Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Fragmented Soul	By : StrawberryGirl87 & Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Fenrir Views: 79707 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything in the fandom. no money/profit is made.

Chapter List
- 94
- 95
AN: We’re back, and actually have been writing too. Sorry again for the delay, life has been busy and full of distractions. Bickymonster is officially engaged now, and currently working on planning a wedding for the beginning of next year. And StrawberryGirl is happy to announce the birth of her son, Henry, who was born a little over a month ago now.
But things are settling a little now, so while we can’t promise frequent updates, it should be more often than it has been in the last year.
Chapter 95 – Hokey Cokey

“Wow,” Seamus said as Clay and Romy sat down at the Slytherin table on Saturday morning for breakfast. “That’s a stunning necklace,” he said, smiling at Romy. He knew how much of a big deal it had probably been for Clay to buy her something like that and he didn’t want to let it go by unnoticed.

“You shouldn’t be looking at her there,” Clayton growled back before Romy could thank him for the compliment. Instead she looked at her mate with something akin to despair. She really loved him but sometimes he was impossible.

To Clayton, Seamus was a threat to his newly formed mateship. Harry was happily mated and very, very gay; Seamus, however, was almost a fully-fledged dominant with no mate and therefore could easily woo Romy away from him.

“Down boy,” Harry teased, not wanting to deal with a fight this morning. He was still a little tetchy from the night before and his encounter with Amycus Carrow, something he hadn’t discussed with any of his pack members.

“I really was just looking at the necklace,” Seamus assured them, blushing slightly at the idea that he might have been looking at anything more. He had never even thought of Romy that way, she was already far more like a younger sibling than anything else.

“He knows that,” Romy said with a roll of her eyes. Something deep down inside of her kind of liked the way he was acting but she would never say it of course.

“So what are we doing today?” Harry asked, keen to change the subject, because Clay still seemed a little on edge.

“Romy and I have plans,” Clay told him, suddenly looking rather smug and Romy turned to look at him in surprise. “You’ll see,” he said secretively, his lips quirking into a smile.

“Well seeing as these two lovebirds are busy, guess we will have to amuse ourselves, Seamus,” Harry said, giving Romy a teasing grin. She rolled her eyes at him, and Harry turned to Seamus. “Any ideas?”

“How about we wait and see how badly our dear Headmaster is going to ruin our day first,” Seamus said, nodding his head towards the teachers’ table. The other three turned to look where he had gestured, and sure enough, Dumbledore was heading down the aisle between tables, directly towards them.

Harry groaned quietly, but as the Headmaster reached them, he turned and forced a smile to the man. “Dumbledore, to what do we owe this pleasure?” After Amycus, Dumbledore was the last person that he wanted to deal with. It was very clear to Harry that the headmaster, despite what the old man believed, was losing control of his school.

The headmaster’s brow furrowed, but the man managed to otherwise restrain other signs of his annoyance. “There is a matter that I need to discuss with both you and Mr Danes,” he stated bluntly, casting a glance towards Clayton, who had gone wide-eyed in his surprise.

“We have plans and a good deal of homework to get done today,” Harry said with an exaggeratedly put-upon sigh. “I suppose we might be able to make some time for you this evening, after dinner maybe.” Harry was pretty sure he could see a twitch in Dumbledore’s jaw, as though the man was fighting the urge to hex him; it certainly made him feel a little better, to know he got under the man’s skin.

“That would be acceptable,” the Headmaster agreed irritably, before stalking off without another word.

“Well that will be something to look forward to,” Clay said dryly. With all the plans he had made, he had been hoping it was going to be a good day, but now he knew that that evening’s meeting would be hanging over him all day. He had no idea what the headmaster wanted to talk to him about, but he couldn’t imagine that it would be anything good.

“Just don’t let it spoil whatever you have planned,” Harry told him with a knowing looking. “You two have fun and try not to get into too much trouble,” he added with a grin.

The four of them finished breakfast together, but Clay was giving no clue as to what he had planned for the day, even as Romy tried to get some kind of hint. None of them were any the wiser when they left the Great Hall a short while later, and Clay and Romy said goodbye to Harry and Seamus.

“Are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you?” Seamus asked as they watched Romy and Clay disappear off together, “or are you going to make me guess why you’ve been in a foul mood?”

Harry sighed. He really hadn’t wanted to talk about what had happened with Amycus the evening before, it was something he wanted to forget but he kept playing over it in his mind and he knew that he was going to have to say something to someone. He spotted Ron and Dean making their way out of the Great Hall, and so he put his hand on Seamus’ arm, and the two of them moved out of the way, before the two Gryffindors had a chance to start something.

“My detention with Umbridge,” Harry said with a sigh, once he was sure that they were out of the hearing range of any other students, “it wasn’t exactly run of the mill.”

“What happened?” Seamus asked, suddenly concerned. He had seen just how foul a mood Harry had been in when he had returned the evening before and now the Irishman was feeling a rather strong urge to punch Umbridge in the face. He was convinced that it had everything to do with the protectiveness he felt over Harry now that he was a werewolf but that didn’t make the instinct go away.

“It wasn’t Umbridge, it was Amycus Carrow,” Harry said with a snarl.

“You’re going to have to spill now because I swear if he did anything to you,” Seamus threatened and it actually made Harry laugh a little.

“It isn’t what he did to me, it’s what he did to Robin,” Harry said with a sigh. “From what he said, I think he raped her.”

Seamus didn’t say anything for a moment, too stunned to really know what to say. He was trying to think if he had noticed anything that might indicate this to be the truth and the morning that she had rejected McLaggen and then raped him in return sprang quickly to his mind. He was still lost in his thoughts as they reached the courtyard, the pair of them taking a seat on a bench.

“Have you told Fenrir?” Seamus asked, thinking that this should be vitally important because if it was the truth and Robin had been raped by Amycus then she would need to be checked over and given some form of help to recover from what she had been through.

“I know I need to but it’s tricky with that toad and her pet deatheaters watching me all the time. He needs to know, not that I think it’ll matter to Fen, though he might be a little more understanding. He isn’t exactly known for his patience whatever the circumstances.”

“She might be a horrible person but it might help her if she’s able to talk to someone about what happened, anyone,” Seamus pointed out and Harry hummed as he nodded his agreement.

“That’s if she’ll talk,” Harry added, knowing that it would never be as simple as finding someone for Robin to talk to. “I think she’s a little resentful,” he explained.

“Of what?” Seamus asked curiously. He had to admit that he didn’t really know much about Robin, other than the persona she displayed to the world, and how much she annoyed the pack.

“Life,” Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Seamus frowned at him in confusion, not quite sure what Harry meant by that. It didn’t really leave him any wiser when it came to Robin. “How did she come to be a werewolf?” he asked.

“Fenrir told me that her parents asked him to bite her,” Harry told him and Seamus looked genuinely horrified. He was coming to terms with what had happened to him, but he couldn’t imagine what kind of parent would do that to their child. “She would have died otherwise,” Harry went on, “some rare form of cancer. In return she was to come to the pack when she turned sixteen. I think they over compensated a little after almost losing her.”

“I’ll say!” Seamus said with a wry laugh. “They must have spoiled her rotten to turn her into such a monster,” he said emphatically, and Harry chuckled in agreement.

“Hopefully she will adjust to pack life in time,” Harry said earnestly, knowing that things couldn’t go on this way indefinitely; however, he also knew that they couldn’t actually expect to break more than a decade of her being overly pampered, in just a month.

“I hope so,” Seamus agreed, though he wondered if Robin had it in her to accept change, accept her place in the pack, or if they were being overly optimistic.

FGHP

Ron glanced up and down the corridor, making sure he was alone, before lifting his hand to hammer on the door in front of him. He couldn’t keep the evil smirk from his lips, when Madam Umbridge open the door and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Mr Weasley,” she said curtly, waiting impatiently for him to explain his presence outside her office.

“I have some information I think you would be interested in,” Ron told her, looking decidedly pleased with himself. “Information about Danes and Howard.” This at least caught her interest. He had been suspicious when he had seen the two of them sneaking around, and certainly wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to get them into trouble.

“I suppose you better come in,” Umbridge said, her voice becoming far more simpering.

FGHP

Romy had been so confused when Clay had brought them to a stop in front of a statue of a witch, and even more so when he spoke to it and opened a passageway behind it. She had to admit that it had been kind of fun sneaking out of the castle, and out into Hogsmeade, via the Honeydukes’ cellar, which had been a little tricky to sneak out of.

