Next Chapter: Safety

               Iris shivered under the blanket as cold drafts from the barred window blew around her, the chilled early morning air finding ways to slither under the blanket and brush against her body. She whimpered as she pulled the blanket tighter over her head, afraid that if she peeked out from under the blanket, monsters would be waiting to devour her. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle with her father right now, feeling his strong and protective arms around her.

               There were loud noises all around her, coming closer and closer to her dingy mattress, she just knew it. It was probably a large, purple, hairy monster with big teeth and claws, and it was coming straight for her, banging on all the empty prison cells on the way. If she didn’t move, maybe it wouldn’t notice her.

Iris tried not to breathe as another loud bang sounded through the dungeon, then a strange woosh filled the air. Her heart pounded loud in her ears. Surely the monster could hear it.

               Then there was silence.

               Iris did not move. The monster was just waiting for her to peek out from under the blanket so it could eat her. Her breathing came in faster as the silence continued.

               Cautiously, she slowly lowered the blanket.

               Two large eyes were staring at her.

               Iris screamed, crawling away.

               The creature squeaked and jumped back, then tried shushing Iris as it waved its hands frantically at her to quiet down.

               “Dinky is so sorry,” the creature said, “I’s not mean to scare the young Miss.”

               Iris took several deep breaths as she calmed down, her heart finally slowing down. She was surprised at how clearly, she could see everything now, as if the world had suddenly lit up in the room. There was a house elf in front of her, like the ones she had seen at Hogwarts before, but this one wore a filthy, tattered pillowcase.

               “Is Miss not scared anymore?” Dinky asked, wringing his hands nervously.

               “I’m okay,” Iris said, her voice shaking a little.

               “Miss’s eyes are glowing,” Dinky noted, peering into Iris’s eyes curiously. “Does Miss know?”

               “My eyes?” Iris asked, rubbing at them. “They’re glowing?”

               “They started to glow after I’s scared the young Miss.”

               “Oh. I think it’s accidental magic. Why are you here? Are you stuck here too?”

               “No, Dinky is belonging to the Carrow family for many years. They do awful things to Dinky and make Dinky clean every part of the manor, even in darkness. Dinky is used to it. What is yous doing here?”

               “They kidnapped me and hurt my mum. Can you help me out?”

               “No-no, I’s is not to be disobeying Master and Mistress’s orders. I’s is to clean until my arms fall off or I’s be whipped.”

               “That’s not very nice.”

               “Miss should rest, I’s sorry to disturb Miss.”

               “Please don’t leave me. I’m scared.”

               “Dinky is sorry but Dinky cannot help. Dinky would have to punish himself for helping Master and Mistress’s prisoner.”

               “I don’t want to be a prisoner. Can you just show me the way out? It’s not helping if you don’t actually take me out.”

               Dinky tugged at his ears and chewed on his lower li for a moment as he stared at Iris. He tapped his foot then shook his head and turned away.

               “Dinky must not—but the poor Miss!—But no. Dinky cannot disobey Master and Mistress . . . Dinky bad house elf for thinking . . . No, Dinky will not. Bad Dinky! Bad Dinky!”

               Dinky struck himself over the head repeatedly. Iris crawled away from the crazy house elf, moving closer to the opened prison door cell. Dinky blinked as he glanced over at Iris. His eyes widened as he realized he had left the door open, then he shook his head.

               “No, Miss cannot leave—I’s be punished if Miss leaves. Miss must go back in cell.”

               “My daddy’s going to save me and make the bad guys go away. Maybe you can be free from them then.” Iris didn’t stop inching toward the door as she pushed up to her feet. With the glow from her eyes allowing her to see nearly five feet in front of her, Iris felt enough confidence to try sneaking out of the manor. She didn’t quite remember which way to go, but she wasn’t going to stick around waiting for the elf to make up its mind to help her or not. Besides, Dinky might tell the Carrows that she wasn’t locked up anymore.

               “Only masters can free house elves,” Dinky said, though he did shuffle after Iris. “If Master and Mistress go away, Dinky be stuck here waiting for their return.”

