Chapter Text
It was a fairly warm day for early autumn. The light was good, with slight cloud cover. Low breeze, but nothing that would interfere with passing or flying. There was the general sound of having over a thousand people gathered together in one place, but that was easy to ignore, as was the steady stream of commentary as the Chasers sent the Quaffle back and forth.
This was Rachel's last game with the Harpies, and it was also the game that would determine who took the League Cup. They were playing Ballycastle today, which meant all of them needed to be at peak performance.
She was doing a crosshatch search pattern and she estimated they'd been in the air for around two hours. Her left shoulder was starting to ache, which was one of the reasons she was choosing to retire from the League. She had taken a Bludger to the shoulder last year, shattering her scapula, and despite all the Healing she'd had done, her shoulder had never been the same. It was alright as long as she wasn't putting pressure on it or laying on it, but using her arms to support her body weight on her broom aggravated it. It also made it very easy for other Seekers to take her out of the game by slamming her on her left side.
The Harpies had a good reserve Seeker and Bridget was in good shape to take the main team Seeker position next year. Rachel would miss the team and playing, but she felt eleven years - eight of those being on the main team - was good enough for a Quidditch career. Most players only stayed ten or fifteen years. She still had her faction in the Wizengamot and her potions projects.
She dodged a Bludger by instinct and took another look around at the game. Gwendolyn - their captain now that Gwenog had retired - was leading Alwene and Annika through the Ballycastle Chasers. Donna had recovered the Bludger that had been sent at Rachel and was sending it at the lead Ballycastle Chaser while Meredith was maneuvering to keep the other Ballycastle Beater away from the second Bludger. Cadie was in the goal, her gaze fixed on the Chasers. She found Ballycastle's Seeker, Kenneth Tyron, across the pitch engaged in his own search pattern. A glance at the scoreboard told her that Ballycastle was up two goals, but that was recoverable.
Sitting up straight, she rolled her shoulders a few times, trying to ease the ache of her left shoulder. Rachel let her eyes glaze and looked around for the distinctive shimmer of gold that was the Snitch in sunlight. Finally she spotted it; across the pitch, with Kenneth in between it and her. She began flying again, keeping a steady pace, but not going all out. She kept an eye on the Snitch, but made sure it didn't seem like she was looking in one spot. She dodged another Bludger and watched as the Snitch made its way closer and closer to Kenneth.
Kenneth was facing the opposite direction and was doing a slow search. He was slower than she was, but he was talented and aggressive. She would have to be careful because he could easily push her away from the Snitch by side slamming her. Over the years Rachel had become more and more evasive. It was better to swerve around the other Seeker and push both of them away from the Snitch than it was to try to go toe to toe with someone who outweighed her by at least three stone. Of course, she'd been in several minor broom accidents by doing that, but nothing as bad as the Bludger to the shoulder, thankfully.
She flew by, Kenneth turning to follow her, and Rachel made for the Snitch. It was time for the part that she did best. They flew full out, the Snitch leading them on a merry chase across the pitch.
"There go the Seekers, with Snow in the lead," the commentator announced.
Rachel kept her eyes on the Snitch, but also a sort of third awareness of what was around her. Kenneth was right behind her and she dodged yet another Bludger, Meredith flying briefly into view to take it away from Ballycastle. They dove, Rachel experiencing the strange sense of weightlessness that came from dropping faster than falling. The pain in her shoulder had simply become something in the background, something she could acknowledge and dismiss. The crowd was gone. It was her, her broom, the Snitch, and the other Seeker.
They pulled up from the dive and Rachel used her momentum to shoot around the goal posts and gain on the Snitch. It was almost in reach, maybe three broom lengths away. Kenneth came in, no longer trying to catch the Snitch, but trying to knock her off course. Rachel yanked up in a move that caused a sharp complaint from her shoulder, rolled around her broom in fast sloth roll that she really shouldn't do at these speeds, slung herself to the side, reached out, and grabbed the Snitch. She had just enough time to drop from her trajectory to avoid being hit.
