Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man.
Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man.
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming.
I can hear them say,
Carry on, my wayward son.
There'll be peace when you are done.
Lay your weary head to rest.
Don't you cry no more.
-Kansas
Conor McLaughlin's flat, Co. Derry, Ireland.
"Alright," sighed Conor. "Just tell me who did it. I'm not angry, I swear."
Lynn choked out a laugh, quickly covering it with a cough once her brother's eyes narrowed at her. "Aye right. Whoever admits to this is as good as dead. I'm saying nothing."
"Ruairi?" Conor turned to the other McLaughlin sibling, who had the poker face of a gambler. "Just say it was Lynn and you can go."
"I'm no snitch," he replied calmly. He had a jet-black kitten on his lap, having purchased it earlier that week, who was playfully swiping at the strings of his hoodie.
"Well my kitchen wall didn't burn itself!" Conor threw his arms up. "That wallpaper was Versace!"
"Fancy," she nodded in agreement. "A real tragedy, but it still wasn't me. Maybe there's a salamander in your flat."
"Very funny," Conor rolled his eyes. "If you don't tell me now I'm not letting you go to Diagon Alley with your friends."
"You're not my ma, I can go if I want to," she smirked.
"Good luck finding a fireplace in Ireland that connects to the British floo network," he folded his arms. "I'll tell the Fenwicks you're not going anymore. Are you really going to show up to their house without permission?"
Lynn's smirk was quickly wiped off her face. "I'll use Adare Manor then. Mam's never bothered to disconnect from the floo network. As if anyone in Britain would want to visit her anyway."
"Oh, you're going to the manor? Where mam is? That's a shit lie, Lynn, you're usually better at it."
She sighed in defeat, both of them knowing she wasn't going back to the manor. "I was trying to make pancakes."
"What? How do you burn a wall making pancakes?"
"I technically didn't burn it while making the pancakes. I just sort of got a little frustrated because they weren't turning out nice and um... my wand was sitting on the counter."
"So you decided to take your anger out on my designer wallpaper?!"
"Not on purpose! My hand was just really close to my wand and it, ummm... reacted."
"You did accidental magic?" Ruairi laughed in disbelief.
Lynn's cheeks flushed red. "Aye."
"Well, at least it was just a scorch mark," Conor sighed heavily through his nose. "Knowing you, that's the best case scenario."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Even I remember what your accidental magic looked like when we were younger," Ruairi laughed. "Didn't you set Podraig's bed on fire?"
"I was more thinking the time she made the bathroom explode because she didn't want a bath," Conor snickered.
"Oh, alright, alright," she sighed as her brothers began recounting every feat of accidental magic she had done. "I get it, I'm a pyromaniac."
Diagon Alley, December 1975
"Lynn!"
Lynn barely had time to step out of the fireplace before Alice had thrown her arms around her middle, squeezing hard and cutting off her air supply.
"Hi Alice," she wheezed, patting her friend on the back. "Can I have my air supply back please?"
"Oh sorry!" she stepped back. "You're the last girl to arrive. Frank and Cathal should be here any minute now."
"Yeah sorry about that." She brushed off the soot that had accumulated on her clothes. Alice quickly led her through the main pub and towards the booths in the back of the Leaky Cauldron, where Marlene and Lily were already seated. "Marls! Lily!"
"Hi Lynn!" Lily greeted, scooting over to give Alice room.
"What took you so long? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago!" Marlene scolded, moving her bag so Lynn could get in beside her.
"Hello to you too," Lynn rolled her eyes. "I had to take three separate chimneys to get to the Leaky Cauldron. Conor's flatmate, Benjy Fenwick, had a floo connection to his uncle in Swansea, but they didn't have one to London. I thought that the floo system was all connected, but apparently not? I suppose some people don't want random people showing up at their house. So I had to go to the Prewetts. Do you remember the Prewett twins in Gryffindor? Pretty funny lads, were telling me about a relative of theirs that would get drunk and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his- anyway, that's how I got here."
"Merlin," Marlene whistled. "All I had to do was walk half an hour down the road."
"Doesn't your mum have a floo connection to England?" Alice frowned. Lily subtly elbowed her in the side.
"Aye," Lynn shrugged. She didn't elaborate any further. They knew her well enough not to ask.