               “But they wouldn’t be around to hurt you anymore,” Iris said as she moved toward a large staircase, but Dinky pulled her arm and pointed down the hallway.

               “Dinky really should put Miss back in cell,” Dinky said as he led the way down the hall, pausing now and then to tug his ears or bite his nails. “Dinky bad elf. Dinky must punish himself most severely for freeing prisoner. Dinky cannot help Miss escape. No, Dinky cannot! I’s clean and only clean.”

               “Okay,” Iris agreed as she followed the elf up a new staircase. “You’re not helping me. I’m just following you.”

               Dinky paused at the top of the staircase and glanced around, then pulled at his pillowcase before waving Iris to follow him down a dark hall which illuminated as Iris stepped up the last steps and into the hallway.

               “Dinky is most disobedient,” the house elf kept saying. “I’s get twenty—no, thirty lashes for this treason.”

               “You won’t. I’ll tell my Daddy and he won’t let anything happen to you.”

               “Miss’s father cannot stop masters from punishing Dinky.”

               “He’ll make your masters go away so they can’t hurt you. You’ll see. He’s going to save me. And you won’t get punished cause your masters will go to prison!”
               “Shhh!” Dinky spluttered with a finger to his lip. He pushed her into an alcove in the hall where a bust of a Carrow ancestor rested. Iris quickly hid behind the bust while the elf busied himself with a feather duster that appeared in his hands with a snap of his finger.

               “I’s clean the portraits,” Dinky said aloud, “yes, I’s clean real well. No dust allowed with Dinky cleaning.”

               Amycus and Gibbon sped down the hall with arms raised and their wands lit at their sides. Iris closed her eyes quickly and listened to them pass where she was hiding before opening her eyes again, staring down the hall she had come from. Another man stepped out of a room and frowned at the other two men.

               “What is going on? I’ve come to hear of your sister’s plan?”

               “There’s something trying to breach through our wards, Rowle,” Amycus said. “Might be Aurors, though how they know we took the girl is beyond me. We haven’t even sent a ransom note yet.”

               “You idiots!” Rowle snapped. “And you tried to drag me into this? I’ll have no part of this absurdity. You’re on your own.”

               Rowle turned and stormed back into the room he had stepped through and Iris heard the familiar sound of a floo flaring up. She wondered if she could use that same floo but she had never used the floo on her own before, and if Aurors were really coming, she might have a better chance getting outside where they could find her quickly.

               “Coward!” Amycus spat, then when a loud alarm sounded through the manor, he and Gibbon took off running, disappearing at the end of the hall.

               “Oh, Dinky is in trouble,” Dinky muttered, wringing his feather duster now. “Dinky will be blamed for Aurors arrival, I’s will.”

               “No, you won’t, come on!” Iris said, running down the hall.

               Dinky chased after her, then tugged her arm to veer her off down a new hallway and toward large doors. Dinky opened the doors with a snap of his fingers and led Iris outside.

               The doors led to grand staircase that dropped down into a large backyard garden, with large cactus plants filling up the the space, a few rose bushes around the edges of the yard, and a large fountain of a raven spouting water in the center of it all. Past the garden was acres of land and then trees in the distance. Iris shivered in the cold air as she moved deeper into the garden, following a cobblestone path while looking around and then up in the air, hopeful for anyone to come rescue her.

               Dinky watched her walk deeper in the garden, then gasped, his eyes widening. He swallowed dryly before snapping his fingers, vanishing on the spot.

               Iris heard the crack of the elf disapparating, and she spun around, but Dinky was gone. She rubbed her arms and shivered, then stared up at the sky again, feeling her nerves start to come alive again as she waited, but nothing was happening. Was no one coming for her? Her eyes prickled with tears.

               “Hoo!” came an owl call.

               “Athena!” Iris cried out as the owl flew down toward her, circling her once before flapping its wings frantically to hover in the air as it held something out to Iris.

