A Potion for the Wounded Heart

by FaustGirl

Chapter 1

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was full of movement that morning, and no matter where you looked, that never stopped.
In the Auror Headquarters the situation was the same since during the previous days several groups of dark witches and wizards had been sighted and arrested.
At one end of the room behind a mountain of papers was a frustrated brown-haired girl who was unsuccessfully rummaging through various documents.
Shortly after she was approached by a black-haired boy and a lighter-haired girl who looked about her age.
The three of them had gone to Hogwarts together and had known each other since first year when the two girls were put in Gryffindor and the boy in Ravenclaw.

"Are you still doing that?".

She raised her head and looked at them.

"Come on Raina, you told us that you had finished and it's been about half an hour, we want to go eat".

The girl sighed and rested her forehead on the table.

"I can not find it".

The two of them moved closer to her and lifted her from her seat.

"Come on, you'll look for it later".

Raina panicked and tried to pull away.

"They told me it was urgent, I don't want them to scold me again after what happened last time".

"They are not going to tell you anything and I remind you that in the end everything was resolved".

"Yes I know but I don't like the idea of Sharp imposing another training session on me again as a punishment, I ended up exhausted...".

"That was because you're a loudmouth and you blamed yourself for it, which we thank you for not ratting us out but you still have to relax a bit, nothing's going to happen because you turn it in later, it's not like it's going to fade away in the air".

As they walked animatedly through the corridors they came across some more veteran aurors including Aesop Sharp.
When he saw them, he stopped them.

"Evermont, I hope you found the documents I asked for if you have time to spend it like this with your friends".

"I'm still looking for them, Sir, but I assure you that this afternoon they will be on your desk without fail".

"I hope so".

Sharp moved away from them and the three aurors almost ran to get something to eat.
Edgar and Sarah now saw that the brown-haired girl was quite off and tried to cheer her up.

"He hates me".

They both tried to assure her that it wasn't like that, that he didn't hate her.

"Come on, don't worry, as soon as we finish here we'll help you look for them and don't worry about Sharp, you know he's too strict with you".

"Yeah, I don't want Sharp to get mad at you again, this time he seemed quite serious but I think he behaves that way with you because he sees that you have potential and he doesn't want you to waste it stuck here all day".

"I hope you are right".

Raina trembled slightly in her seat and tried to eat some of the contents of the plate in front of her.

"If you don't hear from me again tomorrow, you can already imagine that something happened".

She laughed trying to dismiss it but with every minute that passed she felt more nervous.
Over the past few months she and Sharp had had some pretty nasty clashes that every time she had to interact with him or be alone with him she would feel extremely upset.
Sarah's hand rested on her shoulder and she encouraged her to eat what was left before returning to that imposing mountain of papers.

 

The streets were quiet at that time and that would have been somewhat comforting if they had not been in that situation.
The atmosphere was very tense and the rain that until a few minutes ago had been preventing them from advancing had finally stopped.
Silence enveloped them and any slightest noise made the trio of aurors turn their heads in that direction.
Their afternoon at the Ministry of Magic had been disrupted by a job they had been sent to which had finally paid off.
They had spent some years investigating and tracking a group of dark wizards who breed and sell offspring of various creatures for the most varied purposes.
For that great effort they had done they were not willing to let them run away and would end their operations that night.
After a few minutes and following the indications that the two witches and the wizard had obtained, they entered a four-story building that was at the end of the street.
At first glance it looked abandoned but that didn't mean they could relax.
The hall was completely empty but they still checked it carefully.

"We can hide for a few minutes to rest if that's okay with you".

"There's a broom closet under the stairs, we can see if there's room and hide there".

The three very cautiously approached the door and opened it, sighing with relief to see that it was empty.
Once inside they tried to relax for a few moments under the small light of the lumos charm that was cast by Raina.
Despite the fact that the three of them had already been aurors for several years and had been working for the Ministry of Magic, they couldn't help but get nervous in jobs like that.

"When we're done here we're going to celebrate with a nice breakfast".

"We're still not sure if they're here or not so don't start celebrating so soon Edgar…".

"Come on Raina, it's not that big of a deal".

The black-haired boy reached out to put his hand on her friend's shoulder but Sarah stopped him and put a finger to her lips to signal them to keep quiet.
They immediately stopped using lumos and the inside of the closet was completely dark.
Through the door, the three of them could hear the footsteps and laughter of several people as well as fragments of some conversations.
If before they had not been sure that they were there now they no longer had any doubt.
Carefully they left the small space and began to advance through the corridor and the stairs that led to the upper floors hidden by the disillusionment charm.
They slowly finished off their adversaries by stealth, and throughout the process Raina was always there for Edgar and Sarah in case something happened.
Along the way they collected some documents that could be useful in future investigations.
Before finally reaching the top floor, the three made the signal that would indicate to their companions that they could go and take care of the wizards they had already defeated.
In front of them was a huge black wooden door behind which their last adversaries were hiding.
At that moment they had two options, the first was to wait for their other companions to help them and the second, somewhat riskier, to enter and face the remaining enemies.
They spent several minutes thinking about what to do until the three of them stared at each other.

"We have to be very careful, if they hit us with some curse we will be very screwed".

The other two nodded and prepared to enter.
Being as quiet as possible they opened the door and hid behind a sofa in front of them.
After scanning the room they saw that there were the five remaining dark wizards from the group that they had heard enter while they were hiding in the closet under the stairs.
The three aurors readied their wands and without wasting any more time they attacked.
In the first moments of surprise they managed to finish off two of them but the remaining three were not going to be so easy for them.
Raina, after casting a spell, managed to hide behind some wooden boxes but had to move when the one that rested on the highest part fell towards her.

"Come on damn aurors, stop hiding so we can kill you once and for all, we're already tired of your kind and we want to send the rest a nice gift inside a wooden box!".

Edgar clenched his fist around his wand and hurled a spell at the wizard but he dodged it.
The darkness of the room was helping them on certain occasions but on many others it was difficult for them to maneuver around the place.
With each passing minute the three of them wondered where the others were since it must have been a while since they should have arrived.
Raina watched as Sarah was hit by depulso, sending her flying to the other side of the room and crashing against the wall.
She tried to approach her partner but was stopped by one of the dark wizards.

"I think it's funny that the Ministry would send someone like you to stop us, you're fucking kids".

Without giving him time to say anything else, Edgar threw bombarda at him, leaving him unconscious.
At that moment she managed to get close to Sarah and helped her get up.
Somewhat recovered, they finished off the last of their adversaries while they kept wondering where the rest were.

"I knew they were going to leave us stranded".

"Don't say that, something may have happened to them and that's why they are taking longer".

"Maybe yes, or maybe not".

"You'll see how they appear".

"Let's hope you're right because I'm already a little sick of you always justifying their failures especially with Sharp, we all know you have a massive crush on him but we'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself".

Raina's brow furrowed slightly and she helped Sarah up again.

"You have no fucking idea what you're talking about, he's our superior and I treat him as such".

The fair haired girl laughed which made her friend even angrier.

"I'm very sorry, darling, but we don't believe that, I've seen how you look at him and you don't fool me".

The brown haired witch snorted and was tempted to let go of her friend but she didn't.

"Let's go out into the street and see if anyone has arrived".

The other two nodded and began their descent to the ground floor but when they had gone down only one floor they could hear screams and they prepared for another fight.
This time their enemies outnumbered them and when they saw this they tried to face them but ended up failing and they had to flee.
The three of them ran towards the stairs but at that moment Raina felt something hit her and the most intense pain she had ever experienced ran through her body.
That pain felt like thousands of hot irons touching her skin.
This caused her to fall down the stairs and land on the ground.
The last thing she could see and hear before falling unconscious was a green light and Sarah's horrible screams, after which everything went black.

Chapter 2

The Janus Thickey Ward on the fourth floor of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries appeared to be fairly quiet that afternoon.
The door that allowed access opened slowly and through it entered one of the healers who took care of the patients accompanied by two women.
One of them was an old woman with grey hair and the other was a girl with short brown hair who must have been about 8 years old.
The three of them approached the bed where Raina was lying.

"How long do you think it will be until she finally wakes up?".

"We're still not sure".

"It's already been half a year since she was brought here...".

"I know but you must be patient Mrs. Evermont, we are doing everything we can".

"I don't doubt that but I want to know when I can take my granddaughter home".

"If you want I can take you to the healer-in-charge so that he can explain everything you want to know in more detail".

"Perfect, give us a moment and I'll be right back".

The healer left the room and the two women were left alone with Raina.
The girl walked over to her and sat down on a chair before taking her hand.

"Honey stay here with your sister, I'll be right back and if there's a problem, you know what to do".

"Yes grandma, don't worry".

The old woman went out to join the healer and the girl picked up a book that was on the table.
Trying not to raise her voice too much so as not to disturb the others patients, she began to read one of the stories that Raina had always read to her since she was very little.
Without her noticing some of them had started listening to her read and they felt a little sad to see someone so young go through something like that.
When she finished reading the story she left the book where it was before and from a small metal box she took out some cookies that she had left there a couple of days before.
While she ate the chocolate sweet she felt something tugging on her dress and she saw that Raina's hand was gripping the gray fabric tightly.
Ciara tried to loosen her sister's grip but she froze in place as the older one began to mutter something.
As she moved closer, she watched as Raina's eyes widened and she blinked rapidly to focus her vision.

"Raina?".

At the mention of her name, the brown-haired girl turned her head towards the direction of the sound but only a few moans came out of her mouth.
Without thinking twice, Ciara ran out of the ward to look for someone who could help her and returned accompanied by two healers.
When they inspected Raina they called others to help them.
Everyone was surprised that she had woken up.
One of the women who had arrived moments before accompanied Ciara with her grandmother to give her the good news.

"Mrs. Evermont, your granddaughter has woken up!".

The old woman covered her mouth with her hands and her eyes began to fill with tears.
The little girl hugged her grandmother and they stayed like that for several minutes crying with joy.
After what seemed like hours they finally let them see her but what they didn't expect was to see her with a bandage over her eyes.

"Don't be scared, we have blindfolded her so that she doesn't get dizzy since she told us that her vision was very blurry".

Approaching the bed Ciara gently grasped her sister's hand.

"Ciara?".

"Yes, it's me".

The two girls hugged each other as tightly as they could while tears came back to the old woman's eyes.

"Where's grandma?".

The grey haired woman grabbed the hand of her granddaughter.

"Here I am my sweet girl, how are you?".

"Much better now that you two are here, what day is today?".

"Today is Tuesday honey".

Raina knew that she probably wouldn't tell her anything else by order of those who took care of her and she stretched out her arm to signal her grandmother to hug her too and they spent long minutes like that without wanting to let go but a healer interrupted them.

"I'm really sorry to bother you at this happy time but I need you both to come with me".

"Give us a few more minutes, please".

"Okay but don't linger too long, Raina still needs to rest".

When the man left the two of them spent those minutes saying goodbye to her.

"Will you come tomorrow?".

"Of course, we'll come whenever you want until you can get out of here".

The girl smiled and hugged them one last time before they left.

 

It had only been a few hours since the last visit when the ward door opened again and two men entered.
There was little time left for visiting hours to end, so they hurried up so as not to waste too much time.
They spent several minutes looking at the beds until they found Raina's.
When she heard that someone was approaching she sat on the bed.

"Look, she is here".

The girl turned her head towards their voices and knew immediately who they were.
One of them was called Oliver and the other was called William.
They had both gone through the training to become an auror with her.
The two sat on both sides of the bed.

"Hi Raina, how are you?".

"Hey guys, I'm still a bit disoriented but much better than when I woke up".

"We are very happy, your grandmother contacted the ministry and everyone was relieved to hear the news".

She smiled slightly and rested her hands on her lap somewhat restless.

"I know it's a bit sudden but I would like you to tell me what happened".

The two boys looked at each other and spent several minutes in silence not knowing what to do.

"I think that we are not the best suited to do that...".

At that moment the three of them heard how the door of the war opened again and another man entered.
When he was with the two boys, he told them to leave.

"Well Raina we have to go, get well and we'll see you when you're discharged".

"I look forward to that moment, take care of yourselves".

She waved her hand slightly in farewell and went very still as she felt the presence of the third man.

"Your grandmother told us that you've woken up, you look pretty good given the circumstances".

The unmistakable voice of Aesop Sharp reached her ears making her heart beat faster.
Her fight-or-flight response was activated at that moment and her head asked her to get up but unfortunately she was not in a condition to do so, much less with the blindfold on her eyes.

"Thank you that makes me feel so much better and you don't have to lie, i know i look horrible".

Raina crossed her arms and leaned back against the pillows on the bed.
Aesop sat in the chair that Oliver had previously occupied.

"Come on, don't be mad, I brought you something from everyone in the ministry".

She turned her head toward his voice and held out her hands slightly.
He placed on her palms the bouquet of yellow tulips that they had bought for her.
The girl smiled slightly when she noticed what kind of flowers she was holding.

"Thank you so much".

"When I get back I'll tell everyone you liked them, they're going to be so happy".

"I am sure of it".

The two were silent for a few moments until Aesop picked up the empty vase she had on the nightstand and went to fill it with water.
When he returned he took the tulips from the girl's hands and lowered them into the water.
She placed her hands over her eyes and he withdrew them immediately, thinking that she wanted to remove the bandage.

"They told me if you tried to take it off I would have to stop you so hold still".

"I wasn't going to take it off and I wish you would let me go".

Aesop released her instantly and sat on the chair again.
The silence was quite uncomfortable between them but Raina decided to break it.

"Do you know what happened after I went unconscious?".

"Of course I know, I was there that night but by order of the superiors I can't tell you anything until you get out of here and return to the ministry".

The brown-haired girl pounded her fists on the bed in frustration.

"Of course, always the same, I'm fed up with this because since I woke up no one has told me nothing, not even when I'm going to be out of here or what happened to Edgar and Sarah!".

"It's something that you shouldn't know, you're still recovering and if we tell you it might be worse that's why you're not ready to know it yet".

"And who has decided that, you?".