"Oh! There's the boys! Frank!" Alice hopped out of the booth as the boys approached, cheeks flushed from the cold. She practically threw herself into Frank's arm, the latter anticipating her actions and catching her with a laugh.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Cathal grinned. "Where's my dramatic welcome?"
"You're lucky I'm getting out of my chair," Lynn joked, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. At the last second he turned his head, capturing her lips instead, hands dropping to her waist.
"Oi, you two, we're gonna get kicked out at this rate," Lily shook her head, smiling sheepishly at a group of adults who were staring.
"What else do you expect from heteros," Marlene muttered under her breath, focusing on the butterbeer in her hand. "Sit down and pick what you're eating. I'm starved!"
...
"Did you hear Minister Jenkins resigned?" said Frank once their food arrived.
"The Prophet said she couldn't hack everything that's been happening," Lynn replied. "There's been quite a few disappearances this year, though the papers are acting like they have nothing to do with Voldemort."
"I suppose they have no proof that it's him," Alice chimed in. "He hasn't exactly been claiming responsibility for it. Though who else could be responsible for abducting muggleborns?"
"It doesn't help that half the ministry probably agrees with him," Cathal sighed. "Remember all the fuss over having a muggleborn Minister of Magic?"
"I don't know what to tell my parents at this point," Lily frowned at her plate. The rest of them settled down a bit. Despite their views, they were all still pureblood or half blood, and wouldn't be nearly as affected as Lily if Voldemort was ever to be in power. "I mean, how do you explain that there are people who want me gone, because I'm not 'magical enough' for them?"
"Those gobshites wish they were half the witch you are today, Lily," Lynn offered her a reassuring smile. Cathal hummed in agreement from beside her. "No matter what, we're not gonna let them win."
"They'd have to kill me first if those cowards think they can get to you," Marlene said firmly. Lily let out a nervous laugh at that. Marlene was always rather aggressive with her support.
"Did you hear they were thinking of doing a ball next year?" Alice said brightly. They quickly jumped at the opportunity to change topic.
...
Lynn had been to Diagon Alley once in her life, though she was certain her mother would've taken her to a wand maker in Ireland if there was anyone half decent. Even then, she was only apparated straight to Ollivander's and hadn't gotten the chance to look around. Her Hogwarts robes were simply ordered with her measurements so Eveline didn't have to interact with anyone.
"You're acting like you haven't seen Gringotts before," Marlene nudged Lynn in the side as she gaped at the marble building.
"I haven't," she replied, craning her neck as they passed the front door to get a glimpse inside.
"Wait, really?" said Frank. "Doesn't your family have a vault?"
"I think there's a wizarding bank in Galway, but most of the people I know don't use it," she explained. "Our vault is under the kitchen. Isn't that just handier than having to go to the bank every time you want a galleon?"
"Rich people," Lily rolled her eyes. "I forgot how nonchalant you are about money. Oh, I have a vault under the kitchen, I just grab a few handfuls of galleons when I want, there's only a few million in there. Oh, my army of house elves tend to the acres of land surrounding my house. Soon I will conquer Hogwarts with them."
"Alright, alright," Lynn pushed Lily's shoulder with a laugh. It's not like she had any right to get annoyed at her teasing. "But really, it's the ministry that stops British wizards from having nice houses. If a government official told an Irish wizard they couldn't build a ten storey mansion, they'd be chased down the road with a broomstick."
"Don't you have laws over there, you savages?" Marlene teased.
"Yeah. Don't murder. Don't be a gobshite. That's it."
"Oh, can we go to Whizz Hard books?" Lily asked the group as they passed the shop.
"How many book shops can one girl go to before she gets bored?" Cathal laughed. "We've already gone to Flourish and Blotts. Aren't they all the same?"
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't ask that, Cathal Wood," Lily tutted, linking arms with Lynn and dragging her towards the little book shop.
They all went inside to browse, but eventually everyone except Lily and Lynn had migrated outside to wait. Lynn was about to do the same, when something caught her eye.
Hidden behind a pillar in the new releases section, was a few books with the silhouette of a werewolf on the cover. Curious, she picked it up to inspect it.
"Hey." Cathal appeared beside her, hands tucked into his pockets. "Lily's just paid for her stuff. What's that you got?"
"Hairy Snout, Human Heart: A heartrending account of one wizard's struggle with lycanthropy," Lynn read from the cover, turning the hardback book over in her hands. "There's no author."
