Chapter 58: Aftermath
Lily didn’t know what to do with herself.
The other night had been the worst of her life. She didn’t have the words to describe how it was and how she felt. It wasn’t the first time she saw the kind of scene she witnessed. Destruction and dead people were not new to her. Not nearly dying. It was the second time she came close.
This time however she realized it.
The first time she was more focused on her husband carving a bloody path through the Death Eaters who had dared to try to kill her and she was afraid of losing him. Things had been different that night. It wasn’t just a spell passing over her head and disappearing in the distance, no this time she had the dead body of a snarling werewolf right under her nose.
It wasn’t the worst of the night. It was only the beginning. The way Rick had dealt with the werewolves had been effective. Inhumanly effective. It had disgusted her at the moment. When he had tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her back she felt disgusted too. She didn’t want him to touch her. She couldn’t even bear to look at him.
Then there was the confrontation with Voldemort. When she heard Rick finishing the mad man’s sentence it was like she was looking at a stranger. A man who wasn’t her husband. She felt relief when he denied Voldemort and fear when he nearly died to a killing curse. Dumbledore’s intervention saved his life but the curse Rick had been hit with was killing him. And she had been powerless. Years spent in learning the healing arts and she had not been able to save the love of her life.
Awful.
That was how she felt. From thinking about the reaction she had towards the man she loved above all else. Looking down she let her hand go through his long dirty blond hair. Dorea had known the curse and had quickly dealt with it but Rick would have three long scars on his side for the rest of his life.
“He’s going to be fine, lass.”
Looking up, Lily saw the disfigured Alastor Moody on a nearby bed, reading the muggle interrogation book Rick had given him the previous day.
“I’m not worried about him waking up. I’m more worried about him leaving me.” she answered in a bout of truthfulness she didn’t know the provenance of.
“Now, why would he do that? I don’t know the two of you all that well but I can see that he’s deeply in love with you. Anyone can, really. He’s not an idiot either.”
“I reacted very badly to his actions the other night.”
“The way he dealt with our enemies, huh?” Alaster grunted and closed the book loudly. “Tell you what. It will be as hard for him as it is for you. In the end… you just have to ask yourselves: would your life be better without the other? If it’s no, then you’ll find a way to make it work in time.”
Lily looked at the veteran Auror quizzically. It hit her after a moment that he was talking from experience. “You…”
“Aye. Been there, done that.” Mad-eye inhaled and exhaled deeply. “After the war with Grindelwald… It changed me. I did things that I didn’t want to do but had to. I was messed up after it. In the head. My Myrna? She didn’t take it very well. I was a different man than the one who left for war. But bless her soul she understood and loved me so she took it all in stride. She worked hard to get me back to the man I was for the most part and accepted the parts that were changed forever. The paranoïa mainly but otherwise we were happy because we knew we couldn’t be happy without each other.”
Moody’s tale gave her hope. Her thoughts were interrupted by Dorea entering the room, followed by Dumbledore.
“Lady Potter, Albus.”
“For the last time, I’m not the Lady Potter anymore.” replied Dorea in exasperation as she came to Moody’s bed, giving a supportive squeeze to Lily’s shoulder on the way.
“Eh. You’ll always be a Lady to me after how many times you saved my life.”
“Professor.” Lily greeted Albus while Dorea and Moody were having their small argument.
“Lily. It’s good to see you well,” the man greeted back with his caring grandfather’s voice. “Any change in Rick’s condition?” He got a shake of the head.
“I’m afraid not. Dorea thinks he could wake up at any moment during the day though.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“How is everyone? Marlene had been too busy to visit.”
“Well. There had been no casualties on our side. Some injuries but nothing major, except with Alastor.”
“Good.” The relief in her voice was palpable. “What’s the purpose of your visit, sir?”
“I came to check on Rick and Alastor. I had no news and it’s been two days so I was worried.”
“Don’t count me out of the fight Albus! A missing leg is nothing! It’s just a flesh wound.” Both Dorea and Lily snorted to the confusion of the two men.
“It’s from a humoristic ... Never mind, let me show you.” Lily called for Tipsy, the only elf she ‘used’ as she didn’t like calling for them in general, and asked her for her special pensive.
In no time, the house elf came back with what looked like a film projector and Lily put her hand on a round orb attached to it. A soft beam of light shot from the object and began displaying picture and sound. For the first time, Dumbledore and Moody watched the scene of King Arthur versus the black knight from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They couldn’t help themselves and had a good laugh.
