Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sebastian stared at Estelle packing as he leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed. He hated this part, but he wasn’t going to look away.

“You’re going to burn a hole in my bag if you keep staring at it.” Estelle looked over her shoulder at him with a small smile.

“Bold of you to assume I was staring at your bag, and not you, the total package,” he remarked with a smirk, even though his longing heart was already aching.

She playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head before going back to her packing. He dropped his smirk, focused on the seriousness of the task.

“Run the plan by me again,” he softly requested. He knew he was probably annoying his wife as he had asked this about ten times already. He was so fortunate to have a patient partner that put up with him.

“Poppy and I are going to investigate recent poacher occurrences near Appleby. They seem to happen around Tuesday and Wednesday, so we’ll be there a couple days earlier to prepare,” she easily answered. “We’re going to find evidence that it is a poacher organization, and fight them if need be. If the worst comes to worst, I send for back-up via Patronus Charm.” She closed her bag and she carried it as she went to the doorway, where Sebastian was still standing. “We’ve done this before, Seb,” she gently added.

“I know,” he sighed and moved his hands to hold her hips. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes to take in this precious moment with her. “I just hate that I can’t be there to cover for you.”

“This will be done very soon. Just a couple days, and I’ll be right back,” she reassured him. Her words were supposed to come out calmly, but he could tell her voice wavered. She hated this as much as he did. He heard her drop her bag and then felt her arms wrap around the back of his neck. “I’ll miss you,” she whispered.

“I’ll miss you,” he whispered back. He then kissed her, pouring all his thoughts and worries and love into it, letting his passion say all the things he couldn’t. As usual, her kissing back was like a reassuring response that she understood and felt the same.

He slowly pulled away, and opened his eyes, staring closely at Estelle, memorizing every centimeter of her face. It was practically routine, and probably not necessary, but he always did it. Because he never knew when his last moments with someone he loved would be.

She gave him another smile and pecked his lips. Even though he tried to keep her delayed by deepening the kiss, she had enough resolve to step back.

“The sooner I leave, the sooner I get back,” she pointed out. A winning argument she had used before, and it seemed to have a winning streak of four times now.

He sighed again and let go of her. He bent down and picked up her bag for her. He handed it to her. “I’ll be right here when you get back,” he promised.

“I’m counting on it,” she said back with an affectionate smile. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

With that, she disapparted with a pop. Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, and looked at their bedroom. It felt a lot bigger and more empty without Estelle. He leaned his head back, already wishing she was here.

Meanwhile…

“You have everything you need?” Ominis asked, using his wand to sense what was already in the bag.

“Yes, I triple-checked.” Poppy answered.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” he admitted with defeat. His hand tightened around his wand. “We…we avoided my family, but now…”

“If this is my family, it is best I’m there,” Poppy said.

“What if they hurt you?” he asked back, clear worry in his tone. “You know your family best, yes, but there is bad blood. If something hap–” He stopped as soon as he felt her hands cup his face.

“Estelle will be there, as well as reinforcements if things go wrong,” she gently but firmly explained. “I know you’re scared, Ominis, but nothing is going to happen.”

“We don’t know that for certain,” he weakly argued. He knew that it made sense for Poppy to help; Estelle was working on taking down poacher rings, and Poppy had inside information even if it were dated. He knew that Estelle was a formidable Auror and would move mountains to protect her friends. He knew that there had been operations that were done like this before and had succeeded. But his heart couldn’t take the ceaseless worry he would have for the well-being of his wife.

“Then believe in me and Estelle,” she quietly asked. “Can you do that?”

“Yes,” he answered. He reached up and held one of her hands, savoring her gentle touch. He had gone months without her before, and he never wanted to be away from her ever since. This was going to be the first time they would be apart from each other since they married.

He felt her warm smile and then she moved her arms to hug him. He held her against himself tightly, burying his nose into her hair, her shampoo of honey and apple cider still fragrant.

“Don’t worry, Ominis, I’ll be back soon,” she promised.

He bitterly chuckled. “I won’t stop worrying until you come back into my arms, safe and sound.”

“Then I’ll have that be my motivation to finish the job as soon as possible,” she brightly said. “I love you,” she added in a whisper, and his ears picked up how tearful she sounded.

“I love you too,” he responded, just as emotional.

She leaned back and kissed him passionately, as if to make up for ones they won’t share in the time apart. He deepened the kiss, almost wishing he could change her mind and have her stay. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to; she would never back out of helping her friend.

