Finders Keepers Ch 11. (Cormac McLaggen x fem!reader)
Rating: Explicit 18+ (no smut)
Word Count: 5.9k
Warnings: Violence, injury detail
Summary: The new friend you made at the Holyhead Harpies tryouts is more than meets the eye.
A/N: If there's one thing I'm always gonna do it's announce a chapter will be posted on Sunday and post Friday instead. Sorry this took a hot minute - it's been through several drafts. McLaggen briefly channels Marc Darcy from Bridget Jones's Diary 2 and it made me swoon.
Tag list: @pretendfan, @countlambula, @ratsys, @aweidlich, @navs-bhat, @stainedpomegranatelips, @chiaraanatra, @xxvelvetxxxx, @ohnoitsrosie, @dracosisteer, @daisydark, @intense-sneezing, (let me know if you want removed at any point btw!)
Chapter 11: Blood Traitor
“Right then, here’s to the Holyhead Harpies’ two newest signings,” says McLaggen, grinning and raising his pint glass.
You beam at him, still giddy with excitement and hardly able to take it all in. You’ve done it. You’ve actually done it. And what’s more, you think you’ve made a friend in your new teammate. The only prospect at tryouts who had managed to get a goal past you was the other newest Holyhead Harpy signing and chaser, Cerys Thicknesse, who had taken McLaggen up on his offer to join you at the wizarding pub a few miles outside of Surrey to celebrate.
“And you’re sure you don’t mind a third wheel while I wait on my friend?”
And with that, the three of you apparated to The Black Dragon which was, from the way McLaggen and Cerys told it, the only decent wizarding pub in the south outside of London. When you arrived, you found it was as packed as you’d expect any pub to be on a Saturday evening. And now as the three of you sit around a small, beer-soaked table, you feel like you can finally relax and enjoy your moment.
“Here, here!” Cerys cheers, clinking her glass against yours and McLaggen’s. She twists the ends of her long, black hair, looking at him. “I’m so sure I know you from somewhere. I recognise your face.”
“Probably from Hogwarts,” he suggests.
She laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment. How old are you?”
“Eighteen,” he says.
“Both of you? You’re just babies! I would have been in my sixth year when you started. And no offense but I didn’t pay much attention to the ickle firsties.” She pauses, drinking thoughtfully.
“Does your family live around here?” You ask. “McLaggen, your house isn’t far from here, right?”
Cerys clicks her fingers in realisation.
“McLaggen! That’s it. Crickey, you’re the spitting image of your dad. He’s the Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement, right?”
“You know my dad?” McLaggen looks baffled.
“He works with my dad, Pius Thicknesse, you know him? I did a bit of work experience with them at the Ministry a few years ago.”
“Oh, right! Of course… yeah. How is he?” He asks tentatively.
She hesitates. “Always at work. Yours?”
McLaggen laughs a little awkwardly. “Yeah, he’s the same. Your dad is keeping him busy.”
Wow. So Cerys’s dad was McLaggen’s dad’s boss.
There’s a bit of a grim silence when neither of them says anything. You haven’t read a copy of the Daily Prophet all summer but you know from what McLaggen’s told you that everyone at the Ministry is under a lot of pressure in the wake of You-Know-Who’s return.
“God, it’s like half of Hogwarts is here,” you say, just to break the stony silence. There are a few faces from other houses and years that you sort of recognise from Hogwarts. You suppose it’s a small world when every witch and wizard in the country goes to the same school.
“Oh yeah, all the really old wizarding families live around here. Makes sense really, they all moved out to the country hundreds of years ago when the Muggles in London started multiplying.”
“Right, yeah…” You’re pretty sure that was a note of disdain in her voice. Normally, you’d question it but you’ve only just made the team. The last thing you want to do is make assumptions about your teammate and jeopardise your position before you’ve even picked up your uniform.