"As much as I would like that to be the case that's not it, so calm down or I will have to call the healers".

She grunted and lay down on the bed with her back to the auror.

"Go away, I want to be alone".

"As her majesty commands".

The tone in which he spoke those words made her blood boil but she held it back and she chose to ignore him until he was gone.
When she was alone again she began to cry inconsolably until she fell asleep.

Chapter 3

"Ciara, finish your breakfast and go to the castle, I don't think the professors will be very amused that you're late the first day".

The youngest of the Evermont's came out of her room with some of her books in hand and began to quickly devour what was left on her plate.
Raina realized that she was missing something from her uniform.

"Where is your tie?".

"I don't know, I've been looking since I got up".

"Keep eating, I'll look".

She quickly entered her sister's room and began looking everywhere she could think of until she stopped in front of the closet.
At that moment, she had a revelation and used lumos to look under the piece of furniture.
Just as she had expected, the tie in the Hufflepuff colors was down there crumpled against the wall.
After taking it out, she examined it in case it had any stains, but when she saw it clean, she just ironed it a little before handing it over to Ciara.

"It was under the closet, Comet probably left it there because sometimes he likes to get under there".

As if he had been summoned, Comet appeared on the windowsill and meowed several times to get the attention of her owner.
The brown-haired woman stroked the caramel-colored cat.

"Bad cat, what did I tell you about hiding Ciara's things?".

The animal meowed again and climbed down from the window for Ciara to pet him and then lie on his bed.
The two girls shook their heads and laughed.

"This cat is quite a rascal".

"He only knows how to get into trouble".

Raina helped Ciara put on her tie and then stayed on the threshold of the door watching her leave.
With her little girl gone from her sight, she entered the house to prepare for work.
Having made a full recovery from that horrible incident, she decided to retire from her auror career and the ministry.
She needed something quieter so when she got the chance she went to Hogsmeade so she would be close to her sister during her first year at Hogwarts and could be with her if she had any problems.
That was what she had originally planned but several years had passed and Ciara was in her fourth year.
The two felt very comfortable there and the townspeople treated them as if they had lived there all their lives.
It was nice to be able to stay permanently where she had spent so much time when she was a student and she was still receiving points for her house, Gryffindor.
The brown-haired girl looked at the clock that she had hanging in the living room and hurried to put on her shoes.
Before leaving she checked that everything was well closed and she scratched Comet.
Wasting no more time, she went to the Three Broomsticks.
Upon entering, she saw that there were still no customers.

"Good morning Raina".

Down the stairs she saw Sirona Ryan, the landlady, and her boss coming down.
Sirona had always helped her since her arrival, so when she offered her a job as a waitress she did not hesitate to accept it since she needed the money if she wanted to stay there and she would also return all the kindness and affection that she had received.
It was a very quiet job and she enjoyed it as she could chat with regular customers, students and some teachers who passed by from time to time.
Luckily for the students, the teachers had their own private room on the third floor, which they were very grateful for.
There they could talk about anything without fear of the students finding out.
She still remembered the somewhat embarrassed face she made when she saw Professor Fig, who taught Magic Theory at the school accompanied by Aesop Sharp, walk through the door.
Chatting with Professor Fig she found out that Sharp had become the potions teacher as he had retired from the ministry and his auror career.
Initially she did not know the cause of it but it was Aesop himself who told her what happened.
Raina listened in horror to the story and was slightly relieved that he had survived.
Now they both felt the same because they had lost people they cared about.
But that wasn't going to make them sit idly by in a corner, life went on and they had to too.
Raina noticed that Sirona was calling out to her and walked over to her.

"I need you to help me with some barrels, they arrived this morning so you'll have something to entertain yourself with until the customers come".

"Okay, let me tie up my hair, light the fireplace, and I'll get to it".

"Thank you darling".

After standing in front of the mirror that was hung on the wall she took a headscarf from her pocket and covered her hair with it to keep it out of her face so it wouldn't bother her.
She lit the fireplace with incendio and hurried to start putting away the barrels.
They looked small and she thought that she could go carrying them since they didn't seem to be very heavy but when she took one of them an immense pain ran through her left shoulder down her arm.
She was about to drop the barrel but she was quick enough to set it down.
She spent a few minutes trying to catch her breath but as the pain did not subside she took out a small vial containing a blue liquid from a bag that she carried hanging from her belt.
Due to the impact of her fall she had not realized that she had fractured her shoulder until they told her at the hospital.
Fortunately she had healed quite well but the only bad thing she had was that she couldn't lift very heavy things.
A while later she felt the potion take effect and she continued with the task that Sirona had assigned her.

 

The afternoon had been passing without many incidents until they began to hear a great commotion outside.
Looking out the window, she saw how terrified people were running.

"What's going on out there?".

"I don't know Sirona but I'm going to find out".

"Be very careful please".

"Of course don't worry".

Raina flung her apron over the end of the bar and ran out into the street.
She tried to ask what was happening but no one managed to answer so she tried to reach the square.
Unfortunately for her, the path was blocked and she had to find another access route, but that soon changed when she saw Officer Singer and others drive a troll away from the area, so she decided to help them.
Thanks to the fact that they outnumbered the creature, they managed to defeat it quite quickly.
Already somewhat calmer, Officer Singer urged them to return to their houses since she did not want to risk more incidents.
Raina quickly returned to the Three Broomsticks and told Sirona what happened.
She looked at her in astonishment, unable to believe it.

"A troll here?".

"As you hear it, it's very strange since something like this has never happened before".

"Never".

While they were talking, rumors reached them of the attack of a second troll and how two Hogwarts students had managed to defeat it.
This seemed surprising to them since they had never heard anything like it and it was the only thing they talked about for the rest of the afternoon until the door was flung open.
A Slythering student and a Ravenclaw student entered through it while Lodgok came out from their side.
The two of them had been the ones who had fought against the second troll and for that reason Sirona invited them to a butter beer.
Raina was going down the stairs after cleaning some tables and when she saw them she approached them.

"Hi Sebastian how are you?".

"Much better now that this is over".

"I'm happy to hear that, who is your friend?".

The red-haired girl wearing the Ravenclaw scarf looked at her and smiled.

"My name is Leah Pendelton, my pleasure".

She held out her hand and the brown haired woman shook it.

"Same Leah, I'm Raina and let me tell you, if what they say you've done is true, consider me impressed".

She blushed slightly but when she wanted to answer, the door opened again and Victor Rookwood and Theophilus Harlow entered.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and everyone was on their toes.

"Was that Lodgok I saw leaving just now? Your clientele's not what it used to be, Sirona".

"Not to worry Victor, once the two of you leave, the caliber of my clientele will greatly impove".

Theophilus threatened to pull his wand out but Victor stopped him.

"No need for theatrics, I'm only here for this one, anyway".

He pointed at Leah and she and Sebastian got up from their seats.

"My friend is enjoying a well-earned butterbeer".

"I only want a quick word".

When they all saw how he approached her they got up and they drew their wands.
Raina stepped in front of the two of them to protect them and raised her wand.
Victor stared at her to get her to move away but she didn't.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me, I said my friend is busy".

Finding themselves outnumbered, they decided to withdraw and left the establishment.
When they were calmer they returned to their previous activities.

"Will we ever get rid of those two?".

"I don't know, Raina, but you always have to be careful".

She glanced at Leah and Sebastian who had been talking very discreetly for a while.

"You have finished?".

"Yes, thank you very much".

She picked up the two butterbeer cups.

"Be careful when you return to the castle, things are getting very ugly".

"Of course, don't worry, in fact we were going to go back now, it's getting a little late and we don't want to be told off".

"You do well".

The three smiled and the two women watched as they left.
Raina sighed and took a drink from the glass Sirona had poured for her.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to Hogwarts, the best time of my life".

"I'm sure you miss Quidditch".

"Yeah, I was pretty good at being a guardian and I would have liked to have been able to play professionally".

"But you chose to be an auror".

"Yeah...".

Sirona noticed her a little down at that moment and placed one of her hands on top of hers.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest?".

"Are you sure?".

"Completely, I can take care of everything by myself for one night".

"Okay, see you tomorrow".

The two hugged each other and Raina returned to her house, nervously checking every corner along the way.

Chapter 4

As soon as Raina read the note that Professor Weasley's owl had brought her, she ran towards the castle.
The professor hadn't said anything very specific about what had happened, just that an incident had occurred during potions class.
With every step the woman took her heart filled with worry.
Ciara didn't usually have many problems at school but there was always a time during the year that she suffered an accident in one way or another.
Every time that happened Raina almost died on the spot because she wasn't going to let her die in some stupid or horrible way.
The incident she had been most concerned with was during Ciara's first year when she was called because the girl had an incident with her broom in flying class and she had broken her nose hitting a wall.
That sounded more serious than it really had been, and her wound healed without a problem but left the girl with a thin scar across the bridge of her nose.
When the infirmary came into view, Raina searched for Ciara and found her in the last bed on the far left.
The little one hid her injured hand under the sheet when she saw how nervous her sister was.
Raina took a deep breath for a few seconds and sat down next to her.

"What happened honey?".

Ciara was somewhat scared to tell her because since the incident during her first year, she didn't want to see her so worried again.

"I...".

The older one turned to her and smiled.

"You know I've never been mad when something like this has happened so please don't be afraid to tell me, I care a lot about you and I only want to know if you are okay".

The girl showed her her bandaged hand.
Raina was surprised to see it.

"Professor Weasley told me that it was in potions class, is that true?".

"Yes, but it's my fault, not Professor Sharp's, don't be mad at him".

She laughed and took the little girl's good hand.

"Sweetie, I'm not going to get angry with him and it wasn't your fault either, I'm sure, these things sometimes happen, at least your cauldron hasn't explode like it happened to me in my second year".

They both laughed and Raina felt her relax.

"Did they tell you how long you're going to be like this?".

"Probably several weeks but the good thing is that since is my non-dominant hand I can continue going to class".

"I'm glad to hear that but you know that if you're in a lot of pain and you can't attend, you can stay in your room to rest".

"Of course, don't worry, I want it to heal well".

"Great, I'm going to let you continue resting, I have to get back to work".

"Okay, say hi to Sirona for me".

"Of course".

Raina kissed her sister's forehead and left the infirmary but instead of going back to the Three Broomsticks she detoured and went to potions class.
Fortunately at that hour the class was completely empty except, as usual, for Professor Sharp.
Although the door was open she knocked several times which made him look up from the papers he was reading.
Aesop seeing her got up.

"Miss Evermont, come in please, I assume that you have come because of what happened with your sister".

"Indeed Sir, I would like you to tell me exactly what has happened".

She walked over to the table and stood on the opposite end from him.

"The problem we've had today has been because of the potion they were preparing, I couldn't see how it happened since at that moment I was checking another student but those who were with your sister affirm that the vial she was holding burst before she could seal it up".

"I haven't been able to see her injuries since she had her hand bandaged but I hope they weren't too serious".

"Some cuts and some glass stuck in her palm but nothing that would affect her life or the permanent use of her hand".

Raina sighed and Aesop could see the tension she was feeling dissipate slightly.

"Thank you Sir for rushing her to the infirmary".

"You don't need to thank me, it is my duty to ensure the safety and well-being of my students".

They both talked for a few more minutes about Ciara in his class.

"Thank you very much again professor".

"It was nothing, I just did what had to be done".

She smiled widely and said goodbye to him to return to work.
Sharp stood there, his gaze following her until she disappeared, and he sat back down to continue reading the documents he had on the table.
He was never going to admit it but that she have smiled at him that way made his heart skip a beat for a moment.
When she entered the Three Broomsticks she told everything that happened to Sirona.

"I'm glad the poor thing is okay, she must have been quite scared".

"Yes she was, but nothing will be as terrifying as her first year".

Raina ran her hands over her face and a cold sweat broke out at the memory.
Sirona poured her some water to help her calm down and when she was better she continued with her job.

 

The afternoon had been quite hectic due to the large number of students they had to serve.
The two did not stop for a moment and were finally able to rest when part of them left.
Raina finished clearing a couple of tables when she saw Sebastian wave to her.
As she approached, she saw that Ominis Gaunt was with them since at first she had not seen him.

"Another round?".

"Yes please".

She went to the bar and returned a while later with three butterbeers and a couple of plates of something to eat.
After leaving the beers on the table, she placed a plate between Sebastian and Leah and gave the other to Ominis.

"I have left it to the right".

"Thank you".

"We've heard what happened to your sister, I'm glad she's alright".

"Thanks Leah, it was a scare but luckily she will be able to continue going to class".

The brown-haired girl wanted to continue talking to the three of them but someone called her to ask for more drinks.

"Got to get on with the tables guys, pleased to see you Ominis".

She tapped the table several times and walked away towards a table that was next to the fireplace.
When the sky had gotten a little darker, she returned with a small floating barrel finishing the task that Sirona had entrusted to her and she sent her to take the professors order.
Raina went up to the private room on the third floor and saw that Professor Fig, Professor Hecat, Professor Garlick, Professor Kogawa, and Professor Sharp were inside the room.

"Good evening, the usual?".

"Yes please".

"I'll be right back".

She went downstairs again and Sirona immediately filled her tray.
Gripping the tray tightly and very carefully she made her way up the stairs again.
It wasn't the first time something had fallen while she was climbing them but if she could prevent it from happening it would be much the better.
When she went back in with the professors, she left everything on the table.

"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let us know".

"Thank you so much".

She closed the door on her way out and when she was downstairs with Sirona she leaned against the bar.

"Now that there are few people, can I go to Honeydukes?".

"Sure honey, as long as you don't take too long".

"It'll just be a moment, I want to grab some of the things Ciara likes to take with me tomorrow when I go to see her".

Sirona smiled at that.

"I'll take care of everything until you come back, don't worry".

"Thanks, you are the best".

