Value what you have

While Hippolyta dressed in her uniform in bed, Sev went out to pretend that he was keeping an eye on Anthony and Jack while Tracking them. Booahh… Jack is still asleep in the Rave house, we're going to have to go rescue him. Anthony is walking through the meadow, he must be with Heather, today was the day he was going to give her their first kiss, outdoors, under the new moon, as is most auspicious. How good, two couples who have their first kiss today, Heather and Anthony, and Hippolyta and I, our little pecks. How exciting.

Hippolyta left and Sev also dressed, while he strategized. At a quarter past twelve he went down to the Common Room. Of the family, only Hippolyta, Deborah, Paul, Andrew and Fiona were waiting. They headed to the Great Hall.

"Ugh... how diminished we are..." Sev lamented.

"I think that whoever is not sleeping has had breakfast too late and is not hungry," said Deborah, who walked alongside him.

"True. Well today we have a serious emergency. Luckily you never fail, Deborah."

Sev took Hippolyta's hand and they let the other three go ahead.

"There's a reason I'm your second, Prince."

"I will refrain from giving you a good scolding, because even this morning you have been working, in the clearing teaching Occlumency to Maida, right?"

"Indeed, that's how it is. Matter settled, one hundred percent for two hours. Have you Tracked me?"

"Yes, I Tracked everyone when I woke up, I found out a lot of interesting things," he answered.

"I also Tracked you when you left yesterday and I knew you were in the Astronomy Tower. You gave Hippolyta a good upset."

"First she gave it to me, we are on an equal footing."

"Yes, she already explained it to me," she said.

"Well, as I was going, let's see if we can solve it before we get to the Great Hall and have lunch in peace. Don't lose your nerve, huh? Today more than ever I need cold blood."

"Okay, Prince. I'm also learning."

"You realized about the problem that Maida represented but none of us realized about the one that Hippolyta represents."

"What a problem?"

"Her father works in Diagon, she usually goes to visit him often during the summer and you can imagine who she usually passes in the alley spending her good money," Sev explained.

"No!"

"Shhh... don't lose your nerve, Deborah. Cold blood. After training I'll take her to the clearing, even though we're late for dinner. She's going to learn Occlumency in three days like my name is Prince, like I can't do anything else in the rest of the term."

"Take her to the beech first to pass on Paul's talent," she suggested.

"Depending on how she is doing today."

"Sure."

"Second step," he continued. "Her parents. She has already told them about me in her letter, as we told her. For the moment she is going to write them after lunch so that the letter arrives tonight and that neither of them moves at all in the alley until we talk to them, preferably on Wednesday, and not Thursday as we originally thought."

"She's going to alarm them."

"No more than they already must be. They're not stupid, they also know Lestrange, her father usually stays safe when he crosses her, and she never enters his store."

"Okay."

"Third step," Sev went on. "We have to teach them Occlumency too. We'll take a Pensieve directly to their house, the one I have at my Fidelius, on Wednesday if possible. And Jack has to take care of teaching them, he is the only one of legal age who reads thoroughly."

"True, and trust Jack. Let's see if he shows up today for the Obliviate session you had with Remus."

"That, for my part, I cancel, and it can no longer be in the clearing, in case I also need it after dinner with Hippolyta. Let them do it in our room."

"Okay, everything is correct," Deborah agreed. "Paul and I are going to dedicate ourselves to delving into Legilimency, in case Jack fails us."

"Today we have flight training."

"Well, you will have to manage without us, this is much more urgent."

"I agree with you," he said. "Fourth and final step, Red Magic, Family section, which we haven't even taken a look at. We will have to get the book from school."

"Then don't leave the old man the duplicate."

"He needs it for Minerva, it is important that she learns this summer."

"True."

"We will triplicate it, a new space in the Room of Requirement, instead of Study and Training in Forgotten Sorcery, just Study," Sev suggested.

"Perfect. I'll take care of everything."

"Wonderful Deborah, you are great."