               Iris accepted her bracelet from the owl. She stared at it for a moment before looking up at the owl that had landed on a cactus plant. Iris really felt like crying now, and a tear escaped one of her glowing eyes, sliding down her cheek.

               “Did you take it to my daddy?” Iris asked.

               The owl tilted its head at her. She gave a low hoot in response.

               At that moment, red light flashed in the sky above them, startling Iris, who dropped the bracelet.

               As quickly as it happened, many wizards and witches on brooms flooded the sky, flying around the house, avoiding curses that were shot into the air from somewhere on the roof. Iris felt relief as she smiled up at the Aurors, then at the owl, who hooted again.

               “Iris!”

               Iris spun around. She smiled with joy as she watched Severus land in the garden, jumping off the broom and running toward her. Iris ran to him as well, jumping in his arms, crying happily as she squeezed his neck.

               “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Severus began firing questions after a brief squeeze in return. He pulled her back. “Your head’s bleeding, was that from them or the car crash? Are . . . are your eyes glowing?”

               Iris nodded her head before she clung to Severus again, refusing to let go of him. She wasn’t sure what she was answering to, but all she knew was that she needed to feel his arms around her again. It made her feel so safe and protected. Severus rocked her gently as he rubbed her back.

               “Isn’t this so sweet?” Alecto’s wheezy voice said from the doorway of the garden.

               Iris felt her father’s arms tighten around her, and she peeked an out from her father’s shoulder to look behind her.

               Alecto had a hand around Dinky’s throat, holding him up in the air while her other hand had her wand trained on Severus. Dinky struggled in Alecto’s grasp. Athena hooed and retreated from the cactus, flying off toward the trees.

               “So many traitors,” Alecto said in a mockingly sad tone. “Everywhere I go, it seems. First, the owl, now my own elf.”

               “Dinky not mean to disobey—”

               “Save it!” Alecto shouted, throwing the elf aside before hitting him with a stunning charm. “I’ll deal with you later.”

               Severus took that moment to whip out his own wand, angling his body so he was shielding Iris as much as he could. He started to back away, not really wanting to duel with his daughter in his arms. Iris whimpered as she buried her face in Severus’s shoulder again.               

               “Where’s the Boy-Who-Lived?” Alecto asked, her wand on Severus once more. She advanced down the stairs and followed Severus’s movements.

               Severus weaved between the cacti, his wand never leaving Alecto as she stalked him.      

               “My children are not up for sale,” Severus snapped.

               “That’s too bad. I’d offer a great fortune for him. But if I can’t have him, I’ll just take the little princess.”

               Alecto flicked her wand and shouted, “Confringo!”

               Severus cast a shield and blocked the curse, and it bounced off his shield and struck a nearby cactus, blowing an arm off it.

               “Expelliarmus!” Severus shouted, and his spell nearly hit Alecto, but she dodged behind a cactus at the last moment, laughing manically

               Severus moved behind a cactus himself, adjusting his hold on his daughter. Glancing up, he could see several Aurors moving on the roof, and he was hopeful they were capturing whoever was up there and would come take care of this crazy woman next. He didn’t want his daughter to get caught in the crossfire, but he wasn’t about to put her down either.

               “Here Snapey Snape,” Alecto teased as she slinked her way through the plants, glancing behind each one cautiously, a huge grin on her face. “Come out wherever you are. Your daughter and I have unfinished business.”

               Severus didn’t move. He could hear Alecto’s footsteps coming closer. He tightened his hold on his wand, several curses on the tip of his tongue ready to be fired one after the other. He didn’t care about the law at this moment. He was ready to kill this cow that dared to threaten his daughter. And he felt like he might do just that if those Aurors didn’t show up in the next minute.

               “Oh, little girl,” Alecto called out, her voice closer now. Severus looked down, seeing the woman’s shadow move closer. “Time to come out and play!”

               Severus twisted his wand slightly, watching the shadow move even closer, an unforgiveable on his lips as he prepared to curse the woman.

               Alecto’s grin grew as she paused near the largest cactus in the garden. She raised her wand, a curse on the top of her tongue as she started to lean forward.

