A/N: Thank you Arnel for beta'ing!
If you haven't checked out my original works, please do, and kindly leave a review. This fanfiction has been a lot of work, a lot of hours, so looking at my other work is a very nice way of paying me back. Just look at how long this story is... also, unlike most other authors, I always finish what I start, so you won't be left hanging.
Thanks again!!
Search for: Sarah Jaune
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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: 353428; Chapter Total: 4236 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: |
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Harry rubbed at his throbbing temple as the witches and wizards around him argued fervently in the conference room at the Ministry. His head didn’t ache, exactly, but his heart did and it was not a good sign that so much attention was being placed on the poor kid’s life. His parents had just died. He didn’t need a bunch of adults fighting over it. “If he wants to stay a wizard,” one man went on fervently, his thin face angry and red with his anger over the situation, “then he will be forced to renounce the title. We do not have nobles in the wizarding world! We discussed this at length.” He finished this pronouncement off, one he’d already made at least ten times, by slamming his fist on the table. Another woman, someone from Hermione’s office, scoffed loudly. “This isn’t the ninth century, Abner! We can adapt our rules if the child wants to continue.” “But there will be children born to him who will also be nobles!” Abner practically shouted. “Odds are good he’ll marry a girl from Hogwarts–” “You’re wrong on that point,” Hermione interjected with a long sigh. “Children of dukes do not marry just anyone. She’ll have to have the breeding that’s acceptable to the title. This particular family he belonged to is very old and very, very well respected. The death of the Duke and the Duchess has caused a major scandal all over the Muggle news. I’ve been reading along with it and people are angry. What’s worse is that they don’t have access to Andrew, so it’s breeding speculation he’s not actually alive.” The explosion had only been two days before. Harry had checked in on his progress, or rather Audrey had sent word to him that the child would be released the next day. He wasn’t even going to have any lasting scars or marks. Audrey had gone, personally, to check on his sister and to speak to his aunt about Andrew’s condition. The great aunt, Emma, was the much younger sister to the Duke’s father. She’d never married and had never had children. They had their maternal grandmother still living, but she was in the latter stages of dementia and was unfit to care for the children. At the moment, Lady Emma was the only relative who could care for them and she was willing to do so. She’d informed Audrey there were no other male heirs to take the title, at least none she was aware of, and thus had begun today’s argument. They didn’t ordinarily allow a person with a title, one which could necessitate participation in the Muggle government, to also hold a place in the wizarding world. It was a conflict of interest. And a brewing headache. Harry imagined the lack of heirs was partially why the Duke and Duchess had had so many children and in a split second, almost all of them were gone. It was a miracle Andrew hadn’t been killed, as well. He didn’t have the skills to save himself and his accidental magic should have faded completely at this point. A miracle. As far as he knew, Harry was the only person in the room to have been orphaned as a child so he decided he was uniquely qualified to speak for Andrew. “He does not have to serve in the House of Lords.” Everyone paused in their bickering and turned to him. “He doesn’t,” Hermione agreed, “but his father has for a long time.” “They’re not going to want a child anyway,” Harry pointed out simply. “He’s only fifteen and that’s three years off from being an adult in the Muggle world. I think the best compromise we can come up with for the child is that he will not be allowed to take a place in the Muggle government, at any point, without special approval by the magical government.” “That’s very sensible,” the Minister said from her seat at the head of the table. Up until that point she hadn’t said a word. “There are a lot of duties associated with his title.” Abner prodded the table hard, almost as though it had offended him. “Duties that will take all of his time and leave him no room to be useful in the magical world! What are we educating him for if he will not be a part of our world, supporting our economy?” “Abner, give it up!” Hermione sighed in exasperation. “We have the entire Malfoy clan not working a single day of their lives, living off the interest of their gold! We still educate them!” Everyone fell silent as they soaked in the implications of her words. “It’s possible that he will be an asset to us,” the minister said thoughtfully as she folded her hands on the table. “We could use a liaison with the Muggle government. At the moment, we are at a standstill on the