McLaggen senses it too. He gives your thigh a comforting squeeze under the table in acknowledgement. Silent reassurance that he not only heard it but understands your predicament.
“So, how long have you two been going out then?” Cerys asks.
You’re glad of another change of subject but you’re not sure when to start counting from.
“Since December,” says McLaggen, looking at you adoringly and not concerning Cerys with the finer on-and-off details. His warm smile and his hand on your leg make your stomach flip.
“And you both live down here?”
“McLaggen does. I’m about to stay with his family for a couple of weeks until we decide where to live.”
She groans. “You’re so lucky. It’s so hard to find a boyfriend from a decent family these days.” Well. Now you know what she means by that. You’re wondering why you’ve flown under her radar as a Muggle-born. Your performance at trials? Your being here with McLaggen?
Before either of you can reply, Cerys excuses herself to the bathroom. As soon as she’s out of earshot you turn to McLaggen. “What the fuck?” you half-laugh, half-exhale in disbelief.
He looks at her figure darkly as she disappears through the bathroom door. “I had a bad feeling as soon as she said who her dad was. You’ve heard of Amelia Bones, right?” he asks in a hushed voice.
The name sounds vaguely familiar. “Someone at the Ministry?”
“Amelia Bones was the Head of my dad’s department. But she was murdered - by You-Know-Who himself apparently.”
Your eyes widen. “Murdered?”
“And then everyone assumed Scrimgeour would put my dad in charge. But for some reason, he gave Thicknesse the job.” He shakes his head and takes a sip of his drink. “He and my dad are good friends… he must have had his reasons. But now Thicknesse is making everyone work on a ‘top secret’ piece of legislation.”
You frown. “How can legislation be top secret? Doesn’t it need to go through the Wizengamot? Anyone can turn up to watch those meetings.”
McLaggen shrugs. “None of it makes sense. I guess I’ll find out more when I start working there.” He puts down his pint glass glumly.
“You alright, McLaggen?”
“Yeah! Yeah, totally fine,” he says a bit too quickly, rearranging his face into a smile.
“Are you worried about your dad?”
“We’ll talk later. I don’t want to make things about me. Not when we’re celebrating.”
“Well, I think someone’s already put a bit of a dampener on that.” You give an edgy look at the ladies’ to make sure Cerys isn’t coming back. “Tell me. Please.”
He puts down his drink and takes both of your hands in his. “I am so incredibly, unbelievably proud of you. You know that, right?” You stare into his green eyes. He means it. “And seeing your dreams come true today makes me so happy. You’re so sure of what you want and so determined to get it - and today you did. But it also made me realise… I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“You mean working at the Ministry?”
“The more I find out about the office politics the less I want to work there.”
You twist your mouth, thinking about Amelia Bones. “It sounds really dangerous. I’m surprised your dad still wants you to join.”
“Yeah… I mean, I don’t think I’d be great at keeping secrets the way my dad does. Or working in an office with all those Ministry-types.”
“You’re starting to sound like my dad.” You allow yourself a small smirk but he doesn’t say anything, he just looks at your hands in his. “Cormac,” you add quietly. “You should take him up on his offer. It would mean you could at least lie low for a bit”
He lets out a tiny exhale of a laugh. “Yeah, right. My dad would kill me. He’d say it’d bring our whole family into shame if I ditched the Ministry to play a Muggle sport.”
“Well… you don’t need to tell him. Not right away,” you suggest. “Keep it vague - you could say you’re taking a gap year in Scotland. Hunting Nogtails or whatever it is you used to do with your Uncle Tiberius.”
McLaggen pauses, considering this. “Yeah… that might work.”
“We’ve still got a few weeks for you to decide.”
“What about us, though? I thought we were going to start looking at places to live near The Harpies’ training ground?”
“I’d move back to Scotland in a second. We could always get a flat, and connect it to the Floo Network so I can travel to Wales. I mean, we’d probably spend a fortune on Floo powder. But it would be worth it if we were both happy.”
