Rachel woke early on her birthday. She showered, dressed, combed her hair and decided to leave it loose today. After she washed her glasses and put them on, she peered at herself in the bathroom mirror. She was seventeen years old. An adult.
She hadn't expected to look any different, but she'd expected to at least feel something. Instead, she felt just about the same as ever - a little nervous and on edge.
At this point she didn't think she was going to grow any taller, but at least she'd lost some of the roundness in her face that made her look so young. If she didn't know herself, she thought she looked maybe fifteen or sixteen, which was pretty close. Theo looked older now that his shoulders had broadened. Draco had simply gotten a bit taller so that he was now about two centimeters taller than Theo. It seemed like Millie had finally stopped growing as well, standing at just slightly shorter than Theo and Neville. All of them were getting older and that was a bit weird. They didn't quite look like adults yet, but they were getting there.
Rachel went back to her bedroom and put on her jewelry. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt and a skirt with knee high stockings. Her wand went in her pocket and most of her jewelry went on, except for her anti-apparition jewelry that Sirius and Remus had made for her. She'd decided against wearing that during the summer since she went everywhere by apparition, but she'd wear it once she was back in Hogwarts. Today was her apparition exam, which she was slightly nervous about. She was less worried about passing and more worried about being outside the wards.
From there she went downstairs and found Severus already in the kitchen.
"Happy birthday," he said, setting aside the paper. "What would you like for breakfast?"
"Toast and eggs would be fine, thank you," she said, going to the kettle to pour herself a cup of tea. She didn't feel like juice or milk today.
"Was there anything in particular that you wanted to do today?" he asked.
Rachel shook her head. "Just pass my apparition test."
"You'll do fine, you've apparated all across our garden without a problem."
"What will they ask me to do?" she asked, finishing preparing her tea and then going to the table to look over the front page of the Daily Prophet.
"A short distance apparition to a location you can see. A longer distance apparition to an address. We'll have Tonks with us, she's meeting us at the testing site," Severus said as he cracked eggs into a pan.
"You'll be coming along too?"
"Yes, I'll be right by your side," he promised.
There was another attack below the fold on the front page. Four killed in Bakewell, the Dark Mark found above their house. Rachel stopped herself from biting her lip. Sirius had said they weren't losing the war, but Rachel wasn't so sure about that. If this wasn't losing a war, she'd hate to see what was.
"What do we know about the person doing the testing?" she asked.
"Should be Master Twycross, from the Department of Transportation. He was the same one who was giving the apparition lessons," Severus said as he portioned the eggs onto plates and added two slices of toast to each. "Come get your breakfast, your potion is on the table."
"I think I can probably stop taking the Stomach Soothing potions," she said, setting aside the paper and collecting her plate and a fork. "What if we show up and it's someone else?"
"If it's not Twycross, then we'll leave. Our appointment was with him," Severus said, coming to the table. "It's understandable that you're nervous about this."
Rachel could think of a million things that could go wrong, even with Tonks there. Her failing the test or splinching herself only made about the middle of the list. "I'm overthinking this, aren't I?"
"You're not, but I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't necessary. You must legally be able to apparate yourself places. At least as of today we don't have to worry about the Trace or other monitoring by the Ministry intended for children," Severus said.
"They were tracking the spells I did?" she asked.
"Yes, even with the tutor's exemption they were tracking what you did. That's why I have waited to teach you the Killing Curse. Thankfully while here or at Headquarters, the locations will have been obscured on their records. They typically don't pay too much attention to what magic is happening unless it's in a muggle area. Parents are supposed to restrict their children from performing magic over the holidays. However, it was not out of the question that they'd be paying special attention to you," Severus said.
"Those tracking spells end automatically?" she asked, figuring there would be certain people who would want to keep tracking her if they could.
"Yes, the Trace dissolves automatically once you turn seventeen. Your records indicate you were born at six in the morning, so the Trace should be entirely gone now," he said. "Eat your breakfast."
Rachel ignored the potion vial next to her and began to eat. She wanted to be completely done taking potions by the time she went back to Hogwarts. "I don't feel like an adult."
"It takes a while. I didn't feel fully like an adult until after I'd been teaching at Hogwarts for a few years."
"Do you want me to pay rent?" she offered.
"No, I do not want you to pay rent. This is your home," Severus said, giving her a dour look. "What on earth prompted you to ask that?"
Rachel shrugged. "It just seems like the sort of thing that adults should do."
"I assure you, proper parents do not ask their children to pay rent while they are still in school and are unemployed. We should talk about your living situation for after you finish at Hogwarts. Obviously you can't move out while the war is on, and we'll return here during the summer as usual. I also don't want you living alone. I am considering asking Septima to take the Head of House position and then I could come home in the evenings and you could go to Headquarters or to your Mastery during the days," he suggested.
"I don't think you should stop being Head of House. I mean, not unless you want to, but I think the Slytherins really rely on you," she said, knowing that this should be somewhat of a moot point anyway. If she was still alive next September then something had gone horribly wrong.
"Another option would be for Albus to take you on in some capacity, and then you could continue to reside at Hogwarts."
"Is this something that has to be decided right now?" she asked, wanting to put off this conversation for as long as possible.
"No, it's not. Much will depend on the situation with your Mastery. We can make decisions closer to that time, I just wanted to let you know now that you can't be given the freedom that typically comes with becoming an adult and finishing at Hogwarts. I know that is not fair, but your safety must come first," he said.
"I understand. I'm not exactly eager to leave the wards. I think I am very aware of how dangerous it is for me right now," she said, meeting his eyes. "Which comes back to the apparition test. What if it's not him? What if it's a Death Eater using Polyjuice, or he's under the Imperius curse?"
"For the distance apparition, Tonks will be apparating to where we are going to make sure the area is clear. She'll come back to us and then all four of us will go together. You won't be left alone," he promised. "If something seems wrong, then apparate home and I will join you momentarily."
"If he reaches for me, I'm apparating back here," she warned him.
"That's fine. There is no reason for him to attempt to touch you."
She nodded. "This should be quick, right?"
"It will be quick. The exam shouldn't take longer than ten minutes and then we'll be back inside the wards," he assured her. "However our appointment is not until one, have your breakfast."
Rachel resumed eating, her stomach churning a little bit.
"I presume you are doing gifts over the weekend with your friends?" he asked.
"Yeah, Sunday, after our training," she said. Both for her and for Neville. It would be good to see him again. He had written that he'd passed his apparition exam yesterday.
"Good. I have a gift for you and a few things that your other friends have sent as well. Cake for tonight, of course."
"Thank you. I appreciate it." She wished he'd let her do things for his birthday but he had very adamantly refused and said he did not wish to discuss the topic. She had left it alone, not wanting to hurt him.