terrorism case. They won’t accept our help and our own laws prevent us from doing more. Now that we nearly lost the life of a magical citizen, I can do more, but I am still limited on what I can authorize. We could use the resources of a duke, as I understand they hold great power.” “He’s also very wealthy,” Hermione added carefully. “I say this because he will not be a drain on our resources. I’m told that the great aunt does not want to manage the estate, which means bringing in outside help, but in order to do that, we have to be sure that we can trust whoever is managing the estate to not bleed it dry. It’s a lot of money and a lot of temptation.” It was a concern Harry had had all along. “If we put the goblins in charge of it, we know they will be absolutely honest about it, but we can’t do that without Andrew’s permission.” “Also, it would be difficult for them to handle the struggles of the Muggle world, and the investments in the Muggle world,” the minister said with a slow nod. “I think we should discuss this with Andrew and see what he says. He might not be in a fit state to see to everything, but I agree that with so much money at stake, and a child who is one of us, we need to be careful about how things are handled. I’m assuming there is a Muggle who already handles many of these details.” “There is,” Harry confirmed as his heart ached. No child should have to do this. Of course, Andrew was only a child for another few years yet. He was, at least, already fifteen. Manhood was going to be thrust upon him now, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it… except Andrew himself, of course. The boy could choose to check out from the world and not accept any responsibility. It would be the simpler course, all things considered, but he couldn’t imagine that he would actually do that. But Harry didn’t think Andrew would and he was pretty sure his sister, Claire, would be a critical part of why. He had to wonder what would have happened if he’d had a baby sister. What would that have been like? He couldn’t remember ever being anything but an orphan, but he had a few letters from his mother which gave him a picture of her he’d never had before. He could never thank Neville enough for those. He tuned back in when the conversation heated up again, but truthfully his heart wasn’t in it. It was all he could do to keep his head in the game. He still had the terrorists to deal with, an uncooperative Muggle government, and so many people the whole country was in mourning. He left the meeting less than an hour later and Hermione fell into step next to him. “Rose wants to go with you to the hospital,” she told him quietly so no one else would hear. He’d already assumed she would. He’d said no to the other kids, not wanting to overwhelm Andrew, but Rose was different. “I’ll pick her up at nine.” The following morning, with Rose in the seat next to him in the BMW, Harry parked in front of St. Mungo’s, where Andrew would be ready and waiting for them. There was no press, of course. The hospital and the Ministry had kept the boy’s movements a secret. Audrey was waiting for them and led Andrew out to the car. The kid appeared shell-shocked, as well he should. He had, after all, survived a bomb. Rose jumped out of her seat and opened the back door, then skirted around to sit on the other side with him. Harry closed the door and left the kids alone for a moment as he turned to his sister-in-law. “Are you coming with us or meeting us there?” “I am coming with you,” she said as he opened the front passenger door for her. It was a silent ride to Andrew’s big home out in the country. He apparently had a townhome but his aunt and sister were at the country estate. They arrived at the large gate and Harry pressed the buzzer to signal they were to be let in. The entire staff, plus Lady Emma and Claire, who Harry supposed was technically Lady Claire, were standing out on the gravel drive, waiting for him. No one cheered or clapped. It wasn’t the right time for it, but they did all offer their condolences and told him how thankful they were he was safe. Claire threw herself at her brother and he scooped her up, hugging her hard as though she was the only way he’d be able to breathe. Maybe it was true. The little girl cried on his shoulder and Harry saw Andrew’s were wet, as well, so he asked the butler to show them to a private room. “I will have tea prepared, sir,” the butler told them as Andrew dropped onto a comfortable looking lounge with his sister still in his arms. He sobbed for a good ten minutes, all the way until the tea came, and then managed to pull himself together. “I’m sorry,” Andrew managed as he accepted a tissue from Rose. “Thank you.” “There is nothing to be sorry for,” Aunt Emma assured him gently. “There have been many tears shed in this home in the last few days.” Claire kept her head on her brother’s shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth as she stared out the window, not seeming to see anything. It had probably been hard for the little girl to really believe, until the moment she saw him, that her brother was actually alive