               Before she could move, Athena flew down from the sky with talons out and lashed at Alecto’s face, startling the woman enough that she dropped her wand. Athena slashed and bit at Alecto, growling as best she could.

               Alecto screamed and swatted at the bird, trying to bat the creature off her.

               “You ungrateful, worthless animal!” Alecto shouted as she kept fighting off the owl, her face slowly turning red from the scratches and bites.

               Severus stepped out from behind the cactus and aimed his wand directly at Alecto.

               “Petrificus Totalus!” he shouted.

               Athena flew away just in time for Alecto to see the purple flash of the spell before it struck her, knocking her back a step before her arms and legs snapped together. She teetered for a moment before falling on her face.

Severus relaxed, then squeezed Iris to his chest again as Aurors flew down to the garden, securing Alecto Carrow along with her brother and their accomplice, Gibbon. Three Aurors escorted the Carrows and Gibbon off the grounds and disapparated away. The rest of the Aurors secured the manor as a crime scene, setting up wards and wrapping magical tape around the property that would alert the Aurors to any intruders. Three house elves were located, and they all chose to stay on the property as it was their home, and they couldn’t be freed anyway. Some magical binds simply could not be broken.

Severus sat down on a bench in the garden and kissed his daughter before allowing an Auror to check over her head wound, and the Auror healed it and then undid Iris’s glowing eyes with a counter spell.

               “Must have been accidental magic,” the Auror explained. “She’s a brave little girl to get herself out of the house.”

               “I know,” Severus said, rocking Iris against him once she was healed and back in is arms. She clung to him like a lifeline, and despite how brave she acted in the moment, he knew all of Iris’s fears were slowly working their way out of her.

               “Why don’t you take her home?” the Auror said. “We don’t need to get a statement from her right now. She needs the rest.”

               Loud screeching caught Severus’s ears, and he looked back at where two Aurors were struggling to shove Athena into a bird cage. That bird had saved his daughter’s life, and he swiftly walked over toward the Aurors.

               “What are you doing?” Severus asked.

               “The bird is going up for auction,” an Auror said. “Alecto Carrow disowned it. Come on, bird, quit being difficult!”

               Athena snapped her beak at the Auror’s hands, then squealed as the other Auror tried to force the door to the cage shut on her.

               “Leave her!” Severus snapped. “Obviously, she doesn’t like the cage.”

               “What, do you want her?” one of the Aurors’ asked.

               Severus hesitated, then adjusted Iris and held an arm out. He whistled softly to the bird.

               Athena stared at him with piercing eyes for a moment before she flapped her wings over to him, gripping his arm tightly with her talons before flinching away and closing her eyes. Severus waited until the bird relaxed and opened her eyes again, then he moved his arm closer to his own body. The Aurors watched him, then shrugged and vanished the cage.

               “I’m going home now,” Severus announced. “Thank you all for helping me find my daughter.”

               Everyone nodded and waved Severus off as he disapparated.

               Once he arrived home, he wordlessly and wandlessly created a small perch in his living room with a food and water bowl attached and filled. Athena eagerly hoped off his arm to the perch, munching on the food immediately.

               Carrying his daughter upstairs and to his bedroom, he waved his hand over Iris to change her clothes to sleepwear. He settled down with her and she snuggled against him. It took an hour before Iris drifted off to sleep, but Severus didn’t sleep a wink that night. He held his daughter close, reliving just how close he came to losing her that night.

               Harry’s eyes fluttered open, and he nearly panicked as he looked around, belatedly remembering that he was in Joshua’s room in the Brown house. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, yawning, and stretching. He slid out of bed and headed for the bedroom door, his hand reaching up for the doorknob.

               “Hey,” Joshua whispered to him.

               Harry turned around and blinked at Joshua.

               “What are you doing?” Joshua asked.

               “I have to make breakfast,” Harry said. “Or coffee, I mean.”

               “We don’t drink coffee,” Joshua said. “Mum prefers tea. Dad, too.”