"That's Snow with the Snitch and the Harpies for the League Cup!" the commentator called, practically shouting.
Rachel exhaled and righted herself. Not bad. She probably gave a few of the people watching a mild heart attack, but she figured after all these years her friends and family knew how she flew. She suspected that Severus was very relieved that she was retiring from the team.
The rest of the team flew up to her, shouting and hugging each other in mid-air. It was Rachel's sixth League Cup win and she felt that was pretty good overall.
Eventually they landed and made their way to the main box to be awarded the League Cup. Rachel's awareness of the crowd in the stadium came back to her and she had the same longing that she always had for that moment of peace when it was just her chasing the Snitch.
Seren threw her arms around them, grinning broadly as she squeezed Rachel. Rachel hugged her back and then they assembled as a team for photographs. Rachel minded these photographs, where she was sweaty and windblown, much less than the photograph sessions at Witch Weekly, where she donned various outfits and posed for a camera.
Gwendolyn passed Rachel the League Cup - a large golden cup with two handles - and Rachel obligingly held it up for the camera and the cheers from the crowd.
Finally, after a great deal of shaking hands with people and congratulations, they were released to go change.
"Party at my place in two hours. Give me a bit to set up," Gwendolyn said once they were back in the changing rooms. "Bring everyone, open invitation."
"We'll be there. I need a drink," Cadie said. "Sixteen goals."
"In nearly three hours, you did fine," Donna said, clapping Cadie on the shoulder.
"Nice one, Rachel," Annika said.
"Thanks," Rachel said, rolling her shoulder again and wincing. It was time to put a pack of ice on that.
"Sure we can't get you to stay?" Gwendolyn asked.
Rachel shook her head. "I love you all, but I think I'm done."
"Understandable," Cadie said. "I get it."
"Not you too," Meredith said.
"Not yet, but someday. I'm thirty two now," Cadie said. "I'm practically middle-age. I'll be going grey before you know it!"
Rachel smiled at them and retreated to her own changing area. She needed to shower and then to sit for a little bit. Then she'd go find her friends and go to Gwendolyn's party.
*****
Rachel could hear the music from outside of Gwendoyln's home when she apparated to the gate with Theo. She had showered, changed into casual robes, set a pack of ice on her shoulder for thirty minutes and taken a Pain Relieving Potion. That was the last time she was planning to spend three hours straight on a broom or do a sloth grip roll.
"Gwendolyn knows how to throw a party," Theo said as he looked around. "It wouldn't surprise me if the entire League is here."
"It wouldn't surprise me either," Rachel said. She could see a game of Quidditch happening on the pitch in Gwendolyn's side garden and shook her head. With the League it was all Quidditch all the time.
"Anyone we're trying to see?"
"No. I need a day away from Wizengamot proposals and I strongly doubt that there are any members of the Wizengamot here who aren't already in our faction." She already knew what the question of the day was going to be, even though she had denied it repeatedly and would continue doing so. She was not joining the English National Team. She had declined to try out in '04, and she wasn't replacing the idiot they currently had.
For one thing, the national team schedule was not at all compatible with her Wizengamot schedule. For another, she didn't want to travel that much. And finally - and most important to her - she didn't want to join the English National Team. She had met them and her play style did not jive with them at all.
"Rachel!" someone shouted as they made their way up the path to Gwendolyn's house. "Nice save!"
She looked and then waved back, but didn't stay to chat. "Thanks!"
"Who was that?" Theo asked.
"Megan Freeman, Seeker on Tornados," Rachel said.
"Any reason we're not staying to chat?"
"Political differences. Let's just say she doesn't support my faction and leave it at that," Rachel said. She was not debating about provisions for muggleborns. Not today at least.
"Ah," Theo said, his expression telling her he'd received the unspoken message. They continued into Gwendolyn's house, the noise immediately getting louder.
"The Seeker of the hour!"
Rachel sighed and turned to see Robert Livingston coming down the stairs, a photographer at his side.
