Author's Note:
Reviews and Comments: To woyn: Thank you! You think I should use Bellatrix's heart to bring back Zee? Interesting. Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To Nightwing2013: It is intense and yes, Harry is very close on this case and there's no way he's going to back off. I think Robards and the others know this which is why they are working with him and keeping track of him, his emotions, and his situation. As to the Potioneers and their news, we will see. Thank you! To ITHersey: Nope, poor Harry can definitely not catch a break! Thanks for liking the scene with him and Sirius and yes, Sirius discovering the twins are his was definitely a surprise. Thank you! To Sets: The soul bit definitely leads to lots of questions. Ron and Hermione do need to figure things out between them and yes, Hermione does have a bit of to deal with herself and needs to go to therapy. Thank you! To Read and Fly: You hope Sirius and Zee end up together in the afterlife so they can be together? That would be sweet. Sirius and Moony will cross paths soon. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Sunny JS: It was a mini-reunion, of sorts. Nope, no tears from Sirius because despite the memories, it's like watching something unfold on screen and he feels nothing about it outside of mild curiosity. Thank you! To darkhk: I have not forgotten about Rolf! Thank you! To Arya elle00: Thank you! Theo and Sebastian are fun to write. We will see more of Draco soon as well. Thank you!
To the Mandalorian terminator: It was good to see Rolf again, thank you! Theo and Sebastian were definitely smutty lol. Yes, the Harry and Sirus scenes were sad to write. The angst is high. Thank you! To Nan001: Thank you! The new information will definitely bring forth some more questions. Harry is definitely in pain, but Remus was there to help keep him on track. I'm glad you love Moony's character. Thank you! To Dee: Thank you! Sorry, you can't binge through TTTC because it's not complete yet! Close, but not yet (at least in terms of writing, not in posting). Thank you for saying you love the way I've "developed the characters, especially Sirius." Thank you very much! To camazoz: Thank you! I think Harry and Ginny really understand each other and they've been through so much together, it's nice to show that connection with them and how strong they are together. Thank you very much! To Hanacide: I love knowing every chapter sucks you in more and more, thank you! To charmshield7: Sirius is getting an itch about the whole situation, he just hasn't figured out what it all means yet. As to what the Department of Mysteries workers said, it is a lot to think about. Lots more Hinny to come, promise. Thank you! To CrazyWithABook: Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! The bits with Sirius and Zee are definitely asking a lot more questions and developing along. Thank you! To ILoveRaspberries36: It was a bit of a heavy chapter, but I did start it off with some smutty Theobas to even it out lol. Sorry you feel there's too much Theobas, I disagree. Yes, them being forty-five minutes late was incredibly rude which was kind of the point and Theo kind of let it happen because he knew it would allow for Blaise to talk to Rossi more (not that he'd admit it to Blaise). Blaise and Rossi did bond a little and yes, Bellarosa is a tad complicated. Your brain evaporating over the complicated theories made me laugh lol — sorry about that. Yes! Thanks for loving the name Arcanum, I just thought it was too cool. Thank you very much!
To Cristina: Yes, only Hermione would focus on the swearing lol. As to Ron and Hermione, they do have a bit of a ways to go still. No. Unfortunately, Seriously Sam has no involvement in this story whatsoever so this decision was all me (blame me)! Thanks for loving the Theo and Sebastian smut, they needed it and so did we. The Sirius bit was meant to be sad. The coldness is meant to discouraging and to show how it's affecting Harry. Then, having Harry go to Remus and seeing Remus really begin to hope but he's afraid to hope and the last thing he wants is to crush Harry's hopes in the process. Theo definitely has no filter and it's my favourite thing to write about him. Yes, Borage and Slughorn have uncovered some news! Thank you very much! To Charlotte: Welcome back! It would be so nice if Sirius could get his soul back, wouldn't it? Ron and Hermione definitely have some things to work out. Molly finding something new to do is exactly what she needs. As to Dean and Seamus, I don't know, I just love the idea of Dean drawing and painting nudes, especially of his boyfriend and Seamus just loving his boyfriend's talent so much he gives zero fucks and wants to hang them up everywhere lol. Thank you! To ellyann13: Ha, that's fair, not sure if anyone can get fair warning when meeting Theo lol. I love that Blaise still calls Sebastian Theo's Totally-Not-Gay-Auror, it just fits to me. Belladonna definitely deserves to be in the Azkaban Crypt or worse while her sister deserves to be free. The conversation was enlightening and yes, Harry should have sent an immediate Patronus out. Yes, Rolf gave Harry exactly what he needed without realizing it. There is lots to question about the soul. Thank you!
To EnigmaticEmperor: The pregnancy scare is what pushed Hermione into this as yes, she does like everything to be planned out, but she has a lot going on. She needs to talk to someone. Yes, the Harry/Ginny/Ron triple hug was so needed. As to Harry blaming himself, I doubt that will stop anytime soon but he at least has Ginny to help keep him sane and honest. Theo just happened to fall on Sebastian's cock of course, accidents do happen lol. Rossi is making an effort and Blaise appreciates that even if he's not sure what to do about it. He's never had anyone interested in his mother before who made an effort. As to the bits of real Sirius, he still is Sirius just without emotions, without his full memories. He is sizing up his prey in a way. Rolf is very much like Newt, I agree! Things are indeed ramping up! Thank you! To TatiRena: The Sirius business is indeed a rollercoaster! Not daring to hope is definitely how Harry is feeling too! Thank you! To SiriusLover93: Yes, things are starting to get complicated. Confused Sirius is accurate, but no, I wouldn't say there's any bits of his soul in him, but it's more of all of these memories where he can see himself feeling things that he doesn't feel now. It's confusing to him and making him question who to believe. Of course the love Zee has for both Sirius and Harry is part of what brought Sirius back, but it doesn't affect his soul. I do love Harry a great deal, this is true. As to the prophecy, this was answered in the final battle with Zee's "death." Harry is definitely still a noble git though. Him not ending up injured is pretty rare. Thank you very much!
To shuweet: Thank you for saying the "sheer amount of Theobas smut in this chapter was chef's kiss." Happy to oblige. Yes, the Sirius and Harry scene followed by the discussion of souls gives you a lot to think about. Thank you! To Bella: The business with Sirius is getting more intense so I accept the love/hate you have for it. More questions followed by more questions is definitely what you're getting. Yes, the fact that Sirius did nothing more than attempt to stun Harry is very important and its part of why Remus is now wondering as well. We will see more of Rolf, yes, and I promise he will meet Luna. Just not yet. Zee was a huge presence in the Ministry and she is missed. As to the Ron and Hermione heartbreak, this time apart will be good for both of them. Thank you! To neumann: Sirius knowing the names of the twins is something he only would have known from the afterlife, yes. It doesn't mean his soul is suppressed inside of his body but it does lead to more questions. No, the arcanums were surprisingly not unhelpful dicks lol. Thanks for liking my Hermione POV. Thank you! To AQuickRead91: LOL. Yes, Theo and Sebastian having a baby scare, well, maybe if they shag enough… HAHA. Thanks for saying it was so friggin' hot. I love writing sexy bits between Harry/Ginny and Theo/Sebastian because they're different. I love how Hinny are teasing and have these conversations and I love writing how Theo is sassy and Sebastian accepts it and then just takes control. They're both different and in love and I love writing it. Ha, Harry should carry a little portrait of Dumbledore around is cute lol. We will actually see Dumbledore again soon. As to the 2000s witchcraft vibe, I don't know who Raven is, but when you said carry a miniature portrait to talk to my mind went to Phoebe, Prue, Piper, and Paige LOL. Thank you!
To corneliastreet_28: Thank you! Hermione is being brave in making this choice, but she and Ron definitely need to talk more as well. Harry and Ginny have already taken a break and their relationship is stronger than ever because of it. Ginny and Harry are definitely completely devoted to each other and I love showing that. Thank you very much! To guest111: Yes, the plot thickens lol. Thank you so much for saying that TTTC updates are the best part of your week. Thank you! To c_thru_the_looking_glass: Aw, I'm so happy that Theo being so happy makes you happy. Ron and Hermione might still figure things out, yes. You think whether Sirius gets his soul back or not he's going to end up dead but it might save Zee? Interesting. Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Yes, Ron and Hermione do need to sort out a few things and no, I'm not making it easy on them. Harry is definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place. Thank you! To katelyn453: Thank you! I do think the Sirius business is a bit insane. Thank you! To reginaphalange: Thank you! I am doing my best to keep the drama, crime, and mystery all jumbled up. I think Harry didn't call the Aurors as soon as Sirius showed up because it's Sirius and Harry still feels strange about that. He hasn't tried to really hurt him yet and the shock and confusion over that, the fact that Sirius keeps showing up to see him… the curiosity was stronger. Thank you!