Raina took off her apron and handed it to her before going out.
Inside Honeydukes she looked for very specific things like Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, toffee and liquorice wands.
The wands were for her, the beans for Ciara and the toffee she thought it would be a good idea to thank Professor Sharp since she had seen him eat it on many occasions when they were at the Ministry.
She always found it very curious that someone like him with such a serious and threatening appearance would genuinely enjoy something like that even though she found it adorable on the other hand.
Aesop on some occasion had noticed that she had seen him and simply offered her one and then placed his finger on his lips to tell her not to say anything to anyone about it.
She couldn't help but smile every time this happened and she would happily leave with the candy in her mouth.
The only thing she had to do now was to find the right moment to leave the candy in his office so that he wouldn't notice and reject it.
She could already imagine him eating one from time to time trying not to be seen.
After buying everything she returned to the Three Broomsticks and after a few hours they began to clean up to close and go to rest.

Chapter 5

Raina got up a little shaken when she saw the time on the clock and started to get ready but just before going out the door she stopped.
She remembered that Sirona had given her the day off.
After changing into something more comfortable, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
As soon as he saw her, Comet began to meow to get her attention.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'll get your food right away".

She took out the cat food from one of the cupboards and put it in a clean bowl along with another bowl of fresh water.
Comet rubbed against her and proceeded to eat.
When she had breakfast with her sister, she used to cook more things for the two of them, but being alone she didn't want to make things complicated.
After eating what she had prepared she filled a cup with coffee and drank from it.
Ciara always looked at her with some disgust when she saw how she drank her black coffee but she laughed at her and ruffled her hair.
Ever since she could remember, she had drank coffee just like her father did, but not because she was like him, but because having tried it with other things, she had not liked it as much.
While she was taking sips from the cup she was cleaning up her room.
Since the previous days she had not been able to do it the state of the room was chaotic.
The desk was full of papers and books.
On a chair that she had in a corner there were folded clothes that she must have kept in the closet.
Raina made her bed the best possible since because of how big it was, two people were needed, but despite that, she had always managed well.
Her next task was to tidy up the desk.
She first took all the books that she was finding and placed them in her bookshelf which was made up of all kinds of books, she even still had some books that she used during her classes at Hogwarts.
Sorting the papers was what took her a long time since many of them were ingredient lists for potions she needed.
When everything was finally clean and tidy, she closed the window that she had left open for ventilation.
Ciara's room was tidy since she hadn't been there for a few days but she still cleaned it and she looked through all the nooks and crannies in case Comet had hidden something important there again.
After closing the door, Raina went to check her ingredients and she wrote down what she needed to buy.
That day she chose a light blue dress with a belt a few shades darker that had a bag of the same color.
Before leaving the house, she made sure that everything was closed so Comet wouldn't escape since the kitty had recently ended up fighting with other cats and she didn't want to risk it happening again.
Already on the street, she headed for J. Pippin's Potions and for wanting to take a shortcut, she ended up running into Victor Rookwood.

"My, my, just who I wanted to see".

She tried to speed up her pace but the dark wizard cornered her.

"What do you want Victor?".

He chuckled.

"Let's go get a drink".

"Isn't it a little early for that?".

"It's never too early or too late so let's go".

Rookwood took her hand and started to pull her, but she pulled away.

"I'm not going, I'm busy and I have better things to do than spend time with you".

She was starting to get nervous and she could hear her own heartbeat.
The dark wizard growled.

"Come on, don't be like that, we'll have a good time".

He tried to grab her again but she hit him and ran away as she knew that if she tried to get her wand out she wouldn't have time to get away from him.
Panicking, she ran through different alleys trying to get around him almost without success until she saw J. Pippin's Potions and entered.
Inside were Parry Pippin and Aesop Sharp.
The two of them, seeing her that way, were alarmed and saw how she was hiding in a corner using the disillusionment charm, trying to calm her breathing so as not to make noise.
They both didn't have long to wonder what was going on when Rookwood came through the door in a similar state to hers.

"Can I help you with something?".

"I'm looking for Raina".

"I haven't seen her around here all morning so I suggest you go somewhere else".

Victor drew his wand from and pointed it at Mr. Pippin.

"I know you've seen her, tell me where she is".

Professor Sharp drew his own and pointed it at him.

"He has already told you that we haven't seen her, the most sensible thing is for you to leave, you've bothered us enough".

The dark wizard cursed under his breath and spat on the ground before stomping away.
After a while and having made sure that he had really left, Raina undid the charm.
Aesop walked up to her and saw that the poor thing was crying.
To try to calm her down he tried to take her hand but she pushed it away and moved away from him a little.

"Relax, it's over, he's gone and he's not going to do anything to you".

Careful not to scare her further, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and slowly held it to her.
After picking it up, Raina dried her tears and took a deep breath.

"What happened with Rookwood?".

"He cornered me on my way here and tried to take me with him by force when I refused to accept his invitation".

Sharp's face turned serious and he frowned slightly.

"Bastard".

Mr. Pippin appeared with a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Thank you".

"You can stay in here for as long as you need until you've calmed down".

She smiled slightly and drank some of the water.
She being calmer got up and handed the glass to Mr. Pippin along with a list of the things she needed.
After a few minutes he returned with all the ingredients and handed a small sack to Sharp.

"Here is everything".

"Thank you very much, how much do I owe you?".

"Half the usual".

"But...".

He just smiled and took the money she handed him.
Sharp also paid him and they left the store together.
Outside it looked like the two of them would go on their way but before the professor could get very far away she stopped him.

"Mr. Sharp!".

He turned around and folded his arms, waiting.

"What is it Raina?".

"I was wondering if I could go with you to the castle, I don't feel safe going to my house right now…".

The potions professor sighed and nodded for her to follow.

 

After using the cauldron, Raina bottled the potions she had made.
The ingredients from her list helped her make an edurus potion and two invisibility potions.
She used them when she went to explore or observe some magical creatures in case she had any run-ins with poachers or dark wizards.
During all the time that she was making the potions, Sharp had been checking some students' homework, although from time to time he would pass by the station she was at and check the cauldron.
She had stopped being a student long before he taught that class but he recognized that if she were studying there at that time she would be one of the best.
Her execution was impeccable and the appearance of the cauldron's contents looked perfect.
Somehow it made him feel proud because despite all the discussions and fights they both had as aurors, he couldn't deny that she felt passion for everything she did, even though often the result wasn't perfect.
Since they met they had always clashed over their personalities in certain things but that changed when she almost died that night.
He still remembered how he felt when he saw her lying there at the bottom of the stairs with her clothes stained with blood and just thinking about it made a shiver run through his body.
Seeing her after in the hospital was also not easy since no one knew if she would wake up or not.

"Sir?".

He realized that she was calling him and left his office since he had spent more time in there than he would have liked.

"What's going on?".

"I already cleaned and I have left everything in place".

"Perfect, well done".

Raina blushed slightly and put the potions back in her little bag.

"Thank you for letting me come and use one of the cauldrons".

"It's nothing, as long as you use it properly it's not a problem for me".

She smiled and slightly ducked her head.

"I know it probably won't be necessary but I want to thank you for not ratting me out in Mr. Pippin's shop".

"I would never rat you out to a bastard like Rookwood, I thought you were smarter than that to know that".

The brown-haired girl lightly bit her lip and shook her head.

"Sorry, it was stupid of me to say something like that, I'll leave, I don't want to bother you more than I have already done…".

Before Aesop could say anything she stormed out of the classroom, closing the door behind her.
He slammed his fist down on the table and growled.
Whenever he tried to be gentle with her he would say rather harsh things that made her feel sad.
It made him feel bad afterward when he realized how hard he had been on her.
After sitting down again and continuing to review more documents, his gaze fell on the toffee she had left there for him and he felt even worse for those words that had come out of his mouth minutes before.

Chapter 6

Outside it was already noticeable how the temperature became colder, which indicated that the arrival of autumn was not long away.
That was not going to prevent Raina from taking her walks to explore the forbidden forest.
Many thought that she had something wrong in the head for wanting to enter such a place but she found it relaxing especially when she needed to be alone.
Her favorite place in the forest was the lake that had a small island in the center where she always ended up sitting reading or drawing the first thing that occurred to her.
Sometimes out of the corner of her eye she could see animals passing by but she didn't usually pay much attention to them.
That afternoon her stay in the forest was somewhat shorter than usual since the girl forgot her jacket and as much as she liked being there, freezing was not part of her plans.
Before leaving she went to visit the small group of puffskein that lived there.
The little furry creatures approached her as soon as they saw her since they knew that she would give them food and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw how they tried to make room to be the first to eat.
She took food from a bag that she carried slung over her shoulder and fed them.
While they ate she sat on the floor and drew some pictures in her notebook until one of the smaller puffskein climbed onto her lap.
She put the notebook in the bag and caressed the little ball of fur that curled up there with the intention of not moving for a long time.
A few minutes later other puffskein joined in and the girl's legs ended up full of the little creatures.
She knew that she was going to stay there for a while until they decided to move again, so she just watched them.
Of all the magical creatures she had seen she could safely say that the puffskein were her favorite along with the nifflers and mooncalfs.
She had to admit that no matter how adorable and no matter how much she liked the nifflers, they had stolen some galleons from her on several occasions.
When it seemed that the puffskein were going to move, she got up and went for her broom after saying goodbye to them.
Careful not to fall, she flew up to return, but when she was still flying over the forest, several screams caught her attention.
After landing unseen, she approached the source of the sound and saw that it was an Ashwinder camp and fighting against them was Leah Pendelton.
Without thinking twice, Raina went to help her.
The Ravenclaw student was fascinated when she saw that she casted Diffindo without having to utter a single word.
Leah knew that nonverbal magic existed, but she had never seen anyone use it so effectively.
She had found out from Sirona that like Professor Sharp, Raina was also an auror and she was retired but the owner of the Three Broomsticks did not want to reveal the details so the young woman did not want to press.
Between the two of them they finished off all the opponents in a matter of minutes.
It had been so long since the brown-haired girl had fought that the amount of adrenaline that ran through her body made her hands shake for a long time .

"You were seriously fighting so many Ashwinders by yourself?".

"It's not my first time".

Raina looked at the redheaded girl as if she had just grown another head.

"From the way you've handled it, it seems like you've been doing it for years".

That someone so young had such a power left her speechless but after all the events in which she had been involved she was less and less surprised each time.
As a precaution, Leah tried not to use ancient magic since she didn't know how Raina would react when she saw it.
After checking the entire camp, Raina took the broom.

"How about we go? I can take you to the school if you want".

"That would be great, thank you very much".

The brown-haired girl climbed on the broom and Leah clung to her very well to keep from falling.
After taking flight, the two headed for Hogwarts.

"Any area in particular that you prefer me to land on?".

"The area where the flight class is taught is usually empty at this time, we can try there".

"Perfect".

The closer they got to the school, the bigger Raina's smile became.
When she was still a student she used to spend a lot of her spare time flying over the castle and visiting her Ravenclaw friends since it was the only house she had a place to land on.
On other occasions she would fly to the highest areas and sit on the roofs, she could spend hours there contemplating the landscape.
Thanks to that hobby and her ability to fly, Raina was part of the Quidditch team until she left the school in her last year.
At some point she considered being a professional player but she ended up being an auror.
As Leah had said, the area was clear and they were able to land without any problem.
When the youngest got off the broom she thanked her again and ran towards the entrance of the castle.
Raina thought about whether she would go home or not but it occurred to her to go see Ciara for a while.
Before entering, she looked for a place where she could leave her broom and decided to ask Professor Kogawa.
She knocked several times on the door and entered when told to.

"Good afternoon Raina, what brings you here?".

"Good afternoon professor, I was wondering if I could leave my broom here, at least for a while".

"Of course, I'll be here a few more hours so I can keep an eye on it".

"Thanks".

Raina rested the broom in a corner and after saying goodbye to the teacher, she entered the castle to see her sister.
After much searching and asking some students, she went to the boathouse.
There she found her and her friends.

"Didn't you have a better place to spend the afternoon?".

Ciara, seeing her sister, ran out and hugged her.

"If I had known you were coming, I would have chosen a place closer".

Raina laughed and sat down with the girls.
The rest greeted her and she joined the conversation they were having.
She was very glad that Ciara had several friends since in her first two years there she spent most of the time with her or completely alone with her nose in some book.
The group was made up of five girls along with Ciara.
Magnolia Heron from Ravenclaw, Tressa and Sage Ferlet from Hufflepuff, Adeline Leveret from Slytherin, and Blair Rook from Gryffindor.
As they talked Ciara threw a couple of liquorice wands at her sister and she stood there for a long time with them.

 

The atmosphere at the Three Broomsticks that night was very lively.
To everyone's surprise and joy, some old friends and colleagues of Raina's who were musicians appeared there.
Sirona welcomed them and gladly agreed to let them play there that night.
The professors leaned out when they heard the noise and saw how some students danced, taking advantage of the last few minutes they had left before returning to the castle for dinner.
While she waited tables, Raina danced fitfully with some of the clients.
Sirona felt happy for her since it had been a long time since she had seen her so happy.
During one of the dances Professor Fig came downstairs and ordered another round so Raina had to leave her dance partner and filled the tray to go up behind the old wizard.
Already in the private room, she placed everything on the table and warmly greeted the rest of them, including Sharp.
Since the last time they had seen each other in potions class, they hadn't met much since she noticed that he stopped going to the inn for a few days.
She didn't really feel worried about it but she did find it strange given how often they saw each other there.
Before she could leave Professor Garlick stopped her.

"Raina, could you bring me mulled mead if is not too much trouble?".

"Sure, no problem, I'll be right back".

The girl took the tray and returned downstairs.

"Sirona, can you give me a mulled mead for professor Garlick?".

"Of course, while I get it take this to the table on the back please".

Raina nodded and carried the tray with the drinks over to that table, cleaning up another that had been left empty on the way.
Again in front of the bar she took the mulled mead and went up to give it to the professor.
The redheaded woman smiled widely when she saw her appear.

"Thank you very much little flower".

"A pleasure as always, after all it is my job".

