Thicker than Water (Marauders Era) PART II

1 May, 1998 - The Beginning (II)

There was silence. Or at least, Lavinia thought there should have been silence because there was a keening in her ears and in the little part of her brain that was still attuned to the world around her, she thought Teddy might have started crying in his mother's arms. She registered only vaguely that Remus had stood up to go to his wife. That Heather was moving towards her with fear in her eyes. That the silvery blue lynx had vanished. Because all Lavinia could hear or think or notice were those words.

We are going to fight.

It had been so long since they'd had a real battle. Since anyone had bothered to fight. An now... well. With both Harry and the Dark Lord there, this would be no small skirmish. This fight would be big. There would be casualties. Many of them. Which meant one very simple thing: Lavinia had to be there.

She didn't want to be. She wanted to run. For the first time in months or maybe years, really, she could feel that pressure building beneath her skin and sinking into her bones. She could feel that voice in her head that was telling her to grab all the people in the world that she loved and sprint to the other ends of the Earth because if they stepped into that fight... if they stepped into that fight they might not all step out on the other side and that... that was unthinkable.

Lavinia was jerked from her thoughts by the feeling of Heather's hand on her arm and she jolted back to the moment, meeting the other woman's eyes to see her own mixed fear and determination reflected back at her. Letting out a long, long breath, Lavinia placed her hand over Heather's, meeting her friend's eyes and feeling something heavy and solid settle into her stomach.

"We can take Teddy to my mothers," Tonks said suddenly, standing slowly from the floor with her son in her arms, rocking him gently even as he sniffled himself into silence, making odd, confused noises as he stared around with wide eyes.

"Why can't he stay here?" Lavinia asked sharply, wondering if she had missed something. If this house might not be safe. If they needed to move faster, or take more precautions to hide homes they might need to come back to in a rush if things went south. She's assumed this would be a safe rendezvous if they had to flee and flee quickly, but if it wasn't....

"Well he can't be left alone," Tonks replied, like this was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was, of course, but it shouldn't have had any bearing on this moment.

"He wouldn't be alone," Lavinia returned matter-of-factly even as a nagging voice told her that this was a battle she was going to lose. "You two aren't going anywhere," she added, looking away from Tonks to Remus searching, in vain, she knew, for support.

"Bullshit I'm not going anywhere," Remus countered even as Tonks scowled and snapped, "I'm going to fight." There was silence for a moment as the two looked at each other.

"You're staying here," Remus informed his wife, perhaps a bit sharply. "With Teddy."

Tonks's scowl deepened threateningly. "I will not sit quietly at home while everyone else fights," she snapped, though she kept her voice quiet, likely for the sake of the baby still clutched in her arms. "I can help. This was my job. And it didn't stop being my duty just because I'm on maternity leave."

"You have a son to take care of," Remus challenged.

"So do you," Tonks hissed.

"Please don't go," Lavinia interrupted, not bothering to disguise the edge of desperation in her voice even when the look of pitied understanding Remus sent her made her stomach clench. She decided to ignore it. "Remus. Tonks...." She shook her head as she glanced between the two of them, her hand tightening over Heather's as though that alone could stop the shaking she could feel in her limbs and heart and voice. "Please. You should both stay here. Lay low." Her eyes settled on Tonks, on the child in her arms. "Don't risk leaving him alone."