April 7, '86: Ain't Water Under The Bridge: Fabian

[Fabian Prewett]

Watching her and Griffin react was absolutely wonderful. But at the same time, it broke a part of his heart that he thought he had shut up. She hadn't been as happy last time she had seen Diagon Alley, it wasn't a fun exciting adventure when they were both mourning the loss of their best friends. He had invited her to come along while he accompanied Roderick to Gringotts, the poor bloke responsible for dealing with the finances of both his parents and his brother. Still, the magic hadn't been entirely lost on her, and he had promised then he would bring her back here someday. A promise he was indeed making good on, but it didn't mean he was feeling fantastic about the circumstances.

People smiled at them as they walked by, some of them giving him a familiar nod. Being of his blood status, people knew of him, even if they didn't really know him. On top of that, his work in the Order wasn't something that he bragged about, but whispers do spread and now he - along with many other former Order members - often had people shaking their hands or pointing in awe. He was thankful he wasn't James Potter, however, because he often wondered how that poor bloke got anything done when he was considered the savior of their world. But he knew there would be questions later, and was thankful for the fact that Kyra and Griffin was so blissfully unaware of how much they stuck out like a sore thumb in this little town.

Kyra was tearing up, and he wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but Griffin was excitedly asking him questions. He chuckled, looking down at the boy. "Tell you what, we can stay all afternoon and you can lead the way. But if you get tired of walking, you'll have to give me a high five before I let you ride on my shoulders. Sound like a deal?" He looked back to Kyra, giving her his infamous eyebrow wiggle. "I can spoil him today right? Being his birthday after all?" He'd have to make sure he didn't get the boy anything too magical, seeing as he was unsure Kyra would know what to do if the curtains suddenly caught on fire. But if was going to make up for four years, he needed to start now.

[Kyra Thatcher]

Get it together - you can freak out later.

This was too much. Fabian showing up, and being so wonderful, and taking them into this other world, and tempting her to fall back in to what they had been, and telling her that her son was a mini-wizard - too much. It was equal parts amazing and insanity, and she couldn't process it all on the wizarding street.

At Fabian's too-good-to-deny offer, her son was on the move, letting go of her and holding his hand out for a high-five from the big man. His implicit trust of Fabian was something she envied, and Kyra tried - rather unsuccessfully - to hide what this was making her feel. "Spoil away," she said quickly, taking the moments of reconfiguring it took for Griff to get onto his shoulders to free her other hand and turn from them, wiping at her eyes. Here Fabian was, coming back into her life out of the blue, and coming in like some super dad, winning the kid over before Griffin even knew what was really going on. And honestly, before she even knew what was really going on. She had so many questions for him, needed so much reassurance, before she allowed him in as Griffin's father. It's not all fun, she wanted to shout. If you're coming in, if you're really coming in, you've got to be there for him. When he screams that he hates you, you've got to take it, take it and wait for him to come back to you. When he's afraid of the monster in his sock drawer, you've got to get out the Monster Spray. When he's got an ear ache and can't sleep, you've got to give up your own until he calms down enough to drift off. When he gets teased by the other kids for being weird, you've got to teach to always be himself, no matter what anyone says...

From way up high, she heard, "Mummy, look! Way taller than you, how cool is that?"

Kyra put on a smile, shielding her eyes as she looked up to see him; again, the uncanny similarities between father-and-son struck her, and she wondered how long it would take for Griffin to catch on. "So cool, little man. Bet you can see for miles, eh?"

Instead of answering her, he asked, "Why're you sad? This is amazing."

She swallowed, and tried to make her smile more convincing. "I'm not sad, not really. This is amazing. I guess I missed Fabian more than I realized, it's been a super long time since I saw him." Her eyes flicked to his, and fear of him leaving again made her look away, starting them forward again. Can't have Griff fall in love with him only to have him disappear...Fabian had known he was a dad for a grand total of perhaps half an hour, he needed to think this through, really realize what a change this meant for his life. He had to earn his way in, didn't he? Blood didn't make a family, her life with Phoebe and the Bones' had taught her that much. Phoebe had been more of a sister than her own - and he's got to know where they are...

Griffin, accepting that well enough, held on to one of Fabian's hands as they got moving. "Can see why you'd miss him - did you see him do magic? That was wicked! Can you show me more?" After a little longer, Griffin nearly exploded with eagerness at the sight of the ludicrously colored joke shop, and the little party headed inside.

