dingy window of his bedroom. He blinked a moment before he turned to smile at the woman sleeping next to him. Her dark hair was swept up in a silk head wrap, but he was greeted by the lovely nakedness of her back. He grinned, shifting so that he could plant kisses down her spine. She stirred under his lips and when she rolled over, he merely moved his lips to her breasts.
"Good morning," he murmured as his mouth continued to plant kisses over her skin.
"Morning," Angelina said, her fingers moving into his hair. "What time is it?"
"Still early," George answered, sucking the dark peak into his mouth.
"Mmm, the sun comes up late in the winter, so that's not true."
George chuckled and looked over at the clock. "Almost nine."
"Nine... and you're still here?"
"I'm closing the store tonight so Fred agreed to open. There were some early deliveries to the Ministry that needed to be shipped off. You look delectable."
Angelina chuckled as his stubbled jaw slid down her stomach. "I doubt that. But after I shower, eat your heart out."
George's lips curved and her thumb reached down to trace his lips.
"I love that smile. The one that lights up your whole face. Especially when I'm the one who gives it to you."
"You always make me smile," George told her. "You're still coming with me on Sunday?"
Angelina tugged his face up to hers to kiss him. "Even if I didn't want to, your mum would insist on it."
George chuckled. "She likes you."
"Well, she thinks I'm a good influence on you because you wrote your NEWTs."
"But you're a bad influence," George finished. "Downright naughty in fact. Seducing her son all over London without a care in the world. Tut tut tut."
Angelina grinned. "In my defence, her son wasn't putting up much of a fight."
George kissed her, covering her body with his. "None whatsoever."
Angelina's hands slid down his back and into his pyjama bottoms. "When did you put on clothes?"
"When I got up to use the loo a few hours ago," George said. He used her momentary distraction to kiss her breasts again.
"It's not like you have something he hasn't seen before," Angelina pouted, her hand wrapping around him
George smiled. "True. But you know how Fred is, knowing that I'm the better looking twin is one thing, but seeing me in all of my naked glory is something else entirely."
She laughed. "Prat. You're ridiculous"
"And you're beautiful. I love you, Ange. I love you more every day. You make me so happy."
Angelina kissed him deeply. "Me too. My teammates say that I'm always smiling and that's because of you. I love you."
George deepened the kiss as her hands fondled him just as Fred's voice interrupted them.
"Oi! You two decent? I'm coming in!"
George barely managed to cover Angelina's tits before the door to his room burst open. "Fred, boundaries!"
Fred shrugged. "I've seen it all before. Right, Angelina?"
Angelina scowled at him. "Walking in on me in the bathroom hardly counts as seeing it all."
"Which was an accident and I am truly sorry for that, but listen!"
"Who's running the shop?" George interrupted.
"Ron, nitwit. He's home for the holiday. Now, I received another shipment of mirrors in and I think that after this batch we'll be able to sell them. I know with all of the supplies we were making for the Ministry, we got a little backlogged, but this is it, Georgie!"
George grinned. "Yeah?"
Fred nodded, leaning against the doorjamb. "I figure we'll gift one to Charlie and to Mum and Dad, because that will make us Mum's favourite, and starting in the new year, VainMuch will be a go!"
Angelina sat up, holding the sheet over her breasts. "And it was important for you to tell us this right this very second because..."
Fred wiggled his eyebrows. "That was just to help cool you off because Mum's on her way up and I don't know how much longer Ron can distract her."
Fred had barely turned around before George and Angelina jumped to their feet and attempted to find clothes. Angelina had just pulled one of George's G jumpers over her head before George urged her into the closet to hide at the sound of Mrs Weasley stepping into the boys' flat.
"Mum!" George exclaimed loudly in front of the closet door. "What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"
"Hi, George," Molly said, standing on her toes to kiss her son's cheek. "Ron and Fred were just showing me the new stock. The store is really looking grand!"
"We told you that we knew what we were doing amidst the explosions and general chaos."
Molly nodded. "I should have had more faith in you boys. I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, Mum," Fred said as George smiled next to him.
Molly pursed her lips. "I'm sure that you've both heard by now what happened a few days ago in Hogsmeade. Theo is staying with us for the holiday. I don't want that poor boy to be alone in his grief. He needs friends and he needs family."
"Couldn't agree more," George said. "Want us to come by and cheer him up then?"
"This isn't the sort of thing one cheers up, George," Molly insisted. "We just have to be there for him as much as we can be and show him that the world will go on, no matter how much he thinks it may not!"
George nodded. "We can do that."
"Good. Now, is Angelina still joining us for Christmas?"
"On Christmas Eve," George corrected, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pyjama bottoms. "I'm going to have dinner on Christmas Day at her house."
"Oh, but George that means you'll miss Charlie."
"We'll pop by after dinner. Her family does Yule at tea time."
"Good," Molly said, her hands on her hips. "Don't you think that it's about time you pick up after yourself in here, George? It looks like a pigsty!"
George shrugged. "Just a place to sleep, Mum."
"Well, this 'just a place to sleep' needs to be cleaned. No, not cleaned — decimated!"
George grinned. "Mum, that's a bit extreme. It's not like we have mice living about. It's just some old clothes on the floor. Fred and I moved out, remember? We can take care of ourselves."
"Hmm," Molly murmured as she began to move around the room and pick up her son's clothes. "At least pick your clothes up off the floor. Dirty socks and piles of unwashed clothes and this?"
George swallowed when she pointed to the black and white striped bra on the floor. "Er. I sometimes like to wear those."
Molly rolled her eyes before they suddenly narrowed at the closed door behind her son. "George Fabian Weasley, are you making that poor girl hide in your closet?"
She pushed him aside and pulled the door open and Angelina managed a small smile.
"Er, hi, Mrs Weasley."
Molly looked between the two of them. "Do you two think that I was born yesterday? At your age I was already pregnant with my second child. Come out of there!"
Angelina carefully extricated herself from the closet, pulling George's jumper down a bit. It almost hung to her knees, but it was all she was wearing.
"Are you angry?" Angelina asked, hesitantly.
Molly's eyes were kind as they looked at her. "No, of course not dear. You two are no longer children. And considering some of the ways that Bill and Charlie concealed their overnight guests, the closet is kind of funny."
"You knew about those?" Fred asked from the doorway.
Molly turned to stare at her son. "A mother always knows. Just like I knew about Melinda Cummings sneaking down the drain pipe under your room two years ago, Frederick."
Fred swallowed. "Blimey!"
George gave his mother a sheepish smile. "I love her, Mum."
"I know that, too. Angelina, dear, please don't let him live like a slob. I'll see you boys tonight for dinner and you too, dear. You're always welcome."
She kissed them all on the cheek and then was gone.
Fred stared after her in wonder. "You don't think she knew about the time Alicia and I shagged behind Dad's work shed, do you?"
Angelina slipped her arm around George's waist. "I wouldn't bet against her."
George laughed and kissed his girlfriend. "Come on. If we're going to the Burrow for dinner, we better snog now."
"I have practice at noon."
George closed his bedroom door in Fred's face, ignoring his brother's protests before he kissed Angelina again. "Good. We have a little time to spare right now."