They had spent quite a while just taking their time to wander around the little village, hand-in-hand as they browsed the shops. It was quite warm for the end of March and the sky was bright and clear, so they had even wandered up to the Shrieking Shack. Of course the place had more significance to them than most, as they knew that both Remus and Seamus had spent full moons locked in the place.

“I can’t imagine spending a full moon alone,” Romy said as they made their way back towards the town, “let alone in a place like that.”

“Me neither,” Clay agreed, “makes me glad for our pack and territory. Though better the shrieking shack than that cage that Harry used to use,” he added as he all but vaulted over a stile and held his hand out to help Romy over.

Huffing quietly under her breath, Romy gave Clay a bit of a glare, but reached out anyway and accepted the help as she climbed up onto the little step and scaled the rickety stile. Clay flashed her a grin and Romy all but bit her tongue to keep from reminding him of how perfectly capable she was.

“I was thinking that we could go to the Three Broomsticks,” Clay suggested happily. “Maybe cuddle close and warm each other up,” he added, as he threw and arm over her shoulder, looking very pleased with himself.

“Sure,” Romy agreed, chuckling softly at his silliness. She was honestly enjoying getting to be close to him once more; it just felt so wrong to her to be arguing with him when she loved him so dearly. “Maybe we could get some lunch while we’re there.”

“Excellent. My treat,” Clay said jovially, more than happy to spend the money that his Dad had sent him. Damon had been rather amused but very supportive when Clay had written and asked for help funding a few dates with Romy.

“Of course it is,” Romy said, rolling her eyes. She understood Clay’s desire to take care of and provide for her, but it was starting to wear a little thin; she wondered if Harry’s stubborn independence might have rubbed off on her a little too much.

Romy wasn’t surprised when they reached the pub and Clay held the door open for her, but again she found herself holding her tongue, resisting the urge to snap at him. Part of her thought that she should be enjoying the care with which Clay was treating her, knowing that he was just trying to be romantic, but it felt so patronising.

“Clayton…” Romy sighed wearily when he pulled out a chair at a free table, waiting for her to take a seat. She was seriously tempted to just take the other seat and leave the one he had pulled out for him to use himself; but when his expression started to fall as she hesitated, she sighed again, moving around the table and allowing him to help her sit. “This is getting a little silly, Clay.”

“You love it really,” Clay told her with a grin, as he rushed around and took his own seat.

“Hmm,” Romy hummed dubiously, not wanting to hurt Clay’s feelings but not willing to go so far as to encouraging such habits.

Thankfully Madam Rosmerta was already making her way over to their table to take their orders and Romy was quick to tell the barmaid what she wanted, lest Clay got any ideas about trying to order for her; with the way their date had been going she wouldn’t have put it past him. If she had foiled Clay’s intentions, then he showed no sign of it and just simply ordered his own food and drink, and turned to smile at Romy as Madam Rosmerta headed off once more.

The two of them chatted amicably about the pack and the upcoming full moon. Romy twisted the charm on the necklace Clay had given her, listening intently as Clay regaled her with the tale of the time that he and Harry had gone to a club for Harry’s birthday and swindled a guy out of lots of money by playing pool.

“You two are awful,” she told him affectionately, laughing at the ridiculousness of her pack brothers.

“The guy didn’t take it well, we nearly ended up having a fight with him, but the bouncer threw us out,” Clay said, clearly enjoying reminiscing. “That was actually the first night we met Remus,” he told her, realising this for himself.

“Really?” Romy asked, putting down her fork and staring at him. She didn’t think that either Harry or Clay had ever mentioned that they had known Remus from that far back.

“He and that Sirius bloke, who was Harry’s godfather or something,” Clay told her with a nod of his head. “They found us somehow, and one of them called Harry, James. Makes sense now, I guess, given that’s Harry’s bio-dad’s name,” he added with shrug.

“Kind of creepy that they found you though; they must have been looking for you specifically,” Romy said. Clay just nodded in agreement, the two of them falling into a pensive but companionable silence as they went back to eating.

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Romy said a few minutes later, just intending to head to the bathroom, but before she could even fully get to her feet, Clay was behind her, pulling out her chair. “Merlin’s sake, Clayton,” she snapped irritably, catching the attention of a few other patrons, “I am not a child!”

Clay looked rather surprised, though his expression turned to annoyance as he watched her storm off, and when he snarled at those staring at him, they quickly turned away. His mood spoiled, Clay returned to his own seat and pushed away his half-eaten dinner. Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

“So, you’re sulking now?” Romy asked testily, as she came back to the table a short while later, taking her seat once more and having a sip of juice.

“Nothing I ever do is good enough for you, is it?” Clay asked petulantly.

“What are you talking about?” Romy asked, unable to keep the exasperation from her voice.

“I have done everything for you today,” Clay told her, sounding genuinely hurt, and Romy sighed, knowing this was going to end badly, but that she had to say something.

“And that, Clay,” Romy said, her voice soft and calm, “is exactly the problem. I don’t need you to do everything for me. I can climb over stiles and open doors and certainly manage to sit down without you holding my hand. I might be a girl and be younger than you, but it’s not the eighteen-hundreds and hasn’t been for quite a while in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“What, so now I can’t even be nice to you?” Clay challenged. “I have been the perfect gentleman, and you still get pissed at me?”

“Of course you can be nice to me,” Romy told him firmly. “I love that you are nice to me, but that doesn’t mean doing every little thing for me. I don’t need some knight in shining armour, I need my daft, cheesy, goofball of a werewolf,” she said, smiling at him fondly, hoping to defuse the tension somewhat. Clay, however, was unimpressed.

“I’m just some joke to you, aren’t I?” he asked, sounding just hurt now, more than angry. “That’s all you see me as, some idiot. You are everything to me, Romy, and you can’t even take this relationship seriously.”

“I want to, I want this with you,” Romy told him earnestly. “But, I want a relationship with you, Clayton Eric Danes, as you truly are, not some version of you that you think I SHOULD want.”

“Clearly I can’t do anything right!” Clay huffed angrily.

“Apparently not,” Romy said, getting to her feet, pulling a few coins from her pocket, slamming them down on the table and storming from the pub before Clay had a chance to see the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks.

“Romy!”

She heard him calling after her, but she didn’t slow her pace at all. She couldn’t face him right now, knowing that they would both just end up saying things that they would regret and as hurt as she was right now she still loved him.

“Romy, would you just stop already!” Clay demanded and Romy lengthened her strides, as she headed back towards Hogwarts. “Fine! Whatever! We’re so done!” he bellowed.

“Fine,” Romy shouted back over her shoulder before taking off at a full run. She really needed Harry right then, because she felt like her whole world was crumbling around her and taking her heart with it.

FGHP

“You are certain you saw them near here?” Umbridge asked Ron impatiently, the two of them having searched the area to try and find whatever Clayton and Romy were up to.

“They were right here, I’m certain,” Ron insisted, feeling frustrated with the idea that the werewolves might once again get away with whatever they were up to. “They came down this corridor and then rounded that corner,” he said, gesturing back the way they had just walked, “and then disappeared.”

“This will simply not do, Mr Weasley,” Umbridge said, clicking her tongue, “I cannot tolerate such tales about other students, not matter how troublesome those in question are.”

“I’m not telling tales!” Ron exclaimed in outrage, following the High Inquisitor as she started to walk away from him. “They were up to something, I know it.”

“Not another word, Mr Weasley, or I will have no choice but to give you detention,” she told him primly, but then a grinding sound caught both of their attention.

FGHP

“Leave me alone, Clayton,” Romy snapped as she clambered out of the statue of the humped-back witch.

“No,” Clayton said stubbornly, as he climbed out after her. Romy, however, was already off down the corridor. “You might not be my girlfriend right now but you’re still pack and I have to protect you,” he called after her.

“Don’t do me any favours,” Romy snarled, as she turned back to glare at him for a few seconds before heading off once more, trying her best to put some space between them. She wanted to cry right now, but she wasn’t about to do so in front of Clayton.

“Just slow the fuck down will you,” Clay huffed irritably. “I’m not leaving you unprotected.”

“Go fuck yourself, Clayton! I don’t want anything to fucking do with you,” Romy said in a rage. She was so angry at him, she wasn’t one to swear but Clayton brought it out of her.

