The letters arrived at two in the afternoon on a Friday.
"Mail!" Sirius called from the kitchen, prompting me up from my cozy spot on the living room chair to join him there.
The kitchen was crowded with the usual suspects; Sirius, sitting at the table and accompanied by Theo and Blaise while they played a round of wizard's chess that seemed to be going forever. Harry was spending the day at the Burrow, while Draco had fallen at some point on the couch, but that was to be expected on long summer days.
"Anything for me?" I asked as I took a seat beside Blaise, noting briefly how the chess game was going– Theo appeared to be winning for once– before I looked up to my dad. Sirius shrugged, flipping through the mail briefly before he offered a crisp, pale blue envelope out to me. When I took it, he then pushed a similar one over to where Theo sat.
"Looks like Saint Mungo's got back to you," Sirius said, his tone deceptively casual. I nodded, a little wary of the blue envelope held between my fingers. My future, about to be laid out for me by a piece of parchment.
Brilliant.
"So, should we open them at the same time?" Theo asked as one of his rooks took out Blaise's pawn in a swift motion. I nodded, looking up to my friend with a small frown.
"What if one us didn't get in?"
Theo shrugged. "Well, one, that's highly unlikely. And two, if it doesn't happen, then we'll riot until they let us both in."
"Sounds good," I said, then slid my finger under the envelope to rip it. Theo merely used a severing charm, the paper splitting smoothly under the tip of his wand, but the gawky feeling of opening up the envelope with my hands felt satisfactory.
Briefly, and not for the first time, I wondered what my parents would think of it; would my dad be proud, my mother perhaps a bit puzzled, but pleased all the same? Would they resent that I had been thrown into the world of magic at all?
"I got in," Theo's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked over to him. He had opened the letter and unfolded it quickly, dark eyes scanning over it before he looked up at everyone. "I actually got accepted."
"Congrats, Nott," Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder and looked rather amused when Theo appeared surprised by the gesture. Theo nodded, for once looking a tad bashful, before his eyes sought me out.
"What about you, Brownie?"He asked, hesitancy in his tone. There was no hesitancy in my movements as I pulled out the parchment and unfolded it, my eyes scanning the paragraphs briefly. The results hit my chest first, relief blooming as I let out a low breath and looked up to the people around me.
"I got in," I said, the words tight in my throat. It was like a hidden weight on my shoulders had been lifted. Theo grinned, and Sirius's smile was bright. Beside me, Blaise smiled, and nudged me with his elbow.
"Congratulations. To both of you, of course."
"Thanks," I said, unable to keep from smiling. I scanned through the letter again one more time, taking in the details I had neglected the first time. It contained a congratulations, and a list of the necessary items like trainee Healer gear and a book that would surely be a pain to read. My first day would be September seventh.
Theo seemed to have read that bit the same time as me, as his expression appeared even brighter than before.
"Ha! We get one more week of summer than you," Theo told Blaise triumphantly. Blaise shrugged, moving a chest piece and appearing quite pleased with himself when Theo's queen fell.
"Your move," the Slytherin said.
_
"Are these the last boxes?" Draco asked as he set it down beside me, the one levitating behind him lowering gently to the ground. I nodded, taking a deep breath as I surveyed the room.
My room. My new room. In my new apartment. In my new room, in my new apartment, where I'd be living for at least the next year.
Right.
"That's the last one," I told him, hoping my smile didn't come off as nervous as I felt. The moving process had taken two days of shifting Theo's, mine, and Lavender's stuff from each of our respective places and into the townhouse apartment via both floo and car, and that was without considering the constant of shuffling of furniture between room to room as Theo had tried to claim Lavender's room before she promptly levitated all of his stuff out of it.
I was proud to have gotten an undisputed claim the room I wanted; it was a tad smaller than my room at Grimmauld, but there was something cozy about it, something clean and fresh. It had a large enough window that looked out on the street below, one that was just busy enough to be interesting but quiet enough to not be obnoxious. For what it was, it was perfect, and I was content.
Piece by piece, it was becoming home.
Though, the knowledge that there would be a piece missing didn't leave my mind.
"It's going to be weird without you here," I said as I fell back to sit on my bed, my hands clasped loosely in my lap. Draco nodded, glancing around the room briefly.
