Thank you Arnel for beta'ing!
Readers, it has been a struggle. This past month has been very difficult for me, health-wise. I do indeed have lyme disease, plus another tick-borne illness that's extremely serious and potentially fatal. Thankfully it was caught. On top of that, I have a couple of other things going wrong with me and I may need surgery.
All this to say it was a massive struggle to get this chapter written. Please consider leaving a review and please also consider checking out my stuff on that patron of the arts site that's spelled almost like patron. You can find me via Sarah Jaune. It's not much a month, but it does help support my original writing.
But as always, please leave a review. I do read and respond to them. This story still have 2 or 3 chronological years left in it so we're not done yet, but we're in the home stretch.
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The Space Between | ||||||
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Category: Post-Hogwarts, Post-DH/AB, Post-DH/PM Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Fluff, General, Humor, Tragedy Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Disturbing Imagery, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mental Abuse, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Rape, Sexual Situations, Spouse/Adult/Child Abuse, Violence, Violence/Physical Abuse Rating: R Reviews: 584 Summary: Harry and Ginny's lives have finally evened out. They've faced trauma, and loss, more than most have, but they've fought hard to find a normal. If only things could stay that way... Old enemies find new ways to seek revenge. This story is the sequel to Bound. It would be extremely helpful if you read that first. Warnings are to be safe. It's probably overkill. Please message me if you have any questions or concerns. Hitcount: Story Total: 353116; Chapter Total: 2090 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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Nat stared at the still bodies of Al, James, Scorpius, Fred, Andrew, Dom, and Roxanne and shook her head. “I thought it would be easier!” “It does look creepy,” Rose agreed from next to her as she fixed up another sleeping draught. “I’m glad I’m on potions duty and not your experiment.” “You ready?” Audrey asked as she came in and surveyed her sleeping charges who were all laid out either on the floor of the Potter’s living room or on various pieces of furniture. It was the third Saturday in September and all of them had given up their day to be Nat’s practice dummies. “I used different potions on all of them, apart from the sleeping draught,” Rose told Nat. “I know you can see the difference, but I’m not going to tell you what’s what.” Nat nodded and studied all of them, watching the ways the potions were moving in the bodies. She knew immediately she needed to go to Fred first. Whatever Rose had given him was not going well in his system. She had to learn to pull out the other potion and leave the sleeping draught in place or she’d never be able to heal the pregnant women before they could get sick. It was really their only plan. They would have the mothers come in for a screening so Nat could see if they were poisoned and then she could cure them. It wasn’t without its risks. The mothers could be in on the plan with Crabbe, or Crabbe could have them under the Imperius, but of course Nat would see that. They could be ambushed. There were a lot of things that could go very wrong and it left a gnawing ache in Nat’s stomach. She rested her hands on Fred and closed her eyes, trying to separate the one potion from the other, leaving one in place while removing the other. But her mind wouldn’t settle and, in the end, a greenish brown gunk leaked out of Fred’s skin and he gasped as he sat bold upright. “Did you give him an incontinence potion?” Audrey demanded as she knelt to examine the sludge. “Trust me, he earned that one,” Rose assured her with a grin as Fred moaned and held his stomach. “Some of it was taking effect before I removed it,” Nat said as she focused more and made sure to pull out the rest, giving the poor man some relief. “I messed up. Twice.” “That’s why we’re practicing,” Audrey reminded her as she waved her wand over her nephew. “Get your focus back and try again.” She woke up Dom, and half-woke Andrew, but after them she managed to remove the other potions without waking the test subjects up. Nat sat back on her heels and cocked her head. “I think I have it.” “We’re going again,” Audrey told her as Fred groaned and flopped back down on the floor. “I’ll give you a calming draught, Fred. What on earth did you do to Rose?” “What hasn’t he done?” Rose demanded as she walked over and tweaked her cousin’s nose. “He’s known me all my life. Here, this one