POV'S SARA
When I come back, we come back, to reality I am greeted by the worried faces of my soulmates, my friends and Queenie. She has not yet moved from her position, and is still in my personal space but I don't mind.
I take all the comfort I can from her closeness and the words she has spoken in my head.
But in the end the situation that has been created, that I have created, comes back all at once. I lower my head, I feel my face burning, I blush as if there is no tomorrow.
"I'm sorry!" I choke out the words.
"Not …. I'm sorry, I did something horrible!" I shriek resentfully at myself.
Despite Queenie's words I still feel that I was wrong. I had no reason to touch Jacob, not even out of gratitude or to thank him. I was rude and indecent.
Because even though I come from the future, and even there there is a certain jealousy or excessive control of one's partner. I mean, I'm a jealous person too, I would look askance if someone I don't know touched my partner. And even though I consider them friends, even family, that doesn't mean they do it too. Damn.
These are years in which, still, women can be considered indecent only if they look at a man who is already in a relationship, and I've done much worse even though there was no such purpose. But I still feel bad.
"I didn't mean to... I was just happy to be on the right path to helping Nagini." I say regretfully.
"I didn't mean to touch him, not like that. I was just happy... I got carried away."
I raise my head, meet Queenie's gaze, but it's not what I expected to find.
I thought I'd see resentment, or fury, jealousy, hostility but that's not what I find in her eyes, in her features.
Queenie is calm and confident. Her eyes show nothing but love, acceptance and understanding. I am so confused.
"I know. I know that your gesture was nothing but your happiness and joy, I know that there was nothing more to it." She is so calm and I don't know how she does it. Or maybe I do, she knows what is in my head, and if I had made that gesture with another meaning she would have known.
This realization allows me to relax my tense muscles. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding.
I finally release Queenie's eyes, paying attention to the others around me. They are all around us, surrounding us. Their faces a mix of raw emotions of anxiety and worry, fear and uncertainty but they dissipate into reassurance.
Jacob speaks up. Stepping forward, taking a seat next to Queenie who still holds my hands in hers.
"I could never hate you, how could I, you are literally the only magical person who after losing their world found another and is not hesitating to save it even though your own people don't care about it in this time. As if we weren't human too."
His face is so expressive, he looks at me like I matter, because he matters. The pride in his gaze leaves me with a pleasant feeling of warmth in my heart. He cares for me as much as I care for him. As much as I care for all of them, despite the short time that has passed.
Awareness floods me again as I notice the same thing in the faces, expressions, and the way they hold their bodies toward me, of the people who are still around us.
"I love Queenie and as a person in love I can see how you love your soulmates," he continues.
"I've seen how you care for them, how they come first to you even before you do. Your empathy is noticeable, but not only that, it's felt and heard. And I'm honored to be with someone who has that empathy because there aren't many people like that these days."
Tears of relief fall undaunted from my eyes despite me trying with all my might to hold them back.
"Thank you," I say with all the gratitude I can muster.
I let my gaze fall first on Percy and then on Credence.
"I'm sorry…"
"There's nothing to be sorry for." Percy begins
"We know you didn't mean to cause this. You didn't do it on purpose." Creed says
"We tried to get you to come to…. But you wouldn't respond." Percy's expression shows the helplessness he felt, the inadequacy of not being able to do anything to help someone important to him. The worry he felt earlier makes itself known again. He frowns, trying to cope with the pain of the futility he had to face.
"We couldn't reach you. We couldn't help you. I felt so useless and I don't want to feel that way again. Not if I can do anything." Fear crosses his face and won't leave him.
"I'm grateful for Miss Queenie," she coughs reproachfully.
"Queenie; if she hadn't been here, we'd be here, watching you get lost…"
He pauses slightly, contemplating the possibility that horrifies him.
"No… Queenie was here and I think that's what family does, they help each other, right?"
"Yes, that's family. A family that really cares," I say. 'Oh! I'm so proud of him,' I think.
Credence settles into his standing position, taking in the realization of the validation I've given him.
Eventually we settle back into the same seats we were in before.
