Frustration & Announcements
Daisy stretched as she headed back to the locker room with the rest of the team, her gaze falling on the various aurors standing around in the stands, watching their practice. She sighed, wondering if she'd ever get used to having them around. She had just gotten used to the stronger wards and such, but now she and her family had been put on near complete lockdown with a crew of aurors following them anytime they went somewhere besides work or home.
"Good work, Wood. Though you were bit distracted here and there," Nilsson said, falling in step with her.
"Still not used to all of them," she said, motioning to the aurors.
"I know. But it's necessary," he said.
"I know," she said with a heavy sigh. "Just… sure they'd like to be doing something else rather than watch us practice. Like tracking down the Network."
"They're here to make sure nothing happens to you," he replied. Daisy just shook her head as she came to a stop.
"When will it end?" she asked, looking up at him. Granted they both knew she wasn't really asking him. Just stating what was on everyone's mind.
"It will end, Daisy," Nilsson said, gazing down at her. "But you can't let yourself get caught up in everything. We still have our opening match in a couple days." Daisy nodded. "Go get cleaned up and then straight home."
"Yes, Coach," she said before turning and walking in.
"Still not happy with the security detail?" John asked, stepping up to Nilsson.
"She's about as happy about as we all are," Nilsson said, looking around the pitch. "They are throwing everyone off to an extent."
"Have they figured out what to do about matches?" John asked.
"Each stadium has its own security protocols for game day. They don't have to much more, I think," he said. "They'll be stationed at all the entrances. Watching whoever comes in and such. The various wards keep the fans from using certain magic in the stands already, so I guess they're just increasing that. Outside those measures, there's not much more they can do."
"You don't think they would attempt anything during a match, do you?" John asked, his worry evident.
"I don't think so - the logistics alone would be a nightmare," Nilsson said, glancing down at John. "But it doesn't hurt to be safe." John nodded and glanced towards the door leading into the locker rooms.
"Overheard her talking to Kelly. Seems she won't be doing press or meeting with fans after matches either," he said. Nilsson nodded.
"She doesn't like it, but we have to do it," he said. "Wood's got security tripled over at Puddlemere."
"That doesn't surprise me," John said with a chuckle. "Though surprised he didn't send most of the aurors over here."
"He had Christos call in more Prostatis. The reason you don't see as many aurors is because there's a lot more Prostatis hiding around," he said. John's eyes widened as he looked around. "They've got two to three people watching all their homes as well. And anytime they leave the house to go somewhere."
"Certainly glad that I'm not a Wood," John said. Nilsson looked over at him.
"You and me both."
"So, how was the honeymoon?" Blanks asked, looking over at Kelly. He had just pulled off the last of his pads and tossed them in his locker.
"Had a good time. We went to Egypt," he said.
"Wasn't it ridiculously hot?" Blanks asked, frowning slightly.
"Not so bad. We mostly stayed along the Nile and it's not that bad there," Kelly replied. Blanks looked over at Cunningham.
"You get the ring yet?" he asked. A flustered Cunningham turned red and shoved his head in his locker as everyone turned to look at him.
"Not yet," came the muffled response.
"Sure Pix could help you," Blanks said. Daisy glared at him.
"I'm not allowed out of doors without permission and you know that," she griped, tossing her shin guards in her locked and yanking her practice trousers down.
"Touchy, aren't we? You not on the outs with Wills, are you? Perhaps it's that time of the month?" Blanks asked. Daisy rolled her eyes.
"Shut it, Blanks!" she shouted, throwing a towel at his head before pulling her top off and grabbing her shower things. "God, must you always be this annoying!" She then stomped off to the women's showers.
The rest of the team glared at him.
"What?" he asked.
"You know she's in a mood. And it's got nothing to do with Wills or her time of the month," Bray said.
"What's it about then?" he asked, legitimately confused.
"She's all worked about everything," Kelly said. "They haven't made much headway in finding the Network and she's tired of having bloody guards everywhere she goes and having to ask permission to do something as mundane as going shopping."
"You don't think she'll go all wonky like last year?" Blanks asked, looking around the room.
"Not unless you drive her to it," Wright said with a sigh. "You and your big mouth, that is."