He nods, looking considerably more cheerful than he had been a second ago. “Let’s talk about it back at mine. Here comes Cerys - we’ll make our excuses and get out of here after this drink.”
Cerys stops in the middle of the pub, talking to a tall, hulking boy with black hair who has his back to you.
“We might be in for a lucky escape,” you say. “Looks like her mate has finally arrived.”
Cerys waves brightly and starts walking over to your table. Her new companion turns around to follow her and with a sinking feeling, you recognise him. And from the way his eyes narrow when he spots you and McLaggen, he recognises you too.
Marcus Flint. He was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team when you first started playing in your second year. He and your predecessor Rodger Davies hated each other with a passion. And for good reason. It was no secret that Marcus was highly selective when it came to the Slytherin team - only allowing purebloods to even try out whereas Davies was Muggle-born just like you. You frown, remembering how Flint would make a spectacle of wiping his hand on his robes after their Captain’s handshake.
Cerys sits back down. Her new companion doesn’t follow suit. “This is Marcus. Marcus this-”
“I didn’t expect to see you keeping company like this, Cerys,” Flint snorts.
She looks up from Marcus and back to the two of you, confused.
“You’re having drinks with an up-jumped daddy’s boy and a mudbl-”
“Careful,” McLaggen cuts across him warningly. “Say that word and we’re going to have a problem.”
“Careful?” laughs Flint. “You’re the one who should be careful, McLaggen.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“What is this?” asks Cerys, her nostrils flaring as she glares at you accusatorily. She looks at McLaggen. “Have you been confunded? Or maybe your dad just hasn’t told you.”
“Won’t be long til they’ve got them all rounded up, McLaggen. You should ditch her before they throw you in Azakaban too for being a blood traitor.”
Rounded up? Azkaban?
“I’m not going to tell you twice -” starts McLaggen, getting to his feet. You remember when you first started playing Quidditch you thought the then-sixth-year Flint was the biggest person you’d ever seen. But as McLaggen draws himself to his full height, you see the tiniest flicker of surprise in Flint’s eyes when McLaggen’s become level with his.
“Cormac, what’s going on?” you ask, panic making your heart pump wildly in your chest, all your senses telling you that something dangerous is about to happen.
“Nothing. It’s nonsense.”
“Didn’t you read this morning’s Prophet?” Flint sneers. “Times are changing. S’perfectly fine to call her what she is.” He takes a step towards McLaggen. “Mudblood.”
McLaggen takes a deep breath. “Flint, will you step outside, please?”
Marcus Flint sneers. “What? You gonna duel me, McLaggen?”
Absurdly McLaggen laughs. So loudly it attracts the attention of several other pub-goers. He looks at you as he laughs as if he simply can’t believe the punchline of a hilarious joke Flint has just told.
He straightens his face. “No.” He turns back to face Flint and looks at him seriously. “I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
Before Flint can even twitch his fingers for his wand, McLaggen punches him square in the face. The witches and wizards in the pub reel away from the commotion in panic. Cerys screams and Flint grabs McLaggen’s shoulders, dragging him out of the front doors onto the gravel path outside.
You abandon your bags and brooms, almost knocking the table over to push Cerys out of the way and get through the door before her.
You burst outside in time to see Flint elbow McLaggen in the face as McLaggen drags him to the floor. They scramble on the ground, sending dust and pebbles flying. McLaggen gets up first, pushing down hard on Flint’s face against the gravel. Flint tries to lift himself up but McLaggen punches down, hitting him once, twice, three times. The sound of his fists make sickening, dull thuds as they sink into Flint’s face while he splutters on the ground raggedly.
You’d always joked you’d like to see McLaggen hit someone.
But this is brutal.
“Cormac!”
Your cry rips through the evening air, making McLaggen look up at you for a split second, his bloody fist raised above Flint’s head.
“Petrificus totalus!” screams a voice behind you.
You turn to see Cerys with her wand pointed at McLaggen.