and alright. “We have things to discuss with you, Andrew,” Harry told him as gently as he could. He studied the jaw, which was already firming into a man’s jaw, and his puffy blue eyes. “You are in an awkward position, stuck between two worlds.” “I don’t want to leave Hogwarts!” Andrew said fervently, sitting up straighter, shifting his sister in his arms as he did so. “I want to continue there! I didn’t ever want to be a duke!” “But a duke is what you are,” Lady Emma reminded him softly. “Child, I know you did not ever long for this life, but you have a responsibility to the family to uphold the name and the title, passing it along to your son.” “Isn’t there anyone else?” The question was breathed out in desperation and in fear. It was clear from Andrew’s expression just how badly he didn’t want his life to be what it was. But then again, who did? “Andrew,” Harry went on, pulling the boy’s attention to him. “You can remain at Hogwarts. You can actually be a great asset to the Ministry, if you would like, as someone who can straddle both worlds.” “I hear a ‘but’ coming,” Andrew muttered gloomily. “You can’t join the House of Lords.” Instantly, his face cleared. “Is that all? I wouldn’t want to anyway!” “Your father has always had a seat,” Lady Emma sighed as she patted his arm. “As did my father before him, but you will need to find your own path. I have asked Stewart to move into the house, temporarily, while we sort everything out.” That was not the name of the man who ran all of the money. Harry glanced to Audrey, to see she was also confused. “He’s my father’s secretary,” Andrew explained, seeing their confusion. “He’s very good, but what about his family?” “They are moving in, as well,” his aunt explained. “I’ve sent several of the staff over to help her pack. It’s taking a liberty, since it is your house, but with everything going on, I knew we needed all hands on deck. His wife is expecting again, so I didn’t want him to worry about being away from her, plus their son and Claire get along well as they’re of a similar age. It will be good to have another child around for her.” “I agree,” Andrew said as he closed his eyes. “We need to hold a press conference,” Emma informed him. “Stewart has arranged for one reporter to come and interview you, with one camera person. It will stand as our only official comment on the entire matter. Stewart has called in a professional to prep you on what to say and how to answer. It’s a delicate matter, and you were not groomed as your brother to handle these matters.” “I really don’t want to do this,” he muttered as slouched in his seat, closing his eyes and hugging his sister harder. Harry let out a slow breath as sympathy washed through him for the boy. “It’s never easy to step into a role you didn’t ask for, and don’t want. It’s not easy to lose parents.” Andrew’s mouth twisted into a wry grin. “You’ve done both.” “I’ve done both,” Harry agreed, “and I don’t wish it on anyone, but I have faith in you, and we will be here to back you up the entire time.” “Speaking of,” Audrey glanced out the door to see a man on a motorcycle drive up into the driveway. “That will be Bill.” The goblins had selected Bill Weasley to take care of Andrew’s accounts with them, and to liaise with Andrew’s Muggle accountant. Bill Weasley stepped into the room in a formal suit which showed absolutely no sign of road dust, meaning he’d magically protected it. Harry wanted to ask where the bike had come from, but knew it was not the right time to ask. “Hi, Uncle Bill,” Rose said as she sprang up to hug him. “Rosie,” he greeted with a kiss to her brow. Andrew stood, his sister on his hip, and held out his hand. “Thank you for your help.” “I am sorry for your loss, young man,” Bill told him gruffly. “It’s a difficult burden placed upon you, but it’s in these times you can really see what you’re made of.” Shortly after Bill’s arrival, the butler announced the accountant had arrived. “I have to go, Claire,” Andrew told his sister even as she started to cry. “Come one,” Rose held out her arms for the little girl. “Let’s go find something to play with.” “You’ll stay?” Andrew asked in relief. Rose smiled, but it was forced, and nodded. “I brought a bag, just in case you wanted me to stay. I’ll stay as long as you like.” “Is forever too long?” he asked weakly as he left the room. “Would you like us to stay through the press interview?” Harry asked Lady Emma. She shook her head. “I think we will be fine.” She turned to Audrey and smiled sadly. “You are a doctor if I understand it correctly. Might you have a look at me before you go?” Harry, Rose, and Claire gave her the room for privacy and Harry went to retrieve Rose’s bag from the car. He carried it in and passed it to the butler, who had apparently been informed that she was staying. Harry wandered around the large, airy entrance hall for a few minutes until Audrey joined him and they left, heading for his car which was parked just head of Bill’s bike. Audrey shook her head as Harry opened her door for her. “His mother best not see him driving that. She’ll never let him live it down.” Harry