#*writing posts

"What do you want, Kelsey?" Kristopher bellowed as he took a step forward to face his younger sister. The other three Death Eaters quickly turned their wands on him, but the Shacklebolt patriarch didn't even flinch. "Get to the point and get out."

"Oh, my dear brother - you could have brought a lot of respect to the Shacklebolt name, once upon a time," Kelsey taunted. "Look at this place now - full of blood traitors - Shacklebolt, Weasley, what a sad variety of people."

"I said get to the point," Kristopher repeated threateningly.

Kelsey laughed darkly as she took a few slow strides to stand just a foot away from her older brother. "You don't scare me, Kris," she said in a low voice. "You never have. You walk around, thinking you are just so strong and intimidating. But let's not forget - your two, just graduated children did more in the war than you ever did. Because you were too scared of me."

Audrey could see the pure rage boiling behind her father's eyes. Kristopher Shacklebolt was a generally calm person. Although intimidating, he always held a perfectly composed and stoic demeanour and never bared his emotions quite like Audrey and Keegan would from time to time. However, Audrey knew he was very capable of raining hell on anyone that crossed him if it was his only move, and she was very scared that this would be the moment they would all see the result of decades of pent-up anger.

"But I suppose I'll do you this one favour and get to the point, as you so put it," Kelsey continued. "I want two things: the deed to the estate, and dear Audrey."

"You can have my middle finger, you twat!"

Audrey's fear had melted almost instantaneously as soon as Kelsey had made her demand, and the words had poured out of Audrey's mouth before she had even had a chance to think about them. Kelsey's head snapped towards her with a shocked and angered look on her face, but Audrey only challenged her gaze and lifted her chin.

"What did you just say?" Kelsey demanded.

"You heard me," Audrey said. "The only thing you're getting from us is a firm fuck you, so you can be on your way."

Kelsey stared her down for a long moment of silence. Then, the woman burst into laughter and turned around to look at one of the other Death Eaters. "Darling, did you hear that? She's gotten a bit of an attitude since last time," Kelsey said between laughs.

The other Death Eater pulled back his hood and Audrey quickly recognized him as Kelsey's husband, Thorfinn. He had an amused smile on his face as he shook his head. "I don't think you understand - we're getting what we want, one way or another," Thorfinn said. "We'll be nice and let you choose how."

"You can have the deed," Kristopher said, the room suddenly growing quiet, "but if you think you'll lay another finger on Audrey, I can tell you now it'll be over my dead body."

"That can be arranged, dear brother," Kelsey replied bitingly. Her gaze unfaltering, she added, "Ariane, Antonin, go sack his study for the deed."

"I can show you - "

"You're not leaving my sight, Kris," Kelsey interrupted sharply. "No, I know you are all far too smart and cunning for me to let you out of my sights," she continued as she paced around them. Thorfinn kept his wand pointed their way the entire time, daring one of them to step even a toe out of line.

Kelsey stopped pacing when she reached Percy and shook her head lightly. "You, especially, you little rat," she said bitterly. "You are very sneaky for a lion."

Percy stared back at the older woman, his face blank, and stayed completely silent. He recalled from their narrow escape during the war that Kelsey loved to taunt her prey, so Percy felt no need to humour her. As much as her overconfidence irritated him, he knew the smartest move was to stay quiet. He suddenly felt Audrey squeeze his hand again and looked over at her. Her eyes were wide and her jaw tightly clenched. She looked furious and, in a way, sad. As if she could no longer take surviving these encounters by the skin of her teeth. Percy could tell Kelsey's wrath was starting to take a toll on her.

"Aw, how sweet," Kelsey mocked. "You know, you have quite the habit of getting between me and my niece. For your sake, I'd recommend sticking to your blood traitor ways and finding a sweet little mudblood instead."

Percy scoffed. "And make it easy for you? I don't think so," he bit back.

"Ah, he talks!" Kelsey exclaimed sarcastically. "What a perfect man!"

Listen carefully.

Audrey and Percy fought the initial urge to look around as the familiar echo of Legilimency filled their minds. They quickly recognized Zhara's voice, though, and Audrey felt a little betrayed that she didn't even know her own mother was a Legilimens; although she supposed that this was hardly Zhara's biggest secret, considering the confidential nature of an Unspeakable's job.

Kris, use wandless magic to bring down the Apparition Wards without getting caught, Zhara commanded. Keegan, on my signal, use your wandless magic to make the room completely dark. Percy, Audrey, you apparate next to Thorfinn at the same time to get our wands - they're in his left pocket - then apparate back to us so we can have our wands. As soon as the lights are back on, we take them down.

Audrey felt a small surge of confidence run through her - if there was one thing her mother was good at, it was strategizing. Her father had started learning wandless magic at just sixteen years old and was definitely strong enough to handle the task. Keegan was good enough to clear the path for Audrey and Percy, who were both skilled enough as duellists to take care of Kelsey and Thorfinn on their own if need be.

"You know, I really should stop wasting my time on Audrey," Kelsey continued as Zhara finished running through her plan. Audrey could see her father's hands just slightly moving behind his back as her aunt moved past her and stopped in front of Zhara. Kelsey slowly drew her wand and pressed it to Zhara's throat. "You're his real weakness," she said in a low voice.

Kristopher's hand movements suddenly stopped as he looked over at Zhara, but they all instantly heard her commanding voice: do your job.

"I genuinely think our parents loved you more than they loved me," Kelsey continued bitterly. "Beautiful, prim, and proper Zhara. But I bet you have your fair share of secrets. That's how it goes when you're an Unspeakable. I bet I could break this family with a bit of digging."

Now.

With a quick wave of his hands, Keegan filled the room with darkness just as Percy and Audrey disappeared with a pop and reappeared right next to a confused Thorfinn. Audrey quickly grabbed their wands as Percy sent a forceful punch towards his jaw that produced a loud crack. They heard his body thud to the floor just as they apparated to where the rest of Audrey's family was. As soon as Zhara had a wand in her hand, the room was illuminated once again and she didn't hesitate to send a strong stupefy right at Kelsey's chest before the Death Eater could even think to draw her wand again.

Just then, the other two Death Eaters stormed into the room and Audrey and Percy quickly turned around to stun them as well. Keegan waved his own wand to produce a large cage, then procured a spell that dragged the four Death Eaters into the magical cage. The cage lock clicked shut just as Kelsey slowly started to sit up. Percy, Audrey, and the rest of the Shacklebolt family walked towards the trapped Death Eaters.

"I'll kill you!" Kelsey shrieked. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You keep saying that and yet you keep failing," Zhara taunted. "You always did talk too much, Kelsey."

Kelsey scoffed. Suddenly, with a smirk, she turned her sights to Percy. "Guess what, Weasley - I'm the one that killed your brother."

In an instant, everything grew silent around Percy and he felt his heart stop as he met Kelsey's wild gaze. Her words echoed in his mind and every time they repeated, he felt his shock slowly turning into anger. Seemingly beyond his own control, Percy felt his grip tighten on his wand until his knuckles grew white. As Kelsey bent her head back and let out a manic laugh Percy rushed forward with his wand raised and aimed right at her.

"No!"

Percy suddenly stopped in his tracks as Audrey jumped in front of him. He was frozen in place, his wand still raised even as Audrey held up her empty hands. Her eyes quickly flitted to behind Percy as she slowly said, "Wand down, Keegan."

"Audrey - "

"I said wand down!"

"No, I'm - "

With a wave of her hands, Keegan's wand jumped out of his hands. He looked back at his little sister in shock.

"You think you're the only genius that can learn how to do wandless magic?" Audrey demanded. She turned back to Percy as Keegan and her parents watched warily. "Percy, put your wand down," Audrey ordered calmly.

"Did you - did you hear her?" Percy asked shakily. "I can't, Audrey. I can't - "

"Percy," Audrey started, "she's lying. She's a manipulator. Look at her - she's desperate. She's only trying to get a rise out of you."

"I killed him in cold blood!" Kelsey shrieked. "I killed the brat!"

Percy's grip tightened on his wand as tears pooled in his eyes. "Percy, please," Audrey whispered. "You're better than this. She was fighting Kingsley for almost the whole battle - it wasn't her."

"What if - "

"Fred died a hero," Audrey continued. "He died fighting for what was right and for what he believed in. Don't let her ruin his memory."

Percy's gaze finally shifted away from Kelsey and to Audrey. She was standing completely still before him, her arms up and her hands spread open, with a pleading look on her face. Her eyes didn't ever move away from his own. Slowly, Audrey took a step towards Percy, and when she noticed him relax slightly, she quickly moved to embrace him. He didn't hesitate to tightly hug her back, his wand falling out of his hands. Audrey felt his body shake as he took a deep breath and she hugged him tightly.

"You're not a bad person, Percy," Audrey whispered.

"Thank you," he whispered back.

Audrey stood by Percy, her hand tightly holding his, as Aurors filed into the Shacklebolt dining room and started inspecting the damage. A couple Aurors took on the task of handling the trapped Death Eaters, while Head Auror Robards headed straight for Kristopher and Zhara. They seemed to be deep in conversation, Robards nodding along seriously to everything Kristopher was saying. A few minutes later, Robards shook hands with Kristopher and headed towards Audrey and Percy.

"Shacklebolt, I'm disappointed to see you're not getting any rest during your medical leave," Robards said sternly, although Audrey knew that sternness stemmed from genuine concern.

"No rest for the wicked," Audrey joked with a shrug.

Robards laughed lightly as he turned to Percy. "Ah, Percy. You have..." he started, "a very worked-up family waiting for you at home."

Percy let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "Right, I should get to them," he said. Turning to Audrey with an apologetic look, he added, "I'll come by as soon as I can."

"Go, go - don't worry about me," Audrey replied with a wave of her hand and a small smile. "I'm a big girl."

With a smile spreading on his face, Percy quickly leaned in and kissed Audrey's cheek before running off for the Floo. Audrey looked after him with a small smile on her face, but she was quickly snapped out of her dreamy state when Robards cleared his throat. As she looked back at her boss, Audrey found the older man with a smirk on his face.

"You are undeniably smitten, Shacklebolt," he said slowly.

Audrey laughed lightly. "What can I say - I have a soft spot for the spectacles," she joked.

Robards let out a small chuckle. "You deserve this, Audrey," he said, his tone much more sincere. "Things are hopefully going to get more peaceful now for your family. You have the whole Auror Office on the side of the Shacklebolts."

Audrey gave her mentor a sincere smile. "I hope you're right, Robards. I could really use some good news."

"Ah, well, I am fresh out of that," Robards said a little dryly.

With a frown, Audrey slowly asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, well... I went personally to the Weasleys' to inform them of the situation," Robards started, "and, uh, they had some emotionally charged opinions on certain... aspects."

"Robards," Audrey started in a low voice, "what happened?"

"They may have voiced their concern, uh, that these situations have only started being a problem for Percy very recently," Robards explained nervously, "namely, in your presence."

"What?" Audrey seethed.

"Audrey, listen, you are by far one of my favourite people," Robards started, "but you need to realize that they are worried for their son. The things they say now are just... a byproduct of their worry."

"They think I'm trying to kill him!" Audrey exclaimed.

"Now, that's hardly what they said," Robards reasoned. "Their worry is not entirely misplaced, all right? Percy... he didn't fight the same war you did."

As Robards' words sunk in, Audrey finally realized why the Weasleys would be so worried for Percy. And, in that moment, she had a pretty strong gut feeling of what Percy might do.

"That's where you're wrong, Robards."

As soon as Percy stumbled out of the Floo, his eyes found almost his whole family huddled at their old dining table. Their heads immediately snapped up upon his entrance, and he quickly felt the sting of the worry and sadness in their eyes. Molly's face was spotty and her eyes red, while Arthur sat next to her with his hand gently rubbing her back. George sat next to them with his arms crossed and a stony look on his face. At the far end of the table, Percy could practically feel the ice in Ron's glare as Hermione sat next to him and held his hand. Finally, Percy noticed Bill and Fleur leaning against the kitchen sink just behind Arthur and Molly.

"Wow, so... you're all here," Percy started slowly.

"Oh, Percy," Molly said with a sob, "thank Merlin you're alive."

"Mum, please don't cry, look - I'm fine," Percy pleaded. "Alive and well."

"Perce, come on," Bill said in a tired voice, "this is getting ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Percy repeated with an incredulous tone in his voice. "You think I'm going out there looking to get killed by Death Eaters?"

"Well, you're certainly not trying to avoid them," George commented icily.

"This rubbish again?" Percy bit back, turning his sights to George. "What is your problem with her? So she was a Slytherin - get over it."

"Percy, no one thinks you're trying to get yourself killed," Arthur intervened, giving George a pointed look. As he turned his gaze back to his older son, he continued, "I know that Audrey and her family are very honourable people. I remember how they fought in the Order - we all do."

Percy stayed silent as his father paused, never once looking away from his father's eyes. Although those were the words Percy had thought he wanted to hear, he had a horrible feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

"But that wasn't your world," Arthur continued. "You were never in that crossfire, and it worries us that you're getting caught up in it now."

"Yeah, way to be late to the party, mate," Ron grumbled.

At his father's words, Percy felt the world around him fade away much like it had done when he had been face to face with Kelsey. He couldn't believe his ears. His family thought he was just too simple and weak to handle something that was the status quo for so many other people in the wizarding world. Facing old enemies, getting attacked by fugitive Death Eaters, getting harassed for your blood status... this was all much too normal for survivors of the war. However, apparently for Percy - inexperienced and bookish Percy - it was all simply too much.

In that moment, Percy felt his anger get the best of him.

"You must be joking right now," Percy seethed.

"Mate, you have a sick sense - "

"Not my world?" Percy repeated, his voice rising to a shout. "Never in the crossfire? Is that what you think?"

"You were a bloody paper-pusher making galleons for kissing arse!" George shouted back as he shot up from his seat and slammed his hands on the table. "You left us, Percy, when it mattered most!"

"Oh yeah?" Percy challenged. "Well how's this for kissing arse: number five, Teardrop Crescent."

Silence followed as George looked back at him in confusion, so Percy continued, "Number eleven, Grindy Lane. Number fifty-two, Hillside Avenue. Number - "

"Percy, what is this?" Molly interrupted tiredly.

Percy didn't answer, but after a long pause, Bill spoke up, "They're... they're safehouses." His jaw was dropped slightly as he stared back at Percy, finally connecting the dots.

"Exactly," Percy confirmed, "and I can tell you the names of every single person that stayed in every single one of them."

"What are you goin' on about, Perce?" Ron asked with a hint of annoyance in his tone. Hermione was quick to elbow him and reply, "Really? Are you that stubborn?"

"I never left my family," Percy continued in a low voice. He could feel the back of his eyes burning with tears but he held them back. "I only made a choice to do the good thing."

Silence filled the room for a long, tense moment after Percy finished talking. Then, breaking the stillness, George scoffed, "You really expect me to believe this rubbish? Learn how to apologize, mate."

"Apologize?" Percy shouted. "I've been bloody apologizing for things I haven't done for years! Don't fucking tell me to learn how to apologize!"

"Percy, please!" Molly exclaimed. "I - wh - where is this coming from?" she asked shakily. "How... how did any of this happen?"

Percy felt guilt surge through him as he met his mother's pleading eyes. He hated upsetting her, but in that moment it was as if George's only goal was to simply rile him up. With a heavy sigh, he began to explain, "After I graduated, Dumbledore wanted someone to be his eyes and ears in the Ministry. Someone that would fit in well - I was a pretty obvious choice at the time. It was fine at first. I was just doing what I had always wanted to do, with the added task of keeping Dumbledore in the loop. You'd be surprised how easy it is to keep a secret if you're just a bit creative.

