Call Me Home

Chapter Seven

White Gold and Rubies

A six-year-old Lily flashed her trademark puppy dog eyes at her father, silently pleading to not be in trouble. Harry was very tempted to acquiesce her demands and let the matter rest, but unfortunately he could not. Lily had performed accidental magic at her school, causing a pair of safety scissors to stab a boy in his arm. It had taken numerous memory charms to erase the damage and he knew that he would need to have a serious talk with his daughter to prevent any further incidents from occurring.

"Why?" he asked finally, when they were safely ensconced within the walls of Grimmauld Place. James and Albus had both decided to come home with their father when he went to pick up Lily from the principal's office and had disappeared to their rooms, saying they wanted to play. Harry had rolled their eyes at this, they were obviously hiding on the upstairs landing so that they could spy on their usually angelic sister getting into trouble.

A faint smile crossed his face as he threw a muffliato charm up the stairs, closely followed by a screening charm to give his daughter and himself some privacy. As expected he heard loud groans of protest from his sons.

"That boy was a fucking bitch," said Lily in a naively innocent voice as Harry's jaw dropped.

"Where did you learn that word?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Ginny was not in the general vicinity. He was being absurd and he knew it, Ginny was still probably still at work but he really didn't want her to hear such explicit language from their daughter's mouth.

"Uncle Ron," she replied and Harry didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry. He was cross at his brother-in-law for speaking with such vulgarity in his daughter's presence, especially when she was at the age where she picked up every word a person said. At the same time he was glad that if Ginny found out, there would be someone to blame other than him.

"Those are bad words, Lily," said Harry sternly and Lily looked crestfallen.

"I didn't know," she said, sounding near to tears as he laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, just don't use words like that again," Lily nodded at her father as he continued to speak, "Now, what did that boy do to you?"

"We were all playing house and then he kissed me on the cheek," she said indignantly, "He gave me his cooties."

Harry found himself taking deep, soothing breaths in an effort to restrain himself. He wondered if it had been a good idea to heal the boy's arm instead of just finding another place to plant the scissors. Then he sighed, they were just children playing and Lily was much too young for him to be worried about anything untoward occurring.

"So you decided to attack him with a pair of scissors?" asked Harry, raising his eyebrow as the little girl had the grace to blush.

"Jay-Jay taught me how to do it," she replied, "and Al said that it was ok to do it if anyone tried picking on me."

Harry sighed again because what she was saying was no doubt the truth, the brothers were young but fiercely defensive of Lily and he knew they both had no qualms about teaching her how to better control her magic to protect herself. He would have to have words with them about what types of magic was acceptable and what wasn't . . . whilst he had no problem about them using their raw magic to levitate toys from high shelves or to pass each other the toast at breakfast, flinging sharp objects was frowned upon.

"That was very naughty of you, Lily," scolded Harry, "It is mean and rude to throw a pair of scissors at someone, not to mention it could have seriously hurt him."

"BUT HE GAVE ME COOTIES!" yelled Lily, reminding Harry that she was half-Weasley.

"What are cooties?" he asked in confusion.

"All boys have cooties, daddy," she explained in a tone of voice that suggested he was stupid, "They're dirty germs that make you sick."

"Oh?" Harry smiled in amusement, "What about Jamie, Al and I? Do we have cooties too?"

"No, you're my daddy and they're my brothers. I am immunisalised against them." she replied, frowning as she tried to pronounce 'immunised'.

"I see, what about when you grow up and get married?"

"That's easy, daddy. I'm not going to get married because I always have my daddy."

She smiled brightly before slipping away, glad that the talk of cooties had distracted her father from punishing her for using magic against muggles.

Harry's eyes flared open, his palms slick with blood from where his nails had dug into his flesh. His breathing was harsh and ragged, his throat constricted from thirst as his mother gazed sorrowfully down upon him.

His baby girl, she had run because of him. He didn't even know if she was still alive or if she had perished in the Cataclysm that had so scarred their world. He was her father, he should have always been there to protect her, rather than fill her with such fear that she would flee to protect her infant from him. To an extent, he was glad that she had left so that he had been unable to work any harm against her child. There was a time when he would have scoffed at the idea that he would hurt his own grandchild but that had been before Albus' boy?

