Author's Note: TW/ CW: references to underage drinking, alcohol use, hangovers, sexual innuendos, anxiety
Thanks for being so patient while waiting for this chapter! I appreciate all of the comments and people who've reached out! I hope you know how truly valued you are. I'm so glad you exist. You are loved!
Previous Chapter Summary: Harry has a session with Remus. They talk about his depression. Harry's birthday arrives. It's been a year.
Chapter summary: Marlene, Dorcas, Sirius, and Remus enjoy being around each other. Marlene receives an interesting proposition from Albus.
After Harry went to bed, Marlene, Dorcas, Sirius, and Remus stayed up later (and opened another bottle or two).
Around 11, there was a knock at the door and everyone froze.
"Who is that?" Marlene whispered.
"It's Albus," a voice said from the other side of the door.
"Quick! Hide the alcohol!" Marlene whispered (it didn't come out like a whisper).
Sirius frantically popped into Padfoot and skidded into the kitchen.
"Hide! Hide!" Dorcas said, trying to go on the side of the couch.
Marlene went into the kitchen, hissing at Sirius and telling him to stop hiding.
There was another knock and Remus turned back to the group. "Help me!" He said.
Marlene pulled the now-Sirius out by the ear and with a look at Dorcas they were all at the door.
Remus took a deep breath and opened the door with his friends gathered around him, hiding the scene.
"Professor, it's late. Is everything okay?" Remus asked as calmly as he could.
Albus bit back a chuckle at seeing his four former students all around the door (clearly intoxicated).
"Just an old man who couldn't sleep. I was wondering if I may talk to Ms. McKinnon tomorrow."
"Me?" Marlene asked, hiccuping. "Whatever it is, Sirius did it."
Albus wasn't able to hold back a chuckle this time. "I assure you, Mr. Black did nothing wrong, and neither did you."
Marlene looked relieved as if she was avoiding detention.
"I simply want to talk with you about an idea I had. Can we meet tomorrow? Perhaps after lunch?"
Marlene nodded. "Sure, Professor."
"Splendid," Dumbledore smiled, clapping his hands together.
"Anything else, Professor?" Remus asked.
"May I step in for a moment?" Albus asked.
All four spoke up and tried to stop him, but Albus Dumbledore does what Albus Dumbledore wants.
All four were once again frozen until Albus laughed. They all looked at each other and then back at Albus who said, "I'll make sure you all have some hangover potions for tomorrow."
"We're not getting detention?" Marlene asked hopefully.
"Would you like it?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow.
All four frantically shook their heads.
"If I recall, you are all adults and graduated well over a decade ago."
"Oh, yeah," Dorcas said, smiling.
"Enjoy," Albus said warmly and with a smile, he left the four to laugh at their states.
After they all had a good laugh, Marlene said, "Oh, we're knackered, aren't we?"
Remus nodded and rubbed his face. "I think we are."
"Do you have any idea what Dumbledore wants to talk to me about?" Marlene asked Remus and Sirius.
They both shook their heads and Dorcas slipped her hand into Marlene's. "I'm sure it's nothing bad, Love."
"It's not detention so I'd say you're good," Sirius once again pointed out.
Remus, despite being intoxicated, still wanted to comfort Marlene. "I'm sure it's nothing serious, Marls. Do you want me to talk to him?"
Dorcas giggled at the thought of Remus talking to Dumbledore right now.
Marlene shook her head (thankfully, for Remus' sake). "I'll see him tomorrow. That does, however, mean that we should get to bed and sober up."
Sirius sighed and dramatically flung his arm over his forehead. "Who are you and what have you done with Marlene McKinnon."
"Come off it, prat," she said, lightly slapping him on the arm. "I'd say we have had enough, anyway."
"No, you're right," Sirius agreed. He waved his wand and the alcohol and glasses were cleaned and put away.
"Do you need anything before we go to bed?" Remus asked his guests.
Marlene and Dorcas looked at each other and shook their heads. "We know where everything is if we need anything. We've got water and we know where the hangover potions are," Dorcas said, winking.
"Sweet dreams, ladies," Sirius said, winking.
"Goodnight, Sirius," Marlene and Dorcas said, rolling their eyes.
"Come on, Siri," Remus said, shaking his head at his husband's flirting.
More seriously, Remus and Sirius hugged Dorcas and Marlene goodnight. Once Remus and Sirius were in their bedroom when Remus pulled Sirius close to him. "I believe we have a birthday ritual, Mr. Black."