He had been silent for most of the moving process, tending to speak only when spoken to or to snip back at Theo for being too snarky. I didn't blame him– while I was excited to move, it had been an agreement of ours that he would stay at Grimmauld until school started. That there would be no more late nights spent in kitchens or in beds.
Because come September first, we'd have no choice. Starting now was just the stepping stone.
A very painful, however necessary, stepping stone.
Crossing the room, Draco came to sit beside me, the mattress sinking a little under his weight.
"I could still stay," he said quietly, his hand reaching for mine and intertwining our fingers in my lap. I shook my head though, my smile wry as I looked down at our hands, and at the ring that still sat on my finger. The novelty hadn't seemed to have worn off yet– I still felt giddy every time I looked at it.
"We both know you shouldn't," I told him. "Hogwarts needs you more than I do."
"I'm fairly certain I've caused more hurt for Hogwarts than good for it," he told me. "If I was smart, I'd probably stay away."
"That's stupid," I said without thinking. Catching his startled look, I corrected myself quickly and with a small smile, my hand moving to squeeze his hand gently.
"What I mean," I tried again, "is that you've done a lot for that school, even if it's not quite as obvious. And the school needs older students there– they need you. So there's an example set, someone to look up to, someone to be around for the younger years.
"I don't know if I'm the best person to be around younger years," Draco said slowly. I rolled my eyes, then swung myself so I sat in his lap and pushed him down onto his back on the mattress– a surpassingly bold gesture for the moment, but I intended to get my point across.
"Caiden loves you," I reminded him. "He'll be a first year this year. He wants you there. You, Harry, Blaise, the others– I need all of you to keep an eye on him."
"And you think I'm one of the best people to do that?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. I grinned.
"I'll take what I can get. I expect Blaise and Hermione to be around to at least have some sort of responsibility present. But you... if anything were to happen, at Hogwarts or anywhere else, and we couldn't get to you– I'd be really relieved to know you two had each other, at the least."
"Are you trying to manipulate me?" Draco asked suddenly, grey eyes narrowing. It took effort to keep from rolling my eyes. Crossing my arms, I rested them across his chest and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm being honest," I said. "Gryffindor, not a Slytherin, remember?"
"No one ever said Gryffindor's couldn't be manipulative."
"You just know I'm telling the truth," I told him with a smug grin, "and you also know I'm right. Hogwarts needs you, and you need it. Just to finish your education. It's important."
"Say the girl who isn't going," he deadpanned. I only shrugged.
"Maybe not, but I won't exactly be out partying all night or anything– my nights are going to be reserved solely for studying," I said, hoping I didn't look too put out at the idea. "Honestly, some days I doubt myself about not going. I think I've made the right choice, but..."
"Well, I hate to tell you, but Theo might throw a fit if you back out now," he said, not unkindly. His arms wrapped carefully around my waist as he smiled at me. "And there's no reason for you to go back. You've figured out your purpose– healing people, helping them. It's your job to pursue that to the best of your ability. Which you are. I'd say you're on the right track, even if it's not on the Hogwarts Express."
"Very well said, Mr. Malfoy." I sighed. "Now if only we could figure out how to follow those tracks without being apart."
"I thought we were going to try and not be the codependent couple," Draco pointed out, an eyebrow raising. I smiled a little slyly at the comment and shrugged.
"Well, maybe I've changed my mind," I told him, leaning down to kiss him when I heard a noise from the hallway.
"Brownie, did you perhaps mix up– oh, come on!" Theodore Nott said loudly, the annoyance clear in both volume and tone. Both Draco and I scrambled to sit up, nearly throwing me off the bed in the process had Draco not caught my wrist before I could slip. With a frown I looked over at Theo, hoping my face didn't look as pink as it felt.
"It is my room."
"You could've closed the door!"
"We're not even doing anything."
"I should hope not, what with the door open and all," he told me, nose crinkling up. "I just came to see if one of my boxes perhaps ended up here– I'm missing one."
"Everything here is mine, because I made sure to write my name down on it. Maybe go see if Lavender has anything?" I suggested, letting out a small huff. Theo considered this with a small nod, head tilting a little to the side.
"Perhaps, though I have a sinking feeling she'd have burned it by now– ah, well," he said, then yelled out Lavender's name as he disappeared from the doorway. Shaking my head, I looked back to Draco with a small grin.