They had arrived at the Sly table, they bonded to continue chatting, while they walked around it on both sides, sat down at their seats and began to eat lunch.

"Can I now ask you comments and questions?" she asked him.

"Of course, all the ones you want."

"What do we do about anorexia, without being able to read her?"

"We will have to heal her in a Muggle way, as we were already doing, we haven't read her in almost a week," he proposed.

"True."

"In fact, a much more serious issue arose than that and Sirius discovered it, precisely. The dwarf was thinking of risking her life for me, since May 15th. She planned her own strategy since Christmas, she watched Ariel and the Guard's every move since you started training, and she had me under control since her first year. She deduced everything that was happening, she even remembered the date you and I met."

"Oh…"

"Quite a spy," he concluded.

"Have you read her?"

"No, she has told me everything."

"Do you trust her?" Deborah asked.

"One hundred percent. And in any case, we have no other choice, the first thing is to preserve her from the slut."

"Of course. I'm dying to know what she had planned to do."

"I'll tell you," Sev agreed. "First step, colluding with me on the day she wanted to train with the Army to sneak into my bedroom at night, and watch over my and Anthony's sleep so we could sleep. If I wasn't willing, she would have done it secretly. She knew how to cast Imperius, Crucios and Avadas, just with what she had read about fourth grade theory."

"She would have gone to Azkaban."

"Indeed. But she didn't know that."

"Sure."

"Second step," he continued. "When she saw me with an escort, she deduced that there were malefics left at the school. The night of the first party she asked me to teach her curses. She was planning to find out who they were and kill them herself."

"Oh…"

"She is going to be the terror of the Death Eaters."

"Indeed," she agreed.

"Third and final step. After training with me and me praising how good she is, she didn't trust that my summer escort was dedicated or capable enough of protecting me and she was thinking of running away from her parents' house to follow me wherever I went."

They laughed.

"And how did she think she would find out where you were going?" Deborah asked.

"That is what I say."

"I continue with the questions and comments."

"Go on."

"When did you find out all this?" she asked.

"This morning."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Do it, I'll see if I answer you," Sev replied.

"I hate when you get like that, Prince, I'm just trying to help."

"I already know what the question is."

"Then I won't ask it to you," she said.

"Ask it, because I'm going to need you. I was thinking of telling you later, I can't keep things to myself for even a few hours."

"Keep them."

"Don't be angry, Deborah. Curiosity gets the better of you."

"True."

"Well, be discreet, please."

"You're right. I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Let's have lunch in peace, come on, a busy day awaits us. To begin with, during lunch we will receive a letter from Hippolyta's parents."

"Sure."

They unbonded.

"Hippolyta, honey, are you liking the first one?" Sev asked her.

"Very much, Prince."

"I'm glad, me too. If today you can't eat as much as other days, it's okay, right? It's been less than two hours since you ate the two sandwiches."

"Okay, Prince."

He continued eating quietly until Ariel arrived at the Great Hall.

"How did you sleep, honey? " Sev asked him.

"Well well. I woke up late, I came to have breakfast almost at ten."

"And later, what have you done? Have you found your friends?"

"Yes I have. We have been playing near the Lake," answered the boy.

"Brilliant. What have you played?"

"To catch. Hippolyta hasn't come."

"She has been with me, she woke up very late," explained the eldest. "Last night she was very tired."

"Yes, I already realized. It's just that when you left the party she cried a lot."

"What are you saying?" worried.

"Yes, Sev, she was very upset."

"Ugh... she hasn't told me anything…"

"So you don't worry, that's why she didn't want you to read her."

"Of course... And Deborah told me about the upset but not that she had cried..." Sev said.

"For the same reason, so you don't worry."

"Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome, Sev."

Ugh… I was too selfish yesterday, I have no middle ground, Sev thought. Either I'm too good or I'm too bad, I messed up with Lily and I couldn't understand that Hippolyta didn't understand the danger of alcohol because she had never experienced or witnessed it. I got angry with both of them and I became bitter myself.