               “I can make tea. How do they like it?”

               “I don’t know. They’re not up yet. No one’s up yet.” Joshua glanced at his clock. He said through a yawn, “It’s only four-thirty.”

               “But there’s a lot of you. I can start making breakfast for everyone and it’ll be ready when you all wake up and come down to eat.”  

               “Who do you think we are, the Royal Family?” Joshua was quick to say. “Mum won’t like it if you make breakfast without her. Besides, Esther can be picky and really hard to please with breakfast. I would just wait for Mum to get up. Come on, get back in bed. We can sleep a couple more hours.”

               “I’m not tired.”

               “Then you can watch me sleep for a couple hours. Come on.”

               Joshua waved Harry back toward the bed, and Harry reluctantly crawled back in bed next to Joshua. Joshua fluffed up his pillow and plopped down on it while Harry slowly lied down on the spare pillow.

               “Joshua?” Harry asked.

               “Hmm?”

               “Do you think Daddy found Iris?”

               “Yeah, he did.”

               “Really?”

               “Yeah. No one messes with Severus. Your dad’s scary when he wants to be.”

               Harry thought about that for a moment and decided he could agree with Joshua. His father could be scary sometimes, but he wondered if it was just the way his father dressed and talked. Severus should try lighter colors, like a bright green or an orange. Orange would look nice on Severus, like a bright sun. Or pink. Iris had a lot of pink. Everywhere. His room was mostly blue with dinosaurs. He liked his room like that with no pink. Maybe Severus would look less scary if he looked like his bedroom.

               “Joshua?”

               “Hmmm,” Joshua groaned, sounding like he had been close to sleep.

               “Do you think Daddy would look less scary if he wore blue and he had dinosaurs all over him?”  

               “Pffft,” Joshua spluttered before laughter broke through his lips.

               Harry frowned at first, then started laughing as well.

               “I bet he’d look great!” Joshua said in between fits of giggles. “Especially if he went to Hogwarts in a robe like that.”

               Both boys broke out in more laughter. As they settled down, Joshua wrapped an arm around Harry.

               “Go to sleep,” Joshua said gently. “You’re making me wake up more.”

               “Sorry,” Harry apologized with a grin.

               “No, you’re not,” Joshua grumbled playfully.

               In a few minutes, both boys managed to fall back to sleep for a couple more hours before Samuel woke them up and made sure they were crawling out of bed before leaving the room. Harry found clothes set aside for him on Joshua’s nightstand, and Joshua showed him to the bathroom across the hall. After tending to his morning needs and dressing, Joshua ran down the stairs with Harry right behind him. Ruth was already sitting at the dining table with a sketchbook in her hands and colored pencils scattered around her. Harry paused and watched as Joshua paused behind her.

               “Hey, Ruth,” Joshua greeted while trying to look at the drawing that his sister hid against her chest. “Whatcha drawing now?”

               “None of your business,” Ruth said. “Go away.”

               “Why can’t I ever see what you draw?” Joshua tried to peer at the sketchbook that Ruth kept pulling out of his sight.

               “Stop it.”

               “Come on, I’m just curious. Is it a butterfly? A princess? A secret boyfriend?”

               “Daddy, Joshua’s bugging me again!” Ruth yelled.

               “No, I’m not!” Joshua yelled out quickly.

               “Joshua, leave your sister alone!” Samuel called from somewhere in the house.

               “Tattletale,” Joshua whispered at Ruth.

               “Dad said leave me alone,” Ruth told her brother as she returned to her drawing.

               Before Joshua could retort, Esther zoomed by them in just her underwear. Joshua took off after her, chasing her around the dining table before he managed to catch her and tickle her to the ground.

               “We wear more than one piece of clothes in our house,” Joshua signed to Esther.

               Esther shook her head, then held both arms out, elbows bent in, one arm over the other while one hand closed with just her pinky and index finger sticking out while her other hand closed and opened.

               Joshua gasped, then twisted a closed fist while also shaking his head.

