Going Back Home

Daisy smiled as she opened her eyes and saw the familiar living room of the flat.

"WELCOME HOME!" Alan, Remus and Wills shouted at the same time. A large banner was hung over the balcony doors that read 'Welcome Home, Woods!' Daisy chuckled as she walked over and wrapped her arms around her brothers, happy to be back. Even more so now that she seemed to have finally figured out the key to her gifts. When she let go of them, she immediately fell into Wills arms, grinning as he bent down to kiss her.

"What did you do to your hair?" he asked, picking up a curl. After finally getting to the veil on her own, Daisy had felt a change was in order. Her hair had always been long since she could remember, so with her mother's help, they had cut off several inches. Her curly hair now sat slightly below her shoulders.

"Needed a change. You like it?" she asked.

"Of course," Wills replied.

"Oi! What did I say about greeting your boyfriend before your dad!" Oliver shouted as he walked towards her frowning. Daisy laughed and walked over, hugging him. "Good to have you home, Pix."

"Good to be back, Dad," she said. She stepped back and looked around, noticing that Lila, Toby and Christos were there, as well as three people that she remembered meeting before.

"And now we are all together again!" Christos said cheerfully as Daisy walked over and hugged Toby. "I'm sure you three remember Aleka, Alekos and Tessa."

"Yea… you helped out with our training a bit," Jamie said, walking over and shaking their hands.

"Good to see you again," Alekos said, grinning brightly. "Argus tells me all three of you have progressed very well." Jamie shrugged and looked over at Iris, who was now hugging Oliver tightly.

"Did the best we could. Argus is definitely a good teacher," he said, looking back at the twins.

"You lot hungry?" Toby asked. "We managed to make up a bit of something."

"Since when do you cook?" Daisy asked, looking at Toby, his cheeks now a slight pink.

"He didn't. He watched while Tess, Alan and Remus cooked," Christos said. Daisy stared at Toby a bit before her eyes widened and she looked over at Tessa, who was now checking various dishes on the stove.

"Just what all happened while I was gone?" she asked softly. Toby started blushing even more.

"N-nothing," he stuttered. Daisy raised an eyebrow as she started smiling slightly and looking over at Tessa.

"You sure about that?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Come on, Pix. Not in front of everyone," he muttered. "Besides, you'd know if you'd of checked the notebook." Daisy's smile fell as she looked away.

"Accidentally left it behind," she said softly.

"Pix… stop. It's fine. I get it. And we'll talk later," he said with a small smile, as everyone moved towards the table. She nodded and smiled as Wills walked up and took her hand, leading her over. While she knew there was a lot to talk about with her best friend - she had been avoiding him while she was gone - she also knew they'd work it out.

Once they were all seated around the table and eating, talk inevitably turned to quidditch - as usual. The Prostatis were unfamiliar with the sport, but it seemed Christos had started to fill them in on some of the basics. Likely so they wouldn't be lost when matches started up. Christos had become an eager fan.

"I, for one, am ready to see the Wood triplets back in action on the same team again," Wills proclaimed loudly, causing Daisy to roll her eyes. "You lot were bloody amazing together at Hogwarts."

"We're certainly glad to have Jamie back so we can start practicing with the team," Remus said, glancing at his brother.

"Getting a bit old only working with Dad and Lawrence," Alan added.

"He's a good coach. And you two needed it to get up to Puddlemere standards," Oliver said, frowning at the two.

"Dad, they did win beater of the year last season. When was the last time McIntosh and Truffle did that?" Daisy asked, a hint of a smile on her face. Oliver turned his frown towards her.

"Don't start, Pixie," he warned.

"Just imagine what we'd do with Pix as our seeker," Wills said, grinning down at her.

"Please, I'll not take Ashley's place. And I'm happy with the Arrows," Daisy replied, shooting a look towards her boyfriend.

"Might not be once you hit the first practice with Kingfisher," Remus muttered, though loud enough the entire table heard.

"Remus!" Iris said loudly, glaring at her son.