“Language,” came a sickly-sweet voice just behind them.

Romy turned and saw Umbridge standing in the corridor behind Clay looking rather pleased with herself. Ron stood beside her, an infuriatingly smug expression on his face. “You two can go fuck yourselves too,” Romy declared emphatically.

“Detention, Miss Howard, Mr Danes,” Umbridge snapped, clearly horrified by the attitude of the teenager girl.

“No you fucking won’t,” Clay roared, knowing what a detention with Umbridge entailed, “I don’t care what the fuck you do to me but you’re not making her use that barbaric quill.”

“Big word for you, Clayton, do you even know what barbaric means?” Romy said, being deliberately hurtfully.

“Fine, you want to let this toad mutilate you then keep talking,” Clay told her, sounding beyond exasperated. He didn’t understand why Romy had to fight him on every little thing. Life felt like a constant battle at the moment and he was growing tired of it.

“I can handle myself,” Romy insisted, glaring at him.

“Clearly not,” Clay said with a vindictive laugh. “You’re a submissive, no submissive can handle themselves. You need me,” he told her, unable to keep the smug tone to his voice as he said this.

“Like fuck do I need you, I killed a man remember. You believe Harry and Micha when they tell you that they can taking care of themselves, and they’re submissives. Just because I am a girl...”

“It has nothing to do with you being a girl and you know it,” Clay told her dismissively. “Besides, they’ve both been raped, or almost have, and so have you! Tell me again how you are ‘perfectly capable of handling yourself’,” he taunted.

“Fuck you, Clayton!” Romy roared, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. She couldn’t believe he would throw that in her face like that. “Because you know what, those bastards who raped me, they’re still miles better than you,” she ploughed on, “they only broke my body, you broke my bloody heart. What they did, didn’t hurt me half as much as what you have.”

“I think I’ve heard quiet enough from both of you,” Umbridge all but screeched, still looking a little confused and somewhat horrified by what she had heard.

Clay was looking at Romy in shock; he had broken his promise to Jenson and he hadn’t even realised it. He had hurt his mate and it seemed that it was beyond repair, if she thought him worse than the werewolves that had gang raped her.

“Merlin, Clay, I didn’t mean that!” Romy exclaimed, realising what she had said. The expression on his face was breaking her heart all over again and she wished that she could take her words back.

“You said it for a reason,” Clay said coldly, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes, because I was… am… furious with you,” Romy insisted, taking a few steps towards him, but stopping when he stepped back. “I love you though, and never meant to compare you to… them. What those men did…”

“Enough!” Umbridge exclaimed angrily, clearly tired of being ignored by the two werewolves.

“Butt out, toad face,” Clayton huffed. This odorous woman was the last thing that he and Romy needed when their entire relationship seemed to be disintegrating in front of his very eyes.

“Well, when I decided to come looking for you I didn’t think you’d be having this much fun without me,” Harry said, looking between Umbridge, Ron, Romy and Clay with confusion and worry. Seamus was looking a little concerned too, especially when he had heard the argument between Clay and Romy.

“I suggest you leave before I issue you with a detention as well, Mr Prince,” Umbridge snapped, glaring at Harry rather hatefully.

“Jenson is going to hit the roof if he finds out you got detention for having a spat with your boyfriend after sneaking out of the castle,” Harry said, trying to withhold laughter. He didn’t like that his friends were fighting but he had a plan on how to get them out of the situation quickly and effectively with no one getting detention.

“HARRY!” Clayton exclaimed in frustration.

“What?” Harry asked, an innocent smile twitching on his lips.

“She didn’t know where we had been!” Romy said with an exasperated huff, knowing that Harry had just dropped them all in even worse trouble.

“Well I do now,” Umbridge said smugly. “Thank you for the information, Mr Prince,” she simpered.

“Oh hush you,” Harry said to Umbridge, with a dismissive wave of his hand, “I’ll get to you in a minute.”

“Harry!” Seamus exclaimed, half laughing, half looking horrified at the fact that his friend seemed to be deliberately provoking an already angry member of the faculty. “What are you doing?” he asked under his breath. Harry just turned and gave him a smile, before turning back to Romy and Clay, who were now glaring daggers at each other.

“I can understand you two are not exactly happy with each other right now but, on my signal, run,” Harry told them sternly, though he flashed Clay a wink when his best friend looked confused.

“You won’t be going anywhere,” Umbridge said, going for her wand. However, Harry was faster, having already known what he was going to do.

Before a spell could pass from Umbridge’s lips, Harry had raised his own wand and shouted “obliviate,” at her. The spell hit the toad like woman square in the chest, sending her flying down the corridor. He then turned his attention to Ron.

“You’re bat shit crazy,” Ron said, going for his wand. But, with a laugh, Harry fired a second memory charm, this one at the red head, with not an ounce of sympathy.

“I thought I said to run on my signal,” Harry exclaimed as he turned around to realise that all three of his pack siblings were staring at him as though he had grown an extra head.

“We didn’t know what your signal was,” Clay pointed out with an exasperated huff, throwing his arms in the air.

“Me obliviating a teacher didn’t give you a clue?” Harry asked incredulously, gesturing over to where both Umbridge and Ron were now lying unconscious, though the High Inquisitor was showing signs of coming around.

“Oh for goodness sake, let’s just get out of here,” Romy said urgently, grabbing Harry by the hand as she took off down the corridor.

“Next time be clearer on what your signal is,” Clay instructed firmly, as he and Seamus chased after the other two, not wanting to be left behind with a likely confused and irate Umbridge.

“How is me assaulting a member of staff not a big enough hint?” Harry asked, throwing a look over his shoulder at his best friend as they rounded a corner and took the flight of stairs two steps at a time.

“Harry, you’re meant to be a mother,” Romy chastised, leading them behind a tapestry, and coming to a stop, so that they could catch their breath. “This is not what responsible parents are meant to do.”

“If Niko doesn’t do this, or worse then I’ll abstain from sex,” Harry pointed out with a grin, knowing that his troublesome son would likely get up to all sorts of mischief once he was at Hogwarts. Truthfully, Harry kind of hoped that the two of them could get into a little trouble together… it would be such a good bonding experience after all.

“Like the Alpha would let you,” Clay snorted. He didn’t like to think about what Harry and Fenrir got up to when alone, but he was pretty certain that abstinence was out of the question for either of them.

“What the hell were you two arguing about anyway?” Seamus said, looking between Romy and Clay. The last he had known, they were heading off for a romantic day together, but apparently that had exacerbated their problems rather than fix anything.

“Clayton was being an arse,” Romy said bluntly.

“Yeah, well, Romy was being a bitch,” Clay countered.

“Stop it, both of you,” Harry said irritably. “I have the answer to all your problems,” he added, bringing out a small bottle of truth serum from his inside robe pocket and waving it for them all to see. “But not now,” he added, putting the phial away. “We need privacy and time for it to wear off, so until then, you two are to stay away from one another. You’ve done quite enough damage to each other.”

“Why can’t we do it now?” Romy asked impatiently, wanting to do something to fix the mess between her and her mate.

“Because Clay and I have a meeting with Dumbledore,” Harry explained. “Seamus, are you okay to stay with Romy? Maybe the two of you could go to our forest room and we can meet you there later?”

“Sure,” Seamus said, sharing a look with Romy, who just shrugged her shoulders. “Just you two be careful,” he added when he turned back to Harry and Clay.

“We’ll be careful,” Harry agreed, grinning. ”But can’t promise no trouble.”

FGHP

Clay felt very awkward sitting in a chair, in front of Dumbledore’s desk, across from the Headmaster himself. Harry was in an identical chair next to him, and the three of them had been sat in an awkward silence ever since they had arrived.

He glanced sideways at his pack brother but Harry was smiling blandly at Dumbledore. Clay really wasn’t sure what was going on, but the two of them seemed to be engaged in some unintelligible battle of wills; he only knew that he wasn’t going to get involved or be the one to break the silence.

It felt like an age later when Harry politely cleared his throat and got to his feet. Clay was so surprised, that he nearly fell over himself in his haste to get up as well. He REALLY didn’t understand what was going on.

“We are not done here,” Dumbledore stated firmly, rising to his feet behind his desk and glaring daggers at Harry.

“Apparently we are given that we have been here for ten whole minutes and you have yet to say anything of note,” Harry pointed out imperiously. “We’re leaving, Clay.”