won’t hurt.” “I really don’t trust you right now,” Fred assured her. “Just leave me in one piece, yeah? Eva will be mad if I’m unfit by dinner tonight. It’s my night to cook.” “Your wife will have no reason to complain,” Rose promised. They practiced for another two hours until Nat could do the magic without any difficulties. She sat back on her butt and stared at her sleeping adoptive family. “I did it.” “You really did it,” Audrey agreed with clear satisfaction. “Do you want to wake them or should I?” They held their first clinic to examine women the next day at the hospital and had every expectant mother in the third trimester come through, ostensibly for Audrey to examine. Nat wasn’t in the room with Audrey for her own safety. Instead, she was situated in another room close by, watching as the women walk by the open door of what looked to be an empty room. Nat didn’t need more than a single glance to tell her all she needed. Unfortunately, it was always too hot under the cloak. Sighing silently, Nat watched as woman after woman came through for their exam. There were only twenty or so, it wasn’t like they had that many pregnant women in the last trimester, but this was a process she’d have to repeat over and over again until Crabbe was caught. Only one woman was infected of the whole group and she was so obviously sick that Nat knew Audrey would have no trouble spotting her. Still, she waited because the woman’s husband was with her and she didn’t know if this was some kind of trap. Besides they had a plan and the plan involved very carefully avoiding Nat being caught helping. Truth be told, Nat rather suspected this wasn’t going to go on for much longer with her being caught and she’d pretty much resigned herself to it. If she helped a few women and babies live, then she’d consider it a job well done. But of course she really didn’t want to die. Still, there were causes worth dying for. Taking Crabbe down was one of them. Five minutes later, she saw Audrey head out of the exam room and towards one of the younger Healers, demanding the Auror on duty. Teddy was tasked with today’s mission, which was fine with Nat. She really liked Teddy. As soon as she heard the unmistakable sound of Teddy’s boots on the tile floor, Nat rose to her feet and moved to the door to wait for him. She followed close behind Teddy and into the exam room where Audrey had already sedated the woman. “Why can’t I stay with her?” the man demanded of Audrey as he rested his hand on his wife’s rounded stomach. “I’m her husband and this is my baby! Why can’t I stay with her.” Nat felt her heart clench as she glanced between the man’s hand and to the baby. To her utter shock, the baby was actually his! What on earth did that mean? The last baby she’d healed had very clearly not been his biological child! “Hey Karl,” Teddy’s voice was a low, soothing rumble. “Teddy!” Karl, who was a good half a head shorter than Teddy with light brown hair and blue eyes that were frantic. “Why can’t I stay with her?” “Because there is a crazy person out there who wants the secret of how we are curing people,” Teddy explained bluntly. It was the story they had all rehearsed. “If you know the secret, then you can be targeted, tortured, and killed. Do you really want that to happen to your family?” Karl’s eyes went even wider. “What is going on here?!” “Come on,” Teddy said as Nat heard the reinforcements arrive. They would have six Aurors on the door while Nat healed the woman. “We will wait right outside. I promise you this, if my aunt told me I needed this for Victoire, I’d let her do it in a heartbeat. Your Maggie is going to be just fine and so is the baby.” The door closed behind them, even though they could still hear voices. Audrey moved to seal the door and only then did Nat remove the cloak and push back her sweaty hair. She didn’t talk, but she didn’t need to. She could see there was no form of monitoring of spying going on in the room and that they were alone. She wouldn’t have come out of the cloak if she hadn’t been sure, and at that point Audrey would have known there was a problem. Nat hung the cloak over to a chair and moved to examine the baby. It was a little girl and she was already suffering from the poisoning. It wasn’t even that her magic was being hidden, it was that her body wasn’t responding well. Nat motioned to Audrey and made a scribbling motion with her hand like she was writing. Audrey nodded and produced a quill and parchment for her so Nat could make notes. This baby was going to need a lot of support and she might still need to be removed shortly, even though she wasn’t due for another two months. Nat handed over what she was written as soon as she had it all documented and moved her hands to the belly. The baby’s aura seemed to flow around her