[Fabian Prewett]

He wanted this moment to last forever. This magical moment where it was like they were a perfect family. Highfiving this precious four year old boy who shared his features, with the first woman he’d ever had feelings for. But there was a lot of history between the two of them, and a lot of heartbreak that was inevitable. Because while so many had made it out of the war alive, the family that had once connected them was gone. And he knew she would ask, she’d want to see her best friend and those kids. Kids that hadn’t been much older than Griffin was now when they’d lost their lives.

Fabian met Kyra’s eye as she exchanged words with their son, her words causing pain in his heart. He had missed Kyra, much more than he could express in words. Seeing her was a strong reminder of the past, of the good times they had spent together. He could remember the Halloween after Grayson had been born, and they’d worn what could have been considered a couples costume. That had been a fun night, a good memory that only caused pain now. He let himself laugh at Griffins words, “More magic? I can show you tons of it. Think your Mum would like some cleaning spells?”

Before long they were at a joke shop, and Fabian lifted Griffin from his shoulders and set him down before they wandered in. “Gideon and I used to spend money in here to stock up for the school year - we went to a school to learn about magic of course, but it still had it’s dull moments,” he said with a grin to Kyra. “Of course they didn’t teach me how to do anything normal like drive a car.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

"Yeah, I reckon she would, but there's got to be more exciting spells than for cleaning," Griff commented as if it was obvious, tapping Fabian's head excitedly as an idea came to him. "Can you make us fly?!"

Kyra was glad for her son's ability to keep upbeat, to bounce back after acknowledging that she was dealing with something, and for distracting her from the pain she'd caught in Fabian's eyes at her words. Was it because he'd been missing her too? I looked for you. I've looked for all of you. With all of your connections, if you'd wanted find me, you could've... What had kept him from seeking her out after all this time? Surely he hadn't just gotten back to London from whatever assignment had taken him, his brother, and the Bones' away. She was champing at the bit to ask about her best friend's family, but that was a conversation for later, and patience was something that had grown within her since motherhood began... Get us all home, have dinner, Griff to bed...then we start getting this out. The bright and, in places, literally bubbly joke shop they shortly entered was full of distractions as well, and she took Griff's hand out of caution after her old friend put him down. The space between shelves was narrow, the shelves themselves twisting and turning - Maybe it's a maze! - and while she generally gave him more leeway...Stick by me, please, she thought, sending him the message with a look as he shot her a slightly exasperated one. They could have fun exploring together, for Pete's sake!

Before they'd gotten far at all, though, Fabian was giving details of what felt like a past life, with how long it'd been since they'd been at school. "Dull moments at a school for magic? You're shi- you're joking. Should've had you come 'round mine, never would've complained about yours again," she teased as Griff pulled at her arm to investigate some neon candies. Both of the Thatchers' attentions were drawn back to Fabian as he went on, however. Kyra's eyes snapped to his as he brought up the driving lessons, but how could he've known that that was one of the stories she'd shared with their her Griffin?

"Mummy taught my dad how to drive," Griff interjected helpfully, brown eyes big as he looked between the two. "I bet she could teach you too, if you ask nice."

Eyes still on his, softening as nostalgia and the boy's innocence threatened to make her spill more than she should, Kyra slowly shook her head. "Already taught him, baby." Luckily, there were distractions everywhere she looked, and she quickly grinned, reaching up to grab a benign-looking, albeit red and curly, wig. "Wonder what happens if you try this on." She held it towards Fabian, brow raised in challenge.

[Fabian Prewett]

He couldn’t stop the grin on his face as his son brought up flying. There had been so many summers spent with Edgar throwing a quaffle around in their backyards, a memory the sent a pang to his heart. Ed, you’d be giving me hell for this if you knew. He knew Gideon and Molly would give him hell for this, but Eddie would have been Griffin’s godfather in another life. Fabian didn’t even know if the little guy had godparents, although he did hope Kyra’s siblings were there for her.

“Well there are spells for flying but most people prefer broomsticks,” he said to Griffin, pointing out the newest edition in a shop window as they passed by. The joke shop was a good break for them all, and he held the door for the two of them as they entered.

