Author's Notes: I am in Florida, celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary, and still I wrote a chapter for all of you! I deserve reviews for that lol
My travel schedule for my paying job goes quiet from now until March, so maybe that means more regular posting, but maybe not. I'm not sure yet. What I can say is I am trying. If you want to support me, is a great way to do so. Sarah Jaune. Even if you sign up for one month and then cancel, it's still something. I'm also on facebook, same name.
Thank you to Arnel for beta'ing and for rereading the story and pointing out that I need to bring that drawing up again now that they're almost twenty. It was so long ago that I forgot lol
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
"What sort of game is she playing?"
Al glanced over to Rick who was sprawled on the sofa in the flat they now shared and knew he was continuing a conversation they'd started hours before but never finished. They'd been rooming together for weeks at this point, trying to give Rick time to get used to his powers in a way that would allow him to help heal, just as Nat did, but also to work through how to cure the sick Muggles. Just that day they'd heard that the maker of the Muggle potion, no vaccine, Al reminded himself, had said they'd worked out the problem and would be releasing a new vaccine that didn't have the poison in it. That wasn't what they'd said, but that was the general meaning.
Al stared at the shabby wallpaper that had probably been from well before his uncles' time in the flat above their shop and shook his head. "I think she's so unhappy she wants to destroy the whole world."
"And she's in Brazil, hiding out?" Rick asked him. This part seemed to stick with him as Britain had a good relationship with Brazil, at least on the magical side.
"She's hanging out in some rural place and it's a big country. No one knows where and if they know, they aren't saying. We can't just storm the whole country and grab her."
Rick shook his head and then tossed a ball up in the air, catching it before tossing it up again. It was some sort of trick that no longer worked, but had been left to rattle around the flat for years on end as not one of the single men who had lived in the flat had ever followed through on the thought of throwing it in the bin. Al's grandmother would be appalled but his mother would have simply been resigned and thankfully Gran never came to the flat, likely because she had when Fred and George had lived here and she still wasn't over it.
Rick tossed the ball again and Al thought that it had once been a ball that would fly all around the room, bouncing off everything it hit and wreaking havoc, much like what his uncles had been like all on their own, just tiny Bludgers.
"I should go try to find her," Rick said quietly and Al knew immediately he was picturing himself the hero by chasing down Isabella Crabbe. It was a thought Al had had more than once in his daydreams and fantasies. Unfortunately, there was a big old pile of practicality and common sense that came with it, most of which he'd gained because he didn't have Rick's abilities and couldn't actually track Crabbe down… or do anything about her if he did.
"No, you should not," Al told him despite not wanting this bloke hanging around England anymore, and especially not around Nat. It would solve all of his problems if Rick went off on a wild hunt for Crabbe.
The truth was he'd come to like Rick, who was a good guy and funny when they weren't doing the serious work. He didn't actually want Rick to be killed. "Listen," Al said to him. "I get it, I really do. I'd like to kill her for what she's done to my family, but she's been able to stay safe this whole time when the best witches and wizards in the world have been hunting her down. People in England assume it's my dad, but my dad… well, he's not the most powerful wizard and he can't do that. We have others, others who are more skilled, and they haven't been able to find her." He held up a hand to forestall what he knew Rick was going to say. "You're going to be one of those people, but right now you're still learning and frankly if Nat can use your power better than you can, then you have a long way to go."
Rick snorted out a laugh. "God, she's such a little thing! I do not think I've ever seen a grown adult who is smaller who didn't have something in their DNA. Are her parents that short?"
"No," Al shook his head and wondered how much Nat would want him to say. The truth was, though, she was open and honest about what had happened to her. "She was stuck in an Egyptian tomb when she was younger and she was cursed from it. The curse had a lot of years to cause damage and her height was one of the things effected."
Rick held the ball and didn't throw it up again. "That's absolute shit. I didn't realize. I saw something in her that didn't look right but I didn't know what it was."
He didn't look over at Al and Al didn't look over at him. It was a hard thing for Al to think about, knowing she'd suffered for so long because of what had happened to her. "She used to be even more clumsy, because of the curse. It's getting better, but she used to fall all the time. She kept getting hurt."
It was something that Al had grown used to without realizing just how insane it was to grow used to something like that.
"It's pretty amazing what she can do," Rick said after a minute. "I've learned a lot from her. It sucks I can't teach her anything, like how to protect herself."
Al had to agree with that, although it hurt his pride some to admit it. He wanted Nat to be safe and that meant being able to protect herself. But she wasn't any good at it, and no amount of work on her part could make up for her lack of abilities in that area. "Best we can do is keep to our own studies and become Aurors and make the world as safe a place as we possibly can."
Rick nodded and then cleared his throat. "That girl you're training with… the tall one with the short, black hair… what's her name?"
Al eyed him for a moment and then felt a huge rush of relief as he realized why Rick was asking. He'd been hovering on the edge of worry that Rick would develop feelings for Nat, but it appeared as though he'd been worrying for nothing. "Lena Rice, but she doesn't know why you're here."