as she pulled and tugged the potion from the baby’s body. She thought about sticking it into the mother’s body and then trying to remove it from there, but instead kept pulling until it was on the skin. Audrey was ready to clear it all away as soon as any of the brown liquid appeared. It took longer than Nat would have expected to get it from the baby as the placenta didn’t want to give it up, but then immediately she went to mother and within a short time, she had it from her. She did another quick search and then nodded for Audrey before going to a sink to wash her hands thoroughly while Audrey finished cleaning the mother. Nat took one last look at the mother, then at the baby. The baby was still struggling. Nat pointed again at the parchment. She’d written at the bottom that the baby should be removed soon. Audrey nodded. Nat pulled the cloak back on and stood back as Audrey unsealed the door. She stayed where she was and waited while Audrey explained that while yes, his wife was healed, the baby was struggling and it would be better to remove the baby. Karl broke down in tears, but he nodded as Teddy kept a firm grip on the man’s shoulder. “I’ll stay with you, Karl. I’m on patrol here today, so I can stay with you.” Of course, that meant Nat wasn’t going home anytime soon, but that was okay. She followed Teddy and Karl back out into the hall as one of the Healers brought over a couple of chairs for them to sit. Nat noticed immediately that only two of the other Aurors were still there. “Can you two take my patrol for the next hour? Karl’s baby is about to be born, and I’m going to sit with him.” “Sure, Teddy,” the older Auror of the group said. “Can we contact anyone for you, Karl?” “Mine and Maggie’s parents went to America on a holiday together,” Karl told them miserably as he dropped his head into his hands. “I always thought it was great how they get on, but now that I could use them, they’re thousands of miles away.” “I can get a message to them,” the man, who Nat thought was called Raeburns, said. “I can arrange a Portkey back. They won’t make the birth, but they can be here tomorrow. Just say the word.” “That… that would be great, thank you,” Karl told him as Raeburns nodded. “We’ll take a turn around and I’ll put in a call to the Ministry,” the man told Teddy. “We won’t be far.” They all waited until the other two men were gone and two more Healers entered into Maggie’s room and the door was closed. “What’s going to happen?” Karl asked Teddy quietly. “They’ll take the baby out,” Teddy explained slowly as he shifted back into his seat and crossed his arms. “Then they’ll take care of Maggie, wake her up. Is the baby a boy or a girl?” “We wanted to be surprised,” Karl explained as a sob overtook the man. “How did this happen, Ted?” Teddy clapped him on the back and shook his head. Teddy knew, but he couldn’t say anything. “Remember when we were in sixth year?” Teddy told him. “We were mad at Ace for… what were we mad at him for again?” “He stole a bunch of the girls’ knickers, planted them in our trunks, and then ratted us out like we’d done it.” Teddy blew out a breath. “Oh Merlin, I’d forgotten about that. What an arse. I wonder what ever happened to him?” “He’s overseas, last I heard,” Karl explained miserably. “His dad wanted him in the Ministry, but of course no one would hire him. He’s working in Greece or something, but I dunno what he’s doing.” “Good riddance,” Teddy grunted. “Anyway, Maggie’s knickers were in your trunk, and she was so mad at you.” Nat watched Teddy grin then. She was starting to wonder if Teddy had forgotten she was there because this didn’t feel like the kind of story she wanted to hear. “She was yelling at me about it, and we were trying to tell her it wasn’t us,” Teddy went on, grinning. “You just looked at her and said, ‘I love you, Maggie! I wouldn’t hurt you like this!’” He was truly smiling now. “She just froze and then sort of melted all over you.” Karl remained quiet but Nat could see the silent tears streaming from the man’s eyes. “I haven’t been able to be a good friend to you over the last few years,” Teddy continued. “It’s been rough having twins and with how crazy security is for my family, but your Maggie and your baby are going to be okay and we’ll all get to be together to hang out again soon.” Nat liked that he was trying to promise, but also knew it was probably an empty one. She didn’t see how this would end soon. The two men fell silent and remained that way for another ten minutes until the door was opened and a Healer popped her head out to tell Karl he had a daughter. Teddy stood and in the scrape of the chairs, Nat was able to stand without making too much noise or falling over. It was a good thing she was so small. There was no chance of the cloak slipping to reveal