He appeared equally amused before he leaned forward, lips touching mine sweetly. The days we got to spend together, much less alone together, were growing less and less. I was learning to appreciate what I could get, even it was only a soft kiss and a whispered 'I love you'.
Not for the first time, I found myself wondering if I could grant myself the power to freeze time, just so the moment could last a little longer. But as wonderful as it was, the kiss was short lived, interrupted by the sounds of bickering from down the hall.
With a weak laugh I dropped my head onto Draco's shoulder, reveling in the feeling for just a few more moments before I sighed, trying to memorize how everything felt even as I prepared myself to tear away.
"I should probably make sure they don't tear each other apart," I told him, hoping my exasperation came through clearly.
"Perhaps, if you want them to help pay the rent," Draco said, brushing my hair back from my forehead. His expression was wonderfully fond, albeit a bit sad as I leaned back to look at him. "I should probably head back to Grimmauld."
"Don't remind me," I mumbled, still not as relaxed with the idea as I wished I was. "Feel free to stop by as early as you want in the morning. Eight, seven, I mean– twelve is technically an AM–"
"Goodnight, Potter," he told me. His arms stayed wrap around me as he stood up, helping me to my feet in the process. I smiled up at him a bit crookedly.
"Night, Malfoy," I told him. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow? At Grimmauld?"
"Bright and early," he promised, lips pressing down to my forehead for a moment more before he unwrapped his arms from around me. I managed to keep my smile up as he stepped away, stepping back and back again until he stood in the doorway.
"Tomorrow," I repeated, mostly to settle my nerves and the slight ache in my chest. Draco's smile was small as he nodded once.
"Bright and early," he told me again, then he disappeared from the doorway, and I was alone.
Well, not entirely alone.
"Lily!" Lavender's voice crowed from down the hall not thirty seconds into Draco's departure. "Nott's behaving erratically!"
Even from a distance, I could hear Theo's offended scoff. "Me? You're the erratic one, you bat!"
Merlin help me, I thought, then made my way to at least attempt to soothe things out.
_
While it hadn't exactly been planned, I wasn't entirely surprised to find myself awake at four the next morning, my palms clammy and the scream that had been building in my throat dying as I realized where I was.
While the room itself was saturated in shadows, lights peaked in from the gaps in the blinds, streaking over my bedsheets and bedroom floor in the colors of the early-morning world around me.
Safe, I thought. Other words flashed through my head– alone, vulnerable, weak, unprepared, abandoned– but I pushed them back as far they could go, holding my head in my hands till my blood stopped pounding and my breathing had returned to normal.
Out of habit, I reached out towards my left side, waiting to feel the warmth of a hand slide into mine. No such comfort came though, and when my knuckles bumped up against the cool texture of my bedroom wall, I sighed.
Safe, I thought again. Certainly safe. But definitely alone.
It took a deep breath, but I pulled back the covers of my bed and turned to let my feet touch the carpeted ground. For a moment my heart seized, some part of my mind waiting for something to grab me, to drag me under my bed or into the closet I had left ajar. But nothing came, and I stood up, tip toeing my way carefully across the room.
Stepping out into the hallway, I was surprised that I could see the kitchen from where I was– or more specifically, the lights from the kitchen. My question of why though was answered when I heard a soft whistling, and the sound of a kettle beginning to boil.
Turning the corner, I jumped as a wand pressed into my throat.
"Theo! It's me," I hissed, hands lifted in an open way. Theo let out a small huff, lowering his wand.
"What're you doing up, Brownie? It's bloody four in the morning."
"I could ask you the same thing," I challenged. He considered this, then nodded.
"Fair point. Want some tea?"
"Sounds wonderful," I said, moving to sit down at the small kitchen table Theo had smuggled from his childhood home. The old wood creaked a little as I sat down, and for a moment both Theo and I paused, attention piqued and eyes restless until we settled.
With a weak grin, I looked over to Theo. "I guess war never really ends."
"Not for the survivors," he murmured, grabbing the kettle carefully when steam began to pour from the spout. I watched him carefully as he poured the water into mugs– those, I knew, had come from Lavender's home, their warm colors and slight hand-made look giving them away– before he held one out to me. He came to sit down in the next chair over, leaning back into the dark wood with a frown.
"I would sit here all the time when I was younger," he told me finally, looking down at the wood table with furrowed brows. "I think most of the scratches and dents are from me."