“Now that’s how you’re going to end up if you keep biting more than you can chew, Alastor. You’re perhaps the most experienced auror in all Wizarding Britain, new recruits need your guidance. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, yes, Lady Potter. No more fighting.” the man answered begrudgingly with a gruff voice. “Doesn’t mean I’m out of the war.”
“There are plenty of things to do for you. And STOP calling me Lady Potter. That’s Lily.”
“When I’m dead, maybe.” He muttered and quickly apologized when his face was confronted by the tip of Dorea’s wand. “I-I’ll try.”
Lily’s jaw dropped to the ground. Alastor Moody, the veteran Auror who was perhaps the most hardass man she has ever met, was afraid of her mother-in-law. She really wondered what the hell she had done during the war against Grindelwald.
“Hmm... Not so loud.”
The voice had been faint but everyone heard it. In a flash, Lily had turned around and was on her waking husband.
“Hey…” he greeted her weakly but with a smile on his face. Lily’s face and dark red hair was his favorite sight when he woke up.
“Hey to you too.” She gave him a soft kiss before backing up. Looking around, Rick saw they weren’t alone. Taking a moment to take in the information his eyes were giving him, he remembered what had happened.
“How long was I-”
“A day.” Albus cut in while Lily began using diagnostic charm to make sure he was alright.
“The others? Moldy-short?”
“Alive and well for the members of the order. Voldemort is alive and at large I’m afraid.” Albus sounded disappointed and tired. “Not well though. He’s missing an arm.”
“I’m sorry. I had the opportunity and-” he was down trodden to having failed to take the Dark Lord out.
Lily quickly reassured her. “It wasn’t your fault, Rick.”
“She’s right, lad. From what I heard you were the closest to ever off him. Now he’s not just afraid of Albus. He’s also afraid of you.”
Albus agreed with the statement but nuanced it. “Yes. He’s also angry. You’re his prime target now and he can’t let what you did slide. Not only will his pride never allow it but he needs to show his followers that he’s still the strongest. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them doubt his power and rethink their choice of joining him. ”
“If you think I’m going to hide then you’re mad. I have oblig-”
“Catch.”
Moody tossed him a journal and Rick saw it was a Daily Prophet from the previous day. The headline was shocking.
EPIC DUEL AT NORTH-HAMPTONLORD CORVUS POTTER NEARLY KILLED YOU-KNOW-WHO
The article divulged the fight between Rick and Voldemort in a very detailed manner and he wondered who could have seen it and told the press. He didn’t see how that was an argument for him to go into hiding. It was Lily who pointed out a comment made by Coach Campbell. Apparently the man had seen the light and was more interested in Rick getting rid of Voldemort than playing for the Magpies. For the time being, Rick was considered in convalescence until Voldemort was dealt with.
“So I’m benched.”
“You are and so are free of any obligations you had.” Albus agreed.
Rick frowned. “That doesn’t mean I must go into hiding. Not with a headline like that. People will look up to me to finish him.”
“I don’t think you can.”
“And why is that Albus? Were it not for a stray curse, the lad would have killed him.”
Dumbledore paused in silence for a moment. To everyone looking at him it seems as if he was debating something.
“There are rumors…” he began, having made his choice. “That Voldemort has achieved immortality. Found a way to cheat Death. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did but that would imply very dark magic.”
“Then we find a way to undo whatever he has done.” Lily said before continuing. “Or if we can’t and he’s immortal, truly immortal, then we just capture him and lock him away.”
“Just?” Rick was dumbfounded by his wife’s plan. “Lily, I nearly died trying to kill him. Capturing him is even harder.”
Any answer the redhead was going to give, was cut short by Tipsy popping in the room.
“Mistress, Miss Batsy is here.”
The Potters exchanged a look and Dorea took the lead.
“Tell her to wait in my parlor. Albus I’m sorry but this is House business. Alastor you’re good to go. Careful with that wooden leg.”
“Oh of course, of course. I won’t impose any longer. Rick, my boy, I insist that you or Lily get out as little as possible and if you do, disguise yourself.”
“That I can do, Professor.”
Moody, sat at the edge of his bed and taped the ground with his prosthetic. After a moment he stood up and nearly lurched forward because of his unstable balance. Thankfully Dorea was there to catch him and put him straight up. Dumbledore used his wand to conjure a thick wooden staff and handed it to his old friend.
“That’s going to take some time to get used to it.” The Auror grunted in dissatisfaction.
Dorea found amusement in it. “Even more reason for you to take a… step back from the fight.”
“Eh! At least I can explore all the leg-related pun.”