"Didn't know Fenrir Greyback had it in him," he wrinkled his nose. "Did he write it before or after mauling them wains in Swindon?"
Lynn paused halfway through reading the summary at his words, chest tightening at the clear disgust in his tone. "Fenrir Greyback isn't the only werewolf in Britain. I think they're just misunderstood."
"You sound like Hagrid," Cathal commented, not catching on to Lynn's discomfort. Why would he be careful with his words, when the majority of the wizarding world agreed?
"Comparing Hagrid's view of dragons to society's view of werewolves is hardly fair."
Cathal frowned at her. "Look, I'm not saying they should bring back werewolf hunters or anything, but lycanthropy messes with the mind. Makes them violent and aggressive. Dunno what they say in Ireland, but it's a common fact here, Lynn. Men like Fenrir Greyback are proof."
"Well with that logic, all wizards are cruel, violent creatures too right?" she scowled at him. "Grindelwald and Voldemort are proof."
"That's different and you know it," he rolled his eyes at her. Lynn was beginning to hate how he was looking down at her like she was a petty child. Within seconds he had destroyed the pedestal she had constructed for him. How could someone so gorgeous have such a devastating flaw. Yet, she supposed, to most people, werewolf stigma was just another truth. "Come on, the others are waiting for us."
Instead of taking his offered hand, she turned away from him without another word, heading towards the counter where a wizened, old man was flicking through the Daily Prophet. "Hi, I'd like to get this."
"Ah! That just came in yesterday. Had to fight tooth and nail with my partner to get those published," he told her, taking it from her hands with trembling hands and slipping it into a brown paper bag.
"There's no author named. Do you know who wrote it?"
"'fraid not. Only ever corresponded by owl you see. He wanted to stay anonymous. That'll be 9 sickles."
"Only 9 sickles? How much does the author get?"
"You interested in becoming an author, little missy?" the older man gave her a crinkled smile. "Author usually makes 20 percent. We get 20. Then the rest is cost of production. 'friad we can't charge much for a book like this."
She handed him the 9 sickles and tucked the book into her bag, making her way back to the group who were gathered outside the door.
"Ready to go? The film starts soon," said Marlene. Lynn looped her arm through hers, leading them on towards the Leaky Cauldron, where they would enter muggle London, not sparing Cathal another glance.
"You okay?" Lily whispered from beside them, noticing the cold expression on her face.
Lynn nodded her head, glancing over her shoulder to where Frank, Alice and Cathal were lagging behind. "Yeah, just had a bit of an argument with Cathal, that's all."
Trigger warning for the rest of the chapter: child abuse and neglect
Christmas Day, Adare Manor Ireland
No one greeted them at the door when Conor took them into Adare Manor. The crack of their apparation echoed through the foyer, its limestone pillars and tall ceilings magnifying the cold emptiness of the house.
"Mam?" Lynn called out when neither of the three made any move to venture further into the manor. A house elf appeared in front of them with a sharp crack and greeted them with a deep bow.
"Hi, Kerry," Lynn greeted.
"Dia dhuit, úinéir," Kerry squeaked. Hello, owner. "Beidh do mháthair síos go luath." Your mother will be down soon. She bowed again and disapparated, most likely to inform their mam they had arrived, or to tend to her other duties.
"Will she?" Conor said sardonically. "Tá an chéad uair ann do gach rud." There's a first time for everything.
"Conor," Lynn tutted. "Give her some credit. I think I've seen her around here before. Mind that day Podraig told her he was going to America and she told him to fuck off?" They all smiled fondly. "Yeah I think that was the last time I saw her for more than a few minutes."
"That was the last Sunday dinner where we had to eat in the dining room," Ruairi reminisced. "Podraig's a hero."
"Gone but not forgotten," Conor agreed, flopping onto one of the red velvet sofas decorating the living room. "If only the selfish prick thought to visit."
Ruairi and Lynn soon joined him when there was no sign of their mother. "Wanna play chess?" Lynn asked them. Conor shook his head, staring absently at one of the portraits that was making faces at him but Ruairi sat forward and pulled the board game out from under the coffee table between them.
"I'll be white," Ruairi said, picking up the marble stone pieces and setting them up along the sides of the board. Lynn nodded and took the black pieces, doing the same.