It was hard not to laugh at Kyra’s words, the tease coming so naturally from her like no time had passed. Of course she would think magic school was always fun, he’d always been fascinated by muggle things once he started learning about them. But Griffin’s interjection was a surprise to him, the way Kyra was looking up at him, it was all too much.

You told him about me? About us?

While they had never been much of a couple, there had still been something between them. Fabian didn’t know what to say, a lump in his throat threatening to give things away that needed to be kept silent. Forcing himself to look away, he cleared his throat as the girl he loved handed him the wig. “Well, why don’t we find out?” he joked, hoping his over enthusiastic tone wouldn’t give away his feelings. Placing the wig on his head, he gave them both a thumbs off before taking it off - his dark hair now a delightful shade of red, “Now Molly can’t act like she doesn’t know me.”

A short lived moment of fun, as an familiar voice behind him drew his attention. “Might as well be a Weasley. Come Draco, let’s move away from this filth.” Fabian narrowed his eyes as Lucius Malfoy walked away from them, irritation on his face. The fact the Malfoys weren’t rotting in Azkaban with the rest of their family always made his blood boil, but to deal with him with today...

[Kyra Thatcher]

"You can fly on a broom?" Looking up at him, Kyra thought her son was about to pass out from excitement with how widely he was gaping at the broomstick in the window. "Breathe, baby," she reminded, sending him a wink. After obliging, and tightening his hold on Fabian, the boy eagerly continued on, "We've got a broom at home, can you make it fly?"

The joke shop was promising, and Kyra knew that if she let him, Griffin would wile the rest of their day away here. And, honestly, the only reason she'd complain would be because that meant a delay to the inevitable hashing out she and his father Fabs had to have. Griffin mumbling about how she'd taught Fabian how to drive rather drove her into the next distraction, because now was not the time for him to put everything together! Couldn't've kept your mouth shut a little tighter, Kiki? She was laughing with her son, though, as Fabian tried on the wig without hesitation and...came away with red hair. "Suits you," she said, running her hand through his hair curiously. She held her hand in front of Griff after, wiggling her fingers. "No dye, powder...magic," she breathed happily. Was it crazy to hope that this would work out? She'd always known there was more to the world than what she'd seen, and she'd always known that there was something undeniable between herself and the new redhead. Their timing was terrible, communication needed work, but...let's start with dinner. 

Kyra was torn out of thoughts of their three as a man and boy stalked by and sneered something rather awful their way. From the way he was dressed - flowing cape and embellished cane, of all things for a young man to carry - and carried himself, he was one of the wizarding elite, if she had to guess. So you've got uppity assholes on this side of the world too. What could you have against the Weasleys?

"Oi - excuse me, you've got no right to speak to us like that," Kyra snapped immediately after shooting a look to Fabs, glaring after the father-and-son as she stroked the hair of her own to keep him tucked into her side, and feeling loved. The amount of times she'd had to tell off parents or workers at day care centers was immense, but didn't Griff need to know that she'd always have his back? His mistakes were due to magic beyond his control, if what Fabian had implied earlier was true. And no one had ever gotten hurt, he was just...messy, and talkative! We are not filth. "That's the example you want to set for your child? Seriously? We're all here to enjoy the day, how about you show a little manners?"

[Fabian Prewett]

He couldn’t contain his smile at the boy’s excitement, his mind remembering how much he’d begged his parents for a broom. And then flying lessons, and summers spent at the Academy of Broom Flying - summers spent in Edgar’s backyard, teasing him about his relationship with Phoebe and getting just as much hell for his on again/off again situation with Kyra. “Different sort of brooms, sorry kiddo.” It was simpler than trying to explain exactly how a magical broom was made, especially when his heart felt so heavy as memories continued to pass through his mind the longer he spent with them.

Thankfully the joke shop seemed to be lightening his mood as well, the familiar feeling of her hand in his hair a reminder of many other times the two had spent together. Kyra had always had a place in his heart, she had been his first everything. And he wanted to stay in these memories, stay in the happiness that was happening here.

But just because a world was without war didn’t mean it was safe.

Lucius Malfoy was one of the last people he wanted to run into, especially considering his not-so-distant relations where currently sitting in Azkaban thanks to Fabian and his brother. But he felt frozen in the moment when Kyra responded to the pale man. If he remembered correctly, the little boy who was cackling behind his father was the same age as his youngest nephew. Because while she had every right to be upset, Kyra hadn’t a clue the kind of wizard she was messing with.