"But then... Voldemort came back," Percy trailed off. When he noticed how still everyone was, their gazes fixed on him, he continued, "Dumbledore wanted to reinstate the Order and he wanted me to continue what I was doing, but for the Order... and with a catch. I couldn't risk anyone targeting any of you if I ever got caught, either to get to me or because they thought you would know something - so I had to push you away as much as possible. Make it seem as if the Ministry was the only family I cared for."

"Pretty bloody convenient," George seethed, "guess you should start an acting career then, huh?"

"What do you want from me, George?" Percy exclaimed. "After all these years, I'm finally being honest with all of you - this was my burden alone. I sacrificed my family and my life for people I didn't even know because I wanted to make the good choice, not the easy one! I thought of all of you every single day that passed, and you have no idea how much it hurt me to push you away!"

"Could've fooled me, you prat!" George shouted back.

Just as Percy was about to continue his shouting match with George, the room was once again silenced by the sound of the Floo roaring to life. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone fixed their sights on Audrey stumbling out of the fireplace with soot covering her dress. Without a moment's hesitation, Audrey turned to Percy. "I told you I'd back you up," she said with a shaky smile.

"How - I - wh - " Percy stumbled, clearly in a mild state of shock at Audrey's surprise entrance. However, a few moments later, it all melted away and he smiled back. For the second time that day, Audrey had somehow melted away his anger. Turning to his family again, Percy said, "If you really find it that difficult to believe me, then Audrey can tell you where it all fell apart."

Intrigue etched on everyone's face, their sights once again focused on Audrey. She could feel the tension, anger, and sadness in the room as she looked around at the small part of the Weasley family that was before her. It had been somewhat of a gamble, assuming that Percy would end up telling his family about his involvement in the war. However, the combination of Percy Weasley's textbook Gryffindor pride, a very emotional few hours, and a family that was under the impression their son knew nothing of war and sacrifice... Audrey had a pretty good feeling that it would be Percy's tipping point.

It seemed her gut instinct had been right, though, and that she had arrived just in the nick of time. "Everyone that worked high-risk and secret missions for the Order had codenames. George, you so graciously nicknamed me Viper," Audrey started, briefly pausing to give her old classmate a pointed look, "My brother was Ace. And the Order's oldest Ministry spy was... Knight," she trailed off as she glanced at Percy. "One day, we received an encrypted letter signed off by Knight using a common Muggle coding strategy - really clever way to get around purebloods, actually.

"The note was a warning that Dion Shacklebolt, my grandfather, was going to be targeted, but the end of the note was the hardest to decode," Audrey continued. "When we finally got it, it was simply the word 'compromised.' Kingsley knew exactly what it meant - Percy was at risk of getting discovered should we pull out Dion. As per Dumbledore's orders, if Percy was to ever get discovered, there was only one way out: a vial of deadly nightshade."

Molly gasped lightly before Audrey continued, "Evidently, Kingsley wasn't a fan of the plan, so my brother and I were given a revised extraction protocol which included Percy. What we didn't know was that Kelsey Rowle was the one that ordered the execution of my grandfather," Audrey paused for a moment, her heart racing as she recounted the events of that day. "Unfortunately, none of the disguises in the world could have stopped her from recognizing me and Keegan. She's smarter than she looks. We were stopped just short of the portkey. If it hadn't been for Percy, we would have all lost our lives that day."

The room filled with tense silence as Audrey finished talking. Everyone's eyes were still intensely fixed on her, which certainly didn't help calm her racing heart. Then, all of a sudden, Molly and Arthur shot up from their seats and raced over to Percy, tightly embracing him. Percy stumbled back a bit but quickly hugged them back, a smile spreading on his face and tears welling up in his eyes. Bill was next to join in, then Ron. When George finally approached the rest of his family, they all dispersed slightly and a path cleared between Percy and George. The air between them was still with the newfound silence in the room.

Then, in one abrupt movement, George took one long stride toward his brother and tightly wrapped his arms around him. Percy didn't hesitate to hug his younger brother back, squeezing tighter as George let out a sob.

"I love you, Perce. I'm - I'm sorry," George said into his older brother's shoulder.

"I love you too, George," Percy replied. Audrey could see the tears of joy start to run down his face and she smiled back at him as his eyes met hers.

"And, um, nice to officially meet you, Audrey," Arthur spoke up as he stepped forward and extended his hand for a handshake.

Audrey chucked as she shook Arthur's hand, "Nice to meet you all, too."

Almost instantaneously, the Burrow was once again filled with conversation and the noise of a boisterous family. As Molly made her way to the stove - simply insisting on serving some tea and biscuits - and everyone busied themselves in the dining area, Percy made his way towards Audrey.

"How did you know?" he asked curiously.

"Just seemed like the most logical outcome," Audrey answered with a shrug, "and if I happened to be wrong, well, let's be honest - it was about damn time."

"Slytherins and their cleverness," Percy chided with a shake of his head and a smirk on his face.

"Gryffindors and their impulsivity," Audrey shot back jokingly.

Daphne gently rotated the rock that she was holding with her tweezers as she ever so slightly adjusted the magnification and focus on her magnifying spectacles. If she could get the perfect focus, perhaps she could see -

"Ah, there you are, Daphne!"

Daphne jumped in her seat, startled at the shrill voice and let out an exasperated sigh as she glanced through her spectacles and noticed they were once again out of focus. Bloody brilliant, Daphne thought to herself as she gently set down the geode and removed her spectacles.

Turning her head to glance up at her mother, she said with a bored tone, "What is it now?"

Fiona Greengrass was a beautiful woman, but her beauty had been worn down by the war. Her honey blonde hair that once shone in the sunlight now seemed dull and graying, and while her skin may have once been described as porcelain, it was no more pallid. The wrinkles of worry on her forehead and around her eyes were more prominent now, especially as she confusedly moved her gaze between the geode and her daughter.

"What on earth is that, Daphne?" Fiona asked, her tone clearly expressing her bewilderment.

"An assignment for training," Daphne replied with a shrug.

"Ah, right, you're still in that silly Curse-Breaker phase," Fiona said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

You cannot hex your mother, a voice in Daphne's head reminded. You can move out, though. Taking a deep breath, she instead asked, "Is that why you came over here?"

"No, no, of course not," Fiona replied in a cheery tone. She sat down across from her daughter as she continued, "I need your help with a little project."

"Project?"

"Er, dinner party."

Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head at her mother. Of course, the woman wanted to host a dinner party, of all things. "I hate to remind you of this," Daphne started, "but with what money? You don't work, Astoria's in school, and if you think I'm contributing to this nonsense from my meagre trainee salary then you are in for the shock of your life."

Once upon a time, Daphne would have been utterly terrified to speak to either of her parents like that. Now, though, things were different. There was no longer any fear hanging over her head. Her parents had been on the losing side of a war, her father's trial was finally coming to a conclusion, she had done her part and given her names, and now she was steadily on the path to her own career. All Daphne wanted now was as much distance as possible from the traditions that her name stood for.

"Oh, honestly Daphne, you can be so full of yourself," Fiona bit back with a roll of her eyes. "I only want your help in the planning process. You know, a little mother-daughter project."

The skepticism was evident on Daphne's face. "All right, what kind of dinner party is this?" she asked.

"It's to... make amends, of sorts - you know?"

Ah, there it is. Daphne let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "You're really something, you know that?" she muttered.

"Daphne, listen to me: we have nothing," Fiona said sternly. "The Ministry looks at us like scum - us! And because of how close we were with the Malfoys and you and Astoria fighting against the Dark Lord, even our peers hate us. We need to do damage control, love."

This was the sort of thing that Fiona Greengrass considered a national crisis. Everyone hates us - even the mudbloods! It drove Daphne mad. She would be the first to admit that, at first, she had done anything and everything to defy her parents' pureblood ideals simply because of her father's abusive nature. As she got older, though, Daphne truly started to understand how tiring it all was. And for what? A few fake friends that would all rather save their own arses anyways? It was honestly pitiful.

Still, she lived in the Greengrass Manor - for now - and the least she could do for her distraught mother was humour her in some way.

"What did you have in mind?" Daphne asked tiredly.

"Well, I've been thinking that it really would be useful to have a nice mix of families," Fiona started with an innocent shrug. The skeptical look reappeared on Daphne's face, "you know - old friends and new friends. And it just came to me - you have quite a good relationship with a certain well-liked pureblood family."

"Oh, so you just want me to get the Shacklebolts here - not to actually spend time with you," Daphne stated, the bitterness very evident in her tone.

"Oh, come off it, love," Fiona said dismissively, "it would be a huge favour to me."

Just like everything else I do, Daphne thought to herself. Still, if there was one useful thing she learned growing up in a pureblood family, it was to keep your thoughts to yourself.

"Fine - it'll be easier than dealing with your cold shoulder, anyways."

Daphne fidgeted with her hands as she suppressed a shiver - a response to the cold winter wind blowing in her face as she waited just outside the doors of Greengrass Manor. Her mother had put her on door duty for her long-awaited dinner party. Who better than the Greengrass daughter that was both famous and infamous for defying her parents' ways? Truly, let's parade her on the street while shouting 'shame!' at the top of our lungs.

Daphne was, possibly, a tad bitter about the whole arrangement.

Her demeanour softened just slightly as she spotted three very familiar faces approaching the steps of Greengrass Manor: Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa. Lucius and Narcissa weakly returned her smile, while Draco stepped forward and hugged Daphne.

"Fiona's got you playing hostess for this charade, has she?" he asked with a laugh.

"Draco, be polite," Narcissa chided mildly.

"It's quite all right - he's not far off," Daphne said to Narcissa. "I've still gotta wait out here so I'll see you lot inside."

"Don't cause too much trouble," Draco joked as he gave her a nudge and walked past her.

"No promises!" Daphne replied cheekily.

It took a few more minutes of waiting in the cold for the last of the party guests to make their way to the manor. Daphne's features spread into an unbreakable grin as soon as she recognized Keegan, his parents - Kristopher and Zhara - closely following behind him.

The Shacklebolts and Greengrasses had always gotten along decently well - until Voldemort came back, of course. After that, her father had gone and ruined practically every relationship their family had had with anyone remotely normal. Still, when Zhara had planned Keegan a surprise party to celebrate the end of his Obliviator training a couple of years back, the Greengrasses had been added to the guest list. That had been the day that their flirtatious adventure had started.

Unfortunately, a month after that, the Minsitry had fallen to Voldemort. Keegan and his younger sister, Audrey, had joined the Order and Daphne... well, she did what every other Slytherin did: returned to Hogwarts and tried to act like everything was fine. Except for Daphne, it really hadn't been fine.

In any case, at the end of it all, Daphne had been surprised to find Keegan right where she had left him - figuratively speaking, of course. They had tried their best to pick up where they had left off, but still kept things under wraps. With her father still on trial and his Death Eater aunt, Kelsey Rowle, at large, it was best to keep their relationship hidden. Then, one day, Kelsey had been captured and next thing Daphne knew, Keegan was standing on the steps of Greengrass Manor saying she deserved more.

Well, who was she to argue with that logic?

Once they had told their families about their relationship, the reactions were more or less as expected. Fiona had been shocked that her daughter was dating a pureblood, even if he was from a blood traitor family. Kristopher and Zhara had easily taken a liking to her on account of actually being able to hold an intelligent conversation about something other than floral arrangements - which was apparently the most they expected from traditional pureblood women. Regardless of everyone else's reactions, Daphne was certain of one thing: her life was finally looking up.

"You're looking quite lovely," Keegan remarked as he approached Daphne with a smile.

He bent his neck to give her a short kiss just as his parents approached. "Kristopher, Zhara - I'm so glad you could make it," Daphne greeted politely. "Mum will really be delighted to see you."

"Oh, I'm sure she will be," Zhara replied, her smile somewhat contrived. She clearly wasn't a fan of the whole arrangement and, frankly, Daphne agreed.

"We'll see you two inside," Kristopher suggested as he gently ushered his wife inside.

"So, no Audrey?" Daphne asked curiously. She wasn't all too surprised. Audrey Shacklebolt was often regarded as peculiarly headstrong and proud for a Slytherin - until she would dupe you in some clever way and shamelessly remind you why she was sorted into the house of the snakes in the first place. Like their mother, Keegan's younger sister was amazingly talented at exuding authority.

"No, she made it pretty clear that she wasn't coming if Percy wasn't invited," Keegan replied. "In fact, her exact words were 'I don't want any of her shitty discriminatory wine if she can't even stand the thought of a Weasley in her own home.'"

"Well, I tried my best, but you know how Mum is," Daphne said with a shrug. Her mother had been adamant that the purpose of this dinner party was to make amends with old friends, not befriend 'pacifist blood traitors.' Sometimes, Daphne wondered if the whole war had somehow been erased from her mother's memory.

Keegan nodded knowingly, laughing a bit. His eyes suddenly shifted to the side of her neck and he raised his hand to gently touch the scar that stood out on Daphne's pale skin with a light frown on his face. "No Glamour Charms today?" he asked as he met her eyes.

He knew all too well how horrible her father was. Bruises on her arms, scars on her back, face reddened in the shape of a hand... the list of ways that Archibald Greengrass' anger could manifest was endless. The scars Daphne had received from her father over the years were always her biggest insecurity and she hid them as much as she could, but Keegan had always been comforting about them. He would say they were the scars of a survivor, not a victim.

"Mum wants to make amends," Daphne started, "what better way to do that than with honesty. Took a bit of convincing, but Astoria isn't using any either."

"Good," Keegan said with a nod and a reassuring smile on his face, "you have nothing worth hiding, Daphne."

Daphne smiled back at him. "All right, let's head inside before Mum starts sputtering some nonsense about my innocence," she joked as she linked her arm with his.

Keegan laughed and muttered, "A little late for that, isn't it?"

Daphne lightly smacked his arm but couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her or the red creeping up her neck as the made their way through Greengrass Manor. The sound of classical music only got louder, until they finally reached the spacious sitting area where their house elf, Silas, was eagerly scurrying around and serving drinks. Fiona was laughing about something trivial with Wilma Crabbe, while Xavier Nott silently sat in an armchair as he sipped at his wine. Everyone else was dispersed throughout the room making small talk, and as for Draco...

Daphne sighed as she set her eyes on her friend. He was practically frozen his place, unmoving. At first, she thought he was having yet another one of his ridiculous, fatalistic episodes - and of all bloody times to do so - until she realized how steadily fixated his gaze was.

"Do you see what I see?" Daphne quietly asked Keegan.

Keegan shifted his gaze to Draco, watching the younger man carefully, until realization clouded his face. "Oh, that's interesting," he whispered.

"I think I'll go talk to him," Daphne decided.

"Daph, don't meddle," Keegan warned, giving her a knowing look.

"Me, meddle? Never."

Alas, she was quite the meddler.

At first, it had almost irritated Draco how right Daphne had been. He was being fatalistic, and truly a horrible friend. More than that, though, he was being a self-centred prick. It never really mattered to him if other people thought that of him, but Daphne... well, she was supposed to be his one true confidant. If she couldn't trust him, then he must have truly fucked up.

After Daphne's warning to get his life together and stop moping around, Draco had done just that. He had cleaned up and started helping out with the Malfoy Manor's financials - meagre as they were - as well as taking a job at a shop in Knockturn Alley. It was all for the time being, anyways. At the end of the day, Draco was hoping for something a bit more professional.

The major upside, though to getting his life together had been winning back Daphne's friendship. They were finally back to their light joking and good-natured gossip. When Daphne had told him about her mother's ridiculous dinner party idea, they had taken turns imitating her reaction to different party guests. Draco had figured that, once the dinner party actually came around, they would be doing something very similar in a corner with the added bonus of some elderflower wine.

Unfortunately, Draco's vision had dissipated as soon as he had laid eyes on her.