"Classic Theo," I told him, blowing the steam away from my tea carefully. Theo snorted, evidently amused.
"Classic me," he agreed, looking up to me in a curious sort of way. "Though I wasn't nearly as destructive as your fiancé."
"Oh?"
Theo nodded. "It's really a shame you missed out on being here for his younger years. Much less of a gentlemen, much more of a whiny bitch."
"Charming," I said.
"Where were you back then, anyway?" Theo asked, head tilting to the side as he looked at me. "I mean, I know there's the whole weird timeline thing, but– technically, where were you?"
"Your future, my past," I told him with a weak shrug, "I was in the states, though."
"And what? You just smuggled yourself here?"
"Not really," I admitted. "Dumbledore had something to do with it, but I never quite got the chance to ask him. One morning I was there, and by afternoon– whoosh. Parents were gone, house was gone– whole new life to start here. Got to keep my brother and dog though."
"You had a dog?" Theo's eyebrows shot up. I grinned a little at the expression and nodded.
"Mhmm. Lucy. She's still around– Sirius passed her over to Fleur and Bill when Grimmauld started getting busy. No place for a pup, he said. I haven't seen her yet, but I've heard she's happy. Likes the beach."
"The beach is a good place to be," Theo agreed with a sigh, sitting up a little in the chair and resting his elbows on the table. "And what about your owl– you did have one of those, did't you?"
"Abira," I recalled with a small smile. It faded quickly though, the memory of a brief conversation with Tonks ringing in my ears. "The Order ended up borrowing her, but– one day she never showed up. We don't know if she was shot down, intercepted and kept, or just went on her own way. I like to think the latter, though."
"Understandable," Theo agreed. "I used to have an owl– Cyril– but he died in my fifth year at school. He was an old, ratty thing, so it wasn't entirely surprising. Really, I was just sort of irritated at the time."
"Well, you were sort of a prick at the time."
"It's too early to be so nasty, Brownie," Theo said, though his smile was admittedly amused. "But I may have been slightly more irritable, yes."
"Can't imagine it," I teased. "Theodore Nott? Irritable? Never crossed my mind."
"Okay, you can shut up now."
"I thought shut doesn't–"
"Merlin, you're insufferable. I can't believe I've agreed to living with you for a year. What madness overtook me when I signed that lease–"
"Oh, hush and drink you're tea," I chuckled quietly, lifting my own mug to my lips. "Just try and remember that sometimes you actually do like me."
"A very occasional sometimes that occurs only every other new moon," Theo said before adding, "if that."
"So rude. What does Luna see in you?" I said mockingly, pleased when Theo rolled his eyes.
"Wonders that you'll never lay your eyes on," he told me with a small nod, resting back into the wooden seat. It creaked a little with the shift. Theo looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Well, while we're up, how do you feel about a game of chess?"
"Sure," I told him, "if you think you can handle losing."
"We'll see how sure of yourself you are five minutes for now," he said with a scoff, and with a flick of his wrist, the chessboard floated our way, having been swiped by Theo from Grimmauld– with Sirius's permission, of course.
"Fight me, Nott," I told him, a little relieved for the levity. Theo just grinned.
"You're on, Brownie."
_
It took me several cups of caffeinated tea to deal with the excitement of the next morning, but it was worth it.
"It came! It came! I was in my room, and I woke up to an owl at the window, and the letter was addressed to me!" Caiden cheered loudly, his Hogwarts acceptance letter clutched in one hand as he waved it around, practically leaping around the Grimmauld kitchen.
From where I sat on the counter, third cup of tea in hand, I smiled.
"Knew it would happen," I said proudly, even prouder when my brother paused in his celebrating to hand the letter up to me for inspection. I set the tea down on the counter beside me, making a point to be as careful as possible with the letter as I unfolded the parchment.
It was a little weird, seeing the letter– having started so late with my magical education, I had never seen the green ink or read the words welcoming me to my first year. My heart practically burst with the knowledge that my brother received the experience.
Dear Mr Lupin,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find closed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress
"You know what this means," Remus started from his spot at the kitchen table, "we'll have to go into Diagon Alley. Get some robes, and books–"
"And a wand?" Caiden interrupted hopefully, and Remus's smile was warm.
"Of course."