To Bellmel: Yes, it was a very smutty chapter lol. Ha, I completely understand the late anxiety for Theo and Bas, but nope, those two had no regrets. Blaise is definitely not the kind of person to judge as let's be real, he'd do the same thing. Thanks for loving the whole, "I just happen to slip sometimes and Bas' cock accidentally falls right into my open mouth. It's such a crazy random happenstance!" Yes, Rossi was definitely like what am I walking into here LOL. Rossi does want to make an impression on Blaise. He knows how much Bellarosa loves her son, but he also knows that he wants to be with Bellarosa and he's not going to force Blaise to like him. Both men do love Bellarosa and I think that's part of what's going to bring them over this hurtle and bond. Happy you love the whole Theo scene at the end too when he says "I love you and as much as I would rather be at home shagging my boyfriend's brains out, I'm here because you need me to be. Well, also because I came twice before dinner and unfortunately I need some time to recharge." He's an honest man lol. As to Harry running into the woods, yes, he definitely has no sense of self preservation lol. Sirius talking so casually about Zee was meant to cause a sharp pain so you're welcome. Thank you for saying "when Sirius starts to reveal little details of memories, it's such a mixed feeling of hope and relief that he is getting back a sense of who he is, and disappointment and fear, because even despite this, he is still behaving so incredibly unbelievably differently to the old Sirius, and he still seems pretty set on wanting to kill Harry." Thanks for loving the Rolf moment. He did exactly what Harry needed before Harry realized he needed it and he told them Zee is missed by all of them. Thank you very much!
To Nuno Neves: Thank you! Harry, Ron, and Ginny definitely needed that big group hug! He is very sad and a bit heartbroken. They do both love each other a whole lot which makes it harder. Harry naturally does feel guilty, but he's lucky to have Ginny there to keep him on the right path. Thanks for finding Rolf so interesting I agree. He and Luna will meet, I promise. Just not yet. Sirius is a bit confused and doesn't know who to trust and going to Harry is answering some questions for him, but he doesn't trust Harry any more than he trusts the others. Thank you very much! To the frozen flame: I do think Bas and Theo being late to everything is pretty funny. It's downright rude, but because it's Blaise, it's justifiable lol. I'm glad you enjoy my version of Blaise. I like him. Ron and Hermione are having a tough time, but relationships take work. The compilation moments is actually what I have planned. A bunch of them are already written actually. Thank you! To ThomasJAvery: I still appreciate a review, even when it's short and sweet! I'm happy to know you loved the fluffy Hinny bits as much as the Theobas bits. Ron and Hermione do have a lot to deal with, but yes, they will be okay. Glad to keep you on your toes with the Sirius bits! Thank you very much!
To Ellieoryan7447: Well said. Hermione was forced to grow up very quickly and with the whole time turner situation on top of it, she really hasn't. It was a freakout and she hasn't really taken the time to deal with things like she has been. She's been too busy worrying about her parents, about Harry, about Ron. She needs a moment to breathe and it scares her how fast her life seems to be going. They will find their way back to each other, but yes, it will take some time. Of course Harry and Ginny want to take care of Ron! Them walking him to be his bedroom just made me happy lol. Yes, Harry will blame himself for anything lol. If he plans a picnic and it rains, he would assume it's his fault. Yes, the intimacy between Harry and Ginny is just that deep. I love showing how important they are to each other and how they show each other without words. LOL. "I can't believe you just casually dropped one of your most powerful and intimate scenes, in the span of a few paragraphs, and acted all chill about it." Thank you? LOL. And you're welcome I guess haha. Theo and Bas are just so fun to write and yes, Blaise is not afraid to call them out on their bullshit lol. As to Harry being completely sassy to Sirius with the good rumour comment, did we expect anything less? Ha, I'll keep that in mind for Remus lol. Glad just any moment of him being a dad to Harry makes you smile. Thanks for liking the Rolf and Harry moment. Harry didn't plan on wandering down to Zee's department which is why I wanted it to be unplanned, like he did just want his mum in some way. Rolf gave him that support without him realizing it and helped put something forward about the case. The soul stuff definitely is risky and it leaves a lot of questions. Thank you very much!
To Gigi87: Thank you! Thankfully I'm down in Southern Ontario so the air quality isn't too bad, though you can smell smoke in the air. Hermione is missing Ron and she hasn't realized that's what it is. She is feeling a mix of relief and loss as we will see later and she doesn't know how to deal with that. She did deal with Viktor's death, but she does need to talk to someone about everything. Ha, "Ron was practically staring at Harry like 'do you need a bloody invitation to hold me?' LOL. Harry of course gave him the hug he needed and of course Harry blames himself. I loved Ginny's method of keeping him in line as well. Those two just know exactly how to comfort the other and to show each other how much they love each other. Sebastian definitely wasted no time in getting Theo to fulfill his promise, but also Theo was sitting in his lap most of the night and we all know Theo was well aware of what he was doing to his boyfriend lol. They are two broken hearts slowly mending each other. Theo is 100% the King of Oversharing, but Blaise really isn't much better. As for Blaise and Rossi, I think you're right. It's something Blaise needs even if he doesn't realize it. Rossi wanting to be with Bellarosa and not being blinded by her beauty has definitely earned him brownie points. Harry is feeling a bit lonely and with everything going on, it's a lot for him. I do think Sirius it drawn to Harry to some extent, but he wants answers to his questions. Ha, Harry growing up with Sirius increased his sarcasm by 10 folds lol. Thank you for loving how I'm showing a glimpse of the old Sirius and still making him an asshole at the same time. It is hard for Harry to curse the man he considers a father. This whole thing is so hard for him. Having Remus' support helps, but even Remus is so lost and confused over the whole thing. Thank you for loving the Rolf and Harry scene. Rolf did know why Harry wandered there even if Harry didn't and he ended up having answers for him as well. Harry will not be playing a matchmaker for Rolf and Luna, but he will have a small part in their relationship (sort of). I love that what you took away from the conversation with the arcanums is that Sirius is coming back. Love your positivity. We will have to see. Thank you very much!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER TWELVE:
The One With the Heartbeat
Neville was looking forward to meeting with Greg and Pansy Goyle to discuss renovating and renting the building for the combined flower shop and bakery. It was a little more than they wanted to spend and he knew that Hannah was iffy on jumping in too soon, but they'd both fallen in love with the property and he was determined to make it happen.
Hannah squeezed his hand in hers as they stepped into Sophistication by Pansy, the lingerie shop in Apricity Lane that Pansy was the owner of. He spotted Goyle over by the cash register and waved to get his attention. The big man immediately meandered over to him, a chubby faced baby strapped to his chest.
Neville remembered how intimidating he'd once found the Slytherin when he'd been at Hogwarts, but a lot had changed since Goyle and Crabbe had bullied him under Malfoy's taunts. Gregory Goyle was still taller than him and was definitely made of solid muscle. He was a wall and Neville was pretty sure that his biceps had biceps as they looked bigger than Neville's head. The white tee shirt he wore clung to every one of them showing that the man clearly had abs of steel to boot and the blue jeans showed tree trunk thighs that only reinforced the solid wall theory. Goyle was sporting a full beard now, a little unruly and messy looking which only added to his rugged appearance. His hair was dark and cut short, though it curled over his ears, and his bright blue eyes focused on Neville when they approached.
"Goyle," Neville said, extending his hand. "Thanks for meeting with us. Do you remember Hannah?"
Goyle grunted in response.
Hannah squeezed Neville's hand again and he offered her a small smile.
"Who's the little tyke?" Neville asked.
"Gabe," Goyle said.
The baby had his father's unruly curls, but it was as dark as Pansy's hair. He looked very much like Greg in the face, chubby cheeked and yet rather adorable.
"How old is he?" Hannah asked.
Goyle's eyes softened a bit. "Almost twenty-one weeks."
"He's beautiful," Hannah told him.
"Pansy's busy with the shop, but I'll take you next door to check it out," Goyle said, gesturing for them to follow him. He said something to one of the employees and she hurried over to watch the toddler. "That's Grayson, our eldest. He's twenty-eight months."
Neville nodded, eyes on the other child before he followed Goyle away from the lingerie shop. Hannah walked behind them, through the back of the shop to the storage room where a door brought them to the other side of the old bank. When they walked in, Neville was once more feeling secure in the knowledge that this was the place for them. Pansy's shop had taken up the majority of the front of the old bank with the marble carving and high arches and Roman columns, but this side of the building had just as much character as the other.
The architecture held the same style with wide arches, high ceilings, and exquisitely carved stone around the mouldings. What would be the front of the shop had once been old offices that would need to have walls removed to make it one room. Past the offices was another large area that might have been more offices or possibly a break room, but he knew that it would be great to turn into a kitchen as it had a door that led outside and lots of windows on one side. On the other side of where the offices sat were the old vaults which Neville knew would be perfect to convert into greenhouses because they were already somewhat temperature controlled. It would take a lot of work and renovation, but he felt like this was the right place for the two of them.
"We would want to gut and renovate," Neville began. "I would be turning the vaults into a greenhouse, this room here would have to be a state of the art kitchen, and the front would be the shop."
Goyle nodded. "Figured as much."
"We're willing to pay for the renovations," Neville continued, "but it means that we'd like to change the agreement."
"To what?"
Hannah cleared her throat, making Goyle turn to look at her. "We'd like to purchase this half of the building."
"It's not for sale," Goyle said.
"We're aware of that," Neville said. "However, with as much renovations as we'd like to do, a partnership might be in our best interest. You give us a share in the building itself and our renovations and subsequent shop opening would help boost the property value. You and Parkin-sorry-Pansy, would still own the place, but we would have a stake in it if something ever happens and you might want to sell."