His body goes rigid and you barely have time to register her using such an unfair, underhanded tactic before Flint kicks out from under him, getting to his feet. Using all his might, he kicks McLaggen’s constricted body right in the stomach and you hear the distinct crack of ribs breaking.
A horror-stricken sob escapes your lips as Flint walks around to his head, and it’s like you see the scene before you unfolding in slow motion as Flint raises a foot, getting ready to stamp on McLaggen’s face.
You don’t have time to think. You just react.
“Impedimenta!” you cry, brandishing your wand and sending Flint flying backwards. Before Cerys can open her mouth again, you dive on top of McLaggen and extend your wand.
“Protego!”
The shield charm forms an invisible barrier between you and McLaggen’s frozen body, and Cerys and Flint who’s getting to his feet. Flint limps over towards you but you hold fast, concentrating on your shield charm with all your might - exactly how McLaggen showed you.
“You dithgusting-” starts Flint but he stops, raising a hand to his mouth. Cerys looks at his face in shock. In the dim light coming from the pub windows, you can see that several of Flint’s front teeth are missing.
“Let’s go, Marcus,” she says, scowling at the two of you on the floor. “My father will hear about this.”
She links her arm through his and with a crack they disappear into the night.
With a shuddering gasp, you lower your wand and the shield charm breaks. You bring yourself to look at McLaggen. His eye is bloodshot and starting to bruise, and blood trickles from his nose into his mouth through parted lips.
“F-f-f-finite. Fuck! Finite incantatem,” you whisper shakily and he sits bolt upright, choking and coughing as your spell releases him from the body-bind curse. He pants, trying to catch his breath and spits out a significant amount of blood onto the dusty ground.
“Oh, Cormac,” you sob, looking at his broken nose and red welt on his eye.
“I’b alright…” he says thickly, pinching the bridge of his nose then thinking better of it with a wince.
“Do you want me to fix it?” you ask.
“Cab you?” he asks.
“You think I’ve never taken a bludger to the face?” You give his hand a soft squeeze and touch the tip of your wand to his nose. “Episkey.”
McLaggen scrunches up his face, feeling his nose resume its usual shape.
“I’ve never done ribs before. I think you need Skele-Gro.”
Every time you blink your mind switches from Flint kicking McLaggen to McLaggen pummelling Flint’s bloody face.
“I’m still handsome, right?” McLaggen’s voice snaps you out of it. You look seriously at his blood-strewn face, dripping down the front of his T-shirt. Flint came off worse, sure, but there’s no two ways about it - even in the moonlight you can see he’s taken a severe beating.
“Cormac, it’s not funny.”
You hear the noise of the pub revellers as the door opens and with a clatter and thud, the barmaid throws both of your brooms and rucksacks out onto the ground.
“Can you fly?” you ask, getting to your feet and extending a hand.
“I don’t think so.” He groans, accepting your hand and with a heave, you pull him up. McLaggen clutches his side and stumbles when he tries to put one foot in front of another. “It’s not far but we should probably just apparate.”
You quickly pick up all of your things and McLaggen shakes his head like a dog shaking water from his ears and nearly falls again.
“Christ, don’t do that Cormac. You might have a concussion.”
“I’m fine,” he insists.
You put his arm around your shoulders, taking as much of his weight as you can manage. It’s not easy given his size. Then when he shuffles forward everything goes dark as the familiar feeling of all-consuming pressure encapsulates your bodies and you disapparate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You materialise outside a gate looking onto a sprawling lawn, spilling out in front of a historic country house a few miles deeper into the Surrey countryside.
“Wow,” you look at your surroundings as the moon streaks down, casting a pearlescent glow over the gates. “How far is the walk to yours? Not that I’m complaining,” you add, feeling his weight on your shoulders.
McLaggen gives you a confused look and points his wand at the gate tentatively. “About thirty seconds?”
Maybe he is concussed.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” You ask gently.