They were both laughing when they fell back onto his sheets, lips meeting all over again.
~ ASC ~
Theo didn't know what he felt.
Being at the Burrow was being surrounded by people who loved him. He could feel it. The acceptance, the love, the welcoming… it felt warm and full of life.
But he still felt cold.
Finn was gone and he didn't know what to do.
Finn was dead because of him. They had targeted his prince because of him. How was his family dealing with it? His brothers and sisters and nephews and his parents… Theo had no idea. He hadn't heard from Tiernan since the hospital and little Ciara… Merlin, Finn was her favourite uncle! He didn't know how the little duck was going to handle this. She was going to hate him.
And he would lose her too.
He buried his face in his pillow to muffle his tears, but he heard Ginny move anyway and a moment later she was in his cot with him, holding him close.
"It's okay, Theo, it's okay to cry."
He knew that it was okay, but he just couldn't seem to stop. He missed Finn like he'd lost a limb. They'd talked about the future and now... how was he supposed to continue in a future without him? And Blaise... the sight of that Dark Mark on his friend's arm had caused rage to tear through him. Rage like he'd never felt before.
Blaise had played him.
The whole time he had played him. How much had he given away? How much information had Blaise given over to the Death Eaters? To Voldemort? Did Theo trusting Blaise have something to do with Finn's death? Was Blaise partially responsible?
There were too many thoughts, too many emotions, and he just wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, yet he was terrified that no sound would come out. He was terrified that this was a sign that his father had finally defeated him, even from the grave. A sign that he was being punished for being gay; for going against his father's wishes. It was like someone was holding tightly to his heart and squeezing it, squeezing the life out of it. It hurt more than he could bear.
Ginny's cheek pressed against his shoulder and he turned to look at her. Her fingers gently brushed his hair away from his face. "Do you want to talk?"
Theo shook his head, his eyes full of tears and his bottom lip sill trembling.
Ginny smiled kindly. "Hot cocoa it is, then. Come on."
He shook his head again when she pulled him to his feet. "No, I… I'm okay."
Ginny ignored him and held his hand tightly in hers as she led him down the creaky stairs and into the Burrow kitchen. He took a seat at the table and watched as she poured milk into a saucepan to boil it before whisking in some cocoa powder and sugar. When the milk started to steam, she dropped in a handful of chocolate chips and a touch of vanilla before she poured it into two cups and passed one over to him. She added a dollop of Molly Weasley's homemade whipping cream on top.
Theo smiled down at the cup. "Thanks."
Ginny put the pan in the sink and moved to sit across from him, her hands around her mug. She sipped it quietly.
"I don't want to be a burden on anyone," Theo began. "I appreciate your mum coming to Hogwarts and inviting me here… but I should probably get back to Norfolk Manor soon."
"We're not letting you spend Christmas alone, Theo. If we didn't let you last year, we most certainly aren't going to let you this year."
"There's so much of Finn in that house," he whispered. "He… he helped me make it great again and we spent so much time there… what if I can't live there without him?"
Ginny reached across the table to take his hand in hers. "You can. It's not going to be easy because you'll have summer memories there, but you can, Theo. You made Norfolk a home again and I know that you wanted to share that home with Finn one day, but it is your home. You did so much and I would hate to see you lose it all."
Theo nodded, staring down into his hot cocoa. "I don't know what I want to do."
"Well, until you do decide, you can stay here. As long as you'd like."
He sipped his hot cocoa. "I know your mum made a bed for me in Fred and George's old room, but I… I didn't want to be alone."
Ginny half-smiled. "The cot in my room is always available."
He nodded. His hot cocoa was gone before he spoke again, startling Ginny who was staring out the kitchen window at the stars in the sky.
"Draco didn't do it."
"What?"
"Draco," Theo said. "He didn't do it. Finn was very clear on that, that I wasn't to blame him. But then Blaise grabbed him and… they weren't on the train, but Blaise had the Dark Mark."
Ginny squeezed his hand. "I don't know what happened any more than you do. Harry and I had just escaped Bellatrix when Abraxas' blood hit me from behind and then suddenly we saw you running and… it was chaos, and the whole thing lasted less than ten minutes."
"Only ten minutes for him to be poisoned," Theo whispered.
"You know what I want to see? I want to see you bring out that gorgeous sword that Finn made for you. I want you to use it in Defence Club. I want you to be as strong as you can be and make Finn's memory count for something more than just loving you. He gave you a lot, Theo. He gave you the world."
"I know," he said. "And I will use the sword more. I like it. I feel more powerful with it. I… I just wish Tiernan would let me know what's going on."
"He will," Ginny assured him. "I know he will."
Theo looked out into the night sky. He felt like Finn was up there somewhere, watching over him and he found it both comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. "I miss him."
Ginny's hands were still holding his across the table. "I know. Come on; let's go back up to bed. You need to get some rest."
Theo let her pull him back up the stairs and this time, when she tucked him into the cot, he did sleep. And for the first time in longer than he could remember, he didn't dream.
~ ASC ~
Neville was sitting at the table in his second greenhouse, carefully digging through the soil with his hands to extricate the plant there. Debussy played through the sound system around him and he hummed along to the Nocturnes absently as he worked. The plant was too big for its pot and he wanted to see it flourish. He liked the monstera, the green of it, the smoothness of the leaves. His little seed had already doubled in size and he proudly replanted it into a bigger pot with a smile on his face. He loved having his hands in the earth, watching it grow. It made him feel part of something bigger.
The attack on Hogsmeade had shaken him a bit. Finn was dead and Theo was devastated. Neville hadn't been in the thick of it. He'd been with Seamus and Dean by the Shrieking Shack. The three of them had spied on Luna's date with Finch-Fletchley as inconspicuously as they could; after deciding that the bloke was indeed treating her right, they'd left to make it seem that they weren't spying. But Neville was pretty sure that Luna had known exactly what he was doing there. She was his friend and he wanted to make sure that whoever she chose was treating her the way she deserved to be treated. Luna had looked happy and Neville felt like he had a part in that.
It made him feel good.
Neville had been telling Dean and Seamus about his plans for his greenhouses, how he had been discussing with Professor Sprout about wanting to start crossbreeding. Seamus told him how he was going to be spending his holiday listening to wedding plans from his older sister and Dean said his mum had made an amusing gift for Seamus that he couldn't wait for Neville to see in the new year. They'd been laughing when they'd seen the flashes of spellwork in the sky and then the three of them were running.
By the time they'd arrived, the chaos was over. Theo and a fae warrior were half carrying, half dragging Finn to the castle. Ginny was covered in blood splatter with a cut over her eye as Harry tended to her with a swollen purple arm, pale, and looking shaken. And it was hard to miss the severed head of one Abraxas Malfoy sitting in the snow, his body lying next to it, looking like a broken puppet.
It hadn't exactly been the scene he'd been expecting to find.
He'd returned to the castle in time to see a crying Hannah run out of a classroom and a moment later, a dishevelled Kevin Entwhistle and Susan Bones emerged. He didn't need to be a Seer to know what she had seen.