“Okie doke,” Clay said joyfully, completely baffled by this game that Harry and Dumbledore were playing.

“Sit down,” Dumbledore said harshly. “Both of you.”

Clay glanced at Harry, who nodded. “Okie doke,” Clay said again, taking his seat once more.

“I suggest you get to the point. Quickly,” Harry told him the Headmaster impatiently, as he returned to his own seat.

“You are not in charge here,” Dumbledore snapped irritably, tired of the teenager’s attitude already.

“Then we are leaving,” Harry said, getting up once more.

Clay sighed and pushed himself back to his feet. “Oooh, the hokey cokey…” he sung under his breath. “Knees bent, arms stretched,” he went on, doing the motions at the same time.

“Ra, ra, ra,” Harry and Clay finished in sync, both doing a little dance, before bursting into giggles.

“Stop this nonsense,” Dumbledore snapped angrily, staring at the two laughing boys with an expression akin to horror. He honestly never knew what to expect when he met with Harry.

“Awww, but the next bit is all about in and out, and shaking it all about,” Clay said with an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh and I do love a good bit of in and out,” Harry said with a devious grin. Clay snorted in amusement. “Though given Fenrir isn’t here, and how jealous he gets…”

“This is precisely the immature and disrespectful behaviour I wish to discuss with you both,” Dumbledore said, slamming his hand down on his desk, and grabbing the attention of the two boys.

“Immature?” Harry asked with a laugh. “You do know that we are kids right? That we are in a school, full of other children. What do you really expect? For us all to behave like we have one foot in the grave like you?”

“You have to admit, Harry makes a good point,” Clay said with a shrug of his shoulders. “We are only fifteen.”

“Regardless, these pranks HAVE to stop,” Dumbledore said emphatically, barely holding on to the last shreds of his temper.

“If you’re talking about that thing with the toilets,” Harry said, dropping back into his chair and looking smug, “I am totally innocent. Just ask Slughorn; I was helping him with his third year class at the time.”

“And that is exactly why Mr Danes has been asked to join us,” Dumbledore told them.

“I meant to behave,” Clay said with an overly-dramatic sigh, “but there were just too many other options.”

“But I must remind you that this is a school,” Dumbledore said, in annoyance, “and such behaviour will not be tolerated.”

“You can’t prove a thing,” Clay said with certainty. He was sure he would already have been given numerous detentions otherwise. The majority of the staff seemed to be on a constant look out to find any reason to punish him, innocent or not.

“Hmm,” the headmaster hummed disapprovingly before turning back to Harry. “I must insist, however, that you and your… pack… cease this behaviour. You are so adamant that you are their Alpha, then I suggest you act like it.”

“I’m their Alpha’s mate, but they are their own people,” Harry pointed out, glaring angrily at Dumbledore. “They can do whatever they want unless told otherwise by me, and surprisingly I don’t actually have any objection to them infuriating you and making your job more difficult.”

“I must insist…” Dumbledore started to say, but Harry was done discussing this.

“Surely this is not the only reason you want me here,” he interrupted.

“Dumbledore wants you too? How many men do you have after you?” Clay asked his best friend, grinning impishly.

“Seriously, Clayton? Ew!” Harry exclaimed. “I really could have gone a lifetime without those mental images. Too old, even by my standards.”

“Well that’s really saying something,” Clay retorted, cheekily. “How old is Fenrir? Fifty? sixty?”

“He is thirty-seven,” Harry said dryly, glaring lightly at his chuckling friend.

“Mr Danes, you may leave, I do not think your presence is required any further,” Dumbledore said with a frustrated sigh. Clay, however, simply looked over to Harry with a question in his eyes.

“Nah, stay,” Harry answered, simply wanting to make a point to the headmaster about who was really in charge here. “Anything you want to say to me can be said in front of Clay,” he told Dumbledore.

The headmaster looked very unsure about this but was resigned to the fact that Clayton was not leaving. He knew that Harry would probably discuss this with the other pack members later anyway, so it really didn’t make any difference in the long run. Feeling like everything was rapidly slipping out of his control, Dumbledore sat back down in his chair behind his desk, and steepled his fingers as he watched the two werewolves across from him.

“Get to the point, old man,” Harry told him dismissively.

“I have been able to track down Hufflepuff’s cup, which I believe is the cup from your dreams,” the headmaster told him. “Its owner was killed some years ago, but I believe it is now in the hands of one of Tom’s followers, likely either Lucius or Bellatrix.”

“Great,” Harry said dryly. “And what exactly do you want me to do about that?” he asked, waiting expectantly.

“I am not sure what can be done at this time, but perhaps you can speak with your friend, the young Mr Malfoy,” Dumbledore suggested.

“I doubt Draco knows anything about it, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask,” Harry agreed with a shrug. “Is there anything else?” Harry asked.

“No, I simply wished to inform you of my progress,” Dumbledore told him.

“Good for you,” Harry said sarcastically. “Now I am done patting you on the back, are we done?” Harry waited a few seconds, but the headmaster said nothing, simply continuing to glare at him irritably, and so Harry got to his feet. “Yeah, we’re done. Come on, Clay.”

“Okie dokie, hokey cokey,” Clay said cheekily, grinning when Harry let out a surprised laugh, shaking his head in amusement. “Let’s not do this again soon,” he added in Dumbledore’s direction before following Harry from the room.

“You’re such an idiot,” Harry said fondly, as the two of them descended the stairs, back into the rest of the school. “I was glad to have you here this time though, much more fun than usual.”

“Everything's better with a little more me,” Clay told him, throwing his arm over Harry’s shoulder.

“Maybe you could come with me to see my dad then?” Harry asked hopefully. He loved getting to see his father, but it always ended up breaking his heart, seeing the man as a shadow of his former self, which was why he didn’t make a fuss about visiting more often.

“Really?” Clay asked, surprised at the suggestion. He knew that Severus was in a secure room in the castle, and that Harry had been to see him, but Harry had never wanted to share those precious moments with anyone before. Clay had suspected Harry simply wanting to keep Severus to himself.

“Please,” Harry requested, leaning against Clay a little. He always had to keep himself so strong when dealing with Dumbledore, and so it was nice to let his best friend support him for the moment, as he guided them both in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

“Mr Prince, Mr Danes,” Madam Pomfrey said as she noticed them coming through the doors to the ward. She did not look remotely pleased to see them.

“Don’t fret, we’re just here to see my dad,” Harry told her with a dismissive wave of his arm, leading Clay towards Severus’ private room. Madam Pomfrey scowled, but nodded her understanding, going back to the report she was writing.

Walking through the door and seeing Severus lying pale and emotionless on the bed had Clay stalling, not sure how to react. It wasn’t often that he was lost for words but seeing a man that he had known almost his whole life, a man whom he had looked up to and genuinely cared about, reduced to such a state made him want to hurt the person responsible.

“Merlin,” Clay said with a low intake of breath, struggling to fully understand what had happened to the man and being a little too tactful to ask Harry a million and one questions. Looking to his best friend, Clayton could see that Harry was not in a good place. Despite their laughing and joking moments before, stepping into this room had sucked all the fun and joy from the day.

“I know, it’s bad,” Harry said, approaching the bed and perching himself on it, looking to Severus with tears in his eyes. Knowing that his dad was in the hospital wing was a comfort but he couldn’t come here more than the arranged twice a month. It was too difficult to see the strong man reduced to nothing.

“When you said… I never realised,” Clayton said, trying his hardest to express sympathy and support for Harry but knowing that he was failing miserably.

“It’s okay,” Harry said, taking hold of his Dad’s hand and stroking it gently. “I wanted you to see him because I need you to know why I keep going to see Dumbledore, why I stay at the school instead of going home and why I made the vow.”

“I was so angry when you made that vow,” Clay said with a sigh, “but I get it now, I still don’t agree but I understand why you did it.”

“I only wish that I could show this to Fenrir,” Harry said with a sigh. “It’s easier now that he knows but I don’t think he really understands.”

“Harry…” Clay said, thinking that perhaps Harry hadn’t considered what might happen if everything went the way he wanted it to. “What do you think is going to happen if you manage to save your dad? It’s not like he would be able to live with the pack. I’m pretty sure that if your dad survives this then he’s going to make an attempt on Fenrir’s life; I highly doubt he’d approve of his fifteen-year-old son doing the rumpy-pumpy with a fifty-year-old.”

