Ouroboros || harry potter

Chapter Seventeen

(Neville)

"Papa!"

"Umph," escaped Salazar as the little, glowing, transparent girl tackled the boy into a hug.

Godric flopped onto his bed and watched their school squeeze the air out of Salazar with a soft smile. It was almost like seeing Salazar hugging his daughter—human daughter. It was something he had never had a chance to see.

Salazar glared half-heartedly back at him.

"You're not the one who's supposed to cause trouble!" Hogwarts jerked back to scowl up at the Slytherin. A slightly transparent finger jabbed the shrimp of a founder in the chest. "You're the responsible one! You're not supposed to run into danger and get hurt—Giant Spiders! Selkie! Now this!–"

"Hogwar–"

"NO!" she snapped. Grinding of stone against stone had Godric stand up. The walls were slowly turning about, moving without changing the position of windows or doors. It was a little creepy.

Godric turned to the pair. Sally looked a tad bewildered. Hogwarts was adorably furious but she really shouldn't be turning the walls like that. At least, Godric couldn't imagine it being good for her structure or...or something. "Sweet hear–"

"No Papa!" she snapped over at him, her eyes alight with outrage and fear. "You were the one I was supposed to worry about! Not Papa Sally!" Hogwarts stabbed a finger against Salazar's chest and looked back up at the brunet. Her eyes welled with glowing tears. "You aren't supposed to almost die! "

He sucked in some air. The image of Sally dead flashed before his gaze. It replaced details and merged with the image of Salazar unconscious. His brother had almost died. Again.

Salazar tucked her into a hug as she just lost it. His brother shot a helpless—do you know what the hell is going on—look. Godric forced himself to shrug.

The headmaster had had little to do with this near-death experience. Godric sucked in another breath and forced himself to slowly breathe out as another thought crossed his mind. How had Sally gotten ahold of the dead acromantula? What had happened in the lake that led to all that blood? How many times had Sally almost died already?

He took another steadying breath as panic bubbled up.—His brother had promised. There was no reason to panic over it. Sally was alive. (It wasn't a promise anyone could really keep.)

Slow steady breaths helped keep the panic from going too sharp. Hazel eyes focused on his living family. He didn't need to panic over what ifs or had beens or might bes. The present was what mattered now.

Hogwarts and Salazar, too busy with each other to notice the growing heat within the room from his emotional turmoil, ended up sitting on the floor in the middle of Godric's dorm room. One tiny girl curled up on the shrimp that was Sally. She was almost too big to claim lap cuddles but maybe Salazar would have a growth spurt. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his brother as the little girl had a full-on breakdown.

Godric watched for a couple of minutes awkwardly at the side. When it was clear they would not be moving anytime soon (and that Salazar had no clue what he was doing), Godric pulled all the pillows and comforters off the various beds to make a nest about the two. Then he plopped down beside them.

Eventually, Hogwarts turned her head about from where she had tucked it under Sally's chin and stared over at him. Her face was splotchy red and tear-streaked.

"Hey," Godric said softly.

She sniffed loudly and rubbed her nose across Sally's shoulder before she croaked out, "Hi."