It had been over a month now since the breakup and he knew that Kevin had obviously moved on with no problem, but he was worried about Hannah. He wanted to reach out to her in some way, but he also didn't want to intrude. She wasn't interested in him and he knew that, but he just hated seeing her so unhappy.
He clipped the leaves of the monstera, remembering how Hannah's eyes matched the flower petals of a delphinium so precisely and an idea came to him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he left the monstera where it was and hurried to the other side of the greenhouse where many of his flowers were located. He clipped three delphiniums, two orchids, three lilies, and two roses from his greenhouses and wrapped them carefully. Then he pulled out a spare piece of parchment to compose a quick note.
Dear Hannah,
I hope you're having a good holiday. I know that the last month of school has been tough on you so, when I was working in my greenhouse today, I thought these might cheer you up.
Happy Christmas.
Your Friend,
Neville
He stared at the note for a long moment, unsure about it, and then he quickly added Longbottom to his name. Before he could talk himself out of it, he tied the flowers and the letter to the leg of his grandmother's owl and he sent her off.
~ ASC ~
Hannah stared down at her hands, feeling anxious. Ever since she'd returned home from school a few days ago, she had been avoiding telling her mother that she and Kevin had broken up. Her mum liked Kevin. According to Caroline Abbott, Hannah would never be able to find herself someone better. He was a nice boy. A great boyfriend. He was everything that Hannah needed to help stay on track.
She looked around the tiny kitchen of their flat, wishing that she was anywhere else. Mandy had offered to let her spend Christmas with her, but when she had mentioned spending time with the Brocklehursts over the holiday, her mother had immediately shut that down. Did she want her poor mother to sit here alone on Christmas? How could she have raised such a selfish daughter?
Hannah tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears, suddenly feeling the urge to bury her head in her arms and cry. Of course she would never leave her mother alone on Christmas. It was just the two of them, had been for years. Her father had been killed in the first war. His death benefits had granted them enough to buy this small two bedroom flat. It was old and shabby, but it was home.
"So, what time will Kevin be over today?" Caroline asked, slipping into the kitchen in a brand new red dress with sweeping sleeves.
Hannah let out a slow breath. She had been asking her mother for new uniform shirts for two years as hers were so old they were practically see through, but Caroline always claimed they couldn't afford it. Her mother's new dress told her otherwise, but she knew better than to argue. It was bad enough that her mother was asking about Kevin. She knew that no matter how she told her mum the news, she wasn't going to take it well.
"He won't be."
Caroline's mouth opened in surprise before her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"
"Why did I have to do something?"
"Don't talk back to me, Hannah," Caroline declared. "What did you do? Kevin is such a nice boy. Why did you push him away?"
"Mum, he... I told him that I wasn't ready to have sex yet."
Caroline snorted. "Boys need release, Hannah. All you had to do was lie back and think of England. Let him have you, maybe you'll get pregnant, and then he'll have no choice but to marry you."
Hannah looked down at her hands again. "I wasn't ready."
"Kevin Entwhistle comes from a good family, Hannah," Caroline went on. "His father is the Head Healer at St Mungo's. Kevin has spoken about wanting to work at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He would be able to take care of you, Hannah."
"I'm sorry, Mum."
Caroline huffed. "That boy was your only chance of making something of yourself. You don't have the grades to do anything worthwhile! I thought maybe you could get into the healing academy, but you have no ambition! You write to that boy and you tell him that you're sorry. You let him shag you until his heart's content! The least you can do is get pregnant so he'll support you. Do you think that I can support you forever?"
"No, Mum. I'm sorry."
"I'm not trying to hurt you, dear," Caroline declared, her voice taking on a sweetness. "But I just want what's best for you. Kevin is what's best for you. Don't you want to be happy? He can give you a life of nice things."
Hannah nodded. "I don't think Kevin is the one, Mum."
Caroline's eyes darkened. "How can you be so selfish? Do you not see me scraping to make ends meet three days a week, just for us to get by? But do you help? Do you get the grades you need to become a healer like I told you to? No! You let your poor mother work herself to the bone while you flitter off at school! Do you want to end up working three whole days a week like me, Hannah? Do you want to be poor and not support a family like me? I want better for you and he's your way to a better life."
"I waited tables all summer, Mum," Hannah supplied. "I worked seven a days week and —"
"—All that money is gone already," Caroline said, waving it off as if it was nothing.
Hannah's heart clenched. "That was all of my savings, Mum! You said that we only needed a little of it."
"We did, but then I had that date with the Auror from the Ministry and I needed a new outfit. It was vital, Hannah."
Hannah nodded, knowing better than to argue. "Yes, Mum."
"You didn't want me to show up looking poor now, did you? I did it for you, dear. To make your life better."
Hannah nodded. Her mother looking good on a date was for Hannah, not Caroline; right, that made sense. "Are you... are you dating him then? This Auror?"
Caroline scoffed. "The prat shagged me and left me the next day. But that's not the point. The point is that we're barely making ends meet here! I couldn't even take care of my own mother when she was dying of vanishing sickness because your father had died and I was alone and had to work."
Hannah frowned. "Mum, I'd find a way to take care of you if that happened. We won't go hungry, even if I do have to work seven a days a week again."
Caroline huffed. "This isn't about me, Hannah! This is about you. I want what's best for you! How could you turn this around and make it about me?"
Hannah stopped listening. The point was clear. She had worked all summer to scrape together those savings, the money she wanted to use to get away from her mum, and now it was all gone. It wasn't really about her, she knew that. It was about her mother; it was always about her mother's wants and needs. Maybe her mother was right, maybe she needed to just beg Kevin to take her back. Without those savings, she had nothing and she would have to start all over again.
"Hannah Katherine Abbott, are you even listening to me?"
"Yes, Mum."
"You write to that boy immediately. You beg him to take you back."
"But Mum —"
Caroline held up her hand. "You beg him to take you back. You tell him that you're sorry; that you've made a mistake because so help me, Hannah Katherine, if you don't get back together with Kevin I could just kill myself because it means that I failed you as a mother."
Hannah's spine stiffened. "Mum, you didn't fail me. This isn't your fault. Kevin and I just…"
Caroline's eyes darkened. "Fix it, Hannah."
The tapping on the glass startled her and she moved to get the owl. Her mum had given her an annoyed look and declared that she needed to go shopping to settle her nerves, leaving Hannah alone in the kitchen. The sound of the front door slamming a few moments later made Hannah breathe a sigh of relief. She carefully unwrapped the package in curiosity and her eyes widened when she saw the breathtaking flowers that were before her.
They were beautiful. She wished that she knew what they were called. She knew which one was the lily and the rose, but the others were a mystery to her. She buried her nose in them, inhaling the soft sweet scent. No one had ever sent her flowers before. She opened the letter, her eyes widening when she saw who it was from. He was too kind to her and she truly didn't deserve it. He didn't even know her.
And if her mum found out that she was talking to the Earl of Cumbria, in any capacity, she would insist that she throw herself at him. That was the last thing someone as sweet as Neville deserved.
She put the flowers in a vase to bring to her room, reading the note a second and third time, before she folded it up and carefully hid it in her journal in a secret locked compartment at the bottom of her trunk. Another look at the flowers made her feel inspired. She pulled out her supplies, surprised to find more in the cupboards than she expected, and she began to line up her ingredients.