She finished her breakfast, letting Severus do the washing because he insisted, and then they went out into the sitting room.
"This is from me," he said, passing her a wooden box that was about the size of her hand. "Happy coming of age."
"Thank you." She met his eyes, wanting him to know that this meant something to her. Not the gift. Just him being her guardian. "Really, thank you. I couldn't have asked for a better parent."
He nodded, his lips turning up ever so slightly. "I have been grateful for the time together that we've had. And we will have much more. I've seen you grow a great deal, and I know you still have more growing to do."
She nodded her understanding. She might be an adult legally, but she still had work to do in becoming more like an adult. She opened the box and found a silver pocket watch inside with a doe etched on the front. "Thank you, it's beautiful."
"A pocket watch is a traditional coming of age gift in magical Britain. Often they're passed down through families, but this is what I could do. Open it," he said.
Rachel carefully opened it and saw that it had multiple silver hands, each with a tiny pair of initials on them. Instead of numbers around the edges it had locations listed, such as home, work, school, traveling, lost, hospital, and mortal peril. She leaned closer and was able to pick out Severus' initials along with the initials of each of her friends and Sirius and Remus. "Wow. How does this even work?"
"It required a willing blood contribution from each of your friends. I know you worry a great deal about safety right now and I thought it may ease your worries to be able to check if the people you care about are safe," he said. "The Weasleys have a similar clock in their home for their family."
"Thank you," she said again. Right now all of the little hands were clustered so tightly together at 'home' that she could barely separate them. "They don't mind me knowing this sort of thing?"
"No, they all understood the intent with which this was offered. They care deeply about you, Rachel. As do I."
"I love you too," she said, smiling at him. She looked at the pocket watch and then closed it. She would be keeping it very close by. Hopefully it would help her go to sleep at night if she could check beforehand that everyone was alright.
Just before one in the afternoon Severus apparated her to Hogsmeade station, where they were supposed to meet Tonks and Master Twycross. Rachel held her wand in her pocket and carefully looked around. She could see a few people down the main street of Hogsmeade but it was otherwise quiet and empty where they were. Summer was full now, all of the trees bright and heavy with leaves and the sun cutting through the scant few clouds in the sky. It wasn't as warm here as it was in Hampshire.
It felt strange to be out of the wards, and stranger still to come back to Hogsmeade. There were no signs of the attack that had happened just before Easter, but she supposed they'd had plenty of time to clean up.
Severus was looking around as well, his wand in hand as he scanned their surroundings. "I want you to continue wearing your portkey after this, just in case. A portkey can be useful if you are too injured or disoriented to apparate. You're still wearing your phoenix pendant?"
"Always. I even shower with it," she said. Professor Dumbledore had rescued her multiple times now. She'd be foolish not to wear it.
"Good. I don't anticipate us being attacked, but we should take whatever precautions we can," he said, looking at her briefly before he continued monitoring the area around him.
Tonks appeared and Rachel had her wand out and pointing in her direction relatively quickly. Severus' wand was already pointing at Tonks by the time Rachel got her wand up.
"We'll work on wand drawing during our training, I'll remind Kingsley," Tonks said, nodding at them as they lowered their wands.
"Point, identify, and cast is the method the aurors use?" Severus asked.
"Exactly," Tonks said. "Also, happy birthday. How does it feel to be an adult?"
"I don't feel anything yet," Rachel said, keeping her wand out now, though she let her hand hang by her side.
"That's alright. Takes some time. Sometimes I'm still shocked that I'm an adult. I think my parents are continually surprised by that as well. You'll feel more like an adult when you're not doing school and training any more. Leaving Hogwarts is a big change, but you'll manage. You're going into a Potions Mastery?" Tonks asked.
"Maybe. Sort of depends on a lot of things."
"Rachel is intending to apply for a number of brewing apprenticeships later in the year," Severus supplied.
The conversation ended abruptly as someone else apparated in. Rachel raised her wand a little, but recognized Master Twycross from the apparition lessons she'd received in the early spring.
"Professor Snape," Master Twycross said, inclining his head slightly.
"Master Twycross. We appreciate your willingness to perform Miss Snow's exam today. May I introduce Auror Tonks, who will be with us for the duration," Severus said.
"Pleased to meet you," Tonks said.
"You as well, Auror Tonks. I am not unaware of the situation, which is why I took the assignment for Miss Snow's exam myself. Miss Snow, it is your seventeenth birthday, I believe?" Professor Twycross asked.
"Yes, sir," Rachel said.
"Very good. Happy birthday. We'll do a short range exam and then a long range. To start with we'll go to The Three Broomsticks, just down the way," Master Twycross said.
"I'll be right back," Tonks said before disapparating. They waited and Tonks appeared a few moments later. "Clear."
"Your turn, Miss Snow. We'll all meet in front of The Three Broomsticks," Professor Twycross directed.
Rachel took a breath, focused on her memory of the front of The Three Broomsticks, did a small turn and felt the now familiar squeezing sensation of apparition. She arrived in front of The Three Broomsticks seconds later, Severus, Tonks, and Master Twycross appearing by her side.
"Let's take a look. Everything feel in place?" Master Twycross asked, looking her up and down.
"Yes, everything is here." Rachel had yet to splinch herself and she really didn't want to after seeing several people do so during their lessons.
"Very good. Now for a distance apparition. We are going to Durdle Door in Dorset. Aim for the path, not the water," Master Twycross said.
"Stay here for a moment," Tonks said before disappearing again.
Rachel kept a cautious eye on Master Twycross as they waited, but also listened for the sounds of people approaching. Master Twycross seemed just as she remembered him, but she also knew it was possible for people to do a long term impersonation with Polyjuice with no one being the wiser.
Tonks reappeared. "It's clear, though it's a big area. Try to aim for the path."
Rachel nodded. She had never seen Durdle Door and only had a vague idea of where Dorset was. She closed her eyes and reached, focusing on the words Durdle Door and path and then turned slightly. When she opened her eyes she found herself alone on a path in a scrubby area. To her right was the ocean. She stared out at it. She had never seen the ocean in person before and it was a bit of a shock. Along the cliff face was an arch reaching out into the ocean - the so-called door. There were people down on the beach near it.
Movement to her left caught her attention and she saw Severus, Tonks, and Master Twycross a little further down the path, all spaced apart. She kept her wand out and hurried to go join them.
"All in one piece?" Master Twycross asked.
"Yes, sir," Rachel said, giving herself a quick pat down to make certain.
"Very good, Miss Snow. I will mark you as a pass and you will receive confirmation by owl within the week," Master Twycross said.
"Thank you, sir," Rachel said, relieved that she had passed.