"Quote about the game?" he asked eagerly.
"The Harpies played very well and are proud to have won the League Cup for the third consecutive year," Rachel said, relaying the soundbite that Seran had given them.
"Anything to say about Kenneth? It looked like he nearly hit you?"
"Kenneth is a good Seeker, it was a challenging match." Rachel also refused to speak badly of other Quidditch players to the press, though that certainly didn't apply to Wizengamot members who had crossed her.
"Why are you leaving the team?" he asked, undeterred.
"I'm twenty nine years old and I'm a Wizengamot member. It's time to retire before I get seriously injured on the pitch," Rachel said steadily, which was the same answer she'd been giving ever since she'd announced her retirement.
"Did you ever recover from the Bludger hit?" he pressed.
"I've been fully recovered for almost a year." She was as recovered as she was going to get, at least.
"Are you replacing Michaels for the English National Team Seeker?"
"No." Rachel tucked her hand around Theo's forearm and moved to leave.
"Just 'no'?" Livingston called after her.
"Just no," Rachel called back, leaving the room with Theo.
"It will be a relief when that stops," Theo said, having to speak up to be heard.
"It will be," she agreed. She didn't mind most of the Quidditch reporters, but some of them were far too nosy for her tastes. They could report all day about what she did on the pitch, but she had a right to a private life. She and Theo guarded their privacy zealously.
"Rachel and Theo!"
"Valmai!" Rachel called back, waving her free hand. Valmai, Gwendolyn's sister and former Harpies member, still came to most of their games.
"Hi Valmai," Theo said.
"Did you get ambushed by Livingston? He's lurking around here somewhere."
"Already dealt with him," Rachel assured her. "How'd the game look to you?"
"Pretty good. Donna has gotta follow up on Bludger control, she let that one get close to you twice. Don't think I didn't see that sloth grip roll at the end either," Valmai said, waggling her eyebrows at Rachel.
"You should have seen Severus' face," Theo said.
"You mean you were watching him instead of me?" Rachel teased.
"I may have glanced at him when I heard him mutter an oath to Merlin, otherwise I was watching you the whole time," Theo said, teasing back.
"Shouldn't we all be as lucky," Valmai said. "My sister is looking for you. Last I saw her she was in the kitchen."
"We'll make our way there then," she said. "Anyone else?"
"I've heard rumors that Gwenog is around, but I haven't seen her yet. Send her to me if you see her, alright? I'm heading out back; it's stuffy in here."
"Will do," Rachel said. "See you around."
"Which way is the kitchen?" Theo asked when Valmai walked away.
"Uh." Rachel turned around and assessed the various openings where people were congregating. She'd been to Gwendolyn's house a number of times, but not enough that she knew her way around. It didn't help that Gwendolyn kept changing things. "Somewhere on this level, I think."
"Well, pick a direction."
Since Valmai had headed toward the back, Rachel was going to assume it wasn't that way. Forward would take her back to the entryway and staircase where Livingston was waiting to ambush League players. "Let's try left and see what happens."
Left took them into a sitting room with an assortment of people. "Rachel! Rachel!"
"Viola!" Rachel called, smiling and waving. "How are the Catapults?"
Viola came over and rolled her eyes. "Well, two good things. I'm taking the main team Seeking position next year now that Alex is done. That should help get us in running for the League Cup. And now I'm not going up against you, which will help."
"You've still got Ginny to look out for. The Magpies nearly took us out of the running three weeks ago," Rachel reminded her. "Kenneth was no slouch either."
"I'm not worried about them. You've been the one to beat for the past eight years and you know it. You're really not going for the national team?" Viola asked.
"I'm really not." She expected to have to say that a lot tonight.
"What are you going to do then?" Viola pressed.
"I've got my faction in the Wizengamot to look out for, we just finished the vote on equality in hiring practices for muggleborns and I've got another proposal coming up in the next few months." At least, she hoped she had a proposal coming up in the next few months. Every time she'd tried to push House Elf legislation in the Wizengamot she'd been forced to drop it. Now she thought her faction and sway was large enough that she might be able to push this proposal through.