her. “Do you want me to stay?” Teddy asked Karl, but Nat knew the question was for her, as well. She tapped twice on his hand, her signal for no, and when Karl agreed that he was okay, she followed Teddy back down the hallway so he could get her home safely. Nothing was said until they were back in the empty kitchen at Ivy Run. Somewhat to her surprise, Teddy sat down at the kitchen table and waited until Nat had fetched a glass of water for herself and come back to sit with him. Normally Teddy saw her home and left straight away. She was starting to feel a little hungry, but she didn’t want to disturb whatever mood he was in to fix herself something. Undoubtably there would be a roast waiting for her to reheat. Polly always left things for her. Teddy kept his fingers laced on the table as he stared hard at the wooden surface, not even looking at her. “You heard Karl and I were in school together, yeah?” “I heard everything,” Nat confirmed quietly as she took another sip of water. “He’s a good man,” Teddy pressed his lips together. “He and Maggie… they’ve been together longer than me and Victoire have. They didn’t deserve this.” Nat didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. In so many ways Teddy had always been a grown up in her life. He’d never treated her like a small child, but then again, he’d never treated her like an equal. Today it felt like he was treating her like an adult. “The baby is his.” Startled, Teddy’s gaze shot to hers as his eyes went wide. “You’re serious?” “She’s definitely his,” Nat confirmed with a nod. “At first I didn’t know what that could mean because I didn’t know Karl. Maybe he could have been in on the plot… I dunno.” “He couldn’t have,” Teddy assured her with absolute conviction. “No, and he wasn’t under the Imperius,” she told him as she studied her half-empty glass. “It means Crabbe is changing how she’s doing things. Her process doesn’t take long, not really. You administer the potion, then induce ovulation which doesn’t take long, and then… then…” she didn’t want to finish it, even though she wasn’t squeamish about sex. But this wasn’t sex. This was a woman essentially raping people. “But if she’s not impregnating them and she’s giving them back to their husbands immediately, then it can be the husband’s baby they conceive.” “Or,” Teddy said slowly. He scrunched up his nose. “I feel odd talking about this with you.” Nat couldn’t help but laugh. “Go on, then. I’ll tell you what I think of it, magically, and then you can run it by Harry. “What if she did impregnate them, but the couples were intimate shortly after and it was the husbands who took?” Nat sat back and considered that, running through everything she knew about the female reproductive system. “There might be a lot of truth to that, actually. First off, the egg selects for which sperm would be best. There is ample evidence for this in the Muggle literature. Also, it’s known that sperm can live in the female body for days. It’s possible… there are a lot of possibilities.” “What about that other baby where the mother died?” Teddy asked her. “Not his,” Nat said sadly. “Thankfully, whoever the biological father was isn’t going to make him suspicious that she’s not his. If he never asks anyone to check, he’ll never know.” Teddy nodded, almost rocking a bit in his seat as though nervous energy was attempting to escape. “I think I’d want to know the truth. Caroline knows the truth and loves Alex fiercely. I think I’d want to know.” “I’d want to know, too, but then again we know everything of what’s going on here,” Nat reminded him. “Don’t forget the rest of the world is clueless.” “And without you, we’d have no hope.” His hazel eyes were direct as he studied her. “To think that day you befriended Al and Rose would lead to this. You’re a remarkable young woman, Nat. I hope you know that.” Her smile was tight. Remarkable or not, if she was attacked, she was dead. “I do what I can.” ~*~ “I’m starting to wish he’d proposed,” Lily whispered to Honor as they made their way down to the common room for breakfast. It was only October but already there was a bite of winter in the air and Lily couldn’t help but shiver as they reached the bottom of the steps where Hugo was waiting. Her cousin was starting to shoot up now and he was at least six feet at this point, although rail thin. “You two alright?” he asked as he fell into step next to them. “You took an age.” “I’m trying to be ugly,” Lily informed him primly. Hugo snorted out a laugh. “Good luck with that.” “You’re going need longer than a morning to work that magic,” Honor said sympathetically. “Hi, Lily!” a boy from Ravenclaw called as they descended the steps. “Piss off,” Hugo called after him, hooking an arm around Lily’s shoulders. “I really don’t know how I’m going to do this,” Lily