What was his name? Harry puzzled for a moment before it came to him. Leo . . . named for the celestial lion. His grandson had been an innocent babe in the womb, still pure to the malignity of the world and yet he had killed him. That was Harry's greatest regret, all he had wrought against his own children and wife paled in comparison to the guilt that ate at his being.

He groaned loudly as he crawled towards the tiny stone basin that had been delivered that morning, filled with fresh water. He took a sip, just a few drops to quench the burning in his throat before crawling back to the rock upon which he slept and rolled over in an attempt to get comfortable.

Then he succumbed to sleep, hoping that his dreams would be more pleasant than the nightmare of his life.

They rarely were.

(*)(*)(*)

Cassiopeia cursed under her breath as she haphazardly stuffed a change of clothes into her daughter's little pink backpack whilst slipping into a pair of boots, hurrying because for the first time in a long time, she was late for work. Last night had been a rare occurrence, when her brothers had convinced her to cut loose and indulge in a few drinks with them to relax. She had acquiesced to their demands, after much prodding from Albus who insisted she needed to enjoy herself more, and one drink had led to the four Malfoys of her generation getting thoroughly sloshed.

She regretted her lapse in judgement this morning, the blunt knife of her hangover cutting through her brain enough to ensure that she would never so much as touch a bottle of liquor that Scorpius had procured again. Then again, Albus had been happy at what he had seen, so that made it all worth it in the end.

"Hurry up, mummy," heckled Aurora, "I want to visit Aunt Rose!" The little girl folded her hands and tapped her foot, her posture the spitting image of her uncles' whenever Draco hadn't gotten them what they wanted in their youths.

Grumbling, Cassiopeia got to her feet and grabbed her daughters backpack, rolling her eyes at the girl's insistence. It was currently the Christmas holidays and Rose was very eager to spend her time away from Hogwarts with her various nephews and nieces. The poor woman, mused Cass, really didn't know what she was getting into.

Then again, Orion would likely be there and Cassiopeia had found herself often relying on her eldest nephew to exercise control over the chaotic Malfoy brood. It was a thought that brought a smile to her face, her grandfather Lucius may be rolling over in his grave at what his family had turned into.

Approaching the twisting staircase of the Manor, she turned back for a moment to make sure Aurora wasn't trying to smuggle her gigantic, stuffed unicorn to her cousin's house. Sparkles was the envy of the other girls in the family and Cassiopeia tactfully made certain that the unicorn was never left around where the others could see, so as to discourage fighting between the children. She gasped when she lost her footing, not realising how close to the stairs she had been, tethering precariously on the heels of her boots upon the very last inch of the landing.

"Mummy!" screamed Aurora, as Cassiopeia stumbled in an attempt to regain her balance. For a split second she seemed to have recovered, but then with a sharp snap the heel of her boot broke and she fell.

The staircases of Malfoy Manor were elegant in their design yet brutal in their steep incline and in those few seconds where time seemed to slow, Cassiopeia realised that she may well not survive the fall. Surprisingly, the thought did not fill her with dread as it did many others. Having lived through hell, she no longer feared death. Her heart slowed to a crawl, her daughter's frantic screaming echoing in the vast confines of the like a bittersweet melody to her soul. She had lived eight long years without Albus, a decade without Leo, did she not deserve her rest now that Aurora was nearing her ninth birthday. Guilt welled in her, a fountain that seemed to never end but it was battered down by the ever-present longing to just close her eyes and slip away to lie with Albus behind the Veil.

Her eyes flared open when a strong hand closed around her wrist, warm and youthful. Her fall broken inches before her head was due to meet the first sharp step, she felt herself being pulled back to her feet. Cassiopeia stared around the landing so as to lay eyes upon her saviour. A frown broke across her face; save for Aurora who was staring at her with a stunned, reverent expression painted across her features, there was nobody there.

Could it have been Albus? She shook of the thought, for whilst he could have used his own brand of Shadow magic to save her, his touch with have been cold as ice.

"Who's there?" she asked cautiously, rubbing her wrist as if to savour the blissful sensation that had leeched into her skin from her rescuer's touch. She stepped protectively close to Aurora and drew her wand, ready to defend them both in the unlikely situation that the being meant them harm.