“I’m pretty confident I know where I live. Flint doesn’t have that good a right hook.”
You almost drop your brooms. You knew McLaggen was well off but this can’t be where he lives. “Tell me you’re joking.”
“Yeah, it’s just there. Woah - are you okay?”
You feel your knees buckle and it’s not to do with your strength faltering under his weight - although it doesn’t help - his house is bigger than your entire block of flats.
“This is your house?”
His wand emits a soft golden glow and the gate unlocks. He tries to push it open but lets out a wince of pain and grips his side.
“Here, let me,” you say. McLaggen holds onto the wall so you can shove the wrought iron gate. When you jam it open, you hook his arm over your shoulder so you can help him through.
You feel a trickle of embarrassment creeping through your body as you half-carry him through the open gate and up the path towards the manor thinking about your parents' little flat. Your bedroom so small that your bed is pushed up against the wall. It makes you want to retreat to the safety of your own home.
Home. With your Muggle parents.
You have a million more questions about what Cerys and Flint meant but now isn’t the time. McLaggen is in no fit state to answer them. Instead, you concentrate on helping McLaggen up the old stone steps leading to a pair of giant oak front doors.
“My dad will probably still be at the Ministry but let me do the talking if my mum is still awake.” You help him push the heavy double doors open with difficulty.
When you step inside and your eyes widen. Until now, the only place you’ve ever been before with an entrance hall like this is Hogwarts. This house is dark at this late hour but there’s enough light that your eyes can make out objects you’ve come to associate with the wizarding world.
There are moving portraits on the walls who peer out at you as you pass through the foyer. McLaggen’s family of times gone by - a few of them look aghast at his appearance as you half-carry him in.
In the centre of the ceiling is a giant, levitating armillary sphere, depicting the constellations around the earth. Tiny glowing stars light up the bronze ball, casting speckles of light throughout the entryway.
“You’re home!” Comes Mrs McLaggen’s voice, her heeled slippers clicking on the grand wooden staircase as she comes downstairs wearing a beautiful satin robe.
You feel McLaggen bracing himself for her reaction.
“So? Can I assume we have a famous Quidditch player staying with us?” She asks. “What are you doing down there in the dark? Lumos,” she says and a dozen gas lamps light up the hall.
She claps her hands to her chest when she reaches the bottom landing and lets out a whimper of shock when she sees you both.
“Mum, I can explain-“
“Cormac, darling, what on earth happened?!”
“We ran into some trouble. Just… let me get cleaned up before Dad comes home and sees.”
“Before I see what?” Comes a voice from upstairs.
Uh-oh. You and McLaggen glance at each other before looking up to see Mr McLaggen leaning over the balcony.
“What in the blazes have you two been doing, Cormac?” he sighs, coming downstairs.
“It’s my fault - not hers. I got into a fight.”
“You’ve been duelling?”
“Not exactly.”
Mr McLaggen reaches the bottom of the stairs and gets a better look at McLaggen’s bloody appearance.
“Merlin’s beard - don’t tell me you were Muggle brawling. And for goodness sake, stop using your girlfriend like a coat rack. I thought we raised you to behave like a gentleman.”
“I can manage-“ you start but your slightly strained voice gives you away.
“I think I’ve broken something,” says McLaggen.
Mr McLaggen positions himself under McLaggen’s other arm and you’re relieved when he takes the brunt of the load as the two of you help Cormac to the end of the hall and into a large, opulent dining room while Mrs McLaggen busies herself with picking up your things and lighting the chandelier with her wand. Mr McLaggen pulls out a chair so Cormac can sit down gingerly.
“I think he might need Skele-Gro. I’ve never mended ribs before,” you say. Mrs McLaggen puts your brooms, bags and wands on the dining room table before summoning some potions and fabric.
In the bright light of the room, you can see his lip is burst too. Mr McLaggen draws a chair in front of him while Mrs McLaggen dabs some potion on his face. Cormac winces when it stings his face, healing the skin almost immediately.