Not even an hour later, everyone's hungry bellies start to make themselves felt, we huff and puff slightly, glancing at each other. Checking the time, we discover that it's late afternoon.
"Why don't you come over for dinner?" asks Tina
"Why not? I'll happily cook for everyone. I think it'll do us good to be together a little longer," Queenie confirms sweetly, nodding slightly at her words.
Gellert and Percy look at each other, and nodding at their silent conversation, they accept. Creed easily accepts, moving a little closer to my side.
"Then I'll make some of my sweets. So you can taste my delicacies too!" he exclaims, giggling a little.
"Sweets! Yay!" I blurt out, only to blush immediately afterwards.
They snort a few laughs and we get ready to leave.
Jacob has us stop to stock up on everything he needs to make his sweets. 'I can't wait to eat these already' I think.
I hum carefree among my soulmates, Queenie and Jacob in front of us at the head. Tina and Newt behind us. 'Someone's missing' echoes in my head.
'Gellert!'
I look for Gellert, he's not in front with Jacob and Queenie, nor anywhere near me and Percy or Creed. I freeze, making my soulmates stop beside me, Tina and Newt freeze behind us, bewildered, they pass in front of us.
As they pass us to get ahead, I can see Gellert, he was behind them. I catch up with him.
"What's going on?" I ask worriedly.
He remains silent, troubled and reluctant to answer.
After a few minutes of silence he finally plucks up the courage to speak.
"What happened at home, your breakdown, their timely intervention…"
"Yours," I interrupt to correct him.
"In that moment, the realization swept me away from my depths."
He stops, takes a few minutes to understand the words he wants to say and continues.
"The knowledge that Albus would never have helped me if I had broken down, showing my weaknesses, in fact he would have taken advantage of it later if it served his purposes."
The words struggle to come out of his mouth, you can see and feel the effort in pronouncing them, the agony in his face.
His world collapsed as soon as he understood this. The pain of loss, the realization that he can't save anything anymore, because there was never anything to save, it was already rotten. His shoulders collapse from the weight they carry, his face shows and radiates all that pain. I let my hands wander over his shoulders, comforting him.
"It wasn't you who destroyed what you were, it was him who was rotten from the beginning. He rotted what was good."
"You're not a saint, but you're not evil either. You're not a monster, you never were."
"Everything you want, you'll have. It's a promise, and I want you to watch as we take over the world, together. All together."
As my words leave my lips, Gellert slowly lowers his head into the crook of my neck, inhales my scent, I feel a few tears fall on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around his torso, my hands caressing his broad back. "I won't let you go, you are part of us and for better or worse we all have each other."
We stay like this for a minute, then we walk towards my soulmates. My arm lands around Gellert's waist and he slides an arm over my shoulders.
Percy and Creed have been waiting for us not even 5 steps away, giving their presence without being intrusive, giving us a bit of privacy.
"Let's get to the others, otherwise Jacob and Queenie won't stop to get just the essentials." Percy tries to relax the moment a bit, he chuckles for a few seconds, but his expression quickly becomes serious again and he nods to Gellert.
A silent support, my souls know what torments and troubles Gellert, we talked about it shortly after we reunited me, Gellert, Percy and Creed.
My souls flank me on my left, on my right is Gellert still close to the other, Percy snakes his arm around my waist and with the other arm rests it on Creed's shoulders holding him close.
Wonder takes hold of me. The amazement at their acceptance in comforting in such a tactile way someone different from them, the trust they have in me is so intoxicating.
I watch them ecstatic and enthusiastic, tightening the grip I have on Percy's waist caressing his side lightly. I manage to reach Creed too, incredibly, I leave caresses to him too.
The smile they exchange, giving an affirmative nod, in their expressions an affection, and a powerful acceptance that shifts as soon as they turn to me; Those smiles, that affection, hit me right as soon as they turned and locked eyes with mine.
We catch up with the others further ahead, managing to stop Jacob and Queenie from taking too many things.
When we get to the Goldstein house, Jacob takes the reins in preparing the desserts: Donuts, some brownies, and a small sweet cheesecake.