Goyle's brow furrowed as he seemed to take this in for a moment. "We won't be selling. Pansy loves her shop, but I can see your point."
Gabriel's eyes were wide as he stared at them while Goyle looked around, almost bewildered.
"We want to turn it into something great," Hannah said. "I know it's not what you asked, but you wouldn't have agreed to meet with us a second time if you didn't think that this bakery and flower shop was a good idea; if you didn't think that Neville and I had potential."
He wrinkled his nose. "I would have to discuss it with Pansy. It wasn't our plan to sell."
Neville nodded. "We want this place, Goyle. I think it's perfect for Serendipity and it would be a great asset to Sophistication by Pansy. Think about it… a bloke forgets a birthday or anniversary and back to back he can get dessert, flowers, and lingerie… pretty brilliant if you ask me."
"I agree," Hannah said. "It's just that if we're going to shell out money for so much of the renovations, we should be more than just renters."
Goyle grunted again as Gabriel began to cry. Neville watched in amazement as Goyle's huge hands expertly unhooked the child and had him on his shoulder to soothe him without a hitch.
"Tell me more about the renovations," he said, bouncing the baby while his big hand ran up and down his back.
Neville and Hannah each took turns explaining the changes they wanted to do to the building both cosmetic and what was needed to make a flower and bakery shop work. As they spoke, Goyle nodded along and then he cleared his throat, surprising Neville.
"Er, did you consider making the new wall have the same arches? It would keep it consistent and true to the original building."
"Oh, well, yeah that's a good idea," Neville said, exchanging a look with Hannah.
"And I would suggest keeping the marble floor for the front, but the hardwood back here needs to be replaced. It's really not as safe as it should be. Sorry, I don't mean to impose. I've been working as a contractor lately and…. Sorry."
"No, no, that's great, Goyle. It seems like you're liking it," Hannah said, a soft smile on her face.
He nodded. "I did most of the work on Pansy's shop myself and she urged me into this; said I was good." He shrugged as if embarrassed. "It passes the time."
"I think it's great," Neville said. "And Hannah and I would be grateful for the help. We might know what we want, but we definitely don't know how to go about it getting it done."
"I'd love to help," he admitted, his cheeks heating.
Neville smiled. "All right. So…?"
"It's yours," Goyle said, his hand running up and down Gabriel's back. "Pansy will agree. We'll sell you this half of the building."
"You didn't hear our offer yet?" Hannah exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Goyle shrugged. "I think that I can trust it will be reasonable. We'll get contracts drawn up and out within the week to go over the necessities."
Hannah beamed and leaned in to kiss Goyle's cheek, surprising him and making his face turn red. "Thank you so much, Goyle! You won't regret this! I promise!"
"It's Greg," he mumbled, his lips forming a smile. "Call me Greg."
Neville grinned and wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and thought things were really falling into place.
~ TTTC ~
Harry and Higgins headed to Hogwarts to talk with Borage and Slughorn. As they headed up the bridge to the castle, Harry couldn't help looking up at it and thinking that it already felt like years since he'd attended school here. It was hard to believe that it was less than a year ago when he felt like so much had changed.
They waited at the doors for Filch to let them inside.
"Professor Slughorn is expecting you down in his office," Filch said with a sneer.
Once they were out of earshot, Higgins grimaced. "You know, I think he's only gotten more miserable with age."
"You're not wrong," Harry said. "He tried to strangle me once."
"WHAT?" Higgins bellowed.
Harry shrugged. "Long story, but he thought I opened the Chamber of Secrets and killed his cat."
"Ah. Shit, that was my final year of school. What a crazy year that was! We had to schedule our NEWTs at the Ministry of Magic because of all of the bloody hoopla about the attacks on students. Turned out to be Voldemort, didn't it? That's what I heard."
"Yup," Harry said.
"And wait, wasn't there some crazy rumour going around about you battling a basilisk with Gryffindor's sword? Is that true?"
Harry chuckled as they headed down the stairs towards the dungeons. "Ginny was down there."
Higgins held his arm out to stop Harry on the stairs and stared at him, his eyes wide. "Wait. You saved your girlfriend from a… bloody hell, no wonder she loves you so much. Weren't you like twelve?"
Harry snuck a look over his shoulder at his partner. "She wasn't my girlfriend then."
Higgins snorted. "Pfft! Please, if you rescued me from a basilisk, we'd definitely be snogging. Hell, if you rescued me from a basilisk I'd do just about anything to thank you; no matter how deranged or sexual. Fuck, I'd suck a bloke's cock if he saved me from a bloody basilisk — and no offence, Potter — but you're really not my type."
Harry grinned. "Not into sexy saviours who can speak Parseltongue?"
"You can speak Parseltongue too?"
"A bit. Not as much as before. It was a whole thing."
Higgins whistled. "You do lead a fascinating life."
"Thanks, but for the record, I would rescue anyone from a basilisk if I needed to, but I'd really rather not do that again so try not to find one, yeah?"
"Arse," Higgins muttered.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out," Harry said. "Wouldn't want you to have to owe any deranged or sexual favours to a sexy saviour who's not your type."
"What you are is a pain the arse," Higgins mumbled under his breath.
"You started it."
Higgins rolled his eyes. "Fuck me, I did. Don't we make a team?"
Harry grinned and thought they really did. He truly enjoyed working with the man and he trusted him. They had an easy camaraderie that he appreciated and it made coming to work every day interesting.
"The best. Now stop flirting with me, you're not my type."
Higgins shot him a rude hand gesture. "Blokes aren't mine, I was just making a point. My type is leaning towards that arcanum we met today. Did you see how gorgeous she was?"
"Paddington?"
Higgins placed a hand over his heart. "Well it certainly wasn't Silver."
Harry grinned. "No?"
"Arse," Higgins said. "Seriously, I think it was love at first sight."
"Didn't look like she agreed."
Higgins winked. "I'm excellent at getting people to like me. We went to Hogwarts together, but I don't remember her being so bloody peng back then. I'm going to ask her out."
"Good luck. Asking anyone out is stressful," Harry said.
Higgins rolled his eyes. "You slayed a basilisk for your girlfriend."
"I told you, we weren't dating then. I was only twelve."
Higgins let out another snort. "Only bloody twelve, he says."
Harry shrugged. "I was! Besides, yes, I did slay the basilisk for her, but also because it was trying to kill me due to the whole 'it was being controlled by Voldemort thing.' It wasn't a completely selfless act. Trouble always finds me."
"You know, I believe that," Higgins said as they continued to make their way down the staircases that took them down into the dungeons.
They passed a few students in the hall and when they arrived at Slughorn's office, the door opened before they knocked.
"Ooh! Splendid!" Slughorn exclaimed at the sight of them. "Do come in!"
Harry and Higgins exchanged a look before stepping inside. Slughorn closed the door behind them and ushered them over to where Borage was standing over a cauldron. The fruity scent wafted through the room and Borage looked up from the cauldron.
"Harry! Nice to see you again. And you must be Auror Higgins?"
"I am," Higgins said, extending his hand. "Nice to meet you, Sir. What news do you two have for us?"
"Very good news indeed," Slughorn exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Libatious here agrees with my first assessment. This is most definitely the lost alchemical recipe known as the Melanotaeniidae Reflection Potion."
"And what does that mean exactly?" Higgins asked.
Slughorn cleared his throat. "As I told the two of you last time, this rainbow elixir is known by the colour of the potion because it shines like diamonds and reflects like the scales of a Melanotaeniidae otherwise known as the rainbow fish. Libatious and I were able to recreate it, bringing the recipe to life, and proving that it is used exactly the way we believe it was meant to be."
"As in it freezes time?" Harry asked.
Borage half shrugged. "Yes, and no. This potion is very rare because it does freeze time itself, but not time in the construct that we understand it — it's the time on the person or animal who ingests it."
Harry frowned. "So, what does that mean in terms of this case?"
Borage cleared his throat. "Horace and I were able to recreate the potion, Harry. We brewed it perfectly and it took longer than we anticipated, but the ingredients needed are rare and were difficult to procure. Luckily, Horace and I have quite a few connections in the potions world."
"As I told you before, this potion needed tail feathers from a golden phoenix which we were able to get from a reserve in New Zealand. A magizoologist friend of mine was able to get me a vial of chimera venom. As to the crystallized tears of a dragon, well, that took a pretty sickle, but a collector had one in Puerto Rico. The scales of a Melanotaeniidae were a bit easier to procure, but even then, we needed the help of a Merman near New Guinea. It wasn't easy, my boy!" Slughorn boomed.
"The other ingredients were easier to pull together," Borage continued. "But we had to be careful with how much we used and we had to make it three times to get it right. It's an expensive potion to make. It would have taken a lot of time and effort to get the ingredients and to brew it properly. This is not something that the average person would be able to pull off. It takes a great deal of skill."
"The woman we believe to have brewed it is well known for her skills with potions," Higgins said. "So, what can you tell us about it how it works and what it's used for?"
Slughorn wrinkled his nose. "Well, historically it was used as specialty potion for healers during times of war. They would give it to their patient and they would be in this frozen state and they could operate or do whatever needed to be done without losing the patient. The problem was that it didn't pair well with any form of pain potions or charms and the person undergoing any surgery would feel everything so people claimed it was rather inhumane as they were more or less awake the whole time."