"I thought I was growing on her," Blanks said, grabbing his towel and shower things.
"You were," Cunningham said, walking towards the showers.
"I'm not so bad," Blanks said loudly.
"Yes, you are," Wright and Kelly said at the same time.
"Oh, come on!" Blanks shouted as the rest went to the showers. "I'm not!"
"REMUS! ALAN! GET THOSE BLUDGERS!" Oliver shouted from where he sat on his broom. Remus gritted his teeth and launched a bludger towards one of the reserve players, cleanly knocking him off his broom.
"BETTER!" Oliver shouted.
The two moved in sync as Wills, Jakes and Vane went through the play and Wills landed a goal.
"ALRIGHT THEN! BRING IT IN!" Oliver shouted. Everyone landed center field and waited for him to land and walk over. The sooner he got started on his end of practice pep talk, the sooner they could go home. And they were all ready to get home.
"Right then…" Oliver started, launching into another of his long-winded speeches. While the reserves were hanging onto his every word, most of the first string looked as though they were already thinking about what they were doing after practice. Jamie was glancing around the stadium, checking the various aurors placed there to guard the Woods.
They had been around for over a month and still no one was quite used to it. Didn't help that there hadn't been much in the way of an update from the twins. They would send word to Teddy occasionally, but hadn't checked in for about a week now. It had Jamie and Daisy on edge, not to mention Iris, who had taken to randomly popping by the Ministry for updates.
"That's it! Hit the showers!" Oliver shouted, dismissing the teams. They all started for the locker rooms.
"Good practice," Wills said brightly. He looked over at Remus and Alan. "Have I mentioned how good it is to have you two on board?"
"Only every practice," Jamie muttered.
"What? Not happy to have your brothers here?" Remus asked, grinning.
"I'm happy. Just tired of hearing how happy Wills is," Jamie replied.
"At least he's not going on about Pix," Vane said. "Even I want to strangle him when he goes on about that."
"But how could I not? My girlfriend is rather amazing," Wills said, grinning.
"Enough, Wills," Ashley said, shooting him a look.
"Honestly, you should have seen her at the wedding," Wills continued.
"That was almost a month ago, Wills," Jakes said, frowning at him. "And we were all there. We saw her."
"Can't wait to see what she looks like at our wedding," Wills said.
"BRYAN WILLS IF I HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT MARRYING MY DAUGHTER ONE MORE TIME!" Oliver roared from behind them.
"Sorry, Coach!" Wills shouted, smiling at him. They all looked in time to see Oliver roll his eyes and place a hand to his temple.
"You're going to give him a migraine," Ashley said, glancing at Wills.
"I assure you, that's not my intention," Wills said as he kept walking.
"Sure it's not," Ashley muttered.
Daisy sighed as she dropped onto the sofa in her brothers' flat and leaned her head back.
"What brings you here, Pix?" Remus asked as he, Alan and Jamie all appeared at the same time.
"Needed to get out. And this is one of the only places I'm allowed to go without prior notice," she said, looking over at them.
"You tell Wills?" Alan asked.
"He'll find out soon enough," she said with a sigh, propping her legs up. "How was practice?"
The brothers shared a look.
"She's in a mood," Remus thought.
"She's frustrated. Not taking to the new safety precautions. And she feels like she's doing nothing," Jamie thought.
"Cheer her up then?" Alan asked.
"Good. Though we got to hear more about Wills' undying love for you," Remus said brightly, walking towards the fridge.
"Surprised Dad hasn't tried to kill him yet," Daisy said.
"Sure he thinks about it on a daily basis," Alan said, plopping down next to her. He looked around the room a bit.
"Who's it this time?" Daisy asked.
"Uncle Fred," he replied. "Said Dad needs to loosen up." Daisy snorted as she looked up at the ceiling.
"That he does, Uncle Fred," she said. Jamie locked eyes with Alan, sharing his idea. Alan slowly nodded.
"Have you tried going back?" Jamie asked, sitting in the armchair next to her, a worried look on his face. Daisy looked over at him and sighed.
"I go once a week, just to keep it fresh," she said. "But with practice and everything, I haven't really thought about it."
"Have you tried bringing anyone over?" Remus asked, handing out bottles of beer. Daisy shook her head. Alan looked over at Remus who just raised his eyebrows.