Sirius blushed and looked up at Remus. "I suppose we do."
Remus smirked and locked the door. This would be fun
Harry slept well that night and when he woke up, none of the adults were awake yet. Harry chuckled to himself and climbed back in his bed and fell back asleep. He was glad they could still have fun together.
When Harry awoke for the second time, he smelled bacon. Harry smiled and got out of bed, pulling a blanket off to wrap around him. He padded out of his room and saw Remus and Dorcas out of bed, both making breakfast.
"Good morning," Harry said, smiling.
"Morning, Love," Remus said.
"Did you have fun last night?" Harry asked knowingly.
"Yes, we did," Remus smiled, winking at Harry.
"And did you take a hangover potion?" Harry teased.
Dorcas gasped and looked at Remus. "You corrupted our Kit!"
Remus laughed and went over to ruffle Harry's hair. "You're cheeky, y'know that?"
Harry stuck his tongue out at him and then got himself a glass of orange juice. "Are Dadfoot and Auntie Mar still sleeping?"
"Of course they are. They've both got the potion in their systems so that's something," Dorcas said as she buttered a piece of toast.
"Did they sleep this long in school?" Harry asked, despite knowing the answer.
"Even longer. I'm not sure who got more detentions from sleeping late: Marlene or Sirius," Dorcas said.
"Probably Marlene. Sirius has her on pranks."
Dorcas snorted. "Sirius has all of us on pranks."
"True," Remus conceded.
"Can I have some bacon, Moony Da?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Of course," Remus said, bringing some over to his soon. "Enjoy, my sixteen-year-old."
Harry rolled his eyes but smiled. "Thanks, Moony Da."
Harry happily ate his breakfast with Dorcas and Remus. All three were finished by the time Sirius came out of his bedroom. At that point, after a quick greeting, Harry escaped back to his bedroom, not needing to hear all of the details about last night.
Marlene woke up later on and had brunch with the other adults before she and Dorcas retreated back to their bedroom.
"I'm meeting Dumbledore soon," Marlene said, a bit nervous.
"I don't know what it could be about," Dorcas replied honestly.
"Me either. I'm not in trouble, but Albus always seems to have something up his sleeve," Marlene commented.
"I'm here for anything you need," Dorcas reminded her wife, cradling her cheek with her hand.
"Thank you, Love," Marlene said, leaning in and kissing Dorcas' cheek.
Marlene showered and got dressed before Dorcas wished her off and Marlene headed to the headmaster's office, feeling a bit like a teenager.
"Come in," Dumbledore came from the other side of the door.
The staircase had granted Marlene access without a password and Albus clearly knew that she was coming.
"Ms. McKinnon, thank you for meeting me."
"You can call me Marlene, Professor," Marlene said, sitting down in the seat Albus gestured to.
"Please, call me Albus."
"I'll try, Profe- er, Albus," Marlene said, blushing.
Albus gave her a warm smile. He sat down at his desk and folded his hands. "I wanted to ask you about how your auror job is going."
Marlene shifted uncomfortably. "It's alright. I know you're aware that I'm on light duty at the moment."
"Yes. I know you've had a lot going on," Albus commented.
"Yes. It was better for my mental health. And I could help keep an eye on Harry." Marlene became more confident after mentioning her nephew. "I still have some missions, but nothing wild. It's okay."
"Well, I have a mission I'd like to propose to you."
"Is Robards aware of this? Kingsley?"
"Yes, I've informed them," Albus nodded.
"Okay," Marlene said slowly. "What mission are you thinking about? How long would it take?"
"About 10 months," Dumbledore said.
"Th-that's a long time. I don't think I can be away from Dorcas that long," Marlene replied honestly.
"She'll be with you."
"Wait, what?" Marlene said, now thoroughly confused. Darn Dumbledore and his eloquent way of speaking. "Albus, can you just get to the point? What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Marlene blinked.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Albus smiled at her and repeated himself. "I want you to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."
Marlene let out a nervous laugh and stood up. "Professor, Albus. Have you really thought this through? You want me, Marlene McKinnon, to teach DADA?"
Albus nodded, his eyes twinkling.
"Y-you do remember everything I did when I went here? And everything that happened after? And, uh, it's me."
Albus nodded. "I may be old, Marlene, but I do remember you quite well."