"Just saying what's on everyone's mind," Remus said with a shrug. "Well… everyone besides our guests." He glanced towards Aleka, Alekos and Tessa.

"Oh, we've been informed of all the situations surrounding your family," Aleka said, smiling slightly. "Teddy told us some and Christos was happy to fill in the rest." Everyone looked at the man in question, who was happily eating.

"What?" he asked.

"For the record, I'm not worried about practice," Daisy said, still watching Christos. "We're professionals. It'll work out."

"You sure about that, Pix?" Alan asked, watching her. Daisy was silent until she smiled slightly and sat back in her chair.

"I'll be fine. Got bigger things to worry about," she replied lightly. "By the way, Christos, how are things going with Roxanne? See you went on a date recently."

Everyone focused on Christos - except the Prostatis - waiting for his response. He just shrugged and smiled.

"We have fun together," he said, grinning brightly at the ginger woman. "It certainly makes things more enjoyable here."

"Well, this is a nice development," Iris said, smiling. "Does George know?"

"Of course! I keep nothing from him," Christos said. Oliver stared at him, a bit dubious. "Really, Oliver. He seems quite okay with us spending time together. Rather unlike you and-"

"I'm sure now is not the time to get into that," Iris said quickly, glancing at Oliver as he started scowling. Christos chuckled and returned to eating.

"You Woods and your obsession with the right time," he said. "Now is not the right time to get married. Now is not the right time to tell Dad we're living together. Always searching for the right time." Oliver leaned across the table towards him.

"Who's living together?" he asked slowly. Immediately, Daisy was glaring at Christos as Wills became rather invested in the food on his plate. Remus and Alan were fighting back grins as the twins and Tessa watched on in mild amusement. Christos glanced up at Oliver and returned to eating. Usually he enjoyed playing with the Woods - Daisy in particular - but this time it had been an honest mistake.

"Let me repeat myself… who is living together?" Oliver asked, a bit louder.

"You and your big mouth, Christos!" Daisy exploded as she jumped to her feet.

"I swear, it was a, how do you call it? Mix up? Mistake? Honestly!" Christos said, putting his hands up. Oliver immediately jumped to his feet, glaring at Wills.

"BRYAN WILLS! IS MY DAUGHTER LIVING WITH YOU?!" he shouted as he started down the table. Iris jumped to her feet to stand in between the two and protect the chaser. Oliver was already reaching for his wand in his pocket.

"Now, Oliver," she said, attempting to calm him down.

"We wanted to tell you," Wills said, looking over at his now irate coach. "Just didn't seem like the right time…"

"How long?!" Oliver demanded.

"Dad! Calm down," Daisy said, her eyes flashing red.

"HOW LONG?!" Oliver bellowed.

"Well… she moved in shortly after the incident in the ministry," Wills said. Oliver started towards him again, Iris once again blocking him.

"Be reasonable," she said sternly.

"It was my idea!" Daisy shouted, moving to stand behind her mother.

"It's too soon!" Oliver shouted.

"It's my bloody decision!" she shouted back.

"YOU SAID YOU'D THINK THINGS THROUGH!" Oliver shouted back.

"AND I DID THINK THIS THROUGH!" she shouted back. "I DECIDED I WANTED TO LIVE WITH WILLS!"

"Is it always like this with them?" Alekos asked softly, leaning towards Jamie and Lila.

"Yes," the two said in unison, still watching the showdown between father and daughter.

"You're only 21!" Oliver shouted.

"You didn't seem to have this much of a problem when I moved in with John!" Daisy shouted back.

"Would both of you please calm down!" Iris shouted, looking back and forth between Daisy and Oliver. Remus and Alan were quickly losing their fight against their laughter.

"No! We're going to discuss this now!" Oliver shouted. "You cannot live with Wills!"

"There's nothing to discuss! I decided to move in with Wills and that's what I did!" Daisy shouted, her hair flaring up into a bright orange. Iris huffed and reached out for Oliver's arm.