"That's the dumbest game anyone's ever invented," Conor grumbled, glaring at the worn stone pieces as if they had personally offended him.
"You're just annoyed you've never won," Lynn laughed, moving one of her pawns after Ruairi took his turn.
After about half an hour of waiting, Conor, growing more irritated by the minute, let out a frustrated sigh and leapt up from his seat. "Alright, this is getting ridiculous!"
"I forgot how easily worked up his gets," Ruairi casually commented, taking another one of Lynn's pieces.
She frowned at the board, trying to work out her next plan of attack, glaring at the white figures inching closer to her king.. "The man loses his temper over forgetting to get milk, Rur. How did you forget?"
Conor snapped his fingers, forcing Kerry to materialise in front of him. "Conas is féidir liom cabhrú leat, a mháistir Conor?" the elf bowed. How can I help you, master Conor?
"Where's mam?" he questioned, breathing heavily through his nose. "We've been here for ages!"
"Conor," Lynn chastised. "It's not Kerry's fault, don't raise your voice at her."
"Mistress is ill, she is," squeaked Kerry, switching to English since the children were no longer speaking their native tongue. "Not coming down, I thinks!"
"What a fucking surprise," Conor snapped, turning his back on the elf so she wasn't in his warpath. "I bet she has a headache! That was always her excuse!" he laughed humorlessly.
"We still has foods, master Conor," Kerry tried to placate him. When they were children, Kerry was the only elf brave enough to take care of the ill-tempered McLaughlin. "And your favourite! Honey roasted carrots!"
"Come on, Conor," Lynn grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face her. "We don't need mam to have a decent Christmas dinner. In fact," she lowered her voice so Kerry couldn't overhear. "I consider this an improvement."
"You're awful," Conor huffed a laugh, but allowed her to lead him into the dining room all the same.
Ruairi trailed in behind them. "I definitely won that game," he said to her.
"Oh, we're not finished just yet."
...
As nice as it was staying at Conor's flat, Benjy Fenwick, Conor's friend at Hogwarts who had lent her his room for the holiday, had returned a few days after Christmas from visiting his family.
"You can still stay if you want to, Lynn," Benjy grinned widely at her. He bounced on the balls of his feet, unable to stay still for even a brief period of time. "I'm sure there's room for both of us."
"As much as I appreciate the offer, I think I'll pass," she rolled her eyes at his antics.
"Are you hitting on my fifteen year old sister, Fenwick?" Conor came into the living room from the kitchen, still rather muddy from his quidditch training, cradling a mug of hot chocolate in his hands.
"Ah, fifteen?" Benjy chuckled nervously. "Sorry Lynn, I didn't realise-."
"Your boyfriend is literally opposite me, I don't imagine you were being serious."
Dedalus Diggle awkwardly waved at her from where he sat, his other hand gently petting Ruairi's new kitten. From what Conor had told her he was rather shy, especially when his relationship was brought up to strangers. She mentally berated herself for being so tactless.
"Well, I still feel bad for kicking you out," Benjy replied.
Thankfully, James was adamant that she visited Potter Manor over the holidays. "My mum's dying to see you again," he had told her in one of his letters.
Which must've been true, since as soon as Lynn had stepped out of the fireplace, (she had to change grates twice), Euphemia Potter pulled her into a tight hug.
"Mum," James whined from behind her. "You're suffocating her!"
"Oh quiet, Potter," Lynn laughed, melting into Euphemia's embrace. "What else do you think I'm here for? You?"
"The audacity!"
"Enough dramatics, James. Show our guest to her room. He'll take that for you, won't you dear?" Mrs Potter said, taking her bag from her hands and handing it to him.
"Of course," he said sweetly, swinging it over his shoulder and holding an arm out towards the door. "After you, milady."
"Oh why, thank you," Lynn laughed, feeling the tension that had been tightening her body for the last few months ease slightly. She followed James up the staircase, weaving through a few corridors before coming to the room she had stayed in during the summer.
"How was your Christmas?" he asked, setting her bag in an armchair and throwing himself onto his stomach on her bed.
"Okay," she shrugged, fixing her pillows and sinking into them with a sigh. "Just hung out at Conor's for a few days. Went to Diagon Alley with the girls. Frank and Cathal came too."
"Oh yeah, you told me about the mover," James recalled from her letters.
"Movie," she corrected him. "Or film. Or the pictures. Muggles don't seem to know what to call them."