"Boring. I mean, I know you're doing good things, I hear about it from my dad all the time. But still, you could be playing Quidditch."
"I did Quidditch. I'm kind of done with Quidditch, at least on the competitive level," Rachel said.
"If you say so," Viola said, sounding skeptical. "How are you, Theo?"
"Good. I've been keeping busy. It sounds like you've been busy as well?" Theo asked diplomatically.
"Not as busy now that I'm done with my mastery. I'm doing part time on a creature reserve, but it's pretty laid back. Works for me though," Viola said with a shrug, turning as someone caught her eye. "I'll see you both around."
"See you," Rachel said, knowing that Viola's dad had insisted that she do a mastery if she was doing Quidditch.
Rachel and Theo started walking again, waving occasionally to people, but not stopping to join any conversations until they found some of the rest of their friend group in another sitting room.
"I saw you as you caught the Snitch, did you think Scorpius wasn't watching that?" Draco asked.
"Was he scared?" Rachel said, feeling a twinge of guilt. She could live with scaring Severus on the Quidditch pitch, he'd seen her do much worse, but she hated the idea of scaring her godson.
"He was enthralled; I was the one who was terrified. Thank Merlin his broom only goes two feet off the ground," Draco said, shaking his head and getting a laugh from Rachel and Theo. "You realize he wants to be a Seeker instead of a Chaser? My son."
Rachel laughed again. "Well, they won't let him start on Seeker in the youth league. He'll have time to try out being a Chaser. Besides, it could be worse. He could want be a Beater."
"There is that," Draco said. "Nice save, by the way. It looked like Kenneth nearly hit you."
"It was close, but I had it under control."
"You always say that. She always does this," Draco said, turning to Theo.
"She does," Theo agreed, getting a mild elbow in the side from Rachel.
"Last game, how does it feel?" Scarlett asked as she and Ginny joined the group.
"Not sure yet. A little bit of relief. A little bit of regret, at the moment," Rachel said. She knew that even though she would miss playing, she wasn't going back. She was done. And there was something to the relief about closing that chapter in her life. Quidditch was essentially the most dangerous thing she did these days. She'd broken a number of bones playing Quidditch, had even more bruises, and of course, the Bludger hit that had wound up with her in St. Mungo's for two weeks while they tried to fix her shoulder. Even though the Wizengamot occasionally drove her crazy, the worst danger there was that she'd wind up with a migraine from arguing with idiots. There was still the occasional death threat, but no one had seriously tried to kill her in ten years.
"Next year, we're taking the Cup," Ginny said firmly.
"You nearly had it this year," Rachel pointed out. Ginny and Scarlett were both on the Magpies and they had come very close to winning the playoff match between them and the Harpies three weeks ago.
"Next year," Ginny said.
"Next year," Scarlett agreed.
"Hannah and Neville had to take the kids home - Sarah was fussing and Lisander was already asleep. Luna and Rolf send their regards and a reminder that we're having dinner when Hermione is back in Britain. Millie and Natalie went searching for drinks. And Astoria will be expecting me in an hour for the bedtime routine," Draco summarized for her.
Rachel nodded. "We're actually searching for Gwendowlyn and the kitchen. Any ideas?"
"Well, Millie and Natalie went that way. If you find drinks, come back to tell us," Ginny said.
"Will do," Theo said.
They started walking again, Rachel's gaze roaming over people as she looked for anyone she knew.
"The music's getting louder, but I can't tell if that means we're heading in the right direction," Theo said.
Rachel shrugged and winced. "No idea."
Theo came to a stop, his hand on Rachel's bicep. "Your shoulder?"
"Already iced it and took a potion," she said. Even a year had not been enough time to train herself out of shrugging.
"How bad?"
"Medium. Tolerable. It will feel better in a few days. I'm fine for right now." She started them walking again. She did not intend to be at the party for a terribly long time, which meant finding the people she needed to put appearances in with now.