couldn’t help but laugh as he closed the door and thought of Molly Weasley. It didn’t matter how old her children were, she was still going to worry about them. ~*~ “The press is having a field day with this one,” Ginny told Harry as she spread out the Muggle newspapers and the Daily Prophet over their bed. “A royal in the wizarding world, and a duke who isn’t old enough to drive. Do you know,” she went on as she sat on the bed and propped herself up with some pillows, “I had no idea being a duke was such an important position. I knew of it, a bit, from Hermione, but she didn’t quite convey how odd it was for her daughter to be dating a boy from one of those families.” Her husband wasn’t listening to her. He’d picked up one of the Muggle papers and was scanning the headline. “Why is Rose mentioned in this?” “Someone saw her being picked up by Ron yesterday,” Ginny sighed as she studied his scowling profile. “The people from the news were at the gate waiting there to see if someone would come out. It was rampantly theorized that Andrew had died, so after his interview with the first journalist, the story took off. Poor child is going to be hounded for weeks.” “They’re wondering why he doesn’t go to an English school,” Harry noted as he continued to read the article. “That could end up being a problem.” Ginny shook her head and gently pulled the paper from his hand. “Harry,” she said quietly and waited until his green eyes met hers. “It’s going to die down very quickly. He’ll be back at school and as long as he gives them nothing to feed on, they’ll move to something else. It’s going to be alright.” He shook his head sadly. “Nothing is ever going to be right for him again. You don’t just get to move on without your parents like everything is alright.” Stricken, she grabbed his hand. “I didn’t mean it like that! Oh, Harry, I know his being an orphan and the head of his house is going to be a terrible strain! I only meant the news will forget him.” Sighing heavily, he dropped down on the bed next to her and hugged her hard, pressing a kiss to her brow. “I know, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snap. I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. It makes me remember my own situation. I don’t have parents to remember, or brothers I lost.” “You have lost a brother,” she pointed out with a small catch in her voice. “I have, as well. When we lost Fred, we lost a big part of our lives. It doesn’t ever get easier.” She coaxed him into sleeping a few minutes later. It wasn’t hard, as he was exhausted straight down to his core. They woke the next morning to booklists having arrived and the news that James had been made Quidditch captain. He appeared a little dumbfounded by it. “You’ve earned this one,” Ginny assured him with a grin. She couldn’t believe how quickly the summer was moving. “I didn’t get made a prefect!” Al crowed happily as he shook out his letter. “Neither did I,” Nat mused as she sat down at the kitchen table and read through her book list. “I bet Rose and Scorpius are stuck with them.” “Probably,” Al agreed, “poor suckers.” “Amen to that,” James laughed as he dropped his badge and letter on the counter and joined them to eat breakfast. Scorpius and Rose had been made prefects, much to Hermione’s joy, and Ginny’s amusement. She’d strongly suspected Al wouldn’t be made a prefect. Nat could do the job, of course, if she weren’t sick much of the time, but as it was she was probably not in the best shape to handle it. Another owl fluttered in and Ginny took the note, noting it was for James. “I think this is Caroline’s handwriting,” she said as she handed it over. James ripped it open and scanned through it, grinning at the something, before his brows furrowed. “She said she’s got a surprise for when we get back to school but not what it is.” “I think that’s why they call it a surprise,” Nat observed with a grin. “I’m sure it will be good.” “Yeah,” James said, but didn’t sound convinced. He set the letter down and looked to Ginny, who inclined her head to the back garden. “Let’s go pick some tomatoes for dinner tonight,” she told her son. “Yeah, alright,” he agreed as he followed her out. The moment they were outside he thrust the letter at her. “Read.” Ginny skimmed through it, noting it was fairly light with a funny anecdote about one of her cheer mates accidentally dying her hair green, and then onto the surprise. “It looks fine to me.” James ran a hand through his hair, tousling it even further into a bigger mess, unaware of what he was doing. “Mum…” She studied her tall, lanky son and the jaw which was setting into that of a man’s. He’d be seventeen in just over a month. It was incredibly difficult to think the baby she’d rocked for months was almost a man… a man in love. “I can’t read your mind, Jamie. You have to tell me what’s bothering you.” He slunk over to one of the wooden benches and sat down, dropping his head into his hands. Alarmed by this, she sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders which still felt painfully thin after his last growth spurt, even though she knew he was a lot stronger than