Poppy then pulled herself away, and soon disapparated, not wanting to ruin the way their departure ended. Ominis could already feel how cold and empty the place was without her.

~~~

For the next couple of days, Ominis and Sebastian went back and forth to each other’s houses. Whether it was sharing a meal or keeping the place clean, they were trying to focus on anything that wasn’t the fact their wives haven’t come back home yet.

“I now understand why you would often drop by our house,” Ominis remarked. “I can’t stand being alone at the house.” He had his wand out, carefully sensing the cards on the table without tapping them. Exploding snap was a dangerous card game. So obviously, it was Sebastian’s favorite game.

“It’s pretty awful, isn’t it?” Sebastian gave him a sympathetic grin and then groaned at seeing Ominis successfully tap two cards as a matching pair. “Your wand just finds the pairs, that’s cheating!”

Ominis smirked. “Afraid you’ll get a wrong pair again and have it explode on you?”

Sebastian scowled and brushed more soot off his sleeves, trying to get it on Ominis’s spotless clothing. Ominis sensed it and moved further back on the sofa.

Garreth chuckled, watching the two fight like children. “You’re looking a lot like you did in your third year, Sallow,” he teased. “Except your eyebrows aren’t quite singed off.”

Sebastian glared at Garreth. “You shut it, Weasley! I invited you, I can un-invite you just as quickly.”

Garreth held up his hands in surrender, but he was still laughing. He then had his turn, tapping on one card. He frowned at seeing a Bowtruckle. He scanned the rows of face-down cards and hesitantly tapped another. It revealed a Manticore and Garreth barely uttered a curse before the cards exploded on him.

“Ha!” Sebastian yelled, pointing at him with a manic victorious grin. He then burst out laughing at seeing Garreth’s ash-covered appearance. “Now you look like how you did in our fourth year! Failed another potion?” He deftly ducked from a thrown pillow assault. He smirked at the Gryffindor. “Auror training,” he smugly added.

“Oh shut it,” Garreth groaned. He wiped the soot off his face and sighed when it merely smeared. He stood up. “I’m going to use the washroom.”

“Not going to wear your failure as a badge of honor like I am?”

“I also need to take a whiz, genius. That firewhiskey went right through me…”

Sebastian shook his head at the retreating figure of Garreth. He then turned to Ominis, who was nursing his first bottle of firewhiskey. “It really sucks, doesn’t it?” he quietly asked.

Ominis grimaced at the taste and set down the bottle. “It does.” He sat back and his fingers lightly brushed along the engravings of his ring. “I didn’t think we’d ever have to be apart…Even though we’re teaching, we’re still close, you know?”

Sebastian nodded. “I do.” He sighed and leaned against the back of his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “I hate it when ‘Stell and I have to do separate assignments. I feel so helpless, and I almost break the rules to cover her even when I’m not supposed to.”

“You’re suspended now, right? How did that happen?”

“Because I broke the rules to cover her when I wasn’t supposed to.” Sebastian looked back at Ominis and chuckled at seeing his best mate shake his head. “I couldn’t just stay at the Ministry and do blasted paperwork when I knew my love was out there tackling a big threat. Without any other help.” He crossed his arms, conflicted emotions rising within again. “I do like the job, I do like putting wizard scum behind bars, but…it takes such a toll on me. On both of us.”

“How does she handle it?”

“She tries to forget about them. But…we both still have nightmares playing on our fears of losing each other.” Sebastian ran his hair back, remembering the last time that happened. Estelle screamed so shrilly his ears rang, but he didn’t care as he pulled her into a comforting embrace. His heart shattered as she shook in his arms, quietly crying into his chest. “Even nightmares from…you know,” he softly added. Sebastian took his own firewhiskey and took a big swig. He cringed as the liquid burned down his throat, but it helped keep the old remorse from striking his heart. “They’re not as often as they were in our sixth year, but…it still happens.”

“I’m sorry, Sebastian,” Ominis sympathetically murmured.

Sebastian shrugged. “It’s how it is. These things leave a nasty scar, I knew that as soon as I–yeah…” It took him years to be fine with thinking that it might be alright for him to have a happy life. Estelle always managed to assuage his doubts and guilt, reminding him how much better of a person he became. He had sworn off Dark Arts, and he even consulted with Professor Sharp about it, the same man that even put in a good word for him for Auror training. He tapped his fingers on his arms. He glanced at Ominis and then said, “Estelle and I are thinking of leaving the Auror work.”

“Considering what you just told me, I think that’s a good idea. It’s not an easy job to deal with.” Ominis drank more of his firewhiskey.

Sebastian felt compelled to say the next part. The idea excited him, and he wanted his mate to know about it. “We’re…even thinking of trying.”

Ominis nearly did a spit take, but he managed to put his hand over his mouth and forced himself to swallow. He let out a harsh sigh and turned to Sebastian. “Try?” he choked out. “As in…”

“For a child, yes,” Sebastian finished. “You and Poppy do know where babies come from, right?” He jokingly asked with a grin.

“Of course we know,” Ominis grumbled. “You were the one that couldn’t–or didn’t want to–wrap his head around the fact we constantly make lo–”

“Stop! Stop!” Sebastian hurriedly clapped his hands over his ears. “I don’t want to hear it.” His face was burning, without the help of Exploding Snap. He just couldn’t handle the idea that Ominis, the prim and proper gentleman, was doing…things…with Poppy, the innocent magical creature protector! They were both sweet and innocent, there was no way they…weren’t innocent. Estelle always teased him about it, laughing at his beet-red face. Merlin, what he wouldn’t give for her to be here, laughing at him being flustered right now.

Ominis snickered. “Case in point,” he smugly replied. He took another swig. “So what are you and Estelle thinking of doing job-wise?”

Sebastian waited until he was sure Ominis wasn’t going to surprise with another remark, then he lowered his hands. “We’re thinking of being professors, like you and Poppy. I was thinking of maybe teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

“Hecat is looking for someone to take her spot,” Ominis mused. “What would Estelle do?”

“Muggle Studies.” He smiled faintly, remembering the multiple times she patiently explained different things Muggles made. What she got to see and experience before Hogwarts. It always fascinated him how Muggles seemed to have a special kind of magic on their own. “She’s perfect for it, I think.”

“Two couples as professors at Hogwarts,” Garreth remarked as he walked back into the sitting room. He grinned. “That sounds exciting.” He was back at his spot on the sofa.

“Well, Estelle and I still have to apply, but hopefully we’ll pass with flying colors,” Sebastian said with a hopeful smile.

“Probably will. Poppy and I got in rather quickly.” Ominis smiled to himself and added, “They are pretty serious about not showing affection in public, though. Just a warning.”

“Duly noted,” Sebastian replied with a roll of his eyes. He rubbed his hands. “Let’s get back to the game.” He took a sip from his firewhiskey before focusing on the cards.

Garreth checked his pocket watch. “Actually, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.” He sighed and stood up, finishing the rest of his firewhiskey. “I have an early shift at St. Mungo’s, and I need to make sure I am sober so I don’t have a hangover.” He walked over to the Floo Flame fireplace. He pointed at Ominis. “I’ll see more about the Oculus Potion for you.”

Ominis shook his head. “It’s probably for naught, Weasley. It’s fine,” he protested.

“No harm in trying,” Garreth pointed out. Then he waved. “See you around.” He grabbed the ashes and yelled, “Weasley residence!” as he threw them, gone in green flames.

“I suppose I should go back home myself,” Ominis said tiredly.

“You can stay here,” Sebastian quickly offered.

“No, tonight is supposed to be when they come home. I want to be there when Poppy comes back.” Ominis smirked and said, “Then maybe we’ll–”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Sebastian yelled over him.

Ominis laughed. “It’s too easy.” He reached over and patted Sebastian’s shoulder. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Sebastian watched his friend disapparate, and he sighed, flicking his wand to make the empty bottles fly over to stand near the kitchen counter. He picked up the Exploding Snap cards and put them aside on the table. He then casted Scourgify on his clothes, getting rid of the soot, and headed to bed.

He had changed into his nightwear and sat against the headboard. He tried to keep himself awake by reading a book Estelle recommended to him.

“If you want to see how Muggles solve crimes, Sherlock Holmes is a good example,” she had said, coyly holding her copy of the first book. “How do you think I was so good at puzzles during our fifth year?”

“I merely thought there was an amazing mind behind the amazing person,” he flirted, grinning at her flustered expression. He so enjoyed charming her to the point of speechlessness.

“Just read the book!” She tossed the book at his smug face and he caught it, laughing heartily. Then he pulled her to him, making her shriek before giggling as he smothered her with kisses.

He smiled at the memory, his eyelids heavy as he failed to read the part where Sherlock deducted someone about…something… He fell asleep, the book was dropped onto his lap, and his wand slack in his hold, the end still shining with Lumos.

Sebastian was sitting on the coast, smiling as he closed his eyes, breathing in the sea air. The sounds of the waves washing ashore were calming, a sound he missed from his childhood.

He opened his eyes at hearing a childish shriek, and he smiled more at spotting two kids with wild dark hair and bright brown eyes. They were chasing each other around, laughing up a storm.

Someone was walking to him, and he looked up, seeing it was Estelle wearing a beautiful, green frock dress. She sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, and he instantly wrapped his arm around her.

“I blame you for their endless energy, they never calm down,” she complained, but he heard the clear smile in her voice.

“You were the one constantly going to and fro all over the castle,” he pointed out. He chuckled when he felt her poke his ribs.

“Do you remember those times often?” she asked.

“Of course I do.”

“Even when you murdered me?” Sebastian froze and looked over his shoulder, horrified at seeing his uncle just how he was that day. Solomon stared at him with pure white eyes. “You think you deserve such a happy life, Sebastian?” he darkly demanded.

Sebastian looked around himself, terrified to see that Estelle was gone, even his children. The coast was replaced with a catacomb he knew all too well. He hurriedly stood up, facing Solomon with his hands out. “Uncle,” he choked out.

“You are a murderer! You should be rotting in Azkaban!” Solomon yelled. He harshly scoffed. “You’re a hypocrite, being an Auror and hunting down dark wizards when you are one yourself!”

“I’m trying to right my wrongs!” Sebastian shouted back desperately. He hated the innermost doubts he had being thrown back in his face. “Please, forgive me! I didn’t mean to kill you!”

“You have to mean it,” Solomon spat out. “You always wanted me gone, and so you acted on it!”

“NO! Please stop!”

Solomon raised his head. “You know how to stop me…”

Sebastian was petrified as he watched his own wand raise, pointed at Solomon. “No, no, no, no,” he muttered, panicking. He stared at Solomon with wide eyes as he heard his own younger voice yell out: “Avada Kedavra!”

There was a flash of green light, and Sebastian woke up with a yell. He shook, running his hands through his sweaty hair. He panted and forced the too-hot covers off himself. It was just a dream, it was just a dream, he repeated to himself.

“Sebastian?”

He lifted his head. Estelle stood at the end of the bed with a look of concern on her face. Was he still dreaming? Or was she finally back?

“Estelle,” he breathed out, jumping off the bed. He slowly approached her. “Is…is this a dream?”

She shook her head with a smile. “Of course not,” she answered. She reached out and cupped his face. “See?” He sighed, leaning against her touch. Merlin, he missed this.

He pulled her into an embrace, holding the back of her head with one hand, and his other arm wrapped around her waist. “I missed you so much, ‘Stell…”

She hugged him in return. “I missed you too, but it’s alright. I’m here now, Sebastian. What happened?”

He smiled, adoring her concern with him even though he should be asking her what happened. He shook his head. “It was just a nightmare. The…the same one I’ve had for years…I guess I can’t ever forgive myself.”

“Oh, Sebastian,” Estelle sighed. “It’s not your fault.”

Sebastian stiffened at those words. His heart that was once beating from adrenaline and excitement, now stopped.

“Sebastian?” She asked, noticing him freeze.

“Who are you?” he asked back, his voice not wavering anymore.

“What are you talking about?” She leaned back and looked at him dubiously. “It’s me, your wife.”

He scowled at her. “No, you’re not.” Then he harshly moved and shoved her against the wall. She cried out in pain. “Where is she?”

“Sebastian, you’re hurting me!” she whimpered, staring up at him with wide eyes of fear.

“Stop lying, you’re not her! Where is she?” he yelled, ignoring the pang of guilt at the sight of hurting Estelle. It’s not her, he reminded himself. He roughly pushed her against the wall again, and she loudly grunted from the collision, gritting her teeth.

She panted, and she finally met his eyes again. “I guess…I guess she was right…” she whispered. Sebastian glared hard at her. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously. “You can’t be fooled.”

He saw her raise her wand, and he quickly caught her wrist, shaking it hard to force her to drop the wand. He then grunted when he felt a punch come from his right. He rubbed his jaw and then he kicked her knee. She screamed and crumpled onto the floor, holding onto her knee.

Sebastian quickly picked up the wand she dropped. “Auror training,” he darkly muttered. “My Estelle would know that.” He then pointed the wand at the imposter. “Petrificus Totalus!”

~~~

Poppy groaned and woke up, rubbing the back of her head. She gasped as she noticed her surroundings, a cobblestone cell of sorts with a barred door showing anything to relate to where she was. She quickly patted her cloak and was dismayed to find out, yes, her wand was taken.

A faint noise made her look to her right. There was someone laid down, unconscious.

“Estelle!” Poppy yelled, crawling to her, but then she was forced to stop. She looked back and saw that her legs were chained to the wall, prohibiting her from moving far. She turned to Estelle and stretched an arm out, trying to reach her. Her hand barely made contact with Estelle’s robe, and she clawed at it until she snagged on it. She grunted, using all of her might to pull the fabric.

Estelle shifted, and she slowly opened her eyes. They immediately widened, looking around in an instant. Her eyes landed on Poppy, and she gasped. “Poppy?” she asked hoarsely.

“It’s me, I’m here.” Poppy nervously looked at the stone walls. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” she groaned. Estelle moved her hands and pushed herself up. She winced and felt the side of her head that was against the stone floor. She breathed shakily as she saw a faint trace of blood on her fingers. She then noticed the shackles on her wrists, that were like Poppy's, that they chained her to the wall. She growled, stomping a foot. “They saw us coming…”

“What do we do?” Poppy worriedly asked.