said miserably as she leaned into Hugo. “It’s not like they don’t all know I’m taken!” “I don’t get it, to be honest,” Honor said as she took a seat on the other side of Lily so she was sandwiched between her two best friends. Honor finally had her first boyfriend, who was a Hufflepuff. He was a very nice boy named Scott and Hugo was dating a Slytherin girl named Catie. Lily always thought Catie had been grossly missorted, even from their first year, all the way up until she saw her play Quidditch and then she realized exactly why the hat had put her in that house. And with all these boyfriends and girlfriends and her best friends had to stay with her at all times. It was a wonder Scott and Catie didn’t tell them all to fall off a broom. “I feel bad you have to be with me all the time,” Lily said, not for the first time. “Your life is more important than anything else,” Honor chided her, also not for the first time. “We do alright! Scott and Catie don’t mind joining us in keeping you company.” “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Hugo said as he piled food on his plate before dropping some on hers. “Eat something or Aunt Ginny will have my head. You’re losing weight.” It was true, although she didn’t mean for it to happen. It was very overwhelming being back at the school without her brothers or Scorpius there. It was only Hugo now and he did his best but he was one boy against a whole school. Added to that, Al was huge, both tall and wide, while Hugo was only tall. “Maybe we should bring Steve here for you,” Honor said as she cut up her eggs. “He can keep you calm and help you feel protected.” “No,” Lily shook her head and suddenly felt even more wretched. “Those dogs are meant to help truly damaged people! What have I had happen to me? A couple of boys have asked me out on dates and it makes me uncomfortable. I do not need Steve.” “Well, you could keep him for the rest of his training maybe,” Hugo said, already halfway through a plate before Lily had even taken a bite. “Eat, Lily Luna!” Lily took a bite but was definitely not hungry. She forced herself to take another. She felt eyes on her and realized someone was going to speak to her, even before she glanced up to see one of the seventh year Slytherin’s across the table from her. “The answer is no,” Hugo said, not even bothering to look up. A hint of anger crossed his angular face, but he kept his eyes fixed on Lily. His name was Adam Bell and Lily had never liked him, even though he’d been nothing but outwardly polite. He was almost as tall as Hugo, but where Hugo’s hair was auburn, this boy’s hair was deep black. His tanned skin was in stark contrast to practically everyone else who had succumbed to Scotland’s relentless campaign to make everyone as pasty as possible due to lack of sun. “I wasn’t speaking to you,” he shot Hugo a nasty look. “Lily, I was wondering if you’d like to help with my booth for the Halloween festival.” They no longer went to Hogsmeade. Instead, they had parties every few months and at Halloween they held a carnival of sorts in the Great Hall. Last year, she and Scorpius had worked a booth together. “I’m already working a booth with Honor,” Lily told him, trying to hold onto her composure. She felt the fury even though he controlled his features this time. “I’m sure Honor wouldn’t mind if Scott helped her in the booth.” “I would mind, actually,” Honor piped in with a beaming smile. “Scott would make a terrible fortune teller. Can you see him in a turban and wig, telling fortunes? Not to mention the costume is already made for Lily and no way Scott could squeeze into that small dress.” Hugo snorted pumpkin juice out his nose as one of the fourth years in their house shouted, “Gross!” “I’m sure–” he began but stopped when a hand landed on his shoulder and they both turned to see Neville standing there. “I’m sure Miss Potter said no,” Neville told him quietly. “It’s best to stop asking and respect boundaries.” With a stiff nod, Adam spun on his heels and walked away. “She’s not eating,” Hugo and Honor said at the same time to Neville. Neville’s frown made Lily squirm as she forked up another bite of eggs. “I’m eating! It’s just slow.” “Keep me informed,” Neville told her friends as he walked away. Lily went to put her fork down but found Hugo thrusting a piece of bacon into her hand. She chewed on it slowly as her belly churned. “If not a therapy dog, how about a guard dog?” Honor wondered out loud. “My dad trains dogs,” the fourth year who’d told Hugo off for spraying the table with nose juice piped in. “He trains them for the police.” “Like… like the Aurors?” Lily asked as she tried to remember if that was the right Muggle turn. The girl nodded and her name finally came to Lily. It was Amanda Reber. For some reason, Lily hadn’t