"Awake?" Harry asked, paling.
Higgins put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Our victim was given this potion hours earlier before her heart was cut from her chest. What does that mean?"
Borage looked pensive as he contemplated his words. "I think examining the body would be the best way to give a real answer, but let us show you what we did come up with."
Harry watched him move across the room to where he had a mouse lying on the table. The animal had been enlarged to be about the size of a small cat. When he got closer, he noticed that the heart had been removed from the mouse's body.
"You cut out its heart?" Harry asked, shocked at the barbarity of it.
"It's not something that I would usually condone for any form of experimentation," Borage said. "But this was a desperate measure and Horace and I agreed that we had to be sure. As you can see, this is the heart of the mouse. We gave him a cap full of the potion and let it settle in his system for an hour before we removed his heart."
"The mouse didn't pass out and fought us every step of the way," Slughorn said. "We couldn't risk petrifying him in case it reacted with the potion, but we were able to remove the heart and place it next to him. If you look closer, you can see that despite the heart missing, the body isn't in any form of decay. It's been seventy-two hours and there's no insect activity of any kind."
Higgins leaned in closer to get a better look. "Zacarias' body was the same, Harry."
Harry swallowed. His own heart was pounding and he was afraid to breathe. He could feel hope swelling in his chest and part of him was terrified that it was all about to be taken away.
"But what does that mean?" he asked.
Borage ushered Higgins out of the way and used his wand to pick up the heart of the mouse. "It means that the body is frozen in a state of time. I believe that the frozen state starts from the very moment that potion is ingested and therefore anything that happens from that moment on is irrelevant due to the frozen state."
Harry watched in morbid fascination as Borage carefully placed the heart back into the mouse, using his wand to connect the valves back where they belonged and to seal it back into place. Then he watched in terror for two full minutes of agonizing silence before the heart began to beat.
"Holy shit," Higgins breathed. "It's beating."
"Yes," Borage said. "The thing is, the body underwent a great deal of trauma and surviving that involves bringing one back to the original state before the potion was ingested. In order to do so, a counter potion must be given which is what Horace and I were working on. This one is made of a very similar concept except for one difference, it needs half a scale of a rainbow fish and half a scale of tilapia which counteracts the pain and assists with healing."
Borage placed two drops of the second rainbow potion, this one more golden than silver, over the beating heart of the mouse. He sealed the wound and they waited. It took fifteen minutes, but the mouse's nose twitched and then he jumped to his feet and scurried off.
Harry's mouth fell open.
His heart was beating wildly in his chest and he suddenly felt dizzy and a little nauseous. Higgins put a hand on his shoulder.
"So… you can stop her death?" Higgins asked.
"In theory," Borage said. "You would need her heart and of course, we're only about eighty percent sure it would work on a human, but there's always room for error."
"In terms of life or death, I don't think it matters much at this point," Slughorn said.
Harry shook his head, still not even sure what to say.
"Do you need a minute?" Higgins asked, turning to look at Harry. "I know this is a lot."
Harry swallowed and looked up at Higgins, taking in his kind eyes and shook his head. He appreciated the fact that his partner took the time to check in with him.
"I don't know what I need, Rex. What the bloody hell does all of that mean? Does it mean that we can bring her back?"
Higgins let out a slow breath, chewing on his bottom lip for a long moment. "There's one small thing that you're forgetting about all of this, Harry."
"Her heart was crushed in the potion," Harry whispered, his hopes crashing. "And used to bring Sirius back to life."
Higgins nodded. "Partially crushed, yeah."
Borage cleared his throat. "That's irrelevant. If you have the heart, we can coat it in the second potion; it will counteract all that was done while the body is under the influence of the Melanotaeniidae Reflection Potion."
"So you're saying that we can bring Zacarias back to life?" Higgins demanded, his eyes wide. "What about Black?"
"Absolutely," Borage said. "However, the problem is that once her heart is restored and beating again, she will stay in a comatose state until her heart fully heals."
"What do you mean 'fully heals?'" Harry asked. "If her heart is restored, what is it healing from? That mouse just took off like no one's business."
Slughorn cleared his throat. "This mouse is a completely different situation, Mr Potter. Allow me to be blunt, my boy. What Libatious isn't saying is what Higgins just brought up — Sirius Black. Even if you do return Zacarias to the land of the living, her heart was used to bring back Black therefore one cannot exist with the other."
"What does that mean?" Harry demanded. "Sirius doesn't have her heart in his body. It shouldn't matter."
"Ah, but love is a powerful weapon," Borage said. "Love outshines everything. Love is a power unlike anything we can imagine and Sirius was the love of Zahira's life, was he not?" At Harry's nod, he continued. "Two souls merging together in love is very powerful. There are people destined to find each other, to be souls in love but not necessarily soul mates, which are different and a whole other thing. But where was I… oh yes! Zahira was the love of his life and he was the love of hers. Not only did they love each other, but they loved you as a son making her heart not only a mother's sacrifice, but also the sacrifice of the heart for her lover. It's like that old tale about one heart existing in two bodies — true love. Without it, Sirius Black would not have been able to return to life which means that the power of Zahira's beating heart would essentially keep both of them alive."
Harry stared at him, opening and closing his mouth.
Higgins lifted an eyebrow. "All right, so you're saying that her crushed heart brought Black back to life because of their true love for each other and that this potion can restore her life, but the heart is still shared between them."
"Yes," Slughorn said.
"So… will she be alive?" Higgins asked.
Borage gave Harry his attention, his eyes sad. "By returning Zacarias' heart, she will be alive once more but remain comatose for all of eternity unable to truly live or die until Black is taken care of."
"Taken care of?" Harry repeated.
"Killed," Slughorn said. "His life was given on the sacrifice of another therefore a sacrifice must be given in order to rectify what was taken. There's no other alternative."
"And if Black is killed, she will be able to live? Not in a coma, but alive and up like that mouse?"
Borage licked his bottom lip. "I believe so, but there is a limit on these things. Without knowing the exact quantities of the potion ingested we can only guess, but if my calculations are correct there's a three month time frame on the potion."
"A time frame?"
"Yes. The potion would keep her body frozen in this time-space-continuum for roughly three to six months before we lose all chances of bringing her back."
"So… she could still die?"
Borage shook his head. "No, much worse than that, Harry. She would remain frozen unable to live or to die for all of eternity."
Higgins stood up. "Get your potions. We're going to the AIU and see if we can put a body into a coma." He shook his head. "Those are words I never thought I would say."
Borage grabbed his supplies and Slughorn followed suit. Harry followed them out of the dungeons in a daze, not really sure he understood anything that was happening.
Harry watched in fascination as Borage and Slughorn took over the next part.
The four of them arrived at the Ministry and went straight to the Auror's Inquisitors Unit before heading to the morgue. Maddox King opened the drawer to reveal Zee's body and Harry swallowed back bile just as a large hand gripped his. When he turned, he saw Ron there and he was suddenly more grateful for his best mate than he could put into words.
Ron gave him a half smile. "Higgins called me. I got you, mate."
Harry noticed Baxter had appeared as well and was talking to Higgins, but Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the Potioneers. He was grateful that Higgins had called Baxter and Ron in to be here with them. He watched as Borage examined the partially crushed heart, mumblings things under his breath before he carefully placed it into a basin of the second potion. The heart glimmered in golden rainbows before he used his wand to levitate it up. The hole in Zee's chest was still wide and looked fresh enough that Ron turned green, but he didn't let go of Harry's hand and he was grateful. The heart was carefully lowered into her chest and Maddox and Borage worked as a team to reconnect all of the valves (Maddox the expert on the human anatomy part) and then Borage added a few more drops of the golden rainbow potion.
It was pure magic and Harry knew it, yet it was absolutely amazing to watch. It shouldn't be possible and every part of him knew it, yet he also knew that it was going to work.
Harry watched as the wound around her heart sealed in an ugly red slice and Maddox tossed up all sorts of charms to check her vitals. They waited in silence, no one daring to move or to speak, though Harry was aware of Ron squeezing his hand, another hand rubbing his back in soothing circles. Ten minutes turned into twenty and then suddenly the sound of a heartbeat filled the room.
Ron grabbed Harry and pulled him into his arms. "She's alive, mate! Zee's alive!"
"She's in a coma," Borage corrected. "Her body will heal while she stays in such, but she'll need to be moved to St Mungo's for observation."
"Will she wake?" Ron asked.
Higgins shook his head. "No, not unless we deal with Sirius Black."
Ron frowned, pulling back to look into Harry's eyes. "What?"
Harry's gaze met his best mate's blue eyes and he swallowed back tears. "There's always a catch, right? Only one of them can live, Ron. I have to kill Sirius to save Zee."
Then he turned and vomited on the floor.
~ TTTC ~
Harry spent almost two hours talking to Auden McCraight after figuring out the whole soul and heartbeat fiasco. He wasn't sure if he felt any better about how things were progressing but hearing McCraight tell him it wasn't his fault did make him feel a bit lighter.
"You're not to blame, Harry," McCraight insisted, leaning back in his chair. "Taking responsibility for this is like taking responsibility for the next person you talk to. What they choose to do after speaking with you has nothing to do with you. Humans are full of choices, Harry. Some easy, some not, but they are choices that individuals make and do not rest on anyone else's shoulders."