Finally they emerged into a kitchen, finding the drink bar, Millie, Natalie, and Gwendowlyn.
"There you are. We were hoping you'd show up eventually," Gwendolyn said. "Be on the lookout for Livingston. I'm trying to kick him out but every time someone says they saw him somewhere he's gone by the time I get there."
"He was by the stairs, but that was at least thirty minutes ago," Rachel told her, getting a sigh in response.
Millie set down her drink and came over and hugged Rachel. "I'm so glad you're retiring."
"I'm not," Gwendolyn said.
"You scare the hell out of us doing that, you know that?" Millie said as though Gwendolyn hadn't spoken.
"I know. I don't mean to," Rachel said. "The Snitch is right there."
Natalie laughed and shook her head. "Well, congratulations, even though Millie just about squeezed my hand off when the other Seeker nearly hit you."
"Thanks," Rachel said.
"So what is next for you? You've never said," Gwendolyn asked.
"For now, the Wizengamot and my potions research. We'll see where things go from there," Rachel said, not wanting to make any commitments, even though she had an idea of what she might do. That was staying unsaid until she actually had the offer in her hands.
"More of an active role in the Guild? Didn't you turn them down last time?" Gwendolyn asked.
"She did," Millie said. "We heard the complaints and moaning all the way over at Spell Crafting. They award her and she still doesn't do more than poke her nose in the Guild twice a year."
"The Guild will live." During her mastery, Rachel had quickly learned that the Potions Guild was not the place for her. Too much petty infighting and bickering. If she wanted to brew potions, she could do that by herself. Outside of taking apprentices and publishing, Severus didn't have much to do with the Guild either.
"Some secret project, huh? Well, you always have something," Gwendolyn said.
"She does," Theo agreed.
"Drinks, get yourselves drinks. We're celebrating," Gwendolyn directed as she went back to work setting things out.
Rachel got herself a glass of wine, intending to hold it but not drink it. She'd found that she didn't particularly care for wine, beer, or ale. On occasion she would have vodka, mostly because it didn't really taste like anything but burning, but she typically didn't drink in public regardless.
"We should tell the others we found the drinks," Natalie said.
"We should," Millie agreed.
"I'm going to check on the rest of the team, but I'll catch up with you later," Rachel told them.
"Alright, you know where to find us," Millie said.
"I think you can find the others out back, that's where I saw them last. If you see Gwenog, send her in here," Gwendolyn said as she put out another tray of food.
"Will do," Rachel said. She latched onto Theo's arm and ventured out once more into the abyss of the party.
*****
Rachel sighed as she settled into the sofa and wiggled her feet into the plush of the rug. It had been a long day and it was good to be home and somewhere private and quiet. She held out her right hand and conjured another ice pack for her shoulder, tucking it behind her left shoulder blade and leaning into it. Most of the time, if she wasn't brewing or writing, she didn't notice her tremors any longer. It was going to be difficult to sleep tonight, even laying on her other side, but the pain would ease in a few days.
Severus and Theo had talked to her about seeking out another specialized Healer to try and regrow the whole bone and see if they could get things to sit right, but that would have limited her mobility for months and simply wasn't an option while she was on the team. She figured she'd give it a few months of not flying three to four times a week and see how her shoulder felt after that. If it was still bothering her next year, it might be time to do something about it.
Ring-A-Ding made for her lap, pushing herself up so her head was resting against Rachel's chest. Rachel pet her with her right hand and relaxed a little at hearing her purr. Feverfew had followed Ring-A-Ding in and settled neatly against Rachel's side, not asking to be pet just yet.
When Rachel and Theo had bought this house four years ago, Rachel had wanted another cat since Feverfew no longer had Midnight and Crookshanks for company. She'd gone back to the Magical Menagerie and asked again if they had a cat who they were having trouble placing with a home. The shop owner had brought out Ring-A-Ding, who Rachel and Theo had affectionately nicknamed Dingbat in short order. Ring-A-Ding was part kneazle, but apart from her size it was hard to tell. Theo often joked that Dingbat had half a functioning mind at any given time. Rachel thought Dingbat was sweet and it wasn't her fault that she routinely got herself stuck places or couldn't figure out things that Feverfew took for granted.