Both women laughed and when she heard that they were calling her from another floor, she left after making a small bow while she continued laughing.
Aesop had been quiet drinking while all this was taking place and he couldn't help but follow her with his eyes on several occasions but when he noticed he looked at the others to see if they had noticed or not.
He had always been struck for some reason with how much her dimples stood out every time she smiled.
On some occasion he had seen how when Ciara was with her, the younger of the two had placed her index fingers on them and pressed lightly causing Raina to stick her tongue out as if she had pressed a button.
After that they both laughed and Raina always hugged the little girl before leaving.
He had always found it admirable how much Raina cared that Ciara focused on her studies because since her grandmother's death a couple of years ago she had been the only family she had left.
But that was something he would never say out loud, especially in front of her.
Ever since that day in potions class he had tried to have a conversation with her but he always stopped at the last second.
He felt that if she spoke to him he could say something hurtful again and that was the last thing he wanted now that it seemed that she was getting close to him again.
Neither of them knew it at the time but that peace between them would not last long.
During one of the times when he went downstairs to ask for more drinks, he saw how the girl danced happily.
Her face looked somewhat red from the effort and her hair was disheveled from the many turns she was giving.
When she stopped she leaned against the bar next to him and tried to catch her breath.

"Looks like someone is having a good time".

She looked at him for a few seconds like an animal that had entered a hunter's sights but soon she smiled broadly.

"It's been a long time since I've danced that much, I've forgotten how exhausting it is".

"I can imagine it".

Redoing her low ponytail Raina ran to wait on a table, returning to Aesop later.

"Do you need something upstairs?".

"Another bottle of firewhisky and another mulled mead if you don't mind".

She went behind the bar as Sirona had gone to get a couple of barrels to replace the empty ones.
At the bar she placed the two drinks before casting a spell so that the dirty jugs would clean themselves.
The two went upstairs together but this time Sharp let her go in front of him as if they went the other way it would take much longer and he preferred the others to have the drink first.
After setting it down at the table, she moved away from the door for him to enter.

"Thank you".

She bowed her head slightly and went back downstairs to see if Sirona had returned.
Little by little the atmosphere began to decline as the customers left and the two women dedicated themselves to cleaning the tables and sweeping the floors.
Raina put out the fire in the fireplace and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Raina honey, can you go and see if anyone is left on the upper floors, I'm not entirely sure if they've all left".

"Right away boss".

Sirona smiled and continued cleaning the bar as she went up the stairs.
The brown-haired girl checked all the floors well until she reached the professors room.
She was sure that everyone had left but to her surprise, professor Sharp was still there with a glass in his hand.

"Mr. Sharp, we are about to close, you have to go".

He ignored what she was telling him and took a few more swallows from the glass.
Raina sighed and moving closer to him she saw that he was more drunk than usual.
She picked up everything on the table except the glass he was holding and the bottle he grabbed before she could get her hands on it.
Without saying a word she left everything on one of the tables outside the room in case something might break and tried to lift the professor off the sofa.
Raina removed the glass and bottle from his hands with some effort and took the brown-haired man's hands.
She tried to pull him several times but couldn't move him until there was a moment when she thought she was going to get it but he fell heavily back on the sofa and as she didn't have time to let go she went after him.
Bad or good luck depending on where looked, she fell on top of him.
Raina's face, realizing what had happened, turned red and after brushing her hair away from her face because her ponytail had come loose with her fall, she tried to get up but Sharp pulled her again and sat her on his lap.
This time he placed his arm around her hip so she couldn't get away and with his free hand he held her face.
The girl's hands went to the wizard's shoulders as she believed that she could try to scape that way but it was not very effective.
Aesop didn't say anything at any time and just looked at her, which made her increasingly nervous.
Raina at that moment was more afraid that Sirona could see them like that than what he could do to her, which was in itself an equally bad thought, but her brain was racing so fast that she couldn't think clearly.
The grip he had on her jaw seemed to loosen a little but it was a short victory as she didn't expect Aesop to kiss her.
That only lasted a few moments and they separated.
The potions professor stared into her eyes and without giving her much quarter he kissed her again but it was much more aggressive.
This time Raina responded and kissed him back as her hands came to rest on his cheeks.
He tasted of firewhisky, and that flavour spread through her mouth.
Aesop growled at that and circled the girl's torso to press her closer against him.
Since she had become an auror, she had always noticed that there was some tension between the two of them because of how much they collided, but it was at that moment that she realized why.
Before he could deepen the kiss she pulled away abruptly which created the perfect opening to flee.
Being out of his reach she went downstairs with the tray in her hands as she tried to relax.

"Sirona, I've been trying to bring professor Sharp down for a long time but I can't...".

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him".

"Are you sure? I wouldn't mind trying again".

"Don't worry, go home and rest".

"Good night".

"Good night Raina".

After leaving the Three Broomsticks Raina ran towards her house and already inside she entered her room.
Sitting on her bed, all the tension she had built up hit her.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened and shame soon overtook her.
She couldn't look at his face again despite the fact that she hadn't been the one who had started it, but even so, that thought didn't stop bothering her the rest of the night.

Chapter 7

In the following weeks both behaved as if nothing had happened but on certain occasions those around them noticed some tension.
Raina had assured Professor Fig countless times that everything was fine but since he did not really believe it he tried to ask Professor Sharp just to receive the same answer.
As the issue was not going anywhere he decided to leave it be thinking that it would be fixed and it was a discussions about some nonsense they had between them.
The girl deeply thanked that he would finally have put that to rest for at least a time.
Ciara had been somewhat worried about her but she managed to convince her that everything was fine so the little girl stopped asking.
That made her feel bad but she was not willing to let Sharp scold her for trying to know what was happening and then if she had to face him everything would become much worse since neither of them would get out of there unharmed.
Raina approached the table where Ciara, Magnolia, Adeline, Blair, Tressa and Sage were to serve what they had asked.
They all looked very lively and commented on things that had happened to them during classes that day.

"Here you have girls, if you need something else call me".

The six thanked her and she approached the bar to see why Sirona was calling her.

"Yes?".

"Take this to the professors and when you go down please go get some new bottles".

"Of course".

Raina climbed the stairs, somewhat nervous but calmed down after crossing the door to see that only professor Fig and professor Hecat were there.
After leaving the drinks on the table and talking with them a few minutes she returned down and went to look for the bottles.
From there as she took them she could hear how her sister and friends said goodbye to Sirona and left for the school.
Upon returning she saw how Sirona had stopped in front of a wooden crate that was in the bar.

"What's that?".

"I don't know but Lodgok has told me before leaving that a boy has left this there and he ran out".

Raina left the bottles on the bar and approached the crate.
Inside there was a bag and inside there were other smaller ones.
When she opened them she saw that they were ingredients for potions and something white caught her attention.
After taking it she saw that it was a piece of parchment in which the direction of J. Pippin's Potions was written.

"It seems that the boy was wrong for the hurry he had, I will take it to Mr. Pippin".

"Perfect, as there are few customers I can take care of everything so when you finish there you can go home".

"Fine but tomorrow you won't get rid of me so easily".

The girl squeezed the hand of the woman and took the crate to go out.
At that time the streets were still quite full and she had to be careful that nothing fell when dodging a group of children who played in the middle of the road.
When she arrived to J. Pippin's Potions she knocked on the door and entered.

"Hello Mr. Pippin".

"Raina dear, who brings you here today?".

"I come to bring this, they have left it by accident in The Three Broomsticks".

He took the wooden crate and inspected its content to verify that there was nothing missing.

"Oh yes, this are the ingredients that professor Sharp ordered".

Her body tensed a few moments before the professor's mention but tried to hide it so that he did not notice.
Mr. Pippin spent a few moments in silence and looked at her.

"Could you take them to his class?".

Raina couldn't believe what had just heard.
On the occasion he had asked her to make little deliveries they were within the village but he had never asked her to take something at that time of the night.

"Are you bloody serious?".

He left the wooden crate in her hands.

"I will pay you 200 galleons if you go now".

"400 or I won't put a foot out of here".

Mr. Pippin sighed defeated and nodded.

"Fine, wait a moment...".

He spent a few minutes counting the coins with her and being sure that it was the right amount Raina took them and left.
The way to the castle was simple since she was in her broom after going through her house and changing clothes.
Inside she went straight to the class and saw that the door was closed what seemed strange since Sharp always used to be there at that time as she had heard for some students.
After knocking a few times and not get an answer she toured the place until she could find someone.
For her luck she found Mr. Moon.

"Good night Mr. Moon".

"Good night Raina, do you need something?".

"I'm looking for professor Sharp to deliver this to him but his class is closed".

"I think I saw him entering the faculty tower a few hours ago, you may be lucky there".

"Thank you so much".

"It has been a pleasure".

She said goodbye to the caretaker and went to the tower.
Being the first time she went there, it took a while for her to orient herself and went up until she stopped on the fourth floor in front of a door that had a showcase with a golden tortoise shell with jewels and to it's right a tower of cauldrons.
If that didn't screamed professor Sharp's room she didn't know what would.
Before knocking on the door she breathed deeply and hit the wood surface with her knuckles a couple of times.
A few minutes later there was no answer and called again.
After waiting for a long time, she thought about leaving since it seemed that he was not inside but before she could turn around to go to the stairs the door opened.
The eyes of the brown haired girl opened greatly when they saw Aesop.
He looked very pale and a thin layer of sweat covered his face.
She couldn't help worrying and approached a bit.

"Are you OK?".

"Better than ever, what do you want?".

"Mr. Pippin asked me to give you this because they left it by accident in The Three Broomsticks".

"I hope he had paid you to come here".

"Of course, I'm not stupid enough to be running errands at this time of night for free".

Aesop moved away from the door to let her enter.

"Come in and leave it on that table".

She after entering left the wooden crate on the table that he had indicated and stayed there for a moment observing the room that was somewhat dark despite the fireplace was on.
The walls had a golden diamond pattern and on each side of the room she could see several furniture and equipment to make potions as well as a feather that wrote alone on a scroll.
Raina saw that on the right there was an arch that took to the other part of the room but tried not to look much in case Sharp might get angry.

"I'm going to leave now, I don't want to distract you anymore".

Aesop sat slowly in the armchair that was next to the fire but before she could leave he stopped her .

"Raina wait".

She turned around and crossed her arms waiting.

"If you could go to my office and take the two vials of burning bitterot balm and the ingredients on the list next to the crate I would be very grateful".

She rubbed her chin for a few moments thinking what to do and sighed.

"Fine but I will need the key to enter".

"It's next to the list".

She took both things and went quickly to the dungeons.

 

Having ensured that everything was securely locked she returned to Aesop's room.
When she entered she realized that he was not where she had seen him before and closed the door.
Raina went through the arch that led to the other part of the room and stopped when she saw the cane that was against a table and the wheelchair.
She was aware of Sharp's limp but she never thought that he needed those things to move and that saddened her.
A grunt caught her attention and saw that he was sitting in the bed.
She approached him and handed him the vials.

"Should I leave this with the other ingredients?".

"No, bring them all here, I need to prepare more balm".

She did what was asked but when he was going to get up she stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to do it, you have to rest, you look worse than before".

He tried to refuse but when his eyes crossed her's he stopped.
She was looking at him as if at any moment she was going to cry for what he decided to listen to her.

"When you finish doing it you can use the vials of the box next to the fireplace and take a few, I am not the only one here who needs them...".

"Thank you".

Raina turned away from him and went to the fireplace to use the cauldron next to it while Sharp took the balm and lay on the bed under the sheets.
While she worked in the potion, she could hear how badly he was struggling and didn't blame him for leaving so early.
The pain of that kind of wounds was not easy to carry and they both knew it better than anyone.
If that had not happened to them, the two would remain aurors but it was already late to regret it.
After a few hours the potion was finally ready and she kept it where he had indicated.
Without having anything to do there Raina approached the bed and saw that Sharp was asleep and looked more relaxed.
She brushed a strand of hair away from his face, which made him slowly open his eyes.
Raina quickly pulled her hand away.

"Sorry I didn't want to wake you up...".

"Don't worry, I wasn't really sleeping".

"I've finished so I'm going home".

Aesop sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"I know I have no right to ask you this after what happened but I would like you to stay".

Raina's heart stopped a few moments and she felt that she had forgotten how to breathe.

"Of course you have no right but we will talk tomorrow because now I am too tired to discuss anything".

The girl took off her shoes staying barefoot and took a blanket before sitting on the couch that was next to Sharp's bed.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you break your back sleeping on that armchair?".

"I can also sleep on the floor, that has never been a problem".

Aesop ran his hand over his face and sighed.

"Come here".

He uncovered the side of the bed he was not occupying and Raina's face got red.
The professor tapped the mattress several times with his hand to get her to come closer.

"Come before I change my mind and really let you sleep on the floor".

Raina couldn't help but laugh nervously at this and walked over to the bed.
She knew he wouldn't do anything to her, which deep down made her feel safe.
Aesop turned around to face the wall to leave her some privacy.
She before getting into the bed turned off all the lights in the room except the fireplace and took her pants leaving her legs naked.
After getting under the sheets she took the opposite position to the wizard and the two stood back to back.

"Good night".

"Good night to you too".

They both closed their eyes and tried to fall asleep as best they could, trying not to get too close to each other or accidentally touch each other.

Chapter 8

The night passed more peacefully than both had expected and they surprisingly slept soundly.
When Raina woke up she saw that she was alone in bed for which she was tremendously grateful.
During the time that Aesop hadn't been there she had unconsciously hugged the other pillow and she buried her face in it.
She knew she should get up but she felt so comfortable that when she heard the bedroom door open she almost jumped out of bed and threw the pillow so hard that it ended up falling into the chair that was near her.
She got up and put on her pants and boots and she went to the other side of the room to see that Aesop had a covered tray in his hand.

"Look at that, you're already awake, good morning".

"Good morning".

"I left you some water so you can wash your face if you want".

"Thank you, it will be good for me to clear my head".