And on top of that, instead of reconsidering and fixing it, trying to solve it, I was extremely cold towards Lily, I didn't even greet her when I went to look for the Gryffs, I'm no longer surprised by she's ignoring me. And I was very, very hard with Hippolyta while I was playing for the first time, I went a lot out of line with the two people who have made me happiest in my life. Ugh… I feel terrible, indeed I'm in a mess. I hope at least Lily comes to lunch and I fix it with her.

Lily arrived at the Hall shortly after. Well… she's coming with Sirius, maybe I'm going to bother her. I'll ask her. He bonded with her. "Hi, Lily."

"Hi, Sev, how are you?"

"Can you talk for a moment?"

"Of course I can talk, as long as you want."

By being bonded as a Couple, Sev was able to sense Lily's feelings for him. (Boof… her feelings for me have changed even more, she doesn't love me at all anymore, indeed I screwed it up.) He started to cry. "Thank you, Lily."

"Come on, don't cry, Sev…" very sweet.

"It's just that I do everything terribly."

"You have already spoken with Hippolyta, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"Have you slept with her?" she asked.

"I have."

"And how did it suit you?"

"Great, although when we woke up we had to solve many problems that had arisen," he responded. "I'll tell you, I don't feel like talking about it now, I just wanted to ask for your forgiveness."

"There is nothing to forgive, Sev. It's not you who makes it terrible, it's me."

"No, Lily, don't think that. It was me."

"No Sev. I should have at least told you what I talked about with Hippolyta so you wouldn't worry. Or Track you to find out where you had gone and go look for you. Or even later, when I had had time to reconsider and you came back, tried to talk to you, but I dedicated myself to forgetting everything and trying to have a good time, I was comfortable with Sirius and I didn't worry about you at all."

"Oh…"

"A selfish one."

"I was too," he admitted.

"No Sev. You were rightly angry, you looked out for yourself and that you were okay, and later, on top of that, I made Remus stay with me and he didn't go to hear you play. What I'm telling you, selfish, Cecile put me right when she came back, she told me how badly you were."

"Oh…"

"And when we woke up I was talking to Sirius and the same thing, he already told me all the worries you had since yesterday morning."

(And despite all that, she has completely stopped feeling what she felt for me,) Sev thought. "Sure…"

"Have you had to read Hippolyta?"

"No, she has told me everything, except for some things that you told her that did not seem appropriate because we must talk about them among ourselves."

"Sure, Sev, we'll talk."

"She also hasn't told me how upset she was when I left yesterday."

"I didn't find out about that at the time, it was Remus and Cecile who took care of her, they looked for Ariel and Shelley so that she could be with the other kids to see if it would go away. I told you, I ignored everything, I did my thing. Hallucinating and ignoring everything else."

"Yeah."

"So don't worry about me at all, I don't deserve it. I have never deserved you, Sev."

"I'm starting to think you're right, Lily."

"Of course I am."

"How empty I feel."

"I'm not surprised," she said.

"Let's leave it."

"Alright."

Sev unbonded from Lily.

Deborah saw him cry and bonded with him. "Do you want to chat, Prince?" she asked him, very softly.

"I want to, but I have no words."

"Shall I give you a hand?"

"Try it," he responded.

"Is it because of Hippolyta?"

"It isn't."

"Because of Lily?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Because of something that happened last night?"

"No, Deborah, not just last night. For more than seven years thrown overboard. She has replaced me with another in two days."

"I already told you, Prince. That you forget everyone."

"Indeed I am going to do it."

"If I tell you something about Lily, won't it make you feel bad?"

"I don't know, try," Sev responded.

"Lily doesn't hold a candle to you, Prince. What I told you one day, you had idealized her because it was the only thing you had. You are far, far above her."

"I don't know what to think, Deborah."