"Enough!" she shouted, the two immediately disappearing. The table was silent a few moments before Wills let out a large sigh of relief and Remus and Alan burst out into loud guffaws.

"I'm so glad we got to see that," Remus said. "Would have been better if he tried to jinx you again. I'm still sore I missed that the first time around." Wills glared at him.

"That was not funny," he said seriously. "He could have hurt me!"

"Still would have been grand to see," Alan replied, wiping a tear from his eye. Daisy shook her head as she sat back down next to Wills.

"At least that's out of the way," she said.

"What do you think your dad'll do?" Toby asked.

"He's got to get used to it," Daisy replied.

"Especially since we'll marry eventually," Wills added. Remus and Alan started chuckling again. "But not before Pix is 25."

"Ah, that is right. You two are bonded," Aleka said, her eyes wide.

"Haven't you?" Wills asked. Aleka shook her head no.

"Sadly, not I. But Alekos has," she said, glancing at her twin. "I suspect Christos will soon." The table turned their attention to him.

"I have not before any of you ask," he said immediately, his cheeks turning pink.

"Wouldn't mind having you in the family," Remus said, smiling. Daisy casually looked next to her, catching Toby sending glances towards Tessa. She smiled to herself, but decided not to say anything. Not until they talked alone, that is.

The dinner continued on, with the group having a few drinks while the dishes did themselves. After a couple more hours, Daisy yawned and looked at Wills.

"Home?" she asked. Wills smiled and nodded.

"Until next time," he said, waving at the group as Daisy looped her arm through his.

As soon as the two landed in Wills' flat, Daisy went upstairs to drop off her bag and change into a pair of shorts and a tank top. She came back downstairs, finding Wills had turned on the wireless to a popular music station and holding out a glass of whisky. She walked over, smiling as she took the glass from him.

"So good to be back," she said after savoring her first sip.

"What? No whisky on the island?" he asked. Daisy shook her head.

"They've got their own liquor. It's good, but got nothin' on a good whisky," she said. Wills walked over to the sofa and sat, patting the spot next to him. She happily skipped over and plopped down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Missed this too."

"As I missed you," he said, throwing his arm around her and kissing her head. "So… what was all the smiling at Toby about?" Daisy chuckled.

"Seems he fancies Tessa," she said.

"The quiet one?" he asked. Daisy nodded.

"She's good with memory charms and such. I remember meeting her before but she didn't talk much," she said.

"Suppose that's Toby's type," he said. Daisy glanced at him.

"What makes you think you know Toby's type?" she asked.

"He's been tagging along with you for years," he said. "Think I've got a decent take on him."

"The last person he was in love with was me," she stated. "And I'm nothin' like Tessa. She's so… quiet. And calm and patient." Wills was silent a few moments before nodding slowly.

"Suppose you're right. You two are nothing alike," he said.

"But still… I'm happy for him. Toby deserves someone kind," she said. The two sat in silence a bit, Wills glancing down at her.

"So… seems you've got things figured out," he said. Daisy nodded, taking a sip of her whisky.

"Took some time, but I finally figured out how to get beyond the veil," she said with a sigh. She looked up at him. "I went there a lot in my sleep before then. I spoke with a lot of my family."

"How was that?" he asked.

"It was… good. I've learned a lot about them. About Mum and Dad," she said.

"Anything juicy?" he asked.

"Just that Dad used to party," she said. Wills snorted.

"I cannot imagine your father having fun," he said. Daisy shrugged.

"Suppose we had to get it from somewhere," she replied. "But besides that… I think I finally understand it."

"Your gift?" Wills asked.

"Yea… I'm not afraid of it anymore," she said, looking up at him. "It is a gift… a bit of a scary one… but, I was meant to have it. And use it. I can help others." Wills pulled her closer and kissed her head again.

"Of course you can, Pix," he said softly. "I've never doubted you." Daisy smiled slightly and finished her whisky.