She walked over to the white porcelain sink and brushed her hair a little from her face.
After inserting a finger in the water she saw that it was still cold.
Careful not to splash everywhere, she drenched her face several times and dried it with one of the towels that hung from the side of the sink.
A little more awake and helped by the mirror she gathered her hair in a low ponytail and returned to the potions professor who was already drinking from his cup.
Raina sat down across from him and her eyes fell to the food in front of her.
Her breakfast consisted of a bowl of sweet porridge with apple and pear slices, diagonally cut toast with butter and peach jam, and a cup of black coffee.
The brown-haired girl spent a few minutes stirring the porridge trying to find something odd.

"There's no strawberry so don't worry, I made sure of it after what happened last time".

Raina's face turned slightly red when she remembered that incident since she was allergic to strawberries and she discovered it during a breakfast with her friends, Sharp and two other aurors.
At first everything seemed to be going well until she had to run to the bathroom with the greatest desire to throw up that she had ever felt.
Upon returning to her desk, everyone observed her condition horrified since her face was very red and her body was itchy, so she decided to go home to rest when she saw that she did not improve as the morning passed.
No one knew what could have gone wrong so she decided to try different foods but nothing triggered that reaction again until one afternoon her grandmother prepared a dessert that had strawberries.
After eating it nothing happened but a few minutes later she was already in the bathroom throw up again so she avoided eating strawberries ever since.
Although that somehow created some paranoia in her when it came to eating certain sweets and instead of buying them she chose to prepare them herself so as not to take risks.

"I'm glad you remembered, I wouldn't want to start the morning like that...".

The two began to eat without talking much as they did so until they were done with only the coffee left.
Both found that situation somewhat strange but relaxing since it had been a long time since the last time.

"I see you have slept well, how is your leg?".

"Much better thanks to you bringing me the balm".

"It wasn't really anything, if I managed to help you I'm happy with that".

She smiled and then drank some of her coffee.
Aesop got up from his seat and approached a table from which he picked up a metal box that he handed to the girl.

"I put several vials inside for you to have in case you need it, it's the least I can give you for your help".

"The truth is that I already needed some so I thank you, when I have some time I'll do more".

"It's always good to have because in our case you never know when you're going to need it".

"Exactly, don't you have class today?".

"I still have a few hours until my first class".

"Oh I see, well then I'm leaving, you'll have things to do and I don't want to keep you much longer".

"Don't worry about it, be careful on the way home".

"I'll have it, thanks for the breakfast".

Aesop shook his head slightly in response and watched as she left.
Outside, she rode on her broom and, careful not to drop the metal box, flew to Hogsmeade.
After entering her house she prepared some water.
After taking off her blouse, the same smell that was in the potions professor's bed reached her nostrils and she remained still for a few minutes until she realized that she had stuck the garment against her nose and embarrassed
she threw it to the ground.
She quickly proceeded to wash and dry and put on the clothes she used to work.
Before leaving she filled Comet's food and water and went to the Three Broomsticks.
As soon as Sirona saw her enter, she approached her.

"Raina darling what a scare you gave me, professor Sharp told me that you fainted last night when you went to bring him the ingredients".

"I don't know how it happened and I can't tell you much more because I don't remember anything...".

The older woman hugged her and she rested her cheek against her shoulder.
It hurt Raina to lie to her but she knew that if Sharp had told her that it was because he would have his own reasons, so she decided to play along.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, I didn't mean to".

"Don't worry, the important thing is that you're better now, are you sure you don't want to take the day off?".

Raina stepped away from the woman slightly and looked directly into her eyes.

"No, if I spend a single second in my house today I'm going to go crazy, I need to do something".

The two laughed at that and parted ways.

"Okay, okay, then get behind the bar while I go get some things".

"Aye Miss Ryan".

They laughed again and the youngest went behind the bar while she watched the other disappear to the side.
The afternoon had passed without incident and the flow of customers had been somewhat low but that did not discourage them.
In the moments that she was not taking orders to the tables, she took the opportunity to read for a while.
The book in question had been written and published by her parents some time before they disappeared.
Evangeline and Lucian Evermont had always had an insane curiosity to investigate and discover ruins trying to find out if they had belonged to members of the wizarding world.
The last time she had seen them she was nineteen years old and Ciara was only two so the little girl could hardly remember them and she had only seen them in photographs.
For Raina, things were different because despite all the years that had passed, she still had the hope that one day they would return, but when the word "jungle" appeared in any sentence that had to do with them, things seemed unlikely.
She blinked several times as she looked away from the book and saw that Sirona was calling out to her.
After placing the bookmark so she wouldn't forget the page she was reading she stuffed the little book into her skirt pocket and approached her boss.

"Something wrong?".

"This has come for you".

Sirona handed her a letter and she returned to the fire.
The brown-haired girl looked at the envelope strangely and after opening it she instantly recognized professor Sharp's handwriting.
After reading it several times she placed it on her lap and rested her palms against her cheeks wondering what to do.
Sharp wanted to meet her at the docks outside the Hog's Head Inn when she finished work.
They both had things to talk about and she thought it was a good place to do it since it didn't tend to be very frequented unless the place was completely full.
Having made her decision, she put the letter away along with the book and got up to attend to the two tables that had been occupied in a matter of seconds.

 

Before going to her meeting with Sharp, she went to her house to get dressed in something more suitable since, no matter how comfortable what she wore to work was, it seemed to her something disastrous for that type of situation.
After freshening up a bit she dressed in a white blouse that had bishop style sleeves and fitted comfortably at the wrists, dark blue pants, black boots and on top of all that a long black vest.
With a somewhat hesitant step she made her way to the docks as she wrapped a small lock of her hair around one of her fingers.
On that occasion she had decided to leave it loose since she had been wearing it up all day.
When she arrived at the indicated place, she saw that Sharp had not yet arrived, so she leaned against one of the wooden posts to wait.
The sky was clear that night and she could see a lot of stars and she amused herself trying to find a constellation.
She could hear the footsteps of someone approaching and turning her head in that direction she saw Sharp.

"Sorry I'm late".

"I've only recently arrived so don't worry".

The ex-auror stopped in front of her and offered her a flask.
When she opened it, she immediately knew what it was and she did not hesitate to take several drinks.

"What did you want to talk about?".

Aesop also drank from the flask and spent a few moments in silence.
Raina knew that it must be something important since the professor's face looked very serious.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened that night, I wasn't in control and I'm sorry I bothered you like that".

"I must admit that I was surprised that you could move, the bottle was almost empty".

"You're not the only one surprised, I find it hard to believe it too and I find it strange that you didn't hit me".

"I thought about doing it but I knew that I would gain nothing by doing it, after all you have much more strength than me and if I had it at some point because of my shoulder injury that disappeared forever".

"We both have to bear the consequences, nobody said that being an auror was a bed of roses".

"You can say that, yeah...".

"Now at least we don't have to worry about imminent death anymore".

"Something good had to come out of it".

The girl placed her hand on the professor's shoulder and smiled slightly.

"I forgive you because I know you did it with no intention of harming me, although to be honest I never thought kissing you would be so aggressive".

At her words Aesop sighed and passed his hand over his face.
He never expected something like this to happen but he was even more relieved that she had forgiven him.
The two looked at each other and for a few moments they felt that tension return and tried to change the subject to avoid doing something they might regret.
She drank some more from the flask and they continued talking until they heard someone approaching.
At first they couldn't quite see who it was until Rookwood appeared before them.

"There you are Raina, I've been looking for you, we still haven't been able to finish the conversation we left pending".

She pushed herself away from the wooden post and crossed her arms.
It seemed absurd to her that he had dared to approach her while she was with Sharp.

"There's nothing I have to discuss with you Victor and if you'd be so kind I'd like you to leave, we're kind of busy here".

The dark wizard moved closer to them.

Almost as if in sync she and Sharp drew their wands and pointed them at the other wizard who raised his hands slightly.

"Come on, come on, there's no need to be like that, it'll only take a few minutes and you'll be back safe and sound".

The change in expression on Raina's face was all it took for Aesop to realize how scared she was and he couldn't help but cling closer to her.

"You'd better listen to the lady and leave".

Rookwood chuckled and straightened his coat sleeve.

"You say that as if I'm going to listen to what a cripple has to say".

The two at the mention of that word tensed considerably as anger rose in them.

"Victor, get out of here or I swear I'll scream so loud that they will hear me even at school and they'll put you in Azkaban...".

"Damn woman, you are difficult, it's okay, I'll leave but don't think that this is over, you won't be able to escape forever...".

Said that, he started to walk away but it was a trick since he casted depulso at Raina causing her to fly and fall into the water.
This caught her so off guard that she thought she was going to drown from the large amount of water she swallowed.
While she was fighting the water, professor Sharp confronted Rookwood.
The dark wizard had underestimated him since in a matter of minutes he made him regret having cast that spell.
Wounded he ran away like a beaten dog while Aesop helped Raina out of the water.
She threw up a large amount of water and she wouldn't stop coughing because every time she breathed her chest hurt.

"Bloody...bastard...I'm...going...to...kill him...".

"Calm down, calm down, he ran away but I don't think it's the last we see of him".

"I know...".

Aesop helped her to her feet and they carefully made the slow, winding path to the girl's house.
The air of that time of year made her tremble from head to toe, so it was a priority that she change her clothes so as not to fall ill.
They were both relieved to see the house in the distance and tried to hurry to the front door.

Chapter 9

Fine wisps of steam rose from the bathwater as Raina finished bathing.
Initially she hadn't noticed the smell that the water had left on her clothes until she had taken them off.
The cough had disappeared but she still felt a little upset.
After getting out of the tub and drying herself completely, she opened the window and used the drying charm to get rid of the water.
After closing it, she left the bathroom and went to her room to get dressed.
Without giving much thought to what she would wear, she pulled out a pair of pants and a blouse from the closet.
Before leaving the room she put on the shoes she used to be around the house and tied her hair into a low ponytail.
When she got to the living room Raina saw that Aesop had been sitting by the fire next to which he had left his coat to dry.
When he saw her, he got up.

"How do you feel?".

"Much better thanks, at least I hardly cough anymore, the hot water has been fabulous".

"I am glad to hear that".

The potions professor walked over to his coat and lightly touched the garment to check that it was still slightly wet.
Raina walked to the archway that led from the living room to the hallway.

"I'm going to prepare something to eat, are you hungry?".

"Something hot will be good to finish taking the cold off our bodies".

The two went to the kitchen and Raina found all the ingredients.
A soup or stew would be perfect at that time.

"If you want to drink something with dinner, there are some bottles in the door to the left coming out of the kitchen".

Aesop nodded slightly and after opening that door he used lumos to see inside.
It was a rather small space but the walls were lined with shelves of food.
What he was looking for was at the bottom and he spent several minutes inspecting the bottles.
Half were firewhisky and the other half were different types of wine.
The potions professor grabbed a bottle of wine and left to return to the kitchen.
Raina had finally opted to make soup and she was stirring the contents of the pot from time to time.

"How do you like this wine?".

She looked at the bottle and smiled.

"That's one of my favorites, I think you'll like it, the glasses are in that cupboard".

The girl pointed to one of the two cabinets that had carved flowers and he took two wine glasses from inside.
She took hers and took a sip after tasting the broth.

"Do you think it lacks salt?".

Raina scooped up some of the soup and brought it to the ex-auror's lips.
He spent a moment savoring it and moved his head slightly.

"It's perfect".

"I'll let it cook a while longer and we can eat it".

For the next few minutes they both continued to drink from their glasses without knowing what to say.
When the soup was ready Raina served it on plates and they ate at the kitchen table since it didn't make sense to go to the dining room with only two people.
The two were grateful for the hot plate that managed to take away the cold that was left on them.

"I have to admit that for the first time that I've eaten something you've cooked, it was delicious".

"I'm glad you liked it but it's not the first time you've eaten something from me, do you remember those chocolate biscuits that had a blue flower on top?".

"Did you make them? I liked them so much that I spent weeks looking for them".

"I didn't tell you because it made me a little embarrassed...".

Aesop chuckled and drank some wine.

"Poor little Raina, shy as always".

"You know how I am I can't help it".

The brown haired girl smiled slightly as her face turned red and she finished the contents of her glass.

"Would it be too much trouble if you could make those biscuits again?".

"Not at all, it's been a long time since I prepared them".

"Obviously I'll give you something you need in exchange for them".

The ex-auror picked up the two empty glasses and set them down near the sink so they wouldn't fall over before leaning against the counter in front of Raina.

"No need, I'd be happy to give them to you".

"I insist, it would not seem fair to me".

"Well, if you're going to get like that, I have no choice but to accept...".

She didn't know if it was because of the wine that it was giving her courage or not but she smiled mischievously.
In the blink of an eye Aesop approached her and cornered her between his body and the table.
Raina instinctively trying to go back ended up sitting on the wooden surface.

"I have several options but I don't know which could be the most appropriate".

"Maybe this will help you...".

She grabbed the professor's tie and pulled it down to kiss him.
As soon as their lips touched, he rested his hands on the table.
Aesop was very surprised as he never thought that she would do something like that.
Soon the kiss became deeper and the breathing of both could be heard clearly in the room.
Raina moved her hands to either side of the ex-auror's face and buried some of her fingers in his hair, making him growl slightly.
In response he placed his hands on her hips and pressed himself closer against her.
Despite the fact that both began to notice the lack of air, neither wanted to break the kiss.
The feeling of being so close together was intoxicating and addictive.
In the silence of the house, the grandfather clock that she had in the hallway began to ring loudly.
That told them that it was already quite late and they should probably retire to rest.
Before separating, the brown-haired man bit Raina's lower lip lightly, causing her to moan against him.
They both tried to catch their breath and she couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

"I think I should go now, I have class early tomorrow and it would be unfortunate if I fell asleep".

"Of course, I'll walk you to the door".

She got off the table and they walked down the hall until they reached the entrance and she handed him his already dry coat.
Sharp opened the door but before he could get out she took his hand.

"I almost forgot, I wanted to thank you for helping me with Rookwood, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there...".

"I wasn't going to let that lunatic get his hands on you".

Raina hugged him tightly and rested her head against his chest.
Aesop took a few moments but he also hugged her.

"I already told you when you were in the hospital and I'll repeat it again, whatever happens, don't hesitate to ask me for help".