He had been in the poshly decorated sitting area for scarcely a minute when his eyes saw a flash of nearly pitch black hair and his ears perked at the sound of an elegant laugh. Turning his head, mostly out of curiosity, Draco found himself freezing in place as his eyes landed on Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria had always been a bit aggravating to Draco. He vaguely recalled her trying to force herself into the games and secrets that him and Daphne would have when they were kids. Her trademark while at Hogwarts had been frizzy hair pulled back into pigtails with green ribbon and a childlike, wide-eyed stare. She had been two years his junior and a hardly noticeable thorn on his side.

But then, in that very moment, he hardly recognized her.

Her dark hair was sleek and smooth, hanging loose in waves down her back. Her warm brown eyes drew him in as she laughed. Astoria Greengrass was no longer the annoying, childish, little sister of his best friend. No, as far as he could tell, she may as well have been a woman that ruled her own empire.

Draco could fill the inner turmoil of being attracted to his best friend's sister already begin.

A hand clasping onto his shoulder brusquely snapped Draco out of his dreamy staring at Astoria. He turned to see who had startled him and felt himself tense up as his eyes met Daphne's.

"Daydreaming?" she asked. Her tone sounded innocent but he could see the knowing glint in her eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco replied cooly.

"Oh, so you won't mind if I just call Astoria over and - "

"Daphne, for the love of Merlin, this stays between us."

A victorious smile on her face, Daphne let out a sigh and removed her hand from Draco's shoulder. "Don't get your hopes up, Draco," she warned.

"Why's that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because she's here with her new boyfriend."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Draco turned his gaze to Astoria once more and this time found that someone else had joined her. He recognized the boy - Sebastian Daley, a Slytherin in Astoria's year. Draco felt a mix of disappointment and hatred surge in him as he watched Astoria's supposed boyfriend snake an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek.

"Look - I'd be surprised if he's 'the one' or anything like that," Daphne started, "but please promise me you won't push him out of a window or something. This is my sister we're talking about."

Draco turned his head to look at Daphne once again and forced a soft chuckle. "I promise, don't worry," he said. "Guess I should take care of myself first, anyways."

Daphne gently patted him on the pack, a kind smile on her face. If she was being perfectly honest, the Draco she had known before the war would have been absolutely perfect for Astoria. Pureblood idealism aside, he had always been a perfect gentleman and had had quite the knack for the kind of sweet romantic gestures that Astoria lived for. Now, though, things were different, and Daphne had thought Draco had put it quite well - better to take care of himself before involving anyone else.

Their brief moment of comfort was, unfortunately, rudely interrupted in that moment by the sound of a disgusting splat. With frowns on their faces, everyone looked around the room, searching for the source of the sound. Again, splat. This time, everyone saw the gooey substance dripping down one of the windows.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Draco asked as he nodded toward the window.

Daphne felt a displeased glare forming on her face. "Eggs," she muttered darkly. "Someone's egging my fucking house."

Turning her head, Daphne found her mother's eyes and curtly said, "I'll handle this," before turning on her heel and briskly walking out of the room.

She faintly heard Keegan's voice say, "I'll go after her," before hearing the sound of his footsteps running to catch up with her.

As soon as he had fallen into step with her, Daphne coldly said, "I can take care of this, I don't need a supervisor."

"I know, but if you need me, I'm here," Keegan replied as Daphne pushed open the front doors to the manor.

Daphne came to a stop once they reached the gates and turned to look at Keegan. She could see the worry very clear on his face and smiled at him. "Look, I know what I'm doing - trust me," she said quietly.

Keegan simply nodded, and that was all Daphne needed.

Turning to face the gates, Daphne took out her wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. Then, she stepped forward and every so slowly pushed open the front gates of the manor. As the gate opened wider, she could see the perpetrators - three young-looking boys - freeze as their wide eyes fixated on the gate. There was newfound fear in their gazes, because from where they were standing, the gate was opening all on its own. They looked to be about second or third years, so it didn't take long for Daphne to formulate the perfect plan.

Daphne walked towards them quietly and went behind them. She leaned forward, her mouth close to one of the boys' ear, as she hoarsely whispered, "You've upset the ghosts of the manor, boy."

All three boys yelped, jumping forward at her voice. "Where are you? Who are you?" he shouted, panic etched on his face.

Daphne mustered a rather comical cackle. "I am the oldest Greengrass ghost, and now that you've defiled my home, I will haunt you for the rest of your days!"

With that, the three boys shrieked loudly and ran off. Daphne watched them round the corner before taking her wand out and removing the Disillusionment Charm. She crossed her arms, a proud smirk on her face as Keegan stepped through the gates and walked towards her. He looked down at her with an amused grin.

"You really are quite crazy, you know that?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh, you know you like it," Daphne replied with a sly smile.

"Well, I guess I can't deny that," Keegan admitted with a shrug, his hands moving to Daphne's waist. "This place is wearing you out, isn't it?" he asked quietly as he met her eyes.

Daphne slowly nodded, the smile on her face transforming into a look of worry. "I'm the only one that works - and I'd hardly call Curse-Breaker training a steady income," she said quietly, "and Mum just drives me mad, but I guess... family legacy is family legacy, even for me."

"What if..." Keegan started slowly as he pulled Daphne closer to him, "I happened to have a spare key to my place with your name on it."

"You want me to move in with you?" Daphne asked, a surprised look dawning on her face.

"Sure - but on the condition that the ghosts stay here," he replied cheekily.

"I... I have to think on it, if that's all right," Daphne replied slowly. Her gaze shifted to the manor as she quietly added, "It may seem silly but the idea of leaving this place for good... it kind of scares me."

"Of course that's all right," Keegan replied softly. He gently grabbed hold of her hand. "Shall we head back inside then, ghost of Greengrass Manor?"

Nervousness washed over Merlin like a tempest. He felt like prey, and Rowena seemed to be the predator eagle on the Ravenclaw crest. There was something about the noblewoman that unnerved Merlin and made him question every word he said. He had never before felt so frustrated with himself.

However, as he thought about all this, he realized that it forced him to improve on his weaknesses.

"I dun' - do not - know anything 'bo - about - Charms, Lady Rowena," Merlin stuttered.

"But you said that your father taught you how to levitate objects," she reminded. Her blue robes came into his peripheral vision, swishing like ocean waves.

"Yes, that he did," Merlin confirmed. "Is that a Charm?"

"Indeed. The Levitation Spell," Rowena answered as she came to a stop in front of Merlin. "Can you tell me the incantation?"

"Levioso," Merlin replied. "Emphasis on the first 'o.'"

"Levitate that goblet over there," Rowena ordered, pointing to a table behind Merlin. "Try not to spill the wine, of course."

Merlin whirled around and settled his gaze on the silver goblet. He walked up to the table it was resting on and looked at it for a moment, painting a portrait of it in his mind. He closed his eyes, imagined the cup rising into the air, thought the incantation, and, finally, tapped the goblet with his wand. When he opened his eyes, the goblet was levitating just above his head.

He turned around to face Rowena and awaited her response. She merely stared back at him with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide.

"Did you - did you do that non-verbally?" she asked incredulously.

Merlin nodded. "Was I not s'posed ta?" he asked nervously.

"No, no, I just..." she trailed off, her gaze moving to the goblet, which was still levitating in the air. She swished her own wand and set the goblet back on the table before turning back to Merlin. "I did not expect you to be able to perform non-verbal magic."

"I can only do it for this spell, Lady Rowena," he replied.

"That is still very advanced magic, Merlin," she said. "No matter. We will have to focus on more difficult Charms."

Merlin felt the same nervousness wash over him. More difficult? That did not sound very good to him.

No. Steel yourself. Something told Merlin that Rowena appreciated people that took on challenges, people that attempted to conquer all. Moreover, the young boy did not want to run anymore. Not like he did on the day the wandless wizard took away his parents.

"No Charm will be too difficult," Merlin declared confidently.

A surprised smile graced her features. "Go to the other end of the room, and summon the goblet from there," she ordered. "The incantation is accio, and the wine is yours if you can keep it all in the goblet by the time it reaches you."

It was late when Merlin returned to the Slytherin House dungeons. His stomach grumbled - an irritating and familiar reminder that he skipped both lunch and supper - and he swayed from side to side as he walked, possibly due to the goblet of wine he had earned himself.

When he opened the door to the room he shared with the other wizards, he was immediately enveloped in darkness. Not a moment later, though, Merlin heard a hushed, "Lumos," and got momentarily blinded by a soft light.

"Declare yourself!" one of the boys shouted.

"Merlin. And keep quiet," Merlin answered.

The wand lowered to reveal its owner - Arcturus. He had a confused frown on his face. "You disappeared after lessons," he said observantly.

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched with a sardonic reply, but he had quickly learned that Arcturus Black was better as an acquaintance than an enemy. "Yes, I s'pose I did," Merlin replied as he strode towards his bed.

"Where did you go?" Arcturus asked.

Merlin heard the groan of another boy, along with the ruffle of sheets as he sat up. "Wha's wif the noise?" a muffled voice asked.

"Merlin has been going on solitary escapades through the castle," Arcturus explained. "I am asking about his adventures."

"I was only summoned by Lady Rowena," Merlin replied bitingly. He did not want the Black boy spreading untrue rumours.

"What she want?" the groggy voice asked. Merlin thought it may have been Diodorus.

Merlin changed into his nightgown and slipped under his sheets before coldly answering, "Nothing."

"It could not have been nothing," Arcturus whined. "Father says that Lady Rowena is a man in a woman's body, that if any witch should be burned at the stake it is her."

Merlin ground his teeth to keep himself from jumping at Arcturus's throat. "She is trying to find out who my parents were," he lied.

"Who were they?"

"I do not know yet."

"Oh, but you must - "

"Good night, Arcturus."

Merlin pulled his sheets over his head and hoped that the other boy would take that as a sign to keep his mouth shut. He was not sure why, but the smugness and overconfidence of Arcturus Black had irritated Merlin from the first time he heard him talk. Perhaps it was his wealth, or the way he paraded it, but something about the heir to the Black fortune caused a tingling sensation to run through Merlin's fingers.

The same sensation he felt when he had used a jinx on that dead rat.

Helga kept a protective arm around the young girl's shoulders as she guided her through the darkened castle. She hoped that her three colleagues would not be too irritated about being awoken in the eerie morning by her Patronus, for she desperately needed them to be in the best of sprits for the matter at hand.

She had found the girl wandering the cold Highlands alone, ropes still binding her wrists together. Helga could not fathom leaving her, even if she knew the risk of bringing a complete stranger to Hogwarts, especially when the school was still so young.

But she could not just leave her.

"Dawdling in Dreams," Helga muttered to the gargoyle leading to the Headmaster's Office. It spun to reveal the spiral staircase leading to what used to be the study of Lord Roderick Ravenclaw.

When Helga arrived, Godric, Rowena, and Salazar were already waiting. Godric had made a poor attempt at appearing well-rested, and Rowena stood next to his desk with her lips in a taut line, dark circles under her eyes. Salazar stood on the other side of his desk, a permanent scowl gracing his features.

All three gaped when they caught sight of the girl in Helga's arms.

"You must allow me to talk, and not interrupt me," Helga started.

Godric nodded and waved his hand, although he seemed none too happy about the request.

Helga took a deep breath before diving into her explanation. "This is Tolly. I found her on the outskirts of the castle grounds. She claims to have escaped a burning at the stake because her parents are a witch and wizard. Tolly, unfortunately, is a Squib."

"What?" Salazar bellowed.

"I am not finished!" Helga shouted. The mere occurrence of the kind Welsh woman shouting was enough to silence him. "We must care for her, somehow. There must be some use for her in the castle."

"Filth like her is the reason we have these obscene muggle-born wizards, Helga!" Salazar shouted. "Why would you bring her here?"

"Because she's not filth, Salazar - she's just a girl, and she'll be burned at the stake just for being in a magical family," Helga explained patiently. "Has your blackened heart finally crumbled?"

"You drive me mad, do you know that?" he seethed in reply.

"It was rather reckless to bring her here," Godric said. "You cannot be sure that she is telling the truth."

"Look at her, Godric!" Helga pleaded. "She is frightened, cold, and helpless. We must help her."

Rowena sighed and looked at the young girl. She could not be any older than sixteen, and her mousy brown hair was thin and matted. She had streaks of mud all over her face and body.

"I wish to hear from her," Rowena decided. "What do you have to say for yourself, Tolly?"

"I - I dun wish ta cause trouble, Your Ladyship," she stuttered. "I can leave, Your Ladyship."

"Do you wish to leave?" Rowena asked.

"Rowena, surely, you cannot be considering this!" Salazar exclaimed.

"You forget that this is my castle, Salazar," Rowena replied airily. "So, Tolly? Do you wish to leave?"

"Tru'fully, n - nay, Your Ladyship," Tolly muttered. "I can help, I can! I's very talent'd at sewin' and cleanin' and I can cook barley bread easy 'nough."

"I am unsure of this, Rowena," Godric commented.

"And would you rather I throw her back out into the cold?" Helga retorted.

"No," Rowena answered. "Tolly, you will stay here, at Hogwarts Castle, under a few conditions. You must help clean the castle, as well as aid the house elves in the kitchens. You will be sleeping in the kitchens - we can place a cot there for you."

"Rowena," Salzar started as he strode around the back of Godric's desk to stand next to her. "Do not do this. She does not belong. She is a Squib."

"Salazar, you would do well to remember that anyone can be a Squib," Rowena replied icily. "You could have been one, your children may be Squibs... do not tempt Fate."

"This school will go to pieces if we let all of this filthy blood taint it!" Salazar exclaimed, his gaze moving to Godric. "We need wizards and witches like ourselves."

"We are not educating her," Helga said with a roll of her eyes. "We are simply housing her. Is a good deed beyond your comprehension, Salazar?"

"Do not make me out to be the villain, Helga," Salazar seethed.

"You make yourself out to be as whatever you wish to be, Salazar."

After two weeks of practicing the Summoning Charm with Rowena, Merlin could non-verbally summon a table from the other side of the castle.

Declaring the Summoning Charm more or less mastered, Rowena moved on to teach him its counter - the Banishing Charm.

"The incantation for this Charm is depulso," Rowena explained. "Place emphasis on the 'u.' To start, try to just send it away from you. Once you have that mastered, we will work on banishing objects to specified locations."

Rowena turned to a cushion resting on the only table in the room. She swept her wand in front of it, her gaze unfaltering, and the cushion went flying out the door. After a few seconds, she summoned the cushion back into the room and turned to Merlin with a proud smile.

"Now you try," she commanded.

"Lady Rowena, may I ask how these spells will help me win a duel?" Merlin asked. "You said tha' - that Charms would be an easier way of winning duels."

"They are," Rowena replied. "These are the simplest Charms - you cannot build a house from the roof down, Merlin. And, of course, this particular set of Charms will allow you to summon a weapon or banish an enemy's weapon. Do not fret - we will learn more useful Charms, but only when the time comes."

Merlin nodded in understanding and turned towards the cushion to work on the Banishing Charm. The Charm came easily when he had its counter mastered. All that he required was to imagine the exact opposite.

Rowena observed the boy as he banished and summoned the cushion repeatedly. Each time, the cushion flew a little farther away from him. She thought there was something endearing about his determination.

No, not endearing... powerful.

Merlin's determination had a severe edge of potency. This was a bittersweet revelation for Rowena.

The bitterness was due to the fact that he was Salazar's pupil, and not hers.

"The boy is incredible. Not only for a wizard of his age - for a wizard of any age!"

Godric raised his eyebrows skeptically and turned to Salazar. "Can you confirm this?" he asked. "He is your student, after all."

"Merlin performs as expected in my lessons," Salazar answered. "He can perform each jinx just as well as the next wizard of his age. Perhaps he catches on a little faster than most, but the strength of the jinxes he performs is not of particular note."

"Perhaps jinxes are a waste of his talent," Rowena suggested bitingly. "He excels at Charms."

