Forever and Always Yours, SS [Book 3]

Chapter 37

"The one and only!" Eric Moore beamed at her.

"An American?" Tonks leaned forward to get a good look at him before turning a confused look at Severus, "Who do you know in America?"

"No one actually, but she knows plenty." Severus jerked his head at Amilia, still sitting like a statue.

"What? Not happy to see me?" Eric asked sheepishly.

"I...am surprised." Amilia eyed him; he had grown a beard since the last time she saw him.

"I will take that as a good thing." He winked at her. Severus sneered at him. "So, let me get a good look at you." Eric took Amilia by the arm and stood her up. "Stunning as ever." He hugged her, burying his face in her hair briefly before taking a surprised step back. "What is that?!"

"What is what?" Amilia asked, confused.

Eric looked at her, then at Severus, and back at her, "Tell me you have a shirt under that dress that has rolled up a little bit."

"What are you talking about? A shirt?" Amilia looked down as she ran her hands down the front of her dress. Did a shirt get bunched up in my dress? Her hands stopped at her belly; she could feel the slight firm roundness that Eric must have been talking about there.

"Are you pregnant?" Eric asked her. Amilia nodded. Eric's face morphed with his emotions; he stared at Severus before grabbing Amilia's arm and pulling her away from the group.

"Eric, stop. Let go!" Amilia jerked her arm away.

"Are you okay? Did he do something to you?"

"What?" Amilia's eyebrows knitted together. "I am so confused right now."

"Tell me about it!" Eric hissed. "Last time I had seen you, you wanted nothing to do with me or him. Now I get a letter from him about you and I rush here and find you sitting next to him and you're pregnant. So tell me, what the fuck is going on."

Amilia stammered, "I do not even know why you are here!

"You're being serious right now?"

"Yes!"

Eric sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and looked up at the rafters, his hands on his hips, "Are you with him?"

"Yes." Amilia answered; she could see his body starting to shake with anger.

"After all that he did!? He left you at the damn altar Amilia!" Eric yelled, pointing at Severus.

Amilia's lip curled nastily, "Lower your fucking voice." She peered over her shoulder; the others at the table watched them with interest; Severus, on the other hand, was ready to climb over it and strangle Eric.

"Is it his baby?"

"Yes."

Eric inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring as he did his best not to yell again, "He hurt you, so bad! Why would you do something so stupid!?"

Amilia grabbed the collar of his jacket and brought him down to her level, "You are not going to judge me on my choices. Now you can either calm down and sit with the rest of us so we can figure out why Severus contacted you in the first place, or you can leave." She shoved him away and stomped over to her chair.

"You and I are going to have a word later." She hissed at Severus.

A few minutes later, after he had calmed down enough, Eric had pulled up a seat next to Amilia, his back to the fire. He kept eyeballing Severus. "Why did you send me a letter? You said she was in trouble."

"She is."

"In trouble from you?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Mad-eye asked, his magical eye glued to Eric.

"I am Eric Moore, I worked at Ilvermorny but I am taking a sabbatical this semester." Eric puffed his chest out in pride. Amilia wondered what he was doing for his sabbatical and why he was doing it during the middle of a school year, but now was not the time to ask.

"That does not answer my question." Mad-eye said.

Dumbledore sighed, "Eric Moore was a colluege and was once intimate with Amilia."

Understanding sounds came from Tonks and Remus.

"Eric, I am Albus Dumbledore, we have met." He nodded at the American, "This, is Alistor Moody, he is one of the best Aurors I have ever seen. Next to him, is Remus Lupin, he was a teacher at Hogwarts and the witch with the pink hair is Tonks, another Auror."

"So what are two aurors and an ex teacher doing here with them?" Eric asked.

"How much do you know about the Wizarding War?" Remus asked, his hand in the air waiting for a refill on his drink.

"Enough. I know that Amilia was unfortuanaly envoled as a child."

"Are you aware of the events that transpired after the Triwizard Tournament?" Dumbledore asked, stroking his long beard, clearly getting bored of how no one was getting to the point.

Eric shrugged, "Well, I know that some kid died, but that is about it. It was all over the papers back home. We were following along to see who would win and if it would come to us anytime soon."

Amilia glared at him; some kid?! You should have more decorum.

Eric looked at her, surprised by the look she was giving him, "What is going on?" he asked her.

"The Dark Lord is back." Amilia said plainly, "He is the reason why a student died during the tournament."

"Who?" Eric's eyebrows furrowed, "Wait? That Voldemort guy you told me about?"

"Do not speak his name!" Amilia and Severus hissed.

Eric held his hands up defensively, "Okay, so...that guy, is back?"

"Unfortuanly." Remus said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Eric asked.

Severus sighed, "There is not a lot that we can tell you, but Amilia needs to be kept safe."

"Is he after you!?" Eric braced himself against the table, "Let me get him. Show him how us American's deal with people like him."

"Eric sit down." Amilia crossed her arms over her chest, "Severus, just tell us already. I am getting tired."

Severus rubbed her back as he took a deep breath, "I wrote to you, because she does need to be kept safe. There was a break out from Azkaban, our prison," Severus added after seeing the confused look on Eric's face, "and not only did several Death Eaters escape but also a young man who had attacked Amilia during her last year of school. I fear that he will come after her."

"What do you mean attacked you?"

Amilia rubbed her face, "To put it simply, he did not take no very lightly."

Eric growled, "What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to take her to the United States."