"I want to buy you your first pet," I told Caiden with a bright smile, handing the letter back to him when he reached out for it. "Cat, frog, or owl. Whichever it may be."
"No rats, though," Sirius chimed, earning a roomful of knowledge expressions from those who knew. Caiden merely shrugged it off, making a face at the idea.
"Rats are gross," he said, then turned to look at me thoughtfully. "Does that mean you'll come to Diagon Alley with us?"
I nodded. "If you'll have me– though I have some things to pick up on my own, too. Saint Mungo's is surprisingly picky about required items for their trainees."
"Not to mention not quite sympathetic to our Gringotts accounts," Theo added from where he sat by Sirius.
"Well, you're more than welcome to come with us, if you haven't got anything going on this afternoon," Remus said, looking quite pleased at the thought. "I figured we might want to go as early as we can, to avoid running out of options. The stores have just barely been reopened, after all."
"They'll be prepared for the onslaught of students," Sirius chimed in confidently. "It's the best season of the year, after all; the minute the war was over, I'm sure the shopkeepers were back to stocking their shelves and taking inventory."
"They seemed pretty prepared when Draco and I were there," Blaise added. "You should have no problems finding books and robes."
"Madam Malkin's will make sure you're fitted nicely," Draco mused, his smile quiet. "She's the best in Diagon Alley."
"I do want to make a good first impression," Caiden said sagely. At that, I smiled at him, moving my leg to nudge his arm gently with a sock-covered foot.
"You'll do nothing but make good impressions," I assured him. "As long as you don't do anything stupid. Like fight a troll–"
"Or speak some weird language, like Parstletongue," Blaise added.
"Merlin forbid you let a wanted criminal free," Sirius sighed.
"Don't take any strange portkeys," Remus said dubiously.
"Or start any incriminating student organizations," Theo sighed, then frowned a little to himself. Next to him, Draco shrugged.
"Just don't use any spells you don't know the effects of. Especially on other people," Draco mumbled into his tea mug.
At this point, we all turned to Harry, who had remained silent until this moment while also managing to turn a vibrant red in the process. He regarded all of us with narrowed eyes.
"Don't think I don't know what you're all doing," he said. I grinned at him.
"No, we know exactly that you know what we're doing," I told him, then hopped down from the counter. "What time do we leave?"
_
At twelve, we gathered around the Grimmauld living room, dressed in clothes made for lazy summer afternoons to be spent roaming the crowded streets of Diagon Alley. In the end, a rather large group had gathered for the trip– Sirius, Remus, Caiden, Blaise, Theo, Draco, and me. Tonks had wanted to come, but had gotten stuck with a shift at the Ministry; Teddy, being the personable little ball of cuteness that he was, got to go with her and hang out for the day while Aurors fawned over him.
Caiden bounced excitedly back and forth between person to person, talking about his wand, his robes, his pet– he insisted on getting an owl– and his overall excitement to step into Diagon Alley with the full knowledge he was a wizard. It was both fun to watch, if a little saddening– part of me thought of Jacob Potter, young and a squib, watching his brother go through the motions of a first year without any hope for himself.
Jacob Potter, who was still out and about and alive in the world, somewhere. I was sure he had no idea what was going on– that his son was on the brink of starting his own magical journey, or that his daughter stood side by side with her fiancé. But part of me, however small, hoped that somehow he knew– that he just had some sort of inkling that we were alright.
That we were happy.
"You seem a little lost, Potter," Draco's gentle voice broke me out of my thoughts. I rocked back a little on my heels, relieved when his hand pressed into mine and kept me steady.
"Sorry," I said, jumping a little again when another flash of green broke over the room– this time it was Caiden, following after Remus. Sirius stepped into the fireplace to go right after him as Harry waited idly behind, not hesitating to go when he was in the clear.
Watching Harry disappear in green, I sighed. "I got a little carried away, I guess."
"Just don't do that when you're in the floo," he said with a small smirk, his hand squeezing mine briefly before he let go and stepped forward to take some floo powder. I rolled my eyes, watching as he ducked into the fireplace. He moved quickly, at ease with the magic around him as it caught him up in flames and took him away.
"Do you think you two will ever reach a stage where you're not absolutely disgusting?" Theo asked curiously, peering over at the fireplace with narrowed eyes. "Lovesick looks, meaningful whispers, the lot of it– absolutely sickening."