She had work to do.
~ ASC ~
The tapping on the glass startled Neville later on that evening. He'd been humming along to the crushing orchestra of Mozart's Marriage to Figaro. He moved over to let the big brown barn owl in just as Harry stepped through the doors of the greenhouse.
"Hi, Harry," Neville said in surprise.
Harry plopped himself down on the bench in front of Neville's work station. "Your gran let me in. Whatcha working on?"
"I want to try to crossbreed my monstera with some perennials and see what happens. I think the flowers will look nice with the leaves of the monstera and I want to see how they form together."
Harry nodded, his gaze falling on the different pots and the seeds scattered on the work table. "Sounds interesting."
"To me," Neville said, making Harry laugh.
"Interesting music choice."
Neville shrugged. "The plants love it. It helps keep them nourished."
Harry's eyebrow rose. "The plants like classical music?"
Neville nodded. "Yes. Something about the sound waves help the protoplasmic movement in the cells and it makes them grow into stronger and better plants. They really like Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy, Walton… I play all the records, Muggle and magical. The plants thrive under the music. But really just classical, if you try other genres the results aren't as good."
"Cool," Harry said, his eyes on the package that Neville had placed on the desk. "So, who's the package from?"
"I'm not sure," he said, looking down to read the handwriting on the side and almost jolted when he saw Hannah's name. His cheeks flushed. "Er… Hannah."
Harry stood up. "Hannah? What'd I miss?"
Neville shook his head. "Nothing, I… I sent her flowers this morning in a moment of weakness. I just… wanted to check in and see how she was doing. I didn't say anything because Theo was dealing with everything, but when I returned to the castle from Hogsmeade, I saw her running out of a classroom crying and a moment later Kevin and Susan came out of it looking a bit dishevelled."
"I thought they broke up?"
"They did," Neville told him. "But she's still clearly into him and Susan is supposed to be her friend so that's low and… I don't know, it was stupid. She probably just sent the flowers back with a note to leave her alone. She probably thinks I ruined her life."
Harry frowned. "Kevin's an arse and she's better off without him. She doesn't think you ruined her life." Harry nodded towards the large package. "And that looks a hell of a lot bigger than some bloody flowers, unless you sent her a stupid amount."
Neville shook his head. "No, I…" He put the box on his workbench and carefully ripped open the wrapping.
But it wasn't the same flowers he had sent her that morning.
Inside was a container of what looked like incredible buttonholes before he realized they were actually fairy cakes. They were incredibly intricate from the half opened buds, to fully bloomed roses and tulips, the greenery on the sides looked almost life-like. Every fairy cake looked more beautiful than the one next to it: All twelve of them.
"Bloody hell," Harry said, looking over his friend's shoulder. "Are those fairy cakes?"
Neville nodded. "They're works of art."
"I'll say," Harry agreed. "They almost look like real plants. Where on earth did she get these? I've never seen anything so incredible in my life."
Neville pulled out the envelope attached to the top of the box.
Dear Neville,
Please enjoy these. I baked them for you. It's my way of saying thank you. You're kind to me and you have no reason to be. I hope you have a lovely holiday.
Happy Christmas
Affectionately,
Hannah
"She made them."
"Blimey," Harry said in astonishment. "You know that I like to cook and Zee makes the best chocolate chip biscuits in the world, but these are literal works of art."
"Have one," Neville said.
Harry didn't need to be told twice. He reached into the box and pulled out the one that looked like a red rose and carefully bit into it. He made a moaning sound as he did.
"Fuck, I probably sound like Ron, but that's incredible."
Neville took a fairy cake from the box. The cake was purple and white with half-opened blooms and he carefully bit into it: Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting. He was pretty sure he'd never tasted anything better in his life.
"Holy Godric, that's good!"
Harry nodded. "Mine's red velvet."
"Mine too," Neville said, licking his lips.
They both ate the fairy cake in reverent silence, enjoying the taste before Neville looked down at the letter.
"She wants to be a baker."
"If she doesn't share this with the world, we're missing out," Harry agreed. "Write back."
Neville shook his head. "I don't know what to say. She was just being nice."
"Nice can be the start of friendly, Nev. Come on; use that Gryffindor courage."
Neville hesitated before he grabbed a clean piece of parchment from his workbench and chewed on the end of his pencil nervously before he wrote.
Dear Hannah,
Thank you for letting me help you. These fairy cakes are fantastic, not to mention I think the most beautiful food I've ever seen in my life! They look almost life-like, like something that I could grow in my greenhouse. These fairy cakes are one of the best things I've ever eaten and that's saying something because Harry's mum makes the best chocolate chip biscuits in the world. The world will be a better place when you open Serendipity and share your incredible desserts with all of us.
Happy Christmas!
Affectionately,
Neville
He showed Harry the letter, biting his bottom lip nervously.
"It sounds stupid, doesn't it?"
"No," Harry told him. "It doesn't. What's Serendipity?"
Neville's cheeks flushed. "Er, she told me that she wants to open a bakery and call it that, but her mum thinks it's stupid and a waste of time and so did Kevin, so she pushed it aside."
"Definitely not stupid," Harry said. "That was the best cake I've ever had. You can tell her I said so. As to the letter, it sounds good to me."
Neville nodded and sent the letter back, a smile on his face and then he grabbed the camera he used to record his plants and snapped a photo of the fairy cakes. They looked lovely and he wanted to remember what they looked like. He was honoured that she would bake them for him in the first place.
"So, what brings you by other than a chance to eat fairy cakes?"
Harry grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "That was just a nice bonus. And nothing really, Zee's working late because one of the unicorns is having a baby and I was bored. Ginny was supposed to come stay the week with me, but with Theo staying at the Burrow, she doesn't want to leave him alone. Tonks is at work and Uncle Remus is marking papers. I guess I was just feeling a bit restless. I know I'd be welcome at the Burrow, but I don't want to intrude. I don't know how Theo is dealing with it all."
"Makes sense," Neville agreed. "He must be a wreck. I didn't really know Finn, but he clearly meant a lot to Theo. He was a good teacher in Defence Club."
Harry nodded. "He was cool. He was friendly and very much in love with Theo. I mean, I've never really met a fairy before, but he was kind of a badass. The way he fought with that sword was brilliant."
"Yeah," Neville said. "Is there going to be a funeral?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I don't know if fairies have funerals like we do. Do you reckon they bury them?"
"Search me."
Harry took a second fairy cake at Neville's offering before he spoke. "Well, Ginny will let me know whatever it is. I just want Theo to have support and Gin's the best person to give him that."
"Agreed," Neville said.
Harry bit into his cake before he spoke. "So, you going to show me all of these greenhouses you keep talking my ear off about or what? Your plants have to be thriving even more since the summer."
He grinned. "Are you sure that you want to see them all?"
Harry shrugged. "Absolutely. Let's see what you've come up with. You can tell me about Luna and Justin while you do."
Neville rolled his eyes. "He's a nice bloke."
"I always thought so. I still don't know how he and Luna get on, but she seems to like him."
"Me neither," Neville admitted. "But she says he makes her smile."
"Are you jealous?"