Phoebe hadn’t know what kind of wizard she was mouthing off to either.

In this moment he wished that her memories hadn’t been changed, that she could remember the first time she’d ever seen the sort of darkness that magic could be. While magic was beautiful and fun, it could also be dangerous. “Kyra,” he whispered, hand instinctively heading towards the wand in his pocket.

“Manners? What kind of second class-“

“That’s enough Malfoy,” Fabian snapped, moving to put himself in between his girl and the uppity pureblood. “Unless you’d like Arthur to come pay another visit to the manner I would suggest you move along.” The blond man shot him an aggravated look, but nudged his boy along with the back of his cane before he stalked away toward the door. “Sorry love.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

Accustomed to sticking up for herself and Griffin, Kyra didn’t take much heed of Fabian’s warning tone. The smartly dressed pair were the usual condescending idiots she was used to putting in their place, just with the addition of magic. And they wouldn’t do anything bad to her or her son here - they were in public, surely the rules weren’t that different on the other side of the wall. Fabian, Gideon, and Ed had claimed to be policemen, after all; there had to be a wizarding equivalent. And so she kept her narrowed eyes on the stranger’s as he started to reply, only for him to be cut off by Fabian rushing between them. The surprise of him getting involved nearly overshadowed mention of the Weasleys, because what did Arthur have to do with any of this? And the manor? No wonder the stranger was walking around like royalty. Don’t tell me there are wizarding royals… Fabian’s threat, while not understood by her, was enough to get the pair of them moving again. Kyra sighed at the unnecessary apology, taking Griffin’s small hand in her own.

"It’s not your fault he’s an arse," Kyra commented in frustration, frowning at the blonde’s back as he strutted away. Practically a peacock. She gave her son's hand a squeeze, shooting him a small but reassuring smile. Brush it off. "We don’t let people like that get to us. Right, baby?"

"Right, Mummy."

"Right. Sticks and stones. Thank you, though. He's a piece of work, that one." She'd stick up for them, but the time in her life for chasing down people like that down the street for rudeness was done. A lot had changed for the once flighty girl once she'd become a mother, and knowing that a young life was using you as a guide for how to act was heavy, heavier than she'd anticipated. It was one of the innumerable things she wanted to discuss with her missing best friend, come to think of it… She quirked a little smile at Fabian at a realization, reaching up to brush his hair back again. "Good as new. If you want my advice, don't go full red." After a moment's hesitation, wanting to bring the birthday boy back to being his excited little self, she let go of her son's hand to let him travel ahead. "Go on, Griff. Let's see what else is here, eh?"

At the okay, the little boy grinned and ran down the narrow aisle, the unpleasantness seemingly a thing of the past. Once he was out of earshot, but still in sight of course, Kyra followed slowly with their third, arms crossed over her middle. "You should come home with us after this. We can talk when he's asleep. Okay?"

[Fabian Prewett]

He’s not a Lestrange, he won’t risk the retaliation a voice in his mind told him, but the panic that was setting it had quickly overridden any sense of logic. When it came down it to, Malfoy was unlikely to do another to tarnish the shiny reputation they had created for themselves after the war. And Kyra didn’t know better, because he had long ago denied her any memories of this world of magic. She had no that there had been a war he was involved in, a war he helped bring to a close. Would that stop her? Never stopped Phoebe from standing her ground. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest, and he was thankful that his words had been enough to encourage Lucius to leave the shop.

It wasn’t his fault that Lucius was an arse, that was true. But it would be his fault if something happened to Kyra and Griffin because of the former Death Eater. He nodded at the two of them, a forced smile on his face. “You don’t know the half of it, love,” he whispered quietly. Lucius and Narcissa were a very annoying reminder that there were still parts of the Ministry to not be trusted. He hadn’t seen the blonde man without long sleeves in years, and he hardly doubted that taking the mark was something that one did while being controlled. Arthur hadn’t been branded, and Fabian had fought hard to help prove his brother-in-law was innocent when all was said and done.