“I don’t know. But whatever happens, we’re going to get out of here,” Estelle muttered, clutching her head. She tried to remember what happened. They had gotten to the site where the reports of poacher activity was. It was desolate, though, with abandoned tents and cages. Before they could really find anything more suspicious, someone forced a wet cloth on their mouths, drops of some liquid going down their throats, making them fall into a dreamless sleep.

Then…Estelle froze, feeling her head. Memory of hair harshly yanked off came to her. She felt sick, knowing they were going to try to capture Sebastian by sending an imposter of her.

“He’ll see right through it!” She had yelled into the open air, struggling against the magic restraints. “He can’t and won’t be fooled!”

“We’ll see about that,” her voice sang back. Estelle stared in horror at the exact copy of herself, smirking maliciously.

“Sebastian will find us,” Estelle faintly said to Poppy. “Ominis won’t rest until we’re found too.”

Poppy smiled wanly at the mention of her husband. She sat against the wall, hugging her knees to herself. “I hope he’s not too upset…he doesn’t act like he normally would when he’s distressed.”

“I don’t think any of us would act normally in their situation.” Estelle worried for them. Sebastian always feared losing her, and she knew he did whatever it took to save someone he loved. The question was…how far was he willing to go this time?

~~~

“I knew something would go wrong!” Ominis shouted, a panic-stricken expression on his face. His pale eyes were wide with worry, and his hair was mussy from constantly running his hands through it. “There were supposed to be precautions to prevent this, but that didn’t happen!”

Sebastian stared at the clear worn out line Ominis was making on the carpet from pacing. “Believe me, Ominis, I’m upset too,” he calmly said. As soon as he was sure the imposter couldn’t escape, he apparated to Ominis and checked to make sure there wasn’t a fake Poppy, then brought Ominis to his house and explained what happened. Sebastian also kept hold of the woman’s wand, which they both figured out was transfigured to look like Estelle’s. They were committed to fooling them.

“Then why haven’t we reported to other Aurors about this?” Ominis demanded.

“Because we would have to go through protocol, and I’m not interested in waiting for days to find our wives,” Sebastian harshly said back.

Ominis stopped and turned to him. “Sebastian…you have to go by the book. You must. We’re not children anymore. We can’t–”

Sebastian caught onto what Ominis stopped himself from saying. He tightened his grip on his crossed arms. “I know,” he said with an even tone. He should have followed his instinct and gone with Estelle, suspension be cursed. He sighed deeply. “But we can get the information we need now, and then find Estelle and Poppy our own way while the Aurors on duty do what they’re supposed to.”

Ominis hesitated and then he firmly pointed a finger at Sebastian. “No Dark Arts. I won’t let you do any dark magic, understand? The moment I sense you’re about to do that, I will stop you.”

Sebastian clenched his jaw. He was never seriously tempted by the Dark Arts for years. But whenever things got too hectic, and Estelle was in danger, some part of him wished to cast Unforgivables. Because it would be “so easy”. He had been good at restraining himself, and that nightmare kept him from considering it anytime soon. “Fine with me. But if this situation worsens, I don’t know if I can make any promises,” he truthfully muttered.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s the best I’ll get out of you,” he said, defeated. “Alright, let’s find out more.”

Sebastian waved his wand, dropping the Imperturbable Charm he put up around the sitting room. They walked to the kitchen where Garreth was inspecting the unconscious Estelle. They had him help scope out the imposter while they conjured rope and tied her to a chair. He wasn’t happy to be rudely awoken in the middle of the night, but when they told him how dire the situation was, he came with the demands of coffee and water.

He was on his knees, critically staring at the bowed head of the imposter. Garreth let out a low whistle and stood up. He turned to them and quickly drank his eighth cup of water in his hand. “It’s definitely Polyjuice Potion,” he told them, crossing his arms. He looked over his shoulder. “The best disguise to fool someone.”

“Most of them,” Sebastian corrected, glaring at the fake Estelle. Whomever did this would pay dearly, he was sure of that. “How long does it last?”

“Depends on how well it was brewed.” Garreth shook his head, looking rather impressed. “I will say it was brewed really well.” He went over and lifted the limp head, moving aside the long brown hair, showing the three-claw scar that was on the left side of her face. “See the details? A worse-brewed Polyjuice would have made it look like a poor attempt at a Glamor Charm. Also, the hair.” He lifted a tendril of them. “It’s exactly like Estelle’s. If it were a Hair-Thickening Charm, it wouldn’t look right.”

“Is there a way to reverse the potion?”

“You usually have to wait it out. That could take up to twelve hours.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Ominis protested.

Garreth smirked. “I said ‘usually’. You usually have to wait it out.” He walked over to his bag–one that resembled a Muggle doctor’s–and reached in. He obviously enchanted it with an Extending Charm. “Ever hear of the Thief’s Downfall in Gringotts?” He pulled out a large glass flask with clear sparkling liquid inside. “I managed to save some on my last visit to my vault.”

“That can’t be legal,” Ominis pointed out.

“Neither was my way of obtaining ingredients in our school years,” he nonchalantly pointed out. He went back to their hostage and carefully poured a small stream onto her head. Then he quickly stepped back, corking the flask.

She woke up with a startled yell, the Stupefy losing its effect on her. Then they watched as Estelle melted away, revealing a taller woman with short blonde hair and green eyes. The outfit that was identical to Estelle’s also washed away, showing a discreet outfit of black and dark blues. She wriggled against the ropes, gritting her teeth.

She huffed and eyed each man that stood in front of her. “Seems I have quite the audience,” she muttered.

Ominis was about to ask something, but Sebastian put an arm out in front of him to stop him. Between the two, Sebastian had more experience in this situation. “You’re obviously incapable of helping yourself,” Sebastian calmly said, crossing his arms. “So do us all a favor, and cut to the chase. What were you hoping to accomplish here, and who are you working for?”

She scoffed and relaxed against the chair. She batted her eyes at them, smiling rather flirtatiously. Sebastian’s stomach churned at the sight, sensing something from her. “Now why would you ask such a pretty lady those kinds of questions?” She crooned.

Garreth shifted on his feet. “Godric’s heart,” he muttered. He turned to the other two with a pointed look. “She’s a veela,” he whispered.

“Probably half-veela,” Sebastian muttered back. “I’m mostly sure she wouldn’t be able to use Polyjuice if she weren’t.” Garreth nodded, seeming to agree with him.

Ominis rolled his eyes. “For the love of Merlin.” He frowned in the direction of the woman. “Drop the charms, you can’t deter us. We’re happily attracted to our wives, thank you very much.”

The woman’s smile dropped at that, her nose wrinkling in annoyance. “So you wouldn’t even consider someone beautiful like me?”

“No,” Garreth and Sebastian said at the same time.

Ominis waved a hand in front of his face. “I don’t care, I’m blind,” he snapped.

She huffed again, glaring at them, as if offended they weren’t buying her beauty. “I won’t talk,” she said with finality. She looked at Sebastian, pretending to be in deep thought. “I will say, though…Your wife is in very good hands.”

A rageful fire inside himself lit at the insinuation, and he gritted his teeth. “You wretched harpy,” he cursed, about to step closer to her, but Garreth and Ominis quickly held him back. He hated it even more at seeing the victorious grin on that smug little face. He stopped fighting his friends, and stayed where he was, glaring back at her.

“Okay, enough of this.” Garreth growled. “I’m probably going to lose my job for this, but screw it. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” He went to his bag again. He searched through it.

“Veritaserum?” Sebastian asked, his eyes never leaving the witch, veela, whatever she was. He coldly smiled at seeing the look of terror at the mention of the potion. “Don’t like saying more than you want?”

“You can’t do that, it’s not right!” she yelled.

“Like trying to do whatever you were going to do to me?” Sebastian demanded.

She harshly laughed. “You would have liked it,” she remarked with a proud smirk. Sebastian made the most grossed-out face expression in response to that, nearly throwing up then and there.

“This is very low dosage, but should be enough for you to know what you want,” Garreth announced, using a pipette to draw a few drops from his Veritaserum flask. He carefully held the pipette in his mouth as he quickly corked the Veritaserum. Then he came over to the half-veela. “Sallow, get her to keep her mouth open.”

“Ominis, come help,” Sebastian requested, already squeezing her cheeks, forcing her mouth open. She was shaking her head, trying to get out of his grip. “Ominis!”

He heard a heavy sigh and soon, Ominis came over. “This is rather unorthodox,” he muttered, clearly showing he didn’t like this.

“It’s the fastest way to find Estelle and Poppy,” Sebastian said with great conviction. “I know that sounds manipulative, I’m sorry, Ominis, but this seems like our best option.”

“After this, we will report to the Aurors,” Ominis insisted, no debate allowed, then he reached out and held her head still.

She growled, trying to get out of both men’s grips, but it was no use. Garreth held the pipette over her mouth, and squeezed the drops in. She of course tried to retch, but Sebastian quickly held her nose shut and clamped his hand over her mouth.

She resisted for a second, and then she slumped, defeated. Sebastian and Ominis let go, stepping back. Sebastian looked at Garreth. “Did it work?”

Garreth shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” He crossed his arms. “So, are you a veela?”

“No,” she answered in an even tone. “I’m half-veela. My father was a wizard, and my mother was a veela–”

“We don’t need your whole life story,” Ominis snapped, in a worse mood than before. He paced to stand next to Sebastian in front of her. “Why did you disguise yourself as Estelle?”

“I was told to get her husband and capture him, by any means possible.” She scoffed and wryly smiled. “I was thinking of seducing while in the form of the average, ordinary-looking girl.”

Sebastian scowled. “She’s a hundred times more beautiful than you’ll ever be.” That seemed to have struck a blow to the half-veela, and her smile dropped, giving him a death glare. “Why were you supposed to capture me?”

“I was never told the specifics, just that I was supposed to take you. It was very crucial, apparently.”

“Who hired you?” Ominis asked.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “They were all in darkness, or obviously disguised. Hideous disguises, too, wearing garish masks.”

“Where was this?” Sebastian cut in again.

“I don’t know. I was side-apparated there and away. It looked like it was underground.”

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Ominis whispered, angrily disappointed.

“Hold on,” Sebastian whispered back. He eyed the half-veela. In a louder voice, he asked, “If you had captured me, where were you supposed to take me?”

“Hog’s head. A wizard named Avery–the one that told me about the job and brought me to be disguised–would be there to help take you and myself to that place again. I had an hour since I arrived here.” She smirked. “You’re running out of time,” she lilted. Sebastian glanced at Garreth, hoping they could piece together a plan. It had already been more than half an hour since this harpy showed up…

“Well isn’t that convenient,” Ominis quietly remarked. “Did you see Estelle yourself? And my–her friend? Short, both height and hair length, brown hair, brown eyes?”

“Yes. And no.” Sebastian looked back at her. “I saw Estelle. I saw her bound and had her hair pulled out.” Sebastian’s hands closed into fists. They hurt her… “She kept raving that our plan was pointless, that her husband would figure it out. Although…before that, I believe she did mention something about ‘sparing Poppy’.”

Sebastian turned at that, and he caught Ominis paling.

“Sparing Poppy from what?” Ominis softly demanded, his wand held in a death grip.

“I don’t know,” she calmly answered. “Whatever it was, I wasn’t there to hear about it. Estelle demanding such a thing seemed to greatly amuse a couple of them. I heard plenty of cackles and snickers.”

“Sebastian?” Ominis faintly asked, his head turning to where Sebastian was. He looked terrified beyond belief. His wife was going through Merlin-knows-what, apparently, despite Estelle’s pleas to spare her. None of this sounded close to good. He knew he would raise hell if someone harmed Estelle, but to know Poppy–practically his sister-in-law–was going through something similar as well, that made him want to tear them apart.

“What does this Avery look like?” Sebastian asked, barely reining in his emotions.

“Average. Stringy blonde hair, dull blue eyes, not that tall.”

“Now we got everything we need,” Sebastian roughly said and pointed his wand at the half-veela. “Stupefy!”

