The house was crowded with people who had just found a new togetherness. The kidnapping victims had been saved. No one was had been killed. Curses had been flying around the ranch, but no-one had been even scratched. Daphne had done her part without a hitch.
She processed how it had happened.
The apparation into the storeroom was easy. Nothing blocked her arrival.
The storeroom was black, there was no light at all.
“Lumos!”
He was lying in a corner, curled up. His head came up at the sound of the disapparation and the light from her wand. Daphne went to Leo, slid her arm under his until she had her elbow under his shoulder. She hauled Leo up, he didn’t resist. The side-along-apparation worked. The anti-apparation jinxes had all been washed away when the natural magic flow stopped.
They disapparated at the back door of the house. Leo stumbled against the door frame. He had to be half-carried into the house. He was a mess. Daphne got him into the bathroom. He slid down onto the floor.
“Are you going to throw-up?”
“No, thank-you.”
She started wiping his face and arms with a wet face washer.
“Oh! Thanks! That’s lovely.”
Mariette came to the door; “How is he?”
“He is weak, dis-oriented, and he stinks like an open latrine.”
“Do I? I can’t smell anything.”
“How is she?”
“Not so bad, she is having a shower in the ensuite now.”
“What a good idea.” Daphne started unbuttoning his shirt.
“Hey! Wait a minute, I can do that myself.” Leo struggled to sit up.
“OK. Mister modesty.” Mariette and Daphne laughed out loud.
“I will run a bath. You can sit on the side, undress, and get yourself into it. If I hear you fall over, I will come and help. OK.”
“OK.”
The stress was starting to lift of her shoulders. It was like weights being dropped, one by one. Daphne never admitted it to anyone. Leo never left her thoughts for long. When the news of his disappearance came out, she feared the worst. She was certain that he was alive but a long way off. She didn’t want to think of life without him.
She had tried to keep away after she felt the attraction growing. The old wizarding feuds would have forced a break of the connection between Leo and the Weasleys. Harry would have to stay in the Weasley clan and virtually cast Leo out. She didn’t want to be responsible for that. She also didn’t want to be included in another family feud, the Greengrass clan already had plenty of their own. The marriage between Astoria and Draco meant that nothing could be just patched up.
The bathroom door opened; Daphne placed a bag just inside the door. “Here are some clean things for you to put on. When you are finished, I will take your old clothes outside and burn them.”
“Fine. Wonderful. Thank-you.”
Other wizards came and went with news and clean-up errands.
Harry arrived. “We have one muggle guard in custody. The main one, Fischer, was sent away somewhere by Lecky before we could stop him. Lecky is now dead. He had no intention of surrendering. We were delayed by Lecky’s other gang members who showed up and tried to fight us around the ranch. Without the wards set up by the magic flow they couldn’t stop us. They are all in MACUSA custody.”
“Where is Leo?” Harry looked a lot more relaxed.
“In the bath. I’m sure his lordship won’t mind you going in to talk to him.” Daphne smiled gently.
Harry opened the bathroom door. “Hiya Leo, how are you?”
“Great now. I can feel my legs again. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you all. I heard what you told the ladies.”
Harry leaned against the door. “This is just for your information. The gang we captured here are all singing like little birdies. They are happy to be out from under Lecky’s control. I don’t have any details, but we now have names for the infiltrators who set up the kidnapping, and the capture and murder of the Pimlico Security Supervisor in Paris. Did anyone tell you about that?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything.” Leo was worried.
“Your mother is fine, she and Graham came here with us, she was with the outside team who got Fischer and Jessen out of the way.” Leo was having trouble taking this in.
“Leo, there was a major attempt to kidnap your mother, at the same time that you were snatched. Graham kept her safe while the security team fought them off. Roland and Robert did a first-class job. I’m afraid that two Pimlico Security staff were killed at the villa, as well as the Supervisor in Paris.”
“Why would anyone want to work for my security if they face risks like this?” Leo was down again.
“They do it for their own reasons, it’s more than working for the pay. They are in a kind of bond, team spirit and all that. The London Supervisor insisted on coming with us. The team won’t rest until the low life who harmed them are caught and punished.”
“Let me think for a while, thank-you Harry.”
When Harry closed the door, he turned to face Daphne. She was leaning on the wall, listening to the conversation. Her arms were folded, she looked grim.
“I’m sorry, Daphne.” Daphne nodded and looked down.
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