"What if you tried? Right now?" Alan asked. Daisy looked over at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Try bringing Uncle Fred over," Alan said, unnaturally serious.
"Why?" Daisy asked.
"It might help," Remus said, causing her to whip her head around to face him. "We can tell you're frustrated with everything. Maybe if you try, you'll feel better. You'll feel like you're doing something." Daisy looked down at the beer in her hand, her brow furrowed.
"It's not a bad idea, Pix. Even I've been working on my gift since we've come back," Jamie said softly. "It could help." She looked up at her brothers and then nodded silently. She leaned forward and put her beer on the table, then leaned back against the cushions, closing her eyes.
The veil appeared before her as soon as she closed them, and she stepped through, looking around.
"Uncle Fred!" she called out. "Are you here?"
"Of course, I am. Where else would I be?" he answered. Daisy looked to her right and smiled. She walked over and hugged him. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Well… the triplets wanted me to try and bring someone back to visit," she said. Fred nodded slowly.
"And you thought I'd be a good guinea pig?" he asked.
"Something like that," she said. Fred grinned and held his hand out.
"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. Daisy took his hand and they faced the veil.
"Here goes nothing," Daisy said, taking a deep breath. They then stepped through.
"Holy shit," Remus exclaimed as Daisy sat up on the sofa and Fred appeared in the living room. He seemed just as shocked to be there, looking around.
"Seems someone's been cleaning," he said with a grin. He looked over at Alan. "Good to see you again." Alan just nodded wordlessly as he looked over at Remus and Jamie. "Good to finally meet you two."
"You look just like him," Remus said, eyes wide.
"We are identical. Though not so much anymore," Fred replied. "Figured you three would understand that."
"We do, though Jamie here likes to keep things different," Alan said, visibly more relaxed about the fact that their dead uncle was now standing in their living room.
"I can see," Fred said, looking over at him. He then walked over and sat in the open armchair, making himself comfortable. Daisy took a deep breath, not sure how long she could keep him here before she'd start to grow tired.
"Thanks for that bit of advice about the sticking charm," Remus said.
"You would have figured it out. Just thought I'd help," Fred replied with a grin. Daisy frowned at him.
"There are still photos up that we can't get down," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. Fred laughed loudly.
"But it was a good prank," he replied. "Say, does Freddie or Roxanne ever come by? I'd like to meet them."
"Surprised you didn't ask us to call Uncle George," Jamie said. Fred's smiled waned slightly.
"Not yet. Suspect it's better to do that in private," he said, glancing over at Daisy. "Wanted to see if Pix here could pull it off first."
"Seems she can," Remus said, grinning at her as he settled on the arm of the sofa next to Daisy.
"Once I figured how to get there on my own, everything else is fairly simple," she replied.
"Still reading Athanasia's journal?" Fred asked. Daisy nodded.
"Still more to learn," she said.
"How's Lila?" Fred asked, looking at Jamie.
"Good," he said, still a bit stunned.
"Merlin, if we had all known back in school that Oliver Wood's son would marry Marcus Flint's daughter… Never would have let him live it down," Fred said, grinning.
"Uncle George likes to bring it up," Alan said.
"Was it really that bad?" Remus asked. Fred chuckled.
"Yes, the worst. And yet, rather hilarious. Sometimes George and I would say Flint was lurking about just to get a rise out of your dad," he said. "Should have seen it. He'd jump up and start glaring, looking about. You'd have thought good ol' Voldy was there."
"Did Flint really cheat all the time?" Alan asked.
"Not so much cheating… just fouled a lot," Fred said.
"Did you really date Aunt Angelina?" Remus asked. Fred chuckled, entertained by the many questions.
"Yea. Took her to the Yule Ball," Fred replied. "But in the end, we were just good friends. It was George she really fancied."
"Even back in school?" Alan asked.
"Even back in school," Fred said. Daisy smiled as the triplets launched into question after question, with Remus and Alan picking his brain for advice on pranks. Daisy sat silently, focusing on keeping him there, though she was starting to get a bit of a headache from the exertion. Jamie kept stealing glances at her, worried she was pushing herself too much. After about 20 minutes, she shifted on the sofa, the headache getting stronger. Fred looked over at her just as she winced.
