Recovery

Dinner

Chapter nine

"Wait." Persephone stopped for the fourth time as they attempted to leave her rooms. Narcissa could tell that the young woman was stalling.

"Persephone. You've fed her. Changed her nappy..."

"I need to change her blankets," Persephone looked at the blanket that had been gifted by the Black Sisters. The white blanket had stunning unicorn hairs intertwined within the fabric.

"No you don't, darling." Narcissa brushed some of Persephone's hair away from her face. "We don't have to go..."

"No it's not that. I just..."

"You're nervous?"

"Yes, but I don't know why." Persephone admits.

"I didn't take Draco in public for almost a year and look at him now."

"He seems fine,"

"He's spoiled," Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Thankfully Bellatrix is breaking that habit."

"But..."

"What did we just talk about?" Narcissa asked. Persephone let out a deep sigh before she hesitantly nodded. The pair continued forward down the silent hallways. As they got closer to the Great Hall more noise could be heard. Shuffling of students, small enchanted animals disappearing just as they reached the giant doors that had been left open.

The Great Hall was chaos. Students moved around the room, conversing with friends from other houses. Some students ate with so much gusto it could've been their first meal in weeks.  

"Gin? What are you looking at?" Harry asked as he too turned to look at the doors. That were pulling his girlfriend's attention. His smile widened seeing Professor Black walking down the aisle with Persephone and Lorelei.

"Bloody hell? Did Malfoy's mum have another kid?" Seamus asked.

"No you idiot." Hermione hissed. "It's..." Hermione didn't finish her sentence. The girl felt that she didn't have the right to say. Harry had already berated his friends for invading their professors' privacy. And for stealing his cloak.

"Hello Professor." Harry shouted. The young woman stopped in front of the teen and smiled lightly.

"Hey." Harry smiled at her. "Hello Lorelei." Harry used a single finger to tickle the child's stomach within Persephone's grip. The teen eyes widened as the baby in question kicked her legs in response.

"Brilliant."

"Mr. Weasley. Do try to actually chew your food." Narcissa grimaced at the young man. The red headed teen boy face began to match his hair. Persephone chuckled following the woman down the aisle to the Head Table.

"Harry?" Ginny questioned.

"That's Professor McGonagall's baby." Harry turned back to his plate of mash.

"So she's married?" Ron asked. Hermione didn't say anything, just attacked him with her current book of dueling techniques.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Minerva greeted. Persephone smiled dropping Lorelei  off in the woman's waiting arms. Narcissa filtered into her seat between Bellatrix and Andromeda. The only seat left was at the end of the table near Snape.

"Snape." Persephone nodded as she sat.

"Persephone." The man nodded. Persephone has known Snape just as long as she had known Lily and James.

Apparently fifteen-month old Persephone, had wandered away from James and Lily and right up to Snape. He was under a tree reading a book. Persephone had promptly sat down next to him, in the hopes at the young Snape would read the book to her. 

Snape didn't like young children. It was debated if she even liked his job at Hogwarts. He didn't want them. They made him very uncomfortable. But he did like Persephone and he always had.

"I hear you'll be helping Bellatrix with the new competition dueling team."

"Yes." Persephone glances down the table in the direction of Penelope. The child's presence had gotten Andromeda to conjure bubbles from the top of her wand. "If you remember...I did receive O's on all my NEWTs including Defense."

"I remember well."

"Andy stop...dear Merlin." Persephone pushed her seat back from the table. Persephone walked down the table plucking Lorelei, whose outfit was entirely green now, from Andromeda.

"She's six weeks. We still have ten years before she's under the Sorting Hat." Persephone sighed.

"It's never too early to start." Andy grinned. Persephone hesitantly placed her daughters into the capable hands of Andromeda Tonks once more before taking her seat again.

*****

"Did you enjoy dinner?" Bellatrix asked. Persephone jumped slightly as the woman removed herself from the shadows she had been hiding in.

"Merlin Bellatrix." Persephone relaxed slightly. Her grip on Lorelei was still tight, but her panic hadn't awoken the child.

"Where's your wand?" Bellatrix asked. The older woman had noticed that the girl never had it on her person.

"I went to dinner, I don't need my wand." Persephone continued down the hallway toward her quarters.

"A witch always has her wand. I know you were raised to always carry it with you so where is it?" Bellatrix asked. The woman wasn't trying to sound mean. She was genuinely curious about why Persephone carried a wand. Sure, the young woman was proficient in wandless magic but it wouldn't be enough.

"Why is that your business?" Persephone turned.

"Kitten has a bite," Bellatrix teased.

"You are preventing me from getting my daughter to bed on time," Persephone said.

"She's already asleep,"

"Bellatrix," Persephone was beginning to get irritated with the older woman.

"You can not possibly teach our students to duel without a wand." Bellatrix straighten her stance.

"It broke." Persephone sighed. Her ex had broken it. He thought it was a stick that had blown off a tree and through a window. Persephone couldn't correct him without violating the statute.

"That's not uncommon, magic can be finicky after a witch gives birth. It can be repaired."

"I don't have it. I haven't had one in months."

"What?" Bellatrix asked. It was truly unthinkable to the older woman that the witch hadn't had a wand in months.

"Goodnight Bellatrix," Persephone sighed.

"I'm not done..."

"I'm done with this conversation Bellatrix." Persephone was spending way too much time with Narcissa because the glare that Bellatrix was leveled with did its job.

"I will see you tomorrow. We meet at Ollivanders, after we've arrived to Hogsmeade." Bellatrix told the woman before she walked back into the shadows.

Persephone let out a deep groan as she entered her quarters. The candles on the walls flickered to life, lighting her path to the bedroom.

"Isobel," Persephone was lucky that her daughter didn't have a bad startle reflex unlike herself.

"Aunt Minnie, please don't do that." Persephone whispered. Lorelei's assigned elf, Ceeney, took the child from her arms into the the bedroom.

"You don't have a wand?" Minerva asked.

"Who..."

"I hear everything that happens within these walls." Minerva was visibly upset. Persephone ran her hands through her hair and down her face. The witch shut the door to the bedroom blocking any sounds from her daughter.

"You should sit down."