~~~

Poppy shifted, staring at the shackles with wary curiosity. They…looked familiar, but she needed to inspect them better. She looked around, hoping for some light in the dim area, the celled door having enough openings to let light in. She moved herself to be close to the creeping light, and she carefully moved a leg to lay in the light on the floor.

Estelle blinked as the metal reflected the light onto her face. She turned to Poppy. “What are you doing?”

“I think I’ve seen these chains before,” she softly explained. I really hope I haven’t seen them before, though, she worriedly thought. She leaned over, staring hard at the shackle. She ran a finger along the rim, noticing the luster looking almost like bronze. Or…golden. She gasped, moving her hand away as if she were burned.

“Poppy? What is it?” Estelle urgently asked. She tried to move closer, but the chains kept her close to the wall. She stared helplessly at her friend sitting there, shaken and pale. “Poppy?”

“Not quite the family reunion you were expecting, were you, Popsie?” A sweet voice with a harsh undertone asked. Estelle watched the last of the color on Poppy’s face fade.

Estelle watched the cell door swing open, her heart hammering with fear. No…she thought. She struggled harder against the chains, wishing she could wandlessly cast Alohomora.

“Get away from her!” Estelle yelled, her teeth bared in a snarl. She was ignored, though.

Two people garbed in elegant purple and gold cloaks stepped in. Poppy shuffled back, away from them, staring up at them with eyes wide as a frightened deer. Estelle saw the dark eyes behind the dragon poacher masks glitter maliciously.

The wizard approached Poppy and knelt down. He lifted her chin with the tip of his wand. Poppy shivered, breathing fast.

“Now, now, is that how you react to seeing your parents, pet?” He said with a low, throaty voice.

~~~

Natty surveyed the kitchen, frowning at the unconscious blonde woman. She turned to the three men standing tensely with their hands in their robe pockets. None of them were meeting her eyes. Though Ominis was excusable, the other two were not.

Natty sighed. “You did unauthorized questioning again, didn’t you, Sallow?”

Sebastian frowned. “Estelle has been cap–”

“That does not mean you go ahead and force Veritaserum down a suspect’s throat!” She glared at Garreth, who flinched at her gaze. “I thought you grew out of your rebellious phase, Garreth.”

“Estelle is one of us, Natty,” he weakly defended. “If something grave is going on, I couldn’t–”

“And you, Ominis,” she turned to the blind wizard. “You’re supposed to be the most moral out of the bunch!”

He crossed his arms and glared at the floor. “I cannot just stand by. They have Poppy, too,” he stated. “She’s not supposed to be caught in any of this Auror business, but you all failed to keep her safe…”

Natty’s gaze softened, ignoring a familiar guilt in her heart. She was supposed to be on call, waiting for Estelle’s signal that never came. “You don’t think I’m aware of that?” she asked, finally calming down. “I have been trying to find a trace of both of them at the site they were supposed to check out. There’s nothing. Not even Revelio could pick something up…”

“So they know what they’re doing,” Sebastian cut in, his eyes lit up as they did during any investigation. “We’re dealing with very capable wizards.”

“That my team will handle,” Natty interjected, frowning at them.

“We’re running out of time, Natty,” Sebastian desperately pointed out. He looked at her so beggingly, wringing his hands. “Please, Natty, let us be part of this.”

“You’re suspended, Sallow, you cannot–”

“Don’t have me be part of it as an Auror,” he interrupted. “I’m just a husband trying to find his wife.” He gestured to Ominis, who lifted his head. “So is Ominis.”

“Ominis isn’t an Auror, he has no training.”

“But I do know Poppy,” he quietly said. “Knowing all I do about her might help find her and Estelle.”

Natty couldn’t argue with that. Whenever cases turned personal, those that knew the people best were the most important part of it. She looked over her shoulder at her team carefully preserving evidence. She sighed and turned back to the hopeful boys. “If you find the ones responsible, you let me know right away,” she firmly said, pointing a finger at Sebastian. “The arrests would be nullified if you apprehend them while you’re suspended.”

Sebastian nodded eagerly. “Of course. I’ll send a Patronus.”

“You better,” she muttered warningly. She turned to Garreth. “You’re not directly involved, Garreth. You can’t be part of this anymore.”

He bowed his head. “I understand.” He looked at Ominis and Sebastian. “Good luck, you two. Don’t do something too stupid.”

“I try,” Sebastian replied with a grin.

Garreth walked over to one of Natty’s men, finishing his statement of what occurred.

Natty looked back at Sebastian and Ominis. “Now, I’ll be going by the book, and we’ll look into this ‘Avery’. Sallow, this isn’t about just you and Estelle. There is a civilian involved.” She glanced at Ominis. “Two, actually. They must be given priority if anything happens.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched. “They will. All I care about is finding them and bringing them home safely. And getting the scum rotting in Azkaban.” His eyebrows furrowed, catching how his voice choked on the last sentence.

“Be on your guard,” she insisted. “Like you said, we’re dealing with very capable wizards.”

Sebastian nodded. At Natty’s dismissing wave, he tapped Ominis, and they walked toward the Floo Flame.

“Remember our promise, Sebastian,” Ominis muttered.

“Believe me, I haven’t forgotten,” he mumbled. After mentioning Azkaban, he immediately remembered his awful nightmare. The Unforgivables were now the least tempting they had been in ten years.

They grabbed the Floo ash and yelled, “West Hogsmeade”, transported away.

Sebastian quickly brushed the soot off his dark robes, and he helped Ominis out. Ominis frowned, not used to Sebastian’s help. It was always Poppy that helped him. Merlin, his heart was aching, scared for her.

Hold on, Poppy, we’ll find you and Estelle soon enough, he thought. “How much time do we have left?”

He heard Sebastian open his pocket watch. “About…three minutes.”

“We better hurry,” Ominis said, heading for Hog’s Head. He made a sound of discomforted surprise when Sebastian grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

“I’m supposed to be captured, remember?” Sebastian hissed to him. “We can’t just go bursting into the Hog’s Head.”

“What do you suggest we do?” Ominis whispered back. Every minute they were losing arguing was a minute of them not finding their wives.

“I need to at least disguise myself.”

“You should have thought of that while we still had Garreth! He could have given us Polyjuice.”

“Assuming he had any on him.”

“He’s Garreth. Of course he has some if he’s got the bloody Thief’s Downfall water!” Ominis turned his head away, and Sebastian realized how torn up Ominis is if he was being crass.

“Okay, I know you’re agitated. You’re worried about Poppy, which is understandable! But, if we don’t do this right, we’ll lose the only lead we have.” Ominis felt the warmth of candles as Sebastian put his hands on his shoulders. He then felt a determined gaze as warm as fire directed at him. “We’re going to find them. You have my word.”

Ominis took a deep breath, running a hand down his face. “Alright. How do we do this, then?”

“I’m thinking, hold on…”

In a couple minutes, the two of them went into Hog’s Head. Ominis couldn’t see anything, so he didn’t know how believable Sebastian’s transfigured and glamored disguise was, but he hoped it was enough. All he did was pull his hood over his head. They heard Ferdinant Pratt pathetically sniffle about ‘the awful crowd’.

“How do we find him?” Ominis quietly asked, the two going right to the bar counter. They sat down on the stools.

“I’m scoping it out,” Sebastian murmured beside him. “I’d imagine he would be alone…I’m seeing only groups of two or three right now. And going by that harpy’s description, no one matches it yet.”

Ominis put his hands on his knees, holding onto them tightly. His wand was still in his hand, but his sensing wand couldn’t pick out any distinct wizard.

Sebastian then cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He must have seen someone that matched the description. Ominis straightened and ordered a firewhiskey from the barkeep. They had to at least attempt to be acting normally.

Ominis’s ears perked at hearing someone sit to the left of him and Sebastian. If only they knew Legilimency; it would be much easier to figure out if this guy was the one they needed. But surely Sebastian had some way to discreetly figure it out–

“Avery?” Sebastian quietly asked.

Ominis held back a groan of disappointment.

“...who’s askin’?” A gravelly voice asked back. That actually worked? Ominis thought dubiously. This wizard couldn’t possibly be that stupid, right?

Sebastian immediately leapt off his stool, and Ominis’s wand detected him pointing his wand at the sitting man’s back. “The one you were supposed to retrieve,” he snarled. “Try anything, you’re done.” Ominis was hoping he just meant he would be Stupefied. He paid for the firewhiskey as he heard Sebastian then mutter, “We’re going outside, and we’ll continue our conversation there, got it?”

Avery simply grunted, but he didn’t seem to resist. Sebastian must have a big reputation against dark wizards. The two of them staggered out of the Hog’s Head, the other patrons too absorbed in their own worlds and drinks to not care. Nothing at all like how it would be in the Three Broomsticks. Ominis carried his firewhiskey and followed them. He had a suspicion he was going to need it…

