Disclaimer: Anything that rings a bell belongs to JK Rowling

Chapter 7: Touchdown

I pulled out the box and left it to the side. I did the same to the next two, laying it next to each other on stable ground. There was a layer of thick dust covering it like a blanket. The door opened behind me; I didn't bother turning. It was probably Mi.

"Molly is looking for you. You should be at dinner. "I turned to the deep male voice. It was Sirius Black. I turned back to the box and started unloading it.

"Let me rephrase that. It's dinner time. Go eat."

I sighed, "Serious isn't a good colour on you."

"How does Black look?"

I chuckled, "That ever work on any girls? Ever?"

"Nope, never."

"So, what was your standard pick up line?"

He smiled at me. I waited. He just continued smiling.

"Well, what was it?"

He pointed at his cheeks.

"Really?" I laughed at him.

"Worked every time." He bent down and picked up a bag, "You really shouldn't be working down here alone. This house is crawling with traps just waiting to be sprung on the unsuspecting."

"Lucky I'm the suspecting type. Anyway, it's a potion lab, mostly just ingredients down here."

"That's like saying, it's a venomous tentacular, and it won't bite. Most of these could be poisonous. Go upstairs, Ky."

"I know what's poisonous and what's not. Everything in these boxes are good to go, I just need to sort them out. I can't believe you grew up with a potions lab."

He shook his head, "All manors had one. I was never allowed in though. I never minded though. Potions not really my thing. But of course, since it was restricted, I always used to sneak down here." He sighed. From what Mi had told me, this was his house, but he was banished from the family at a young age so being back here must be complete torture for him.

"What was your thing?"

He smiled at me; it was amazing how much age the simple gesture took off him, "Nothing I could tell an impressionable young lady like you."

He pulled out another bag and wrinkled his nose at it; it smelled worse than Doxy venom. I pulled the bag from him and placed it in another box, "Sniff that too much and you might get high."

He chuckled, "Seems you're not as impressionable as I thought you were."

I smirked, "I prefer doing the impressing."

"Oh, I see that." He smirked to himself.

"Explain?"

"Nothing."

"I'll throw Glissan Powder in your hair…it won't grow back…." I sang ominously.

"Woah, not the locks, they're the money maker." He played backing away and started fiddling with another bag, deeming it worthy and tossing it into the box. "My godson." I looked up at him. Harry and I have barely spoken since the day I got here. Turns out there was very little beating up bad guys and a lot of cleaning cobwebs involved in helping the Order. Mrs Weasley had us elbow deep in dirt and grime most of the day that we were too exhausted to talk much.

"What about him?"

"That's who I see you're impressing." Ok…so this conversation was on a fast track to Awkwardsville. He turned his back to me and fiddled with another bag, "You don't have to say anything. And don't worry, it's not obvious. I'm just pay a lot of attention to Harry. I just want..." He turned around so I started fiddling in my box, "I just want you guys to play it safe." He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped.

What did he think was going on? Did Harry tell him something? Play it safe? What was that about?

Sirius tossed another bag in the box and made for the stairs; I didn't hear the door click close though. I turned around and he hovered on the top step, the meeting of our eyes seemed to egg him on, and he let out what he was thinking, "You're more impressionable than you think…remember that Ky. You may not be a little girl but you're not a woman either…don't rush it." And with those bizarre words, he was gone. There was only one thing this meant…Urgh Potter!

-x-x-x-

"Finally! I'm starving."

"I've told you like a gajillion times Mi, don't wait for me to eat." I took my seat next to her and kicked Ron under the table as a greeting. Harry smiled at me, and I glared back at him. He looked confused. Like hell he's confused. Ron grabbed my leg and pulled; I nearly fell off the seat.

"Will you two stop that and eat." I looked up at Nessie, as she loaded my plate with potatoes. I eyed them sceptically.

Even though I was prevented from following Nessie on the day of our arrival, she hadn't been stranded alone. Nonno had been waiting for her outside, perhaps predicting what happened, would happen. Nessie and he had a quiet conversation in the other room. He had comforted her and told her that he wouldn't turn down her help, but it was a dangerous job and there would be lots of precautionary rules. For one thing she wasn't allowed to leave the house, and if she did it had to be with a fully qualified witch or wizard. She informed him that her dad was very influential, and she had good contacts in the muggle world and that may serve the Order with intel, and if there were opportunities where the Order wished to protect muggle society against Voldemort, she could be of use.