“Thirty-seven; but I see your point,” Harry said with a sigh. “Honestly, if my Dad manages to survive then I’ll figure things out then. But, between you and me, I don’t think he will.”

“Then why make the vow?” Clay asked with confusion.

“Because if Dad dies then Dumbledore will as well,” Harry pointed out. “I might lose the most important man in my life, aside from Fen, but Dumbledore won’t be able to hurt anyone anymore; he already can’t hurt us because of the vow. As much as I want my dad to make it, I’ve come to realise that he might not; he’s too frail now, he’s being kept alive by magic only.”

“So you made the vow to kill Dumbledore?” Clay asked, thinking that it was something that he would never had thought of or been able to do. He admired Harry in so many ways but knowing that his best friend had been conniving enough to plan so far ahead scared him a little. “I really hope I’m never on your bad side.”

Harry sighed. “It’s war,” he said with a shrug, “there’s Dumbledore’s side, Voldemort’s side and then there’s us and we have to make sure that we come out on top.”

“I think this is where I’d make an inappropriate comment,” Clay said trying to lighten the mood a little, “but I think you’ve had enough of my particular brand of humour today and I think Sev has had enough to last a lifetime.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, glad that Clayton knew when to draw the line with the comments that he made. It was painful enough being here with his Dad, he didn’t want to deal with crude and unnecessary remarks from his best friend.

“Do you want me to leave the two of you alone for a while?” Clay suggested, thinking that it might be a good idea for Harry to have some alone time with his father. He knew how close the two of them had been before Dumbledore had come into their lives.

“No,” Harry said with a sigh. He would normally have stayed for an hour, two at most, just sitting or cuddling with his Dad but it was becoming increasingly more painful to see him like this and today he wasn’t going to be able to remain here for any amount of time. “I only wanted to show you, we can go now.”

“Harry, I don’t mind,” Clay said softly. He knew that Harry wouldn’t be in any danger sitting here and he had no issue leaving his best friend in this room. However, Harry just shook his head, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay.

“No, it’s fine, we should go,” he said, leaning forward and placing a kiss to his Dad’s forehead, lingering there for a moment. “I love you,” Harry whispered quietly, though he knew that Clay would be able to hear him.

FGHP

Sleep deprived and feeling miserable, Robin had spent the entire day as far away from the pack as she could. It was now widely known what she had done and no one was willing to talk to her, not even to hear her side of the story. The only person she cared about was Rosie and only because the girl had promised her something.

Robin knew she was going to need alcohol. She had reluctantly spoken to the new girl, but Rosie was apparently getting her hands on something for them both to drink. Robin was sure it was the only way she was ever going to sleep again. Every time she closed her eyes all she could think of was what Amycus had done to her. She just wanted to forget.

She could never remember feeling as utterly hopeless and full of despair as she did right now. She didn’t think that anyone would believe what had happened to her, even if she did tell them. Fenrir wouldn’t even look at her anymore and the others were glaring at her as if she were the scum of the earth.

As dusk settled throughout the clearing, those who had been at work, returned. Robin watched as they were greeted by their mates and the rest of the pack, while she sat ignored and forgotten. It wasn’t until dinner was ready that anyone bothered with her; Micha came over to where she sat with a bowl of stew in his hand.

“I didn’t want to bring this to you,” he said, glaring down at her, speaking in just a whisper so that no one else would be able to hear him. “I don't’ think you deserve kindness from anyone after what you did.”

Robin remained silent, glaring up at Micha. She held her tongue, knowing that she was in enough trouble within the pack without lashing out at one of the other submissives. Micha, however, wasn’t done with her yet.

“You see, I was raped by another werewolf. He made me believe that I wanted it, that I loved him,” Micha continued, picking up the spoon and stirring the stew in the bowl thoughtfully. “He made me think that it was normal even,” he added as he flicked some of the meat out of the bowl and onto the floor in front of Robin.

“Just fuck off already,” Robin said. She was already close to tears and she didn’t want to hear what Micha was saying. She didn’t care what he had gone through, she didn’t want to hear sob stories, she just wanted to deal with her own pain.

“No,” Micha said adamantly, tipping a little more of the meat and vegetable meal on to the floor at Robin’s feet. “You need to know that you’re disgusting. And because of what you did, you will not find any friends here.” With those final words, Micha dropped the bowl in front of her, spilling half of the remaining contents onto the floor, before walking back to join the others.

Beyond hungry, Robin grabbed for the bowl, eating the remaining few mouthfuls of stew before retreating to the tree, which she found so much comfort in. The pain in her chest was growing and she wasn’t sure how much more hatred she could take from the pack that was supposedly meant to be her family.

Removing the knife from her waistband Robin played with it in her hands, running her thumb across the edge of the blade until it cut into the soft flesh, drawing pin pricks of blood. Robin was surprised at just how much relief she felt in it, the physical pain distracted her from the emotional pain that she was feeling.

Staring at the blood, tears welled up in her eyes. She hated what she had become. Robin turned to look towards the fire, pain flaring at the sight of them laughing, joking and having fun with their mates and family while she remained alone and cold. While still watching the rest of the pack, Robin pressed the blade to her forearm, slightly above her wrist and drew the knife across it, drawing a line of blood as she gasped out at the pain of it.

The physical pain was a relief, a distraction from the emotional turmoil inside of her. Fenrir was out of reach now, she knew that and none of the others liked her much at all, though Rosie would give her what she needed to sleep. Robin knew that the only hope she had was the latch on to the new pack member that she had heard might be arriving soon. It was only then that she might have some acceptance here.

FGHP

It was Sunday morning and Seamus had excused himself from the rest of his pack siblings so that he could complete some of his homework in the library. With all the excitement and drama that seemed to follow Harry around, he hadn’t found a whole lot of time to get things done recently.

What he wasn’t expecting was to run into his ex-girlfriend, Rionach. Of course, he had known that it was bound to happen at some point but he hadn’t been prepared for it. Nor had he been prepared for seeing her with someone else.

“Seamus,” she had said the moment she spotted him, something he had been fervently hoping wouldn’t happen at all. She sounded as shaken to see him, as he felt seeing her.

He couldn’t think of anything to say to her though and so he simply turned around and hurried off back the way he came, feeling confused by the emotion building inside of him. He wasn’t angry or upset, but it didn’t feel quite right either.

Feeling hurt and confused, Seamus headed to the Slytherin common room. He hoped to find Harry, as he had said he might be headed there. It didn’t seem to take him long to reach the entrance, lost in his thoughts as he was, and he stared at the wall for several long moments before using the password that Draco had shared with them over breakfast.

The place wasn’t overly busy, and he cast an eye around, looking for his pack siblings. However, instead of Harry, the only familiar faces he saw were Luna and Theo, who seem to be bickering quietly in the far corner. He really wasn’t sure what was going on with the two of them, but it was something he wasn’t in the mood to get involved in.

Turning around, he headed back out of the common room, not really sure where to look next. But he had only just stepped out into the corridor when he was brought up short; he almost literally collided with Clayton and Harry.

“Whoa, what’s up?” Clay said, steadying Seamus before he could fall flat on his arse.

“Oh, nothing,” Seamus said dismissively once he had regained his balance. “Just… stuff.” Neither Harry or Clay looked convinced. “I don’t suppose you two want to come with me to the kitchens and eat massive amounts of chocolate and ice cream?” he suggested hopefully, needing both the distraction and the change of subject.

“Now that is an offer we can’t refuse,” Harry said jovially, a massive grin on his face. “Right, Clay?” he added, nudging his best friend with his elbow. Clay, however, looked unsure.

“You know, I might pass,” Clay told him with an apologetic half-smile. Harry turned to stare, blinking at him in confusion.

“Wow. Who are you and what have you done with Clay?” Harry asked, suddenly feeling rather worried about his pack brother. He was trying to remember a time, that wasn’t due to illness, when Clay had turned down sugar; even being poorly hadn’t always stopped his best friend.

“I think that I need to take a moment to think alone, after yesterday…” Clay explained, shrugging his shoulders, not wanting to make a big deal out of it; and it was then that Seamus noticed Romy’s conspicuous absence.

“Yeah, okay. I get it,” Harry said, letting out a soft sigh and nodding his understanding. Clay had given him an overview of the argument that he and Romy had had, and Harry was feeling a lot of sympathy for them both. He wouldn’t begrudge Clay some alone time. Romy had needed the same after their catastrophic argument the day before.