"Believe it's about time I took my leave," he said. At that moment, the front door burst open and Wills walked into the flat.
"There you are," he said, seeing Daisy. The distraction was just enough that Daisy lost her grip on Fred and he slowly faded away, causing Wills' eyes to widen as he caught the last remnants of the man before he completely disappeared. "Who was that?"
"That was our Uncle Fred," Remus said, looking over at Wills. "Daisy was practicing a bit." Wills looked back at her.
"You brought him over?" he asked. Daisy nodded and then dropped her head in her hands.
"Blimey, that hurts," she said, wincing again. Jamie stood and walked over to the kitchen, starting to dig through the cabinets.
"Pretty sure we've got some pain potion in here," he said. Immediately Wills was had her side, pushing her hair back from her face.
"Are you alright, Pix?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Wills," she said, looking up at him. "I've got to practice this."
"But not if it puts you in pain," he said. Daisy sighed.
"I have to," she said softly. She looked over at Alan and then at Remus. "And you were right… it helps a bit. Just practicing makes me feel like I'm doing something." Wills continued studying her a bit.
"Helps what, Pix?" he asked. She glanced up at him.
"Pixie's feeling a bit frustrated with everything," Remus said, watching her.
"Can you blame me? We're under lockdown. I have to ask permission if Wills and I want to go on a date. And we've heard nothing from Teddy," she grumbled as she massaged her temples, the pain starting to recede. Wills frowned.
"You could've talked to me about it," he said softly, caressing her cheek.
"I know," Daisy said looking down. Jamie walked over, holding the bottle out. Daisy took it and then sighed, leaning back on the sofa.
"This won't last forever," Wills said.
"If I got a knut for every time I hear that," she replied, rolling her eyes.
"Would it help if I worked with you?" he asked. "What if every night… I was there to help you practice?" She stared at him. "I know you've been going back when you say you're taking a nap. I'm not going to freak out like I did when you went to get Alan." She nodded slightly.
"Perhaps," she said.
"You should be practicing, Pix," Jamie added. She glanced over at him and nodded.
"Alright," she said. From next to her Alan stood and started walking towards the stairs.
"Well, with that done, guess I should be getting ready," he said brightly.
"Where are you going?" Jamie asked.
"Got a date with Bridget," he called out.
"Did you clear it?" Jamie shouted back.
"'Course I did," he replied, disappearing upstairs.
"At least someone's able to still have a life," Daisy muttered.
"It's not that bad," Jamie said. Daisy just glared at him. Wills sighed and stood, pulling Daisy up with him.
"Come on, then. Let's go home," he said. "I got the shopping done. We can do dinner on the rooftop."
"Fine," Daisy said with a sigh. Remus and Jamie offered him sympathetic looks.
"See you tomorrow," he said with a wave as Daisy picked up her bag and grabbed his hand. The two then disappeared.
"Better hope this all is over with soon before she gets so frustrated she jinxes someone," Remus said.
"Tell me about it."
Victoire was pacing around the flat, wringing her hands. She knew Teddy would be home soon, and the closer that time came, the more worried she got.
She knew that the search for the Network was taking its toll. He came home late, tired and frustrated more often than not, though it was better on the days he managed to avoid Richards. Not to mention now that they had 24/7 surveillance on the Woods, he was spread even thinner. He wanted to take on a few shifts of his own to help out, but Harry convinced him not to, saying it was better for him to lead the groups and focus his energy on the search for the Network.
Of course, none of this was what worried Victoire. She knew he'd get home safe and in one piece. It was something else entirely that had her worried. Something that had been worrying her for a bit but she just now had the courage to face.
She glanced over at the table, seeing the line of little plastic sticks. She had taken them from work and done them as soon as she got home, too afraid someone would catch her at St. Mungo's. She cursed several things after she did the tests. The first was forgetting to refill her birth control - she had rationalized it at the time because Teddy came home too tired to do anything most nights. Then she cursed herself for letting her guard slip that night of the wedding. They had been so good with taking precautions. But she had had too much champagne that night and Teddy had gotten into the firewhisky with the triplets. And both of them were high on the love and romance floating through the air.
"Just this once won't matter…" she had thought.