Queenie instead rolls up her sleeves to prepare dinner: a simple steak with a side of mashed potatoes, carrots and peas.
Each of us splits up, some go with Queenie and some go with Jacob.
Percy, Credence, and Gellert help Jacob. Tina and Newt help Queenie.
Jacob has us mix the dough and knead it into a ball without wrinkles. He orders us to add a little flour otherwise it might stick. I do it with too much energy and, not even knowing how, the flour hits Gellert in the face.
I stop in my seat in front of him, only the counter separating us, my hand covers my mouth in a vain attempt to hide my smile, but I fail miserably because I can't hold back the hearty, belly laugh that comes out of me.
He blinks at first confused and, looking up, locking his gaze on me, his expression darkens, a mischievous grin appears on his lips.
"I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, I swear..." I try to say between the giggles that escape me.
I find myself, a nanosecond later, with my face covered in flour. Coughing, the flour that had entered my mouth is expelled creating a small cloud in the air, I look at him astonished.
"Is that it?" I ask throwing down the symbolic gauntlet, Gellert welcomes the challenge with pleasure.
The battle begins, the first shot is mine hitting my target, Gellert, the second is Gellert's who hits me squarely. The third shot is thrown by me but hits Percy who, calm next to Credence, had not expected it. Credence chuckles slightly and Percy frowns in response.
Percival's gaze locks with Creed's, and I see it too, the spark in Creed's gaze, the pure and unadulterated happiness and joy.
Very maturely Percy pretends nothing has happened, and slowly puts his hand in the sack of flour which he then throws to Credence. The poor boy finds his hair, face and the top of his shirt covered in flour. We have all taken off our coats and jackets to help cook.
Every last one of us has our shirt sleeves rolled up to our elbows.
Timidly Creed takes some flour, in both hands, and throws it first to Percy and then to me.
Struck and sunk, we giggle in disbelief, Percy and I, exchanging a look and nodding in the affirmative.
"Fight!" I say, reloading my hands with flour and throwing it at Gellert and Jacob and continuing to hit each other as well.
The laughter that rises from Creed is something pure, it is crystalline, so amazing that it enchants me on the spot, my lips forming a sweet and affectionate smile. Percy has the same affection in his gaze, all over his face and in the way he moves a little closer with his body to Creed. I also approach Credence from the left side.
We don't even notice Gellert and Jacob bombarding us, we are too caught up in our miracle. Poor Creed has to defend himself and he has to protect us too.
But his laughter doesn't stop, perpetually swirling in these four walls, loud but delicate in its shyness, shy joy rarely felt. We remain tempted by the sweet call, like the song of the sirens.
I look away, managing to catch the next blow Credence has thrown.
The blow has hit Tina, somehow.
Tina turns very slowly towards our position: "Who did it?" she asks impassively.
I step forward to Creed and feel him shrink behind my body. He crouches so that only his eyes, forehead and hair are visible. His body hidden behind mine, hard to believe but it is true.
I let my gaze wander, not breathing.
Gellert and Jacob raise their arms and point, towards Creed.
"AH, traitors!" I whisper towards them.
Tina's face relaxes, relaxing, her arms returning to her sides.
"Credence can do this," she states firmly.
Unnoticed, Queenie approaches and brandishes the sack of flour, throwing a fistful of flour at Tina, quickly hitting Newt and Jacob as well.
The war has truly begun now.
Shots fly everywhere, everyone hitting one or the other, everyone against everyone.
Laughter permeates the house.
When the flour war is over, we are all white, covered in flour.
Note author: I wanted to let you know that the updates will be a little slow from now on. I had a few chapters ready before, so maybe the update was quick and weekly, but now I'm writing the other chapters. As soon as chapter 12 is ready and revised, I'll post it. Apologies, if you can, if the updates aren't fast. I just wanted to give you a heads up.
Good evening, or should I say good night given the time. Later in the morning there will be possible updates on the story Veddie, and For Us, It's For All Them, for those interested in the stories. If not today it will be tomorrow. I just have to review the chapters for any errors and then publish them.