"I don't know if I'm the right person for this. I-I've never been a rule follower and uh, I've got some baggage."
Albus nodded. "I know parts of your past, Marlene. I know exactly who I am hiring. You are who I want."
"Albus, I don't think I'm right for this," Marlene said again.
"Marlene, you are right for this. You know about defending against the dark arts. You know this castle. You connect with students. Most importantly, you'll be there for Harry."
"You're pulling that card, aren't you," Marlene said, crossing her arms.
"Harry is going to have a difficult year. He needs all the support he can get. He needs you."
Marlene huffed.
"And you need him."
"I can't just do this for Harry. He'd hate that," Marlene admitted.
"I do believe you'll enjoy it. Remus and Sirius are right there to help you, as are the rest of the staff."
Marlene sighed.
"And you can take points from Slytherin," Albus said quietly.
That put a smile on Marlene's face. "I've always wanted to do that."
Albus shook his head.
"Let me talk to Dorcas about it, is that okay? Can I get back to you later? Maybe tomorrow?"
"Certainly. May I suggest talking to Remus about it as well?"
"Did you talk to him about it?" Marlene gasped, feeling anger build in her.
"No. They do not know about this," Albus replied.
Marlene let out a sigh of relief.
"I find Healer Lupin does a nice job of exploring dilemmas and gives great perspective."
Marlene took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. He does. I will probably talk to him about it. Is there anything else you wanted to say?" Marlene asked politely.
"No. That about sums it up. I do hope you'll accept."
Marlene gave Albus a small smile. "I will certainly think about it."
Albus walked her to the door and bid her farewell. Marlene walked down the staircase and held herself together as she hurried through the halls. She could feel herself panicking and didn't want to do it out in the open, even if there weren't many people in the castle.
When Marlene returned, Remus, Dorcas, and Sirius were all talking in the sitting room.
"Hi, Love. How was-" Dorcas began before seeing Marlene's face. "What happened?" She asked, standing up.
Marlene walked over to her wife and hugged her.
"Do you want us to leave?" Remus offered, grabbing a hold of Sirius' shirt, ready to drag him out of the room.
Marlene released her and shook her head. "No, I want to talk to you two as well. It involves you, sort of."
Marlene bit her lip and looked at Harry's door.
"We'll set up a silencing charm and send him to Minerva if necessary. What can we do for you?" Remus asked.
Marlene sat criss-cross on the floor and Dorcas wrapped herself around her.
Remus put up a silencing charm and he and Sirius got comfortable on the couch again.
"So Dumbledore called me into his office and asked me about work," Marlene began.
Remus and Sirius nodded and Dorcas ran her arms up and down Marlene's arms.
Marlene never had anxiety in school, but after some traumatic events, she developed it as an adult. Remus has been amazing at helping her through it.
"I told him about what was going on at work, but I knew that he already knew. Anyway, he said he had a mission for me."
"He's a headmaster. Was it like a mission for the Order?" Sirius asked.
"He wants me to teach Defense next year," Marlene said.
Sirius barked out a laugh but sobered up when he realized Marlene wasn't joking. "Wait, he asked you to teach?" He repeated.
Marlene nodded. "I told him that I'm not the right person but he says I am. It was a lot to take in and I said I would give him an answer tomorrow."
"How are you feeling about it?" Remus asked, clearly able to tell how overwhelmed Marlene was.
"I-I don't know. I mean I never in a million years would've thought I would've been a professor. It doesn't seem like me. However, I would be near Harry and I could be with Dorcas and near you both. It sounds nice."
Marlene let out a breath and then turned her head to look at Dorcas. "What do you think? I wouldn't do anything you're uncomfortable with."
Dorcas gave Marlene a reassuring smile. "I will support you in whatever you choose."
"But what do you want?" Marlene asked.
"I know I'd be happy at Hogwarts and I'm happy where we are now. I can do art anywhere. You are my home."
Marlene gave Dorcas a weak smile and allowed her wife to reassure her.
"What do you boys think?" Marlene asked.
"I think you should do what makes you happy," Sirius said earnestly.
Marlene scoffed. "That does not sound like Sirius Black."
"No, I mean it! If I've learned anything from the last twenty years it's that trying to make a decision for someone you love doesn't go well."
Thoughts of convincing James and Lily to change their secret keeper, trying to have Regulus see the error of his ways, and a nasty argument with Remus about helping the werewolves from many, many years ago flashed through his mind.
