(no subject)

[clumsy_auror]

It's dusk, at Milliways, and though Sunny has begun to protest going to bed while the sun still shines, she's curled up fast asleep in her room. Anthony's snoozing in his bouncy chair, and Nymphadora's distracting herself with cleaning up the kitchen.

Hopefully Bernard'll be coming home soon, and she'd rather not catch hell for the state of the stove top.

Comments

[clumsy_auror]

"He is."

Nymphadora sighs, and her voice softens.

"One of the Healers told me that he'd have been paralyzed, or worse, without Aziraphael."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"Jesus God," Kathleen breathes. "Can you imagine what a pain in the ass he'd be then?"

[clumsy_auror]

A choked laugh escapes Nymphadora, and she abruptly puts down her mug and stands, going over to gently lift Anthony out of his chair and settle him against her shoulder. The baby stirs, and sighs, burying his face in his mother's shoulder.

Nymphadora holds him close, almost clinging.

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

Kathleen watches her closely, her brow furrowing. "Sweetheart?"

[clumsy_auror]

"'M okay, really," she murmurs, walking back over to the sofa and sinking back into the cushions. "Just been a long couple of weeks."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"I know." Kathleen hesistates, then runs a light hand over her hair. "You should ask for more time off, after Bernard gets home. Get some proper rest."

[clumsy_auror]

A slow shake of her head. "I can't, Kathleen. It's not done out there, you know? Everything's still a mess, Death Eaters hiding out from here to Timbuktu..."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"And you, of course, have to be in the thick of it always."

[clumsy_auror]

"Um." A blink, and her brow furrows. "Well, yeah. It's... sort of my job. Jobs, even, with the Order and all."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"Hm." Another sip of tea, as her eyes flicker to Anthony. "Well, looking at it sideways, you really have three."

[clumsy_auror]

And now, her eyes narrow, and you can almost see her hackles going up a bit.

"I know that."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

Kathleen snorts again. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just worried about you."

[clumsy_auror]

"I don't know what to tell you, Kathleen. I'm doing my best."

Anthony stirs, and blinks his sleepy eyes open; 'Dora rubs his back gently.

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"I know you are, and that's not what I'm saying." She lets out an irritated breath. "Maybe now that the war's over you could use a rest."

[clumsy_auror]

"We're planning a vacation for our anniversary," she replies, looking down at her son. "That'll be a rest, won't it?"

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"It will." Kathleen hesistates, not sure how to articulate this. "It's just-- You've been working so hard. Ever since we met you, and long before. It seems like things might ease off for you, now."

[clumsy_auror]

"Things have, a bit, but it isn't--" A breath. "It isn't perfect, Kathleen. There's still crime in my world, and it's my job to help work on that."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"And the Order?" More tea. Sip sip sip.

[clumsy_auror]

She takes a long sip, as well, before replying. "We're regrouping. Taking stock, sort of. We probably won't have to be as active, now."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

Frankly, "I'm glad."

[clumsy_auror]

"So'm I."

The witch falls silent, for a few moments, and rocks Anthony gently as he gums his fingers.

Finally, reluctantly, 'Dora speaks again.

"It's just a bit difficult to know what to do with myself, is all. There's so much to be done, still, but it's all new and different and it doesn't feel like we're safe yet. In my head it's not over, and I dunno if..."

Her voice trails off, and she shakes her head.

"I dunno."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

"You've been on alert for how many years now?"

[clumsy_auror]

"Um."

Blinking, Nymphadora tries to calculate it.

"Well. Pretty much since I became an Auror."

[platonicowgirl.livejournal.com]

Kathleen's quiet for a long time, looking into her tea. Then, "Lot of the boys in our town went to Vietnam. Most of 'em, really. And they didn't spend more'n a couple years in their tour of duty. But it changed them. And it took a damn long tome for things to be remotely normal again, because not-normal became normal for so long."

[clumsy_auror]

"Hm."

Anthony's a bit more awake, now, and he shouts just a bit; Nymphadora sets him down on the couch between them, and he grins up at his grandmother.

"Seems... I dunno. Seems melodramatic to think of myself in that category, you know?" Her brow furrows again, as she struggles for the words. "Seems like that kind of experience is something mine can't compare to. Like I haven't got the right to that kind of..."

But the words just won't come, and she shakes her head.