A light breeze wafted in through the open window, surrounding the Potter women with the reassuring scents of family, safety and deep, biting sorrow.

Cassiopeia screwed up her nose in confusion, years of working with potions had honed her senses and she could swear on her life that the scent was vaguely reminiscent of lion tears.

(*)(*)(*)

"Have you had any word from Remy?" asked Victoire anxiously, peering at her husband from across her steaming cup of morning coffee. To say she was worried was an understatement; the silence she had been receiving from her son was quite unlike him. He may have been a rebellious person, his tattoos and piercings spoke for themselves, but Remy had always tended to write home at least once a week since his first year. However, since leaving on his world tour he had been strangely lax in communication. At first, both Teddy and herself has attributed this to the excitement of seeing exploring new places around the globe but such excuses soon became flimsy to her mind.

"Not recently," said Teddy, his voice tense as he contemplated the thought of his absent firstborn. Apart from one letter a week into his vacation in which Remy had stated that they should not worry and he would be home soon, he had received no word on his son's activities either. He had recently stooped to the level of contacting the Pierce family and inquiring as to whether they had received a letter from Demitria but they too were in the dark.

"Andy hasn't been the same since he left," she said, blinking and getting to her feet as the oven chimed, letting her know that the muffins she had baked for breakfast were done. Her youngest was very attached to Remy; his radio silence had affected her very deeply. Andy no longer sported her soft pink ponytail or eccentric personality, opting for an anaemic blonde that was as lacklustre as her new demeanour.

"I know," replied Teddy, "But you know Remy, most of the places he was planning on visiting aren't exactly owl friendly."

"He could still send a patronus," she argued, biting her lip as her fingertips burned slightly on the hot tray, "What if he's hurt or in trouble?"

"He's not the type to get into situations he can't get out off," pointed out Teddy, "Besides, he has Demi with him. You and I both know that she keeps him grounded." His voice gave credence to the fact that he wasn't quite sure of his statement and was mainly speaking in an attempt to placate his wife.

"Demitria and Remy have a way of finding trouble in places where none exists," she scowled at her husband, "Do you remember their fourth year when they went looking for the Chamber of Secrets and brought home a basilisk fang as a souvenir?"

Despite himself, Teddy chuckled at the memory. He had been the one who had had to go down and rescue the pair of them when they found themselves trapped inside the Chamber. Despite not being a parselmouth like most of the Pierce family were, the Chamber had yielded to his blasting curses quite easily enough.

"Stop laughing at me," muttered Victoire as she waved a spoon at him in a threatening manner, the affect of which was ruined by her vaguely amused pout.

"Give it a week, Vic," said Teddy, becoming serious again as he returned his thoughts to the problem at hand, "If we haven't heard from him by then, I'll call in a few favours with the Auror Department and see if they can track him down."

"After which you will hand me the coordinates so that I can apparate there and knock some sense into that boy," she said firmly and fixed Teddy with a glare that could curdle milk when he shook his head.

"Absolutely not, Edward Remus Lupin," she scowled, "You are not going to be getting him out of trouble this time. When I find him, I'm going to drag that boy back home by his ears and lock him in his room until he's fifty." Despite the fact that Remy was a grown man, he would always be her baby . . . even though judging by the sounds she had heard from his room in his later years at Hogwarts he had been quite capable of making his own babies. There were days she questioned where Remy had inherited his incompetency at Silencing Charms.

"I know you're worried, especially with the state of things at the hospit–"

"You do not see what I see, Teddy!" she cut him off, her eyes and nostrils flaring with her Veela fire, "Three aurors dead in one week, six injured, four Order agents in a critical condition and my baby is out there globe-trotting! I don't know what's going on with this Cult of Shadows nonsense but I refuse to see my son being carried home in a body-bag!" Her chest heaved as she finished, before she sank into her chair and began to sob, misty eyed sniffles that were punctuated by the patter of teardrops upon the table. Teddy stood and moved to her, wrapping his wife in his arms and murmuring words of comfort into her ears, even though he shared her concerns. Their thoughts may seem melodramatic and implausible considering Remy had probably just been too caught up in his foreign adventures to write home . . .