~~~

Poppy hissed as her head was forced up by her hair being pulled. She breathed hard, trying to not shake at the sight of her father in her face. She was in another room, with her hands and legs chained to a chair. She could barely see anything except her father, but she knew her mother was lurking nearby and watching.

Aster Sweeting had the same eyes and nose as her, but while she exuded warmth, he brought nothing but cruel coldness. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Popsy,” he mused, staring hard at her. “Such a shame you left the family business…”

Resentment flared inside her, and she glared at him. “I’m only ashamed I didn’t leave the family business a lot sooner than I did,” she spat.

He dropped her head, but then he slapped her with the back of his hand. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain, her cheek stinging. She knew he enjoyed hearing pain, whether it was from a creature or his own daughter… From her position, she saw the large ring in her father’s hand was now bloodied.

“When we’re done with you, you’ll wish you never left us,” he darkly muttered. He stepped back. Poppy panted and lifted her head, her blood frozen at seeing his nasty smirk. “Now, pet, we are supposed to ask you some questions, but there are other matters that must be dealt with first.”

“Like what?” she tiredly asked.

“Your fifth year…does Horntail Hall ring a bell?” His beady eyes narrowed at her. “As you know, we don’t let things go. And you must be taught your lesson for giving us trouble of that magnitude.”

“Remember one of our ambitious projects, Popsy?” Her mother sang, walking closer, putting a clawed hand on her shoulder.

Poppy racked her mind, trying to dig up unpleasant decades-old memories. One stood out, and she looked up at her parents. “You–you didn’t,” she whispered.

“Oh, we did. We’d love for you to spend some time and…bond with our dear friend,” her father crooned, unlocking her chains, and her parents quickly grabbed her arms. “That is what you do, innit?”

“Stop! No!” she screamed, trying to fight against their holds. They dragged her to a part of the room, and tossed her down. She shrieked and roughly landed on the floor. She groaned, her hands pinging with pain from trying to catch herself. She heard a slither and a hiss, and she whimpered, pushing herself as far away as she could. She huddled in a corner and quickly curled up, shutting her eyes.

She quivered as she heard something hiss: “New visitor…” She only understood that much because Ominis taught her a little bit of Parseltongue.

Poppy was close to hyperventilating, but she kept her eyes shut tight, knowing she would be petrified if she looked.

…She didn’t know how long she was in there, but it wasn’t soon enough when she was levitated out of there and pulled back onto the main floor. She didn’t open her eyes, terrified that she would find herself staring right at a Basilisk.

“Now, Popsy, what can you tell us about a repository?” Her mother asked in her fake sweet voice.

Poppy froze, her shaking ceasing. “What?” she asked. How did her parents know about that?

“Did your fear of snakes rattle you that much?” Her father sneered. “We know your friend has special abilities and has something called a repository. Where is it?”

“I-I don’t know,” she answered. Estelle might have mentioned her Ancient Magic, and the battle against goblins, but she was never told about where the repository was.

“Don’t lie; you don’t want to go back to the basilisk, do you?” They still talked down at her, as if she were a child. She didn’t like they still used the same technique they did to her back then either.

“I’m not lying,” she sternly replied, defiantly looking up at them.

Dahlia Sweeting clicked her tongue. “I suppose our usual methods don’t get through to you. Time to try something else for answers.”

Poppy didn’t even get a chance to plead before her father yelled: “Crucio!”

~~~

Avery huffed as Sebastian shoved him against the wall. His lip was already busted from a right hook when he tried to take his wand out. Ominis was now holding Avery’s wand, looking perturbed at Sebastian’s brute force.

“Tell us who you work for,” Sebastian demanded in a growl.

Avery spat and then a twisted smile came onto his face. “You can’t hurt me, Sallow. You’re an Auror. You have rules to abide by.”

“My wife is missing, so I don’t give a damn about rules right now,” he said in a dangerously low voice. He jabbed the end of his wand at Avery’s throat. “So tell me what I need to know!”

“You’re not intimidating, you don’t have the guts,” Avery taunted.

Sebastian snarled, but before he could do anything, Ominis reached out and held his wrist.

“Sebastian,” he quietly implored. He was relentless with his tight grip, and Sebastian pulled away his wand. Before Avery could be too comfortable, Sebastian casted a Sticking Charm, making him stick high on the wall. Ominis pulled him away from Avery, and he lowered his voice, “You’re getting too fired up. You’re going to do something you’ll regret.”

“I regret not being there with Estelle despite my bloody suspension,” Sebastian growled. He looked over his shoulder at the man that seemed at peace. “He thinks he can’t be broken because I’m playing nice, that snide little bas–”

“Sebastian,” Ominis harshly cut in. “We need to be clear-headed about this. There has to be a way to get him to talk…”

Sebastian thought it over. Fear always got people to talk. It usually needed Estelle or Sebastian towering over them after overpowering them, but the ones harder to crack, well Estelle had been a smooth charmer. He had charm too, but there was no way he could be sweet to a man that has conspired with his wife’s captors.

There’s another way, you’ve done it before, a dark part of him whispered. He immediately shook his head. He used the Cruciatus Curse only once, and it tore him apart when he casted it on Estelle. He was not going to use it, he knew that.

…but Avery didn’t…

“Play along,” Sebastian muttered before turning back to Avery. He could feel Ominis “staring” at him with a worried and confused look. He dropped the Sticking Charm, and quickly grabbed a fistful of Avery’s robe. “Last chance, Avery.”

“Before what?” he smugly asked.

“Before I make you scream for mercy,” he said back as his wand sadistically let out dark red sparks. He grinned wolfishly at seeing Avery’s smugness fall at the drop of a hat. “You know what those sparks are from, don’t you?”

“You–you wouldn’t!” Avery yelled.

“I wouldn’t?” he sharply asked. He pushed Avery against the wall again. “If you’ve been through what I have, you’ll understand that I would.”

“Sebastian!” Ominis yelled, but Sebastian ignored him.

Sebastian poked his wand against the jugular of Avery’s neck. The man gagged and writhed, already dreading the pain. “You’ve heard the saying ‘fear the man that has nothing to lose’.” He chuckled callously. “Now fear the man with everything to lose. I’ve come too far to lose her, so you better start talking!”

Avery didn’t say anything, merely staring at Sebastian with wide eyes.

“Suit yourself,” he rumbled.

“Sebastian!” Ominis yelled more harshly this time, true fear coming out in his voice.

“You want our wives back, don’t you, Ominis?” he shouted over his shoulder. He glared at Avery. “I told you I couldn’t make any promises. I’ll do whatever. It. Takes.” He poked Avery’s neck further in at each word.

“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” Avery cried out, his voice hoarse from Sebastian’s wand against his throat. Sebastian lessened the pressure slightly, still holding him. Avery gulped. “The Golden Snatchers. T-They wanted the girl, they needed you for leverage! The–the other girl was just bonus leverage…”

“Golden Snatchers…” Ominis muttered to himself, as if he knew the name. Sebastian kept that in mind, but he was still focused on Avery.

“Where are they?” he asked.

“North Lincolnshire…” Avery whimpered. “In between there and Appleby…a-a tent is hidden in the woods.”

Sebastian coolly stared at him. The man was desperate, and it showed. “Now was that so hard?” he calmly asked, then he suddenly dropped the man. Avery yelped and crumpled on the floor. He then quietly casted: “Petrificus Totalus”, the man suddenly petrified on the ground. “Come on, we need to get to Appleby.”

Ominis “looked” at where Avery was before turning away and following Sebastian.

Sebastian muttered, “Expecto Patronum.” A bright white badger bounded around him before he whispered words to it. It then ran off; a message needed to be sent. He stared longingly at the badger before he checked on Ominis.

“I was worried…if you didn’t tell me to ‘play along’,” Ominis started. He was shaken, truly worried they were back to how they were at fifteen.

“I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else.” They headed back to the Floo Flame station.

“Were you actually about to cast it?”

“No,” Sebastian admitted. He really did consider it. It was so easy to cast, with all that anger within, but he held firm in his resolve.

“Then…what were the sparks he saw?”

Sebastian smirked. “Periculum, the flare spell.” He grabbed the ash.

“Wait, Sebastian. About the Golden Snatchers,” Ominis hurriedly said. “Poppy once told me that was the name of her parents’ organization.”

“But they were more interested in Estelle than Poppy. Avery said as much.” Sebastian frowned, trying to think it over. “It doesn’t make sense…why would they want Estelle?”

“I’m more worried about how they even knew they were coming,” Ominis remarked. “They even went a couple days before the poachers were supposed to come to avoid being spotted right away.”

Sebastian pointed at him with the hand that was full of Floo ash. “You’re right. They couldn’t have possibly known unless–” He froze. “Someone on the inside alerted them.” He turned to Ominis. “We need to get there now. I’ll send another patronus message once we’re closer!” He threw the ash into the flames, and Ominis grabbed his own ash. “Appleby!”