"Jealousy is unbecoming of you, Rowena," Salazar replied in a venomous tone.

Rowena's eyes fluttered shut and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. When she opened her eyes, she fixed Godric with a determined stare and said, "He could be a master enchanter if I had the opportunity to teach him more, Godric. However, it is quite difficult when this can only be done in private lessons in the evenings."

"What are you suggesting, Rowena?" Godric asked.

"That Merlin is to be moved to the house of Ravenclaw," Rowena replied.

"Are you raving mad?" Salazar bellowed.

"Salazar!" Helga scolded with a mortified glare. She turned to Rowena with a huff. "Do you not remember what I told you about Merlin, Rowena?"

"Of course I do, but - "

"Then leave this matter well alone," Helga interrupted sternly.

Rowena turned to Godric with a helpless expression. "Godric, surely, you must understand."

"If I am to be honest," Godric started, "I do not believe you should be giving him special lessons at all."

"What?" Rowena exclaimed.

"I am glad you see it my way, old friend," Salazar said with a pleased smirk.

"Do not mistake me, Rowena," Godric said. "I understand that the boy is gifted in Charms, but he is Salazar's student and it is therefore up to Salazar to educate him. I do not want students believing that we practice favouritism at Hogwarts."

"It is not favouritism - "

"It is," Godric interrupted.

"Salazar will never teach him the Charms I intend to!" Rowena exclaimed.

"Oh, he will learn the Patronus Charm, eventually," Salazar commented dismissively, "but why waste time learning the Baubillious Charm when one can simply use a Blasting Curse?"

"How can we unlock the potency of our students if your 'old friend' is so stubbornly ingrained in his ways?" Rowena asked challengingly.

Salazar observed his colleague with a sense of victory. Rowena had always been excessively competitive and hubristic, and he revelled in the joy of seeing her so flustered by the mere fact that the situation did not model her desires. He had tried once, in their youth, to teach her how cunning could get her anything she wanted, but the proud Ravenclaw had dismissed his efforts.

It seemed that the past was punishing her, and Salazar could not be more pleased.

"Very well, Rowena, I will try to appease you," Godric said, pulling Salazar out of his musings, "if only so you may quiet yourself."

"How do you plan to appease me, Godric?" Rowena asked icily.

Godric smirked. "Well, if you were any other woman, I would gladly show you."

"Your chivalry is astounding," Rowena snarled sardonically.

The corners of Godric's mouth twitched, his smirk faltering for a moment, and Salazar could not help but think that his friend was ill-prepared to handle Rowena's temper. "If you so deeply desire to teach Merlin, then you must offer these lessons to every student," Godric started, "and the rest of us must do the same."

Any traces of joy on Salazar's face immediately disappeared. "I must be hearing incorrectly, Godric," he snapped.

"No, you are not," Godric said pointedly. "You will provide your lessons in Potions and that Dark Magic you insist on teaching to the rest of the students if they so wish to learn. All of us will teach our specialties to every student. Of course, our own students will be required to attend our lessons, but the rest of the day would be up to their desires."

"How do you plan to organize this, Godric?" Helga asked.

"Each of us will teach the students of our house for two hours every morning," Godric explained. "After that, we teach another house for two hours. For example, I will teach Rowena's students, Helga could teach Salazar's students, Rowena may teach my students, and Salazar may teach Helga's students. Then we repeat this twice more for the other two houses of students we have yet to teach. Simple enough?"

"This is not necessary, Godric," Salazar commented.

"I understand that you think your lessons are sufficient, but - "

"No," Salazar interrupted sharply. "I merely do not wish to teach the mudbloods. Why is it that every single time we are in this room, you all seem to be defending the scum under our boots?"

"Salazar, we have discussed this at great length," Godric said sternly. "If a man has magic, he is a wizard. That is the end of that."

"The whole point of these houses - "

"Was to appease your picky nature," Rowena interrupted coldly.

"I think I am the only one justified in calling people picky," Helga commented as she gave Rowena a pointed stare. She turned to Godric and said, "You, as well, are exceptionally idealistic in your selection."

"Idealistic? I would hardly - "

"Godric, please," Helga interrupted. "All of you make me sick to my stomach. Our goal was to educate wizards and witches, not to exclude them because of their origins and personalities. I quite like this plan, as I am quite certain that none of you would ever teach your students a damned thing about magical plants and animals."

"What would be the use?" Salazar muttered.

"Ask me that the next time you borrow dittany for your foolishly earned injuries," Helga snapped as she glared at the dark-haired man.

"Helga is right," Rowena said quietly. "We must rely on each other to make up for our shortcomings, even if we do not wish to admit that they exist."

"Very well," Godric agreed with a nod. "I will make the announcement to the students when we are breaking our fast tomorrow."

Helga smiled gratefully at Rowena. "Now then, would anyone like some honeyed wine?"

Merlin stood up without a moment's hesitation as soon as Salazar declared the lesson of the day over.

Ever since Godric's announcement that students could learn from the other professors, Merlin had been eager to explore the facets of magic left untouched by Salazar and Rowena. After lessons with Salazar, the students of Slytherin House could learn from Helga Hufflepuff. According to her quick description in the morning, she taught of the many uses and properties of magical plants, as well as the taming of magical animals.

Most of the students in Slytherin House scoffed at Helga's introduction, which Merlin found strange. Surely, they were in the school to learn. What would they learn by scoffing at new ideas?

Whatever the answer was to that question, it was beyond Merlin's understanding. He yearned to learn more, to master more magic.

As Merlin reached the ground floor of the castle, he stopped in his tracks. Students were milling about the entrance hall, creating an entangling crowd of people trying to find their way. Suddenly, a blonde boy in scarlet robes appeared in front of Merlin.

"Good morning!" he greeted cheerily. "You are Merlin, correct? The boy that can speak to snakes?"

Merlin simply nodded and returned to searching the crowd for a way out of the castle and outside. Helga's lessons were often held on the edge of the forest on the castle grounds.

"My name is Cadogan Lynch," the boy continued. "I was selected by Gryffindor, you see. That's why my robes are scarlet!"

Merlin looked back at the boy. "That's impressive," he said monotonously.

"You should meet my friends!" Cadogan exclaimed. He turned to the crowd and waved his arms frantically while shouting, "Mabon! Aldreda!"

A few seconds later, two people appeared at his side. One was a tall and lanky redhead with a very freckled face and brown eyes. The other was a short girl with short, frizzy brown hair and scars on the skin of her tanned face. Her grey eyes were almost milky in contrast to her brown skin.

"This is Mabon Weasley," Cadogan introduced. "He is a muggle-born - very hard for them out in the real world, you know?" He paused and turned to the girl. "This is Aldreda Mercer. She is a half-blood."

Merlin nodded at them kindly, but his eyes remained focused on the girl. "Yer the one that cut off the thief's arms. That true?" he asked.

Aldreda shrugged and answered, "I hacked at the bone a few times, and then gave up. So not really true."

Merlin felt a combined surge of fear and admiration. And maybe a bit of jealousy. He wished that he had had that much courage when his parents were in danger.

"I should introduce you to some of the Hufflepuff House students," Cadogan decided as he grabbed Merlin's arm and led him into the now dispersing crowd of people.

"I really mus' get to Lady Helga's lessons," Merlin said.

"Nonsense - this will only take a moment," Cadogan replied before coming to an abrupt stop in front of two boys in yellow robes. Pointing to the one with long red hair and the beginnings of a moustache, he said, "This is Hengist Abbot, and this," he moved his hand towards the other boy, shorter and with black hair, "is Aeron Longbottom."

"Nice ta meetcha, Merlin!" Aeron greeted.

"Cadogan, I've got mah lessons," Merlin grumbled as he wrestled his arm out of the boy's grip. He forced a smile at Aeron and Hengist, "'Twas nice meetin' ya, too."

Merlin turned to leave the castle, but Cadogan followed right behind him. Once he caught up with the dark-haired student of Slytherin House, he said, "We should spend time together, Merlin. I think we would be great friends."

"Do you not have other lessons to get to?" Merlin asked irritatingly.

"Just Lady Rowena's lessons," Cadogan said dismissively. "She will not mind if I am late."

He will be in for quite the surprise, Merlin thought to himself with a trace of amusement.

"So, what do you say to my proposition?" Cadogan asked as the two came to a stop at the edge of the forest. "We could be great friends, Merlin."

Merlin nodded, if only to appease the boy. "Quite the plan," he said.

"Fantastic! Have a great lesson, Merlin!"

Cadogan turned to run back towards the castles, his robes billowing behind him. The boy nearly ran straight into Lady Helga as she was heading for the forest, but the woman did not seem offended. She merely laughed jovially and waved at the boy as he continued to run past.

Merlin did not know what to think of Helga's immense kindness. It was comforting, and it was she that he had to thank for bringing him to Hogwarts, but he found it difficult to see the benefit in being so optimistic and jovial. She was a soft-spoken woman, and it was a wonder that no one had taken advantage of those two particular traits - amiability and femininity.

Then again, being a powerful witch probably helped.

Once she reached the edge of the forest, Merlin realized that there was only one other Slytherin House student attending Helga's lesson - Merwyn Yates. The boy was very unnerving for Merlin, and so he tried to avoid being around him. It seemed, however, that it could not be avoided in that instance.

And yet, she was anything but thankful. In fact, her compliance to his and Godric's plan came with several conditions, one of which was enlisting the aid of Helga Hufflepuff as a founder of the school.

Salazar did not doubt Helga's import as a founder of Hogwarts, as they had decided to call it. She was a natural educator, and had been teaching witches and wizards in an abandoned pub, or something of that sort, for many years. In fact, the jovial witch was the most knowledgeable in the field of education of the four of them, and the remaining founders had much to learn from her.

No, it was not Helga's import that Salazar doubted - it was her values.

The witch wanted to educate everyone. If she found a child in a muddy ditch that could make flowers appear in her palm, Helga Hufflepuff would do everything in her power to turn that filthy muggle into an all-powerful witch. It absolutely disgusted Salazar. The rare obscenities of the muggle world that possessed magic were just that - rare and obscene. In Salazar's opinion, they were not meant to be accepted by anyone - muggle or magic - but to perish until none remained. They were a dark spot of chaos on the face of an orderly world.

Of course, Godric's boot would have found his bottom if he terminated their arrangement with Rowena, and the founders had to reach a compromise, because it was not only Salazar that was picky with his students.

Rowena was, as she ever was, extremely pompous and hubristic in the matter. She felt that only the most intelligent of children deserved to be taught. After all, as Rowena had put it, what purpose was there to wasting valuable time on an idiot by birth?

Salazar had taken the opportunity to assert that pureblood wizards and witches were likely the brightest, which caused Helga's features to contort into an irritated glare.

As for Godric, he was as impetuous and hotheaded as always. He believed that only the bravest children should be taught magic. There was nothing more disappointing, as Godric had argued, than a wizard or witch that was too scared to put his or her skills to use.

So that was how the four witches and wizards had compromised to educate who they preferred, separate from the other founders. The students would be in separate houses, living in separate parts of the school, eating at separate tables. Even in classes, there would be no more than two houses present in one room.

Salazar was not pleased. There were still muggle-borns in his school.

"Salazar," Godric hissed at him. "Pay attention."

Salazar left his thoughts behind him and returned his attention to the crowd in front of him. They were huddled together like scared animals, staring up at the four adults with a mix of admiration and fear. Most were about eleven years old, while some of older ages were scattered amongst them. The four founders were sitting at a levitated table at the farthest end of the hall. Salazar spread out the rolled parchment on the wooden table and read the first name.

"Morcant Ahearn."

The boy was skinny and covered in mud. He could barely speak proper and coherent English - a common trait amongst muggle-borns that had begun to explicitly stand out to Salazar. The frail boy flinched each time one of the adults spoke.

It was no surprise to Salazar that he was picked for the house of Hufflepuff.

Going through the list was insurmountably dull. Salazar had found a few students that were pure of blood, some that were extremely ambitious to master magic, and a very cunning fourteen year-old. Yet, to his dismay, there were no parselmouths.

He should not have been too surprised at that. It was a rare gift to be a parselmouth that very few were born with. Usually, it had to be inherited. It was rarer still to find a witch or wizard that was the first parselmouth in a family.

"Aldreda Mercer."

The girl that stepped forward was small and covered in unbecoming bruises and scars. Her brown hair was violently shorn short and matted beyond belief. Despite all this, she stood the tallest out of all of the students, even those that had already been sorted. Her arms hung stiffly by her side and she looked Salazar directly into his eyes when he called her name. Salazar figured her to be only about twelve years of age.

"Tell us, girl: who are your parents?" Salazar asked.

"My mother's name was Jocosa, and she was a witch," Aldreda replied with unexpected confidence. "My father's name was Elric, and he was a muggle merchant. He kept her secret."

Salazar leaned back in his seat and whispered to Rowena, who was sitting next to him, "This disinterests me."

"Of course it does," Rowena replied with a light sigh. Then, she asked, "Where are your parents now?"

Salazar was not surprised that Rowena was interested in the girl. She spoke nearly perfect English, for a girl that originated from a clearly impoverished family.

"Dead. Killed by thieves in our home," Aldreda replied, her face stony. "They tried to kill me too, but I managed to cut off the arms of one of them with my father's knife, and ran with my mother's wand before the other could do anything."

In the corner of his eye, Salazar saw Godric sit up, his interest piqued. "What have you been doing since then?" he asked.

"Living day by day," Aldreda answered. "I have faced more than my share of thieves in that time, I'm afraid."

Godric stood up. "Then let those days end," he declared with a booming voice. Salazar rolled his eyes. His friend had such a mood for theatrics. "You are now welcome to the house of Gryffindor, Aldreda."

"Very well, next up," Salazar started as Godric sat down. "Merlin."

A small, skinny boy dressed in rags stepped forward. His hair was black as pitch, yet his skin was pale and ashen. Every part of him, from the way he stood to the way he hung his head, expressed fear and uncertainty, and yet his childish features were set in a determined frown.

"We don't seem to have your surname, boy," Salazar observed. "What is it?"

"I don't have one," the boy replied.

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have parents, or grandparents, boy?"

"I used to," Merlin replied quietly.

Salazar grimaced. There was no way for him to confirm his blood purity now. "Well, who were your parents then, Merlin?" he asked, more so out of formality than interest.

"They was a wizard and a witch, sir," Merlin replied. "But they was killed by another wizard."

At least both parents were magic. That showed some promise to Salazar. Yet, he remained disinterested. For all he knew, they might have been muggle-borns. He could see Rowena's mind working harder than it ever did before, and he decided to stay out of her path. She was an unstoppable force when she set her sights on something.

"I suspect, then, that you grew up around magic," Rowena started. "Were you taught anything?"

"Yes, madam," Merlin replied. "My parents were teachin' me magic before they was killed. My papa always let me use his wand."

He pulled out the worn wand to show them, and held it as if he was a practiced wizard. "Very good," Rowena praised. "What are your skills, then?"

"Makin' things float, I can do that, as well as turning rocks into birds," Merlin answered. Suddenly, he grew uncomfortable before adding, "I could do somethin' that my papa and mum couldn't, too, and they thought me special 'cause of it, 'scept I'm not too good at it, madam."

"What's that, then?" Rowena asked. Her eyes gleamed with interest. Salazar had to keep himself from yawning.

"I can speak to snakes, madam."

Immediately, Salazar sat forward. He could feel Rowena's searing glare. "What do you mean, boy?" Salazar demanded.

This had certainly piqued Salazar's interest. None of the children before Merlin were parselmouths, and here stood a boy that was likely the first in his family, an even greater rarity in itself.

"When snakes hiss, it don't sound as hissin' to me, sir," Merlin answered. "And when I try talkin' to snakes, my tongue forms hisses, not words. They understand, and they like me."