Feverfew simply treated Dingbat like a kitten, often sitting on her and grooming her with an expression that Rachel thought meant that Dingbat couldn't be trusted to do it herself. Dingbat was a grey cat with long hair and part of her tail missing, though the shop owner hadn't been able to tell them what had happened to her tail. It didn't seem to pain Dingbat any, which was the important part, but Hermione had suggested it might be why Dingbat was so uncoordinated and that cats used their tails to help them balance. Dingbat often got herself stuck in rooms, so Rachel had asked the House Elves to keep an eye on her and bring her back to the common areas when she got herself stuck.
They had three House Elves now, which was overkill when it was just caring for herself, Theo, the two cats, and the two owls that they had. Kreacher was still overly attached to Rachel, and Rachel had slowly been encouraging him into retiring a little bit, or at least doing easier tasks. House Elf lifespans were often at least as long as the average witch or wizard, so she suspected they'd have Kreacher for another twenty years or so. Dobby was younger and was enthusiastic as ever. Tomsi, the House Elf from Theo's father's home, had joined them when Theo had sold his father's home. Tomsi, like Kreacher, refused to accept payment, so Rachel simply kept accounts for them and let them know the money was there when they wanted it.
Artemis was Rachel's owl. Unfortunately Gladys had passed on from old age two years ago, and Rachel knew that Gladys had lived a long and full life. It had still been hard. Archimedes was Theo's owl. They had decided that with the amount of correspondence they kept, it was important to have their own owls, and that it was good for the owls to socialize with each other. They had a large perch in the kitchen window.
"How's your shoulder?" Theo asked as he entered the sitting room. He was now in stocking feet, but like Rachel, he'd left on his casual robes. Rachel was now used to simply wearing robes almost all the time, though she went without if she wasn't planning on going anywhere that day.
"Not bad. It will just take a few days," she said, reaching up and adjusting her ice pack.
Theo sat down next to her. "It will probably help to not be doing maneuvers like that on a regular basis."
"Probably," she admitted. She and Theo had purchased their home four years ago. They'd been together for five years straight now, though they had also dated for two years directly out of Hogwarts. Their breakup had been when Rachel had been having some extended mental health difficulties and she had not been in a place to be having a relationship.
It was both more complicated than that, and it wasn't. In the end, Theo had come to her after dating some other people and told her that he loved her and that he would respect her wishes but he wanted to try to make things work between them. Rachel had told him that she needed time to finish figuring things out. She'd done extended trauma work with a Mind Healer, sorted out some of her PTSD, at least to the point where it wasn't plaguing her every day and making her feel like she was about to die, and her anxiety was now more manageable. The only thing that hadn't really improved a lot was her sleep. She still had insomnia and nightmares, though they weren't as intense as they had been when she was younger.
Once Rachel had been feeling a little better, she'd been ready to negotiate with Theo about what their relationship would look like. She did love him and she wanted to spend her life with him, but there were certain things that were simply off limits for her. Fortunately Theo had been willing to work with that, and she thought that their relationship ran pretty smoothly overall. They understood each other, as much as it was possible to understand another person, and the life they had worked for them.
Dingbat looked at Theo and meowed plaintively. Theo obligingly reached over and pet Dingbat, focusing on her neck, where she liked to be rubbed. "Anything you want to do these next few days?"
"I've got dinner with Severus tomorrow. Did he really look unhappy today?" she asked. Theo joined her for dinner with Severus about half of the Sundays, both wanting to give her some alone time with her father and to have some space to himself.
"I definitely saw him wince when you were nearly hit by a Bludger."
"I wasn't nearly hit by a Bludger," she said, confused by the notion.
"Sure looked like it from where we were sitting," he said, raising his eyebrows at her.