He knew that, but he also knew that despite the Death Eaters making this choice, he was the catalyst. When he brought it up, McCraight nodded.
"They blame you and yes, you are to blame for the death of Lord Voldemort, but that's it. You ended decades of violence, chaos, and unrest in our world and they want it back."
"But they can't bring him back."
"No, they can't," McCraight told him. "You told me how he destroyed himself and with the burning of his body on top of destroying every last piece, he's gone for good. These people are unwilling to accept that and are lashing out. They wanted to hurt you, Harry. They wanted to make you suffer. It is not your fault or your responsibility that they feel this way. Does it suck? Of course it bloody does! Did they target people close to you with the intention of hurting you? They absolutely bloody did, but that's not your fault."
He swallowed. "But if I didn't love them they wouldn't be…"
McCraight shook his head. "No, Harry. You are not to blame. I want you to repeat that back to me. I am not to blame."
"That's ridiculous."
"Humour me."
Harry tried not to roll his eyes. "I am not to blame."
"I am not to blame for the choices others make no matter how they might impact me."
McCraight's look only made him swallow as he repeated the words back.
"Good. Now, I'm giving you homework." At Harry's raised brow, he smiled. "When you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night, I want you to repeat that phrase three times while reflecting upon what those words mean. I am not to blame for the choices others make no matter how they might impact me."
"What's that supposed to do other than be annoying?"
McCraight smiled. "Well, we'll see, won't we?"
When Harry left, he wasn't sure he felt any better about anything at all, but for the first time in longer than he could remember, he didn't feel like the weight was sorely on his shoulders either.
And that was something indeed.
~ TTTC ~
Ginny was struggling.
She was afraid to say the words aloud and make them true, but her intense schedule was starting to catch up with her and she wasn't sure what to do about it.
This was the longest she'd gone without really seeing Harry since she'd returned to Hogwarts and their mirror chats were usually quick as both were too tired by the time they found time. She knew he made it to most of her matches, but the quick hello kiss and goodbye was all she got before one of them had to rush off again.
Ginny understood that. She knew how big this investigation was for Zee and Sirius and she knew that on top of that, he had other cases to work on. With Zee being admitted to St Mungo's under full time guard and Harry having to break the news to Sorcha, Flo, and Colt on top of the rest of the family… she got it.
Poor Sorcha had cried and fallen to her knees when Harry had told her. She spent most of her week at the hospital, sitting by her daughter's bedside and speaking to her. Harry explained how she might never wake up and how it all had to do with what happened with Sirius, but Sorcha wouldn't hear of it.
"She's been given a third chance at life, Harry. Ron gave her a second one when he saved her on the shore of the Black Lake and this one… she'll come back to us. I know she will. The third time's the charm."
Harry kissed his grandmother's cheek and promised to do everything he could, but Ginny knew that added more pressure to her boyfriend's shoulders.
As February kicked into gear, Ginny kept busy. She had practice five days a week herself and the matches were constant and amazing. In the last match against the Chudley Cannons, she'd scored ten goals and gotten three assists. They'd dominated the match with four hundred and ten to Chudley's thirty. It had been a slaughter and Holyhead's name was constantly in the headlines.
GINNY WEASLEY SLAYS IN MATCH AGAINST CHUDLEY!
GINNY WEASLEY'S FIRST SEASON HAS POTENTIAL TO BREAK RECORDS!
WHAT WILL WEASLEY SHOW US NEXT?
HOLYHEAD'S NEWEST CHASER SURPRISING EVERYONE!
But it wasn't all positive either.
CAN GINNY WEASLEY KEEP UP? PRESSURE GETTING TO NEWEST CHASER AND HOLYHEAD COACHES WORRIED!
GINNY WEASLEY LOOKING DRAINED! IS HOLYHEAD'S NEWEST CHASER A POTIONS ADDICT?
Each one made her hold her head up higher as her teammates told her to ignore the headlines.
"I know it sucks," Gwenog told her. "Two years ago, I caught a wicked stomach bug after a bad case of food poisoning. I looked like death and the tabloids declared I was addicted to pain potions after my knee injury. It's all lies, Weasley."
Ginny nodded. She knew that it wasn't all going to be good things, but some of it was still hurtful. After one match, she'd worn her hair in a messy bun for one of the post match interviews and Witch Weekly claimed:
WEASLEY AND POTTER BREAK UP! WEASLEY CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO PUT IN EFFORT INTO HER APPEARANCE NOW THAT POTTER'S DROPPED HER!
Another Witch Weekly article had caught a photo of Harry having lunch with Natalie Atwell outside the Ministry and claimed:
POTTER'S MOVED ON AND WEASLY CAN'T HANDLE IT! HOLYHEAD LOSES TWO GAMES IN A ROW DUE TO WEASLEY'S HEARTBREAK!
They went on and on and on and she really did try to ignore them, but Hogwarts had always been a place of gossip and by the time February swept in, Ginny felt like she was in first year all over again. She wasn't sleeping well. Everyone was whispering around her and about her and it was all just too much.
Valentine's Day had come and gone and Harry had sent her flowers with an apology as their schedules didn't line up to meet. She didn't care about the day itself, but she missed her boyfriend something fierce. She had two days before her next match against Puddlemere United and all she wanted was to snuggle into Harry's arms and sleep until next year.
It was how she found herself down in the Hogwarts kitchens at two in the morning eating three scoops of double chocolate brownie fudge ice cream, knowing that she was going to regret every bite when she went for a run in a few hours.
She waited until the bowl was half gone before she broke down and called Theo on her mirror.
"Huh, what?" Theo answered, his voice husky in sleep.
"Hi. Sorry to wake you."
"What is it, baby?" Sebastian's voice asked sleepily in the background.
"It's Ginny. Go back to sleep, Bas."
Ginny heard shuffling before he moved out of the dark room and a few moments later, she saw the lights go on as his dishevelled hair fell into view. He had a light dusting of stubble on his cheeks and what looked like beard burn on his neck.
"You okay, chick? What happened?"
"I'm in the kitchens eating ice cream."
"Double chocolate fudge brownie? Two scoops?"
"Three."
"Bloody hell," Theo said, dragging a hand over his face. "Don't tell me you're reading all of those shitty articles?"
Ginny shrugged as she licked ice cream off of the spoon. "I'm not reading them exactly, but everyone else is. I can't turn around without hearing my name whispered."
"Hogwarts always was full of gossiping hens. You can't listen to them, chick," Theo insisted. "You'll go mad."
"I know," she said, filling her mouth with another spoonful of ice cream.
"You didn't call me at half past two to talk about the tabloids."
She didn't. He knew her too well.
"I miss you."
"I miss you, too," Theo said. "Where are Luna and Colin?"
"Asleep," she told him. "Luna's already hovering a bit like a mother hen. You know yesterday she told me that the Nargles were festering around my head and blurring my state of mind."
He snorted. "I love her particular brand of madness. She's bonkers and yet more sane than the rest of us. Colin?"
"Head Boy duties keep him busy. I was with him most of the evening finishing up my Compass articles."
"You're spreading yourself too thin, chick. I see the bags under your eyes. Are you using that mask?"
She chuckled. "I haven't had time."
"Hey! We always make time to take care of our skin."
"Yours is looking a little burned in places."
He grinned. "Well, that's because after I did my nightly skincare regiment, my sexy as bollocks boyfriend snogged my brains out and then shagged me into the mattress until I forgot how to use my legs. I have beard burn in places you don't want to know about. I have no regrets."
Ginny chuckled. "Sounds amazing. Gods, I miss sex."
Theo laughed. "Been a while, chickie?"
"A few weeks," she admitted. "Has Bas been home a lot?"
"The whole month!" Theo exclaimed with a big grin. "Anything he's had to do outside of the country has usually just resulted in a late night. We finally celebrated our one year anniversary date last weekend. Kind of a combined one year and Valentine's Day thing."
"Oh, that's lovely," Ginny said. "One year is so special, Theo."
"I've never had a whole year with someone before," he replied. "I love him so much, Ginny. He told me that we were going to do a romantic dinner at that place in Luminescent Way where we had one of our first dates, but he turned it into a whole evening. We had dinner and then he took me to the first antique shop we went to where he bought me this gorgeous briefcase from the 1920s that I can use for work and classes. Then we went to a nightclub."
"A nightclub?" Ginny repeated in surprise.
Theo nodded, a soft smile on his face. "Yeah, that new place that opened in London, called Dance With Somebody. It's really new and actually a gay bar."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It was kind of wicked. I made a comment a few weeks back about how there wasn't anywhere really to go dancing and how it would be fun. It was a Muggle place and wow… just seeing all of these men dancing and having a good time and being so openly affectionate and true to themselves was brilliant. And Bas held me close and we danced for hours. A few blokes even tried to cut in and Bas growled at them," he said chuckling. "When he growls it just does things to me, so I dragged him home and blew him in the guard tower. Then I gave him his gift, remember that old cigar box I found? It's from 1876 and I thought that he could use it to store his coins in it. He keeps a handful of coins from all of the places he's been all over the world."
"I bet he loved it."
