Professor Black: A Reader Insert

5. July Goodbyes

(y/n) looked over the letter in her hands enjoying the taste of rich milk and the smell of baby powder as Jazz's confirmation of Jared's finding out he's to be a father poured a warmth into her heart. A welcomed warmth, given that she was dropping off her guests at the airport so they could get back to prepare for their school year today. Jazz was also wondering if the coincidence of their receiving a wedding invitation for this autumn was just a coincidence. It wasn't but one must not meddle too much in the affairs of the heart, but a slight nudge in the right direction will always be fine.  

"You look like you got good news." A voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"One of the Aurors that brought me over has learned that his time as only a married man will be over and the wonderful period in life called parenthood begins," she smiled at Rifton. "I expect a howler from him about how I jinxed him before the end of term this year, he's getting triplets."

"And?" Rifton smiled amused at the woman's antics.

"The other was just invited to the wedding that they'll meet their life partner at." She hummed with a triumphant smile.

"On the subject of life partners, when will you try to find yours?" Rifton crossed his arms making (y/n) sigh. "It's one of the clan's requirements in getting full custody back. A sturdy roof, a steady income, and a healthy relationship. Erase his touch from you, so you don't feel like he's going to pop out of the closet every time you close your eyes."

 "I don't-" He held up a hand to stop her. 

"I see how paranoid you are. Regulus sees it too. Why do you think he tries to distract you?" Rifton sighed uncrossing his arms and placing a hand on her shoulder as gently as humanly possible. "We're worried about you. You may be a strong and independent young woman but you haven't even kissed someone yet you're the mother of a five-year-old. You need the safety of a partner, it doesn't have to be sexual, but you need to build a healthy relationship not only with a person but with intimacy and the idea thereof."

"The only person I'm comfortable enough to consider for that doesn't see me as a possible partner. He's also still hung up on a dead woman." She sighed. "As long as Reggie is in the best possible hands and-"

"(y/n) Lucius Black, you do not put yourself down because you're scared." A firm voice from Walburga's general direction cut her off. "Listen to the American."  

"Just ask him out to the village by Hogwarts one weekend and if he takes it as a date it's a date if it takes him years to realize or to muster up the courage to kiss you so be it. You just need to prove to the clan that you've moved on to living your best life free from looking over your shoulder for a dead man to appear and hurt you." Rifton offered her a soft look.

"Rift, do you..." (y/n) trailed off not knowing where to go with what she was saying.

"Regulus told me about his twin. About how that was your breaking point. You know what you need and want in a partner from your talks with Meryl, any indication of someone being inclined to do-"

"Ceres didn't deserve that. Not for something so small as caring for her mother. I'm an omen to the people I love which is why even if Regulus is traumatized and far away from my side he's safer there than he'd ever be by my side. Reggie deserves a mother who won't break apart before him again, I can't guarantee that until he's in his second year at the least. No one deserves to see their loved ones like that ever." (y/n) rested her head against the table and heaved a heavy, shaky sigh. "I'm sorry that was a lot for you, you have so much on your plate with the Clan and Reggie and I'm just piling my issues onto you."

"No, don't apologize. You've got a nasty habit of bottling in everything up. I'm surprised you haven't gone insane with the stress a certain headmaster is putting you through." He rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Speaking of a certain Headmaster," An undeniable voice from the door to the kitchen made the woman groan. "I've come to remind Miss Black that she must arrive at Hogwarts before curfew tonight."

"And you couldn't send an owl you lemon-addled git." (y/n) hissed.

"So you want me to enroll Regulus into Hogwarts?" The old wizard smiled.

"That place will be a literal death trap by the time he goes so over my decaying corpse." She said with a huff sending the old man a glare.

 "You must be Professor Dumbledore." Rifton nodded a greeting to the lemon-loving lout before turning to (y/n). "I'll go wake the pup up, don't commit any felonies while I'm gone. I'll bring back popcorn if needed."

With that, the man left the pair in tense silence.

"You will have to learn not to be bothered by me at some point (y/n)." Dumbledore sighed.

"I told you exactly what would happen if you made Pettigrew their secret keeper and the only excuse you gave me after doing the thing I expressly told you not to do was 'It was for the greater good.' Now you are blackmailing me so I have to sit by and watch their son be led like a lamb to the slaughter, and you are going to say yet again, to convince yourself that you aren't a horrid person in general that 'It's for the greater good.' Your striving for the greater good will result in the mangling of my brother's soul, their son's sanity, and the lives of the very people who have been nothing but loyal to you in this fight thinking that your path is the one of least destruction when in fact it's the very one that gives that vapid man exactly what he wants for a moment. A moment too long. Bothered is an understatement sir." (y/n) clenched her jaw and breathed trying to calm herself down. "I will apparate to Hogsmeade after I return here from the airport. I still need to send my things to the school. I will be on school grounds before sundown. My loyalty is to their memory, not you. I will tolerate you only because I know you will forge ahead on your path and they will still follow you and there is nothing I can do or say to change that." 

"I only ask you keep tabs on the boy mostly, if he's anything like his father, he'll have friends that will involve themselves in his endeavors. You do tend to be sunshine incarnate and many students will want to gravitate to you, including a boy searching for a parent figure of any kind. I will drag you to the castle myself if I have to." Dumbledore's tone was the same raspy wizard voice he'd always used, she hated it.

He left before Regulus shot into her arms tears in his eyes mumbling apologies about things he had no control over.

 They left for the airport after a breakfast of pancakes and an abnormally large amount of tears from every one involved. Rifton is a sympathetic crier and once Reggie started crying both adults lost it. When the group reached where they absolutely must part ways the mother and son hugged one more time whispered, "Not goodbye, it's a see you later." and "I'll miss you." and "I love you." 's passing between the two before they finally parted and the pair leaving boarded their plane solemnly. (y/n) then begrudgenly did the things she told the lemon lout that she'd do. Apparating into the Shrieking Shack once the things she needed and wanted sent were sent. She shifted to make the trip less taxing as she found the tunnel to Hogwarts and trotted along thinking of the number of pranks she could probably get away with blaming on Peeves. Right, her wand was stuffed in her boot as per usual in her attempt to get used to carrying the magic stick with her again. For a moment she thought she left it on the coffee table next to the tissues.

Oh shit. 

Well, wandless magic from an adult isn't as conspicuous as wandless magic from a child. She should be fine. (y/n) reached a paw out of the passage to bat at the knot that stops the tree and she trotted out of the willow and to the front doors of the school slowly letting her animagus take it's natural size as she went. Being a wolf the size of a horse is unfortunately quite conspicuous. So Hagrid watching her all bugeyed from his stoop was inevitable. He'd never thought he'd get to see a dire in the flesh you see so he was gobsmacked for a bit before he decided he wanted to befriend it.