Remus saw the haunted look in Sirius' eyes and reached over and held his hand, giving it a squeeze.
Sirius blinked and turned to Remus and gave him a smile.
"Truly, Marls, I just want you to be happy."
Marlene smiled and nodded and turned to Remus. "Well, what about you? Professor mentioned you by name, Healer Lupin."
Remus chuckled and said, "I can't make the decision for you and as Sirius said, I just want you to be happy. I do want to ask, what worries you about teaching next year? I can see that it's an overwhelming idea and I want to talk about why that is."
"What isn't overwhelming?! I would be in charge of hundreds of students! I could mess them up! They might not learn anything!"
"Marls, they haven't exactly had good professors in the past. The best they had was when Remus had classes in Harry's third year. He was great but couldn't do both jobs and only had classes three days a week. All the other staff pitched in to help cover classes when he needed to be gone. Marlene, as long as you don't try to kill a student, specifically, Harry, you're doing better than most of them," Sirius said.
Marlene sighed. "I want to be here for Harry, but I also want to have other reasons. Harry would resent me if I only came for him," Marlene pointed out.
Remus and Sirius wanted to argue, but they knew it was true. "Do you think you'd like to be at Hogwarts?" Remus asked.
"Of course! I'd love to be here. This is a great way to be around you all and I get to spend more time with Dorcas."
"What about Defense? Do you not want to teach that class?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, I'd love it! I mean, we both went into the Auror academy together, Siri. This way I can share my knowledge with others and stay safer than on other missions."
"Marlene," Dorcas began softly. "I think you'd really enjoy teaching. If that's what's holding you back, I want to encourage you to take the leap."
"I really don't want to mess them up," Marlene said.
"Marlene, you have been in Harry's life since he was a wee thing," Remus said. "He has had so much trauma in his life and you've helped him more than you know. If you can work wonders with a traumatized boy, imagine what you can do with teens who don't have that level of trauma."
"But trauma's my specialty," Marlene joked, winking.
Sirius chuckled and Remus rolled his eyes at her attempt to use humor to cover up her insecurities.
"Trust me, there's more than enough trauma at Hogwarts to go around," Remus said dryly.
All of the adults knew that was true. They were born in one war and becoming adults in another. No one said it was going to be easy.
"Why don't you try a lesson on Harry today? If you like teaching you'll find out with that lesson."
"Now I know Harry is fantastic at defense. That wouldn't be a very good lesson."
"Not if you teach him something a sixth-year would learn. If you do something from the end of your first year at the Auror Academy or beginning of the second year, it would be a moderately challenging lesson for him. It might not be what you're teaching in classes, but if you can teach that high of a level, you can do the rest of the students," Sirius said.
"I guess you're right," Marlene sighed again and Dorcas gave her arms a squeeze.
"Dorcas, are you sure you're open to this?" Marlene asked quietly.
"Yes, I am," Dorcas assured her.
Harry came out of his bedroom now. "Moony Da? Dadfoot? Is everything okay?"
Marlene wasn't ready to be seen so she wiped her face and turned her head away from Harry.
Remus quickly got up and went over to his son as Sirius canceled the silencing charm.
"Everything's okay, Cub, really. Auntie Marlene and Aunt Dorcas just have something they want to talk about. How about you, Dadfoot, and myself all go for a walk around the grounds, hmm? We haven't done that in a while."
Harry wanted to protest as he could tell that something was off, but a look from Remus silenced him.
"Okay, Moony Da. Sure," Harry agreed.
Remus, Sirius, and Harry all left the Marauder Quarters and after a safe distance, Harry turned to his parents. "So? What's going on?"
"I promise that you'll find out, but we need to let your aunts make a decision first."
Harry sighed, but understood. "Okay, fair."
The three of them walked in silence until they got outside.
It was a lovely day and Harry took a deep breath when he was outside, grateful for some fresh air.
"I know why I've had to stay inside more, but it's really nice to get outside."
"I'm sorry, Cub. We can try to get outside with you more. There's only a bit more time until term starts, too," Remus pointed out.
"Yeah," Harry said, sounding disinterested.
Remus' eyebrows furrowed and made a mental note to talk to him about it later.
"Do you remember taking walks around the grounds with us when you were younger?" Sirius asked.
Harry brightened up a bit. "Yeah, it was fun."
"When you were quite young you were carried back several times," Sirius chuckled.