"I'll leave you here then. Have a good day."
"Thank you, Master Twycross, we appreciate your time and willingness," Severus said.
"Not a problem," he said before disapparating.
Rachel turned back to the ocean. "It's so big."
"You've never been to the beach?" Tonks asked.
Rachel shook her head. "I didn't expect the water to look green. I thought it was supposed to be blue."
"It will vary, depending on the weather and the location you are looking at it from. Would you like to go down to the beach to get a closer look?" Severus asked.
"Would that be alright?" Rachel wasn't sure they should be out of the wards this long.
"I have time, Robards knows I'm on Girl-Who-Lived duty," Tonks said. "Just let me…" She trailed off, fiddling with her wand and transfiguring her robes into a short jacket that she wore over muggle trousers and a blouse.
Severus pulled off his robes, shrank them, and then put them in his trouser pocket. Rachel hadn't bothered putting on robes in the first place. She slipped her wand in her skirt pocket but decided she'd leave her hand nearby just in case. And she would remember to be aware of that this time.
"I think if we follow this path, it will take us down there," Tonks said.
"They really call it Girl-Who-Lived duty?" Rachel asked as they began walking.
"No, I'm just teasing. Robards was briefed on how important you are to the war and how dangerous it is for you. He, Bones, Scrimgeour, and Dumbledore have all agreed that I'm assigned to you whenever you're out of the wards or if it's clear there is a persistent threat. They're also aware that Kingsley and I are training you to defend yourself and they approve of that," Tonks said.
Rachel supposed it was a good thing that they were willing to help, though she really wasn't comfortable with everyone knowing about the prophecy and her role in it.
"How is Robards as Head Auror?" Severus asked.
"Different from Scrimgeour, but not in a bad way. He understands the situation and wants to minimize deaths as much as possible. Just like Scrimgeour, he's aware that Kingsley and I are in the Order, but he says as long as my first duty is to the aurors, he doesn't care. He likes that we are another source of information about the Death Eaters and he approves of Dumbledore's goals, if not his methods," Tonks explained.
"His methods?" Rachel asked.
"Robards thinks the Order should be entirely focused on evacuating muggleborns and their families instead of responding to attacks. He's worried about a coordinated civilian fighting force that isn't in control of the Ministry. Also, he thinks that Dumbledore's information is too good, though he's been saying that for nearly two years now."
"Watch your step," Severus said as the rocky path began its decline toward the beach. "I assume Albus knows this?"
"He does. Dumbledore says that Robards can believe what he wants to believe as long as they can work together. Don't expect direct information on Death Eaters from Robards, but Kingsley is high enough up that we should get everything anyway," Tonks said.
Rachel turned all of this over in her head as she carefully navigated the path. After all the ridiculousness from the Ministry when they didn't believe the Dark Lord was back, she thought it was absolutely necessary that they had a fighting force outside of the MLE. "What will happen to the aurors if the Ministry falls?"
"The MLE will set up a militia and coordinate with the Order. If the Ministry falls we're getting as many of our people out as possible," Tonks said. "I wouldn't worry about that too much right now. We have time."
"How much time?" she pressed, looking back.
Severus and Tonks looked at each other.
"Depends on a number of factors. The Dark Lord will wait for a moment of advantage. He's already infiltrating the Ministry, but right now they're content to attempt to manipulate things behind the scenes. The Wizengamot is our weak point at the moment, but we're making efforts to protect them," Severus said. "Tonks is correct that it's not something we personally can do anything about at the moment. Try not to spend too much time worrying about it."
In other words, no one knew how long. A few minutes later they reached the beach and Rachel was a little surprised when her shoes sank a bit into the sand. She bent down and touched it, feeling how cool it was and how it wanted to stick to her skin. "Can we go closer to the water?" she asked, standing up and brushing her hands off.
"Yes, that's fine, though the water is likely too cold for you to wish to swim," Severus said.
Rachel didn't have any intention of swimming, she just wanted to be closer. They walked out onto the sand and around the families and other people who were sitting out on beach towels. There were some people out in the water despite the somewhat chill breeze. Rachel wished she'd brought her camera. She reached the edge of where the sand was wet and watched as the waves sucked the water back under and then pushed it up on the sand again.
It wasn't really like she'd imagined the ocean and as she looked along the horizon she was awed at how far it seemed to stretch out. Sirius had once compared the meditation on the soul to an ocean and she thought she understood that a little better now. It touched everything, and it changed as it touched things, but it remained the ocean as a whole.
She still felt a little bit nervous being out of the wards. She closed her eyes for a moment and checked on the Dark Lord. He was occupied and thoughtful. He was focused on something, but didn't seem to be having strong feelings about it. That was about as good as it got when it came to the Dark Lord. She opened her eyes again and listened to the crash of the waves. She could stay here for a moment and just exist.
"Hi Hagrid!" Rachel called, waving her hand.
Hagrid turned and waved back and started in their direction.
Rachel braced herself as she realized that Fang was bounding toward her and held out her hands. "Down, down," she said as Fang raced up to her and jumped up with his front paws. She staggered, but managed to stay on her feet and pet Fang on the head while grabbing his collar and pulling him back down to the ground. "I'll pet you, you don't have to jump."
Severus made a small sound of disapproval and Rachel ignored him and continued to pet Fang, Fang eagerly licking her hands and arms.
"Happy birthday, Rachel," Hagrid said as he reached them. "Good to see you, Severus."
"You as well, Hagrid," Severus said.
"Thank you, and thank you for the gift," Rachel said, though she'd already written Hagrid a thank you letter.
"Of course, not everyday you come of age, is it? Come to see the mess in the castle?" he asked.
"The mess?" she asked.
"They're bringing up all the artifacts, trying to check everything in case it's like that vanishing cabinet. The Great Hall and the hallways are filled to bursting right now," Hagrid said.
"We're just dropping by to check on a few things," Severus said.
"How are you, Hagrid?" Rachel asked.
"Not bad, been downright busy. I've been moving a bunch of stuff in the castle for the professors to look at and I've been looking after all the animals. There are stirrings in the forest. After Aragog died the acromantulas have been moving territories and the centaurs aren't taking kindly to that," Hagrid said.
"The acromantula colony is content to remain in the forest?" Severus asked with a tone of mild concern.
"They should be, they're smart enough to know they'll be killed if they try to come out here. They won't even talk to me now. I've known most of them since they were spiderlings," Hagrid said, sounding somewhat offended.
"I'm sure acromantulas aren't the easiest of creatures to reason with." Rachel recalled from what she'd read about acromantulas that they liked to eat humans. She wasn't sure how you could reason with something that wanted to eat you.