"He did," Theo assured her. "Because then he bent me over the desk in the library and oh Merlin, Ginny, that man turns me inside out and I still want more! He loves to make me beg for it and I have to say, I have no complaints about that. He shagged me so good and so deep, we moved the desk to the window just from shagging and then he spun me around and got on his knees and finished me off with his mouth."
Ginny blushed. "I don't need to know all of the details, Theo."
He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "But you love them."
"I love seeing you so happy."
"I'm stupid happy," he admitted. "He makes me so happy. I want to kiss him all day every day and preferably have his deliciously huge cock buried in my arse and in my mouth at the same time."
"I mean, that's completely possible," she said, laughing.
Theo grinned. "I know, but it would be perfect. He came home before me tonight or last night I guess, so when I came up to the bedroom he was just getting out of the shower. He was wearing this little towel and water droplets were still on his skin… like blimey, Ginny, have you seen my man's abs? He has eight! Eight! How am I not supposed to trace them with my tongue?"
Ginny blew out a breath as she finished her ice cream. "I wish I could trace Harry's abs with my tongue right now."
"So delicious! Did I tell you that Bas is totally letting me top more often, too? I mean, I bloody love it when he's inside me, like it's so good and I need it, but ever since his birthday we've been swapping more and bloody hell, even when I'm inside of him, he's got this control thing and it's so bloody sexy. It's why I love giving head so much, you know? Watching him give up that control to me… mmm… I'm going to suck him off when I go back upstairs."
Ginny laughed. "Too much information, Theo."
He grinned. "All right, that was almost a true laugh, we're getting somewhere. Now spill."
"Spill what? I just wanted to talk."
"Uh-huh and we did. Now tell me what's really wrong? I know you miss Harry and I know you definitely need a good shag. I'd offer to swap so that I could see how well Harry does in bed, but I'm not sharing my man with anyone."
"I'm not sharing mine either."
Theo smiled before his eyes grew serious. "All right, no more jesting. How bad is it? Truly?"
Ginny let out a slow breath, looking over at the house elf, Daisy, who took her ice cream bowl away. She muttered a thanks and then turned her attention back to the concerned brown eyes of her friend in the mirror.
"I'm burning out," she admitted. "It's almost been four months and I just… I'm constantly behind in my homework and McGonagall is bending over backwards to accommodate me, but it means that I barely attend my classes. All of my studies are through the library or one-on-one office hours with the professors so I feel like I have the pressure of school and yet, I don't really see any of my classmates. If I'm not studying or doing take home assignments, I'm writing articles for the Herald or going over Quidditch plays with Demelza for Gryffindor. Then I'm at Harpy practice and hot yoga and running or press conferences and matches and… when I do see Harry, it's a quick kiss and then one of us has to rush off. I haven't even been going back to his place to sleep there after a match because I have so much work to do! He's busy with work and this whole thing with Zee and the case and… it's too much, Theo. It's too much and I don't know what to do."
Tears snuck out and she hastily wiped them away.
"Then there's Ron and Hermione," she continued. "It's been over a month since they called it quits and neither of them will open up about what the hell happened! They're both miserable from what I can see and from what Harry's told me. Hermione is living with her parents in Heathgate again and Ron's back at the Burrow, leaving Harry alone in that big house! Ron won't say much except that he doesn't want to stay in the bed he and Hermione shared and that mum needs him at home and whenever I pull Hermione up on the mirror she goes on and on about work, but she looks so sad, Theo. I know they love each other and I just… I want to help!"
"I know you do," Theo said.
"Bill and Fleur are excited about the baby and every time I talk to them it's about the nursery and the baby and I feel like I'm missing out on getting to know my nieces. Finn and Fee are so adorable over the mirror and Charlie sent me a photo of Aydin riding Raya, the little hatching on the reserve and… I feel detached from it all, like part of me has moved on from Hogwarts in a way that I can't explain."
"You have moved on," Theo told her. "The Battle of Hogwarts was the ending of an era, chick. You might have only been a sixth year at the time, but you felt it as much as we did. You've started your career, Ginny, and that's huge! You know, Sebastian mentioned the other day that you're only the fifth person in the United Kingdom to be under nineteen and playing professional Quidditch in the last three hundred years — which is brilliant and I can't believe you didn't tell me that. The last was fifty years ago and the fact that you're working to finish your final year on top of it… that's a lot!"
"I know," she whispered. "Did I tell you that Angelina asked me to be a bridesmaid too? I have to fit in a dress fitting in the next two months and then there's Percy and Audrey who are deep into their own wedding planning and Mum's constantly sending me updates. It's just… a lot."
Theo's eyes softened. "Chick, you're doing too much. Being a professional Quidditch player is amazing and brilliant and it's everything you deserve. I know you want to write your NEWTs and I know that finishing school is important to you. It's only a few more months and I can't imagine the pressure of that on top of your rookie season, but if anyone can do this, you can! But, you do need to let go of a few things. Ginny, the Herald is an extra pressure on you that you don't need."
"I know," she admitted. "Colin's mentioned it to me, it's just… I love it."
"But it's more work," Theo said. "So is co-captaining with Demelza. Ginny, I know you live and breathe Quidditch, but you're not the captain of the Gryffindor team; you're not even on the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year. There's nothing wrong with offering advice, but doing it every week is a lot. She needs to step up on her own."
"I know."
"School and Quidditch are enough on their own, don't you agree?"
Ginny sighed. She knew that he was right. It was added stress and no matter how much she was convinced she could handle it all, she knew she wasn't.
"Just think about it," he said. "And talk to McGonagall or Lupin. They should know that you're struggling."
She nodded. Hearing him say the words she'd told herself somehow made them seem less daunting.
"All right, I can do that."
"And Chick? Make time to shag your boyfriend. You both need it."
She chuckled as she said goodnight, feeling a little less overwhelmed than she had. She could always count on Theo and their old Insomniac Club meeting for guidance. She was halfway back to Gryffindor tower when Luna's hand slipped into hers.
"Luna, what are you doing awake?"
"Next time, come find me," Luna said.
Ginny's eyes softened. "Did Theo call you?"
Luna tugged her into a hug. "Come with me. I have the perfect idea."
She followed Luna outside; the two of the sneaking out into the darkness before Luna transformed into her Animagus form of a hare.
Ginny transformed herself, into a red panda, and when she chased after her friend, the freedom of the moment had her relaxing for the first time in ages. She couldn't remember the last time she'd even transformed. It was a great skill to have: Fun and powerful, but she didn't have a real use for it in her day to day activities. But she used it now, running after Luna, climbing trees, and chasing her friend and when the sun started to rise over the Black Lake, the two of them sat on the shore, a warming charm covering them and Ginny felt content.
Luna leaned in to rest her head on Ginny's shoulder and Ginny thought this was exactly what she needed. She was grateful to her friends for making sure she took the time to breathe.
Now she just needed to find time to shag her boyfriend. Preferably soon.
~ TTTC ~
When Theo said goodnight to Ginny on the mirror, he mirror called Luna. The dreamy-eyed expression of the sweet blonde made him smile when she answered.
"Hello, Theo."
"Sorry to wake you, Luna. Ginny's heading back to Gryffindor from the kitchens."
Luna nodded. "Ah, the Nargles are growing. I will take care of it."
"I knew you would. Thanks."
When he swiped the mirror closed, he stood up from the sofa and did a full body stretch before heading back upstairs. The sight of his boyfriend sleeping soundly made him smile. He snuck into the bath and decided to clean his teeth again while he was in there before he turned out the light and headed back towards the bed. He shimmied out of the silk sleep pants he'd thrown on when Ginny had called and crawled naked under the covers, kissing his boyfriend's naked chest.
Sebastian made a soft pleased sigh, but didn't wake, so Theo continued his path. He licked each nipple, teasing them into peaks before he kissed lower, tracing his tongue around every groove and dip and then spearing it into his belly button. By the time he reached those delicious v lines, Sebastian's cock was hard and pointing towards him, eager for attention. He licked his tongue down the left v line then up the right one and Sebastian shuddered.
"Stop torturing me," he murmured. "Get up here and kiss me."
Theo's eyes met Sebastian's dazzling blue ones before he held his gaze and dragged his tongue around the tip of his cock instead.
"Mmm, fuck…."
Theo grinned and licked his lips.
"Tease. Everything all right with Ginny? You were gone a while."
"She'll be all right," Theo assured him. "But I don't want to talk about her. I want to suck you off."
Then he did, taking him deep into his throat until his eyes watered and Sebastian moaned and trembled and writhed under him. He made it loud and messy, slurping at his balls and teasing him with a finger as Sebastian's fingers dug into the silk sheets.
"More… oh bloody hell, more…"
Theo slid his tongue under the slit and added a second finger. Sebastian's hips rose off of the bed and when Theo timed his fingers to his sucks, it took no time at all for Sebastian to get there.
"Fuck! Fuck, I'm too close!" he groaned. "Get up here."
When Theo made to ignore him, Sebastian grabbed his shoulder and somehow flipped him beneath him. Then to Theo's delight, Sebastian slid up his body, straddled his face and fed him his cock again before he leaned forward and took Theo's cock into his mouth.
They came quickly, finishing each other off with long sucks and working out every last drop before Sebastian turned around and spooned Theo against him.