Lily led the two men outside where they apparated away, Dumbledore holding onto Moody.
With no need to show up for quidditch training Rick could focus himself fully into warding the prison he had created from the old Black Family castle. Of course, he was helped by Lily so everything went even faster and in less than a month everything was ready. Moody was made the secret keeper of the place and lived there full time. He had agreed that the muggle interrogation book he read was very well done and he got plenty of experience on the many inmates the group captured by using the taboo. In a few months the former was now a master in getting information out of people and absolutely loved it.
Among the captured, one revealed that he had heard a member of Voldemort’s inner circle gloat that he had killed Charlus Potter and would soon kill the rest. A week later Mulciber Manor was in ashes and the entire family line went extinct. The aurors investigation revealed that Lord Mulciber, his wife and his twenty year old son had tragically died in a potion incident. An experimental potion had exploded in their potion room during the night and the furniture caught on fire. A fire so hot it melted stone and propagated to the whole manor. The Mulcibers had died in their sleep from inhaling smoke. An auror report leaked to the press and it had been a shock to the wizarding population to learn that a noble and distinguished House like the Mulciber was following the Dark Lord when it was revealed that the males of the family had the dark mark tattooed on their left forearm.
Lily had given a look at her husband who quickly pointed out to his mother. Dorea had no problem admitting she did the deed. It’s not like anyone would know. After all, Moody had only shared the information he got with the Potters and obliviated the Death Eater.
Speaking of Lily, she had apologized profusely between cries and sobs to her husband for the way she had reacted that fateful night at North-Hampton. Ironically, Rick had apologized too and confessed that he felt like he had let her down. The moment he had killed the giants, the only thing he had in mind was to regroup with her. It was only when he came across Death Eaters torturing a man protecting his wife and son that he snapped without realizing it and killed everything in his way. He didn’t even think of the lives he took until Lily began to talk about what had happened. Rick felt ashamed and not good enough a man to be her husband to which Lily answered by a powerful slap to the face.
She didn’t like what he did but it couldn’t be helped, there was so much chaos that day that he couldn’t in good conscience leave Death Eaters unconscious around and unguarded. As for the werewolves they would have mauled her, Marlene and Sirius to death. In her opinion he had made the right choice in the spur of the moment and it took some time and him nearly dying for her to accept that. They were stuck with each other for the better and for the worst.
“If you are unfit to be my husband then I’m going to be single for the rest of my life.”
Her message was clear and they finally put to rest this topic which had been bothering them for a year.
Not all was going well however. In fact everything was getting worse. Voldemort, ever since his near defeat at Rick’s hands, began to be even more active to prove he was still the most powerful wizard and that his defeat was a fluke. More people disappeared, more people were murdered. People didn’t dare to get outside of their home for anything but food.
Voldemort was winning.
Sarella Shacklebolt and Dorcas Meadowes had been murdered by Voldemort himself and so were some other members of the order by Death Eaters. Lily had cried herself to sleep when she had heard the news. Despite them being older by almost a decade, she had developed a strong friendship with Sarella and Dorcas. Sarella because she too was very interested in everything charm related and Dorcas because beyond being an independent strong woman, was a witch’s witch and Lily could unburden herself to the woman in ways she couldn’t with others regarding her bisexuality.
During one of her visits, Marlene confessed that Sirius believed there was a traitor in the order as they were picked almost one by one. He ruled out anyone from the secret group otherwise Voldemort would have known about the prison but that still left a lot of people suspicious. He didn’t give names, he had no idea yet.
Lily’s pregnancy went along very well. Except for Rick. Married to a redhead with raging hormones had been difficult. Some days he joined Moody in the prison to get away from his wife having a fit. He didn’t blame his wife for her actions but he was terrified of her. The only reason Sirius was still a man was because her aim had been a bit off when she used a small piercing hex when he had teased her too far.
When she was not a sobbing mess because she found herself ugly since she was as big as a house or enraged for whatever reason, Lily was the perfect wife in Rick’s opinion. Her boobs had grown two sizes bigger and she absolutely loved it, especially when she began to produce milk. He had latched onto her breasts as much as he could and drank to his heart’s contentment. He found his Lily absolutely gorgeous with her heavy pregnant belly and was always ready for a romp. That was fine with the soon mother-to-be because her libido went through the roof. While she had gotten under control her impulsivity over the years as she grew up, her hormones made that impossible anymore. Many times Dorea caught them having sex all over the manor at any time of the day and had locked herself into her potion lab with the soundproof charm in place.
The world may be turning to shit but inside Potter Manor everything was more than fine.