"Rubbish!" a boy in the crowd shouted.

"Silence!" Salazar demanded, raising a hand. "That is very impressive, Merlin."

Suddenly, Salazar felt the nails of a hand digging into his arm. He looked to his right to see Rowena's angry complexion. "This child is mine, Salazar," she hissed.

"He's a parselmouth, Rowena," Salazar whispered back.

"You cannot even confirm his blood purity," Rowena argued. "He is an intelligent wizard, for his age, and belongs in the house of Ravenclaw."

"I can't possibly imagine a wizard of filthy blood being bestowed the gift of speaking parseltongue."

"I eagerly await the day that you are proven wrong, Salazar."

Salazar's face morphed into a glare to rival that of stubborn Rowena. "I demand that Merlin be placed in the house of Slytherin," he growled.

Rowena let go of his arm, but kept her eyes fixed on him. "In that case, I demand that you all leave my castle."

Anger bubbled in Salazar's veins, even though he knew Rowena well enough to know that she would never follow through with that threat. "You mad - "

"Salazar, Rowena, please," Helga interrupted. Salazar's angry stare turned to her.

"Don't tell me that you want the boy, too," Salazar hissed.

"Nothing of the sort, dear friend," Helga answered. "I would not get so sharp with me, if I were you, as I am supporting your cause."

"Helga, what do you mean?" Rowena asked, her gaze turning frantic as she looked at Helga.

"Rowena, the house of Slytherin has half the students of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and a third of Hufflepuff," Helga explained. "Merlin will be in this school, and you will likely get the opportunity to teach him something, but it only seems proper that we allow Salazar this boy. He cannot help that he is so prickly and unfriendly."

Rowena's glare softened and she returned her attention to Salazar. "Very well, then," she said quietly.

Salazar nodded in satisfaction, ignoring Helga's jab, and stood up. "Welcome, Merlin, to the house of Slytherin."

An ambitious smile spread across the young wizard's face. "I am honoured, sir," he replied.

Salazar took his seat, the remnants of his victory smile still gracing his sharp features. He had never before met a child that shared his skill of parseltongue, so it brought expected joy to the experienced wizard.

Discouraged but not surprised, Daphne approached him and sat on the ottoman across from him. She watched him carefully, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, which were a touch bloodshot, his wrinkled shirt, and his unkempt hair. Slowly, he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip, still refusing to look at her.

This was not the Draco Malfoy she knew.

"I miss you, you know," she finally said, once it had become obvious that he would much rather pretend she wasn't there.

Surprisingly, he responded. "I'm right here," he snapped.

"No, you're not."

Again, he turned to her with a scowl. Daphne steeled herself and remained unfazed.

"Seriously, Draco - I don't recognize you," she continued, her tone a bit softer now.

Her nose is buried in a book. Not just any book - a torrid romance novel she stole from Mother's library before leaving for Hogwarts. Not at all befitting for a twelve year-old, surely, but in that case her mother really ought to hide these things better. Ideally, the woman would never notice it was gone or forget all about it come December. Of course, Daphne did consider the possibility that her mother would both notice and remember to scold her daughter by the holidays, but she will deal with that if it comes down to it. For now, Daphne is enjoying the silence and solitude that comes along so rarely in the Slytherin Common Room.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Daphne is reminded of this as a Quaffle crashes into her book and falls into her lap. She looks up with a murderous glare to meet the proud eyes of Gregory Goyle. Vincent Crabbe stands right next to him, a similarly proud look on his face. Bloody gits.

"Pass it back, Greengrass," he orders, "if you can even throw a Quaffle, that is. Daddy might get mad if you get your hands dirty."

She is seething with anger. Not so much because she was disturbed, but more so at the mention of her father. Hogwarts is supposed to be her chance to get away from that devil of a man, and yet it seems that she still can't escape his presence.

Before she knows what's happening, her small hands are gripping the Quaffle with all of their strength and she violently throws it back to Goyle. He doesn't expect this and it hits his abdomen with a satisfying thud, causing him to double over. As she smirks, she notices Crabbe draw his wand and step towards her with a menacing glare.

"You think that was funny?" he demands.

"Yes, quite," Daphne replies smartly.

He looks just about ready to shoot a spell at her - what, exactly, she hardly knows. Crabbe is not exactly the epitome of intelligent. However, before he gets to unleash any of his magic unto the young girl, Daphne hears a quick, "Expelliarmus!" and the wand flies out of his hand. He now fixes his glare on his assailant, but it quickly disappears as he recognizes the student.

Draco is by Daphne's side in a matter of seconds. "I highly doubt your father would be happy with you if you hurt a Greengrass," he comments. "I've told you before to leave her alone - it seems you might be going deaf, Crabbe."

Crabbe simply mutters something about loyalties under his breath and turns to leave the common room, Goyle following behind him. As soon as they leave, Draco drops himself onto the couch, taking a seat next to Daphne as he turns to look at her with a smirk.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" he boasts.

"That was the first thing we learned in Charms this year, Draco," she deadpans.

"Saved your life, though," he continues, his boastful tone only slightly diminished.

"I would hardly consider Vincent Crabbe a deadly opponent," she replies.

Draco laughs. "That is a fair point," he admits.

"Still, I suppose I should be grateful that the one and only Draco Malfoy is watching out for me," Daphne continues with a joking tone. Then, leaning toward him slightly, she adds in a whisper, "All the other girls are positively green with envy."

He stared back at her with a blank look for a moment, silence filling the space between them. "Get your eyes checked, then," he finally muttered as he turned his gaze back to the fire.

"Prat," Daphne muttered with a shake of her head. He didn't react.

Draco had been in this half-drunk, unkempt state for a long time. After the war, he had completely shut everyone else out, finished his real seventh year, then simply returned to Malfoy Manor with the sole purpose of maintaining the shut-in personality he had constructed for himself. His parents may have evaded Azkaban by providing names, but that simply meant they were hated by both purebloods and blood traitors. At the end of it all, even over a year later, he felt like he didn't deserve to be alive.

Daphne, however, knew very well that this state had been inevitable even before the Battle of Hogwarts. They had been close friends for their whole lives. They both had their social cliques - Draco with the pureblood sons of his parents' friends and Daphne with their daughters - but at the end of the day those friendships were nothing compared to theirs. They had trust, and that was rare to come by in Slytherin. That was why it had become so painfully obvious to Daphne when things had started to head south in their sixth year.

She had been stupidly hopeful that, someday, the old Draco would return. That hope was getting smaller every day, though. She understood where he was coming from. How do you go from being at the peak of society to jaded outcasts?

"First year, you were annoying and full of yourself," Daphne started, deciding that if he was refusing to open up, then maybe he could at least listen. "Truly, I often fought the urge to smack you - but you were there for me when that Ravenclaw ruined my braids."

"It was Roger Davies and he was a prat," Draco muttered quietly.

Progress, Daphne thought to herself proudly. "Second year, getting that Nimbus 2001 really rushed to your head - but you were still humble enough to open up to me and tell me you were scared of the creature in the Chamber of Secrets."

"I wasn't scared - "

"Your words, not mine," Daphne interrupted with a smirk. "Third year, I got on your case about teasing Potter with that Dementor crap and you actually admitted you felt bad for it. Fourth year, you went with me to the Yule Ball after you'd heard that Montague cheated on me with Tracy Davis."

"I also gave him a bloody good Bat-Bogey Hex," Draco pointed out quietly.

"That you did," Daphne admitted with a small smile. "Fifth year, your ridiculousness peaked with that Inquisitorial Squad shite, but you weren't afraid to come to me in tears when your father got thrown in Azkaban."

This time, Draco stayed silent and kept his eyes focused on his lap.

Daphne took a deep breath. "Sixth year... I lost you, Draco," she said quietly. "You kept secret after secret, you shunned me... but still, when you saw that new welt on my arm from my father, you were there for me. Even then."

Cautiously, Draco looked up and met Daphne's eyes. He could see there was pain and empathy in her gaze, and he instantly felt bad for shutting her out so much. He couldn't help it, though. After the war, he had been at a loss for what to do. For who he was. His whole life and system of being had been stomped on and thrown out the window, and now that he had graduated he was simply expected to fit in. How could he if he couldn't even tell right from wrong?

"Why can't I just be like everyone else?" he finally asked quietly. "Why am I so fucked up."

"Draco, you are not fucked up," Daphne said with a confident tone. "All of us went through the same war."

"You didn't," Draco said quietly. "You always hated your parents' purist crap."

"Not for the right reasons," Daphne pointed out, "I just had an abusive father I wanted to spite."

Draco looked down and shook his head. "You were right, though. And I was wrong. The things I did - "

Daphne stood up from the ottoman in that moment and forcefully grabbed the glass from Draco's hands. He stared up at her with a look of disbelief and annoyance, but she simply stared back with a raised eyebrow.

"You've got to stop feeling sorry for yourself," Daphne started. "It's not all about you."

Draco scoffed and looked away from her, crossing his arms as he looked out the window. It was snowing, he realized. Once upon a time, that would have brought a smile to his face. Now, he felt nothing.

Smack.

"Ow - what the hell is wrong with you?" Draco exclaimed as his hand went up to his head, where Daphne had just given him a slightly jarring smack. He frowned at her and she glared back.

"This is what you missed while you were too busy being fatalistic to be my friend," she said angrily as she tugged on the collar of her jumper to reveal the scar on the left side of her neck.

Draco's eyes widened as he took in the scar, spanning from just above her collarbone to the back of her neck. It looked like the job of a knife or a dagger and as he met Daphne's eyes he knew exactly who had done that to her. His grip tightened on the armrest of the armchair as he felt anger overcome him. For the first time in a while, he could feel himself swelling with resentment - an actual strong emotion compared to his usual bleak demeanour.

"Why?" was all that Draco managed to get out.

Daphne sighed and let go of her jumper. "After Uncle Axel had been kidnapped, Father noticed I hadn't been around and suspected I knew something," she explained. "Unfortunately, he was right."

Draco remembered that night. It had been around Christmas time and the younger Greengrass brother had decided to throw a masquerade party. It was very typical of Axel - kick back and have fun, purebloods are entitled to that much. He also very vividly remembered the room suddenly going black and everyone somehow being disarmed all at once. Next thing they knew, Axel was gone.

"It was Keegan," Daphne finally said quietly. "The Order sent him and he told me to get out. When Father found out I was 'sleeping with the enemy' as he put it, he had been furious but... I saw that glint in his eyes. He knew it was useful information."

And then there was Daphne's boyfriend: Keegan Shacklebolt. He was older than them, but most Slytherins remember him on account of being an enigma - otherwise known as a well-liked Slytherin. Daphne's relationship with Keegan had been yet another thing he had missed when he had been too busy doing Voldemort's bidding. Her timing could not have been worse, unfortunately - a month later, the Ministry had fallen to Voldemort and Keegan and his sister had joined the Order with their Uncle Kingsley.

And Draco hadn't been around for her.

Daphne sat back down with a sigh and reached forward, her hand covering his. He met her eyes again and found kindness in them now. "We all have our demons. No one expects you to get over everything in an instant," she said softly, "but you have to at least try, Draco."

"I suppose it doesn't look too good that you knew exactly where to find me in the middle of the day," he admitted with a wry laugh, attempting a small smile.

Daphne smiled back. "Definitely not your proudest moment," she agreed.

Standing up, Daphne reached her hand out to him. He looked up at her, pausing for a moment, before taking her hand and standing up. She didn't hesitate to pull him towards her and tightly embrace him, and Draco found himself quickly hugging her back. He had forgotten how comforting Daphne could be. As far as Slytherins and purebloods went, she had a warmth about her that was unique.

After a moment, Daphne let go of him and took a step back, her expression serious once again. "All right, now there's only one thing left to do," she declared.

"And what would that be, Daph?"

In her mother's defence, Sabina had really outdone herself as far as dressing up went. She wore an off-the-shoulder gown that revealed the most prominent trait she had received from her mother's side of the family: bloody amazing cleavage. The gown was a deep royal blue that made her stand out against the silvery theme of the ballroom and had a slit along the left side that run almost all the way up to her hip. Her mother had put her hair up in an elegant braided updo, but Sabina had done her own make-up.

Danica's lips pressed in a taut line as she shook her head and muttered, "Too much makeup. You are practically a raccoon."

"Yeah, love you too," Sabina grumbled as she raised her champagne flute to her lips.

"Yeah, chillax with the makeup, Sab," Dimitrij, who was standing between the two women, said pointedly.

Sabina glared down at him. "Give it three years and you'll understand these things," she told him simply.

Tonight was the New Year's Eve party at the Shacklebolt Estate. Ever since Sabina and Audrey had formed their unbreakable friendship back in their first year, their families had grown rather close - so that meant that every grand, over-the-top party that Zhara Shacklebolt, Audrey's mum, planned would include Sabina's family. This year's party was bound to be more exciting than previous years, anyways, and that was mostly because it was the first Shacklebolt New Year's Eve party since the war had ended.

"Ah, there he is," Danica said with a smile as she spotted Boris approaching them.

Sabina's father was dressed in some of his finest dress robes and had a wide grin on his face as he gave his wife a kiss. Dimitrij was at his legs soon after that, standing proudly by his father as if willing people to see the resemblance - unfortunately for Sabina's little brother, he was the spitting image of their mother. Turning to Sabina, Boris' grin faltered slightly.

"Sabina, pull up your dress," he chided.

"Oi, what is wrong with the both of you?" Sabina exclaimed as she looked between her parents, her mother giving her the trademark 'I told you' look that all mothers seem to master. "Leave my bloody dress alone!"

"You'll regret it when the team gets here," Boris warned.

Sabina blinked rapidly, her heart stopping at her father's words. "Team?" she squeaked out.

"Ja, the team I work for, Sabina," Boris elaborated with an exasperated shake of his head.

This was turning into an absolute nightmare. "Oh - the team is invited, are they?" she asked.

"Ja, Sabina, like they have been every year - how much champagne have you already had?" Boris asked with a frown. Looking around the room, a grin appeared on his face all of a sudden. "Ah, here they are now!"

"Oh, look - I think I see Audrey!" Sabina quickly exclaimed, wasting no time to leave her parents' sides as soon as she caught a glimpse of Oliver's familiar cheeky grin.

Thankfully, Sabina had actually seen her childhood friend milling around the ballroom and quickly pushed her way through the crowd to get to her. Tonight was supposed to be fun - drink a little champagne, poke a little fun at Audrey and her boyfriend, Percy, flirt with some Ministry men. Easy as pie. No complications, no drama. Until, of course, it turned out that she would have to spend the whole night avoiding Oliver. She hadn't seen him in over a month and now that they were in the same room, Sabina was quickly realizing that she was hardly ready for a reunion.

"Sab! I'm so glad you're here," Audrey said with a smile as Sabina approached her. The two women hugged, but that did nothing to ease Sabina's very evident skittish behaviour.

"Aye, glad to be here. Nice to see you again, too, Percy," she greeted, looking around rather frantically.

"Likewise," Percy replied slowly. "You all right?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Sabina sighed heavily and met Audrey's eyes. Damn Percy for being observant. It wasn't bloody fair that her best friend was dating a former Order spy. "I've got a situation," she declared, a bit breathless. "Your dad told my dad to bring the team."

A confused frown appeared on Audrey's face. "Like he always does," she said slowly.

"Merlin's crotchless thong, I need to be more hammered," Sabina muttered with clear exasperation, quickly downing her champagne and summoning another glass.

"Oh, look - I didn't know Oliver would be here," Percy said as he spotted his friend just entering the hall. He moved to wave him over but Sabina quickly smacked his arm down and sent him a searing glare as he frowned at her.

"Are you mad?" she hissed. Shaking her head, she added, "Jebemti, I need to get out of here."