"Next time you're with Luna, I'll get you a mirror," I warned him as I stepped forward to grab a handful of floo powder. Some of it sifted through my fingers, just a pinch spilling out onto the floor beneath me as I stepped inside and looked back to Theo.
"Safe travels," Theo said with a wiggle of his fingers, and I rolled my eyes even as I dropped the powder to my feet.
"Diagon Alley," I said to the best of my ability, closing my eyes in one place only to open them as I stumbled out into another, caught by a considerably strong pair of arms and an amused grin, green eyes I knew well staring back at me through a pair of glasses.
"Watch yourself."
"At least I can say it right the first time," I told Harry, resting the urge to stick my tongue out at him as I righted myself, and brushed off what little ash clung to my robes and shorts. "Where's my fiancé?"
"Over here," Draco supplied for not too far away, standing by Sirius, Blaise, Remus, and a bouncing Caiden. They had been pushed back by the considerably sized crowd in Diagon Alley, witches and wizards making their way through the streets. I nodded, offering a timid wave as I turned around just in time to see Theo sweep out of the fireplace.
"What's everyone waiting around for?" He said when he noticed us. "We're here to shop, aren't we? Let's get on with it."
"So pushy," I mumbled, stepping through the fray of people to join the others. I reached for Draco's hand as he reached for mine, and all together we walked, our jumbled family wandering through the streets in a strangely disjointed but well-fitting group.
"Where's Hermione and Ron?" I asked Harry as we headed down the main street of the alley, my cousin having come to walk beside me as we made our way. He shrugged, seemingly a little flustered as a younger group of kids caught sight of the 'chosen one' and looked visibly excited.
"The went to Australia to get Hermione's parents," he told me. "Just a weekend trip, I think."
"You didn't want to go?" I asked with a small frown, distracted only momentarily when Caiden shouted in awe of a particularly handsome broomstick hanging in a store window. When I looked back to Harry, he shrugged again.
"Not particularly. They can handle themselves just fine," he said, a faintly dubious expression playing on his features. I grinned a little, opening my mouth to tease him when a hand slipped into my free one and tugged it persistently.
"I'm going to get a wand with Remus," Caiden told me, standing in front of me and forcing me to stop where I stood. He looked up at me with a wide grin, blue eyes only just able to contain the excitement. I was almost surprised he wasn't still bouncing. "And then can we go look at animals?"
"Sure thing. I'm going to stop into the teashop, I think– Remus will know where it is," I told him. He responded to my words with a small nod, then headed off to join Remus towards Ollivanders. I watched him go with a fond smile, pulled out of my reverie only when Draco nudged me gently, an eyebrow raised.
"Tea?" He asked, to which I nodded.
"Lavender requested some for the apartment," I said simply. "Theo and I sort of drank it all the other night. Total accident."
"I'm sure," he replied, his expression a little too wry. I nudged him back with a small grin, turning to look at Theo.
"Do you want to come with?"
"No, thanks. I'll subject myself to that hellish sick dream some other time," he said with a small grimace. "Besides, I think the rest of us were going to go check out the new Thunderbolt at Quality Quidditch supplies."
"There's a new one?" Draco tone's was impressively casual, but I could hear the slight lift in his interest, and with a small roll of my eyes I looked up at him.
"Go with them."
He frowned at me. "But you–"
"Can handle a tea shop by myself, thanks," I told him, not unkindly. I smiled, leaning up on my toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "You're my fiancé, not my obligatory companion. Besides, the bonding time with Harry and Sirius could be good for you."
"Time with your cousin will never be good for me," Draco told me in a snide tone, though he ducked down to kiss my forehead before following after them into the crowd, his blond hair making him easy to see amongst the warm tones of Diagon Alley. I watched until he disappeared around the corner, then continued on towards the tea shop.
Rosa Lee Teabag was a quaint little shop near the heart of Diagon Alley, full of bright colors and smells to lure in potential customers in. I certainly didn't mind; I took my time in choosing tea, finally settling for a wide variety that would settle Theo's preference for black tea and Lavender's love for anything floral.
It was fortunate I had just finished when Caiden ran up to me, his eyes wide.
"Can we go now?" He asked eagerly, for a moment, acting entirely like the kid he was– it thrilled me to see. After putting my purchases into my bag I nodded, offering a brief 'thank you' to the wizard at the counter before I let myself be tugged away.