thought Amanda was Muggleborn. “Yeah, they’re like that. He has a few puppies right now, but I don’t know if he can give you one. He might be able to tell you where you can get one.” “Listen,” Hugo rifled through his bag. “Can you write down your dad’s name and address for me? I’ll get Uncle Harry to talk to him.” “I’m not sure we can bring a regular dog into the castle, though,” Lily cautioned. “Oh, it’s not like that,” Amanda shook her head as one of her dark curls sprang loose from a long plait. “My dad is a Squib, but Mum is a witch. He just likes training animals. He’ll understand what you need. I don’t know if he can help, but he might know where to point your dad.” “I just feel bad about this,” Lily said again as yet another boy started over towards their table. “BUGGAR OFF!” several people all around Lily shouted at the boy who froze. Clearly everyone in Gryffindor was getting annoyed. “No, he’s my brother,” Amanda said as she waved him over. “If you ask Lily out on a date, someone is libel to hex you,” she told him. The boy shot her a nervous glance but shook his head. “I need a quill. I broke mine last night.” Amanda rolled her eyes and dug a quill out from her bag. Very quickly he scurried back over to the Ravenclaw table. “He’s only a third year,” Amanda told Lily. “He wouldn’t ask.” “He is really tall,” Honor whistled. The bell rang and there was a mad scramble to finish the last bits of toast, or in Lily’s case to eat her fourth bite of eggs, before it was time to head off to class. Hugo made the call, using the two-way mirrors, to Lily’s dad later that day after they were back in the common room. Unsurprisingly, her father was at the school fifteen minutes later. Lily sat in a seat in the teacher’s lounge with several of the professors and Headmaster Goldstein shortly after that. Thankfully, Honor and Hugo had been allowed to come along. “What’s going on?” her dad asked her as he sat next to her, holding her hand. “I thought this was taken care of last year.” “I don’t know why they keep asking!” Lily said as tears filled her eyes. “Some have asked multiple times and l-last year after Professor Longbottom told the boys to stop, they did for a while, but it’s getting bad again.” “They aren’t asking her out on dates,” Honor pointed out. “They’re asking her to hang out with them or to help with their projects.” “Yeah, it’s like they’re just trying to be her friend, but of course we all see through that,” Hugo filled in. “They’re all the same blokes who have asked before for a date.” “We can’t simply tell the students they can’t ask to be her friend,” one of the professors pointed out. “It feels…” Lily stopped and closed her mouth. She knew how it sounded and she didn’t want them to think she was crazy. But she knew what those boys were feeling and some of them were not feeling particularly friendly towards her. Her dad let go of her hand and turned to the room at large. “There is no doubt that Lily is a target because of me. I want to say that I understand. If she can’t feel safe at the school then we will bring her home to finish her education. I do not want to cause undo stress for the staff.” “It’s not come to that, Harry,” Neville said with a shake of his head. “Lily has just as much right to be here as anyone else.” “I don’t see that she’s being threatened, though,” the flying instructor said reasonably. “None of the boys have attempted to even touch her.” Lily could feel the anger rolling off her father and she simply wanted it all to stop. “I want to go home.” Everyone turned to look at her. “Lily…” Harry began again. She shook her head as she began to cry in earnest. “I can’t take it, Daddy. I need to go home for the weekend.” Harry paused for a beat and she heard the Headmaster say it was fine and she was excused until Sunday evening. She arrived home to find Scorpius waiting for her. The second she was out of the Floo, she was in his arms and sobbing. “Shh,” he soothed as he guided her over to a sofa and sat down with her nearly sprawled across his lap as her whole body shook. “You’re safe, darling. You’re alright.” She didn’t bother trying to explain how it was too much for her and that she simply couldn’t manage school. Scorpius would understand. “Here, Lily-Lu,” her mother passed her a mug of hot chocolate. “Drink up and take a few deep breaths.” Lily sipped at the warm, sweet drink and felt herself still shaking from the overwhelming feelings she’d been suffering from. She soaked in Scorpius’ calm, although she could tell he was worried about her. She listened as her father explained what was going on. “I don’t want to go back.” Lily told them. “I can’t do it.” Her parents shared a look before her mother said, “We’ll discuss it tomorrow. We can’t make any decisions when you’re this upset.” “Would the dog