Before Audrey and Percy could say anything else, Sabina dove into the crowd once again, quickly downing the champagne flute in her hand and summoning yet another drink. She milled around the crowds for a while, making small talk and trying her best to blend in. The champagne started to creep up on her a lot faster than expected, however, so after a while Sabina found herself heading for the open balcony doors for a breath of fresh air.

The sounds of the party faded behind her as Sabina approached the balcony. As she got closer, it became clear that there were two figures already out on the balcony. It didn't take much longer for her to recognize Percy and Audrey. Sabina was almost at the edge of the balcony entrance when she noticed Percy drop to one knee.

Eyes wide, Sabina quickly turned and pressed her back against the wall just next to the balcony entrance. Bloody hell, she had almost ruined her best friend's engagement.

A small smile appeared on Sabina's face in that moment. Her best friend was getting engaged.

It only took another second for the smile to disappear as she saw none other than Oliver Wood mindlessly approaching the balcony, his head hanging down as he stared down at his champagne. Deciding to play the hero, much to her own chagrin, Sabina quickly strode over to Oliver and grabbed his arm, pulling him after her to hide behind the wall on the other side of the balcony entrance. As soon as he opened his mouth, Sabina reflexively placed her hand over his mouth and shushed him.

Once Sabina removed her hand, Oliver quietly whispered, "You know, you used to do that in a much more private setting."

Rolling her eyes, Sabina pointed at the balcony door and slowly peaked her head around the corner. With a frown on his face, Oliver followed suit and looked out onto the balcony to see what Sabina had wanted him to avoid. He easily recognized Percy and Audrey, and as he watched Percy stand up and place a ring on Audrey's finger, he quickly realized what was happening. Oliver felt a grin spread across his face as he watched his friend celebrate.

Oliver and Sabina stepped back from the balcony door and pressed their backs against the wall. "Well, I can't say I'm that surprised," Oliver said, a small smile still on his face.

"Yeah, that would explain his skittishness over the last week," Sabina agreed.

Suddenly frowning, Oliver turned his head and looked down at Sabina. "How do you know them?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, Audrey and I have been best friends since first year," Sabina answered with a shrug. Then, returning Oliver's frown, she asked, "How do you know them?"

"Percy and I shared a dorm for seven years, he's my best mate," Oliver answered matter-of-factly.

Sabina's face quickly transformed into a glare. "Oh no, I know exactly where this is going," she stated with a sigh.

"You two could not meet at a better time!" Audrey's familiar voice exclaimed.

Sabina quickly turned around to see that Percy and Audrey were now standing before her and Oliver, wide grins plastered to both of their faces as they looked at their friends.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Sabina muttered as she forced a smile.

Clearly choosing to ignore Sabina's muttering, Audrey raised her left hand up to her face as she grinned at Sabina. "Look at it," she said in a singsong voice.

"I - I know," Sabina replied. "We were right here."

Audrey rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. "You suck the joy out of everything," she stated plainly. "Also, you're my maid of honour - say yes before Mum forces a cousin on me."

"Better the devil you know," Sabina joked with a wink.

Percy turned to Oliver with an expectant gaze. "Yeah and, uh, if I choose between my brothers, it's going to come up at every family dinner until the day I die," he said with a shrug, "so you're my best man. Please."

Before either Sabina or Oliver could get a word in, Percy and Audrey were out of sight and rushing over to Zhara. Sabina let out a sigh and nodded lightly. "Called it," she said plainly.

Oliver looked over at Sabina, a small smile making its way onto his face as she met his eyes. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Almost being the key word - despite not seeing her for a month, she had always been popping up in his thoughts. Even after how things had ended between them and how unfair she had been, Oliver couldn't get her out of his head. Still, nothing beat seeing her in person.

"I'm guessing you passed your licensing exam," Oliver stated, breaking the silence.

Sabina felt herself returning his smile and shrugging. "Yeah, I start work in the Emergency Wing on Monday," she answered. "You, um - you look good, Oliver."

"You do too," he replied. "I like the dress," he added with a wink.

Sabina laughed lightly, looking away from Oliver's gaze. It was in that moment, however, that she unfortunately made eye contact with her parents heading directly toward them. A frown appeared on Boris' face as he looked between Sabina and Oliver.

"Ocka, I was just catching up with Oliver," Sabina said as her parents stopped in front of them, the half-lie coming to her almost too easily. "It's been a while since I've worked a Puddlemere game."

"Right," Oliver confirmed with a slightly nervous smile. "I, um, recognized her."

What a horrible liar, Sabina thought to herself - and yet she felt herself fighting back a smile.

"Ah, of course," Boris said with a nod. "Well, she won't be working many games now that my brilliant daughter is a fully certified Healer."

"Is that so?" Oliver asked, feigning surprise as he looked over at Sabina. She fought back a laugh as she met his eyes. "Impressive."

"Well, it certainly took a lot of work on her part," Danica stated as she looked over at her daughter. Sabina met her mother's gaze just as the woman continued with a smirk on her face, "Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina felt her face heating up as she remembered the other time Danica had said those words. Damn her mother for being so smart. At least she could count on her not to go telling her father anything - for now. Finally recovering, Sabina laughed lightly and smiled at her mother. At this point in their conversation, she would rather have Merlin smite her than keep talking.

"You know, I think I see Gabriel waving me down - I'll see you around, Coach," Oliver said, excusing himself from the group. As he left, he looked over his shoulder briefly and gave Sabina a smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world that they would be spending more time together now.

3 March 2000

Sabina pursed her lips in concentration as she carefully applied Audrey's makeup. Her friend was clearly fighting to stay still, but after Sabina had already scolded her four times for ruining her work, Audrey was now doing a much better job of not moving. Audrey was really quite beautiful, but she never bothered to get out of her usual jeans and a tank top for long enough for anyone to notice - except Percy, apparently.

"Are you done yet?" Audrey muttered.

"No, stop talking," Sabina ordered.

"Relax, this is better than Fleur playing with your hair and asking you what spell you use every morning," Angelina pointed out as she noticed the look of annoyance on Audrey's face.

"She acts as if she's never seen a black woman before," Audrey joked, trying not to laugh for fear of what wrath Sabina might unleash should she mess up her makeup again.

Finally taking a step back, Sabina admired her handiwork with a small smile. "Perfect," she declared proudly.

Audrey glanced into the mirror and simply shrugged. "Do we really have to do all of this bachelorette party shite?" she asked, looking over at Sabina. "I mean, Merlin knows Molly expects us at the Burrow practically before sun-up."

"Audrey, this isn't about you," Sabina stated, placing her hands on her hips. Then, gesturing around the room filled with the bridesmaids, she said, "This is about us. You're going to get married, and the next thing you know, the only time you're getting drunk is with your husband in an attempt to liven up your sex life."

"I'm still only twenty-two years old, Sabina," Audrey replied.

"We deserve one last hurrah with drunk Audrey," Sabina argued, clearly ignoring her friend. "Right girls?" she asked, turning to face the rest of the room.

"To be honest, I've really been looking forward to meeting drunk Audrey," Ginny admitted. "I refuse to believe she exists."

"Oh, she exists," Sabina claimed with a smirk.

"According to Keegan, drunk Audrey is 'a site to behold,'" Daphne teased with a smirk.

"Yeah, well he's a lightweight," Audrey bit back bitterly. "What kind of Shacklebolt doesn't even like bourbon?" she added with a roll of her eye.

"You know, I have a feeling you might regret not having fun tonight more than having too much fun," Hermione weighed in, a thoughtful look on her face.

Audrey scanned the room, a small smile breaking through. Sabina could tell she was warming up to the idea. Although the bridal party was an unlikely collection of women, they had grown to get along quite well throughout the torture of wedding planning, so a night out was guaranteed to be endless fun.

"I knew you would resist, so," Sabina trailed off, reaching below the vanity to pull out a bottle of vodka and a shot glass, "I came prepared. One of these, and you'll be good."

"If I'm doing one, you're all doing one," Audrey declared. Her statement was quickly followed by cheers as Sabina pulled out more shot glasses and poured some vodka for everyone.

Raising her shot glass, Sabina glanced at Audrey with a mischievous look on her face. "May you have a very sexual marriage," Sabina toasted.

"Oi, she's still marrying my brother," Ginny exclaimed with a look of disgust.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out," Sabina grumbled as the women walked along a busy street in Wizarding London.

"I'm sorry, am I the only one that saw that bloke literally try to yank Ginny away?" Audrey argued.

"Yes but, while I appreciate it, you really didn't have to break his nose," Ginny countered, laughing a bit.

Audrey simply shrugged, refusing to add anymore fuel to the growing fire in Sabina's eyes. After the months of being around Oliver all of the time and not knowing at all how to approach him and say 'sorry for being a twat, will you take me back?' without any hint of desperation, all Sabina wanted was one fun night of going out with her friends and forgetting that whole ordeal. With each passing day over the last few months, it felt more and more likely that things between her and Oliver were done for good.

"All right, I can fix this," Audrey finally spoke up. "We'll go to the house."

"You mean your brand new house that you and Percy are moving into?" Sabina clarified, the skepticism evident in her voice. She knew Audrey and Percy well enough to know that they were the opposite of messy people, and Sabina could not imagine a world where Audrey would be perfectly fine with people getting piss drunk in her own home.

"We haven't unpacked anything but the patio furniture and there's definitely alcohol there so..." Audrey trailed off with a shrug, "backyard drinking games?"

"That sounds like the stupidest, drunkest thing I have ever heard," Angelina started, "so I am all for it."

Huddling all of the girls into a group, Audrey quickly apparated everyone to the quaint house in Bridlington that her and Percy had bought together. Stepping inside, Sabina noticed that the house was still filled with unpacked boxes and cleaning supplies, clearly not yet lived in. The only things that gave away the fact that it was Percy and Audrey's house was a photograph of the two of them above the fireplace in the living room and the large collection of housewarming gifts on the kitchen island.

Rushing to the kitchen, Sabina easily picked out her gift. She held up the unlabelled bottle with a mischievous smirk on her face. "I would say that this is the perfect time to open up my housewarming gift," she decided. "Homemade pálinka - pretty sure my grandfather made this batch."

"Do you want to kill me?" Audrey asked jokingly.

"Absolutely," Sabina replied as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Which box has glasses?" Daphne asked as she looked around the kitchen.

"Oh, sweet Daphne," Sabina started with a sly smile on her face, "tonight, we drink like sailors."

With that, Sabina opened up the bottle and took a swig without even the slightest hesitation, then passed the bottle to Audrey, "Let's get this party started, bride-to-be!"

"This is a great bar," Oliver declared as the group of groomsmen made their way through Diagon Alley. "I've been here tons of times."

As the best man, Oliver had been tasked with organizing Percy's bachelor party. Unfortunately for Oliver, his friend was more than resistant to plenty of his ideas, and even stated at one point that he didn't need a bachelor party (the madman). Eventually, Oliver's persistence won out and the party was happening, whether Percy liked it or not. Plus, despite all of Percy's complaints, the man was wearing jeans - actual denim - for the first time in history, so Oliver already considered the night a huge success.

Falling in step with Oliver, Percy looked over at his friend and quietly asked, "So you're still coming alone to the wedding, huh?"

Oliver shrugged. "Yeah, not really seeing anyone right now so what would be the point in bringing just some random bird?" he replied.

"Audrey thinks it's because you like Sabina," Percy stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" Oliver exclaimed with a dismissive, somewhat nervous laugh. "That is bonkers."

"Very convincing," Percy shot back sarcastically with a small smirk on his face.

"Oi," Charlie started, coming up behind the two of them and placing his arms around their shoulders, "can you two stop gossiping like a bunch of birds and just lead the way?"

"We're here, actually," Oliver said, coming to a stop in front of a lively-looking pub.

With Oliver leading the way, the five Weasley brothers followed him into the bar with curiosity apparent on their faces. At this point, Oliver was simply excited to spend a night out with his friends and just relax. Over the last few months, constantly being around Sabina had been... difficult. It was a constant reminder that she was just barely out of reach. All he needed was one, easy night away from anything to do with Sabina so he could handle the wedding.

"Oliver Wood! Over here, Oliver Wood!"

The flash of a camera bulb blinded Oliver and he squinted ahead to get a glimpse of what on earth was causing such a ruckus. It didn't take long for him to recognize the Witch Weekly badge pinned to the photographer's jacket.

"Looks like we're not the only ones that know you come here all the time," Percy joked.

"Wood, why the theatrics? We get it, you're a big shot," George said sarcastically as he swung an arm over Oliver's shoulders.

"Oh, hell," Oliver muttered under his breath. Moving George's arm aside and approaching the photographer, Oliver plastered a pleading look on his face as he said, "Is there any chance I could catch a break for my mate's bachelor party?"

"Ah yes, Percy Weasley - cold feet?" the photographer said, quickly turning to Percy.

Glaring at Oliver, Percy flatly said, "The fact that you thought that would work is, frankly, embarrassing."

Bill placed a hand on Percy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Let's get out of here before either George or Oliver cause some irreparable damage," he said quietly.

Oliver begrudgingly followed the Weasley brothers out of the bar, letting out an exasperated sigh once they were outside.

"Sorry mate," Oliver said as he gave Percy an apologetic look. "I s'pose we can try to find another place?"

"Actually..." Percy trailed off, a smile appearing on his face, "I think I have a solution. Grab hold and I'll apparate there."

As soon as everyone huddled around Percy and was holding on to him, he apparated them out of Diagon Alley and to a small seaside neighbourhood. Everyone looked around in confusion, but Oliver was the first to recognize the house that Percy was approaching.

"Isn't this the house you and Audrey bought?" he asked as everyone followed Percy.

"Percy, did you hit your head? You're letting us drink in your house?" George asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm letting you drink in the backyard," Percy clarified with a roll of his eyes. "If I find one empty bottle inside the actual house, I'll hunt down its owner."

"There's the Percy we all know and love," Oliver joked. "Do the honours, groom."

Percy opened the door to the house with an amused shake of his head and everyone filed in after him. However, as soon as they entered, it was very apparent that something was not quite right. Distant shouts could be heard and an Irish tune was streaming into the house from the backyard.

"I know that song," George said slowly. Then, quietly singing along, he continued, "Look what he's done for us, he's filled us up with cheer, Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer."

Percy gave his brother a somewhat concerned look before slowly making his way through the house, everyone else eagerly following behind him. As they approached the door leading to the backyard, the music and shouting only grew louder. Finally, once the men made their way outside, their jaws dropped as they took in the sight before them.

It was the bridal party. The lot of them, drunk as sailors, dancing around the backyard as they sang to the Irish song playing from the magical radio. All of them had a beer bottle in hand - if not two - and as Oliver looked around, he saw an empty bottle that once held hard liquor.

As the song reached its end, Oliver saw Sabina point at Audrey, a wide grin on her reddened face. "I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole I admit!" she shouted, the rest of the women joining in, "but I'd rather be an arsehole than a Slytherin piece of shit!"

"Aye, now that's a toast I can get behind!" George shouted.

At the sound of his voice, all of the women were visibly startled, jumping a bit before freezing in place as they realized who had just entered the backyard. Audrey and Ginny, however, were arm-in-arm in that moment, which resulted in a lot more stumbling around and sputtered laughter than freezing in place. There was a long moment of silence filling the backyard as the two groups stared back at each other, until finally, Hermione emerged from the house with yet another bottle of pálinka in hand.

"I found the other bottle!" she shouted excitedly, bottle raised high up in the air. However, as soon as she noticed the silence and met Ron's gaze, she dropped her arm to her side and pressed her lips together.

"What are you all doing here?" Percy finally asked slowly.

"Audrey got us kicked out of the bar we were at so we came here to get pissed," Sabina replied with a shrug.

"Audrey - what?" Percy asked in confusion as he looked over at his fiancée.

"Please, if that's so bad, then what are you doing here?" Audrey countered with a smirk.