"Thank you".

He kissed the young woman's forehead and they remained like that for a few more minutes until she let go and kissed him again.

"Good night Aesop".

The mention of his name sent a small shiver down his spine since he wasn't used to her saying it.

"Good night Raina".

She smiled and her cheeks flushed slightly pink.
When the potions professor came out into the street he stopped and before Raina's eyes he disappeared.
She closed the door and made sure it was locked properly before turning off all the lights in the house and going to her room.
Already in bed she found it impossible to stop smiling at what had happened but she tried to sleep as much as she could.

Chapter 10

Early in the morning while Raina was having breakfast someone knocked urgently on her door so she decided to see who it was.
When she opened it, Sirona hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay, when I found out what happened I came right away to see you".

She returned the hug and they spent several minutes on the threshold of the door until they went to the kitchen.

"Did you have breakfast?".

"I haven't had time, I came here straight away".

Raina served her the same thing she was having and they sat across from each other.

"I knew something like this could happen at any moment, but that doesn't make it less scary".

"It was lucky Professor Sharp was there to help you".

"With everything that is happening lately I feel happy that fortune has smiled on me".

"You are both safe and sound so thanks are due for that".

They both ate what was on their plates to prevent it from getting colder.
Between mouthfuls they commented on some of the rumors that had been heard in the area lately, although the next one seemed more ridiculous than the previous, so they couldn't help but laugh on some occasions.

"I honestly don't know how people come up with those kinds of things but some of them are crazy enough to be true".

"I agree with you on that, but who knows, nowadays anything can happen, especially when it comes to our world".

"That's why you always have to be careful and now more than ever".

"Let's hope this all ends soon, things can get much worse and that's what terrifies me the most".

"They're not going to win, I'm sure of it".

"Well, let's hope you're right, my little one".

Raina covered Sirona's hand with her own and gave it a squeeze.

"It is not the first time that we have had to go through this throughout our history but that is why we must not lose hope".

"You always know what to say".

The brown-haired girl laughed and waved her hand slightly to deny those words.

"Not at all, most of the time I don't even know what I'm saying".

The owner of the Three Broomsticks pinched her cheek and smiled.

"You know I'm telling the truth, don't underestimate yourself so much".

She wanted to continue refuting those statements but Comet's powerful meow caught their attention.
The caramel-colored cat jumped up on the table and with his paw demanded that Raina pet him.

"You disappear for a couple of days and now demanding pampering".

Comet climbed up to his owner's shoulder and began to rub against the side of her face causing her to laugh and take him in her arms to caress him.

"Okay, okay...".

While the two talked a little more, she continued to pet the cat until it got off her lap and went to eat and drink some water before lying on his bed.
Sirona got up from her seat and helped her friend clean everything.

"Thank you for breakfast, it was delicious".

"You don't have to say thank you, this is your house and you know that both Ciara and I are here for whatever you need".

"Same to you".

"Will you go back to the inn now?".

"Yes, I have to open and don't worry, today you can stay at home".

Raina's face frowned slightly but she stopped her.

"Ah, ah, I don't want any buts or complaints, you will stay here and rest".

"Okay, but I don't promise you anything, maybe later in the afternoon I'll go for a walk".

"Promise you'll be careful".

"I promise, I don't want you to worry, I'll be fine".

"I don't want to have to be telling you off".

The two laughed and hugged each other until Sirona had to leave.
Alone in the house followed by Comet, she began to collect everything that was out of place until she reached her room in the attic.
So that the cat would not climb where it should not, she took him in her arms and after entering her room, she left him on the bed that she had not made.
Seeing all the chaos that was in the room, she sighed somewhat frustrated and began to clean up the worst of everything.
Comet lay on the bed enjoying the sunbeams coming through the circular roof window and yawned.
Raina crouched down next to him and stroked him again.

"I wish I could be as carefree as you and have nothing to do, but life is like that and I can't change it...".

The animal rubbed the side of his head against her palm and purred which caused her to smile.
After pulling herself together a bit, she got up.
In one corner were two cauldrons that still contained the remains of some of the potions she had prepared and very carefully she levitated them and took them with her to the backyard.
Her eyes kept moving between the two cauldrons and the water she had placed next to them.
With a simple spell they would be clean in a second but for some reason she felt that she had to clean them by hand so she got to it.
It had been a somewhat tedious task but that distracted her and made several hours go by without her noticing so she returned inside with the two already cleaned cauldrons to continue cleaning what was left.

 

As at the beginning she had told Sirona she went for a walk but soon that initial idea changed and she ended up collecting ingredients in the forest.
She had brought with her a basket and inside it some little bags to store herbs and some jars in case she needed them.
With each thing she picked she opened her notebook and noted down various things to put away later.
Having collected everything she thought necessary and documented it, she sat against a stump and looked up at the sky.
Her thoughts began to wander without her noticing and soon images of the night spent with Aesop washed over her.
Somewhat heated, she covered her face with her hands and shook her head slightly.
Raina couldn't believe something like this was happening.
When she met the ex-auror, she confessed to Sarah somewhat embarrassed about what she felt for him, something for which the fair-haired girl teased her.
Without fail Raina would get angry every time she did it and she couldn't help but laugh until on one occasion when they were being somewhat rowdy Sharp scolded them.
From that moment on, the times that Sarah commented on it were reduced, but it was evident to her that her friend was not the only one who had fallen.
It may have been her imagination since no one seemed to notice it but she saw the way he looked at Raina on a few occasions and wondered if she should tell her friend.
She wasn't going to be the one to spoil everything and complicate things, but in the end she decided not to, thinking that it would be the best for both of them.
If something had to happen, it seemed more appropriate that they both figure it out for themselves.
The snap of a branch breaking snapped her out of her thoughts and caused her to jump up quickly and draw her wand.
From among the trees came a girl with blond hair.
Raina recognized her immediately.
She worked directly with Rookwood along with Hawlor, if he was the boss's right hand she was the left.

"Wow, Siofra, I didn't expect to see you around here".

"Can't say the same for you my dear, as predictable as ever".

"At least I don't get down on my knees to lick Rookwood's boots".

Siofra laughed, moved closer to her and began to circle around her.

"You'd be surprised to know that's not all I do but that's not what I'm here for".

Raina raised her wand and frowned.
Siofra smiled widely.

"Don't worry I won't hurt you, I just want to talk".

"We can talk perfectly from where you were".

The dark witch stopped again in front of her.

"I'll tell you what we'll do little Evermont, I'll sit on the stump and we can talk quietly".

"Why should I listen to you?".

"Let's say you should if you don't want something to happen to your dear sister...".

"You're a wretch".

"I love when you give me compliments".

"Tell me what you want to talk about so that I can leave and stop suffering from your presence".

"Okay, okay, you're biting today".

"Considering what your boss could have done to me last night, my hostility towards you is understandable".

"Ah yes, I found out this morning about what happened, although it was lucky that Sharp was there to save you, I have to admit that you have good taste, if it weren't for the fact that he hates me with all his soul, I might have tried to get closer to him" .

The expression on Raina's face turned more serious than before.

"Get closer to him and it will be the last thing you do, not because of what I can do to you, but because of what he could do".

"Don't worry darling you can keep it to yourself, I just need you to help me with a matter I have in hand and if you do I'll make Rookwood leave you alone for a while".

"I don't need help for that".

"That's what you say but we already saw how it turned out".

"It's something that won't happen again".

"Never say never, when he sets his mind to something it's almost impossible to stop him".

"Like you care what happens to me".

"You're right, I don't care, but you'll be something less that he can be distracted by".

The two were silent for a long time and Raina lowered her wand after sighing.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this...".

"Good girl".

"Tell me what the hell you need".

"I need you to find some ingredients so I can brew a potion".

"And why don't you go look for them yourself?".

"If it were that easy I wouldn't be asking you, Harlow keeps an eye on me most of the time. and talking to you now is a risk I'm taking".

"What a pity...".

Siofra gave a half smile and got up from her stump.

"If you get them I'll make Rookwood leave you alone for as long as possible and you'll have one less worry on that little head of yours".

Raina's head was spinning and she kept thinking over and over what she was about to do but if she thought coldly about it, the opportunity to be out of Rookwood's sights seemed most attractive to her.

"Do you have a list of the ingredients?".

Siofra took a small scroll from the inside pocket of her vest and tossed it to the brown-haired girl.

"There it is, you have time to think about what you want to do but know that the sooner I have the ingredients, the sooner you will get rid of Victor".

Raina picked it up and put it back in her basket before walking away from her and leaving the other woman alone.
As she watched Raina disappear, she couldn't help but smile in a sinister way, after which she returned to her camp.

Chapter 11

A week had passed since the meeting of the two women in the forest and Raina was still worried.
She managed to hide it pretty well so no one around her noticed but she knew that at some point she would have to tell someone.
A slight tug on the sleeve of her blouse brought her out of her thoughts.
Sirona held an envelope in her hand and handed it to her to return downstairs.
The brown-haired girl opened the envelope and read the letter inside.
When she finished she went to find Sirona.

"Professor Fig has invited me over for tea".

"You can leave for a few hours, don't worry".

"Thank you, I'll be back as soon as I'm done".

"Have a good time".

Raina smiled and after leaving her apron hanging where she usually put it she left the inn.
Before going to the castle she quickly ran home to change into something more decent as she didn't think it was appropriate to show up in the clothes she wore to work.
After a few minutes in front of the wardrobe she chose a purple blouse and a black skirt.
In front of the mirror she touched up her hair slightly and left the house.
With a light step she set off towards the castle and once inside she stopped.
For some reason she couldn't remember exactly where Fig's class was, as she hadn't been in that part of the castle for quite some time and felt a little lost.
As she turned a corner she ran into Leah and Ominis.
The red-haired girl greeted her and they stopped in front of her.

"Hi Raina, what brings you here?".

"I'm looking for Professor Fig's class".

"I could take you there if you want but we're looking for Sebastian".

"Oh don't worry, I can find it on my own".

Ominis shifted slightly from his spot and pulled out his wand.

"Leah go with her, we can meet in front of the great hall to keep looking".

"Are you sure?".

"Absolutely, Raina needs help and it won't take you long to get there".

"Alright Ominis, see you in a bit".

The two said goodbye to the Slytherin and Leah led her through the corridors.
Along the way they chatted until they reached the classroom door.

"It's here, Professor Fig is probably in his office, do you mind if I come in for a moment?".

"Not at all, I'm not in a hurry so I don't mind waiting a bit".

The girl nodded smiling and went into the classroom.
A few minutes later she saw her return.

"You can go now, I didn't tell him you were here, so he'll be surprised".

They both laughed and Raina lightly ruffled her hair.

"Thanks Leah, good luck finding Sebastian, say hi to him for me".

"It was nothing".

The red-haired girl gave her hand a light squeeze and as she repositioned her hair she set off on her way back.
Raina opened the door to the Magical Theory classroom and saw that the room was empty.
Given the time of day it was normal and she didn't hesitate to go in and head towards the teacher's office.
In front of the door she knocked several times and Fig's voice could be heard on the other side.
She opened the ornate wooden door and saw the professor behind his desk placing a small mountain of papers.

"Good afternoon professor".

"Go ahead Raina, come in, come in".

She closed the door behind her back and stepped further into the office.

"I'm glad to see you've decided to accept my invitation, tea is almost ready".

"It wasn't something I could refuse".

She laughed lightly and Fig smiled.
The two sat down in front of the fireplace.
It was beginning to get a little chilly so the warmth of the fire was comforting.
After a few minutes of silence the tea was ready and the professor poured it into two cups.
He pointed to a tray for her to pour whatever she wanted into the tea and handed her the cup.

"Professor Sharp told me about what happened with Rookwood, your sister said something in passing but until he confirmed it I wasn't sure about it, it had to be something terrible".

"Yes it was but I was lucky to meet Mr. Sharp at the time, I shudder to think what could have happened...".

Raina tried her best not to blush at the mention of Aesop and drank from her cup.

"His gang has become a big problem".

"A pretty big one, not only do you have to worry about the thefts and threats now you have to add the capture and sale of magical creatures, they are extremely despicable beings to do something like that".

For the next few minutes the conversation continued to be about Rookwood but gradually took a different path and they ended up talking about Aesop.

"I'm really glad to see you two getting along so much better now".

"We've always had our arguments since he was my mentor when I was an auror but it's something I'm used to by now and when it happens they don't usually last long".

Raina wasn't noticing because she was looking at the fire as she spoke but Fig had rested his chin on the palm of his hand and was listening to her with a smile on his lips.
He had long suspected that there was probably something going on between them and the way she talked about him told him all he needed to know to confirm that it wasn't his imagination.
Professor Sharp had always been very reserved when it came to talking about Raina and preferred not to dwell on her but on the other hand Raina seemed very happy whenever she talked about him.
Abruptly the witch stopped talking and covered her mouth with her hand to avoid uttering another word as she realised what she was doing.
Her face turned bright red and she avoided meeting the Magical Theory professor's gaze.

"Sorry, I could talk all day if you'd let me".

"Don't worry, everything you say in this office will stay here, I promise".

She sighed a little more relieved but still didn't look at Fig.
He quickly changed the subject and started talking about something he knew she was interested in and soon they were both energetically discussing various topics while drinking another cup of tea.

 

At last the hustle and bustle in the Three Broomsticks had died down and there was hardly anyone left as it wasn't long before closing time.
In the professors private room the only one left was Sharp and Raina went upstairs to take him his last drink of the night to which Sirona added another for her after winking at her.
She didn't think much of it and went up the stairs.
With every step she took her nerves were slowly eating away at her as she still didn't know how she was going to tell him about what happened with Siofra.
After entering the room she closed the door and left the tray on the table.

"Long day?".

"Except for the hours I spent drinking tea with Professor Fig, yeah it's been".

The brown-haired girl sat down next to Sharp, sighed and let her hair down.
She was quite tired that day and she was beginning to notice it.

"Did you have tea with Fig?".

"He invited me over this afternoon and I spent a couple of hours with him, I always find him very interesting to talk to he never seems to run out of topics of conversation".