The laugh that followed as she ran another hand through his hair was genuine, and he reached out to touch his own hair lightly. “Molly and the kids pull the red hair off a lot better,” he chuckled, fond memories of his nephews and nieces playing through is thoughts. Cousins for Griffin. Molly’s going to be livid when she finds out about this. He followed them down the aisle, matching Kyra’s pace as their child poked around the shop in delight.

“Yeah, of course I will,” he answered her quietly, a familiar panic setting in. Would the conversation be different this time? It certainly had already been different with the addition of Griffin, but he remembered how hard it had been to tell her and Phoebe the day it happened. She was bound to ask, wanting to know where Phoebe and Edgar had gone. He could give her the memories he had taken, but he couldn’t bring them back from the dead.

Setting the towel down on the counter, Fabian looked around the kitchen in Kyra’s flat. He spoiled Griffin with toys, attempted to talk Kyra into letting him get the kid a broom, enjoyed dinner with them like they were a family. But she had gone to put him to bed, and the good parts of this day were going to be nothing but distant memories. She would make him leave, perhaps even tell him to never show his face again. She would hate him, for this. For taking those memories from her. He managed to find a bottle of wine high out of reach, and grabbed some glasses as he made his way back to the couch.

He’d just finished pouring two glasses when he heard her coming toward him, and he looked up from his spot on the couch with hopefully little emotion on his face. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions for me.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

"Good birthday, baby?"

"Yeah. Can Fabian visit again tomorrow?"

"...I'm sure we'll see him again soon, Griff. Sleep sweet."

Kyra kissed her son and tucked him in, shutting the door quietly behind her before taking a moment for herself in the dim hall. She needed a moment to breathe before facing Fabian. The day had rushed in a blur, ever since he had spotted them at lunch. From the trek into "diagonally" to ending up with what seemed like half of the joke shop in her apartment, to dinner with the three of them palling around like this was normal, everything had gone by too quickly for her to figure out how she felt or figure out much of a plan for tonight. She'd insisted that he stay to talk, and he'd been in fast agreement, so at least she knew he wasn't running. And the questions she truly needed, not wanted, answers to were the same ones that had kept her up these last five years. They didn't involve one of the strangest realizations of the day, but...he'll answer. Fabian's guarded eyes and calm beginning, along with the fact that he'd found one of her hidden bottles, gave her some encouragement. If we can keep our cool, for once, maybe we can do this.

"About a million," she said, dropping heavily onto the cushion next to him and wasting no time reaching for the second glass of red, "but only a few that really matter. You must have a fair few yourself. I'll answer honestly, as long as you swear you will too." Kyra took a long drought, holding the glass with both hands after. She'd wanted a confrontation with this man for years, although she'd never imagined that magic would be one of the layers they had to peel back. Now that it was here, and that they'd had half a day to let thoughts run wild and feelings marinate...you'll see him again. Most important things tonight. Why they left, where they were, where they are...what he envisions about Griff.

"You weren’t in the military," Kyra stated with confidence, eyeing him as steadily as she could. "At least, not the military I know of." How many lies did you tell me? Why did I believe them? "So why did you all just up and leave?" I loved every last one of you. You were family, and you left me with hardly a goodbye to look back on. A hopeful note lifted her voice as she continued, shortly beaten back by an admission of past failed endeavours. "And Gid and Phoebe and Ed and the kids, are they back now too? I did everything I could think of to find you lot, but it was like - it was like you never existed. Do you - do you have any idea what that did to me?" Voice breaking, she hurried to mask the lapse in her wine. In these years since the upheaval, the sudden absence of so many standards in her life, and the consequent MIA'ness that only she seemed to care about, not to mention the transition into motherhood without her best friend, she had tried. Tried to find them, tried to find traces of them when finding them didn't seem like an option. But left to her were only dead ends and private eye's she couldn't afford.

[Fabian Prewett]

He wanted to delay this conversation, or avoid it. He could have had Oblivatiors erase her memory of everything years ago, but that would have cost him what he had found today. His child was more important than avoiding the truth of what had happened almost five years ago, assuming that she would even allow him in their lives after she realized the extent of everything. Lying about magic was one thing, altering her memories of what happened to Edgar and Phoebe was an entirely different matter.