"What? Me?" Neville exclaimed in surprise. "No."
Harry raised his eyebrow. "Even after you and her had sex?"
Neville's face flushed. "Keep your voice down!"
"Come off it, your gran's all the way in the house!"
Neville sighed, the back of his neck flushing. "And she has ears like a bat!"
At Harry's look, he shrugged. "Luna and I are just friends. I want her to be happy. Justin is making her happy."
Harry nodded, his hands in his pockets. "Nev, can I ask… the shagging thing I mean… was it brilliant?"
Neville's smile was slow. "Yeah, yeah it was. I er, may have snuck into your trunk to read that book Sirius gave you back in second year. I was terrified I'd muck it all up."
"Did you? Muck it all up?"
Neville shook his head. "No. I mean, I don't think anyone's first time is all that great, especially when neither of you have done it before, but it was… amazing. Are you and Ginny thinking…"
Harry shrugged. "Not yet. I mean, I don't think so. But she… she used her mouth."
"Yeah, Luna did too," Neville admitted. "That was bloody fantastic."
"Right!" Harry agreed. "I reckon I can wait forever to do the real thing, especially because she and I are doing other stuff. I trust her and she trusts me and that… that feels more important. The trust and… I don't want to pressure her."
Neville gave him a sympathetic look. "You and Ginny will figure things out along the way, you always do."
Harry figured Neville was right about that. He could tell Ginny anything and she just got it. She understood him in ways that no one else did. It was part of the reason why he hadn't spoken to her about Bellatrix either. She would tell him off for beating himself up over it, even after his talk with Remus and with… Sirius.
He snuck a look over at Neville. "I never thought you'd get shagged before me."
Neville laughed. "I didn't either. Luna sort of threw me for a loop and I don't regret it. I do feel more confident and more sure of myself. Even though I've still never really had a girlfriend."
"You will," Harry assured him. "I still think you should ask out Hannah, come the new year. She did make you those incredible fairy cakes."
Neville shrugged. "I'm not ready to make a fool of myself just yet, Harry."
"I don't think she'd say no."
"A pity yes isn't what I want either."
Harry knew better than to keep needling his friend. Once Neville set his mind on something he was immovable. He just wished his friend could see how great he was. "Well, just think about it, yeah?"
Neville nodded before he gestured for Harry to follow him. He took him through the greenhouse and into the next one and the one after that, explaining the plants he'd started or planned to grow where and why.
When he showed Harry the section of Antirrhinum majus he had planted, Harry recalled his dream from the night before.
"Nev, do you believe in dreams being real?"
Neville frowned. "Yes, and no. What do you mean?"
Harry shoved his hands into his pockets in a very Sirius move that he hadn't even realized he'd done. "I had a dream the other night. I mean, I think it was a dream, but when I woke up or came to or whatever it is I did, I could smell him: Leather and forest, as clear as day."
"Sirius?"
Harry nodded, his eyes on the dog flower blooms otherwise known as Antirrhinum majus. "He said that he was proud of me and that he loved me and Zee and the twins… it felt real. Zee's been having dreams too, and she says that he's in them, that it feels real."
"And you don't think it is?" Neville asked, his brow furrowing.
"It's not that I don't think they are, it's more… how can they be?"
Neville looked thoughtful for a moment. "Gran always says those we love never really leave us. I know that she still misses Grandad every day. Sometimes she even talks to his picture when she thinks I'm not around. Not in a sad way, I mean, she's not pining after him or anything, but as comfort. Sometimes when we come back from St Mungo's she's so… defeated, you know? I think the idea that those we lost can visit in our dreams in any capacity is amazing. Do you think it was real?"
Harry let out a slow breath. "I smelt him, Neville. It was like he was right there. He answered my thoughts."
"Then it was real," Neville told him. "Come on. I'll show you the last greenhouse and you can tell me more about this dream."
Harry felt immediately comforted by his friend's words as if he had just merely been waiting for someone to say them aloud. It had been real. Sirius was watching out for him and it made him feel safer and closer to the parent he had lost.
And it made the upcoming Christmas seem a little brighter.
~ ASC ~
Ron was nervous.
He wasn't entirely sure why as it wasn't like he hadn't been to the Grangers home on plenty of occasions, but he was. This was also the first time he would be seeing them since he and Hermione had started dating and that was entirely terrifying.
He stepped out of the fireplace, dusting himself off before Hermione threw herself into his arms making him laugh. He half picked her up as he hugged her before he bent his face down to kiss her.
"Hi."
"Hi," she said, her eyes bright as she stared up at him.
It was only then that he realized her parents were sitting in the living room.
"Er, hi, Mrs Granger, Mr Granger."
Mr Granger raised an eyebrow at him. "Hello, Ron."
Mrs Granger stood up and smiled. "Welcome, dear. Would you like some tea?"
"That would be nice, thanks," he said, feeling better when Hermione squeezed his hand in hers.
He took a seat on the sofa as Mr Granger stared at him.
"So, Ron, you're dating my daughter now?"
"Dad," Hermione said in exasperation. "You can't be all tough, so stop trying."
Mr Granger's lips twitched. "Someone is dating my jellybean, I want to make sure she's being well taken care of."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ignore him."
Ron gave a lopsided grin before he scratched the tip of his long nose. "I'll always take care of her, Mr Granger. How often she'll let me is something else entirely, but I promise to try."
Mr Granger laughed. "I always did like you."
Relief coursed through Ron at those words. They spent the next hour having tea with her parents and Ron remembered how much he genuinely liked the Grangers. Mr Granger talked about comic books and superheroes and Ron told him all about the comics he'd read when he was a kid, specifically about Marvin the Mad Muggle, making Mr Granger extremely interested. When tea was over, Hermione told them that she and Ron were going up to her room.
"Leave the door open, Hermione," Mrs Granger said.
Ron's cheeks flushed, but then Hermione was holding his hand and leading him upstairs into her bedroom.
It wasn't like he hadn't been in her room before, but suddenly the implications of standing in her bedroom meant something very different to him than it had in the past. Her room was painted white with blue accents. She had book shelves against one whole wall with a matching dresser and vanity, and her huge Queen-sized canopy bed with white sheer bed curtains tied with blue bows.
Hermione sat on her bed and gestured for him to do the same.
"Your door is closed," he whispered.
Hermione, still holding his hand, only smiled. "I know. Mum really just said that to placate, Dad. Does she really think we're going to sneak up here and shag with them sitting down below? We can't get into too much trouble."
Ron leaned in to nip at her bottom lip. "I don't know. Want to find out?"
She bit her lip when he pushed her back onto the bed and crawled over her. "I missed you," she admitted.
Ron nipped at her lips, teasing her. "I missed you, too."
"Have you been busy?" she asked.
"Working at the shop," he said, pressing his lips to her throat. "Do you want to talk right now?"
Hermione pulled his mouth to hers in response and all he thought was finally. Kissing her was the best thing in the world and he never wanted to stop doing it. It had been almost a week since he'd last kissed her and he missed her. He shifted her so that she was lying fully on the bed, settling himself between her thighs so that she could feel him. He used his hands, molding her breasts, stroking her through her jumper as his lips met hers. He loved that she loved when he did this.