"Of course not," Rick sighed heavily. "Has she asked about me?"
Al had to pause to decide whether he should tell him the truth or not. As far as he knew, Lena had gone on a few dates with his cousin Louis. Or maybe it hadn't been dates, as Al wasn't actually sure. Louis was a steaming pile of dragon dung when it came to relationships and he'd warned Lena, telling her not to get attached. Louis was a recovering alcoholic, but he wasn't so far into his sobriety that he was yet to be trusted. Lena understood that, as she'd lived with an alcoholic father and Al didn't think she was likely going to want to take that on for the long haul that was a marriage and a soul bond.
However, Lena hadn't really said much about Rick except to ask who he was and Al had given her the standard line his father was feeding all those who didn't need to know.
Rick was here as an American training with them for a short time.
It was not common but also not unheard of for Aurors to go and either train with or train other Auror teams around the world, especially those who shared a language. "She asked who you are and I told her what my dad said to say," Al told him, deciding on honesty. "She didn't say anything else."
Rick let out a small groan. "Well, that doesn't sound promising. Of course, I'm not staying here, but still…"
But still…
The fireplace flared to life and his mother poked her head through. "Al, I need some help at home!"
~*~
Ginny's evening had been going just how most of the evenings had gone since the pandemic had hit. She was used to being left without her husband because of work, and frankly she didn't mind it now that the children were grown and out of the house. She was used to Harry coming home late and being too exhausted to even smile at her. She was used to eating alone or with Polly when she could convince the elf to sit with her. Polly had given birth to her baby just three days before, so she'd been allowing Ginny to help her some with baby Skip, but it wasn't much more than she'd allowed when Teeny had been born.
Still, cuddling the tiny elf was a joy all its own and he'd been born on the first of January, which surely had to be a good sign. Very soon she'd have two more grandchildren and that would be a joy all its own.
Most nights Nat came home, ate something, drank a big glass of water and went to bed and Ginny hadn't had any idea that tonight would be any different for her. Nat had come through the Floo and she'd fallen, which she hadn't done in months.
That was the first sign.
Then she'd slurred her words as she'd greeted Ginny.
That was the second.
Then last, but absolutely not least, Nat had burst into tears and started spilling absolutely everything she'd been bottling up for at least three years.
Audrey had shown Ginny the spell to check Nat's blood sugar levels many years before and it wasn't as though it was difficult and she'd forget because she'd used it a lot in the first few years she'd known the girl, but frankly Nat had been so stable for so long that it took her a moment to remember, to grab Nat's arm, and perform the spell. When the color purple flared on Nat's arm, Ginny knew she was in trouble.
When a person's blood sugar is low they can often become irrational or belligerent. Nat was rarely either, but in this moment she was giving it her best effort.
"No!" Nat shrieked as she stumbled and fell to the floor of the kitchen. "No… nooooo."
She had been slurring her words the entire time she'd been home, but it was getting worse.
"No, I can't…" Nat said, batting away Ginny's hand. If she didn't get food into her quickly, things were going to get ugly, but Nat was refusing to take a bite of peanut butter she kept on hand for these emergencies.
"NO!" Nat said, starting to sob as she lay down on the ground.
Ginny knew she couldn't wait so she sprang to the fireplace and tried first to find Audrey, but her sister-in-law wasn't at the hospital, at home, or at the Ministry, as far as anyone knew. It likely meant she was with Rose in a secret location working on a potion, but that didn't help Ginny just then.
Desperate, she prayed her son was at his flat and she was rewarded when she spotted him and the boy, Rick, sitting in the living room. "Al, I need some help at home!"
She must have looked crazy or desperate… or possibly both because he sprang up and just as soon as her head was out of the fireplace, she was falling backwards to get out of the way so he could get through.
"What's wrong?" Al asked, but she didn't wait to explain.
Instead, she hopped up to her feet and sprinted for the kitchen. "HELP ME!" she said as she found Polly standing there, trying to talk to Nat, the baby in her arms.
Al skidded down to the ground and plucked Nat up off the floor, cradling her on his lap, much like she was the infant. "Leah, sweetie, shhhh."
Nat turned into Al but kept crying. She pushed at him weakly as Ginny tried, yet again, to get her to eat something. She closed her mouth and shook her head.
"You have to eat now," Al told her gently. "Come on, open up for me please."
"No," Nat whispered but it was less angry and one of her hands came up to clutch at the sweater Al was wearing.
"Open up," Al told her and she let out a long sigh and then opened her mouth.
Ginny spooned in a bite. Moments later the shaking began and Ginny knew they were making progress. Nat's irrational cries, which weren't just a blood sugar problem but a result of the curse which had lingered in her for so many years, quieted and she was freezing now, which meant they were on the other side. Al kept his arms around her, rubbing at her back and whispering encouragement to her as Ginny kept spooning in the peanut butter.
Ginny absolutely hated peanut butter. She had no idea why so many Muggles liked it, but Audrey had prescribed it specifically since it had so much protein along with the carbs. It was something that would raise her blood sugar but not spike it.