help?” Harry asked her. “What dog?” Scorpius questioned as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Honor and Hugo suggested I get a dog like Caroline has, but I am not taking a therapy dog away from someone who really needs it,” Lily explained to her boyfriend. Not one of them agreed with her. “I don’t need a therapy dog,” Lily began to cry again. She felt Scorpius’ kiss against her brow and her mother take the hot chocolate from her hands. She clung to Scorpius’ shirt and wept out all the feelings she’d had for the last thirty-nine days since school had begun. “One of Lily’s classmates suggested a dog for protection,” her father was saying around her. She tuned out what he was saying and tried to focus on calming down. “Oh, I know Melanie Reber,” her mother exclaimed somewhere further into the conversation. “I actually knew her husband worked with the Muggle police. He might be a Squib, but he has a magical ability with dogs. I think you should talk to him.” “I think I’ll go now since it’s not late,” Harry said and Lily heard him rise. He bent to plant a kiss on her head. “I’ll be back shortly.” Lily nodded but didn’t look up. She simply couldn’t. It took all she had just to be in that moment. “Oh, Lily,” her mother sighed. “What are we going to do about you?” Lily didn’t know. But she woke up the next morning to find her father at the breakfast table. “I have news,” her dad told her as she sat. “First you need to eat. You’re losing weight.” “Why is everyone obsessing about that?” Lily wanted to know as Nat brought dishes over to the table. “Because you’ll end up looking like me,” Nat said flatly. “Girls,” Harry interjected smoothly. “Thank you, Nat,” he said as he took a plate from her. “Both of you sit and eat and put some meat on your bones. Now, Mr. Reber has a contact of a man who raises dogs for protection. They’re great for protection and they’re magical. They’re intuitive guard dogs. I’ll have to bring you to meet the puppy. If it goes well, we can bring the dog home today. Can you go back to school if you have a dog?” Lily nodded. She knew she was being ridiculous. All the other students went to school without a dog escort. But undeniably she felt a bit better about having a dog with her at all times. Scorpius went with her and her dad an hour later to meet her puppy. She was tawny color with a black face and the man who was training her said she was six months old. “Her name’s Sera. I’m going to put this gel on your hand and she’s going to lick it off. That will begin the pair bonding between you two so that she’s yours for life. We’ll stay back for a few minutes to let the magic take hold.” Lily nodded her understanding and held out her hand for the cool gel. Sera’s big brown eyes were watching her as she went to her knees, holding out her hand for the dog to lick. Her rough tongue went for the gel and within seconds she had it cleaned and was licking Lily’s cheek. Lily sat back on her butt and Sera plopped her head down in her lap and let Lily love on her. She felt the connection straight down to her toes. This dog was hers. “I really hope Ducky likes you,” she told the puppy. Ducky tended to rule whatever dog she was around, so hopefully it would be peaceful between her and Sera. She heard her father asked about her size. Currently she wasn’t too big and Lily could get her arms around the dog, who was back to licking her face. “She’ll grow another fifteen to twenty pounds, topping off close to one hundred. She’s like a Boxer, but bigger. We’ve found they needed a bit more size for what they’re trained to do.” Lily heard them continue to talk, but she ignored the older men as she focused on the dog. “What do you think?” Scorpius asked as he knelt down next to her, rubbing at the dog’s ear. Lily met his eyes and nodded. He grinned and kissed her lightly. “I’m going to be living in a house of girls.” She felt herself blush as her eyes dropped down to the puppy. “Ducky has the biggest attitude.” Scorpius laughed and sat down next to her, putting his arm around her waist. “I’m not going to even comment on that. But I have a few years to get used to it before it happens.” “Lily?” She glanced up to see the man studying them and his slight nod of approval. “She’s wonderful.” “That she is,” he agreed as he adjusted the cap covered his mop of dark hair. “We’re going to demonstrate to you how she will help you. Can you stand up?” Scorpius scrambled to his feet and pulled her up. Sera immediately sat herself down at Lily’s side, her eyes focused up at Lily. She found she really liked keeping her hand along Sera’s neck. “Now, young man,” he pointed to Scorpius. “Walk over there and approach Lily.” “Alright,” Scorpius agreed as he moved towards her. He bent in to kiss her cheek and winked as Sera did nothing. “Sera