But as a father, it was his job to worry.

(*)(*)(*)

Lily eyed her son and boyfriend suspiciously as she peered at them over the kitchen counter, judging by the way their eyes kept flitting in all directions and their hushed voices they were obviously planning something. Her knees hurt from crouching on the floor for such a lengthy period of time but she was desperate to know what the two Malfoys in her life were plotting. She had learned very early on that Scorpius and Orion were as diabolical as sin when put together, though of the two it could be argued that Orion was much more nefarious.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched her son extend his hand, frowning when Scorpius scowled and stuffed a small pouch that jingled with the clinks of galleons into it. Orion winked at his father before grabbing his satchel of the couch and heading for the floo, grinning as he mouthed a few words before disappearing in a roar of jade flames.

"You can come out now, Lily," chuckled Scorpius, turning to face the kitchen. Lily cursed under her breath as she got to her feet, wondering how he had known she had been spying on them. Life with be much easier for her if she had accepted the Invisibility Cloak from her father but at that point in her life she had been loath to take any gifts from him.

Scorpius smirked at her incredulous expression and then gestured at the refrigerator behind her, causing Lily to grumble as she remembered that the appliance had a mirror finish.

"I wouldn't have to hide if you two didn't sneak around so often," she pointed out in annoyance when his smirk didn't drop, "Where did he go anyway?"

"Diagon Alley," replied Scorpius, "he said he'd be out for a few hours."

Lily frowned at his nonchalant response, she understood that Orion was growing up and didn't like to spend a lot of his time with his parents but given the present criminal situation, she would much rather he stay home. Then again, he would probably have several of his friends with him so at the very least he wasn't alone. She sighed, knowing that her real issue stemmed from the fact that she didn't want her baby boy growing up.

"Now don't panic," he said and she barely had time to react before he had whipped out his wand and muttered, "Obscuro." A navy blue blindfold strapped across her eyes and she squealed in alarm, her hands flying up to try and tear it away. An effort in futility and after five minutes she settled for shrieking at her boyfriend in the vain hopes of scaring him into releasing her from the spell.

She got no reaction save for the murmur of spells and the creak of shifting furniture. What is that idiot doing?

Finally at long last, she heard the much anticipated finite incantantum and the blind fold disappeared. She opened her mouth to give her boyfriend a piece of his mind but her voice caught in her throat at the sight before her, her eyes widening in awe.

A warm fire burned in the fireplace, carried across the room by a sea of floating candles, all scented with cinnamon and lilies – which she found to be a little on the nose but the gesture was nice all the same – complete with several islands of rose petals dotting the room. A silky throw-over was tossed across the couch; the other furnishings save for the coffee table seemed to have been vanished. Two flutes of her favourite red wine stood upon the low table, so dark and rich that it appeared purple by the flickering firelight. A bottle of the fine substance stood beside the glassware, complete with a tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries and a side of cream.

But it was her boyfriend who really stole her heartbeat in that moment, on one knee before her holding a tiny box of ebony velvet, opened to reveal a ring of white gold, adorned with a single ruby. His eyebrow was raised in a wordless question, his smirk deeper than she had ever seen it though tinged through with a nervous anxiety she assumed that only proposing could bring.

She flushed furiously, knowing exactly how she must look in the midst of such finery, wearing a pair of sweatpants and one of his t-shirts with her hair as dishevelled as her brothers.

"Yes," she whispered and his smirk faded to be replaced by a jubilant grin as he stood and slipped the band across her finger. Then she gave a sharp cry of surprise as Scorpius lifted her into his arms and swept her in circles around the room, inadvertently leading to the two of them tearing of each other's clothes as they collapsed onto the sofa.

Time seemed to stand still as she felt her boyfriends – no, her fiancés – touch across her skin, his kisses like a trail of fire. They broke apart rarely, to sate their thirst with wine and indulge in the strawberries that drizzled molten chocolate across swollen lips and panting tongues.

"I love you," she murmured and her heart seemed to burst when he responded.

"I love you too, Lily Luna Malfoy."

(*)(*)(*)

A/N: Thoughts?

And a very big sorry for the long wait that led to the update.