~~~

Estelle held her head, hating herself for not being able to protect Poppy. She promised Ominis she would, but she failed. She should have casted Revelio right away, should have approached the area first alone, should have been less complacent. Now Poppy was forced into a situation more dangerous than she anticipated.

She lifted her head when she heard the cell door open.

She gasped at seeing Poppy be shoved harshly back in. Her left cheekbone was cut, blood dripping down, and her eyes looked haunted. Her hair was messed up as if someone pulled on it, and she was shaking so much.

“Poppy,” she cried out, trying to reach out to her. The blasted chains stopped her, and she wished she could get rid of them. “W-what did they do to you?”

Poppy slowly walked to her and collapsed into Estelle’s arms. She was still shaking and sobbed quietly. “Estelle…th-there was a basilisk.” Estelle’s heart sank, knowing how horrific that must be for her. She hugged her close. “I’m so sorry, Poppy,” she whispered, patting her hair. “This is all my fault…”

“That’s not all,” she faintly said. Poppy lifted her head, staring up at Estelle with dread in her eyes. “They…they wanted to know about the repository.” She sobbed as Estelle stilled. “I told them I didn’t know where it was, I swear! They–my parents–they casted the Cruciatus Curse on me until they believed me…”

Estelle felt furious. Legilimency would easily give them the answer, but they chose to make their own daughter suffer. Hot shame filled her as well, because she really didn’t tell anyone but Sebastian about where it was. She was tempted to let her other friends in on the secret and have them be Keepers, but she didn’t want to burden them. She only showed Sebastian when it was near the end of their seventh year, and they were to be married soon.

She swallowed, new tears of guilt coming. “How many times?” she asked.

“...four,” Poppy whimpered. “Only then did they use Legilimency and finally see I was telling the truth.”

Estelle hugged her closer, her heart aching for her best friend. She only dealt with the torturing curse once, and even then, Sebastian didn’t mean it as much as a dark wizard would… “I’m so sorry…” she whispered again. She thought more about Poppy being tortured for such information, but… “Wait, how do your parents know about the repository?”

“I…I don’t know. They weren’t anywhere near Hogwarts during our fifth year…not really.”

The sound of boots clacking echoed, and Estelle protectively held Poppy close to her. But the person coming in wasn’t Poppy’s father nor her mother. Estelle recognized the dark blue cloak outfit and her heart leapt into her throat.

It can’t be…she thought with shock and despair.

“Mrs. Sallow,” Officer Singer called out. She walked further in, her top hat casting a shadow over her eyes. “Or should I say…Ms. Ilson? That was your name when we first met, after all.”

Estelle gaped at her. “You?” she asked incredulously. Singer frowned, not saying anything. Estelle felt immense anger within, and she moved Poppy to be behind her as she stood up. “It was always you holding me back, wasn’t it?”

“You didn’t possibly think I was that incapable as an Auror, did you?” she asked back with a slight tilt of her head.

Estelle harshly laughed. “I did, actually. It would explain why so many criminals were running amok, and I had to clean up your messes.” She glared and she lunged forward, the shackles roughly scraping against her wrists.

“You were far more involved than I wanted, but you just couldn’t keep your nose out of other people’s businesses,” Singer muttered. She pointed her wand at Estelle, nonverbally casting Immobulus, making Estelle and Poppy freeze in her stance. Estelle was fuming, glaring deadly at Singer. The two were then lifted in the air, and dragged out of the cell. “You shouldn’t have continued that bad habit when you became an Auror.”

“You literally recommended the job to me,” Estelle gritted out, still able to talk.

“What else was an Auror supposed to say to one impressive witch?” Singer asked back. “I couldn’t have a little girl blow my cover I had kept for years already.”

“It must have been a huge thorn in your side when Natty and I kept badgering you about Harlow,” Estelle smugly remarked.

“It was…No matter what I did, you two would always go behind my back and keep pursuing leads.” They were now in another room. Estelle saw drops of blood. Poppy’s blood.

Estelle yelled as she fell down, crashing onto the floor. She groaned and pushed herself up. She glared at Singer. The same hatred was shown back at her.

“You’re going to tell me what I need to know. I didn’t let Harlow be in Azkaban and Rookwood die just to have you keep me away from our goal.”

“Go ahead and try,” Estelle viciously said back.

Singer pointed her wand at Poppy. “If you don’t, I’ll have little Miss Sweeting return to her parents.” Estelle’s resolve fell like a castle made of sand. She looked at where Poppy was slumped on the floor close by. She saw her wretched parents walking closer to them. Singer sweetly smiled. “Or maybe I’ll have your dear husband at my mercy.”

“Your mercy?” Estelle bit out, fierce protectiveness empowering her. She was not going to let this witch hurt any more of her friends or those she loved. She needed Singer and the Sweetings to focus on her and no one else. “You couldn’t even help me fight Cassandra Mason, an old hag responsible for traumatizing countless shop owners!” Singer’s smile dropped and she snarled.

“I was hoping she would kill you and I wouldn’t have to have my hands be too dirty.” She then pointed her wand at Estelle. “Now hold still. I’ll do what Harlow should have been able to do if Ms. Onai didn’t get in the way. Crucio!”

Estelle instantly fell down and writhed on the floor, screaming bloody murder. The last time, it felt like being seared by a hot pan, a moment of pain. This was long-lasting, like thousands of burning knives were stabbing her repeatedly. It ended, but the pain was still lingering, and she ached as she tried to regain her breath. She looked up to see Singer pace in front of her like a lioness. At least her theory was right, that Singer did have a fragile ego.

“Did Harlow have something on you?” Estelle softly asked. Maybe Singer could redeem herself, but that was becoming more and more unlikely.

“No. I was the first to find something useful to gain my position,” Singer told her. “Harlow soon became a partner, both of us using knowledge to our advantage.”

Estelle coughed. “Ravenclaw, right? They believe knowledge is power.”

“Yes, I was Ravenclaw. But I also knew power on its own was formidable too. Hence why I want that repository. How convenient that anyone that knew an inkling of its location died. Except for you.” She pointed her wand at Estelle again. “Enough small chat. Let’s now see what’s in that mind of yours. Legilimens!”

Mentioning Hogwarts brought back millions of moments from her time there. Estelle cried out as she felt memories flashing in her mind: the dragon tearing apart the carriage, Professor Fig giving her the temporary wand, Poppy introducing her to Gerald, Sebastian’s cocky grin, Garreth’s cauldron spewing out green sparks…a streak of green light— NO! Estelle mentally yelled, putting up walls immediately. She would rather die than the truth of Sebastian’s past be shown to a blackmailer.

She weakly blinked and looked up at Singer’s gobsmacked expression. “How did you block me? You’re not proficient in Occlumency!”

“But I’m more determined to keep my secrets,” she hoarsely whispered. In the corner of her eye, she saw Poppy watching, horrified. She slightly shook her head at Estelle, knowing she was trying to goad their captor.

Singer glared at her. “CRUCIO!”