"There is that. Acromantulas and centaurs both can be downright stubborn. We'll see where their territory falls when they're done. They know not to come within a half kilometer of the edge of the forest though," Hagrid said.
"As long as they keep their distance and the students stay out of the forest," Severus said.
"Well, good to see you, I better not keep you from what you're getting on with," Hagrid said, smiling at them.
"It's nice to see you too, Hagrid. I'll drop by once Severus and I are back just before the start of the term," she said. She gave Fang one last head scratch before nudging him back in Hagrid's direction.
Severus nodded at Hagrid and they continued down the path to the school.
"Wow," Rachel said as they went into the entrance hall. There was stuff everywhere. She saw cabinets, and suits of armor, and swords, and bookcases, and more furniture than she had names for.
"There's more in the Great Hall," Severus said.
Rachel picked her way through a path and peered into the Great Hall. The four tables were missing and the Great Hall was crowded with items of every description. "Where did it all come from?"
"All of the disused rooms. For now we're assuming that if the staff can't access a room, neither can the students. Otherwise we've brought everything that is enchanted out here to thoroughly examine it. So far we've done the top four levels of the castle," Severus said.
"This is what you're doing while I'm hanging out at Headquarters? Do you want me to come here and help?" she asked.
"No, I don't want you to help with this. We've already found a few things that were hazardous that shouldn't have been in the school in the first place. Honestly, this should have been done a long time ago, but we haven't had an urgent enough reason to do it until now. The idea of what is safe to have in a school has evolved greatly over the past two centuries," Severus explained.
"In what way?" she asked.
"Let's walk, Poppy will be waiting at the hospital wing," he said, motioning her away from the Great Hall. "Essentially, the view of what children should and shouldn't do or be exposed to has changed as society has evolved. Children used to be perceived more as small adults, especially by the time they were teenagers, and they were expected to be able to handle dangerous things and do work that we would now say is not suitable for children. Obviously, childhood mortality used to be very high. As our understanding that children are different and they are still learning even as they are teenagers has changed, society began to take more steps to protect them. We learned that children and teenagers simply aren't developed enough or have had enough experiences to judge some risks."
"In my primary school, we read a book about children who used to work in factories," she said. She could remember thinking that it wouldn't be too bad, if she was allowed to be independent the way some of the children were, instead of having to go back to their families.
"Fortunately, due to people needing to be around ten or eleven years old to properly use a wand, the magical world does not have the same history of child labor as the muggles do. But yes, even the muggle world has changed in what they will allow children to do. One of the reasons that Albus will not accept Order members until they've finished at Hogwarts is that we don't believe people are ready to make that decision yet. Even so, we would prefer not to recruit from the school, but we can't afford to turn anyone away," he said, his mouth twisting for a moment.
"Do you know if Tristram and Tracey joined? They said they were thinking about it," she asked.
"They did, but they're with another group. The Order is split into groups based on their knowledge base and what their work is. The idea is that most of us do not know who is in the Order outside of our specific groups so that we can not reveal names if we're captured," Severus said.
Rachel nodded and recognized that she shouldn't ask further questions. She didn't expect the Dark Lord to torture her for information, he certainly hadn't bothered last time, but it was better for her not to know.
They arrived at the hospital wing to find that it was at least free of clutter.
"Happy birthday, Rachel," Madam Pomfrey said as she came out of her office.
"Thank you. How are you?" Rachel asked.
"Mostly having a quiet summer. I've been helping with the organization project. A number of the staff decided to stay at Hogwarts for the summer, both to help and simply because it is safer. Nice to see you, Severus."
"You as well, Poppy," he said.
"Come step on the scale, let's take a look. Have you been eating regularly?" Madam Pomfrey asked.
Rachel came over to step onto the scale, wishing she could see what she weighed. "Yes, three times a day. Full meals. Severus can attest to that."
"How does your appetite feel?"
"I don't feel hungry, but I know when I need to eat. I'm working on stopping the Stomach Soothing potion," she said.
"Come take a seat," Madam Pomfrey said, motioning her to a bed. "Does your stomach feel better in general?"
Rachel considered that. "Sometimes. It just depends on what is going on. If I've had a bad night, it's harder."
"You've started having nightmares again? Hold still for a moment."
Rachel held still and tried not to shiver at the diagnostic charm. "I've been having nightmares. I'm talking about it with my Mind Healer. I don't want to take Sleeping potions," she said, knowing what the follow up questions would be.
"How many times a week?" Madam Pomfrey asked, casting another charm.
"Pretty much every night," Rachel admitted. This charm felt prickly and she tried not to squirm.
"Lay back on the bed, I want to check your heart. Are you able to go back to sleep after these nightmares?"
"Most nights," Rachel said, arranging herself on the bed. She exhaled because this diagnostic felt like a pressure on her chest.
"Alright, all done," Madam Pomfrey said. "Your weight is getting closer to what is healthy for your height, but I still want you eating three full meals a day. Continue the Nutrient Restoration potion once a week. You can stop with the Stomach Soothing potions if you feel like you can eat without taking them, but I want you to start taking them again if it becomes more difficult to eat. Your heart is doing better. It's beating steadily and strongly and the muscle seems to be in good condition."
Rachel perked up. "Does that mean I can fly again? And train?"
"Yes, but take it easy at first and build up to it. You're still rebuilding your muscle mass. Stop if you find yourself dizzy, your chest hurts, or you're out of breath," Madam Pomfrey warned.
"I will," she said quickly.
"She's otherwise recovered?" Severus asked.
"I still want her to gain some weight, but she's on a good track. As long as she continues what she's eating and isn't over exercising, I think we're moving in the right direction. If she continues to eat regularly, and her Mind Healer agrees, she should be able to go back to eating meals in the Great Hall come September," Madam Pomfrey said. "I still want her to come in for a check up once a month."
That was even better news. Rachel couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift.
"We can do that," Severus agreed.
"I'm done for now?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, all done, go enjoy your summer," Madam Pomfrey said.
"Thank you," she said, eager to go home and get in the air. It felt like it had been forever since she'd last flown.
"Have a good day, Poppy. I'll see you at the next staff meeting," Severus said.
"You too, try to take a break, Severus."
Severus nodded and Rachel joined him as they left the hospital wing.
"That means I can fly and join the training with my friends, right?" she asked.
"Yes, as long as you are taking reasonable precautions and you continue to eat regularly. If you start to relapse-"
"I know, I know, I won't," she said. Eating was frustrating and sort of a pain, but she'd do it, especially if it meant that she got to fly. "Can we go home?"
"Yes. I assume you're spending the afternoon on your broom?" he asked.
She smiled. "Definitely. I'll be in for dinner."