Aesop chuckled and drank from his glass.
She took hers and took several gulps before resting her head on the wizard's shoulder.

"Aesop".

"Yes?".

The witch took his hand and gave it a squeeze which made him notice that she was trembling slightly.
Aesop set the two glasses back on the table and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"What's wrong?".

"Something has happened but I can't tell if it's a problem or not...".

Before letting her continue he used colloportus to close the door and another spell to prevent anyone outside the room from hearing what was said inside.

"Now you can tell me no one else will be able to hear".

Raina nodded and took a slightly more comfortable position on the blue couch after covering her lap with the blanket that rested on the backrest.

"Do you remember Siofra Doyle?".

"Of course I remember her, she and her uncle were in the ambush that was set up for us".

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and she clenched her fists tightly.
Aesop noticed this and covered her hands with his own.

"Are you sure it was her?".

"A scar like the one on her face is not easy to forget".

He was right about that, the scar the blonde girl had next to her eye was quite recognisable.

"She didn't do anything to us, she disappeared shortly after the attack began when her uncle died and I haven't heard from her since".

"She's working for Rookwood now, she's next in command after Harlow".

"How do you know that?".

"I met her in the forest while gathering some herbs and she proposed a deal to me".

Aesop's brow furrowed slightly.

"What deal?".

"Siofra told me that if I gave her some ingredients from the list she gave me she would keep Rookwood away from me".

The two stood in silence for a few minutes and drank from their glasses.

"That doesn't make sense, why would she risk her skin against him for a few ingredients?".

"I don't know, I've been thinking for a while whether to meet with her or not".

"I assume you have the ingredients ready".

"Of course".

"If you end up going to meet her I'll go with you".

"I don't think that's a good idea Aesop".

"You're not going alone to meet that wretch".

Raina smiled slightly and froze as she saw how intensely Sharp was looking at her.

"I don't care if they compare me to a guard dog, I won't let them hurt you".

Aesop intertwined his fingers with hers and moved slightly closer.
She didn't know what to say, it was as if someone had punched her throat and nullified her ability to speak.
Her face grew redder and redder, and finally she hid it against his shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around her and let her lie there for several minutes until she broke away.

"It's going to sound a little bit forward but I'd like you to come with me when we close the inn".

"Did you miss me that much?".

Raina said nothing but blushed violently again.
The ex-auror effortlessly moved her from her place on the couch and sat her on his lap.
She was a little startled and tried not to put her weight on him but it was in vain and she wanted to protest but she couldn't.
Soon his lips were on hers and all the tension and tiredness of the day seemed to disappear.
They were so focused on each other that when someone knocked at the door they were startled.
They both laughed and got up from the couch.

"I'll wait for you there".

"Perfect".

She kissed him again when he had reverted the spells and waited a few minutes before coming downstairs with the tray and glasses.

Chapter 12

The tray carrying breakfast floated gently in front of Raina as she carried it into the room down the hall from Ciara's.
In theory, that room was supposed to be for visitors, but in the end she turned it into her secondary room for when she didn't feel like going up to the attic.
After passing the doorway she stopped and watched the scene unfolding in front of her.
Comet had climbed into bed and without a moment's thought lay down on Aesop's lap to continue sleeping.

"He seems to have taken a liking to you, that's a good sign".

"Do you think so?".

"He doesn't usually go near people outside the house, the only exception is Sirona and now you from what I can see".

Raina climbed onto the bed and set the tray on it.

"You had him with you when you were going to Hogwarts?".

"He wasn't born yet, my pet during those years was his mother Artemis who looked exactly like Comet and his sister Ossa my aunt's cat but she had different coloured eyes".

"I think I heard Edgar and Sarah mention that name once at the Ministry, I never thought it would belong to a cat".

"I've always liked giving my animals names like that".

Aesop settled a little more on the bed and slightly raised the pillow he was leaning on.
The brown-haired witch drank from her cup before offering him something to eat.

"Still warm?".

"Warm enough that you can eat it without burning yourself".

She sighed in relief and ate as well.
The two of them remained silent listening to the cat's purring from time to time.
Raina was still surprised by the animal's behaviour as it was the first time it had acted like this towards someone he had just met.
This indicated to her that there was something special about Aesop, but she didn't know exactly what it was.
Comet then stretched and yawned before getting up and approaching his owner.
She wanted to pet him but instead had to quickly stop him from taking what she was eating.

"You know you can't eat this if you don't want the same thing to happen to you as last time".

Comet meowed in response and tried to take it again.
Raina put it in her mouth to stop him and took the hairy animal in her arms as she chewed.
The professor watched the whole thing trying not to laugh, as he seemed to be watching a mother trying to convince her child not to do something.
Soon after, she got up to carry Comet out of the room.
Careful not to drop him she went downstairs and set him down on the sofa and then came back up.

"Sometimes he's a bit of a pain when there's food around and I've tried a thousand times but it seems the more I push him away the harder he tries to do it".

"When the food is good, it's a little hard to resist".

After saying those words Raina noticed how he scanned her with his eyes and she couldn't help blushing.
In an attempt to clear her head she sat down in front of her mirror and pulled her hair back into a braid.
Careful not to knock anything over she carried the breakfast tray and set it on the wooden surface in front of the mirror.

"Feeling better?".

"Kind of tired but at least it doesn't hurt anymore".

She returned to the bed and sat against the headboard resting her head on the wizard's shoulder.
He covered her hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"I'm sorry".

Raina lifted her head and looked at Sharp somewhat confused.

"Why?".

"I know you invited me over for something last night and I messed it up because of what happened".

The night hadn't been easy for both of them as shortly after entering the room Aesop brought his hand to his leg and his face twitched in pain.
Raina was quick enough to grab a potion that could help him but it was still a rather distressing few hours.
It was the second time she'd seen him this bad in some time and she knew he wasn't a big fan of people he cared about seeing him like this.
It broke her heart every time she thought about it.
Every time she looked at him she felt an immense urge to cry, but he squeezed her hand with all the strength he could muster in those agonising moments as she told him that everything would be fine and the pain would soon go away.

"You know how unpredictable these things are, one minute you're fine and the next it feels like you're caught in a storm, we both know that better than anyone...".

She intertwined her fingers with his and kissed the back of his hand.
She looked up at him with a small smile on her lips that brought out her dimples but he didn't look entirely reassured.

"I'm only going to tell you this once and never again".

Raina sat up and stayed on her knees on the bed before approaching Aesop again.
He stood very still because he didn't know what she was going to do.
Gently she rested her hands on either side of his face and kissed his forehead in the most tender way he had ever experienced.

"I'm always going to help you no matter what, it's the burden we have to carry for the path we have chosen to walk so don't feel bad about it because I wouldn't change a single second whether it was good or bad".

The brown-haired girl hugged him, pressing his head against her chest.
The potions professor froze for a few moments, not knowing what to do, but soon closed his eyes and just listened to her heartbeat.
Unlike other times, this time the pulse was calm and in a way it relaxed him.
The two of them could have stayed like this for a long time but Raina could hear someone knocking at the front door.
Aesop didn't want to let her go but the knocking became more insistent.

"I'd better go, I'm afraid they might break the door down".

She laughed as she got up and covered herself in something more presentable before leaving the room.
Just before she closed the door Comet came running in and lay back down on Sharp's lap purring happily.
If she could have killed the person who had knocked on the door she would have, not for the fact that they had knocked but for the fact that they had kept her standing there for almost an hour.
The witch had nothing against her neighbour, but on certain occasions she decided to appear at rather inopportune moments.
When the woman finally left, she ran to the pantry to drop off what she had brought and returned to the room.
Seeing Comet back on the wizard's lap she laughed.

"I think he likes you too much".

He smiled slightly and petted the animal.

"I prefer that to him trying to scratch or bite me with every opportunity he gets".

Comet lifted his head and went to the foot of the bed for her to pet him as well.
Raina picked him up with her right arm and began to give him kisses while talking all kinds of nonsense to him in the same kind of voice you would use to talk to a small child.
Sharp was glad that she was comfortable acting like that in front of him as that was something she only did in front of people she trusted behind closed doors.

"I'm going to take the little guy back downstairs, do you want me to run you a bath?".

"Please, if it's no bother I'd really appreciate it".

"It's no trouble at all, you ask and I'll do it, after all we all deserve to be treated this well by others".

Before she left she blew him a kiss and he could hear her giggling down the corridor.

 

When Raina came down the stairs and into the living room she saw that Aesop was reading.

"How do I look?".

As soon as he laid eyes on her he didn't know what to say.
It was as if he had been hit in the chest and his speech had been disabled so he just gesticulated trying to convey what he wanted to say.
She found the moment quite adorable as it wasn't often that the potions professor behaved in such a manner.

"I was thinking of going for a walk on the beach, would you join me?".

At last what seemed to have stopped inside the wizard kicked in and he got up from the sofa.

"It's a nice day so we can go without fear of rain".

"I promise we won't walk far, it will only be a little while".

"We can stay there as long as you want".

"Really?".

Aesop nodded and chuckled when he saw how happy she had become.
Without wasting another second they left the house and after making sure it was securely locked they both disappeared.
Aesop tried hard that day to make sure that the image of Raina wearing that beautiful dress full of little flowers and her wind-blown hair would remain in his memory until the moment he died.
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and every time she looked at him laughing as if she was having the best day of her life he felt immensely happy.
Unfortunately for him that happiness was slightly crushed by doubts that were growing bigger and bigger as time went on but that was something he stopped thinking about for a few moments when she walked up to him and handed him something before walking away again.
When Sharp opened his hand he saw that it was a small shell that she had cleaned so it wouldn't make his hand dirty and he couldn't help but smile.
As he examined the small brown shell he sat down on a more or less flat stone and enjoyed watching her run around and keep looking for more shells in the sand.

Chapter 13

The corridor leading to the potions class was empty, which reassured Raina as she walked through it.
Rumours were a very dangerous thing so she was always very careful in everything she did or said.
When she got to the classroom the door was closed and she did not know whether Aesop was inside the class or not.
He heard the door open and looked up and smiled slightly as he saw Raina standing in the doorway.

"May I come in?".

"Hello, yes of course come in".

She closed the door and approached, leaving what she had brought with her on the table and moved closer to him.
Aesop sat her on one of the arms of the chair and wrapped his arms around her waist.
The brown-haired girl kissed him and leaned her head against his.

"What do you need?".

"I just wanted to see you and Ciara told me you didn't show up during lunch at the Great Hall so I thought I'd also bring you something to eat".

"Thanks, I've got so much to do that I don't even know what time it is".

Sharp put the papers down on the side of the table so nothing would happen to them and she handed him what she had brought.
As he opened it she noticed that on the other side of the table there were quite a few potions.
As she approached she saw that they all had a name tag on them and she took the one closest to her.

"You've been making Edurus potion today in class?".

"Indeed, but I haven't had a chance to examine them properly yet".

"Do you mind if I do it while you eat and finish the other stuff? I don't want you to have to spend the rest of the afternoon sitting there, you need some time to rest too Aesop".

The potions professor stood up and limped over to her.
Raina turned to him and rested her hand on the table waiting for his next move.
What she didn't expect was for him to cup her cheek with his hand and stroke it lightly before walking over to his office.
Raina watched as he returned with a handful of papers and left them next to the potions.

"If you want to do this, just write down what you're asked".

Her face lit up and she kissed his cheek before taking the first potion.
During the time she was examining them Aesop glanced at her from time to time and noticed her deep concentration.
He found it admirable that she put so much effort into a task that was not her duty, though if he thought about it she had always been that way since they had met.
After finishing writing something on one of the papers she put it down on top of the pile and then placed the potion back where it had been.

"I'm sure you're pleased with the fifth year students, some of them from what I've seen have impressive potions skills".

"Yes they do, but that's what I expect of all my students, they have to come out of here well prepared as you never know what might happen out there".

"I totally agree, but with teachers like you I don't think they'll have much of a problem".

"Let's hope so".

Sharp got up and walked over to the papers she had been filling and for several minutes went through everything again.

"Is everything all right?".

"More than perfect, good job".

"Thank you".

He picked up the potions and put them all away in a wooden drawer that had a compartment for each one after leaving the papers in his office.

"Thanks to you for your help, now I don't have to worry about it anymore".

"You know I'm happy to do it".

"I know, that's why I've always trusted you despite all the arguments we may have had".

"Well yes, I think you're one of the few people I've ever argued with so much".

"I couldn't say the same".

Raina laughed at his comment and couldn't help but nod.
During their time together at the Ministry she had witnessed some of his arguments and she had to admit that it was not a pleasant thing to watch.
She had never seen him angry like that again and she thought that was a good thing as he deserved some peace and quiet for once.

"Changing the subject if I may, do you still have any burning bitter balm left?".

"The last vial I had fell down the stairs and I haven't had time to be able to make more".

"That can be arranged, we can make some for both of us".

"Sounds like a good idea".

Between the two of them they fetched all the ingredients they needed but as they set them down on the table Raina saw that something was missing.

"Are you sure it's all there?".

Aesop looked over everything they had brought and in realisation he ran his hand over his face.

"I think I forgot to restock some of the ingredients last time".

"Then let's go buy them and come back".

"If we go, I don't think we'll be long".

Raina turned off the fire and put the cauldron away, leaving it on the side before following Sharp out of the classroom.
What they thought would be a quick trip to Hogsmeade quickly turned into a trip to the Forbidden Forest as they couldn't hang around waiting for Mr. Pippin to receive the ingredients.

"Let's hope it doesn't happen something like last time".

Raina turned abruptly to look at Aesop and frowned.

"I've apologised for that a million times, I didn't know we'd inadvertently wandered into a cave full of spiders!".

Aesop ruffled her hair as he laughed.

"That's why we'll go more carefully this time, right?".

"Of course".

"Very well, let's go".

Together they went deeper into the forest hoping to get lucky and be able to find everything they needed.