Estelle’s shrill screams echoed through the room and throughout the rest of the hideout.

~~~

A small pop sounded, and Sebastian and Ominis waited patiently for Natty and her team to come over to their spot.

“We found Avery petrified,” Natty quietly told them. “And we got your message.” She frowned at Sebastian. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything rash with Avery.”

“I just rattled him,” Sebastian said, staring at the tent he and Ominis found. “This is it. They’re in there.” He turned to Natty. “Did you get my second message?”

Natty gravely nodded. “As you suspected, I checked who was behind the details of Estelle’s investigations. It was Officer Singer. And…she was also the one that gave her the plan…” She shook her head and Sebastian and Ominis looked surprised. “I was always disappointed in Singer’s failures to apprehend Harlow and Rookwood, but I think I now know why.”

“She was in on their scheming the whole time?” Sebastian asked, shocked. He didn’t think the one behind all of this would be the Auror Estelle acquainted with.

“Maybe. I don’t know the whole picture,” Natty answered. She stared at the tent with a hardened gaze. “Let us first focus on saving Estelle and Poppy. Then we’ll serve justice.”

“We’ll find them. You find Singer and Poppy’s parents,” Sebastian said.

Natty sighed. “Sebastian, you can’t just blindly rush in!”

“We’re this close, I’m not going to sit by and wait anymore,” he muttered. Ominis nodded beside him, just as antsy. “You’re here now, so you can take care of the bad guys while we find our loves.”

Natty didn’t stop them as they casted Disillusionment on themselves. She shook her head, but she knew she would have done the same in their positions. The strength one’s love for someone had… She signalled to her team, and they nodded in return, waiting for the right time to storm in.

Sebastian and Ominis crept close to the entrance. They soon had their backs against the walls of the tent, and Sebastian carefully brushed open a flap. He peeked in, not seeing anyone right away.

“Once we’re in, I’ll cast Revelio,” he whispered. “Hopefully we won’t have to deal with too many obstacles…”

“If there are, we’ll just quickly take care of them,” Ominis whispered back, sounding just as determined as Sebastian felt.

Sebastian took a deep breath and slunk into the tent, Ominis behind him. He crouched close to a pillar, muttered: “Revelio.”

There were two more levels down. No one was on the main floor, but the second one had a cluster of five people, and the third had about two dozen. Sebastian frowned, wondering how to determine where Estelle and Poppy were, but then they froze when they heard a piercing scream echo.

Sebastian’s heart plummeted, and Ominis confirmed what he already knew: “Estelle,” Ominis murmured, recognizing her scream.

That was enough, and Sebastian broke into a run, dropping his Disillusionment charm. He ran to where he saw the stairs. “We need to find their wands, too,” he urgently told Ominis. It was Dark Wizard 101 to steal wands of prisoners, rendering them defenceless. He casted Revelio again, and he could see clearly that one figure on the second floor was curled up on the ground. Estelle, he thought with fear, and then it was replaced with righteous anger. “They’re right below us,” he muttered with detestation.

Ominis was quiet and he waved his wand as if he were casting Revelio. “I think there’s a little room downstairs before the large one where they are.”

“Let’s check there.” Sebastian and Ominis quickly Disillusioned themselves again. They were going down the stairs at an agonizingly slow pace, but they couldn’t afford to mess up now when they were so close.

“Crucio!” they heard as they came down to the second floor. Estelle’s screams were sounding more hoarse, and they even heard Poppy.

“Stop it! Please stop it!” Poppy pleaded, sobbing.

Sebastian blindly reached out to hold Ominis’s hand. They were both so tempted to run in and curse their enemies to oblivion, but– “the wands,” Sebastian whispered to remind him.

Ominis made a small sound of begrudgement, but they quickly went to the room off to the side. Sebastian hurriedly casted Alohomora, and the door opened easily. They dropped their Disillusionments and searched the room with desperation.

Sebastian opened every crate and chest, and Ominis was sweeping the area with his wand, sensing for anything that could help. They didn’t hear another scream, which both unsettled and relieved Sebastian. He hoped they just gave up and Estelle wasn’t in critical condition…

“Here,” Ominis muttered, his wand pointed at the stone wall. Sebastian ran over and saw that there was a loose brick. He Accio’d it, and the brick flew to his hand. He turned it over, and sure enough, two wands were stored there.

“These are theirs,” Sebastian said. He shoved Poppy’s wand into Ominis’s hand, keeping Estelle’s wand for himself. “Now let’s show them what happens when they harm the loves of our lives.”

Ominis nodded, a new fire shining in his pale blue eyes.

They heard a commotion upstairs, and the people on this floor were quiet. Sebastian and Ominis hurried out to the door.

“Find out what’s going on,” they heard a woman harshly order. That had to be Officer Singer.

“We can’t let them get to Natty’s team.” Sebastian told Ominis. Even though they wanted to leave Singer and the Sweetings to Natty and her team, there were the two dozen other dark wizards to take care of. They could at least buy Natty some time until she came to apprehend them. Ominis understood right away what that meant. “You with me?”

“To the end,” Ominis gravely answered.

Sebastian threw open the door and stood in front of the entrance to the large room. He came face to face with a poacher wizard that had to be Poppy’s father. His black eyes widened in shock.

“Depulso!” Sebastian shouted, and he had far more than necessary satisfaction at seeing the man be forced back into the arena-like area. He strode in and grinned at seeing Singer’s astonished expression. “Surprised? Good,” he snarled and sent a flurry of Basic Casts at her. She quickly shielded herself, the casts bouncing off.

Poppy’s parents leapt to action, and Ominis quickly casted “Obscuro!” A blindfold manifested and wrapped tightly around Poppy’s mother. She shrieked and tried to take it off, tripping on her own robes.

Poppy’s father sent a curse at Ominis, but he sensed it and casted Protego just in time.

“Confringo!” Ominis and Sebastian shouted at the same time. Poppy’s father ducked low to the floor, but Singer sent a blast of Glacius to stop Sebastian’s Blasting Curse. Ominis sensed Poppy’s father at the ground and quickly casted Depulso, sending him to the far wall.

It gave Ominis enough time to run to where Poppy was. “Darling, are you alright?” he urgently asked, reaching out to her. He found her shoulders and helped her up to a better kneeling position.

“Y-Yes, I’m fine,” she hurriedly answered. She looked over and saw her mother managing to wrestle the blindfold off. She glanced over at her father and paled at where he was, fiddling with something. “Ominis. There’s a Basilisk here…”

He frowned in the direction of where he sent Poppy’s father. “Let me take care of it,” he said. He quickly pulled out Poppy’s wand and handed it to her. “Take this and get out of here.”

She frowned at him. “I’m not leaving without you!”

Ominis was about to refute until he sensed a shield charm around them. They were taking too much time that Sebastian had to cover for them while duelling Singer. “Alright, fine,” he conceded.

They stood up, and Poppy immediately casted Levioso on her mother, and then Descendo. Her mother let out a pained cry, but she was out of it for now.

Sebastian repelled another curse away, glaring at Singer. She just wouldn’t give up! Estelle was stirring, though, and that gave him encouragement. He could get to her, he needed to get to her. She was still laying between the two duelling. He gritted his teeth, holding up a strong shield charm against Singer’s relentless chain of Incendio and Bombarda.

He deftly pointed at Singer, shouting, “Ebublio!” Singer struggled against the bubble that formed around her. She tried to pop it, but it was futile. Her frustrated yells were muffled by the water.

“Accio,” he casted at Estelle, bringing her to him. He knelt down. “Estelle, love, open your eyes for me please,” he quietly pleaded, cupping her face.

Her eyebrows furrowed before she blinked her eyes open. Her eyes immediately lit up at seeing Sebastian. “Sebastian,” she breathed out, a relieved smile coming onto her face.

He let out a small laugh of relief and passionately kissed her, savoring the taste of her lips. She weakly returned it, and for a moment, it was just the two of them reuniting. No hectic fighting, no opponents in bubbles, just them. He found her, she’s alright, they’ll be alright.

He pulled away and quickly checked on the battle. Singer was still struggling, Poppy’s mother was still down, but Poppy’s father was bringing out a— “Bloody hell,” he cursed.

“It’s a Basilisk!” Poppy hurriedly yelled. “Cover your eyes!”

Sebastian immediately pulled Estelle’s head into his shoulder, shielding her completely as he closed his own.

A loud hissing sounded, but it didn’t seem to be coming from the snake…

“I-Impossible!” Poppy’s father yelled, absolute fear in his voice.

“Parselmouth, tosser!” Ominis shouted back in pure rage. Sebastian tried his luck and opened one eye. Ominis was glaring in the direction of Poppy’s father and the basilisk and hissed more Parseltongue. The basilisk was cowed and curled back into a corner.

Poppy quickly casted Stupefy onto her own father, and he crumpled like a house of cards. Ominis then casted Petrificus Totalus on Poppy’s mother, both Sweetings done.

That left–

A piercing shattering sound echoed, the bubble burst into ice shards. Sebastian hugged Estelle to him, protecting her from the Glacius shrapnel.

Singer landed onto the ground, looking disheveled and ticked off. “I did not come this far just to lose here!” She yelled in a shrill voice.

Sebastian glared at her and carefully let go of Estelle, setting her down. She moved an arm, as if to resist, but he ignored that. He walked to stand in front of Estelle, his stance clearly showing he wasn’t going to move away. “You’re going to rot in Azkaban with your good friend Harlow, deal with it,” he called out.

Singer scoffed. “We’ll see about that.” She then spun her wand in a circle, and a pillar of flame looked to be forming underneath him. Sebastian had never seen this before. What in Merlin’s name? He thought, panicking as he didn’t know what to do to combat it.

“Expelliarmus!”

Sebastian watched as the flame pillar was forced to where Singer stood. She shrieked and jumped back just in time to avoid being scorched alive. He whirled around and saw Estelle hunched over on her two feet, her wand pointing at Singer.

Estelle took a few deep breaths. “Fiendfyre,” she faintly explained. “I dealt with them in our fifth year.”

He gave her a grin. “You know you’ll need to teach me that later, right?” He felt he could take on anything as she smiled affectionately at him. He turned back to the staggering ex-Auror. “After we take care of her, of course.”

Poppy and Ominis were rounding her on the other side, and Singer saw she was surrounded. Four Stupefys were sent at her, but she instantly shielded, and the four of them had to duck out of the way. She gritted her teeth, and Sebastian noticed her eyes land on him. Her eyes gleamed darkly, and she casted, “Avada–”

“No!” He heard Estelle yell. Time seemed to stand still as he watched a lime green light form from Singer’s wand. The memory of himself casting the Killing Curse came back to him, and he realized just how horrific it must have been to his uncle.

How fitting it would be for him to go out like this…

Singer’s incantation was interrupted, however, and she screamed in terror as she felt herself lifted. Sebastian recognized the ragdoll movement, and he turned to Estelle. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and desperate protectiveness. She raised her wand, raising Singer, and then harshly lowered her wand, sending Singer crashing to the ground.

Singer barely shielded herself in time, but the shockwave of the collision knocked her out unconscious.

Sebastian checked to make sure all of the enemies were down, and then he ran over to Estelle. She was numbly standing there with a blank look on her face. He cupped her cheeks, making her look up at him. He gave her a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay, we’re all okay,” he whispered. He pulled her into a loving embrace, and she intensely hugged him back. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” he repeated, running his hand down her hair.

Meanwhile, Poppy hurriedly tried to find a suitably sized rock. Ominis frowned as he heard her searching. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“I need to transfigure something into a rooster to stop the basilisk,” she answered. “I knew your Parseltongue would stop it, but that’s a temporary solution. I-I know there can be a permanent solution, but I also don’t want it to die, but–I–it–” She stopped when he put his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s alright if you want to get rid of it,” he gently told her. “No one would blame you, especially if they knew what you went through.”

She looked down at that. She glanced at the Basilisk still curled peacefully in a corner. It was far too dangerous to keep, but maybe… “I want to try something,” she mumbled. She pointed her wand at it and casted, “Obscuro.”

The Basilisk harshly hissed as a blindfold formed around its eyes.

Ominis stifled a laugh and smiled at her. “Did you just blindfold a Basilisk?”

She smiled at him sheepishly. “A Basilisk might be useful, you never know,” she pointed out. “Also, it’s evidence.”

He felt of rush of affection for Poppy. Only she would care for a basilisk, even when she was terrified of them. He chuckled and pulled her to him. “I missed you,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He then hugged her closer, burying his nose into her hair. He could still smell honey and apple cider.

Poppy sniffled and silently cried into his chest. “I missed you too,” she brokenly said back. “I was so scared…”

“I know,” he softly said, smoothing down her hair. “It’s alright now. They can’t hurt you anymore.” He leaned back and he cupped her cheeks, smiling softly. His thumbs moved to wipe away tears, but then he frowned at feeling something else as well. “...what’s this?” he asked, feeling along her left cheekbone, some sort of warm liquid there.

“That’s my blood,” she answered.

He stilled, his expression completely blank. “...what?” His voice was eerily even, and Poppy tried to gauge his reaction.

“My father hit me, his ring cut me, but I’m okay, Ominis, really,” she insisted. She saw his eyes go from her direction to the direction of her unconscious father. They flashed with a ferocity she had never seen from him. “Ominis?”

He blinked, pulled out of some sort of trance, and his gaze went back to her. His hardened expression softened as she cupped his cheek.

“I’m okay,” she calmly said.

“How did this become a thing where you’re comforting me?” he lightly asked. He lowered his head to lean his forehead against hers, moving his hands to hold her waist. “I should be comforting you…”

She softly chuckled, closing her eyes, happy to be back in his arms. “I’m okay now that you’re here.”

Natty stormed into the room, preparing for another fight, only to see the three suspects all unconscious, a blindfolded Basilisk, and the two couples reunited. She sighed, relieved to see her friends were alright.

She met Sebastian’s eyes (which were quite tearful), and he mouthed, “thank you” before going back to embracing Estelle.

The paperwork might be a handful, but it was worth it if it meant everyone made it out.