"We all should go see one sometime, they sound fun."
Lynn imagined James's reaction to a film. No doubt she would have to keep shushing him as he would forget he couldn't talk.
"We should all go to a quidditch match too. You should invite Cathal." James didn't miss the way she pursed her lips. "Or... maybe not? How is... that?"
"What, Cathal? Yeah it's great," Lynn shrugged. "He's the loveliest person you can imagine."
"Yeah, I suppose," he agreed half-heartedly, nibbling at his lip. Sirius had been distraught the past couple of months. The odds were definitely not in his favour, but first he had to get them back on speaking terms.
"Although... this stays between us," Lynn said firmly. He nodded his head. "He... said some things while we were at Diagon Alley."
"Oh, I love gossip," he rubbed his hands together, making her roll her eyes at him.
"We were in Whizz Hard books," she began. "I was looking at a new book that came out, about struggling with lycanthropy..."
"...go on," he prodded.
She groaned in frustration, falling backwards so she was fully splayed out on the bed. "He basically said all werewolves were violent monsters and kept bringing Fenrir Greyback into it."
He would've jumped for joy if it weren't so serious. Already he could see the conflict in his friend's mind. "Oh. Oh no. That's not good. I thought Cathal was sound!"
"Yeah, oh no indeed," she agreed. "What do I do? I can't act like everything's okay! He's prejudiced towards werewolves! I can't call myself Remus's friend and keep seeing Cathal, can I? The thing is... it's not even his fault he believes werewolves are all evil, because that's what the entire wizarding world thinks."
James reached over and squeezed her hand, not knowing what else to do.
"Theoretically, I could try and convince him that they aren't." She was mostly muttering ideas to herself, sorting through the mixture of thoughts she'd been having the past week. "But if he doesn't change his mind, he'll wonder why I'm so certain werewolves aren't monsters. I can't risk exposing Remus."
"Well, what are you going to do?"
What was she going to do? A selfish part of her wanted to ignore the incident and keep seeing him. What wasn't to love about Cathal Wood? He was sweet, quidditch captain, well over six foot, drop dead gorgeous.
But Remus was her friend, who was loyal to a fault. So loyal he was keeping secrets from his friends that treated him like a brother. Her secrets. Because she asked him to.
"You know what? He can póg mo thóin," she said firmly. "I'll break up with him as soon as I get a good excuse."
James had to hide his glee. A plan was formulating in his head. A perfect plan that would put an end to Sirius's pining and Lynn's... well he was sure that she felt something for Sirius.
Just a bit deeper down.
"Isn't him being an ignorant slut enough of an excuse," he asked. Apparently James wasn't so pleased with Cathal's beliefs either.
"Don't worry about it, James. I'll figure it out."
...
They were lounging in the sitting room that night when a knock on the front door echoed through the house.
They probably shouldn't have opened the door without James's parents present, but in her defence she had had her wand clutched in her left hand, ready to defend the both of them if she needed to.
Sirius stumbled in as James opened the door, soaked from the snow, abandoning his trunk at the doorstep and collapsing onto the base of the stairs. He coughed and heaved, shivering from the cold and clutching his ribs with one arm.
"Sirius?!" She rushed to his side immediately, the anger at him for the past couple of months dissipating at his state. "What happened?!"
Cuts of varying lengths and depths tarnished his handsome face, still bleeding and coating his paling skin in red. He turned around from his hunched over position and sank into a sitting position on the stairs, then seemed to lose the last of his energy and fell backwards, his head making a soft thump as he splayed uncomfortably across the bottom steps.
James tugged his abandoned trunk into the house and slammed the door shut against the biting wind, as Lynn gently tried to get Sirius to stand so she could take him into the living room where he could be more comfortable. He was beginning to doze off, mumbling incoherent words to her. "James, help me get him into the living room."
They took an arm each and forced him to stand, making him cry out. He allowed them to guide him, taking steps on unsteady feet towards the living room, letting out a relieved sigh when they allowed him to sit down again.
"James, isn't your mum a healer?"
He didn't respond to her, too busy gawking at Sirius's injuries.
"James!"
"What? Yeah, yeah she is. I'll go get her."
Lynn pointed her wand towards the fireplace, causing flames to ignite themselves, then summoned all the blankets around the room towards her. Underage magic was the least of her concerns. It's not like the ministry monitored the Potter's anyway since they were purebloods.