So he watched her quietly as she sunk into the couch next to him, trying to commit this quiet moment to memory. Today had been everything he had wanted, things he’d long ago written off. While children hadn’t been something he had ever thought he want, knowing about Griffin? Kyra had always been his girl, even when she wasn’t. If things had been different, no - if he had been different then maybe this life could have been their future. He had always been the one to keep them apart.

“I promise, nothing but the truth,” he answered her, staring down into his glass. He wasn’t surprised at where she started, the stretching of the truth about his position a fairly large one. It felt like he had a frog in his throat, carefully meeting her gaze as her voice broke. Of course he knew what it had done to her, he could see that now. But he had been terrified she would be next, and he knew she wouldn’t let it go if she remembered what had happened. He had even gone as far as to get the remaining Bones family members to agree to keep out of contact with her.

At the time it had seemed like it was for the best. “Gideon and I, we technically never left. Moved out of London for a couple of years in November of ‘81. I needed time to clear my head after everything that happened,” he murmured, eyes flicking between her and his glass. “Gid, Ed and I worked for the Ministry of Magic fresh out of school, told you and Phoebe we were cops. Not the truth of course, although we were the wizarding equivalent. At the time there was a war going on in our world, a bad wizard with a lot of followers terrorizing both the magic and muggle world.”

He was stalling, trying to avoid the most obvious question. Edgar, Phoebe, the kids. He couldn’t just tell her what had happened, he knew he needed to admit that she knew more than she remembered. Setting his glass down, he stood and pulled his wand from his pants, holding it out to her. “Sycamore wood, with a dragon heartstring core. Amazed that it’s held out so long honestly, got it when I was eleven. That’s the age Griffin will start school,” he said calmly. Sitting back down, he fidgeting nervously. “There have been times in the past that you witnessed magic, especially after Edgar and Phoebe had the kids. The first time you found out, he’d asked me to help with your memories. But the rest of it...that was on me. I was trying to keep you safe, and I thought that altering your memories was the only way.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

She wanted to believe his promise. Really, truly, Kyra wanted to. But whether it was because she wanted to believe that the trust she’d once put in him wasn’t foolhardy, or because she had no one to contact to refute or validate his claims, was uncertain to her. Thankfully, when Fabian began to speak, it was quickly apparent that this was as difficult for him as it was for her. In the past, they’d always neglected the “vulnerable” side to their relationship that included talking. Their on-and-off nature wasn’t questioned, nothing more and nothing less was demanded. Knowing what she knew now, perhaps his distancing was more purposeful than she’d once thought. There had to be some kind of keep wizardry away from the non-wizards rulebook, otherwise in her years of research she would’ve found something irrefutable. And he hadn’t wanted to break it…focus. That’s not the Most Important right now.

And so Kyra watched him, gripping her glass so tightly her knuckles were chalk-white, all the too aware that their son was drifting to sleep down the hall. Her bright eyes narrowed as Fabian admitted that he and his twin had never technically left - Where the f*ck have you been, then? - and as he continued, too vaguely referencing an everything that went down for her to pinpoint what he meant. Fabian didn’t want to talk about the past, no matter how sincere his promise of truth was. Why? Because you feel guilty? Or because there’s things you don’t want me to know? At his pause, she nodded for him to continue, but while she wanted to lean in to listen - keen for a story, for the truth - Kyra kept a measured distance between them. This wasn’t one of their off to on moments. He and the others had left, vanished. Griffin was a factor. They had a life, and it wasn’t one she was about to throw away, even for an old but never forgotten love.

You. Gideon. Edgar.

    What does that mean about Phoebe and the kids? She has to know. The kids have to have magic. 

A war engineered by a bad wizard that you three fought against as wizard cops. Is it done? Is he dead? Imprisoned?

    Is the muggle world this one?

The young woman bit in her questions and accusations with difficulty as Fabian filled her in on a bit of history. He felt it necessary for her to know this before addressing her questions, so she did her best to focus, while her mind wanted to run wild down a thousand paths at once. Why did they leave, where did they go, where are they now, what does he want with Griff? Kyra thought, grounding herself. But staying centered became more unrealistic as Fabian stood and took out his wand again. But this time instead of using it to open a portal, he extended it towards her, handle-first. Her eyes darted from his to the wand before the temptation became too much to resist. But as soon as she had it in her hand, Kyra knew that she would have as much luck making anything magical happening with this as she would with a stick she found outside. But it was beautiful and full of stories, so she did her best to hide her disappointment in observing it as he spoke.