Daily she helped whenever and wherever she could. Cooking and cleaning during the day, under the supervision of Mrs Weasley of course. She was limited in what she could help with seeing as the house was magical, so it was hard for a muggle to work the kitchen.

"Did you make this?" I glanced at the chicken, wasn't Sunday roast aiming a little too high a little too early for a woman who barely knew how to boil water just last week.

Nessie sat down next to me, and Tonks poked her violet streaked head from her other side, "It's really good, Ky."

Like I was going to take her word for it. Nessie and Tonks formed an unusual friendship, and I'm sure I would say the same if Mi had tried her best but served up undercooked meat for dinner.

I ate a bit, and I was surprised that it didn't taste bad, a little dry but very good for a first attempt.

"It's edible."

"It's better than edible, it's delicious." I rolled my eyes at Ron. Nessie could have served him hot water and called it soup and he would have lapped it up greedily. A combination for a love of food and his love for pretty ladies probably had him salivating so much he couldn't even feel the dryness in the chicken.

"It is good, Agnes!" Mi chimed.

"Well, I had help from Molly…I can't cook without a stove, but the marinade was all me."

"Well certain things need to be done with the hands, which is where the flavour is found, not in the wand." I looked up at the familiar voice and leaped out of my seat.

"Minnie!" I hugged her tightly.

Every day I would look up as an Order member stopped by, hoping it was one of them. My family.

Linus visited once but just for a moment, to relay a message to Sirius. He completely ignored Nessie's existence and looked at me, noted that I was well and rushed back out. Other than that, none of my family visited. Not Nonno, not Len, Not Sev, Not Minnie.

Minnie observed me from head to toe, "You've gotten…taller." She tutted to herself. "We'll have to take you shopping." I laughed. Minnie and her sly manoeuvres. I didn't get that much taller, but my clothes were getting considerably tighter in certain areas.

"Where have you been?" Apparently my arrival last week missed her by a day.

"Like I'll tell you. We have a lot to talk about Lassie." Oh, it seems she has recovered from our little reunion. She didn't bother taking me aside and started letting me have it right there in the kitchen. I smiled through the whole tirade; I did miss her. She finished off with something about 'more reckless than Potter and Weasley and flying car.' She never said anything about disappointed though and thank Helga for that, I don't think I could take more of that. I led her to the table and sat her down. Somethings never changed.

I returned to my seat, and my smile faltered.

My heart started beating fast and my palms felt sweaty. I was feeling dizzy, the faces around me fading in and out.

"Ky?" I registered the mane of bushy brown coming in and out of focus. Something was not right. I grasped the tablecloth, breathing heavily. Something wet fell on my lap and warmth spread down my legs. My head felt heavy.

"Li…Linus…." I heard a chair move next to me as I felt my head drop forward.

Someone was holding me up, a warm hand rested around my waist. I heard hurried footsteps around me, giving up the fight to keep my head up, I let it drop backwards onto something warm. Something warm which thudded a familiar rhythm. I then heard a scream,

"LINUS!"

I sprang away from the body and looked around. That was Nessie. Everyone fled into the entrance hall. I rushed passed and saw the most horrific scene.

Linus was kneeling at the doorway, breathing heavily, blood soaking through his white shirt. A drop of sweat made its way down his jaw line and his breath came out as rasps.

I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think.

All I could see was blinding red.

It's as if my whole body had shut down.

It restarted in an instant as he made a choking sound and fell forward.

I dropped to my knees, supporting him. Nessie was already at work, dabbing at his wound with Wound Cleaning Potion. It was a deep cut across his left shoulder coming down across his pecs. There was also a very glazed look in his eyes, and I remembered how I was feeling a few moments before.

I touched his head lightly, I moved my hands as gently as I could through the scalp and then I had found it… blood.

He had a head injury.

I dug my hand in to the Potion Aid Kit and jumbled through it, simultaneously keeping one eye on Linus. I saw his face droop forward and I slapped him hard, he jerked up. I finally found the Wide eye potion and shoved it down his throat.

Mrs Weasley handed Nessie Blood Replenishing Potion and I was just about to knock it out of her hand before she made him drink it, but Nessie handed it back to Mrs Weasley.

"Ky just gave him a Wide Eye potion, it reacts with the Blood Replenishing potion. We have to wait a few minutes for the Wide Eye to leave his system."