he looked. “What is it?” “I don’t know what to do!” he blurted out in frustration. “From this letter?” she asked, completely perplexed. “She wasn’t good after the bombing,” James sighed as he turned concerned eyes to her. “This letter is all upbeat and positive news, Mum! When we saw her last, she was a wreck!” Understanding clicked into place in Ginny’s brain as she thought back to that last day on the beach, when they still hadn’t known Andrew’s fate. Caroline had been an absolute wreck. “You’re worried about this complete turnaround.” “Something is wrong,” James pointed out as he stuck a finger at the letter. “I expected some stuff that was okay, but this is all bubbly, fake Caroline.” “Well,” Ginny said slowly as she considered him, “why don’t you see if you can go visit her today. You’ll feel better if you talk to her.” “She’s in training all day, every day, for several weeks,” he reminded her. “They have that cheer camp thing all the way up until we leave for school.” Ginny did remember now that he said it, although with everything else that had gone on it had quite slipped her mind. “Can you visit her at the camp?” “I dunno where it is.” “We can ask.” “It might be weird if I just showed up.” He was probably not too wrong on that front, but on the other hand, she didn’t want him worrying for the next few weeks when maybe nothing was wrong. “Let me ask her grandparents what they think.” She spoke to Caroline’s grandparents, found out what the surprise was, and managed to secure the address to the gym where Caroline practiced. She was assured it would be fine if they went to watch, as many parents watched throughout the day. So she left Al, Nat, and Lily with strict instructions not to leave the yard, and drove off with James towards the gym, which happened to only be a forty minute drive. She was quite proud of herself for her use of the Muggle maps and roads. Typically she let Harry drive, even though she didn’t like to admit he handled the Muggle car much better than she did. James was a bit of a wreck by the time they arrived, although he did a good job of hiding it. They parked down the block from the building, as there were a lot of cars out front and Ginny didn’t want to accidentally hit one. It was blazing hot that day as they walked towards the gym in their Muggle best. “You don’t look like the rest of the mums,” James noted as they entered the huge warehouse and into the waiting room of the gym. They could hear incredibly loud music and shouts coming from the other room, as they followed the hall around to a set of bleachers. Most of them were full, but they found two seats down towards the end. “What do you mean by that?” Ginny wondered as her son scanned the room to find Caroline. “I mean you look really young,” he said absently and then pointed. “There she is!” She, and her teammates, were listening to their coach as he instructed them on something. Off to the side of the mat Ginny saw the surprise resting on the floor, his enormous head propped on two gigantic paws. James still hadn’t spotted the dog. She waited for the moment when he’d see the dog because surely the dog was hard to miss. It took him ten minutes before he said, “Woah! Look at that dog!” The dog was brown and white with a lot of shaggy fur and it had to easily weigh upwards of twelve stone… maybe thirteen. It was a present from Hagrid, or so Caroline’s grandparents had explained. He’d had to get him imported from a breeder in Switzerland who specialized in therapy dogs for wizards and witches. He was the only person in the entire world who served the magical community and Hagrid had put Caroline’s name on the list years before without telling anyone but her grandparents. It took years to even get on the list, and then the man spent an entire year training the dog to deal with a person’s specific issues. Caroline had fallen in love with Hagrid’s dog, Lulabelle, and it had given Hagrid the idea. Also, blessedly, the dog was a magical creature which meant he’d live well over twenty years, rather than ten or less like regular dogs. Overall, Ginny thought the dog was a most excellent idea for Caroline. Ginny grinned as she patted his knee. “Say hi to the new dog in your life. His name is Rufus.” “You… wait, what?” James turned to stare at her, puzzled. She inclined her head towards the dog. “That’s the surprise.” “She… she got a dog?” “It was a surprise for her, as well,” Ginny told him. “Hagrid bought him for her, to help her with her panic attacks.” James nodded slowly and they watched as everyone broke to get a drink of water from bottles off to the side. A boy James didn’t recognize ran up to Caroline and Ginny was certain her son would have jumped to his feet if she hadn’t put a restraining hand on his arm. The kid was huge, maybe about seventeen or so, with thick brown hair. Caroline didn’t outwardly show there was a problem, but the dog, who had been watching her, rose and padded over to her, knocking his giant head into her leg. She grabbed hold of his fur and held his head next to her side while the guy continued to talk to her. “She doesn’t want him to talk to