It took them nearly half an hour until Nat was limp in Al's arms. Ginny checked her blood sugar again and let out a small breath when she saw it was, while not as green as she'd have liked, at least a solid teal.
"She can't be alone," Al noted when he saw the color.
"Nope," Ginny agreed as she turned to study her son.
He watched her for a minute and then said, almost defiantly, "I'm going to stay with her tonight, watch over her."
"Okay," Ginny said without any inflection and was secretly amused that her son looked surprised, like she didn't know or understand him.
Al stood, not even making it look awkward that he still had Nat in his arms, and headed for the stairs. He was such a big man, now, this little boy of hers, but he moved with care and grace when it came to the love of his life.
Nat would need to eat again when she woke up, so Ginny followed with beef jerky sticks, which they'd found to be the easiest for her when she'd had a bad episode.
She left the jerky with her son in Nat's room, him sitting on the floor with a book, and went to her own room to settle for a moment. She quietly closed the door, moved to the bed and sat, staring at the dresser in front of her.
The test for blood sugar ran along the lines of the rainbow. Purple was low, green was good, and red was high. Any kid after a birthday celebration and cake would be running red, but for Nat it was critical that she stay in the green to yellow range. Even orange was too much for her. With what she ate, and eating regularly, she shouldn't have been able to drop low, but sometimes with hugely stressful situations, it dropped.
This situation with the Muggles was too much stress for her and something had to change. Yes, Nat was powerful in her own way, but she had so many limitations and they hadn't been working within them. She'd given up making wands to work full time with Rick at the Ministry.
That clearly was too much and she'd need the day off the next day, maybe the day after. She needed to let Audrey know what happened.
Ginny lay back on the bed, her feet still dangling, and promptly fell asleep.
~*~
Al found the picture in the book somewhere around two in the morning. She'd put the picture in between the pages and he studied in now, amused to see it again. Way back when Nat had nagged James into drawing a picture of the four of them, Scorpius, Rose, Nat and Al, from left to right. She'd nailed how tall Scorpius was in comparison to Rose, but she'd made herself taller than she actually was, and he was pictured as slightly shorter than Scorpius, rather than several inches taller. Al had shot up, much to everyone's surprise, since his mother was short and his dad wasn't that tall.
His uncles ran in two varieties, tall and skinny, or not as tall but beefy. Al had thought he'd be the shorter and beefier kind, while James had gone to tall and solidly muscled from Quidditch. Instead, Al was taller than everyone, topping out at the same height and weight as Teddy.
Of course, Teddy being Teddy, he liked to take the Mickey with Al and every time they were next to each other, he'd make himself taller and wider. But they were the same size when Teddy wasn't messing about.
His mother had started an interrogation squad trying to figure out who had given them Skele-Gro.
He studied Nat more closely and thought she was a lot prettier now than she had pictured in this drawing. Of course, it could have just been James' hand not being good enough. He didn't know if his brother still drew anything, but he hadn't heard of him putting quill to parchment in a long time. He had a nearly two-year-old son and another on the way, and kids had a way of eating up time.
He was going to be twenty soon. They all were. Rose and Scorpius were both married, although only one had been planned, and here he was… hopelessly in love with Nat and absolutely no closer to doing anything about it.
He wanted to tell himself that twenty was young and he didn't need to be married right then. They had time. He should finish his training anyway… maybe if nothing happened before that, he'd just take the risk and tell her after his training was done. Maybe she didn't feel the same way he did but then at least he'd know.
Who was he kidding? He already knew she didn't have feelings for him. She'd tried to set him up on countless dates, although thankfully she hadn't done that in a long time, not since he asked her to stop.
But it would be good to know and even if she didn't feel the same about him, she'd be nothing but kind. He'd hate that, but they'd get over it. He still had another year and a half of training to go… maybe something would happen.
Nat let out a small groan and Al moved swiftly over to her, unwrapping the jerky before she'd even had a chance to open her eyes. "Eat," he told her and waited for her to open her mouth. She chewed and he propped her up to get her water, eventually just sitting behind her on the bed so he could lean her against his chest and keep feeding her.
"You shouldn't have to do this for me," she whispered into the dim light of the room.
"There's nowhere I'd rather be," he promised and couldn't resist the temptation to drop a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Just keep eating."
He checked her blood sugar again thirty minutes later and when it showed green, he let out a sigh of relief.
"I need to pee," she told him, her eyes barely open.
"Okay," he agreed and felt his cheeks pink. She'd have been mortified too if she'd been awake, but she was really out of it. He carried her in the bathroom and left her there, waiting for her to say she was done, and then she insisted she couldn't sleep in her work clothes and he fetched her pajamas for her, turning around so she could change. He carried her back to the bed and tucked her in.
"Don't leave me," she asked softly.
"I won't," he promised as he tucked her in. Then he made a pallet on the floor with some extra blankets and pillows and dowsed the lights, falling into a fitful sleep around three.