“Nose looks good. Did you fix that for him?” Mr McLaggen asks you and you nod, stunned silent by how awful he looks now you can see him properly.
“Hold this on your eye, sweetheart.” Mrs McLaggen hands him a piece of potion-soaked fabric.
“Did you win at least?” asks Mr McLaggen and Cormac hesitates.
“It was pretty even.” You answer for him. “I had to break it up with a shield charm.”
“That’s a tactful way of saying he lost,” says Mr McLaggen. “But at least one of you can use magic.”
This isn’t the reaction you’d expected at all. And judging by the confused look on Cormac’s face, he too had expected his dad to be furious.
“Cormac actually taught me how to do them this summer,” you admit.
“Well, it’s lucky he did,” says Mrs McLaggen, wiping blood from his face. “What a dreadful mess. Who did this to you, Cormac?”
“Dad…” says McLaggen in a strangled voice, looking past his mother warily. “It’s really bad. I’m sorry. It was a fight with Cerys Thicknesse’s friend. And she was there too. She’s going to tell her dad.”
Mr McLaggen freezes. For a moment, you think someone might have hit him with a body bind curse. “Cerys…? You can’t be serious.”
“I wasn’t thinking straight. Her friend was someone we went to school with and he -” he hesitates.
“He called me a mudblood,” you finish for him. Mrs McLaggen lets out a shocked shudder but Mr McLaggen just clenches his jaw.
“Cormac,” he says seriously, glancing at you. “I need you to tell me exactly what happened.”
He still doesn’t sound angry - just worried.
McLaggen removes the piece of fabric from his eye to look at his dad properly.
“Dad, I’m... I know I’ve made things difficult for you at work- ”
“Tell me everything - it’s imperative that I know all the details.”
McLaggen launches into the story, explaining what happened at the pub while his parents listen intently. When he gets to the part about Flint calling you ‘mudblood’, Mr McLaggen’s knuckles turn white. You fill in the gaps where Cormac’s memory is slightly hazy and Mrs McLaggen looks faint when you tell them about Cerys putting him in a body bind curse so Flint could hit him unarmed.
“And then we apparated here,” McLaggen finishes eventually. “But I still don’t know what they meant about Azkaban.”
“That’s where I come in,” says Mr McLaggen, taking off his glasses to clean them with a handkerchief from his pyjama pocket. “I’ve been trying my damndest for months to prevent something called the ‘Muggle-born Registration Commission’ coming to pass. You might have read in the Prophet this morning that it’s all but confirmed. And Rufus Scrimgeour didn’t come to work today. I fear the worst - it’s only a matter of time until they announce the Ministry has fallen.”
“Fallen? Dad, you mean-“
“Scrimgeour is either missing or dead. But the outcome will be the same.”
He says it matter-of-factly but you can see the pain in his green eyes, so strikingly similar to his son’s when he puts his glasses back on. They were good friends. Such good friends they spent Christmas together. And now he was gone.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your father came home from work early to tell you. And when the two of you didn’t come back right away from tryouts, we assumed it had gone well and you’d be down the road at the pub,” says Mrs McLaggen. “We wanted to let you both have one last day of…” she trails off. You understand. Those precious couple of hours when all your dreams had come true were almost perfect. They wanted you to have that moment.
“And the Muggle-born registration commission?” asks McLaggen, extending his hand to take yours and gripping it tightly. “What does it mean?”
“All Muggle-borns will soon be asked to register officially with the Ministry so the source of their magic can be investigated.”
“The source?” Your face screws up in confusion.
“Unless you can prove that you have at least one close wizarding relative, the commission deems that you must have obtained your magical power illegally and you’ll be put on trial. But these will be sham trials - any Muggle-borns who present themselves will be arrested.”
“Well, we’ll just say you’re my sister or something,” says McLaggen defiantly.