"I remember you being the grim and scaring people when I was younger. We wouldn't tell Moony Da," Harry chuckled.
"Harry!" Sirius cried, getting a glare from Remus.
Harry laughed and looked forward. The grounds were so quiet in the summer and it was nice to walk.
After a lap, Remus went back inside and Sirius and Harry went for a short flight before returning to the Marauder Quarters.
Sirius and Harry found Marlene looking much more confident and composed when they got back.
"What's up?" Harry asked, knowing that something was going on.
"Take a shower, Harry. You and I are going to have a lesson," Marlene said, smiling.
Harry was used to spontaneity when dealing with the Marauders. "Okay," he shrugged as he went to the bathroom.
Marlene and Harry walked to the room they usually train in. Marlene's been here a few times with Harry, but never while thinking about becoming a professor.
"Your dad told me that you've started to talk about wandless magic," Marlene said as they walked.
Harry sighed. "We've just started. I've done a ton of reading and Moony Da even had me write an essay on it," Harry grumbled.
Marlene shook her head. "He is a stickler for essays."
"I don't mind it when it helps. And it did help, but I haven't been able to cast anything wordlessly yet."
"I was hoping we could have a lesson just the two of us. I have some tips I'd love to help you with."
"Really?" Harry asked, perking up. "Yeah, that'd be great!"
"Brilliant! I first wanted to tell you about something I heard in the Auror Academy."
Marlene went on to explain how the wand is an extension of magic and that the magic is inside of the witch or wizard already. She explained how wandless magic works and demonstrated a few simple spells before encouraging Harry to try it.
Within the end of an hour, Harry was able to not only begin casting spells wandlessly, but he was able to disarm her (barely, she wasn't really holding onto her wand, it was laying in her hand, but it was a solid start).
"Oh! Auntie Marlene! I did it! I did it!" Harry cried, jumping up and down.
Harry ran toward his aunt and enveloped her ina. Hug. "I did it! Thank you so much, Auntie Marls! You're the best!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Marlene scoffed.
"No, I mean it! If you were our defense professor we'd actually be learning some things!" Harry shook his head at the incompetence that surrounded him. "But seriously, Aunt Marlene, thank you. Merlin, Moony Da and Dadfoot are going to be so proud!"
Marlene grinned at him. "Happy to help, Cub. Who knows, maybe your professor will be competent this year?"
"I bet they won't be as good as you," Harry grumbled.
"I'd be a lousy professor," Marlene shook her head.
"No, you'd be brilliant! You can teach us things, you're cool, and you're not trying to actively kill us! It's something we've never had!"
"Moony was a good professor," Marlene pointed out.
"Yeah, but he's not cool," Harry said quietly.
Marlene laughed. "The cardigans don't do it for you?"
Harry shook his head as they started to leave the room. "I love my Moony Da and he's many things, but cool isn't one of them."
"Fair enough," Marlene chuckled.
"Can I tell my dads when we get back? They're going to be so proud of me," Harry said, looking up at Marlene.
"Of course! I won't take that from you," Marlene said.
Harry grinned. He wasn't excited that often anymore, but he was certainly excited about this.
Harry came bounding through the door and Sirius immediately perked up, sensing Harry's energy.
"Moony Da! Dadfoot! Guess what I did?" Harry asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"What?" Remus asked, smiling.
"I disarmed Auntie Marls! Wandlessly! I mean, she wasn't really holding onto her wand, it was just in her hand, but I did it!"
"Marls, did he really?" Sirius asked, surprised.
"He did. I am so proud of him."
"Pup! That's incredible!" Sirius said, going over to his son and picking him up, and spinning him around.
"Dad!" Harry cried, blushing. Sirius hadn't done that in ages and Harry felt that he was much too old for it.
"MY SON CAN DO WANDLESS MAGIC!" Sirius cried as he himself spun in a circle after setting Harry down.
Harry rolled his eyes and looked at Remus. "Moony Da, can you help me here?"
Remus chuckled and went over to Harry. He bent down and put his hands on his arms. "Harry, I am so proud of you. I know you've been working hard. This is a huge feat. Nice work, Cub."
"Thank you, Moony Da," Harry replied genuinely. "Now, can you please take care of Dadfoot before he breaks something?"
Remus chuckled. He stood up and went to Sirius and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, Love, take a breath."
"I'm just so proud of him, Moony! Our son!"