is sensing your emotions about him,” the man explained to Lily. “If you are relaxed, she will be relaxed.” “What about if she’s mad at me, Mr. Quel?” Scorpius asked the man. Lily only just then realized she hadn’t caught the man’s name before. Mr. Quel shook his head. “No, that won’t do it. She’d have to be afraid of you and if she’s afraid of you–” “Then I’d want the dog to intervene anyway,” Scorpius nodded in understanding. “I like that.” “Now, we’ll try this again, come here,” he said to Scorpius as he motioned her boyfriend to stand further away from Lily. She already didn’t like whatever was going to happen. Mr. Quel let out a shrill whistle and moments later a young man appeared in field right in front of her, startling her. Sera whined for a moment and then let out a low growl. He was about James’ age, maybe a little older. He was no more than twenty-two or three. His brown hair was cut stylishly short and he wore jeans and a blue shirt that perfectly matched his eyes. He grinned broadly as he studied her closely and she felt his attraction to her straight into her center as he began to stride towards her. She nearly stumbled back from the assault of the feelings but Sera jumped in front of her and began to bark menacingly in a bark that had to carry on for miles. “Woah,” the young man held up his hands. “Easy, Sera.” But Sera wasn’t having it. “Alright, Lily, call her back and praise her,” Mr. Quel instructed. “Sera,” Lily said weakly and immediately the dog moved to her as Lily’s knees went weak and she crumbled into the dog, crying hard as she clung to her. It was a mixture of dread at the man’s feelings and relief at the fact that she wasn’t alone anymore in dealing with it. “Don’t touch her yet,” Mr. Quel commented to either her dad or her boyfriend, she didn’t know. “Tell her what a good girl she is Lily.” “You’re… you’re such a good girl, Sera!” Lily managed. She sensed, rather than saw, the young man take a step closer as his conflicting feelings began smashing into her brain. She forced herself to look up at him. “Please get away from me.” Genuine alarm and guilt crossed his expression as he took several steps back and sat down on the grass. “I won’t hurt you.” “Caleb helped raise Sera from a puppy,” Mr. Quel told Lily as he stepped between himself and the young man. “He trained her, but now that she’s bonded to you, she would die to protect you, even from him.” He squatted down to study her. “You’re safe, Lily.” She didn’t know why he was saying that, but then she realized Sera was watching Mr. Quel and it wasn’t in a friendly way. Clearly, she didn’t feel safe. “He thinks I’m beautiful and he thought…” she let her voice taper off, waving her hand back to the young man. She wasn’t going to give voice to the crazy thoughts in her own head. Silence was the only response from the four men. Mr. Quel glanced over his shoulder. “What the bloody hell were you thinking?” “You told me to scare her, Dad!” Caleb said, shrugging his shoulders. “She is beautiful. I’ve always thought so, but the last time I saw her she was like twelve or thirteen.” Mr. Quel grumbled out something that sounded very much like a curse. “Go on back to the house.” They waited until Caleb was gone to speak. Lily finally relaxed enough for her dad to pull her in for a long hug. “This is priceless to me, Dameon,” her dad told the man. “I cannot thank you enough.” “I’d been waiting for just the right person for Sera,” he told Lily. “I can see now she was meant for you. I’m sorry about my son. I didn’t realize your empath abilities would be so strong. Sera will definitely help you with that.” “Empath abilities?” her dad asked curiously. Mr. Quel glanced between them. “You didn’t know that’s what she was doing?” All three of them shook their heads. “Ah,” Mr. Quel nodded slowly. “She’s reading people’s feelings as easily as if she were reading a book. It’s why she doesn’t like young men hitting on her. Young men don’t just think about a pretty girl. Their brains often move quickly on to the next part of that attraction. It’s what makes her so uncomfortable.” “But wouldn’t Scorpius… never mind, why am I asking something I don’t want to know?” Harry groaned as he hugged Lily tighter. “Oh, that’s very easy,” Mr. Quel laughed. “This young man adores her, loves her, and only wants the best for her. Even if he has thoughts that might make Lily uncomfortable, his love shines through first and his love is what protects her. She trusts she’s perfectly safe with him.” Lily turned to find her boyfriend’s face absolutely scarlet. She disentangled herself from her father and went into his arms. “I love you.” “I love you, too, darling,” he whispered so only she could hear. “You’re always safe with me.” “I know.” |
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