Percy stayed silent for a moment. Finally, a grin broke through as he said, "Well-played. So what now?"

"Now," Hermione started, shoving the bottle towards Ron, "it looks like you boys have some catching up to do."

Daphne waved her wand to get the radio playing music again and the tension almost immediately melted away. Percy didn't hesitate to approach Audrey with a wide grin on his face, taking her hand and twirling her around to the music. Oliver stayed by the entrance to the backyard, watching them with a small smile on his face. If he was being perfectly honest, he couldn't remember the last time Percy had looked as happy as he looked dancing with a drunk Audrey in the backyard of their new home.

Oliver was snapped out of his thoughts as the strong smell of hard liquor hit his nose. He blinked a couple times before looking down to see the bottle of pálinka Hermione had brought out, then to his right to see who was holding it - Sabina.

"Your turn, Wood," she said with a small smirk.

He grabbed the bottle from her, returning her smirk, and took a swig, wincing as the alcohol hit the back of his throat. "Merlin's beard, Sabina - this stuff is deadly," he said with a laugh, setting the bottle down on the patio table that was to his left.

Sabina moved around him and sat down in one of the patio chairs, her sights now set on Percy and Audrey. "I think this was the bachelorette party she wanted all along," she said as she watched the couple with a small smile on her face.

Oliver sat down in the patio chair next to Sabina. "I think it's what Percy wanted, too," he said in agreement.

"How'd you get him to wear jeans?" Sabina asked suddenly, turning her head to meet Oliver's eyes. Her tone was a mix of humour and genuine curiosity.

Oliver felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into her eyes, but quickly recovered and jokingly replied, "You don't wanna know, lass."

Sabina laughed lightly, but she kept her gaze fixed on his face. Smiling, she quietly said, "I missed you."

His heart was beating like crazy, but somehow Oliver composed himself enough to return Sabina's smile and quietly reply, "I missed you, too."

Sabina looked around briefly, mostly to make sure that everyone else was, in fact, more preoccupied with alcohol and Irish songs than her and Oliver, then fixed her gaze on his hazel eyes once again. Those heartwarming eyes that always calmed her. "You're worth it," she continued quietly. It seemed that with intoxication came the courage that she hadn't been able to muster up over the last three months. "I hate all of that Quidditch drama and your tolerance to alcohol is embarrassingly low, but you're worth it."

"Embarrassingly low?" Oliver repeated with a chuckle. He paused for a moment before saying, "Took you a while to get there, Sab."

"I'm only going to say this once," Sabina started. "You were right. I was scared of something - I was scared of being wrong about something I thought I knew everything about. Ironic how that worked out, huh?"

Oliver looked into Sabina's eyes, processing the words that had just come out of her mouth. "You know what the crazy thing is?" he finally said. "I could never get you out of my head. I mean, you were downright horrible to me - I think we can both agree on that - but you were just stuck in my head. Despite it all, I always still wanted you."

"I know, I'm sorry," Sabina said with an apologetic look. "I still don't want to be with a Quidditch player, though - I want to be with Oliver Wood."

Oliver laughed, grinning widely as Sabina joined in. She grabbed the bottle of pálinka on the patio table and stood up, heading back towards the house.

Frowning, Oliver stood up and followed after her. "Where're you going?" he asked curiously.

Sabina turned and looked at him with a smirk. "Irish goodbye," she said with a shrug. Then, lifting the bottle in her hand, she added, "You're welcome to join, love."

4 March 2000

Sabina jolted awake as sunlight streamed into her bedroom, her head immediately pounding. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, she turned to reach for her bedside table, but froze when her eyes landed on the person lying beside her. Smiling lightly as she took in Oliver's sleeping face, Sabina gently moved on top of him, her legs straddling him as she leaned forward and softly kissed him.

Oliver opened his eyes as Sabina pulled away, smiling up at her. "Well, good morning to you too, lass," he said.

"It will be," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"How much time do we have?" Oliver asked as he returned her smirk and moved his hands to her hips.

Looking at the clock on her bedside table, Sabina's smirk quickly fell and she jumped out of her bed as she exclaimed, "Oh, hell, we're so late!"

"Why did I ask?" Oliver grumbled to himself as he got out bed and started searching for his clothes.

In a matter of minutes, both of them were dressed. Sabina rushed over to the bathroom and quickly started removing whatever remained of last night's makeup as Oliver leaned against the doorframe and watched her with a small smile on his face.

"Thank Merlin our outfits are at the Burrow," she muttered. Then, turning to Oliver with a serious look, she said, "We need to keep this under wraps until the wedding is over, all right? Today is about Percy and Audrey, and nothing else."

Oliver nodded. "Agreed, but you're mad if you think that gets you off the hook for dancing with me," he said slyly.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Sabina replied. She grabbed his hand and added, "Hold on tight."

With a pop, Oliver and Sabina apparated just outside the Burrow's Apparition Wards. They rushed over to the old house, smiles still on their faces. Even from afar, it was obvious that the house was packed and filled with noise. It almost made Sabina turn right around and go back to bed - but, alas, she owed Audrey her obedience for the next fourteen hours.

As soon as Sabina stepped foot inside the Burrow, Molly was in front of her with a furious glare. "And where have you been?" she demanded. "Audrey's already here!"

"Oi, I'm here now, let's take it down a notch," Sabina replied as she moved past Molly and headed up the stairs.

She heard Molly turn on Oliver right after, ordering him to go check if Percy was putting his tie on right, and chuckled to herself as she made her way up the stairs of the Burrow. Almost the entire Weasley family was inside the small house at that point, as well as some of Audrey's family, so even just navigating up the stairs to the bedroom that had been designated as the bride's dressing room was a nightmare. Soon enough, though, she made it to the room and almost laughed when she saw Audrey still in sweatpants and a tank top.

"Molly will have an aneurysm if she comes in and sees you haven't put your wedding dress on," Sabina said as she sat down in a chair across from Audrey.

"The ceremony's not for another three hours," Audrey said with a roll of her eyes, "so hush and give me that hangover potion of yours."

Sabina shook her head in amusement and tossed Audrey a small vial holding Sabina's famous hangover cure potion. Audrey quickly downed it, her face contorting into a grimace as she set down the vial. She turned to Sabina, then paused with a frown on her face as her eyes scanned over her friend.

"Aren't those the clothes you wore last night?" Audrey asked slowly.

"No," Sabina replied quickly, mentally scolding herself for being too lazy to grab another outfit. "So how are you feeling in your last hours as Audrey Shacklebolt?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Honestly, kind of nervous," Audrey answered, choosing to go along with the topic change. "Not about getting married, more so about what bloody else could go wrong - this week has been a living nightmare."

"Aye, you've had a hell of a week," Sabina admitted with a laugh, recalling all of the hiccups Percy and Audrey had had to deal with over the last few days. "You're in the home stretch now, though, and after this it's honeymoon time."

"Yeah, I know, I just need to get out of my own head," Audrey concluded. Standing up, she continued, "I'm going to go find Percy."

"All right, just don't let Molly see you," Sabina said with a laugh.

After Audrey left the room, Sabina looked around the room with a sigh and decided to at least go and make herself useful if Audrey wasn't going to bother sticking to Molly's schedule. She left the room, scanning the halls for Molly as she made her way down the stairs. Sabina milled around the house for a while, surprised how well she was blending in with the chaos. Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and gently tug at her arm. Sabina turned around with a frown to find Oliver reaching out from a broom closet with a sly smile on his face.

Sabina looked around quickly before rushing into the broom closet, holding back a laugh. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked in amusement.

Choosing not to reply right away, Oliver picked Sabina up at the waist and placed her on a low wooden shelf with a grin. "Picking up from where we left off this morning," he whispered.

"Oliver, come on - here?" Sabina said with a stifled laugh.

"This is quite literally the only private spot left in this house," Oliver replied quietly. "Trust me, I looked."

"I don't know..." Sabina trailed off as Oliver started kissing along her neck. She pressed her lips again, trying and failing to compose herself.

"Sounds like you do know," Oliver countered with a sly look on his face.

Ah, what the hell, Sabina thought to herself. She grabbed his shirt and forcefully pulled him closer to her, not hesitating to heatedly join their lips. She felt his hand moving up her leg to her underwear as she reached forward and quickly undid his jeans and pushed them off his hips. It was beyond Sabina how he could always make her melt so quickly, but as she felt his strong arms wrap around her and his hands on her hips, she was most certainly not complaining. If Sabina was being honest, she missed the sex - the amazing, heated, deviant sex - just as much as everything else about him. Feeling Oliver's body against hers was exactly what she needed in that moment.

That is, until the broom closet door swung open.

The extremely brief moment of silence before the door slammed shut and the shouting ensued felt like ages.

"HOLY CIRCE WHAT DID I JUST SEE?" Audrey's voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Sabina looked up at Oliver, both of them completely frozen in place. Had Percy and Audrey really just walked in on them shagging in a broom closet? On their wedding day?

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Percy's voice seethed. "I grew up in this house, for Merlin's sake!"

Sabina jumped down from the wooden shelf she was sitting on and approached the door, replying, "What the bloody hell did you need from a broom closet, anyways?"

"A bloody broom!" Audrey shouted back.

Sabina opened the door slightly and stuck her head out, meeting Audrey's eyes with a glare. "Audrey Shacklebolt, I may as well have invented the broom closet shag," Sabina started, her voice a loud whisper. "I know an aspirant broom closet shag when I see one."

"First off, it's my bloody wedding day," Audrey hissed back, "second - "

Instead of finishing her sentence, Audrey stepped forward and Sabina instinctively stepped back just as the door slammed shut. Mouth agape, Sabina was about to start her onslaught of insults when she heard voices on the other side of the door.

"Gran, so glad you're here!" Audrey's voice said cheerfully.

"Oh, hell, we've really fucked it this time," Sabina whispered to Oliver.

"In more ways than one," Oliver whispered back jokingly.

They both jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the door, followed by Percy's voice saying, "You two better be whispering about how quickly you're getting dressed or, I swear to Godric, I'll kill you myself."

Stifling laughter, Oliver and Sabina glanced at each other with wide grins. They would have a hell of a time explaining this one.

"Have you seen Percy and Audrey?" Oliver asked as he approached Sabina, who was standing by the edge of the dance floor.

Sabina scanned the room with a light frown, a smile appearing on her face as she realized what had happened. "They did the Irish goodbye," Sabina replied with a shake of her head.

"Scoundrels," Oliver said jokingly.

Sabina laughed lightly as she looked around the reception. The bridesmaids easily stood out in their deep purple dresses, as did the groomsmen with their similarly coloured ties. The bouquets on each of the table were a beautiful gradient of shades of purple and silk-like lavender streamers held up the lanterns that lit up everything under the tent. It was a good thing the Weasleys didn't really have neighbours close by, because the party only seemed to be getting louder.

Probably had something to do with the alcohol Sabina's parents had brought.

Suddenly feeling a hand on the small of her back, Sabina looked over at Oliver to see him smiling down at her. "I think you still owe me a dance," he stated. "And, with Percy and Audrey gone, I'd say that we successfully made this day all about them."

"Successfully?" Sabina repeated with a skeptical look. "Are you forgetting - ?"

" - as far as anyone else knows," Oliver interrupted.

"All right then," Sabina agreed, taking Oliver's hand as he led her onto the dance floor. "I might just work my magic on you," she added jokingly, referring to the night of Oliver's first game.

"I have a feeling I'll just get my feet stepped on by a beautiful blonde," Oliver replied with a shrug and a smirk on his face as he started to lead.

Sabina looked up at Oliver with a wide grin on her face as they danced, his hazel eyes bright and happy as they met her blue ones. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss as they danced, Sabina's face heating up. She truly didn't realize until that moment how much she liked him. Of course, Sabina had always had a feeling that she cared for him more than she claimed she did, but now that they were dancing together, she couldn't help but notice how the rest of the world simply melted away.

Oliver briefly looked up, his grin falling in an instant. "Your dad is searing a hole into my soul," he whispered to Sabina.

As the couple spun around, Sabina got a glimpse of her father. Sure enough, he was sitting at his table with Danica, a murderous glare aimed right at them. Even Dimitrij throwing spoons with some other boy wasn't enough to break his focus. "Oh yeah, he does not look happy," Sabina noted, laughing a bit.

"Guess we're gonna keep dancing 'til he dies then," Oliver said decisively.

"Hm, possibly," Sabina started. Then, she abruptly stepped away and pulled him by the hand, "or you could grow a pair."

With a defeated sigh, Oliver followed Sabina off of the dance floor. "How can I say no to you?" he muttered, bracing himself for what was sure to be a terrifying conversation.

Over the last few months, Oliver and Sabina had established a very convenient arrangement. It involved one word: sex. Sabina was busy with Healer training, Oliver was in the middle of playoffs, and at the eye of the storm stood the one and only Coach Boris Kopitar. Things were just easier this way. They both got to have a lot of fun with the added bonus of sneaking around. One would think that would make things more difficult, but it actually added a really attractive sense of impropriety to the whole arrangement.

And at the end of the day, it kept Sabina from having to explain why she would never want to have an actual, committed relationship with a Quidditch player. No relationship, no problem.

So that was how Sabina found herself sneaking into the Bodmin Moor Millenium Stadium and making out with Oliver Wood in a broom closet. It was like Hogwarts all over again, except without the awkwardness of inexperience and puberty.

"I wish you were working this game," Oliver said quietly, gently leaning his forehead against Sabina's.

"I know, but I have my last practicum shift at St. Mungo's tonight," Sabina replied, shifting a bit on the uncomfortable wooden ledge in the broom closet. "Don't worry, we'll celebrate after," she continued with a smirk.

"I like the sound of that," Oliver said with a grin.

With that, he pressed his lips to hers once again. He felt her hand slide under his shirt, pressing on his back to pull him closer as he moved his hand up her thigh. Sabina let out the lightest sigh as Oliver moved away from her lips to kiss along her neck once again. This was the nerve-calming effect he had been hoping for.

"You gotta go get ready soon," Sabina breathed out.

"Aye, I know," Oliver said as he pulled away slightly and met Sabina's eyes with a small smile on his face. "We'll finish up later," he added with a wink.

"Maybe you'll have a medal you can wear," Sabina replied coyly as she hopped down from the ledge, now considerably shorter than Oliver. "I'll head out first."

Slowly opening the door just enough to slip out, Sabina quickly jumped out of the broom closet and turned towards the exit. However, as soon as she stepped out, she felt someone considerably smaller crash into her and looked down in annoyance. That annoyance quickly turned into panic as she recognized the small person before her.

"Dimitrij!" Sabina exclaimed. The broom closet door suddenly popped open and Sabina quickly leaned her whole weight against it to close it, resulting in a very audible "Ow!" as the door hit Oliver in the head.

"Is there someone in the broom closet?" Dimitrij, Sabina's eleven year-old brother, slowly asked as he skeptically glanced at the door.

"Someone in the broom closet - don't be ridiculous Dimitrij. Humans don't go in broom closets," she said dismissively. "Here's the better question: what in Merlin's name are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

"Ocka got me out for the championship game," Dimitrij replied proudly, his brown eyes brimming with excitement as he looked up at Sabina.

"What?" Sabina exclaimed her face instantly forming a glare. Grabbing her little brother's hand, she said, "Come on, we're going to talk to Ocka."

Sabina rapidly made her way through the halls of the stadium, both hoping to distance herself from that broom closet as much as possible and somehow find her father in this maze. Soon enough, she found a changeroom with the Puddlemere banner and, without hesitation, burst through the door. Her eyes quickly landed on her father and she stormed towards him.

"You can't just pull Dimitrij out of school for Quidditch!" Sabina exclaimed as she walked up to her father. "Mama's gonna kill you."

"Uh, Mama doesn't know," Boris replied cautiously. Then, frowning, he asked, "Sabina, what in Harfang's name are you doing here?"