~~~

Natty was quick to dismiss the four of them, wanting them to have a full night’s rest and she would see them tomorrow to tie up any loose ends. All of them agreed they didn’t want to be separate for the night, so they all went to the Sallow house. Ominis and Poppy were sound asleep on the sofa-transfigured-into-bed, with their arms wrapped around each other, and Poppy was curled into Ominis’s tall frame.

“I always told you they were a cute couple,” Estelle happily remarked as they walked to their bedroom. She was always fond of her friends’ relationship. Considering she saw them grow in love for each other since the beginning of their friendship, she was very invested in their relationship.

“And I always said we were a cuter couple,” Sebastian said back, giving her a fake pout. She giggled and playfully shoved him.

When they entered their room, Estelle took a deep breath, taking in the nice scent she would always think as home. “It’s so nice to be back home.” She wasn’t surprised when she felt Sebastian wrap his arms around her waist. She leaned back against his chest, grateful to be with him again.

“It’s only home when you’re here with me,” Sebastian murmured, planting a loving kiss on her neck. It made her heart flutter in response. She blissfully sighed and she turned to wrap her arms around his shoulders. He smiled down at her with so much love and adoration, she felt like she was melting from his gaze.

She went on her tip-toes and brought him into a kiss, relishing in the usual sensation of love and elation. He deepened the kiss, his hands moving. One rested on the small of her back, and the other snaked up into her hair. The warmth of his hands gave her wondrous shivers, and she ran her hands through his hair.

He made a pleasured sound in response, and Estelle could feel that both of them wanted to go further, but… She slowly pulled away, lowering her head in shame.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian, but with all that happened…” she softly said.

He leaned down and sweetly kissed her nose. “It’s fine, Estelle,” he reassured her with a smile. “I completely understand.”

She licked her lips and she smiled up at him. “Tomorrow?”

He chuckled. “Can’t wait to have all of me, eh?” He teased, both of his hands settling at the small of her back.

“I could ask you the same,” she teased back with a grin and an arched eyebrow. “Considering your hands are practically on my bum.”

He gave her a shameless grin and slid his hands up to the middle of her back. She giggled and rested her head against his chest, relaxing as he slowly wrapped his arms tighter around her to keep her close.

“How did you know?” she softly asked.

“How did I know what?” he hummed.

“How did you know she was an imposter?” She moved her head to look up at him, resting her chin on his chest.

He stared at her for a long time, and she knew he was trying to figure out how to properly say what he was thinking. Eventually, he answered, “Because of how she responded when I told her I had a nightmare.”

Estelle looked at him with concern. “Which nightmare?” They both had their own inner demons, with recurring nightmares accompanying them. She sometimes had memories that would be horribly exaggerated but still be close to reality, then there were ones where she was haunted by Professor Fig, and then memories twisted to have a different outcome.

He reached up, gently brushing some of her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. He didn’t meet her gaze and said, “The same old one…I guess I can’t ever forgive myself.”

Estelle looked at him, understanding what he meant. “I’m sorry, Sebastian,” she quietly said.

“And that is how I know you’re my wife,” he lightly pointed out with a sad smile. “The other woman simply said ‘it’s not your fault’.” He bitterly scoffed. “Of course it is.”

“But that’s all in the past, Sebastian,” she insisted. It had been ten years, and the nightmares had become less frequent, almost just once every six months or so. She reached up and cupped his cheek, making him meet her eyes. “Sebastian, I know you regret what you did, and you may not be able to move on, but you should forgive yourself.”

“How can I?” he asked. He breathed shakily and bowed his head, loosening his arms around her. “You know what I was dreaming of before that? Us with a family, with kids.” Estelle’s heart broke at hearing his voice crack at the last part. “How could I deserve such a good life after what I had done?”

“Because you’ve changed, Sebastian,” she softly explained. She moved her hands to hold onto his shoulders. “Maybe the Sebastian ten years ago would not deserve something like this, but who you are now do deserve it. You’ve done so much for the Wizarding World, your friends, your family, and…me. You worked hard to rebuild relationships, regaining all the trust you lost, burning bridges of the Dark Arts, and then being an Auror to make the world safer for the next generations to come. You’re not the same young man you were ten years ago, just like how I’m not the same as I was then. Or Poppy, or Ominis. We’ve all grown, learning from our past mistakes and improving to be a better person than we were yesterday. You’re a good person, Sebastian, and you should have a good life.” She smiled sweetly up at him. “You already do.”

He smiled tearfully at her, and then he leaned down, tenderly kissing her, delicately cupping her jaw. Estelle knew what he was trying to say now.

“Thank you, ‘Stell,” he breathed against her lips.

“And thank you, Sebastian, for saving me.”

He smiled and pecked her lips, giving her a tingling sensation. “I’d always save you.”

“My hero, my husband,” she lilted, her hands interlocking at the back of his neck.

“My love, my wife,” he said back as he swooped down to passionately kiss her again…

They soon turned in for the night, and Estelle snuggled close to Sebastian, resting her head on his chest. She could hear his resonating heartbeat, and she smiled as she felt him wrap his arms around her again. She never got tired of his warmth.

“I really think we should leave the Auror jobs,” she softly said into the open air. “When we do have a family, I’d prefer we had a less dangerous job.”

“I’m for it,” he murmured. He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t think either of us can handle another assignment like last night.”

“No,” she agreed with a shake of head. “I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to.”

“It’s the same for me. When we’re done telling Natty everything, we can then hand in our resignation letters.”

“And then we can celebrate by trying for a family,” Estelle suggested with a sly smile.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Like I said, an amazing mind behind the amazing person.” Estelle giggled, blushing from his compliment.

That night, they both dreamt of kids that were as stubborn and loyal as them, with love for reading and exploring, with wild hair and freckles and brown eyes.