               “No,” he told her. He stuck out a pinky and jabbed it in Esther’s direction twice as he said, “That’s naughty.”

               Esther stuck out her tongue as she repeated the sign.

               “Mum, Esther learned a bad sign again!” Joshua called out, standing up and letting Esther escape.

               “What is she signing now?” Tori asked as she stepped out of the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl.

               Joshua repeated the sign. Tori groaned, then glared at her husband as Samuel came down the stairs with Esther’s clothes in hand, looking for his daughter. He hesitated at his wife’s look. Tori signed what Joshua had showed her and Samuel smirked as he held up his hands.

               “I promise you; it wasn’t me,” Samuel said. “At least not that one.”

               “Then where would she have learned it?” Tori asked. “It wasn’t me.”

               “Who knows. We just had the family reunion. You want to go interrogate everyone again?”

               “Maybe. She’s three going on four, she shouldn’t even know signs like that.”

               “She’ll learn them all sooner or later,” Samuel said as he came around the table, following Esther who kept the table between them, sticking her tongue out at her father. Samuel gave her a look before signing as he spoke. “Troublemaker. You come here and put these clothes on.”

               Esther shook her head.

               The two had a stare down, both judging which way the other would move before Samuel darted to the right, snatching a squealing Esther before she could run away too far. Samuel wrestled his daughter into a shirt and overalls.

               “Breakfast is ready,” Tori said, “everyone, sit down at the table.”

               Samuel plopped Esther into her raised seat at the table while Joshua encouraged Harry to sit next to him. Harry slowly moved toward the table, taking the seat next to Joshua.

               “Your father left this here for you,” Samuel said, handing an inhaler to Harry. “You know how to make it work, right?”

               “Yeah,” Harry said as he accepted the device and took a puff from it.

               Tori laid out crepes covered in blueberries and strawberries in front of everyone, then filled each cup with orange juice. Samuel grabbed the Daily Prophet and began reading the paper as he took a seat at the head of the table, enjoying a plate himself with a cup of tea. Tori sat down last and assisted Esther in cutting up her breakfast. Esther squirmed in her seat while trying to use her hands to eat her breakfast, which Tori kept putting an end to.

               “Ruth, sketchbook away,” Tori said, “time to eat.”

               Ruth sighed but set her book aside. She picked at her food, taking a bite every few minutes.

               Joshua ate his breakfast like he’d never eaten before, quickly helping himself to seconds. Harry slowly ate his food, trying not to seem rude by not eating every bite, but he was getting really full, and he’d only managed to eat half of it. He forced another bite and made a face as he chewed.

               “Harry, hun,” Tori said from across the table, “you don’t have to eat it all if you’re getting full.”

               Harry gratefully put his fork down and pushed the plate back, glad Tori wasn’t mad at him.

               After breakfast, everyone scrambled for backpacks and last-minute items while Harry watched them from the couch in the living room.

               “Dad, can’t I take a day off from school?” Joshua asked.

               “No, go out to the car.”

               “Why not? I share Harry’s fears.” Joshua pulled an anguished face. “This kind of mental trauma does not belong in public school.”

               Samuel tapped his son’s head twice.      

               “There, you’re cured. Hallelujah. Go get in the car.”

Joshua huffed but said goodbye to Harry as he ran out the door, Tori following with Esther and Ruth. Harry sighed and laid down on the couch, feeling very tired still.

               The fireplace flared up, turning green for a moment as Severus appeared.

               “Daddy!” Harry cried, jumping up and running to Severus.

               “Hey, Harry,” Severus greeted, lifting his son up into his arms. He kissed Harry’s temple. “Did you have fun with Joshua?”

               “Yeah, he’s fun,” Harry said.

               “Hey man,” Samuel said as he walked into the living room. “How’s Iris?”

               “Still asleep,” Severus answered. “She’s been quiet. We’re going to take the rest of the week off from school and have some family time together. I’ve already got a substitute to cover for me at Hogwarts.”

               “That’s good,” Samuel said. “She’ll need it.”