Eleven. School for Griffin. That boarding school you boys went to, surely. Scotland. Where you learn nothing about how to live in this world.

Fabian's next drew her attention instantly, and while it was a bleedin' magic wand in her hands, she altogether ignored it as she fixed her eyes on his anxiety-ridden ones. I've seen magic before. The kids. Edgar had you help with my memories. You altered them then, and more? It felt like an iron clamp had fixed around her heart, its screw tightening with every beat she fought through her onsetting panic for. Because this was not okay. And it did not address her questions. He thinks you need to know this. But what does this have to do with why they left? Or where they are? Unless...

    Fabian, you wouldn't.

"Safe. From this war," she choked out. "Taking my memories kept me safe." While doubt colored her words, she had to believe that he wouldn't have done something as unforgivable as that if he hadn't truly thought it would do her good in the long-run. But his evasiveness about Phoebe's family, his admission of taking memories, that had to connect. Fighting to keep her voice down, to contain her panic, she set down her glass with a shaking hand before rounding on him in a harsh, wavering, whisper. "Fabian, what did you make me forget? Where are they? I remember their goodbye party - I remember - " The woman cut herself off as a leaden dread filled her veins, fixing her to the couch when she wanted to run. You can't trust what you remember. You don't know what he changed.

[Fabian Prewett]

He had once thought that changing Kyra’s memories was the most difficult thing in his life. Every time there was a fight, Kyra and Phoebe against him and Edgar. Both of them giving numerous reasons why Kyra should just keep her memories. In the end it has always come down to him, what was he willing to do? And while he had always loved Kyra, in his early twenties he hadn’t seen the benefit to her knowing. Edgar had to have known that marrying Phoebe was just bringing her closer to the danger, no matter how much the three of them fought to change the world.

Back then, it had been easier to accept her anger with him than stomach the idea of her dying. If she was angry with him, she was still breathing. And it had seemed absurd at times, when things were good between them. Until that July in 1981, when his entire world came crashing down around him thanks to the Dark Mark in the sky above the Bones house. His anger at himself, at the Death Eaters, at Edgar has nearly eaten him alive. He’d gone after them on his own, saved from his own death by the appearance of Sirius Black.

And then it had been over, just like that. One night and a well laid out plan had ended over 10 years of terror, and he’d helped the rest of the pieces fall into place. Carrows and Lestranges behind bars, and then he had started to pick up the pieces of his life. Spent time with his nephews and nieces, learned to live without the Bones family. Phoebe and Edgar had held so many people together, it had seemed like their world wouldn’t recover.

He knew she had to have a million questions running through her head, her eyes giving it away as she watched him. The familiar disappointment when his wand felt like nothing in her hands. The panic that gripped her when she realized her own mind couldn’t be trusted. He stayed silent as she let her thoughts out, realizing that he had said enough for her to figure out why he was so desperately avoiding talking about them.

He reached out for his wand, setting it gently on the table. “1974, when Phoebe and Edgar separated. That was when he told her, and she told you. It was also the year the three of us left the Ministry of Magic to join… well it was called the Order of the Phoenix. The Ministry was corrupt; Voldemort had too many followers there. So we joined this secret organization, worked our way up through the ranks. We were soldiers, just not the kind you knew of,” he said quietly. You have to tell her the truth, all of it.

“You remember their goodbye party because that was what I decided was the best option, at least to keep you from trying to find them. You have to understand if I had known about Griffin, I wouldn’t have done what I did. I just thought…” He trailed off, shaking his head. He had thought he would never see her again, that eventually the people she wanted to find would naturally fade from her memories. “Phoebe fought often for you to know the truth. She hated keeping it all from you, used a lot of legal terms to try and convince us. Sure she’d be pissed at with for not finding you after the war ended.”

He finally met her gaze, a heavy sigh escaping them. “They were killed in July of ‘81, along with their kids and Edgar’s parents. Roderick and Amelia are still alive, although I don’t see them much anymore.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

If she stopped believing his intentions were good, if she stopped believing that he was telling the truth, Kyra knew she wouldn’t be able to come to terms with any of this. While he had betrayed her trust, he was trying to protect her. We must have fought about that. While she didn't understand everything that he said, he was being honest. We must have spoken about this before. The lay of his shoulders, the resigned tone he used, his succinct telling of personal history - it all held a latent sense of déjà vu that Kyra didn't know she could trust. Was she only thinking that they'd been here before because she now knew that he'd changed her memory? Or had they really been over this already?