 

It seemed that trouble kept following them everywhere they went.
Their little excursion was abruptly interrupted by a group of Ashwinders.
The two gave the group several opportunities to leave unscathed but they did not take any of them.
It seemed ridiculous that they thought they could actually beat them but they waited to see what they would do.
When two of the group moved ahead of the rest and began to attack both the witch and the wizard knew how it would end.
It had been some time since Raina had had her last duel and she could tell that her skills were a little rusty but not enough to be unable to defend herself.
Aesop made a mental note to not forget to give her a training session or two as he feared what might happen.
Little by little they finished off their opponents until only three of them were left.
The potions professor quickly dispatched two of them but soon his blood ran cold when he heard the words of the killing curse come out of the dark wizard's mouth and he turned quickly to see that the unforgivable curse was aimed at Raina who was completely petrified.
He didn't know how, but he covered the distance between them quickly enough to wrap his hand around her arm and vanish.
Moments later they both fell to the ground and lay there for a few minutes trying to recover.
When Aesop opened his eyes he knew they were inside the greenhouse Raina had at the back of the house.
He sat up as quickly as he could, searching for her with his eyes.
Raina was leaning against the wall and her eyes were fixed on something that Aesop couldn't identify.
Closer he placed his hand on her shoulder and moved her slightly.

"Raina?".

She turned her head to look at him as huge tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I...I'm so sorry...I didn't know what to do...".

Aesop wrapped an arm around her torso and pulled her against him before placing his free hand on the back of her head so that she could lean against him.
Raina couldn't help but cry harder than before and wrapped her arms around his torso tightly.
In an attempt to calm her down, Aesop stroked her hair while whispering in her ear.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's going to be okay, I'm with you...".

The girl's body trembled considerably and at times she pressed herself so hard against the wizard that he felt pain, but he didn't care.
He just wanted her to be okay.
Ever since the night of the incident it always broke the former auror's heart when he saw her like that and he knew how hard it had been for her to go through it and also to bear the guilt of not being able to do anything to save them.
Everyone had tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault but it wasn't the same for her.
Raina felt that she should have died that night as well, but over time those thoughts were replaced with a semblance of normality that gave her a certain peace of mind that eased the burden she carried.
Some days her head was filled with those thoughts again but she didn't let them overtake her as she had to remain strong for her sister.
Ciara had been an important part of her recovery as Raina was afraid that her little sister would be left all alone.
Sharp pulled her away from him slightly and placed both hands on her cheeks wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"Better?".

She shook her head but at least she had stopped crying.

"Tell me what I can do".

Raina said something he couldn't hear and she had to try several more times until her voice was louder.

"Biscuits".

Aesop looked at her somewhat confused.

"Biscuits?".

She nodded slightly.

"You used to make biscuits with your grandmother and Ciara?".

"That helped me".

"Well if it distracts you we can make a few".

"Really?".

Aesop kissed the witch's forehead and smiled slightly.

"You'll have to teach me how to make them the way you like them".

The brown-haired woman looked at him as if at any moment she was going to cry again and hugged him so tightly that they almost fell to the ground.
The wizard rested his cheek against hers and lightly rubbed her back.
When she pulled away from him she took his hand and squeezed it between her's.

"I'm sorry if sometimes I'm a burden...".

"You're not, never have been".

"Just because you say it once it won't make me stop thinking it".

"Then I'll say it every day if I have to".

"You'll get tired of it".

"Then so be it, I'm not going to let you feel this way because you're always trying to make me feel fine and happy so I'm going to do the same with you whether you like it or not".

Raina finally cracked a small smile and that made the tension Aesop had in his body disappear slightly.

"Neither of us have any obligation to do it but we still do it anyway".

"That's what usually happens when you care about someone".

"Yeah...".

The brown-haired witch leaned her forehead against the wizard's and sighed slightly calmer.

"Let's go make those biscuits?".

"Of course".

The potions professor helped her up and they walked into the house holding hands.

Chapter 14

The morning was going rather slowly and only the usual customers had come.
The whole time Raina had been waiting tables her head couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Siofra.
She couldn't understand how anyone would be capable of such an atrocity against their own family.
Sirona placed her hand on her shoulder which brought her out of her thoughts causing her to startle slightly.

"Are you alright Raina?".

"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about some things don't worry".

The brown-haired girl looked at her boss and her brow furrowed slightly.

"You don't look too good, are you feeling sick?".

"A little dizzy but I'm sure it will pass".

"Shall I open the professors room and you lie down for a bit?".

"That would be nice...".

The two climbed up to the top of the inn and Raina opened the room to let the older one rest.

"You lie down and I'll take care of everything, I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you".

Sirona nodded and lay down on the blue sofa before she closed the door and went back downstairs.
Luckily for both of them the pace of the establishment continued to be slow and they didn't have much of a ruckus.
As Raina continued to serve the customers she prepared something to take to Sirona and when she saw that no one would call her she went back upstairs and entered the room.

"How are you feeling?".

"A little better but I think I'll close this afternoon and reopen tomorrow".

"Sounds good to me, your health is more important".

Sirona took what she had brought her and smiled.

"Always so thoughtful".

"You know how I am".

She let her boss eat in peace and went downstairs to see if anyone needed anything else.
With the afternoon free Raina returned home for lunch.
As soon as she opened the door Comet greeted her with a meow and she took him in her arms.

"My precious kitty, did you miss me?".

Comet meowed again and they both went into the kitchen.
She set him down on the table and began to prepare her food.
About an hour later everything was ready and she sat down to eat.
Halfway through the meal something tapped gently on her window and when she opened it she saw that it was an owl.
The witch gave it something to eat and picked up the small scroll of parchment that was tied to its leg before it flew away.
After closing the window she returned to her seat and continued eating while reading the scroll.
She instantly recognised Aesop's handwriting and read it several times.
He wanted to meet her and asked her to come later when he had finished his last class for the day.
The witch finished eating and decided to spend the remaining hours until she could go to the castle tidying up the mess she had left in her room.
When the time came she left her home but before that she looked at herself in the huge mirror that was supported against the wall of the entrance.
Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail, her clothes were rather simple as she decided to wear black trousers and from the coat rack she took an old grey jacket that had belonged to her father.
Just because she was going to meet Aesop it didn't mean she had to dress nicely all the time but her head almost made her go back inside the house to change but she managed to avoid that temptation and closed the door.
In the blink of an eye she was near the castle grounds and walked the remaining distance to the classroom.
Before entering she knocked on the door and when she could hear the wizard's voice she stepped inside.

"Hello, I'm here just as you asked"s

She smiled and he gestured for her to go to his office before making sure no one was around.

"Thank you for coming".

Raina could tell Aesop was moving around more than usual and gave him a worried look.

"Is everything alright?".

He stopped abruptly and nodded.

"I need to talk to you...".

Those six words made the witch's heart beat fast and a shiver ran through her body as Sharp closed the office door.

"I've been thinking about it for a while and this thing we have between the two of us, I don't know where it's going exactly".

"What are you getting at?".

"I just want to know if you're totally sure you want to be with someone like me, after all I'm a cripple and I don't know what good thing I could bring to your life....".

Raina wanted to answer but just as was going to the door to the classroom opened and they heard someone walk in.
Moments later the two watched as Leah and Poppy entered the office.
Both girls were surprised to see her there but the two managed to pass it off as a mere consultation about Ciara's studies.
When Raina said goodbye to them she went to the classroom door and pretended to leave and then quickly used the Disillusionment spell and went to one of the potions tables to hide.
Leah and Poppy started bombarding the poor professor with all sorts of questions about the lesson they had given that day.
Raina tried not to laugh as she imagined Sharp's face.
Now all that was left was to keep quiet and wait for them to leave.
The brown-haired witch had found a book to entertain herself and started reading it slowly.

 

Finally after what seemed like an eternity the two students left and Sharp went to look for her to find her still reading the same book.

"Interesting reading?".

"Very, have they left yet?".

"I made sure of it so you can come out now".

Raina sighed heavily and got up from the floor.

"An hour, a bloody hour, I don't understand how they've had so many questions to ask you".

"It happens sometimes and believe me I wanted them to leave as much as you did but out of respect I didn't throw them out much earlier".

She laughed and put the small book in her jacket pocket.
The two of them walked back into the office and closed the door before she leaned against the metal surface.

"I think you were telling me that being a cripple wasn't doing my life any good...".

"Yeah, I'm trying to make you see that in the end I'll just be a burden to you".

Raina's eyes widened enormously and from the agitation she began to feel she took off her jacket and laid it on Sharp's desk.

"Aesop don't go down that road because we both know that's not true, after all I'm a cripple too or have you forgotten about my shoulder...".

The two stared at each other in silence.

"It seems Rookwood's words got to you because I don't understand where this is coming from".

"Rookwood has nothing to do with this, it's something I've been thinking about for a long time now and you deserve better than me".

Raina approached him slightly.

"And having a boring life being the wife of some bastard looking after his children is better? No way".

Aesop leaned back against his desk and ran his hand over his face, it was turning out to be more complicated than he thought.
Soon the two began to argue and Raina struck her fist on the table.

"I've had enough of this back and forth, sit down!".

The potions professor was shocked to see her like that as it was a side of her that didn't usually come out much.

"Aesop sit down!".

He chose to listen to her on this occasion and sat down in the chair behind his desk.
As he sat down she used some spells to close the door and as on other occasions make the noise inside the room unheard outside.
She rested her palms on the table and looked him straight in the eye.

"If you're still not convinced after this, tell me and I'll disappear, you'll never see me again".

He didn't know what she was referring to until the witch moved the chair back slightly and knelt down in front of him with the most serious look on her face that he had ever seen, though her face was beginning to turn red.
Sharp looked as if he wanted to say something but she put her finger to her lips to tell him to keep quiet and rested her hands on his knees.
Aesop could see for a few seconds the gears turning in her head as she tried to decide her next move.
Slowly her hands moved up his thighs until they reached his crotch and she looked up at him thinking he was going to stop her but instead she saw that the potions professor eyes were locked on her and her every move.

"Raina...".

She swallowed the huge lump in her throat and proceeded to unbutton his trousers and pull them down until he stopped her.

"That's far enough".

The witch knew it was probably so she wouldn't see the scar on his leg so she nodded and smiled slightly.
With each passing second she was closer to accomplishing what she had been thinking about for several days and her heart seemed to want to jump out of her chest when she saw the tense tent forming under Sharp's undergarments.
When she finally released it from the cloth prison her eyes widened enormously as she did not expect something of such size slightly curved to her left and this made Aesop laugh.

"What's wrong, a few moments ago you seemed very determined in what you were doing...".

She leaned back on his good knee and raised herself slightly to look at him.

"If the roles were reversed I'm sure you would have reacted the same way".

The wizard chuckled and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Maybe I would or maybe I wouldn't".

Raina went down again with a giggle and this time spent a few seconds thinking about what to do until she decided to send it all to hell and pressed her lips against the base.
At first it was all very tentative as she wanted to see how he would react and the licks she gave were rather small.
Gradually her movements became more confident and she worked her way up to the tip where she traced several circles with her tongue.
At this she watched as Aesop tightened his grip on the arm of the chair and continued to do so until she put the head in her mouth.
When she did that Aesop's breathing seemed to stop and she tightened her grip on his knee trying not to hurt his other leg.
Slowly she lowered her head further concentrating on breathing so as not to choke and in disbelief she managed to reach the base.
At that moment she noticed how Aesop's hand, which was not holding the chair, buried itself in her hair and wrapped its fingers around her ponytail making her feel it touch the back of her throat.
The brown-haired witch let a few seconds pass to try to relax her throat more and began to move her head, trying to find a rhythm that was good for both of them.
Anyone who had seen them at that moment would have thought that what they were doing was sacrilege as they were not married but that didn't matter to them at that moment, they had crossed that line a long time ago.
The grunts coming from Aesop's lips were all she needed to keep going and there was a moment when he instinctively moved forward causing her to choke and the corners of her eyes filled with tears.
Raina quickly pulled away coughing violently and rested her head against his knee.

"I'm sorry I couldn't control myself, are you alright?".

When she seemed to have stopped coughing she nodded slightly and continued with her task, this time at a much faster pace than before.
She was determined to finish what she had started and did everything she could think of to do so.
For the next few minutes Raina was so focused on what she was doing and the praise Aesop was giving her that she didn't even notice how a large amount of saliva was staining her blouse.
She didn't remember doing something like this being so tiring and her jaw and knees began to ache but that wasn't going to stop her.
After hearing a loud strangled grunt she looked up at Aesop and almost choked again when she saw that he had his eyes closed and his head was thrown back.
By the way his legs were shaking and spasming she knew he didn't have much left so she increased her speed even more.
Suddenly Aesop's hands were once again buried in Raina's hair undoing her ponytail to pull her even tighter against him as he cummed biting his lower lip to keep from screaming despite the spell she had used earlier in the office.
Her grip on him tightened and she closed her eyes slightly as she felt something hot and bitter run down her throat to the point where it had nowhere to go and a little escaped from the corners of her mouth.
When Aesop had recovered a little he realised what he had done and looked at her in panic but she just pulled his cock out of her mouth and wiped it off with the sleeve of her blouse as she caught her breath.
The witch leaned back against the leg of the desk and pulled her hair back away from her face and laughed when she saw Sharp.

"Everything alright?".

The wizard's face had gone slightly red and he was trying to catch his breath as well.

"You're going to be the death of me...".

She smiled in satisfaction and massaged her lower jaw trying to ease the pain she still felt.

"Maybe or maybe not".

He watched as she stuck her tongue out slightly and couldn't believe she had swallowed everything.

"Sorry about that last one, are you alright?".

"Better than ever Aesop and I must admit I wasn't expecting it".

They both laughed and she tried to get up using the desk as an aid because her legs were very shaky.
As she did so Aesop tucked it back into his trousers and took off his jacket, leaving it on the back of the chair.

"I think if we have nothing more to talk about I'm going to go, I'm exhausted".

The potions professor placed his hands on her hips and pressed her against the desk, making her sit on it.
He took the space between her legs and looked at her with slightly darkened eyes.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, it's your turn now...".