“Cormac, there’s no way- ” you start but Mr McLaggen beats you to it.
“You and I both know that everyone at the Ministry knows our family. And therein lies our problem with your altercation with Cerys,” Mr McLaggen looks at you. “I had made sure your name was erased from the record of recent Hogwarts graduates. But if Cerys knows, I’m sure she’ll make sure her dad adds your name to the list again.”
Mr McLaggen had erased your name. Now you understand why he couldn’t look you in the eyes when you met - he was putting his career and his entire family at risk to keep you safe. Your heart sinks realising that it was all for nought. McLaggen groans and rests his head in his hands. “Shit.”
Mrs McLaggen makes a disapproving noise at his language but she touches his shoulder gently.
“It’s not your fault, Cormac,” you say. “Flint knew I was Muggle-born.”
“Realistically, it was only a matter of time,” says Mr McLaggen. “But I thought you’d be safe here for a while. Now we’ll need to move swiftly and carefully so as not to draw attention to ourselves.”
“Dad, can’t you stop it from the inside? When I start working at the Ministry we could do it together,” says McLaggen bracingly, trying to sit upright in his chair.
“I’ve tried to do everything I can to stop it already. And with Scrimgeour gone, we need to be seen to be cooperating. I have a feeling Dolores Umbridge will be keeping a close eye on me after your involvement with Dumbledore’s Army last year. She knows I have a son who’s sympathetic to the resistance.”
Cormac groans again. Between his actions and your presence, the two of you have put McLaggen’s family at risk.
“I should go,” you decide out loud. “You heard Flint, Cormac. It’s not safe for any of you if I’m staying here.”
The three of them protest immediately but Mr McLaggen protests the loudest and everyone turns to listen to him.
“No. The two of you can go to your Uncle Tiberius’s first thing tomorrow. When things settle, we’ll join you. But who knows how long that will take.”
“I need to be with my parents.”
“They’re only in danger if you’re with them. The Ministry doesn’t care about Muggles who have produced magical children - only the witches and wizards themselves,” says Mr McLaggen solemnly. “The best thing you can do to protect them is to keep your distance, write to them and pretend everything is as it should be.”
You feel your eyes welling up. Being brave doesn’t come easily to you the way it seems to come to Cormac and his family, so you shut your eyes and nod solemnly, hoping to stave off the tears.
Just this afternoon you were about the join the Holyhead Harpies. Now you’re going into hiding. You were going to move to Scotland near your parents. Now you’re not sure when you’ll see them again.
“How about I make us some tea?” asks Mrs McLaggen. “And then we can all get some rest.”
McLaggen nods resignedly and Mrs McLaggen conjures a teapot from thin air. You watch numbly as the teapot busies itself, filling three china teacups with the hot liquid before one of the cups slides in front of you.
“Something stronger than tea for you, darling,” says Mrs McLaggen, conjuring two small cups and pouring Skele-Gro into one. “And something to help you sleep through the pain.” She pours a purple potion that you recognise as a sleeping draught in the other cup. McLaggen drinks the Skele-Gro with a grimace and goes to pick up the other cup.
“Not here. I’m not carrying you unconscious upstairs, you great lump,” Mr McLaggen admonishes.
“Oh, right. Yeah,” says McLaggen sheepishly.
As you drink your steaming hot cup of tea McLaggen screws his face up.
“You alright, McLaggen?”
“Yeah, it’s just the Skele-Gro. It’s definitely kicking in.”
He eventually manages to stand up and Mrs McLaggen tells you pointedly that the guest bedroom is next door to Cormac’s room. The two of you bid his parents goodnight before slowly making your way upstairs as McLaggen grips onto the bannister and you carry the small cup of sleeping draught carefully.
“This is my room.” He nods at the door and you open it, letting him in.
There’s no need for a bed to be pushed up against the wall for space in here. His four-poster sits in front of an airy bay window overlooking the vast moonlit grounds outside. With a pained exhale he sits on the edge of the bed.