The clamp squeezed tighter on her heart, her blood pounded in her ears, fingers shook with adrenaline and anxiety, as Fabian took his wand back and spoke. Get it out. I remember - I remember. They didn't want to go. Edgar's job was taking them away. They didn't know when they would be back. We said goodbye, but it wasn't - it wasn't goodbye. So clearly she could see the little ones with their smiling eyes, feel the weight of her godson in her arms as they danced the afternoon away, smell her best friend's hair as they separated from a tight hug. The memories she'd looked back on over these years, they were so clear. Vivid, almost too vivid, as if she was watching a movie projection. But she'd always felt they had an altered quality because they were so gone over, because they were so important. That was her last day with Phoebe's family before they came home, of course she would recall it differently than a day at the office.

And Fabian...had curated it. Given her one last perfect yet bittersweet day with them.

But for what end?

Because as he went on - her son's name in his mouth, regret dripping from every word, speaking of her best friend like she was something of the past - his motivation became less and less clear. What had he accomplished by giving her false memories of that day? Why had the memories been false in the first place? Fabian, what did you do? The heavy sense of dread weighing her down to her position only increased as Fabian looked up to meet her fearful gaze. But when he spoke, the drumming in her ears turned to a frenzied, chaotic, pounding, overwhelming her senses, suffocating -

Kyra forced herself to her feet, although her legs were unsteady and her hands tremor-ridden, to try and keep lucid. Phoebe. Edgar. Grayson. Elle. Cami. All dead. Five years ago. Five. Years. Ago. She'd lived a lifetime in those years, naively thinking that her best friend's family would return eventually. That they could return to a new normal. Griff would have cousins, another family outside of her own. They would be happy, reunited...why would he do this? "You let me - you let me think - you took - " She gripped the back of the couch for stability, mind and heart reeling. The need for quiet was forgotten as she went on, words leaving her in gasps between warred-for breaths. "They were supposed to come back. I had hope - hope - hope is the worst of all evils, Fabian, the worst, and I held on to it for all this time. They died and we - we were together then - and you left? What could have possibly been so important to make you do that?" 

[Fabian Prewett]

If he had learned anything over the years, it was that the lies were his downfall. So many arguments about how could you keep this from me and pleading with him to just let her remember. The lies started small, a boarding school he didn’t talk much about, but this? Constructing false memories for her of final moments with their family? He doubted he would even be able to forgive himself for doing it, let alone receive forgiveness from her. Creating the memory has been difficult, finding an excuse for them to leave without returning not easy. And creating those memories for her, when all he could remember was the blood and the bruises? That had been hard. H had never wanted her to see what had happened to Phoebe and Edgar, but he’d been too late to stop it once she had arrived.

He had done it because he didn’t want her last memories of Phoebe to be blood soaked sheets, her last memories of the kids to be broken necks. Her last memory of Edgar him face down in the Hall, trying to protect his wife and kids from the pure evil that had saturated their world. Those weee awful memories, ones that still woke him in the middle of the night as the signature cackle of Bellatrix Lestrange has echoed in his ears. He wanted to kill them for what they had done, not send them away to a prison to rot. They didn’t deserve to live after the amount of lives they had taken.

But that wasn’t his choice.

Kyra was off the couch, and he didn’t need to meet her gaze to know exactly what she was feeling. Panic, anger, betrayal. Fabian wanted to go to her, to pull her in his arms and let her cry. Because she was right, and he knew that. He had given her hope, something he had lost so long ago during the war. He had hoped the war would end quickly , he had hoped everyone he loved would survive. He had hoped that if anything bad was to ever happen, he would have at least been there to help.

But he hadn’t.

With a sigh, he held his head in his hands, eyes on the ground. “Gideon and I went after the five people who murdered them. I took your memories because I didn’t want you to remember what you saw. The people who...the people who killed them were vicious. And they’ll spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban for what they did. But it wasn’t closure, catching them. I wanted them dead, and I didn’t know if I would make it out alive. I know it means little, but I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”