"We need to drop by Headquarters," Severus said. "Can you go get ready?"
Rachel brushed her hair away from her face with the hand that wasn't holding her broom. "Sure. Did something happen?"
"No, I need to go to Hogwarts to visit Albus and I'd rather you were at Headquarters instead of alone here since I don't know how long I'll be," he said.
"Alright," Rachel said. She wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to go visit her friends. She went upstairs, put her broomstick by her wardrobe and then changed into a long sleeve shirt. In the bathroom she wet her hands and ran them through her hair before tying it back again. A quick look in the mirror told her she should wash her hair tomorrow, but it could wait until after she'd flown in the morning.
Back in her bedroom she packed a few things in her bag so that she'd have something to do if her friends were working on projects. She patted her wand and her jewelry to make sure she had everything and then left her bedroom. "Ready," she called as she came back down the stairs.
"Can you apparate yourself to the top step?" he asked as he stood.
"Yep." She closed her eyes, focused on the front of Sirius' house, specifically on the hidden step she was supposed to land on, and then apparated. When she opened her eyes she found herself on the step.
"We'll work on not closing your eyes while you apparate," Severus said from where he'd appeared next to her. "It will come with practice, but it's not a habit you should get into."
"Alright," Rachel said, pointing her wand at the door to unlock it and then letting herself inside. "Neville!"
"Rachel!" Neville said, turning from where he was standing with Tonks.
Rachel walked over and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you. How are you?"
"Alright. Nervous about Monday. I met with Hannah and our solicitor yesterday. The solicitor said that he anticipated everything should go smoothly and the contract should be dissolved. Tonks wrote me and said she'd bring me here so I know where to apparate to for our training," he said, returning the hug.
"That's great. We can apparate on our own now," she said. "And I'm allowed to start joining the training sessions."
Tonks looked at Severus, who nodded.
"She's supposed to stop if she becomes dizzy or has chest pain," Severus said.
"That's fine, we'd want any of them to stop if that happened," Tonks said. "Last I saw, Hermione, Theo, and Draco were in the kitchen. I assume you want to say hello."
"Sure, I have time. I told my Gran that I would be home for dinner, not that she was pleased about that. I think it's going to take her some time to realize I'm allowed out of the house now," Neville said.
"As long as you are being cautious. Given your grandmother's position on the Wizengamot, you are a target," Severus said.
Neville nodded. "I'm aware. We went to the Dixons' memorial service. My Gran has known their family for nearly fifty years now. I'm not going to Diagon Alley or anywhere like that, I just want to be able to visit my friends."
"That's fine, just stick to warded areas and keep your guard up. If something seems wrong, don't stick around to investigate. Apparate straight here or to your home," Severus said.
"I will," Neville promised. "Let's go see everyone. I know it's only been a month, but it feels like it's been forever."
"Kitchen is this way," Rachel said, taking the lead. They went down the hall and into the kitchen.
Before Rachel could process what she was seeing, everyone shouted "Surprise! Happy Birthday Rachel and Neville!"
Rachel gaped at the kitchen. It was decorated with balloons and streamers and a banner that said 'Happy Birthday'. There were presents and cakes on the table. All of the study group was there, along with Sirius and Remus, the Weasley twins, Ron, Cedric, Cho, Heidi, and Roland. She glanced at Neville, who looked just as surprised as she felt.
"Come in, come in," Sirius said, motioning to them. "It's your party."
Rachel looked back at Severus, who had a small smile. "You knew about this?"
"I did," he said. "Go on."
"We've had so many parties for all of us, but we've never gotten to celebrate your birthdays with the two of you," Hermione said, standing and giving Rachel and then Neville a hug.
Rachel smiled. It was nice, but a bit embarrassing to be the center of attention.
"Let's do cakes first and then you can open presents," Remus said. "Come sit down, we've got a cake for each of you and you can blow out the candles."
Rachel and Neville sat down next to each other and a cake was placed in front of each of them. Each of the cakes had seventeen candles in a circle. Severus stepped forward and took a picture of them with Rachel's camera.
"I've got it," Fred said, reaching over with his wand to light the candles.
"On three?" Neville asked.
"Sure," Rachel said.
"One. Two. Three."
They both leaned in to blow out their candles, but they immediately relit. Everyone laughed.
"Blow them out again!" George called.
Rachel tried, with the same result, and then drew her wand and cast the Extinguishing charm, which finally put out the candles. Neville did the same, smiling and blushing.
Everyone applauded and Tonks and Remus removed the cakes to cut them and each of them had a pile of presents put in front of them.
Rachel looked around the room and felt a rush of gratitude for all of the people in her life. Seven years ago this would have seemed like an absurd fantasy. To have all these people who cared about her and wanted the best for her. And for her to really know what it felt like to love people and to want to be with them. She never could have imagined how it felt. It felt warm and safe and overall like she was incredibly lucky.
"What did you wish for?" Millie asked.
"You can't say," Luna said quickly.
Neville smiled. "I hardly needed to wish for anything at all."
There were lots of things Rachel could have wished for, but at the moment she was perfectly content.
They opened presents, which was a little embarrassing to do in front of people, and had cake.
"I'll bring your gift tomorrow," Rachel told Neville when they were done unwrapping things. "I had no idea we were doing this today."
"Same," Neville said.
Someone turned on the Wizarding Wireless and people began to get up and move around so they could talk.
Rachel found Cedric further down the table. "How are you?"
"Not bad. The Auror Training Program is intense, but I'm learning a lot," Cedric said. "How are you?"
"Pretty good. Have most of my homework done except for my Arithmancy spell," she said.
"I developed a charm for having an object reappear in your pocket if it gets a certain distance from you. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work on most magical objects, so I wasn't able to get it to work on my wand, which was what I was trying to do with the spell. Any ideas what you're doing?" Cedric asked.
"Enchanting a chisel so that I can etch runes with shaking hands," Rachel said, holding out her hands so Cedric could see. "Not very useful for anyone else, but useful for me."
Cedric looked worried. "I imagine that there might be people into Ancient Runes or artifacting who might use that as they get older. There's lots of reasons for people to have tremors, especially as they get older. Are you doing alright? We haven't seen each other much this past year."
"I'm doing alright. Staying busy. Our potions team won the Potions Championship in February, so that was a lot of studying. NEWT classes are nothing to sneeze at," Rachel said.
"Roland was annoyed that it took place the year after we finished at Hogwarts, he wanted to be on the potions team. But congratulations, it's been a while since Hogwarts took first place. You're still working towards a Potions Mastery?"
"That's the plan, but we'll see where everything is at in a year. I've got to get through my NEWTs first." She was just going to have to pretend that's what her plan was. People didn't need to know what her future looked like.