“This is adorable,” you say, picking up a framed photo of a children’s Quidditch team on his bedside table. “Which one are you?”
“Wait for it,” he sighs. A small boy on a broom cuts through the group and the rest of the team scatters.
“That makes more sense,” you giggle, watching an eight-year-old McLaggen causing chaos. “It’s very cute.”
He shakes his head. “I had meant to tidy that away before you came to visit.”
“I used to think you were tough, McLaggen. This is much better,” you say, replacing the picture on the table.
“I’ve been in a pub fight today. I think that’s pretty tough.”
You sit beside him on the bed and look at his blood-stained t-shirt.
“I’ll help you get this off.” He winces as you help him take it off over his head. You help him undress and arrange his pillows so he can lie back comfortably.
“I’d hoped you’d be taking my clothes off in here under different circumstances,” he says, a little weakly. And despite his injuries, he still manages to give you an arrogant smile that makes you melt.
“Well, I still get to enjoy the view,” you shoot back with a grin as you pull the feather-down duvet over him.
“Sleep in here tonight.” He grips your hand as you smooth out the quilt and those green eyes look at you beseechingly.
“Your parents have been so good to me - I need to respect their wishes. But I’ll stay here til you fall asleep,” you say, running your fingers through his hair. He leans into your touch when you stroke his face. His stubbly chin somehow feels as comforting against your palm as your own touch reassures him. “Drink up.” You pass him the sleeping draught.
He does so and you trace your thumb over his healed lip, wiping away the purple liquid.
“Still handsome. Your dad was right - I did do a good job with your nose.”
He exhales softly and you see his eyelids getting heavier.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” he says sleepily.
You’re not annoyed at him. It would be hypocritical of you to criticise him for being hot-headed and getting into a fight. You’d have done the same in his position. And yes, it was awful - you’ve never been so scared. But McLaggen would go to the ends of the earth for you. And you for him.
“Don’t be sorry. You were standing up for me.”
“Not that -“ He stifles a yawn. “I’m sorry… that you have to… go into hiding.”
You’re trying not to think about your dreams of playing for the Holyhead Harpies shattering into a million pieces.
“I’m just glad we’re together.”
You look sadly at the photo of the little quidditch team. McLaggen zooms in and out of frame in his yellow robes.
“You never told me you were a Wimbourne Wasps fan.”
When he doesn’t reply you look back to see he’s fast asleep - dead to the world. You kiss him on the head and inhale deeply. The beautiful, comforting smell of amber and jasmine calms all of your senses. Everything has gone wrong. But it’ll all be alright in the end.
Just then an urgent clanging sound rings, echoing through the vast hallway outside. You hear Mr and Mrs McLaggen running into the hallway downstairs, their voices raised in panic but Cormac doesn’t even stir.
You wrench your wand from your pocket and leap off the bed and out of the door. When you look over the bannister, you see the giant armillary sphere spinning wildly, the glowing stars burning red.
“The gate?” Mrs McLaggen asks her husband, colour draining from her face.
“Oh no,” you whimper and they look up at you.
You were so encumbered helping Cormac and carrying your belongings that you didn’t shut the enchanted gate behind you. And you can tell by their panic that the gate had some sort of protective enchantment.
Mr McLaggen grabs his wife’s shoulders “I’m sorry.”
He spins around and points his wand at you.
“Expelliarmus!”
Your wand flies from your hand before you even realise what’s happening. Mrs McLaggen shrieks and backs into the wall in terror, away from her husband.
“Gregor!” calls a voice from the front doors. “I’ve received word you’re harbouring a Muggleborn.” A man with long black hair and a pointed silver beard storms through the entryway, accompanied by two others who you assume to be Aurors.
“She’s upstairs, Thicknesse. We’ve got her!” Mr McLaggen calls back.
Fuck.
Chapter 12: Cold, Hard Facts
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