"You always have the best ideas, Theo."
He smiled and turned his head to kiss his boyfriend. "I know."
Theo woke a few hours later to cold sheets next to him. He showered and dressed before finding his boyfriend in the kitchen. Sebastian pulled him close for a long kiss before he passed him a smoothie.
"Breakfast. You never eat enough before you go."
Theo gave him a cheeky grin and stood on his toes to capture his lips again. "I thought your cock qualified."
"Ha, if only," he said, kissing him once more. "I'll be late tonight. J and I have class. Have fun today."
Theo wished him off and then grabbed his new briefcase full of his notes and the smoothie from the counter before he headed off to the Dian Cecht Healing Academy.
Theo had to admit, he was loving his mind healing classes. Most of them were at the Magical Intelligence Agency but two days a week, he was at the Dian Cecht Healing Academy where he took a class on the use of Transfiguration and studied the human brain. It was oddly fascinating to study how Transfiguration altered and changed the human brain. It wasn't a mandatory class but one of his professors had mentioned it enough that Theo felt like he wanted to sign up; he'd always held a soft spot for Transfiguration.
He had six classes over five days and each one was more fascinating than the next. He studied the human brain, the human soul, and the human psyche. He studied trauma, stress syndromes, and coping mechanisms and learned that some people reacted instantly to events while some people seemed perfectly fine for years before something could trigger them. He found it fascinating, but he was most anxious to get to sit in on mind healing sessions.
His classes were small and Theo was surprised to see that not too many people were interested in mind healing and most were there for the more physical aspect of healing or for research purposes. There were six of them in his program and they were often broken into two groups of three and each worked with a different mind healer to sit in on sessions.
There were three people who had volunteered to have their sessions sat in by students. Theo thought if was incredibly brave of them and wasn't sure that he would be brave enough himself to let people watch him talk to Na'eemah about his problems. He listened attentively, took notes of the questions asked and how the healer didn't press or demand but left it open to the patient to speak when they were ready. When it was over, he made his way over to the mind healer in charge today, an elderly balding man with a thick handlebar moustache named Ethan Harrison.
"Sir, do you have a minute?"
Harrison looked up from his bag and nodded. "Of course, Mr Nott! How can I assist you?"
"I just wanted to say that I've really been enjoying these sessions; getting to see how you interact and actively listen to each person is brilliant. However, I do have a question about the process and about how it differs with children? How much of the same approach can be used?"
"Ah, yes, you're the one interested in working with kids. Well, let me first say that I admire that about you. Kids shan't be easy to deal with! Getting them to talk is sometimes a great deal more difficult, especially if what they need to talk about is something that they don't understand," Harrison said. "Let me give you Mind Healer Auden McCraight's office hours. He often deals with childhood trauma and he would be much more beneficial in answering your questions."
"Thank you, Sir."
He grabbed his things and noticed that McCraight had office time for another hour so he figured he might as well try to catch him. The last person he expected to see coming out of the mind healer's office was Harry.
"Lover!"
Harry glanced up in surprise but his lips curved at the outrageous nickname. "Uh, hi, Theo. What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to catch McCraight. One of my professors suggested that he could answer some of my questions better than he could," Theo said, glancing back at the door. "Is he the one who you've been talking with?"
Harry shoved his hands into his pockets. "Sort of. I'll see you later."
Theo reached out to touch Harry's arm. "There's no judgment here, Harry. Ever." At Harry's nod, he offered a small smile. "You look like poop on toast, by the way."
Harry snorted before he dragged a hand through his hair. "Thanks. It's been… a lot."
"I can't imagine," Theo said. "I know it's been catching up with you and with Ginny. I think she could use a visit from you."
Harry frowned. "Is she all right? Did something happen?"
Theo shook his head. "No need to worry, Harry, she's just tired. I talked to her last night and you know what could really help both of you relax? A great shag."
"Ha."
"I'm serious," Theo said. "Orgasms can help reduce stress and that's something both of you have in abundance right now. Ginny doesn't have a match tonight. Go find her and fill her with your huge cock until you both can't move. Trust me."
His cheeks flushed and Theo patted his arm affectionately.
Harry said something about him having to go and Theo grinned as he watched him hurry off. It was so easy to embarrass the man and he had to admit, he did get a kick out of it, but he also knew that Harry would listen to him. He hoped he was heading to see his girlfriend and shag her brains out so he could pry his friend for details later.
Theo knocked on McCraight's door and the handsome man with the reddish brown beard smiled warmly at him. Theo liked him immediately. He introduced himself and explained how Harrison had sent him and McCraight nodded.
"Ah. Yes, the child psyche is different. They're often more susceptible to believing things that adults aren't which means that you often have to tread carefully on how you approach it. The biggest thing is to make them comfortable. With you, I could sit just like this and talk, but with kids that's not an option. You need to find something to create a bridge if you will."
Theo took notes and asked more questions as McCraight explained how games, puzzles, and drawings could be used. He suggested having them draw their fears or anything they might not be comfortable talking about.
"Each age will react differently," McCraight explained. "And each situation is different. Children are no different than adults in the sense that no two kids will react to the same trauma in the same way and children will often act out in physical ways they won't understand like wetting the bed or even attitude."
Theo nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time."
"Mind healing for children requires a great deal of internal strength, Mr Nott. You have your own stresses from childhood, do you not?"
"Yes, Sir."
McCraight stared at him for a long moment before he spoke. "Healing is a lot like listening and knowing when to speak. Sharing your own experiences is sometimes beneficial, but often can be seen as hindering the patient's mental care or putting yourself above their needs. Children are a bit different. Telling them of a fear you had and how you dealt with it can sometimes help them open up. Each child will be a completely different and unique case and require different tools for you to access. It won't be easy."
"I don't expect it to be," Theo said.
McCraight nodded. "Good. I cannot share patient confidentialities, but come see me next week. We'll go over some of my techniques and cases on my younger patients. I see a spark in you, Mr Nott, and I want to see what we can do with it."
Theo beamed and when he left McCraight's office, he was feeling much better about everything. A glance at his watch told him it was only three so he took the lift up to the International Magical Law Department to see if Sebastian was around. He stopped by the café to grab his boyfriend's favourite beverage, a blonde vanilla chai latte, before heading into the SIU, the Secret Intelligence Unit. He saw Durant first and the big man's face split into a grin before he hurried over.
"Theo! What a surprise!"
"Hi, Durant," he said. "I had to speak to a mind healer about one of my classes and thought I'd pop by and see Sebastian."
"He's at his desk," Durant assured him. "Doing some backlog on paperwork and cursing up a storm. I'm sure he'd appreciate a quick break. Hey, the four of us need to do a margarita night again."
"That sounds great. I'll set something up."
He left Durant and headed to the back to where his boyfriend's office was. He shared a room with Durant, Yeona, and three other Aurors, each with their own cubicle. Theo saw him writing at his desk so he moved around the others to sneak up behind him. He plopped the latte in front of him and leaned in to kiss the back of his neck.
"Need a pick me up?"
Sebastian turned his head to smile at him. "So much. Thank you."
Theo leaned back against the desk to sip his own caramel cappuccino as he watched Sebastian take a sip before his eyes narrowed. Theo bit back a grin, he knew exactly what that look was for. Something about him leaning his arse against furniture always got his boyfriend all worked up. He hopped onto the desk, crossing his legs and gave him an innocent smile.
"Busy today?"
Sebastian licked his bottom lip. "Not really. A lot of busywork to catch up on. What are you doing here?"
Theo filled him in on his visit to McCraight. "I'm excited to go over stuff with him. He seems good."
"He is," Sebastian assured him.
"I ran into Durant as well and promised we'd have a margarita night."
"That means karaoke," Sebastian said with a wince.
"Good," Theo said. "I could use a fun break."
Sebastian shifted his chair so that he was directly in front of him and then put his hands on Theo's thighs to spread his legs. Theo knew that unless someone was looking directly over the cubicle wall they could only see Theo's head and shoulders, but he blushed.
"You're taunting me," Sebastian said, looking up at him.
The desk only gave Theo a head over him, but it made him smile.
"I've done nothing but sit here and say hi," he teased. "I'm completely innocent."
"Uh-huh," Sebastian said, his hands sliding up his thighs, around his hips, and down to cup his bottom with both hands. Theo squeaked and Sebastian gave him a sly grin, pulling him closer to the edge of the desk as he held his arse.
"J and I have our class tonight. Do you want to come watch?"
"I can't tonight, I have too much homework."
"Worth a shot."
Theo smiled and leaned down to nip at his boyfriend's mouth. "Don't shower. I love it when you're all sweaty." He nipped his mouth again. "I'll be waiting for you, spread out on our bed and naked."
"Bloody hell," Sebastian whispered making Theo smirk.
Theo hopped off of the desk and bent to kiss Sebastian softly. "I should go before I make that tree branch in your trousers any more excited. See you later tonight."
Sebastian cursed him under his breath and he grinned before he hurried off, blowing him a kiss. When he got home, he changed into comfortable sweats and a tee shirt, snagging one of Sebastian's jumpers to wear over top and then took out his mirror to call Draco.
His friend answered quickly and he smiled. "Hi, mate. I miss you. When are you coming back to England?"