Cedric nodded. "You'll get through them. They're tougher than the OWLs, but you're taking fewer subjects, so that helps. You've got study guides?"
"Not yet, but I will. Right now I'm just reviewing last year's notes so that I have everything in my head."
"You kept the DA going?" he asked.
"Yes," Rachel said, thinking briefly of Professor Nash and wishing she hadn't. "We followed mostly the same curriculum, but it went pretty well. Unfortunately we aren't really teaching people to defend themselves against Death Eaters, we found that out the hard way."
"It's not practical to expect students to defend themselves against Death Eaters. Are you going to the trials?" he asked, his expression now somber.
Rachel had been vaguely aware that Hestia Carrow and the other Death Eaters who attacked them would be going on trial, but she hadn't really thought about it. "I don't think so. Do you know when the trials are?"
"In a little over two weeks. Most of the Death Eaters are probably going to wind up with life sentences, but the only things they can charge Carrow with are attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder. None of those carry a life sentence," Cedric explained.
She didn't know how to feel about that. One on hand, Hestia had tried to kill Rachel's friends and capture her to deliver her to the Dark Lord. On the other, she wasn't comfortable with sending anyone to Azkaban. "I guess we'll have to see what happens," she said lamely, not sure what to say.
"Well, you have an invitation to the trials since you were one of the intended victims, but I can understand if you didn't want to go out in public right now," Cedric said.
That was a very good point. As much as she didn't really want to see another person sentenced to Azkaban for something she was involved in, she also knew that she would draw danger to the Wizengamot just by being there. "Yeah, probably not."
"Alright, enough dreary talk, this is a birthday party. How does it feel to be seventeen?" he asked, his smile obviously forced.
"Not any different from sixteen, as far as I can tell."
His smile was more genuine this time. "Yeah, I felt the same way. I still don't feel quite like an adult, to be honest. I'm still essentially in school. Cho, Heidi, Roland, and I are sharing a flat, which is fun, but also still feels a bit like the dorms. The Order is probably the most adult thing that I'm doing. I assume you're joining next year."
"That's the plan. All of my friends say they're going to," Rachel said, glancing over the room.
Cedric looked over everyone as well. "It can be a little scary, but it's good work. I feel like I'm really helping people. I'm glad I didn't go into Quidditch, as much as I enjoy playing. This feels more important, like I'm making a difference in the war."
Rachel nodded. "I'm going to have scouts come out, just to see if it's a possibility, but it's really not practical for me to play right now."
"They'd be foolish not to want you in the league. You could probably go out for the national team when Burton retires, and that will probably be in another six years. You've got time. I can't see the war lasting another five years," he said.
Rachel couldn't see it lasting that long either, mostly because they definitely would have lost by then.
"I should stop hogging you, everyone is going to want to talk to you. Happy birthday, Rachel," Cedric said.
"Thank you, it was good to see you," Rachel said, a little bit relieved their conversation was over, even if it was nice to have seen Cedric.
Rachel took a butterbeer and wandered through the kitchen, stopping to chat with her friends here and there, but mostly taking the time to commit all of this to memory. This would probably be the only chance she'd have to see everyone like this and she wanted to remember today as a good day.
"Last time today. Remember, the goal is to cast the training spell at us, not at each other. Don't keep your shield up, only shield when someone is about to cast a spell at you. You don't want to be forced into the defensive, you want to be able to act fluidly. Cast back at us, your instinct needs to be to cast back. Let's go for fifteen minutes," Kingsley called. "Go."
They scattered among the furniture they were using for cover, Rachel quickly darting to the side as she saw Hermione get hit with the training spell by either Tonks or Kingsley. They weren't trying to get to a specific place this time, they were just trying to keep moving and not get attacked.
Rachel darted behind a large wardrobe near the side of the room and listened. She couldn't tell where Tonks and Kingsley were just based on the footsteps, but occasionally she heard a yelp or a curse as someone got hit by the training spell. She peeked out to the left and couldn't see anyone and decided to stay put for the time being. Hiding wasn't a good strategy when she needed to get somewhere or to defend someone else, but there was no sense in going towards the enemy if she didn't have to.
She tensed at the sound of footsteps running in her direction, but they went by the other side. Rachel peered out again to see Tonks chasing down Millie. Millie reached the wall and turned back, casting a shield and holding while Tonks broke through it with three spells, the last hitting Millie.
"Try not to get cornered, go back in there," Tonks said.
Millie took off at a run and Tonks waited for a moment before she went in another direction.
Rachel wondered what they were supposed to do in that situation. Millie couldn't drop her shield to cast back, so what was she supposed to do?
Heavier footsteps came in her direction and Rachel readied her wand and cast the training spell as soon as someone appeared around the corner and then quickly cast a shield as she jumped back. Kingsley's training spell hit her shield and Rachel dropped it and cast back again, casting a shield again immediately as she tried to back away without bumping into anything.
Her heart was now in her throat and even though the room was nearly silent she was remembering the sounds of fighting in the first floor corridor while she laid on the ground. She remembered seeing Draco nearby and not knowing if he was dead. The sounds of fighting beyond the rubble as Professor Dumbledore walked away.
She jolted as the training spell smacked her and she stared at Kingsley, her mind flickering between Death Eater and person she knew. It was Kingsley. She knew that. But her mind was screaming 'Death Eater' at her.
Rachel wasn't even sure she was breathing. She wasn't even sure she existed. She could feel her hand wrapped around her wand, almost painfully tight, but she also felt at a complete loss of how to use it. It might as well have been a stick for all the good it was doing her. If she let go, if she breathed, she was going to slip into her nowhere place and she didn't want to do that.
She blinked at Kingsley. Death Eater. Why wasn't he moving? He was here to capture her so why wasn't he moving?
"Rachel?" He lowered his wand.
She continued to stare, focusing on the rapid beating of her heart. That was her. She was feeling herself. It was her hand holding her wand. It was her lungs that were screaming for air. She was dissociating. That was the name that Torey gave to this feeling.
"Rachel, lower your wand, no one is threatening you," he said, his wand at his side but his eyes were wary.
Kingsley. Kingsley was with the Order. He wasn't a Death Eater. She knew him. Not a Death Eater.
"Rachel?"
Rachel jolted and found Luna looking at them, her face a little flushed.
"It's alright, it's just training. You were practicing," Kingsley said. "Do you remember?"
She nodded. Just training. Why did she feel so weird then?
"Are we done?" Luna asked.
"Yes, we're done," Kingsley said. "Everyone can gather for the debrief."
Luna looked back to Rachel. "You have wrackspurts all over you."
Rachel nodded again. "I'm alright," she managed to make her mouth say.