"I, for one, am exhausted. Bed?" she asked. Wills finished his glass as they both stood, Daisy sending the glasses to the sink as they climbed the stairs. She got settled in bed while Wills changed in the closet and then got in bed next to her.

She immediately wrapped her arms around him, setting her head on his chest and sighing.

"It's good to be home," she said sleepily as her eyes drifted closed.

"It's good to have you home."


The next day at the Ministry, Dominique and Chris were walking quickly towards Audrey's office. Toby was already there with Tessa and the two had left the auror office as soon as they got Audrey's memo.

"What do you think they found?" Dominique asked, glancing at Chris nervously.

"Dunno. But must be good if they sent for us. Anything unhelpful, they would just send in a memo," he replied.

"I hope it's good," Dominique replied as they neared Audrey's office. "We could use a good break."

Chris pushed open the door and walked in, Dominique following. Audrey, Toby and Tessa were standing over Audrey's desk, looking through some documents. The older woman looked up as they entered and smiled.

"We've got some news for you," she said.

"That's good to hear," Dominique said as they stepped over to the desk.

"Tess was able to undo some of the charms and Keenan is starting to recover some of his memories," Toby said, beaming at the woman. She smiled shyly.

"They will not all come at once," she said, looking at Chris and Dominique. "Even once all the charms are removed, it could take a few days for everything to come back to him."

"What has he remembered?" Chris asked, frowning.

"He has given us some locations of safe houses," Toby replied. "He saw maps with locations marked. He almost remembers where they were headquartered here in London." Dominique's face lit up as she smiled.

"We can start sending teams to the locations. See if they're there. And maybe they left something at headquarters here," she said. She looked up at Chris. "This is a good start, isn't it?" He nodded and smiled slightly.

"I think it is. We should inform Teddy and get started sending teams out," he said. Toby held out some parchments.

"Here are the locations we've gotten so far. We'll be going down in another hour to do the next step in the process and I'll let you know if he says anything else," he said. Chris accepted the parchments and then he and Dominique left, quickly making their way back to the auror department.


When they walked in, they found Teddy already in his office, speaking to Aleka and Alekos.

"Think they've found something?" Dominique asked, glancing over at him.

"From the smile on Teddy's face, I think they have," he said as they walked over and knocked on the door. Teddy waved them in.

"We've got information from Keenan," Dominique said, smiling.

"Wonderful. The twins were just briefing me on what they found," Teddy said, beaming.

"We have tracked them to a safe house in Scandinavia," Aleka said, looking over at the couple. Chris looked down at the parchment in his hands.

"We have one on this list. Keenan saw maps at the headquarters and has given up several locations around the continent," he said. He handed it over to Teddy with Aleka and Alekos gazing down at it over his shoulders.

"We should go," Dominique said. "We can start getting teams together straight away."

"No," Alekos said, causing everyone to look at him. "Aleka and I should go first to scout." Chris frowned.

"But doesn't that put you at risk?" he asked. "They could take you captive." Aleka grinned.

"Do not worry about us. We have ways of evading capture," she said.

"But still," Teddy said. "I worry about your safety."

"As Aleka said, do not worry. It is safer for us to go and check it out first. We can bypass the protective wards and such. They will not detect us. Then we can relay what we learn back here to you and together we can prepare from there," Alekos said. The team was silent a few moments, thinking it over.

"That seems to be a solid plan," Teddy finally said with a sigh. He looked at Dominique and Chris. "For now, let's keep this to ourselves. I don't want Richards or Witt snooping around and blowing this thing up."

"Understood," Dominique and Chris said in unison.

"Good. You're dismissed," Teddy said. Silently, Aleka and Alekos disappeared while Chris and Dominique turned and walked out to their desks.

"Care to share with the rest of class?" Witt said as they sat down.

"Nothing to share," Chris said shortly as he started going through file on his desk, looking over at Dominique. She nodded and quickly got busy going through her own files.

"Toby still down with Aunt Audrey and Tessa?" Molly asked.

"Yea, they're still working on the memory charms," Dominique said not looking up.