her!” James hissed to Ginny. “She is handling it,” Ginny pointed out soothingly. “Let her handle it, James! If she doesn’t learn to stand on her own two feet, it will not be good. You can’t coddle her. Besides, Rufus is helping to keep her calm. She’s fine.” Actually, she wasn’t fine and Ginny knew it. Her face had gone white and she was trying to back off from the guy, who didn’t seem to be taking the hint. James was about three seconds away from jumping in to intervene when Caroline’s coach called to her and she walked over, the dog following her. After a quick word with the coach, Caroline nodded and headed for the gym’s door out to the waiting room. James was on his feet and striding for it before Ginny could stop him. He reached it just as Caroline opened the door. She stopped in her tracks, a little shocked at the unexpected visitor, but then she threw herself at him and let him swing her up into a hard hug as the dog trotted out behind her. Ginny was keenly aware there were a lot of spectators watching what was going on. “Outside you two,” she told them briskly as she ushered them to the door. “We can go in here,” Caroline said as she pulled them into a small dining room off the hall, which was mercifully empty. “Are you okay?” James asked as he cupped her cheeks, studying her expression. Ginny softly closed the door and patted Rufus’ head as the dog sat down on his haunches next to her. The dog’s head while sitting was nearly up to her shoulder. He was absolutely enormous! Maybe he was closer to sixteen stone… Caroline shook her head. “We have a visiting team practicing here today and that guy has been talking to me all day! My coach is going to chat with his coach right now. He told me to step out for a bit and get some air.” She paused for a beat as she swayed into him and rested her head on his chest. “I needed to see you today. You have no idea!” He hugged her again and rocked her gently. “Your dog might eat me.” Rufus woofed out a bark so low Ginny felt it all the way to her toes. If dogs could grin, though, he was grinning. “Did they make a fuss about allowing him to tag along?” Ginny wondered. “It’s part of his magic,” Caroline explained as she stepped back from James. “His natural magic makes him accepted anywhere he goes. Muggles won’t question why he’s there. The breeder bred that into them. Unfortunately, he doesn’t work like a guard dog. No one is scared of him.” “Now that’s a trick,” Ginny said as she studied the girl carefully. She did look worn thin today. “Do you want to skip out on practice? I can get you out of it.” “I really have to stay, but if you could stay for an hour… then the other team is leaving.” “We can do that,” Ginny confirmed as they made their way back to the gym. To her surprise, Caroline opened the door to the gym, then pulled James down by the shirt and kissed him, before she and the dog went back into the gym. It wasn’t that Ginny didn’t understand what the girl was doing, but she’d been so skittish with James, it was still a surprise to see her openly affectionate. Still, desperate times and all that. The boy who had been hitting on her had been watching and he didn’t look happy about it as she and James sat again. The practice was interesting, as she’d been told it would be. She’d never seen such tumbling or tricks. They also had a team of smaller girls, maybe about age four, who came in to practice for the hour and they were absolutely adorable. Finally the hour was up and everyone was excused for lunch. The guy caught up to Caroline, but Rufus intervened before anyone else could. The massive dog body blocked the boy from getting any closer and then physically leaned on the kid until he fell back a step. Caroline took it and excused herself, heading for the door as the kid trailed behind her. “Why does she have to be so beautiful?” James muttered, almost under his breath, as they waited at the door for her while everyone else streamed past. He seemed to miss the looks all the other girls were giving him, eyeing him up in a way she, as his mother, didn’t really want to see. Then Caroline was there, taking his hand and grinning up at him. The guy was right behind her, his face red as he tried to get around the dog. “Shall we go eat lunch?” Ginny wondered as she realized it would be best to get out of the situation. “I think there is a curry place just up the street.” They escaped and went to a Chinese takeout in the opposite direction, just in case the boy was that persistent. When she dropped Caroline back off, she had a word with the coach who promised the boy would not be allowed in the gym again, since he didn’t seem to know how to take no for an answer. James decided to stick around until her grandparents came to fetch her, and Ginny headed for home. ~*~ “I can’t believe she left us by ourselves,” Al said, not for the first time that morning. “She’s never really done that before.” “It’s not you, you know,” Nat observed knowingly as she lounged back in the grass just outside the back door. It was just the two of them, as Lily was in the living room reading a book on the couch. He looked at her curiously, but