Luna didn't look like she believed her. "We can wait for the others together. If we go back to the wall where we started, they'll probably show up there."
"Alright," she said, coordinating herself well enough to move. She felt like she'd been violently pulled from her body and then shoved back in again, and she couldn't quite figure out why. She had dissociated, but it wasn't usually like that.
They went over to the wall and Kingsley waved down Tonks and told everyone to gather.
"What did we learn?" Tonks asked.
"If you're running, look at where you're running to," Millie said. "What are you supposed to do if you get cornered like that?"
"In general, have back up. Know where your partner is. Fighting the Death Eaters alone is a good way to get killed," Kingsley said.
"They can't corner you like that if they need to watch their back. The Death Eaters like to have overpowering numbers, but many of them don't like working together. We've seen them abandon each other if one is overwhelmed," Tonks said. "What else?"
"You are very fast," Neville said, looking a little flustered.
Tonks laughed. "Practice. You'll get there. Practice alternating spells with shields."
"We'll work on that. We're going to keep working on wand drawing exercises too," Kingsley said.
"Theo and I drove you back by setting up a defense," Draco said.
"You did. It's not ideal when an attack is on the move. There are different strategies for when you're defending somewhere, for when you're retreating, and for when you're pushing forward. We'll go through them all," Tonks said. "Another thing to keep in mind, if Kingsley and I had been working together, I could have sent him around back while you focused on me."
"You think it would be easier. There are only two of you and there are nine of us. We should be able to force both of you on the defensive, especially when we're limited to two spells," Hermione said.
"Which goes to show a couple of things," Kingsley began. "We're working in a set up that makes it difficult for you to approach us all at once. If this was an open room you'd be able to communicate more freely and coordinate attacks more easily. When you're outnumbered, you want your enemies to be out of line of sight. Tonks and I also have significantly more training and experience than all of you do. As you gain experience and learn these skills, you'll start to gain an advantage on us just by numbers. But it's something you want to look out for in combat. If someone seems particularly skilled, you want to be careful about approaching them. You're going to deal with different people in different ways. That's all for today. Rachel, can I speak with you a moment privately?"
The group looked at Rachel, their expressions ranging from concerned to curious.
"That's fine. I'll meet all of you in the sitting room in a few minutes," she told them.
"If you're sure," Millie said, giving Kingsley an uncertain look.
"I'll be fine," Rachel said.
"We'll meet you in a few minutes then," Hermione said, meeting Rachel's eyes and waiting for Rachel to nod before they started to leave.
"Do you want me to stay?" Tonks asked.
Rachel shrugged and looked at Kingsley.
"It's up to you. I want to talk about what just happened and I thought you likely wouldn't be comfortable with anyone listening, but Tonks will understand," Kingsley said.
"She can stay," Rachel said, thinking she would feel more comfortable with that anyway. She trusted Tonks more than she trusted Kingsley.
"Two things," Kingsley said once they heard the door shut. "First, what do you know about people's responses when they're in threatening situations?"
That was sort of a vague question. Rachel shook her head. "I don't know."
"In threatening situations, our bodies are set up to have one of three responses. They call it fight, flight, or freeze. It's not really a conscious thing, our brains are making these decisions in a split second and are trying to do whatever will keep us alive. If you have a history of being in threatening situations, your body is likely going to keep choosing whatever kept you alive the last time. That's called conditioning. One of the reasons we're doing this training the way that we do it is to try and condition that response to fighting. Your body's instinct right now might be to shut down, but it doesn't have to be. With time and work, you can retrain yourself so that you're less likely to freeze," Kingsley explained.
Rachel nodded, grateful for the explanation. "I want to do that."
"Good. The second thing. What do you know about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" he asked.
"More than I'd like to," Rachel said.
"Then you know about how flashbacks can affect you in a combat situation. Is that what was happening there?"
She found herself biting her lip and made herself stop. "I could hear the sounds of fighting, in the first floor corridor, and I…it's like I stepped out of myself for a moment."
"That can happen, especially after you're seriously injured in combat or if you see someone else seriously injured or killed. Have you considered seeing a Mind Healer to talk about it?" Kingsley asked. "I spoke to one for a few months after the first war and they were able to get me to the point where I could function as an auror again."
"I see a Mind Healer," Rachel said, finding herself surprised that Kingsley had seen a Mind Healer as well. "You got better from PTSD?" she asked, hoping she wasn't intruding.
"I've gotten it to where the symptoms are manageable, but I was willing to work on it. We've had to retire some aurors in the past because they weren't willing to work on it, even with the Mind Healer that is assigned to the MLE. I know that it's hard, I've been there. But being able to prepare yourself for flashbacks and learning how to deal with them can be immensely beneficial. I know Albus has no intention of putting you in combat, but the fact of the matter seems to be that the Death Eaters are fixated on you and will keep coming to you," Kingsley said.
She nodded again. "I'll tell my Mind Healer what happened."
"Good. Do you want to continue training?" he asked.
"I do. This is important. I need to keep trying," she said. She wanted to ask him not to tell Severus that this happened, but she expected if she did that the exact opposite would happen.
"Alright. We're willing to keep working with you. One thing I want you to work on is identifying when you're overwhelmed and removing yourself from the training until you have a clear head. That's the first step. Once you've started to do that, then you can start working on getting a clear head while still doing the training."
"Okay." She hoped she could learn to do that.
"Any questions for me?" he asked.
"No. Thank you. I'll work on it," she promised.
"All done then. Go join your friends before they think we're up to some nefarious plot," Kingsley said.
"Take it easy on yourself," Tonks added.
"Thanks," Rachel said before hurrying out of the room.
At least now she had an explanation for what had happened. Maybe Torey could help her make it so that it didn't happen again.
She went downstairs and found her friends in the sitting room.
"Everything okay?" Millie asked.
Rachel sat next to her. "Yeah, fine. Just sorting out training stuff."
Millie raised her eyebrows but let it be. "One month and then we'll be back at Hogwarts."
"Sometimes it seems like summer goes too fast and other times it just stretches out," Hermione said. "I'll have NEWT revisions schedules for us by next Sunday so that we can look them over and make changes. You all know what books to get?"
"We do. It will be fine," Theo said.
Rachel didn't think she was ready to start NEWT revisions just yet. She leaned back against the sofa and tried to get her mind to settle. She was fine. It had just been an unsettling day.
Rachel set down her chisel and her quill as Neville's silvery hedgehog Patronus skittered into her room late Monday afternoon. "Can you come to Headquarters for an hour or so? I need to talk with you and I'd rather not do it over the books," came Neville's voice before the Patronus disappeared.