The last two weeks of school, their snogging had become more and more intense. They were horizontal as much as possible and Hermione was always driving him mad with lust. He couldn't get enough of her. He wanked morning and night, desperately trying not to embarrass himself when they snogged.
But it didn't matter.
One look at her and he was rock hard again. His lips trailed down her throat, the smell of her invading his senses. She smelt like flowers and honey and he wanted to just lose himself in her more than he wanted his next breath. His hand moved lower, fiddling with the hem of her jumper and when he slid it underneath, her breath hitched.
"Yes," she whispered.
Ron figured that was all the encouragement he needed. His hand slid over her soft skin, fondling her through her bra as she kissed him passionately. He loved how she kissed him. She poured everything she had into every kiss, like she was trying to tell him something; to show him how she felt. He thought that she was magnificent. He rolled his hips forward and she gasped.
"You make me mad for you," he murmured, lifting her shirt and tugging it over her head. "Absolutely mad."
Hermione's hands moved under his jumper, tugging it over his head and tossing it on the bed next to them. Then those hands slid up his chest, teasing through the soft ginger hair there. Then he was kissing her again, his fingers teasing her bra clasp until it opened and then they were skin to skin.
This had fast become a habit that he never wanted to break. He loved feeling her breasts pushed against his naked chest, loved her hands on his chest, the way she stroked his skin. Then her hand slid lower to his belt and his eyes met hers as she unbuckled, then unzipped him. Her hand slipped inside, wrapped around him.
"Do you like it when I touch you like this?"
"Fuck, yes," he murmured.
"Don't swear," she lectured.
Ron nipped at her mouth. "Don't stop."
Hermione's hands were perfect. Every time she touched him, it felt better than the last time. One of his favourite things about her was how fast she learned things. Her fingers danced along him as she tickled the tip of him, light teasing strokes that made him pant with need and then she was pumping him, faster and faster, and he crushed his lips to hers as he came, moaning into her mouth.
Hermione used her wand to clean them up, a soft smile on her face. "I love that I can do magic outside of school."
"Perks of dating an older woman," he teased.
Hermione hit him and he laughed, kissing her neck, his hands sliding over her breasts before he used his mouth. He sucked her nipple sharply and she tossed her head back in glee. He suckled her as he slid his hands lower, achingly slow, teasing her. He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly unzipped her jeans and her breath hitched.
"Ron, wait," she said softly.
He kept his eyes on hers, barely moving a muscle. He never wanted to do anything she wasn't willing to do.
"My parents could come up here any minute," she whispered.
Ron kissed her, a lopsided grin on his face. "That didn't stop you from getting me off a few minutes ago."
She blushed. "Yes, but I… I mean, you…"
"You know I've wanted to," he said, slowly moving his hand into her jeans, his long fingers stroking her through the cotton. "We keep getting interrupted, but Merlin have I wanted to."
Those long fingers continued to stroke her, the wetness of her knickers making him hard again as he stroked his fingers up and down, teasingly pushing in.
Hermione whimpered. "I… no one's ever…"
Ron's smile was slow and the look in her eyes made his heart pound. "Never… ?"
Hermione shook her head. "There's been no one else."
Ron kept his eyes on hers as his fingers moved under her damp knickers. "Tell me what to do, Hermione," he said, his voice low by her ear as his fingers swiped through her folds. "Show me what you like."
"Mmm, that," she murmured. "Just that."
He teased her, amazed by how wet and hot she felt. His brothers may be huge pains in the arses most of the time, but they were always good for advice. He moved his fingers around, trying to find it, and when he moved his finger over the bud, she let out a soft gasp that made him pretty sure he'd found the right spot.
"There?"
"Mmhmm," she said, biting her bottom lip. "Definitely there…. oh!"
He grinned, working his finger over her clit, stroking her in firm strokes and watching in amazement how her eyes rolled at the touch. "Does that feel good, Hermione? Do you like it?"
"Yes," she moaned. "Yes! Oh, more pressure… just like… oh, yes!"
Ron was rock hard again. His jeans pressed against the side of her leg as his fingers continued to work her. It was incredible how she felt, how sweet and perfect. He watched her bite her bottom lip and he knew that he wanted to watch her fall apart. He increased the pressure and she rocked against him and then she was biting her fist, silently panting, and he felt her let go, melting beneath him. He took her mouth in his, swallowing her moans.
When she finished, he slowly slid his fingers out, dancing them up her stomach. "So beautiful."
Hermione's smile was full of satisfaction. "Thank you."
Ron kissed her before he took her wand to clean them up again. "My pleasure."
Her cheeks were pink when she pulled him back down to snog him and Ron thought it was turning out to be a pretty good holiday so far despite it starting with such a tragedy. They heard movement on the stairs and they both jumped up, adjusting their state of undress and pulling their jumpers back on. Ron shoved Hermione's bra under the pillow. Hermione used her wand to open her bedroom door and they sat up in the bed, pretending they were talking.
Mrs Granger stood in the doorway, eyes on the two of them for a moment as if she hardly believed they were merely talking. "Dad and I were thinking about going ice skating, do you two want to come?"
"That sounds grand, Mum," Hermione said. "We'll be down in a minute."
Mrs Granger nodded. "Good. Oh, and Ron, dear, your jumper is on inside out."
When she left them alone, Ron's face flushed and Hermione laughed, burying her face in his chest. Despite the embarrassment of the situation, Ron knew that there was nowhere else he wanted to be.
~ ASC ~
Tonks padded into the kitchen, eyes still sleepy on Saturday morning. Harry had come home the weekend before. She and Remus had picked him up at King's Cross. Neither of them had wanted Zee to go. She was getting bigger every day and had finally finished her last day at the Ministry just yesterday. She was due in less than a month.
After the attack on Hogsmeade, they were all feeling nervous about even letting the kids on the train, but the death of Abraxas Malfoy had made all of them feel better. That foul man had caused a lot of damage over the years and finding his severed head on the ground of the village had been poetic justice. Though she was still infuriated that Crouch had been there and yet again, had slipped through their fingers.
By the time she and the other Aurors had arrived in the village, the Death Eaters were on the run. The entire attack had lasted ten minutes and the only casualty had been the fae. The last week had the Ministry of Magic discussing more plans for the Defence Department and working diligently with their allies. King Taliesan was devastated and from what Dumbledore had said, had claimed it as a personal attack against his family. The fae were planning to offer more soldiers to the cause, determined to enact revenge on those who had caused his youngest child's death.
Finn had been laid to rest in a small private ceremony with only the fae allowed along with Theo and Ginny. He had been spread on the grass surrounded by wildflowers and when the druid spoke the last word, Finn's body had vanished into the earth, erupting into forget-me-nots and columbine and Ginny had said Theo had sobbed on his knees. Tiernan had presented him with one forget-me-not and told him to plant it in his garden in honour of Finn. Ginny had told her it was a very emotional day.
Harry had spent some time at the Burrow during the week as Ginny wanted to stick close to Theo, but according to Harry, Theo had spent most of his time cooped up in Ginny's bedroom. He had planted the bud in a small pot as Tiernan had instructed, but had done nothing else with it since then. He kept his face buried under the blankets on the cot, staring at the flower as if willing it to bloom. He was quiet and withdrawn and even the antics of Fred and George Weasley hadn't even gotten him to crack a smile.