"Making any headway?" Violet asked.

"Still waiting on the results," she said with a sigh. "Tessa said it will take time for all the memories to be recovered."

"He's being kept in protective custody. No one is allowed in to him save the obliviators and us," Chris said, staring at Witt. The American smiled slightly and pushed up from his desk.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted," he said, walking out of the office. As soon as he was gone, Tori leaned towards Chris.

"So now can you tell us?" she asked, smiling. Chris looked around and leaned towards her.

"Keenan gave up locations to safe houses. Aleka and Alekos are going to check them out," Chris said softly. Tori's face lit up.

"Do they think the Network might be at one of them?" she asked.

"Won't find out until they get there," Dominique said. "All we can do is wait."

"Seems to be a good development," Martins replied, smiling warmly. "We might get this figured out quickly."

"One can hope," Dominique said with a sigh. "Merlin knows I'm looking forward to getting this over with."

"Aren't we all," Violet said. At that moment, Teddy walked out of his office, still in a good mood.

"Dom, Chris. Need you to come with me to brief Harry and the minister," he said brightly. The two stood and followed him out of the room. As soon as Teddy stepped out the door, he ran straight into Richards.

"You're looking pretty happy with yourself," Richards said, smirking. Immediately Teddy frowned.

"What's it to you?" he asked. Richards just shrugged.

"Nothing," he said as he walked into the office, Witt following. Teddy kept walking down the hallway with Dominique and Chris trotting behind him.

"You don't think they overheard us?" Dominique asked.

"I don't know," Teddy replied. "I certainly hope not."

"What if they did?" Dominique asked.

"We'll deal with it," Teddy said tersely. Dominique looked over at Chris, silently asking him if it'd be okay.

Chris just shrugged.


Magnus sat at the large table in a decrepit house, sipping his tea. It was a bit shabby, but they didn't have much choice. They had to get to a new location quickly. Tobias quickly shuffled in and placed a letter in front of him.

"From our associate in the Ministry of Magic," he said. Magnus took the letter and calmly read it through.

"Seems we left at the right time. Says that they've found the locations of some of our safe houses," he said. Tobias' eyes widened.

"They've managed to undo some the memory charms," he said. Magnus looked up at him.

"It would appear so. But it's no matter. We'll have all the locations emptied before they can get to them," he said almost boredly. "Seems the Prostatis are going to investigate."

"Shouldn't we trap them? Take them captive?" Tobias asked. Magnus waved his hand.

"No. We have no need for these trackers," he said with a sigh. "All our efforts should be focused on obtaining Daisy Wood. We can worry about the Prostatis later." Tobias nodded and went silent as Magnus continued reading.

"Sir, but… aren't you worried that once they access all of Keenan's memories, won't they put more protection around Daisy?" he asked. Magnus sighed again and put the letter down. He fixed his stare on the nervous man.

"Keenan was taken captive during the raid at the Ministry. He is unaware that we know what she can do. He only knows about the plans to take her and Iris Woods at the Ministry. There is no way they'll suspect we're going after her again," he said.

"But he knows about your interest in her," Tobias pushed. Magnus slammed his fist on the table.

"I will not tolerate this, Tobias," he shouted. "Our plan will work. There's no way Keenan could possibly know about anything we are doing now."

"Yes, sir. Forgive me, sir," Tobias said, looking down at his feet. Magnus cleared his throat and looked back down at the letter.

"That will be all, Tobias," he said.

"Yes, sir."


Since I got a TON of writing done today - and likely to get even more done tomorrow - I decided to gift you all with another chapter. Things start picking up a bit, but then we'll get to a lot of fun, sappy Wood-Weasley-Potter clan stuff. I mean, I've got a chapter on the bachelorette party and Lucy's wedding coming up. Also, going back to previous books, I realized that I missed including fun things like the Halloween party and the New Year's ball, so there will be chapters on those. Figured I could use a decent mix of fun, lighthearted stuff with the more serious evil plots and such.

Anywho, hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading, following and reviewing!