She stood and decided now was as good a time as any to test the theory that she was an adult and she could apparate herself to Headquarters to visit her friends whenever she wanted. She slipped her wand into her pocket and left her project out on her desk. She was currently in the process of enchanting the chisel with the strokes she wanted it to learn, and then would come the modification of the steady charm that she wasn't entirely sure was going to work.
Severus wasn't in his office, his armchair, or the kitchen, so she went down into the cellar and found him busy with two cauldrons. "I'm going to go by Headquarters for an hour or so. Neville sent his Patronus. I think something went wrong at his hearing today," she said once he'd stopped stirring.
He glanced at her. "Did he say what went wrong?"
"No, I think he wants to talk about it in person."
"Alright, find out what went wrong and we'll see what steps we can take next. Be back for dinner. Send me your Patronus when you get inside Headquarters so I know that you made it safely," Severus said, looking her over before turning back to his cauldrons.
That was easier than she'd expected. "Thanks, I will." She went back upstairs, concentrated on the front step to Headquarters without closing her eyes, and twisted slightly to apparate. She knew Severus didn't even have to do that much, he just stood there and apparated. She figured she'd get there with practice.
She let herself inside Headquarters and then focused on happy memories. Her Patronus didn't come as easily these days as it used to. Finally her doe appeared. "To Severus Snape. I made it to Headquarters. I'll be home by six." Her Patronus hurried away with her message.
There were voices coming from the sitting room, so she peered in and found her friends gathered there. She took a seat in between Millie and Luna, saying hello to everyone and assuring them she was well.
Neville was sitting in the armchair that Rachel had used last summer and he looked drawn and somber. "Thank you for coming. I really only wanted to do this once, but I wanted you to know what was going on."
"We want to help, if we can," Hermione said, looking worried.
Neville paused for a long moment, seeming to gather his thoughts.
"Did something happen at the hearing?" Luna asked.
"The hearing went well. I met with Hannah this morning and the hearing was at eleven. Our solicitor met us there and we went in front of a fifth of the Wizengamot. We both indicated that after giving the matter all the consideration it deserved, we felt like we wouldn't be a good match and the marriage would be detrimental to both of us. That's what our solicitor told us to say. The Wizengamot dissolved the contract, and now that Hannah and I are both of age, no one has the right to make another contract for either of us," Neville explained.
"That sounds good. That's what you both wanted, isn't it?" Theo asked.
"Yes. I went home and I felt I needed to tell my Gran before she found out from someone else. If she didn't hear about it from Hannah's father, she'd certainly hear about it from other members of the Wizengamot." Neville paused again, his lips pressed a thin line.
"She didn't take it well?" Ginny asked when Neville didn't continue after a long moment.
Neville shook her head. "She was screaming at me. She said…well, she said a lot of things. I told her that I was an adult and that I would make decisions about what my future looked like. She shouted that I had no right to make that sort of decision for the family. I tried to step away and she told me that if I wasn't the only Longbottom heir that she would disinherit me, but she might as well do it anyway because I was too stupid to see that I was ruining the future of the family. I told her that if she wanted to disinherit me, that she could because I didn't want to be in any family that had her as the head of the family. And then I went upstairs, packed my trunks, and came here."
Rachel stopped herself from biting her lip. "I'm sorry, that sounds like it was really hard. I'm glad you stood up for yourself."
"You did stand up for yourself. You did good, Neville. You can't control what your Gran says, but you did the right thing. Even if she disinherits you, it's worth it so that she can't hurt you anymore," Millie said, nodding and looking sad.
"I don't think she'll disinherit me. That would cause a huge scandal and she actually cares about what people think. It will be enough of a scandal for her that I dissolved the marriage contract. That's probably at least part of the reason she was yelling at me." Neville sighed. "I keep wondering if I did the right thing. Maybe I should have left the contract as it was."
"Did you and Hannah want to marry each other?" Hermione asked.
"No, but-"
"Then you did the right thing. Your Gran had to know you didn't want to marry, and she did this anyway. It's not right," Hermione said firmly.
Draco shrugged. "Even my parents wouldn't have forced me to get married to someone I didn't want to marry. They had people picked out as possibilities, but they would have listened to me if I told them that someone wasn't suitable for me."
"It's your life, Neville. I think you're the one who should get to decide what it looks like. Isn't that the point of being an adult, so you can make these choices for yourself?" Luna asked.
"I suppose. Sirius and Remus said I can stay here. Actually, what Sirius said was 'the more the merrier'. Remus told me not to listen to my Gran and that if I give things a couple of months to cool off she'll probably write to me wanting a reconciliation," Neville said.
"Hopefully that's true. I'm glad you get to stay with us," Hermione said.
Rachel hesitated and decided she needed to ask. "What about Hannah? Do we know how her family is taking this?"
"I told Hannah to send her Patronus to me if she needed help and that we would come to her. I also told her that if she needed a safe place to go, we could arrange it. I'm going to send her a Patronus tonight to check on her and make sure things are okay," Neville said.
"Good," Theo said. "It's a little strange to be the adults now that can go to someone's rescue."
"It is, but I'm glad we can do it," Hermione said.
"I wish we could check on Pansy," Draco said.
"Severus says that Pansy knows how to get help if she needs it," Rachel reminded him, though she also wished they could check on Pansy. "And we're back at Hogwarts in just under four weeks. I think if something bad was going to happen, it would have happened by now."
"If Pansy was in danger, she would have asked for help by now," Theo agreed.
"I think we have to trust people to ask for help if they need it," Ginny said. "I think any of us trying to check on Pansy is going to make the situation worse for her."
"We could ask Daphne to write to Pansy," Millie suggested. "Her parents know they're friends, and because Daphne is a pureblood, they shouldn't object to that, right?"
"I'll write to Daphne and see what she knows. Maybe she's already talked with Pansy," Draco said, nodding to Millie. "Professor Snape is still willing to retrieve Pansy if she's in danger, isn't he?"
"Yes, definitely," Rachel said, hoping that wouldn't become necessary. She pressed her lips together and wondered what the upcoming school term was going to be like. She still didn't know what Severus was going to do about the situation in Slytherin and they'd already proven they could be dangerous. She would have to be on her guard, but she didn't know how much more on her guard she could possibly be.
"I've got until dinner, but do we want to play exploding snap or something until then," Ginny suggested.
Neville nodded. "I'd like something to distract me for a little while. I can still hear my Gran's voice in my head."
"We can serve as a distraction at the very least, I'll go get the cards," Theo said. "Move a table or something so we can all gather around."
Everyone got to their feet to make a place to play and Rachel exhaled. The important thing right now was that Neville was no longer bound by the marriage contract and that he was somewhere safe from his Gran. They'd have to sort the rest out when they got there.