Christmas Eve was in two days and Tonks felt like none of them were prepared for it. She was supposed to work on Christmas Eve, but then she was off for Christmas Day and back to work on the twenty-sixth and she was trying not to think about it.
Especially when King had told her the news.
The Ministry of Magic had registered a huge influx of wedding ceremonies that had taken place over the last week. Names of witches and wizards joined in matrimony had appeared in the Ministry ledgers, alarming some people who recognized many of the names of the children. As that's what some of these people were — children. Bartemius Crouch Jr had been one of those names. He was married to not one, but two witches under the age of seventeen.
It wasn't standard practice to marry more than one person and where it was frowned upon in most circles, it had never officially been outlawed. Seeing Crouch's name come up as newly married (and to child-brides) only infuriated her even more that he was still out there. That he was still escaping her clutches. That he was still causing such damage in the world and she had yet to stop it.
She pulled on Remus' shirt from the day before, only buttoning two of the buttons, determined to enjoy her day off and not to think about her work for once. Her husband was sitting at the table reading the paper, a cup of tea in front of him with some toast and jam. She yawned and moved to the counter to pour herself a cup of tea.
"Good morning, Nymphadora," Remus said, smiling at her.
Tonks nodded at him, taking a sip of her tea. "What time did you get up?"
"Seven," he informed her. "Couldn't go back to sleep."
Tonks leaned against the counter, yawning again. "I could sleep all day."
"Come sit on my lap."
"You get ideas when I sit on your lap," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Remus chuckled. "You love my ideas. Come."
Tonks did as he asked, sighing into him when his arms came around her. "Do we have plans today? Can we just stay right here?"
Remus kissed her forehead. "Absolutely, though we are supposed to go to your parents' house for dinner. Tomorrow is the first night of the moon. Of course, the tree looks lovely and if you wanted to dig out that red ribbon you wore last year, I might be inclined to shag you beneath the tree again."
Tonks grinned. "We broke ornaments last year."
"We did," he admitted. "But we didn't knock the tree over like the year before, this year we can learn how to not break the ornaments."
Tonks chuckled, biting her bottom lip. "I can definitely be persuaded to put that outfit back on. You can wear the hat."
Remus kissed her, lingering a moment. "Deal." He held a letter out to her. "But first, post from Charlie for you this morning."
Tonks' eyebrow rose as she accepted the letter. "I just saw him three weeks ago, it's not like him to write so soon, or at all, really. He already said that he was going to make it back for the holiday."
Remus made a sound of agreement as his hand slid up her shirt to cup a breast.
Tonks slapped his hand away playfully and he only grinned at her, bending his head and exposing the breast to his mouth. "Remus, what did I say about ideas?"
"That I have good ones?"
She grinned and unbuttoned her shirt completely to give him better access. She opened the letter from Charlie as her husband absently kissed her shoulders, her neck, her collarbone…
"I have to go to Romania."
Remus stopped what he was doing, his eyes meeting hers. "Is Charlie all right?"
"I don't know," she said. "The letter just says: 'Tonks, I'm calling in my best friend emergency card. Come to Romania and don't tell my family. Love, Charlie.' Best friend emergency card is only for emergencies!"
"I figured that one out for myself," Remus said, frowning. "He was just working in England three weeks ago so something must have happened when he returned to the reserve."
Tonks nodded and hopped off her husband's lap. "I need to talk to King about getting a portkey and I need to shower. I'm going to need to take time off. I don't know how long I'll be out there. I don't know if I'll be back in time for Christmas."
Remus stood up and pulled her back into his arms. "Breathe, Dora. He's okay because he wrote the letter."
Tonks looked a little relieved by this as she nodded. "Yes, you're right." She let out a slow breath. "I'm going to shower and pack a bag. Will you send King a Patronus for me and tell him that I'll be at his flat in thirty minutes?"
"Yes. Do you want me to come with you?" Remus asked.
Tonks kissed him softly. "No, Harry and Zee need you here. Tomorrow's the first night of the moon. Harry will be here with you if I'm not back. I'll send word as soon as I know he's okay."
Remus nodded as his wife hurried off to shower. Emergency card, he thought frowning, what exactly had Charlie Weasley gotten himself into?
Tonks was wondering the same thing. It took her three hours to get a portkey and Kingsley promised her that she could have twenty-four hours and not a day more. Considering Christmas was just two days away, she thought that was pretty gracious of him. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she stumbled out of the portkey, catching herself on the fence before she landed flat on her face, still slipping on the ground anyway. She showed her badge and her passport to the transportation officer and hurried off into the reserve.
The reserve was on the outskirts of Transylvania, hidden deep within the Carpathian Mountains in a wizarding town called Satul de Foc Albastru (The Village of Blue Fire). It had been named by a Romanian gypsy three hundred years before after a Ukrainian Ironbelly had burned the forest to escape hunters. A witch had attempted to stop the flames and inadvertently made the flames blue and blue fire had raged for three days miraculously not burning anything in sight. When the fire was finally distinguished, the forest had remained untouched and unburned. The locals had claimed it was a safe haven from then on out and called it Satul de Foc Albastru. The dragon reserve had been built there one hundred and fifty years later. She headed into the little village, eyes peeled for her friend's bright red cap. She recognized one of the dragonologists and waved him down.
"Hey, you're Charlie's friend, right?" he said, shaking her hand. His hair was as black as ink and pulled back in a plait at his neck and his dark brown eyes were smiling at her. "I'm Raiden. I think that we met once before."
"Tonks. And yes, we did, a few years back. I'm looking for him, do you know where I can find him?"
"Should be at his house, he's finally moved in," Raiden said. "Follow the path down the right, past the boarding houses and tents, towards the dragon keeps. Charlie has the property on the edge of the keep, just at the base of the mountain. His front door is a burnt red."
"Thank you," Tonks said.
She hurried off where he guided her and it took her another twenty minutes before she saw the house. She knocked on the door and when Charlie pulled it open, she threw herself into his arms.
"You cannot declare a best friend emergency card with no explanation, Charlie Weasley! Do you have any idea how worried I was the whole way over here?"
Charlie grinned and hugged her close. "I know, but I needed you here. Thanks for coming, Tonks."
Tonks pulled back to look up at him. His hair was cropped short at the back and shaggy on the top, sticking up everywhere in an almost Harry-esque style and he had a full beard of bright red. "I see that you've kept the beard."
Charlie ran his hand over his chin and nodded. "Yeah, I've grown rather fond of it."
"It looks good on you," she said, closing the front door behind her. "Now explain."
"What do you think of the house?"
"It's great," she said, her eyes moving around the inside. "It reminds me of the Burrow."
"That's why I got it," he admitted. "It's close to the dragons too, I can see them from my front garden."
Tonks stared at him. "Which would be terrifying to most people."
He grinned. "Nah. It's perfect. It has two bedrooms upstairs and down here is one bathroom, this big kitchen, and a living room. It's perfect for me."