Remus smiled and turned to Harry. "I think your dadfoot needs a minute. You might want to take a walk."
Harry shook his head. "Fair enough. I'm off to see Draco. See you all later."
Harry shook his head again, but smiled as he left the quarters. His godfather could be overly dramatic at times, but it felt normal and it was so nice to have something feel normal again.
Harry found Draco in the lab and brewed a potion with his friend before making his way back to the Marauder Quarters where Sirius was making dinner.
"Hey, Moony Da," Harry said as he entered. "Where's Auntie Marls and Auntie Dorcas?"
"They're in their bedroom, talking."
"Is it that secret thing again?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes.
Remus smiled. "Yes, Harry. I promise you'll find out soon."
Harry sighed but nodded. He hated not being told information, but he also knew that (for once) this wasn't a situation where the information being held from him was about him. He could handle secrets that weren't about him (especially if he was going to find it out, anyway).
Harry, Sirius, and Remus had dinner with Marlene and Dorcas shortly after. It was an early night for all of them. Harry was wondering why Marlene and Dorcas were spending another night with them (not that he was complaining). He knew that there was a good reason and couldn't wait to find out what was going on.
The next day, Marlene brought Dorcas to Dumbledore's office where the headmaster was waiting.
"Ms. McKinnon. Ms. Meadowes. It's nice to see you both."
"Good morning, Professor," Dorcas said.
"Albus, please."
"And you know you can call us Dorcas and Marlene," Dorcas said smiling as she and Marlene sat down in the chairs in front of Albus' desk.
"Very well, Dorcas," Albus said, his eyes twinkling.
"Now, Marlene, how are you feeling about the proposal?"
Marlene looked at Dorcas who gave her a reassuring smile and nodded, squeezing her hand.
"I accept the position," Marlene said.
"Splendid!" Albus said, clapping his hands together. "You will be wonderful! What convinced you?"
"I talked to Dorcas, Remus, and Sirius. I also taught a lesson to Harry and I really enjoyed it. I never thought I would like teaching and here we are."
"It's quite a good feeling, isn't it? Spreading knowledge to another."
"It was wonderful, yes. I don't know how I'll be with everyone else, but Harry I can do."
"And Mr. Potter is quite advanced," Dumbledore pointed out.
"That's what Remus reminded me," Marlene said. "He said that if I can do him, I can do everyone else."
"I agree. Now, there's much to discuss regarding the position. Before we do, I wanted to offer something to you, Dorcas."
"Me?" Dorcas asked, confused.
"Yes," Albus smiled. "I was wondering if you wanted to do some art therapy here? And some art classes for students? I know how much you enjoy it and I wouldn't want you to be away from something you're so talented at."
Dorcas looked at Marlene who was giving her an encouraging smile.
"Th-that sounds amazing, professor! A-are you sure?"
"Absolutely. And I know Remus would be on board as well. I know you have your qualifications for art therapy, correct?"
Dorcas nodded. She didn't have to go to Healer school as Remus did for her particular qualification, but she is certified in art therapy (for both muggles and witches and wizards).
"I think this will work out quite well," Albus said as he leaned forward with twinkling eyes.
There has been quite a bit of destruction in the lives of his former students, but having Remus, Sirius, Marlene, and Dorcas together again felt like a flower bud after a particularly harsh winter. It felt like hope.
Alternatives to Harming Yourself:
1. Talk to someone you care about and/or trust
2. Exercise
3. Get outside and get some fresh air
4. Have a warm beverage
5. Write something down
6. Go to therapy/ contact your therapist
7. Be with your pet or another animal
8. Take a nap
9. Play or fiddle with a fidget
10. Do something artistic (draw, paint, use clay, play-doh, fingerpaint, etc)
11. Play a game
12. Bake or cook something you like to eat
13. Mindfulness, breathing exercises, meditation (variety of strategies including naming something of each color of the rainbow, 5, 4, 3, 2,1 with your senses, box breathing, rainbow breathing, 5 finger breathing, etc)
14. Listen to music
15. Ice cubes (hold them, put them where you want to harm yourself)
16. Puzzles (jigsaw, Sudoku)
Suicide Hotlines:
USA: 988 (press 1 for veterans)
Canada: 1 (833) 456 4566
France: 0145394000
Italy: 800860022
UK: 0800 689 5652 OR 116 123
Brazil: 188
India: 9999 666 555
Mexico: 5255102550
Romania: 0800 801 200