When we first arrived at the owl emporium, Caiden moved back and forth between cages, his excitement dying down into quiet thoughtfulness as he looked at each owl carefully, staring back when one would lock eyes with him. I wasn't sure if there was some unspoken conversation or staring contest going on, but it would last a few minutes before Caiden moved on.
I waited patiently by the doorway with Remus the two of us watching silently as he explored before finally he returned to us, shaking his blonde head. I frowned when he did so.
"You don't like any of them?" I asked in a whisper, brows furrowed. Caiden looked a little troubled at the statement, frowning deeply as he looked at me.
"What? No, I like all of them," he told me, "but they're just not for me."
I decided not to question it. "Alright. Where to next?"
"The Magical Menagerie, please," Caiden requested, and so we went.
It took about all of two-point-four seconds of us being there before he managed to fall in love with a fluffy ginger cat with eyes as vivid as its fur. Even more than that, the love seemed mutual– as soon as the owner of the store let the cat out of its cage, it crawled onto Caiden's shoulders, licking fondly at his hair as he smiled.
Remus looked positively stunned.
"Cats don't normally like werewolves," he explained as I shelled out the required galleons to the store owner. I shrugged, looking over to where Caiden stood outside, visible through the window. The others had found us again, and were all gathered around Caiden has he told them of how he found his wand and showed off his cat.
"Well, most werewolves aren't Caiden," I said simply, smiling when Draco managed to catch my eye through the window. He gave me a small smile back, something wonderfully warm in his eyes before they were drawn back to Caiden and his clearly excited arm movements.
My heart warmed a little at the sight; while I had been away, whether at school or otherwise, Caiden had manage to gather a group of some of the best people to have around him, helping him through life and loving him to the best of their ability.
One of the newest members of Caiden's group was Draco, and the two had taken together better than I could've dreamed of, and even more so after our engagement.
It wasn't any super close or obvious relationship, but it was sweet in the ways it needed to be; when Caiden would spend time over at Grimmauld, it wouldn't be rare for me to find the two sitting on the couch together, books in their laps and heads bent down but shoulders brushing comfortably as they slumped back into the cushions.
Occasionally, they'd be joined by Theo or Blaise, or Caiden would be stolen away by Harry for a game of exploding snaps or a trip to the Weasley's home. And he'd bounce back and forth, so often between families and friends that they had all sort of started to melt together. I would know– I had done the same.
"That they are not," Remus finally agreed with a small smile, and together we left the store to join the rest of our family.
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WOW YOU ARE AMAZING AND THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR BEING SO PATIENT!
THE PAST 2 WEEKS HAVE BEEN SO. BUSY.
Between working at kids camps (fun, but exhausting), medical emergencies (yay), and holidays, I have certainly managed to keep myself busy; and when I wasn't busy, I'd be sleeping in a futile attempt to recover before the next big thing reared its head.
However, kids camp ended today, I'm feeling better, and I don't have anything on the schedule for the next two weeks– which means writing will get done, and our schedule will eventually return to normal! But for the summer, I can keep no promises.
I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter– it's a little growing up, a little fluff with a side of family and I know it's not always the most exciting but to be heart-warming I figured it doesn't super have to be? I don't know. Something more fast-paced will happen in the next chapter.
As always, your opinions matter to me– so let me know what you're thinking by voting, commenting, or sending me a private message! I read everything, try to reply to what I can, and it is what it is.
Please have mercy on me if you find spelling/grammar/general editing mistakes made in this chapter! I finished writing it this afternoon and have had very little time to edit. Plus, I've been working as a camp leader all day to some very ambitious children, so my brain is a tad fried! I'll try and go back over it when I can, but I was really concerned with just having the story updated after so long!
Once more, thank you for being so very wonderfully patient. You guys mean the world to me for it.
The Girl Marauder (Book 2) will be updated this week! As well, I'm thinking, will be HP&SB: The Deathly Hallows.
Luv ya'll,
-Lily
* P.S. if anyone is wondering about Caiden's cat, she is based off the maine coon breed. Utterly adorable. Big cats. Perfect snuggle bud for Caiden.
* P.P.S My heart goes out to Nice, France, and anyone and everyone affected by what happened. My love and thoughts are with you.