She said all this whilst dabbing what smelt like Essence of dittany and burn healing paste to try to seal off the wound. She clearly had been reading on magical first aid.

Blood was still spilling forth though, and he lost what little colour he had. His lips where progressing towards blue quickly…

Nessie pushed the cloth into my hand, and I continued dabbling at his wound. She was back in seconds, a long steel contraption with a bag of blood hanging from it. She lifted his forearm and felt around for a vein, finding it she performed all the necessary procedures to carry out a blood transfusion.

I applied some of the Essence of dittany to the head wound. I heard a familiar voice telling people to move aside and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Madam Pomfrey. She looked at the blood transfusion contraption and Nessie filled her in,

"He has lost a lot of blood, but we couldn't give him the replenishing potion because we gave him the wide eye potion because we didn't want him unconscious because he has a head wound." She said all this as someone levitated Linus onto a stretcher, rushing alongside Madam Pomfrey.

They reached a doorway and the matron turned around, "You did good miss. Now please, I need to work." And she shut the door in Nessie's face.

Nessie turned and looked at me, her eyes out of focus. "I'll send word to Lenzo and the Professor." And she shot up the staircase.

A wave of awareness hit me; the adrenaline stopped staving it off. I realised the corridor had emptied save for one other person, who placed his hand into my bloodied one.

I turned to Harry and he pulled my face to his chest, the familiar thud calming me down. The warmth blanketing my cold face and the shed tears soaking up in his shirt. I felt his hands gently brush through my hair. Each stroke hypnotising me, my breathing slowed to normal, along with my heart rate. I closed my eyes, but I could still see…his face pale… purple lips… and scarlet.

Scarlet everywhere.

Linus always felt indestructible to me, like some sort of superhero. I've never seen him like that, so hurt…so broken.

I unclenched my fists from Harry's shirt, blood stains all down the front now. I looked up at him, not knowing what to say. I was not this afraid even when Blishwick attacked me…this was Linus. Linus who was always one step ahead of everyone. Linus who picked up spells and curses the way other people observed the colour of clothing.

I continued to stare into his shiny emerald, and he stared right back; there was this unreadable expression on his face. I wonder what he was seeing in me. He wasn't smiling but his expression wasn't one of sadness.

"Ky, Harry, you're a mess, why don't you go up and change. I'll tell you if anything happens. I'll call you down once Madam Pomfrey updates us. Go." Neither of us turned to her when Mi spoke.

Without looking away I responded, "OK."

I only broke the stare when I walked past him.

I didn't look back to see if he followed, the loss of contact made my heartbeat quicken. My thoughts raged; I may not have been that afraid when Blishwick attacked me…but I did feel that way once before…

I thought back to June and the premonition I had, the gripping horror that froze me to the bone at what I saw. The terror as I ran to them…as I ran to him.

I had blocked out these thoughts for a month. I had closed off my heart and my head to them. I distracted myself with everything and anything this summer…just to not to think about it…to never go back there.

I ensured I never dreamed by tiring myself out completely. My days started at 6am and didn't end till 2am, too exhausted to function…to remember.

Yet this one feeling brought it all back.

I stopped outside his room, my hands trembling, my heart racing, and my breath coming out in gasps.

Everything just raged inside my head… grey eyes…cold empty grey eyes…I felt a warm hand on my own…the trembling stopped.

I turned around quickly and saw them.

Green eyes…alive with colour, with life and intensity…

And then the raging stopped.

Vanished.

Silence.

Calmness.

I pulled hard on the hand that was wrapped around my own and his body jerked to me, and I leaped forward.

Our lips crashed into each other, lapping at every fibre hungrily, but also gently, anchoring us together.

Tickling sensations like foam erupted all over my body, though they didn't make me laugh. It didn't even make me smile.

It made me hungrier, greedy for all these sensations…the feeling of his slender fingers tracing its way up my arm. His natural scent that filtered through my nose and made every receptor on my body stand to command. The taste of his soft lips that I was getting drunk off. The sweet sound of his beating heart and the sight…the sight of the emerald storm that raged between us as green met grey and stood their ground, not daring to move away yet at the same time surrendering.

My heart was beating faster than ever, and my breath…what breath?

Harry had taken it away….

A/N: AND TOUCHDOWN! I hope that was worth the wait! What do you think of their first kiss?

Kalina