"And now that you've finally bought a house it's your way of telling me that you're not moving back to England?"
Charlie shook his head. "I love my work and I do miss my family, of course I do, but this is my home now."
Tonks nodded. "I knew that the first time you sent me a photo. Now stop stalling and tell me what's going on!"
Charlie let out a slow breath and gestured for her to follow him upstairs. She walked past a room with a huge king-sized mattress on the floor, unmade, with a dresser. "My room. It's not exactly furnished much yet."
She was going to comment on the unmade bed and lack of anything when she saw the small cot near the window. Charlie reached inside and pulled out a tiny bundle wrapped in a white and gold crocheted blanket and her eyes widened.
"Charlie…"
His blue eyes met hers and he nodded. "I didn't know who else to call."
Tonks looked slightly panicked as he passed the bundle into her arms and she found herself looking down at the sweetest little baby.
"Best friend emergency card," Charlie said.
Tonks stared at him. "You better start talking, mister!"
Charlie took the baby from her, carefully holding the bundle in his arms as he led the way downstairs. He took a seat on the sofa in the living room and gestured for Tonks to sit next to him.
"About a week after I returned from England, I was out working with this baby Peruvian Vipertooth when Takada yelled that I had a visitor. You remember Raiden Takada? The dragonologist from Japan?"
"Yes, he told me where your house was when I arrived. Raiden is the one you like to snog."
"I told you we don't snog, we — never mind. Listen, Raiden called out to me that I had a visitor and I came out and… this woman was there holding her."
"And?"
Charlie let out a slow breath. "So, back at the beginning of March, I went to this magical creatures conference in Sicily. It had magizoologists from all over the world there and after the conference we all went out to this club. We drank and danced and there was this woman from Portugal there. She was fun. She had brown hair and brown eyes and a great laugh. She was gorgeous and we got to talking about how she actually works with Thunderbirds specifically and had moved out to America to work on a reserve in Phoenix, but she'd come to the conference on her boss's orders. Her name was Adreana Camara and we spent three days together having really great sex."
"And you knocked her up!" Tonks exclaimed.
Charlie dragged his fingers through his unruly hair. "She just showed up with Aydin! She placed her into my arms and put a bag down full of nappies and handed me a bunch of papers. Adreana said that she wasn't mother material; that she didn't even know that she was pregnant until it was too late to safely get rid of the child. She told me that she couldn't provide a home for her daughter like she would deserve and she said that the papers were… that she had signed away all of her parental rights and told me that I was the father so I could make the next decision from there. And then she left."
Tonks stared at him. "She just… took off?"
He nodded. "I didn't know what to do, Tonks! Fuck, I still don't! I took her to the village healer and she's a perfectly healthy little baby girl. She gave me milk for her and I did check, the healer confirmed, she's mine."
"Eh-din?"
He smiled. "It means little fiery one. Adreana put in the paperwork that she named her Aydin because she liked the meaning of it. She's twenty-two days old."
"And you've had her for two weeks?"
"Eighteen days," Charlie said, snuggling the baby closer to him. "What do I do?"
Tonks stared at him. "What do you mean, what do you do?"
"I mean… I can't take care of a baby! This has been the longest eighteen days of my life! Someone has stopped by almost every day to check up on me. I… I've brought her with me down to work with the dragons and she just sleeps in her seat or I hold her in this little sling thing against my chest that she seems to like but… the dragons know she's a baby and they're really good with that. It's like they protect the young, you know?"
Tonks reached out to take her friend's hand in hers. "You're in love with her."
Charlie's blue eyes looked down at the bundle in his arms and his eyes filled before he could blink them back. "Dora… I don't know the first thing about kids. I can't… I can't keep her. I can't be a single dad!"
Tonks squeezed his hand in her grasp. The fact that he had called her Dora instead of Tonks only further told her the turmoil he was feeling. "You used the BFE card which tells me two things: One, you already made your decision and you wanted me to be here to tell you that it's the right one and two, no one on earth would be a better father to that little girl than you, Charlie Weasley."
Charlie bit his bottom lip. "I work with dragons."
"And they protect the young."
"It's dangerous here. I'm always travelling."
"You can take her with you and if not, you have a pretty amazing family back home or friends here that you trust."
"I'm only twenty-four."
"At twenty-four, your parents already had five kids."
Charlie swallowed. "What do I know about kids? How can I raise her all by myself?"
Tonks' eyes met his. "You'll learn. You are the gentlest soul I have ever known. When we were kids, I watched you nurse a baby kneazle like he was your own. You raised an entire family of occamys near the Forbidden Forest. You cried when Chi died and protected her babies from poachers. You have her essence tattooed on your body. You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known. You have five younger siblings who you helped take care of. You know what this little girl needs, Charlie? She needs love. She needs love and attention and a home. I don't see any reason why you can't give her all of those things. Her mother already abandoned her, are you going to do the same?"
Charlie looked down at Aydin, her eyes were the same piercing blue as his own and she already had a reddish brown fuzz on the top of her head. "I love her so much, Tonks. Sometimes I just stare at her for hours and look at the blue veins under her soft skin, the sweet little baby lips; I count her fingers and toes and I just… she's mine."
Tonks kissed his cheek. "She's yours, Daddy."
He grinned. "I kind of like Papa, actually."
"It's perfect. Now, let me hold her again."
Charlie carefully placed her into Tonks' arms, his calloused thumb brushing across his daughter's cheek. "I filled out her birth certificate before you arrived here. I think I knew that I was going to keep her, I just needed you to… help kick my arse."
"She's beautiful, Charlie. She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."
He grinned down at her. "She is, isn't she?"
"Your little fiery one. That is a perfect name for her."
"Adreana didn't give her any other name. She was waiting to see what I decided I guess, so I finished her name. Adreana and I may not have been in love and she might not want a daughter in her life or want to be any part of her life, but she's a gift and one who I will always cherish," Charlie said slowly. "So, I wanted her middle name to mean gift. Do you know what name means 'gift,' Tonks?"
Tonks tenderly kissed Aydin's cheek before she spoke. "No."
"Dora," Charlie said. "Her name is Aydin Dora Weasley. My little fiery gift."
Tears welled up in Tonks' eyes. "What? Really?"
He kissed her cheek. "You're my best friend and there's no one more badass and more amazing than you. I want her to have someone brilliant that she can look up to. Will you be her godmother?"
"Yes!" Tonks exclaimed, hugging Charlie, holding the baby carefully between them. "I'd be honoured."
Charlie kissed her cheek again. "Good because I have a very important first godmother task for you."
Tonks raised her eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
Charlie let out a slow breath and nodded. "I think so because I'm terrified." When she only continued to stare at him, he sighed. "I need you to help me tell my mother."
Tonks' eyes met his. "That's going to be one hell of a Christmas present."
Charlie grinned. "Surprise."
End Author's Note:
I've had this storyline in mind for Charlie since Harry's third year. I just see Charlie as being an incredible dad and I like the idea of him being a single dad. I hope it was a surprise, and a good one at that.
Thank you to Seriously Sam for helping me with the Hannah scene.
Caroline Abbott's rant about working three days a week, I took that inspiration from Schuster's wife in Glee.
Thank you for reading and please review!