Apparently, that's all it took.
"Darling, I'm home!" Teddy called out, seeming in a better mood today. Victoire spun around mid-pace, an anxious smile on her face.
"Oh good," she said, walking over to him and hugging him tightly after kissing his cheek.
"What's this?" he asked, immediately worried. They had been together for several years. Teddy knew all Victoire's tells at this point.
"Just happy to see you," she said unconvincingly. Teddy frowned.
"What's wrong? Did something happen at St. Mungo's today?" he asked, searching her eyes.
"No, nothing… I mean, something did happen today, but not at work. And well, I suppose it actually happened a few weeks ago, now that I think about it. A month," she rambled.
"Vic. Stop… what's wrong?" Teddy asked, his eyes full of even more worry. Victoire closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them.
"Well. I know that we decided to wait… on children… with everything going on," she started, watching as the shock started spreading across his face.
"Vic… are you saying…"
"Teddy… I'm pregnant," she stated, her voice hitching. He stared at her a moment before a grin slowly spread.
"You're… pregnant?" he asked softly. "You're sure?" Victoire nodded and let go of him, walking over to the table.
"Did it six times and they all came back positive," she said with a sigh, her brow furrowed. Teddy stepped over and looked at them.
"Do you usually need to do so many?" he asked.
"No, but I wanted to make sure," Victoire said. She finally looked over at him. "What are you thinking?"
Teddy looked over at her, grinning. He then suddenly stepped over and took her into his arms, kissing her cheeks, nose and finally pulling her in for a deep kiss.
"I couldn't be happier, Vic," he said.
"But… we were going to wait until the danger passed," she said, still concerned.
"Oh, Vic… there's never really a perfect time for a baby. But I've always wanted to have one with you - loads of them, actually. And what's going on… it'll come to an end eventually," he said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"So, you really are happy about this?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course. Aren't you?" he asked. Victoire laughed softly, feeling as though a heavy weight had fallen off her shoulders.
"Yes… I am. I was just so nervous when I found out and I wasn't sure how you would take it," she replied.
"Of course I'd be happy, Vic. We're going to be parents. Blimey… I'm going to be a dad," Teddy said, his eyes going wide.
"Did that just now hit you?" Victoire asked, smiling.
"Yea, it kind of did… what if I drop it?" he asked, frowning. Victoire chuckled.
"I highly doubt you'll drop it," she said. She then kissed him lightly on the lips. "We're having a baby." Teddy laughed loudly and started swinging her around the flat in a sort of wonky jig.
"Wait until we tell the family!" he shouted exuberantly.
"Blimey, I didn't even think about that… we should tell Mum, Dad and your grandmother first," she said, trying to keep up with him.
"And Harry, Iris and Oliver. I want all of them to be there. We can tell the triplets after that," he said.
"You know they'll all know within hours," Victoire said.
"The joy of having a large family," Teddy sang.
"Dominique will never let me hear the end of it if the triplets find out before her," Victoire said. Teddy stopped dancing around the flat, now slightly out of breath.
"Maybe we should have a party and tell them all at once. That way they can't get mad at us for someone finding out before the others," he said, looking down at her.
"You know they'll automatically know something is up if we do that," Victoire said, her hands on her hip.
"Does it matter? We're having a baby!" Teddy shouted joyfully before he kissed her again. Victoire just shook her head and laughed.
"Before we tell anyone, we should make sure that everything is alright with the little one. Get the first checkup," she said.
"Oh, right. When can we do that?" he asked.
"Tomorrow. Can you stop by during lunch? I'll have a friend pull some strings in the maternity ward," she said. Teddy nodded and grinned before kissing her again.
"You've made me the happiest man alive, Victoire Lupin. Again," he said, gazing down at her lovingly.
"And you're constantly making me the happiest woman, Teddy Lupin."
Apologies for the lag in updating. I was in India for a few days for my friend's wedding and the lack of time and wifi meant no updates. More Network stuff is coming...
AleenaBean - Haha, that was my intention. And we'll get there very soon. Plus, I always thought Toby had a romantic streak in him.
Guess - Well, I mean, I care about these characters, so that's something. I just enjoy writing about them. So I keep doing it. ^_^
As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!