"And she's not going to do well with Black either. She is very immature, a spoiled child, she has not had a hard time in her life and a large part of it has been your fault, for always treating her like a princess."

"True."

"And now you are going to be condemned to live with her for the rest of your life," she said.

"I am not condemned to anything. If it doesn't please me, I won't stand it and I will dedicate myself to Medimagic."

"Not by a long shot, Prince!" blunt and authoritarian. "Don't even think about it! Have your own home inside the castle, isolated from hers! You are going to be Sly's Head and Headmaster of Hogwarts! She will remain a mediocre Potions teacher! She will never be Head of House, she doesn't have the talent!"

"Thank you, Deborah. I'm much better now."

"Let's see if you learn who you should tell things to and who you shouldn't."

"Indeed."

"Have you talked to Lauren?" she asked.

"I haven't."

"Chat with Lauren, come on. She wasn't partying last night, and she does deserve you."

"Okay."

"Talk to her, you'll see how good it suits you," she encouraged him. "I'll take care of Hippolyta's letter."

"Thank you, Deborah."

Sev unbonded from Deborah, bonded with Lauren. "Hey gorgeous, what's up?"

"Man, Severus…" excited. "How you have abandoned me…"

"I'm so sorry, honey, very busy days."

"Not for me," happy. "I'm on holidays."

"And how good it is doing you," he too.

"Of course."

"This morning I spied on you."

"Oh really?" she asked, interested.

"Yes, I have Tracked you. You were in the Forest."

"Have you been able to Track me to the Forest?" surprised and excited.

"Yeah."

"Wooow… fantastic," Lauren exclaimed. "Next time I go I'll Track you, to see if I can catch up with you too. Do you now? I have bathed in the pond."

"Oh… I've also done it twice lately, with my little ones."

"Brilliant."

"Yesterday I bought a bottle of white wine for both of us in London," said Sev.

"Wow…" excited.

"Italian, from Tuscany."

"Great… I don't know if I've ever tried it," she said.

"It was the most expensive Italian there was. I'm going to try it with you for the first time."

"Great. How was the party?"

"Booff… I don't really feel like talking about it, huh?" he said.

"It didn't suit you well," somewhat worried.

"No."

"You think you are, but you're not a party person," she said, understanding. "You're a lonely being, like me."

"True. How well you know me, Lauren."

"You know, five years without taking my eyes off you."

"Your favorite phrase."

"How is your little one?" she asked.

"Booff… she gives me as many joys as upsets."

"Like all the little ones, learning to be a dad."

"Indeed. I have to teach her to occlude," said Sev.

"And so?" surprised and worried.

"His father works in Diagon, he is the owner of the second-hand bookstore, she goes to visit him often and often crosses paths with the slut."

"Ugh…" alarmed. "What a mess."

"The whole family has known it since Tuesday and we realized today."

"That's what happens to you for not consulting things with me," already calm. "Who is the spy? The strategy designer?"

"You and only you," Sev responded.

"Well, tell me how you are going to remedy the situation, come on."

He did it.

"Great," she assessed. "Was it all your idea?"

"Yes, except that Paul learns Legilimency thoroughly. From Deborah."

"Very well, my boy is learning," approving, and admiring. "And there is this Deborah, putting Jack in his place, in his rightful place, the last monkey."

They laughed.

"Do you tell me more?" Lauren asked.

"That Lily has abandoned me for Black."

"What are you saying?" very surprised and alarmed.

"What you are hearing," Sev responded.

"I can't believe it…"

"Well believe it. The feeling of the Bond has changed, she no longer loves me at all, not even a little bit, she only wants me as a friend."

"Booff… this Lily…" she lamented angrily. "She doesn't know what a comb is worth."

"There she is."

"Well, there she is," very sure of herself. "You will never lack true love, if you missed it for so many years it was because you were so hung up on her. You could have had any girl you wanted, it's not because you're famous now, it's because you are who you are, there is no other with your charisma."

"Thank you, Lauren."

"One who knows how to value what she has."