               “Thank you again for watching him for me.”

               “Of course. Any time you need us, we’re here.”

               Severus took Harry home through the floo, but he was quickly distracted from going upstairs by the doorbell ringing. Frowning, he set Harry down and sent him up to his bedroom. He cast a see-through charm at his door as a precaution and blinked in surprise. He opened the door.

               “Dahlia?” Severus frowned.

               “Morning, Sev,” Dahlia smiled softly at him. She still had a scar on her head, but otherwise, she seemed completely recovered from the accident after her night in St. Mungo’s. She looked exhausted though, with bags under her eyes and her clothes wrinkled.

               “This is a violation of your restraining order, you know.” Severus crossed his arms.

               “I know,” Dahlia said quickly, closing her eyes for a moment. “I didn’t come to see Iris. How is she?”

               “Traumatized,” Severus said bluntly. Dahlia closed her eyes tighter, as if resisting tears. Severus sighed, then added, “she’ll heal. I’m going to help her with that.”

               “I know you will. I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”

               “To who? Me or your daughter?”

               “I was hoping you could tell her for me. You know, since I can’t see her for ninety days. I’m going to leave the area for a while. I have nothing keeping me here, anyway, no house, no car, no job. My parents could care less if I see them or not. So, I’m going to start over somewhere new.” Dahlia’s eyes welled with tears. “I’m going to miss her, though.”

               Severus sighed, looking down to avoid the hurt in Dahlia’s eyes.

               “You’ve made a lot of poor decisions these last few weeks,” he said.   

               “I know. You were right. I need to figure out what’s important to me. I’m going to do that. And when Iris is ready, maybe we can visit again?”

               “We’ll see.”

               Severus didn’t want to get his hopes up. Iris had a lot to work through herself, as did Dahlia.

               “Only if she wants to,” Dahlia said, her face falling. “I know our visits weren’t her favorite thing and she’ll probably be happier without them.

               “She does love you, Dahlia.”

               “Not like she loves you.”

               “I play a different role in her life than you do. But she looks up to you. You give her the kind of maternal love I could never replace. That’s all she wants from you—your love and devoted attention.”

               “Which I failed to give.”

               “As you said, you’re going to work on that.” Severus paused in thought for a moment. “I have something for you.”

               “You do?” Dahlia’s eyebrows shot up.

               “Wait here.”

               Dahlia watched as Severus disappeared in his house, then reappeared a moment later. Dahlia’s eyes widened and she shook her head, taking a step back.

               “No, Severus, I can’t,” she started to say.

               “Hold up,” Severus interrupted, allowing the great horned owl on his arm to adjust herself. “I know you’ve never been a big fan of birds, but this one’s different. Her name’s Athena. She needs healing. Someone to depend on and learn to trust again. She’s not a big fan of cages, so she’s pretty light travel.”

               Dahlia licked her lips before stepping forward again and holding her arm out. Athena tilted her head at Dahlia before slowly hopping over to the woman. Dahlia reached up a hand to pet the owl, pausing when Athena jerked her head away and stared up at the hand above her. After a few seconds, Athena pushed her head up into Dahlia’s hand, and Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief as she pet the bird.

               “Besides,” Severus added in, “after ninety days, you’ll need a better way to keep in touch than muggle landlines.”

               Dahlia snorted and smiled at Severus.

               “Right,” she agreed playfully. She carefully kept her arm out to support the owl as she stepped back. “She’s very sweet. Thank you, Severus.”

               “Good luck, Dahlia.”

               Dahlia apparated away, leaving behind a conflicted Severus.

               He made his way upstairs to his bedroom, smiling softly at Iris and Harry cuddled up on his bed, both asleep. It had been a long night for all three of them, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to start the week off with a long nap. He managed to slide in on the edge of his bed. For small kids, they certainly took up a lot of space. But he was okay with that. He ran his hand through Harry’s hair before doing the same with Iris’s, gently untangling his hand through her long locks. With an arm around both kids, he fell asleep with hopeful dreams of a brighter future.