Speechless

Chapter Two: A Tide That Is Taking Me Under

Harry couldn't help but stare at his daughter, the loss of her leaving hitting him hard. "Now, you're sure you've got everything?"

Lily turned around at the familiarity of her dad's voice and smiled indulgently at him, from where he stood in the doorway of her bedroom, his shoulders overtaken with her papa's massive arms, while all the while Al sat on the chair attached to Lily's desk. "Yeah, I've got everything, Dad," she said, bending down to shrink down her trunk, once she'd locked it.

"Where is the portkey collecting you and Aiden?" Severus asked his daughter.

"Aunt Hermione's arranged for a safe-room at the Ministry of Magic," Lily said. "Minister Shacklebolt owed her a favor. Aiden and I have to arrive before ten, and the portkey picks us up at precisely ten-fifteen."

"I always liked Aiden," Al said from across the room, and each member of his family turned to look at the youngest member of the family. "He was cool. He was in charge of that study group for younger students. He specialized in history of magic."

"He was also adept at potions," Severus put in, and Harry turned to look at his husband. "He never had anything blow up in his face, unlike his father..."

Harry rolled his eyes and gently pulled at Severus's robes. "You know as well as I do that many of your students were unlike their parents."

Severus stared down at his husband with love. "How could I forget?"

Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes as she perched onto her bed, and Isis, her constant companion and familiar, awoke from her nap upon her pillow and walked into her lap. "I've been told that the flat I'll be living in over there has been prepared nicely for me and Isis."

"Are you and Aiden staying together?" Harry asked.

Lily shrugged. "Somewhat, I guess. It's not so much a flat as it is a large house. It's been blocked off in the center, creating two separate living quarters, each boasting its own kitchen, bedroom, living room, and work room."

"Does Aiden have a familiar?" Severus wanted to know, obviously relieved that Lily wouldn't be cohabitating with a red-blooded wizard.

"Yeah, he does, Papa," Al said, rolling his eyes, for he recalled spreading this information to him at least half a dozen times. "His parents got him a Crup last Christmas."

"Ah, yes, right," Severus said, hating that such trivial information—no matter how useful it was deemed by his son—had seemed to slip his mind. "And what has Aiden named him?"

"Aiden named the little thing Ignatius," Lily said helpfully as Isis yawned from her lap, stretching out as much as she could. "Of course, he's not so little now. Once Aiden and I got word about us being selected, we knew we had to introduce Isis and Ignatius. Thankfully, all went smoothly, and they reached an understanding. Haven't you, Isis?" Lily asked, looking down indulgently at her feline hybrid, and was rewarded with Isis getting to her feet and nuzzling her face briefly.

"I should've known that Isis was half-Kneazle," Harry put in quietly, and Lily looked up at him as he spoke. "Given your aunt Hermione has had Crookshanks in her care for years."

"It's lucky she got him back after the war," Lily put in softly, scratching beneath Isis's chin, which directly caused the animal's throat to vibrate in a purr.

"Your aunt Ginny took good care of him, I suspect," Severus replied. "She adores cats. Poor Dean, thankfully, isn't allergic so that Gideon, Dagmar, and Tullia can all have cats for their familiars at Hogwarts."

"Papa, they go by Gid, Mara, and Lia," Al said, smacking his palm onto his forehead, so much so that he resembled Harry so much at that age. "They won't take too kindly to you calling them by their full names."