It only took Sabina a mere second to collect her thoughts and easily reply, "I found out about Dimitrij from McGonagall."

"Damn woman," Boris muttered bitterly. "You can't tell your Mama about this, you hear me?"

"Oh, is that so?" Sabina questioned, crossing her arms. "What were you planning to do with him: leave him alone in the changerooms for five hours?"

"Okay, first of all, this game will ideally end in twenty minutes and with a victory," Boris started, "and second of all, no, I was going to... bring him up to the Coaches' Tower with me."

"Ocka!" Sabina exclaimed. "His education comes before a measly Quidditch game!"

"Eh, school's boring," Dimitrij intervened with a shrug.

"School's - school's - " Sabina sputtered. "Bloody Gryffindors," she finally grumbled.

"Sabina, najdražja, if you don't tell Mama, I'll... I'll..." Boris trailed off, looking around helplessly. Then, his face brightened as he exclaimed, "Ah, Wood, just who I was looking for!"

"Oh hell no, Ocka," Sabina said in a low voice. As she turned around to follow her father, however, she met Oliver's tortured expression as Boris cornered him in an attempt to escape Sabina. Taking a calming deep breath, she simply said, "Fine, I don't care - let him fail his finals! Not like he's my son."

As she started to storm out of the changeroom, she heard Dimitrij yell from behind her, "Killjoy!"

Sabina stopped and turned to look at Dimitrij. "I'm taking you back to Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning," she seethed. "If I leave it up to Ocka, you'll never bloody graduate," she grumbled to herself as she turned back around to leave the stadium.

Although Sabina was rather upset with her father in that moment, her heart was mostly racing at the thought of what a close call that had been. Dimitrij had quite literally been mere feet away from seeing Oliver in that closet and from there on out... well, her eleven year-old brother was not exactly known for his discretion. Still, somehow the situation had been handled. Just classic Ravenclaw wit, in Sabina's opinion.

Oliver's eyes followed Sabina as she stormed out of the changeroom. The small bruise on his forehead that he had received from the broom closet door was no longer pulsating, but he still felt his heart racing from when they had almost gotten caught. Part of that was anxiety and fear, but Oliver knew deep down that another part of it was... excitement. Over the last few months, he had really enjoyed Sabina's company, and with the playoff season coming to a close and her almost being done Healer training, it seemed like it was about time for him to step up.

Still, it would have been downright traumatic if her little brother had seen them in a broom closet.

"She might look like me but she is exactly like Danica," Oliver heard Boris mutter. "And by that I mean that she is always right."

Oliver chuckled lightly. "My dad always says it's better to say you're wrong and eat a warm meal than be proud and sleep in the doghouse," he said jokingly.

"Sounds like a smart man," Boris replied as he looked over at Oliver. Frowning slightly as his gaze moved slightly lower, he asked, "What in Merlin's name is on your neck, boy?"

"My - my neck?" Oliver asked nervously, his hand reaching towards where Boris was looking.

"Wood's got a hickey!" Andre shouted as he passed by the two of them. "You see, Coach, Ollie's been awful secretive about his love life lately - but at least now we know that, whoever she is, she's an animal."

Merlin, if you're watching this, please smite me, Oliver thought to himself as he stood in mortified silence, his eyes taking in the look of disgust and disappointment that Boris was giving to Andre. This was almost as bad as the idea of Dimitrij walking in on him and Sabina.

"What's a hickey?" Dimitrij then piped in as he looked up at his father.

"It's, uh - it's, um - it's a skin condition," Boris finally answered, clearly flustered. "Go ask Samuels how to use a Beater's bat, son," he added quickly, giving his son a gentle shove. Looking back at Oliver he let out a tired sigh and said, "Wood, whatever you do, do not have a child in your forties."

"Duly noted," Oliver replied quietly.

21 November 1999

With a tired sigh, Sabina leaned back against the door to her apartment as she closed it. A small smile spread broke through her expression of utter exhaustion. That was it - her last practicum shift. Now, all she had to do was study for her licensing exam, which was a month away, and voila - she would be a fully certified Healer by the new year. All of her hard work, extra shifts, and constant studying had been worth finishing a year early, and now that she was so close to the end, another month of studying didn't seem so bad. It would be just like N.E.W.T.s all over again - and, frankly, she had thought that had been a pleasant experience.

Turning the lights on with a wave of her wand, Sabina headed for the kitchen and nearly jumped out of her own skin when she finally realized that Oliver was in her apartment. Her next reaction, as she looked him over, was a mix of amusement and lust.

In her very own living room, there stood Oliver Wood wearing nothing but a gold medal around his neck and a small navy blue flag with the Puddlemere crest hanging in front of his crotch area. Sabina pressed her lips together a she met Oliver's grinning face.

"We bloody won!" he shouted, raising his arms in the air.

"I - I can tell," Sabina replied, her expression widening into a grin as well.

"Are you gonna come over here?" Oliver asked, spreading his arms.

Still looking out from the open kitchen, Sabina leaned her forearms across the countertop and said, "You know, I actually think I'm gonna enjoy the view for a bit. Maybe do a twirl for me, I don't know."

"Well, I don't have a matching banner for my arse," Oliver admitted coyly.

Sabina shrugged. "Perfect," she replied.

"You are a sick woman," Oliver said jokingly. "And, frankly, I like it."

Sabina laughed as Oliver jokingly posed in the living room, winking her way several times. This was certainly not what Sabina had expected to be waiting for her in her flat, although she wouldn't change a single thing. Not only was the whole situation incredibly amusing, but Oliver really was a good-looking bloke, so Sabina almost dreaded the idea of him ever putting his clothes back on.

Suddenly stopping his posing, Oliver faked a look of anger and said, "I think you're just using me for my body, lass."

"You are not wrong," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"Well, you've gotta pay for that," Oliver threatened, although the grin on his face was betraying him.

Suddenly, Oliver crossed the living room and made it to the kitchen in a few quick strides. Before Sabina could say anything, he picked her up and swung her over her shoulder and started walking towards her bedroom.

"There's the bare arse I was dreamin' about," Sabina exclaimed with a laugh.

Playfully landing a slap on Sabina's arse, Oliver replied, "Oi, quiet down back there!"

"Blimey, I've been awake for twenty-eight hours," Sabina noticed as she glanced at the clock in her living room.

Oliver sat down next to Sabina on the couch and stretched his arm to rest on her shoulders, squeezing her closer to him. "But you're a Healer now," he said proudly.

"Uh-uh," Sabina said with a shake of her head, then pausing to take a sip of tea. "Still need to write my licensing exam next month."

Oliver looked down at Sabina with a raised eyebrow. Typical Sabina - Ravenclaw through and through, she would never accept a title or praise if she hadn't truly earned it. "Sab, we both know you're passing that exam," Oliver said confidently.

"Oh, are you a Seer now?" Sabina asked smartly, earning an exaggerated eye-roll from Oliver.

"No, I just have an incredible amount of faith in you," Oliver replied.

Sabina scoffed, but a small smile remained on her face. She was never a big fan of exaggerated shows of chivalry and affection, but Oliver always had a curious and simple way of making her feel all warm and gushy. It was both comforting and scary for her.

"Hey, sorry about the whole situation with Dimitrij yesterday," Sabina said suddenly, stretching to set her tea down on the coffee table. Looking down at her hands, she continued, "Both him almost seeing us and also the part with all of the yelling. Not really how I want you to see me."

"Well, I have a little brother in his third year at Hogwarts so trust me when I say that your outburst was more than justified," Oliver replied. "As for almost getting caught, I wasn't exactly a fan of getting hit in the head by a door, but the rest was out of your control."

Sabina smiled as she met Oliver's hazel eyes. "Yeah, I guess I just assumed it would've been awkward for you - we're not exactly in a place where family drama is a common topic," she said shyly.

"Well, actually I've been meaning to talk about that," Oliver started, an excited grin spreading across his face. "With Quidditch season wrapping up and your Healer training being practically done, I thought that we could be more than... whatever this is. You're an amazing woman, Sabina, and you deserve more than this."

His words made Sabina freeze. From head to toe, she was practically made of stone as she stared back at Oliver's expectant gaze with her eyes wide and her mouth set in a taut line. She had never thought this would happen. Not necessarily the part where Oliver wanted to be more than just friends with benefits, but the part where Sabina was almost contemplating the idea of being in a relationship with him. He had, without a doubt, burrowed his way into her heart, and now she was stuck staring at him like a deer in the headlights.

"I can't," she said as her ability to talk returned.

Oliver's joyous expression quickly fell. "You... can't?" he repeated slowly.

"I can't date a Quidditch player," Sabina elaborated, her nervousness quickly rising.

"Wait - what?" Oliver said, clearly taken aback as his face contorted into a frown.

Sabina let out a sigh in a poor attempt to compose herself. "When my father got picked up by Puddlemere and my parents moved to England, all of the bullshit that came with it - the tabloids, the rumours, the fans - nearly tore them apart," Sabina said quietly, looking down at her hands again. She couldn't bring herself to look at Oliver's face for fear of what she might find. "They were separated for two years and it almost ruined their marriage. I never wanted that for myself."

"You're not dating my job, you're dating me," Oliver argued, the hurt very evident in his tone.

"It's not that easy," Sabina said, finally looking up to meet his eyes. She could see the anger and disbelief in his eyes and instantly felt a burning sensation behind her eyes. She hadn't thought things would go like this. In Sabina's mind, he would have just grown bored of her and that was that.

"Well, it's not like you've ever tried," Oliver argued. He pulled away from her and turned to look straight at her. "You're telling me that, if you take away all of that professional Quidditch shite, you don't care for me at all? Not even one little bit?"

Sabina looked away from his demanding gaze. "It's not that easy," she repeated stubbornly.

"Sabina, I care about you - I really do," Oliver continued, "but I'm not going to waste my time proving it if you won't even give me a chance."

Feeling the couch lurch slightly, Sabina turned to look at Oliver just as he was standing up. He was the one looking down now, refusing to meet her eyes. "It's just not the life I want," she said quietly.

"No, you're just scared," Oliver bit back. "Of what, I have no bloody idea."

"I'm not scared," Sabina retorted.

"Right," Oliver sighed, lightly nodding his head and looking away from Sabina again. "Get some rest. Good luck with your studies. I'll, uh... goodbye, Sabina."

With that, Oliver quickly made his way out of her apartment. The slam of the door rang in Sabina's ears until all that was left was silence and her own thoughts, swirling in her head. She sat perfectly still and silent for a while, looking down at her hands and ruminating over what had just happened. She had thought that when the time would come that Oliver would leave for good, it would be a mutual satisfaction. Instead, all Sabina felt was sadness and an odd ache.

22 November 1999

"You two do everything together now, huh?" Oliver remarked, lightly gesturing between Percy and Audrey with a wave of his hand.

"I'll take that as my cue," Audrey said slowly, sharing an amused glance with Percy. "I've gotta get going anyways, so I can be... three hours early for my shift."

Audrey leaned over the dining table where they were all sitting to give Percy a kiss on the cheek and left her boyfriend's apartment soon after that. As soon as the door closed behind her, Percy sent a pointed glare to Oliver.

"Thanks for that, mate," Percy said sarcastically.

"She kicked herself out," Oliver said defensively. "I like Audrey, believe me."

"I know," Percy replied, "something's just been off about you today."

Oliver let out a tired sigh as he sat under the scrutiny of Percy's insightful expression. His best friend was a know-it-all, but there was a good reason for that: he did, in fact, seem to know it all. Truthfully, it had been one of Percy's more annoying qualities when the two had first met; however, as they grew older, it was a quality that Oliver had grown to appreciate.

"That, uh, girl I was seeing," Oliver started quietly, "it's over. So there's that."

"Sorry about that, mate," Percy said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, we wanted different things," Oliver reasoned, leaning back in his chair. "Just feels weird to actually be on the side that's hurt. You know, I never really cared about a girl enough for it to get me so worked up."

"You don't think she's hurt?" Percy questioned.

Oliver scoffed. "If she was hurt after what happened, then I must've been under a Confundus Charm," he said a bit bitterly.

Percy simply shrugged. "You never know. In these sorts of things, people's true intentions surface one way or another," he advised, choosing not to prod his friend for details.

Oliver looked over at Percy, forcing a small smile on his face in the hopes that it would actually help him feel happy. "How did you know with Audrey?" he asked. "I mean, between randomly getting attacked and all that nonsense, how did you figure it out?"

"You know, her family is absolutely terrifying and crazy," Percy started, an amused and dreamy smile spreading across his face, "she is far too enthusiastic about punching people she doesn't like, and she likes to mess with people's heads for fun - and yet, I can never get her out of my mind."

In that moment, Oliver's mind filled with Sabina's amused grin. She would always correct even the smallest mistakes and her capacity for alcohol consumption was concerning, and yet he had meant every word he had said to her. Oliver cared for her. When he looked at Sabina, he felt happy. It wasn't just a basic lust - it was so much more than that. He loved to hear her laugh and listen to her talk, despite all of the annoying things she would do. Even despite what she had told him the day before.

"I get that," Oliver said quietly.

Sabina pushed the cured meat around on her plate in silence. She could feel her mother's gaze searing through her body, almost as if that would will her to talk, but Sabina kept her sights focused straight down at her half-eaten breakfast. She had been in this horrible mood since yesterday, and not even her mother's iconic Slovenian breakfast could break her out of this ridiculous emotional cycle. Sabina felt horrible for pushing Oliver away like that, but she also felt like she was missing a part of her - she missed him, and she hated to admit it.

"Sabina, what is the matter with you?" her mother's strong Slovenian accent rang through the silence.

Sabina's head snapped up, meeting her mother's warm brown eyes. She was a beautiful woman - her slightly greying hair still mostly held its original chestnut brown colour and aside from a few wrinkles that had come with age, her skin was clear and glowing. Danica Horvat had a welcoming exterior that strongly contrasted her commanding and intimidating personality.

"Nothing, Mama, I just had a long day yesterday and felt like comfort food," Sabina replied plainly.

"Najdražja, what's on your mind? You cannot hide these things from me," Danica pressed.

Sabina sighed lightly, a sad smile spreading across her face. "Why did you and Ocka end up getting back together after you separated?" she finally asked.

Although clearly taken aback, Danica recovered quickly. "It was my decision to separate, ultimately," she started, a sad look on her face. "I told him that I didn't want his life - the attention, the drama, the threatening letters from all of those stupid English women."

"Mama, you have your own distillery - I hardly think those women were even in your league," Sabina said jokingly.

Danica laughed lightly. "Very true, but it was hard for us in those first few years," she admitted, "and that was not the life I had imagined when we married. It took me two years to realize that I wasn't living his life - we were living our life. Being with the people you care about is hardly ever easy."

Sabina remained quiet for a bit, processing her mother's words. Eventually, she smiled sadly and said, "I think I let a good one go, Mama."

"If he was meant for you, give it time," Danica advised. "These things have a way of fleshing themselves out. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina nodded as she took in her mother's words. She still felt that persistent sadness, but now she also felt a strange, new feeling: humility. As much as Sabina hated to admit it, she was pretty sure she was wrong. Very wrong. Part of her was happy that maybe, just maybe, her and Oliver would have their chance. Another part of her was beating herself up for fucking up so much.

"You know, Ocka pulled Dimitrij out of school to watch the championship game," Sabina said with a smirk, trying to get Oliver out of her head for the briefest moment.

Danica only smiled. "I know," she replied, "where do you think you get that brilliant intelligence from? Your Ocka?"

Sabina laughed as her mother's grin widened. "He really thinks he got away with it, you know," she said.

Danica simply shrugged. "For all of the hell I give him, he deserves a few small victories," she replied. Standing up from her seat, she asked, "How about you join me in the wood shop for the day?"