of course he knew what she meant. “Does it seem like she’s gone more off the deep end about Lily recently?” “She has,” Nat agreed heavily. “I’m afraid I know why, too.” “You know why?” Al asked in astonishment. Nat sighed heavily and rolled over to face him. “Some of the stuff I’ve seen when working with your dad, you know… I’m putting the pieces together. That nutter Crabbe is impregnating women and trying to experiment on them. Since she’s fled the country, I feel like she’s come up with whatever it was she wanted to do. Since we know she’s fixed on getting revenge on your dad, it would make sense that she’d target Lily.” “I don’t follow…” his voice trailed off as his mind caught up to what he hadn’t realized before. “Lily isn’t old enough yet.” “Exactly.” “Merlin,” Al whistled unhappily. “I can’t believe she’d be so cruel! But of course she would,” he added bitterly as he remembered their family history with her. “She did that to my mum and Hope died. Mum nearly died.” “It’s all the same nonsense wrapped up into revenge for her son’s death,” Nat said unhappily. “You can’t really expect more from someone who is so mentally unstable to move on from it.” “But she left us at home,” Al mused thoughtfully as he stared out into the woods that surrounded their home. “Well, your house is about as protected as it gets,” she mused as she rolled a bit and cracked her back. “You know what I miss? My chiropractor. It’s completely impractical to see one when I’m staying with you.” “What’s a chiropractor?” Al wondered as something caught his eye in the woods. Was that movement? “It’s a doctor that–” “Hush!” Al shushed her and narrowed his gaze as he stared off towards the trees, to a figure dressed all in black moving through the trees. It was impossible! That’s what his racing brain told him even as his heartrate kicked up into high gear as fear had him grabbing Nat’s hand and hauling her to her feet. It had to be someone from the family or a friend or… he didn’t wait to find out. Their yard should have been nearly impossible to find, but nearly impossible was not totally impossible. He pulled Nat hard as she squeaked and ran for the house, pulling her inside and slamming the door. “What’s going on?” Nat demanded as Al stared out of the window and saw the figure, not approaching the house, but still wandering around as though looking for something. He was large, all in black, his cloak covering his face. “Who is that?” “I dunno, but we’re out of here!” Al said as he pulled her towards the fireplace and grabbed his wand to light a fire. “What’s wrong?” Lily asked as she jumped up from her place on the couch. “Grab your shoes,” Al ordered and Lily ran to get them from the front door, not questioning her. He pulled out the Floo Powder and handed it to Nat. “Straight to the Auror office,” he ordered and in a second she was gone. A moment later, Lily was back and also grabbing powder. He followed behind a moment later, not waiting to see if anyone would find the house and make it in. Nat was already explaining the situation to one of the Aurors as shouts went down the hall for his dad to come quickly. Lily moved into him, shaking like a leaf as he put an arm around her slight shoulders and held on. “You’re okay,” he reminded her. “We’re in the safest place we can be.” “What if they got in the house?” she whimpered. “Ducky is still there! The owls…” “They’ll be fine,” he said even though he had no idea if he was lying or not. His father was there a split second later, demanding information from him. Everything went by in a rush as people around them scrambled to move. “Come on you three,” his father’s assistant, Daniel, said as he led them back to his dad’s office. “I’ll get tea sent up, shall I?” “Thanks,” Al said as he settled into a seat in his father’s office, his sister next to him and Nat across from them. They waited in tense silence, barely able to touch the tea that arrived a few minutes later. Aunt Hermione burst through the door not ten minutes later to check on them. “Are you alright?” she questioned as she hugged Lily hard. “Al, that was such quick thinking to get them out of there.” “We’re fine,” Al said as he tapped a foot on the ground. “Have you heard from Mum or James yet? They were out for the morning.” “We haven’t heard anything yet,” Hermione told them. “Daniel sent for me, but I was in a meeting when the parchment arrived. Shall I wait with you?” “I think we’re okay for now if you have work to do,” Nat said as Daniel poked his head around the door. “Any news?” “They have the man in custody,” Daniel told them with a forced smile. “They’re bringing him back here shortly. We’ve contacted your mother and she’s coming here to fetch you as soon as she can.” They watched the man being brought in for interrogation and he looked to be at least eighty years old. Al studied him closely, not recognizing him in any way, and unsure of why he’d have wanted to break into their house. “There went our unsupervised afternoon to ourselves,” Nat sighed heavily as his mum came down the hallway to fetch them. Indeed. |
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