She worked quickly, unclipping his soaked cloak and tossing it aside, then working on drying the rest of his clothes.
"If you wan' me naked, you just have t' ask, Lynn," Sirius smiled weakly, one eye swollen shut and the other fluttering as he fought off his exhaustion.
"I'll keep that in mind," she told him, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. Thankfully his cloak had taken the brunt of the snow, so she only needed to remove his shoes and socks and rolled up the soaked part of his trousers so it wasn't in contact with his skin. She used the hair drying spell Cathal had taught her, his dark locks expelling the water and fluffing out without any product in it.
"'m sorry."
"What? Don't be sorry, this isn't your fault," she soothed, reaching up and flattening his hair. He leaned into her hand, telling her wordlessly to keep going, so she stroked his hair with slow, careful movements, brushing the strands away from his cut up face. She withdrew her hand when she felt stickiness at the back of his head, dark red coating her fingers.
"No. Sorry... for before..." His chest rattled as he spoke, and he was still cradling his ribs.
"It's okay," she shook her head. Now was not the time for his apologies, he could be dying for all she knew. The wound at the back of his head couldn't be good, not to mention the fact he could barely breathe. "Just stay awake until Mrs. Potter is here."
"'s not okay..." he mumbled, head rolling sideways and onto her shoulder. She guided him closer to her neck to prevent him from falling even further. "'m stupid."
"It doesn't matter.. oi don't fall asleep." she tried her best to keep him upright, but he had gone almost completely limp, falling sideways into her. He mumbled some more as she changed tactics and got him to lie down on his side, shifting the blankets around him.
"Missed you."
"I missed you too. Stay awake, okay?" Was he attacked? Surely he hadn't been anywhere except his house. She couldn't imagine anyone being able to break into the Black's home. Unless...
"Hurts," he croaked.
"I know, I know."
Lynn was well aware of bad parenting. Her father ditched her family when she was young, without a second thought. Don't even get her started on her mentally unstable mother. But to wound your child in such a way? These were life threatening injuries.
Euphemia rushed in, followed by Fleamont and James, gasping in shock at the state of Sirius's face. "Oh my... Fleamont get my kit."
Lynn moved aside to give Euphemia space to work, watching her closely as she muttered various enchantments under her breath.
"He's bleeding from the back of his head," Lynn croaked, eyes glistening. "And- and I think he has a broken rib or something."
Euphemia gently inspected the back of Sirius's head. "Sirius, dear. Can you sit up for me?"
"M'kay," he groaned, allowing Euphemia and James to sit him upright. His head rolled on his shoulders, not having the strength to keep himself upright. Fleamont rushed in with a large brown leather bag filled with vials of different coloured potions and ointments.
Euphemia directed her wand at Sirius's chest. "It's worse than I thought," she muttered, when Sirius yelped like a kicked dog. "Bone breaker curse to the ribs, I suspect. Fleamont hold him still so I can mend his head, it's going to be painful, but at least I'll be able to lay him down after."
"Alright," the man said quietly, a horrified look in his eyes.
"James, I need a few vials of a light blue potion. It should be in the glass case in my study. Lynn, could you go with him?"
"Yeah," she agreed, knowing that she was just trying to get rid of her and James so she could heal Sirius without distractions.
Sirius's cries followed her as she trailed after James.
"It's alright, my dear," Euphemia soothed as he whimpered, using her wand to repair the crack in his skull.
"Where's Lynn?" he choked out, squinting through swollen eyes as he scanned the room.
"She's going to grab a few things for me. So is James. Here, drink this," she handed him a blood red potion for blood replenishment. He took the bottle and with shaking hands tipped it down his throat. Instantly, some colour returned to his cheeks.
"Okay. Your head needs more attention but I've healed the worst of it. Lie back on the cushions so I can sort your ribs out."
Sirius did as he was told, shutting his eyes. His face scrunched up every time Euphemia muttered a spell, his ribs aching more than anything else in his body.
"Do you want to tell us what happened, son?" said Fleamont.
Sirius sniffled. "They... I refused to- I'm not their son anymore."
No matter what Fleamont and Euphemia said, Sirius refused to elaborate on the matter. James and Lynn returned shortly, handing his mother the vials she requested. After healing his cuts and covering his bruises in salve, she coaxed Sirius into drinking the potion and moved him onto a makeshift bed a house elf had set up.