“You two be okay on your own?” Clay asked.

“I’ll take care of him,” Seamus promised with a small smile, knowing that Clay wouldn’t leave unless he trusted that Harry would be safe and protected, particularly in the wake of the recent attack. Clay nodded gratefully.

“See you later,” Clay said, sounding rather downtrodden as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

Harry gave his friend a wry smile, as he and Seamus linked arms. He wanted to say something, but Clay just waved the pair of them away and so he and Seamus headed off towards the kitchens, leaving a rather miserable Clayton behind in the dungeons.

“Is he okay?” Seamus asked quietly, once he was sure that they were out of hearing range.

“I hope so,” Harry said with a sigh. He wanted to see Clay and Romy happy but he wanted them to be able to fix what had been said before he used the truth serum. The two of them needed to learn that they couldn’t rely on potions and magic to fix all of their problems.

“Me too,” Seamus said pensively. He was sure that Clay and Romy were meant for each other, that they belonged together. It was hard to have faith in any kind of relationship, when even they didn’t seem to be able to make it work. It made him wonder how things might have worked out with him and Rionach, if he had never been bitten; part of him wanted to believe he was better off without that kind of heartache anyway.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Harry said, with a bit of a forced smile, mis-reading Seamus’ expression as concern for their pack siblings. Though of course Seamus was feeling that too, mixed in with his confused emotions regarding his own ex.

Seamus just gave Harry a pointed look, because they both knew that not worrying about Clay and Romy simply wasn’t an option. The two of them fell into a silence that was full of unsaid things and worries, neither of them wanting to think too hard of how things might be if Clay and Romy couldn’t fix the rift between them.

“How can we be helping?” a little elf asked as the two of them entered the kitchen.

“Ice cream,” Seamus requested without hesitation. “And chocolate.”

“Lots of ice cream and chocolate,” Harry amended, sharing an amused look with Seamus, the two of them chuckling as they took as seat at one of the large tables, both digging in enthusiastically, when their sugary feast appeared.

FGHP

“That’s it,” Jenson said furiously, as he caught his mate, Callie having blacked out for a moment and fallen into his arms. “I’m taking you to see a healer,” he declared as she blinked blearily up at him.

“No,” Callie said, her head still spinning and her stomach churning dangerously. “I just need to sleep,” she insisted.

“You slept for eighteen out of the twenty-four hours yesterday,” Damon pointed out with concern, having hurried over to their side the moment that he had realised that there was something wrong with his sister. “The potions clearly aren’t working.”

“I’m honestly okay,” Callie said again, trying to force herself back onto her own two feet but falling again, this time right into Jenson’s chest as he caught her once more, supporting her fully.

“Callie,” Tessie said with a sigh, from where she was sat not far from them. She waited a moment for the woman to turn to look her way. “I think you should listen to them.”

“But…” Callie started to argue, but she was quickly interrupted.

“Take her to Lukas’ home,” Fenrir said sternly, though his expression showed his concern for Callie. “Have a healer come to her.”

“You heard the Alpha,” Jenson said, picking Callie up effortlessly, glad that she didn’t even try to fight him at that point, “you don’t have a choice now.”

“I’m going with you,” Damon said at once, grateful that she was seemingly accepting Fenrir’s word as final. “You’ll need someone to stay with Callie and someone to get the healer,” he reasoned, trying to be logical before anyone could object.

“Fine,” said Fenrir, not entirely liking the fact that his Beta and the next strongest member of the pack would both be leaving the territory, however, he didn’t want to see Callie suffer; alongside Damon, she was his oldest friend.

Without another word Jenson, with Callie in his arms and Damon following on his heels, headed for the apparition point. The Beta wolf didn’t want to waste any time, he wanted to make sure that his mate, and their child, were both healthy.

Fenrir frowned after them but said nothing. With Callie sick and the pups away at school, things were far too fragmented for the Alpha’s liking. He was looking forward to the summer holidays when the whole pack would be united and strong once again. However, that in itself held another problem entirely because by the end of the summer Niko wanted to go to Hogwarts with Harry and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

FGHP

Landing in Lukas’ living room, Jenson laid his mate down upon the sofa. Damon, without saying a word, grabbed the floo powder and vanished from sight, shouting “St Mungo’s,” as his destination.

“It’s okay,” Jenson said, kneeling down beside his mate, running a large hand through her hair, “I’m going to make sure you’re okay.”

“You need to stop fussing,” Callie said with a sigh, feeling completely drained of energy, too lethargic to even raise her hand to connect with her mate.

“I’ll stop fussing when you’re healthy and our baby is healthy too,” Jenson said, hating just how much his mate seemed to disregard her own well-being because she was too stubborn to accept help.

“Both baby and I are fine,” Callie said with a sigh, closing her eyes, thinking that a sleep would be ideal right now and the sofa was just so comfortable.

“You sleep, sweetheart, I’ll be here to watch over you,” he said, feeling utterly hopeless as he leaned forward and placed a kiss to her forehead.

It was half an hour before Damon returned, and by then Jenson was on the last threads of his patience. Callie had fallen asleep almost instantly, leaving the Beta wolf alone with his thoughts and he was overthinking everything. He almost attacked Damon and the healer as they came through the floo, he was so on edge.

“How long has she been asleep?” Damon asked, rushing over to his sister’s side, without even glancing at the healer he had brought with him.

“Since a minute or so after you left,” Jenson told him wearily, his eyes fixed on the healer, the same one who they had seen at St Mungo’s. He was rather impressed that Damon had managed to find the healer who had originally confirmed Callie’s pregnancy about six weeks previously.

“I take it the potions have not been helping to alleviate her symptoms,” the healer said, immediately approaching his patient, wand drawn.

“They have, but she’s getting so tired all the time,” Jenson said, clenching his fist and resisting the urge to hurt the healer, who was far too close to his mate for his liking. The human part of his brain knew that the healer was there to help, but the wolf in him didn’t like it at all.

The healer nodded his head, waving his wand and casting diagnosis spells over Callie, who remained sleeping peacefully. Damon took a step back to give them some space; he could see the warning signs in Jenson’s body language and knew well enough that the Beta would not take kindly to another wolf, even a relative, being close his mate right now.

“Hmm,” the healer hummed after a moment, standing back and watching his patient with a pensive expression. He had not seen this in werewolves before; normally they were far too hardy to become sick at all, which is why it was rare that werewolves were seen in St Mungos.

“What is it, what’s wrong with her?” Jenson asked at once, seeing the look on the healer’s face.

Damon was resisting the urge to demand answers as well; it was taking all his willpower to not step in and try to do something, anything to help his little sister. But he knew this healer had a good reputation, and he was willing to help them despite their lycanthropy, so he didn’t want to do anything that might risk scaring him off.

The healer sighed wearily. “To put it simply, her liver is not functioning as it should,” he told them. “The condition is called Intrahepatic cholestasis, and this is the most advanced case I have ever seen in a werewolf.”

“But you can cure it, right?” Jenson all but snarled, his hand tightening around Callie’s, causing her to snuffle in her sleep. “You know what it is, that means you can correct it.”

“I will prescribe a potion that will help, but it won’t cure her,” the healer told them regretfully, though whether that was because the healer wished he could help further or was wishing he had more to appease the upset werewolf with, Damon didn’t know.

“Just how serious is this?” Damon asked quietly, almost scared to voice the question. They couldn’t lose her now, not after everything they had survived.

“I have to be clear, this is very serious,” the healer warned them, “but if properly managed, both she and the baby have an excellent chance of making it through the rest of this pregnancy just fine.”

“So she just needs to be taking another potion?” Jenson asked hopefully. Damon too was desperately wishing that it was going to be as simple as that.

“Yes, more or less,” the healer agreed, though hesitantly. “I will, however, want to see her at least once a month, and more often in the later months, to check that everything is proceeding as it should.”

“Of course,” Damon agreed, as Jenson pressed an obviously relieved kiss to his mate’s forehead. “We can meet here, or bring her to St. Mungos…”

“Either would be acceptable,” the healer agreed with a curt nod. “Though, once she goes into labour I will insist on her delivering at the hospital. And if she hasn’t gone into labour naturally by the end of August then I would highly recommend inducing labour to avoid further complications.”

“Whatever they need,” Jenson promised easily, turning to look at the healer, ready to ask about the potion, but the healer was already crouched down next to his open bag and was holding a slip out towards him.