Draco laughed. "At this rate — never."
Theo frowned. "Don't say that! Between you and Blaise both being gone most of the time, I hate it. Come back."
"I miss you, too, but I love it here, Theo," he admitted. "It's peaceful and quiet and… I don't think I realized how much I truly needed that. The house needs a bit of renovation so I'm taking care of that and I really love being out in the vines and making wine. I've learned how to make a great merlot and I'm excited for you to try it."
"That's great. I'm glad you're getting some rest, but does that mean you're staying in France indefinitely?"
Draco sighed, his white blond hair a bit messy and his face tanned from the sun. "Honestly, I don't know. It's brilliant out here. With the war and the house full of people and the whole choosing sides and losing my mum and just everything… I don't really know what I want to do, Theo. You're set on your path to start your career. I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what I'm even capable of doing. It's a lot and I don't have answers. Right now, making wine and renovating is making me happy."
Theo nodded. He could see that was true. Even when Draco had been in Norfolk weeks ago after Sebastian had called him to come over when Theo had a bad night, he'd noticed the change in his friend. His pale skin had a nice tan. He'd bulked out a bit from doing manual labour and his eyes, those silver-blue ones that always looked sharp and on alert had finally seemed to settle to some extent. He could see how much happier he was.
"What about being social?"
Draco shrugged. "I get out from time to time. There's a bar in the village where I sometimes go to have a pint. There's a pretty blonde barmaid too."
Theo laughed. "Careful or I'll start calling you Blaise."
Draco grinned. "I'm not that bad. How is Blaise? Anything new?"
"Did he tell you about Rossi?"
"Yeah. That's intense. I can't believe the bloke still wants to marry Bellarosa."
"Me neither, but she must have a magical vagina or something."'
Draco snorted. "A magical vagina? Really?"
Theo shrugged. "Well, I don't know. It's not like I have any idea what goes on down there. Those things scare me."
"Arse," Draco muttered, making Theo chuckle.
Theo filled him in on his classes and what was happening with his studies. "A few more months and I'll be getting my own patients under the guide of a mind healer. If everything goes well, I'll start in July. That means they'll monitor and watch my sessions through a two way mirror-charm and I'll talk over each case and plan with them."
"Wow. Are you ready for that?"
"I will be," Theo told him. "It's what I want, Draco. More than anything. I want to help kids."
"You'll be brilliant at it," Draco assured him. "No one I know has a bigger heart. What's new with everyone else?"
Theo told him about how Blaise was doing at the Lex Schola and more about his correspondence with both Bellarosa and Joseph. He told him about how great Ginny was doing with Quidditch and how Harry and Ron were working on the case with Sirius coming back.
Draco whistled. "That's messed up. The whole thing. It's shit like that, Theo. I just want to stay away from it all. Your know my grandmother actually reached out a few weeks ago? She wants me to come to England and help her case with harbouring a fugitive."
"Please tell me that you're not stupid enough to say yes to that."
"Not," Draco insisted. "She abandoned me years ago. She walked away from all of us because she was afraid of Abraxas. She messed up and didn't care about me then so why should I care about Druella Black now? She did harbour a fugitive. Three of them."
"Yeah, she did," Theo agreed. "Have you talked to your father about it?"
"Yeah. I've been to visit him a few more times. He said you went over?"
"I did," Theo said. "I hadn't seen him since that first time and… I wanted to fill him in. I wanted to talk to him and let him know that I was doing well."
"He seems settled," Draco replied. "He's accepted his place in prison and he's comfortable. He says the fact that he gets to see you and me and gets letters makes all the difference. Plus, not having the Dementors hanging over him is a definite plus. He spends his days reading or going for walks around the grounds when he's able. He's content to pay for his crimes there."
"And you?"
Draco sighed. "I'm happy he's content. I… you know I blame him for my mother, but seeing him take on that responsibility and blame himself… bloody hell, Theo, it's hard to hate him when he hates himself so much. I know he loved her."
"He really does," Theo replied. "He's still in love with her. They were each other's other half."
Draco nodded and let out a slow breath. "Yeah… what about anyone else? Are you keeping up with Goyle and Pansy?"
"A bit," Theo said. "Goyle's looking to rent half of the building where Sophistication by Pansy is to Neville and Hannah for them to start their business. They're talking about it which is great. Goyle's totally taken to fatherhood, it's almost weird. Last time I popped in to get some more underwear, he had Gabriel strapped to his chest and was carrying Grayson over his shoulder like it was the easiest thing in the world. He's a contractor now."
"No shit?"
"Yeah and he's good," Theo said. "He's working for Bridges and Banks Contracting out of Leeds. Works on houses and commercial buildings. I didn't realize that he helped Pansy design her whole store and refurbish it. Goyle did most of the work himself and that was before he even wrote his TOOLBOX exams."
"Wow," Draco said. "I still can't believe that he and Pansy ended up together."
"And they're bloody happy," Theo said. "You should see the goofy look Pansy gets on her face whenever Goyle walks into a room. It's weird, but it works."
"And how's your life with Sebastian?"
"Perfect," Theo said, grinning widely. "We couldn't be happier."
"Perfect might be a stretch, mate."
Theo bit his lip. "All right, I'll admit that perfect might be a stretch, but it's great. Living with him is more than I ever imagined. I mean, sure he tends to leave his wet towels on the bathroom floor and he's always balling up his dirty socks and tossing them near the basket and not in it and of course, he never hangs up his shirts. If I didn't have Kiki iron them, the man would forever be in wrinkled button-downs, but I'm sure I do things to annoy him too."
Draco smiled. "I'm sure you do."
"Fuck you, I'm delightful and have zero flaws!"
Draco chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that, mate."
"Hey, maybe one weekend when Sebastian's off, the two of us could come up and stay with you for a night or two. You can really show us the changes and we can drink some of this wine you keep teasing me about."
"That would be great," Draco said. "We'll invite Blaise as well."
"Sounds like a plan."
Draco nodded before he cleared his throat. "So… have you seen anyone else?"
Theo lifted an eyebrow. "Like who?"
"I don't know… Daphne, maybe?"
Theo stared at Draco's reflection in the mirror for a moment. "Well, she married that old codger."
"Yeah, but doesn't she still hang around Pansy?"
"Yes," Theo said. "She models the lingerie for the advertisements and she seems happy. I've only seen her in passing. Not my cup of tea to want to play with an old man's cock and wrinkled bollocks, but Macnair has money. Her sister's in sixth year."
"Right, she's at Hogwarts," Draco said. "She's living with Daphne and her new husband though, right?"
Theo's lips curved. "Oh! Is that who you want to know about? Astoria Greengrass?"
Draco's face heated. "Don't be ridiculous! It's just that we all lived together for a while and I guess I want to make sure everyone's okay. That's all."
Theo wiggled his eyebrows. "I thought I saw a spark between the two of you."
"Please," Draco scoffed. "I don't even know her."
"But you'd like too."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Arsehole. I have to go. Let me know about a weekend that works, I'm flexible. Talk to you later."
"Talk to you later," Theo said, watching his friend's face disappear from the mirror with a smile.
Maybe Astoria Greengrass was a bit young for his friend at the moment, but Theo had a feeling there was something more there. Unfortunately with Astoria being at school and Draco in France, he had a feeling nothing would be coming of it any time soon. He tossed his mirror down onto the coffee table and smiled in thanks when Kiki brought him in a tray of tea and biscuits.
It was exactly what he needed before he delved into his schoolwork. He reached for the stack of mail to sort through, organizing it between his and Sebastians with a smile. Then he reached for the letter from Azkaban, wondering what Lucius had to say to him. He paled as he read the first sentence and realized it wasn't from him Lucius Malfoy; then he bawled the letter up into his hands to stop them from shaking. Without thinking, he used his wand to set the letter on fire and then let out a shaky breath.
No, he wasn't going to let it bother him. Not again. This had been the fourth letter he refused to acknowledge, but his hands still shook. He fisted them into his shirt and let out some deep breaths before he reached for his tea. After a few sips, he started to feel a bit better.
No, he wasn't going to let it bother him again. This was why he was taking these classes and talking to Na'eemah so that he could help people deal with these sorts of situations. He just needed to deal with it himself and ignoring it was the best way to start. He wasn't going to give that sadistic bastard another thought.
Theo finished his tea and read the rest of his mail before he finally moved to work on his homework. He wanted everything to be done before Sebastian finished teaching his class for kids of mixed martial arts tonight. He had very naughty plans for his boyfriend and was determined to be ready and waiting for him when he arrived. He helped himself to a biscuit as Oliver hopped up into his lap.
"All right, but only a little," Theo relented. "You're much too cute for me to say you shan't."
He poured a bit of milk into a saucer and held it out to the cat with a smile, snuggling Oliver into his arms.
"Did you know I needed you?"
Oliver merely meowed in response and Theo cuddled the cat to his chest.
"Your daddy will be home soon," he said as Oliver purred in his arms. "But I'll need some alone time with him first, all right?"
Oliver let him cuddle a moment later before he returned to the saucer to lap at the milk and Theo thought no, he wasn't going to dwell on the parts. He was going to finish up his assignments and then he was going to get naked and wait for his boyfriend to ravish him in their bed.
That was exactly what he needed.