"I'll stay down here with him," Lynn offered immediately. "You all must be tired."
"Oh, Lynn, you need to sleep too," Mrs Potter told her.
'I'm not tired anyway."
After another few attempts at sending Lynn to bed, Mr and Mrs Potter left for bed, followed later by James. "Wake me if anything happens," he told her.
She didn't take her eyes off Sirius as he slept, which she knew was a bit strange, but she felt as if he was just going to evaporate into thin air if she didn't keep him in her line of vision.
He muttered to himself incoherently, the only words she could pick out was her own name and Regulus's.
She had almost gotten to sleep, her arm dangling off the side of the sofa, when he began to stir.
"Sirius?" she whispered, trying to make out the details of his face from the low lighting.
"Hi," he whispered back, adjusting the mountain of blankets he was under. "I'm too warm."
She grabbed a few of the blankets and threw them over herself instead. "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks," he coughed. "Ow," he whispered, clutching his ribs.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?"
He contemplated it for a moment. "Maybe later."
"How're your ribs?"
"A bit sore," he sighed. "Sorry for barging in like that."
"That's a stupid thing to apologise for," she chastised.
"Yeah, well, I suppose I have more important things to apologise for."
She swallowed the lump that had developed in her throat. The past couple of months, she had found herself thinking back to his words. How easily he had called her a freak.
Even in the wizarding world, hearing and seeing things was considered abnormal.
"Lynn, I-"
"You've already apologised, don't worry about it," she tried to reassure him. Tears were threatening to spill, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to help it if he kept talking.
"I was in a right state, that one doesn't count," he denied.
"Sirius."
"Lynn."
When she didn't respond, he took it as an invitation to continue.
"I didn't mean what I said," he said firmly. "I was just angry, and I took it out on you."
"It was my fault too," she shook her head. "I was pushing you on purpose to get a reaction."
"You had every right to be upset. I... I know you've been struggling with stuff. I used that because I knew it would get to you. But whatever's happening, I'm here for you now. I know I'm an absolute twat sometimes, but you're... you're really important to me, okay?"
She quickly wiped away a tear that had managed to escape. "Okay."
"And that stuff about Cathal was stupid. I know he's a decent one," he sighed. Lynn frowned at that.
"Oh." He sat up, wincing at the movement. "I almost forgot-"
"Lie back down you eejit, you're injured," she scolded him, escaping the pile of blankets covering her to push him back down on the bed.
He rolled his eyes, but did what he was told. "Can I have my trunk over, please?"
She went into the hallway where his trunk had been abandoned, using her wand to levitate it into the room.
"Underage magic," he tutted playfully, rolling onto his side so he could open his trunk. "Here," he said, offering her a messily wrapped package. "Late Christmas present."
"You didn't have to get me anything," she said, but accept it nonetheless.
She carefully undid the wrapping, making Sirius squirm beside her from how long she was taking.
"Where did you get this?" she asked in a hushed voice.
It was a snow globe, where inside mini figurines of a black dog and red fox were playing in the snow. She watched the fox jump around the globe, while the dog concentrated on digging a hole near the miniature tree in the globe.
"I made it. Found the dog and fox in a muggle antique shop this summer. Couldn't find any of the others, so I thought it would make a nice gift for you. That's supposed to be the whomping Willow. I was gonna animate it too, but I didn't want to hurt the dog."
"The dog?" she laughed. "What about me- I mean the fox?"
"It's a fox. Like it would be stupid enough to get smashed by a tree," he dismissed with a grin.
"Thank you," she whispered, looking away from the globe and grasping his hand in hers. "Now I feel bad for not getting you anything."
He gave her the softest of smiles, the kind he only gave her when she wasn't looking. For now, he could pretend she wasn't with someone else, someone far better than he could be. Imagine that his hand was the only one she'd grasp the way she was doing in that moment. "I got you back, didn't I?"
...
So I was going to make Lynn's house pretty normal, but then I realised I made this bitch rich so I might as well have fun with it. I'm gonna go into detail when I rewrite some earlier chapters.
Lynn's house is called Adare Manor and it is a real place in Ireland. It's pretty much a castle and it is so fucking beautiful I want it.
This is the 'living room' which is bigger than my whole ass house.
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Love of love 💕💕💕