“This is the potion. It is not often used, so the apothecaries may not stock it, but I will have some made up at the hospital for you to collect by tomorrow,” the healer stated, as Jenson accepted the small piece of parchment. “In the meantime,” he went on, as he started removing a few phials, placing them on the floor next to the sofa Callie was asleep on, “I am going leave you a couple of nutrient potions, and something that will boost her immune system a little. I would recommend she also takes another dose of the anti-nausea potion when she wakes.”

“Thank you,” Damon said earnestly, as the healer closed up his bag and got back to his feet.

“If she doesn’t seem at least somewhat better by the end of the week, bring her in to see me,” the healer told them sternly, before he turned and saw himself out through the floo.

There was a sort of tense silence in the man’s absence, with neither Damon or Jenson knowing what to say to each other, and neither wanting to disturb Callie. So, the two of them simply watched her sleep, as though needing to see for themselves that she was still alive and breathing.

“I assume you want to leave her to sleep,” Damon said several minutes later. Jenson simply nodded. “I’ll leave you here then, but I should probably go and let the others know that she and the baby are both alright.”

“Do that,” Jenson agreed, rather bluntly. He knew that Damon was trying to be supportive and that Damon cared about Callie too, but right now he needed some time alone with his mate, to process all he had been told. Despite the healer’s words, he still feared for his mate and child and he knew he would until he saw some improvement.

“We’ll get her through this, Jenson,” Damon promised, hesitating long enough to watch Callie a minute more, before disapparating back home to the pack.

FGHP

With most pack members concerned over how Callie was getting on and busying themselves with their daily tasks to keep from worrying too much, no one was paying much attention to Robin. The unhappy teenager was skulking near the edge of the clearing, looking around at the remaining pack members.

For once Aspen was not at Rosie’s side, instead he was off talking to Fenrir. To Robin it seemed that Aspen was desperate to prove himself, and become fully functioning members of the pack. She didn’t really understand Aspen’s obsession with trying to earn his place but, at the moment, she was just glad that it had left Rosie on her own.

The new girl was sat slightly away from the others. Rosie seemed to like her solitude; Robin could relate. She just hoped that Rosie might understand her needing alcohol right now, her needing something to drown the misery she was feeling. Robin pushed off the tree she had been leaning against and approached the other girl.

“Have you got it?” Robin asked, not seeing the point in being nice; no one had time for pleasantries when it came to her anyway.

“Yes,” Rosie said, a little snippily. It hadn’t been easy retrieving the vodka from the cave and she had done it not only for herself but as a favour for Robin, so she really didn’t appreciate the attitude she was getting.

“Can I have it?” Robin asked, becoming impatient. The less time she spent talking to these people the better in her opinion; she really wasn’t in the mood for any of them today.

Rosie sighed, realising that she wasn’t going to get rid of Robin until the girl got what she wanted. Pulling herself up off the ground, Rosie headed away from the clearing, over to where she had stored her bags. She had hidden behind the tree that Harry had taken a liking to when he had first moved into the territory, not that Rosie knew this of course.

“Why are you so desperate for it anyway?” Rosie asked, turning to look Robin over. She was second guessing her decision to help the other girl, especially when she was being so rude.

“Just give it to me,” Robin demanded, not liking being questioned. Her hands were balled into fists and she was more than ready to lash out if she had to. Not sleeping, due to all the nightmares, had made her grumpier than usual and she was more than ready to fight for what she wanted.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Rosie said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest and meeting the other girl’s eyes defiantly. “Not unless you tell me why you want this so badly.”

“Go fuck yourself, I’m not telling you anything. Just give it to me,” Robin demanded, she was on the verge of tears but desperate not to show weakness.

“I’m not giving you anything,” Rosie stated adamantly. She refused to be pushed around by Robin. She wasn’t scared of this girl; Rosie had been through a lot in her life and she wasn’t about to start being intimidated now.

“I’ll get what I want, one way or another,” Robin warned with a snarl, really trying not to lash out. She had always struggled with not getting what she wanted, and coming to the pack had been a harsh learning curve for her. And before Rosie could respond, Robin had turned and stormed off, heading back to where she kept the few things of her own that she had left.

“What was all that about?” Aspen asked, having come over the second he realised that there was potential for a scuffle between Rosie and Robin. He wanted to be part of this pack, but protecting Rosie was still his priority.

“She wanted some vodka,” Rosie told him honestly. She never lied to Aspen, there was no need, the two of them had grown up together and he knew all her flaws and bad habits.

“Did she tell you why?” Aspen asked with a sigh.

“Of course not, she’s shut down and to be honest I’m not shocked about that either,” Rosie said, and Aspen frowned in confusion. “No one in this pack is very nice to her,” Rosie pointed out, realising that she too could be counted amongst those that had been treating the other girl with disdain since Robin’s return from Hogwarts.

“I think that perhaps she is more troubled that anyone had anticipated,” Aspen said wisely, looking over to where Robin had stormed off to. She was currently curled up under a tree, where she was only just visible. “I think it’s time you spoke to Fenrir, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is going to be the only one to get through to her now.”

“I will,” Rosie agreed hesitantly, knowing that Aspen was right. There was no way that Robin was going to find happiness on her own, she was struggling too much and turning to alcohol was only going to temporarily dull the pain, not make it go away. Rosie knew this all too well. “I’m just not sure that the Alpha is going to handle the situation as delicately as it needs to be handled.”

Aspen mulled this over for a moment, realising that Rosie had a valid point. Fenrir was known for having a bit of a temper and his blunt attitude, and it was clear that the situation with Robin would require a gentler approach. Yelling at her had not worked in the past and with everyone ignoring her now, no one was trying anything else.

“Perhaps we should wait until the Alpha mate returns,” he suggested.

Rosie turned to look at Aspen in surprise. They had heard a lot about the young man who was mated to their Alpha, but had yet to meet him; everyone sung his praises. Almost everyone, anyway; but Robin’s disdain didn’t really count for much.

“He has spent more time with her than anyone else,” Aspen pointed out, to which Rosie nodded in solemn agreement. “Perhaps he will be the kinder, more gentle approach that we are looking for. It’s only two weeks until the full moon, hopefully it can wait until then.”

“I doubt she’s going to drink herself to death in two weeks, especially if I won’t give her the alcohol,” Rosie agreed, knowing that she wasn’t prepared to do anything for the venomous girl until she started being a little nicer.

FGHP

After being denied what she wanted from Rosie, Robin had retreated back to her familiar tree, just out of the main-line of sight of the others. They could see that she was there and that she hadn’t wandered off on her own, but she didn’t have to listen to their inane chatter, or see the way they looked at her.

As long as they knew where she was, they didn’t bother to come and check on her, which suited Robin perfectly. She wanted to be alone, she wanted privacy to seek what little relief she could find.

Reaching into her bag, Robin withdrew a knife. Watching it closely, she twirled it round her fingers, thoughtfully. She felt a wave of comfort just from holding it. She hadn’t bothered with a glamour charm to cover the cuts she had made previously, knowing that no one was going to notice them. At least, no one had given any indication that they had noticed them yet. Not that she would have let them deny her this small pleasure even if they had.

She stilled the blade and drifted her attention to her forearm. The cuts there were almost healed, her accelerated werewolf healing having done its job; however, it just made Robin want to do it again. She knew it would make her feel better, even if only for mere moments.

When she closed her eyes, she reminisced on how the physical pain of the blade cutting into her skin distracted her from the emotional pain and memory of what Amycus Carrow had done to her, and what she had done to Cormac as a result.

It was easy to be angry for all that had been done to her, she felt justified in her pain, but it was turning out to be harder to live with the growing guilt. As much as she wanted to pretend otherwise, she was starting to realise just how much she had probably hurt Cormac. She had tried to explain it all away in her own mind, reminding herself that she had been hurt first, but still the guilt was eating away at her. She wanted to just forget it all.

Gripping the knife firmly in her hand, Robin pressed the blade to the fleshy part of her forearm just below her wrist and dragged it across. She let out a small gasp of pain before the euphoria hit and the act of hurting herself did exactly what she had wanted it to and so she readied the knife to do it once more.

FGHP

Lukas couldn’t keep the smile from his face. Nell’s arm was linked with his as the two of them wandered down the high street towards the little off license where they had first met. He had taken her out for an early dinner, so that she would be done in plenty of time to make it to her evening shift at the shop.

“I could keep you company for a while,” he offered. “Make sure you don’t get too bored.”

It was an earnest suggestion, though in part it was simply that he didn’t want to let her out of his sight; Lukas was fiercely protective of his pregnant mate, even though she was only a few weeks gone. He knew that it had to be, but he hated that they were still spending so much of their time apart.

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Nell told him, laughing softly as she dismissed the idea. “I’ll be fine. I have been doing this job since before you were my knight in shining armour.”

“And if I wanted to stay?” Lukas asked hopefully. He had suddenly become a little concerned that she was growing sick of him being around, that she wanted some space from him and was using work as a convenient excuse.

“Well in that case…” Nell said, looking up at him with a grin that wiped away most of his concerns, “how can I refuse such an offer.”

“I’ll make us tea,” Lukas promised, causing Nell to laugh again.

“Of course you will,” she said, as he pushed open the door to the off license. He felt his cheeks flush a little, as though she was mocking his addiction, but he knew better than to take offence. “I’ve even invested in decaf, but it just doesn’t taste the same.”

“Oh good, you’re here,” Mike said urgently as they walked inside, picking his bag up from where it had been placed on the counter. It was clear that he had been waiting for Nell to arrive. “Just had a call from Linda. You don’t mind if I rush off a few mins early, do ya?”

“No, of course, go,” Nell agreed, looking concerned. “It everything alright?”

“Oh yeah, she’s just getting herself into a flap because she can’t figure out to work the new washing machine,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Bloody woman. Needs a man to figure out every machine, even the ones for cleaning clothes and all that home-y stuff.”

Lukas’ brow furrowed, not certain that he liked this man, and definitely not approving about how he spoke about woman. Nell, however, just looked exasperated, as if she had heard it all before. “Sure, Mike,” she said dryly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya,” Mike said, with a wave of his hand as he headed out the door. Nell and Lukas waited until it closed behind the man, leaving the two of them alone.

“Is he always so… charming?” Lukas asked, glaring at the door, where Mike had made his exit, as if it had offended him.

“You should have been here for the when his wife fell and sprained her wrist,” Nell said as she moved behind the counter to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. “He had to do the dishes,” she added in a conspiratorial whisper, followed by an exaggerated gasp, that made Lukas burst out laughing.

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Lukas said, still smiling at how wonderful his girlfriend was. He had just gone into the back room when he heard the bell above the shop door, announcing a new customer.

As he stood waiting for the kettle to boil, Lukas kept an eye on things on the monitor, which had a direct feed into the back room via the security camera. The shop was only small and the one camera covered all of it.

The girl that had come in seemed somewhat familiar to Lukas, however she kept her back to the camera and with the poor quality, greyscales image, he couldn’t be sure. It was when he saw a wand emerge from her pocket and a vodka bottle, that she had picked up, start to shrink, he leaped into action.

Nell let out a small alarmed sound as her usually calm and composed boyfriend darted around the counter. Grabbed the customer by her arm, Lukas spun the girl back around towards him.

“Oi!” the customer cried out, but the girl’s exclamation turned into a gasp of surprise as she came face to face with Lukas. “Shit,” she muttered under her breath, looking suddenly resigned.

“Rosie,” Lukas said sternly, simply holding his hand out expectantly. The annoyance was written all over his face, and Nell didn’t think she had ever seen him look that way before. “Now,” he added, the quiet tone sounding far scarier than any degree of shouting ever could.

“Lukas?” Nell asked hesitantly, feeling that she should be handling this, given she was the one that worked there, but it was quite apparent that her boyfriend knew this girl.

“This is one of my many cousins. Rosie, this is Nell,” he introduced. “Rosie here is in big trouble,” he added, looking back towards his pack sister. “She knows better than to be using magic in front of muggles for one thing, and is lucky that you happen to already be well informed on that front, not to mention that she appears to be stealing.”

“I’m sorry, alright,” Rosie huffed, all but hitting the shrunken bottle into Lukas’ hand.

“Why did you even need this?” Lukas asked confused. He knew that when she had arrived, Rosie had brought a bottle with her and from what Micha and Damon had told him about the home they’d found her in, he honestly didn’t blame her for using alcohol to cope. However, she was in a better place now; she shouldn’t have needed it.

“I just do,” Rosie snapped. She didn’t want to admit just how much she actually needed it. Not even Aspen really knew how much she depended upon it. When Robin had approached her earlier in the day it had been mostly gone already and she hadn’t really been willing to give the rest to the awful girl.

“Well you can either talk to me here and now or I can take you back to the pack and tell Fenrir what you’ve just tried to do. Which would you prefer?” Lukas was not above blackmailing Rosie. She might not have been part of the pack for long but she was still pack and she had fitted in better than some.

“No, don’t do that,” Rosie said quickly. She had seen what had happened to Robin when the Alpha didn’t like her behaviour and didn’t want to find herself in anything like a similar position. Lukas continued to watch her expectantly. “But I don’t know what you want me to say. Other than I’m sorry.”

“Sorry you got caught,” Nell grumbled, as Lukas resized the bottle and placed it on the counter. She had dealt with many a teenager coming in and attempting to steal and she was used to empty apologies.

“I don’t even know you,” Rosie sneered at the shop assistant. “So honestly, not sure why I should care what you think.”

“Hey, cut that out now,” Lukas snapped. “Nell is… important to me.”

“I’m his girlfriend and having his baby, so more than just important,” Nell said, looking at Lukas with confusion. She didn’t like that he wasn’t telling his family who she was. After everything that they had been through, and having alienated her own parents, she thought that she deserved to be at least introduced as his girlfriend.

“Ha, so guess I am not the only one with secrets,” Rosie said, half-laughing. “Still want to go have a chat with Fenrir? I am sure he would want to know there’s going to be an extra mouth to feed.”

“And what makes you think that he doesn’t already know,” Lukas challenged. “Fenrir doesn’t share everything with you, you know.”

Rosie laughed. “Even I’m not new enough to believe that Fenrir would be okay with you going off and having some kid with a muggle,” she pointed out dismissively. “But cheer up. You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours. I trust you can cover the cost of this,” Rosie added, grabbing to bottle off the counter once more.

Lukas could do little more than stare as the girl sauntered out the door with a bottle in hand. He knew that Rosie needed help, if she was really that in need of alcohol, but he wasn’t going to risk exposing his relationship.

“Do all your cousin’s treat you like shit or just that one?” Nell asked a few moments later, looking at Lukas incredulously. Apparently he wasn’t as strong as she first thought that he was.

“No, they aren’t perfect, but you caught a bad moment there. I was actually going to suggest you meet another cousin of mine, Micha… he’s a lot more agreeable than Rosie,” Lukas said with a sigh. “If you still want to meet my family.”

“I don't’ think it’s whether I want to meet your family but whether you want me to meet them. I don’t like being a secret, Lukas. I turned my back on my parents for you, I was willing to lose everything for you and this baby.” As Nell said this she folded her arms over her chest, not looking at all impressed with the situation. “Do you even want us?” she asked.

“You know I do,” Lukas said quickly, not wanting to argue over this.

Not speaking to Nell for a week had been hell for him and Lukas was not prepared to go through that again. He refused to lose this woman, she was the love of his life and she was carrying his baby.

“And you’re not a secret,” he told her firmly. “Things are stressful with my family right now, I just haven’t found the right time to talk to my… Uncle. He’s the patriarch of the family, Fenrir, the one that Rosie mentioned.”

Lukas knew that he was rambling now and he really wasn’t sure that calling Fenrir his Uncle was really the best idea but there were no other words to describe the large brutish man. He just wanted to reassure Nell that he was very serious about her and he wouldn’t be giving up on her.

“What am I meant to think?” Nell questioned. “I don’t even know where your family live and it’s not like I see your family around here at all. At least I don’t think so; but I obviously wouldn’t recognise them, as that Rosie girl proved. For all I know you’re planning on leaving me and never coming back.”

“I’m serious about you, Nell, you and the baby,” Lukas promised, moving forward and taking her hands in his own. “I’m never leaving you. I just want you to see that I love you so much.” He was rambling even more now, getting more and more nervous by the second, and more desperate never to lose her; it was then that a thought occurred to him. “Nell, I’d honestly do anything for you, for you and the baby. Anything. Honestly think that this question may be long overdue… Will you marry me?”
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Fragmented Soul