Rachel shook her head. "The Bludger didn't even get close to me."
"Close is relative."
She nearly shrugged, but caught herself in time. "Well, he can't complain. I'm done now."
"I'm sure you've made both Severus and a lot of people in the Ministry very happy," Theo said, relaxing into the sofa and placing his hand on her knee.
"Rufus and Amelia are probably celebrating tonight," she said, knowing full well that neither of them had been happy with her decision to keep playing after being hit by that Bludger. Severus, Monty, Sirius, Remus, and Booker hadn't been happy about that decision either.
"Probably. Besides, I think six League Cups is enough for anyone."
"Not the League record," she pointed out. "The League record for a Seeker is ten League Cups."
"Do you need to beat the League record?" he asked.
"No," she said, though there was a small voice inside of her that said she could have kept playing for another four or five years. Her shoulder said differently.
"Besides, this will give you more time to do the things you want to do, and you still have games with the group," Theo said. "You'll still be able to play and you go broom racing with Anyssa every spring and summer."
"That's true enough," Rachel said, thinking that she needed to touch base with Cedric and see when their group was planning another game. Twice a year they got together a big group of them who had played together at Hogwarts and held some informal games. It was as much a social reunion as it was a Quidditch match.
"Luna said Hermione is aiming to be back in Britain by the end of the month, she's just wrapping up in New Zealand."
"That's good. It will be good to see her." The last time they'd seen Hermione it had been at Christmas. Hermione traveled a lot for her work as a curse specialist. "We're arranging a group dinner?"
"We are. Neville and Hannah said they could host this time around," Theo said.
That was a relief. Neville and Draco held most of the full group dinners - there were simply too many of them now to fit comfortably in anyone else's homes.
"You look ready to go to sleep."
Rachel blinked a few times. She was tired, maybe she would sleep tonight after all. "Maybe. I'm good here for a little bit."
"Me too," he said.
She closed her eyes and rested her left hand on Theo's hand and kept her right hand tucked around Dingbat. She was ready for a little bit of quiet.
*****
On Sunday afternoon Rachel apparated home to Fallow Farm. Even though she hadn't lived there for eleven years, there was still part of her that considered it home. She poked through Severus' office doors, but didn't find him inside. He wasn't in the sitting room, the kitchen, or the cellar, so she went outside and began walking to the greenhouses. It was fairly warm for autumn and the leaves were just starting to color. There was a certain peace to be found in Severus' back garden - away from the rest of the world - that she couldn't find anywhere else.
She could see Severus' figure in the second greenhouse and rapped her knuckles on the doorframe so she wouldn't startle him as she went inside.
"Is it that late already?" he asked, looking up from the plant bed he was tending.
"It's only four," she said, taking a look around the greenhouse to see if he'd planted anything new recently. She kept a few plants in pots and a few herb beds in the back garden, but she'd found she didn't really have the time to care full time for a Potion Mistress' garden and greenhouse and she didn't want to give another task to the House Elves.
"Ah, good. I don't need to put the pasta on until five, unless you're hungry now?" he asked, watching her.
"I'm fine. I can wait. I just came to spend time with you."
The corners of his mouth rose and the lines around his eyes relaxed a little. "I'm glad to see you too," he said, turning back to his work.
"I hope I didn't scare you yesterday. Theo mentioned you were a little on edge," Rachel said, coming closer and examining the different beds of plants. He wasn't keeping anything difficult like Mandrakes or Serpensortos, which made sense for the work he did. Most of these were common herbs and plants that were used in base potions. She saw fluxweed, sage, dittany, foxglove, goosegrass, and more.
"Watching you fly competitively is always a nerve wracking experience for anyone who cares about your well being," Severus said, continuing to pluck strands of valerian that weren't thriving.
"It really wasn't that bad this time. Nothing came close to hitting me," she pointed out.
"I saw several Bludgers sent in your direction, and if you hadn't swerved at the end, the other Seeker certainly would have knocked you off your broom."
"And I knew he was there, and I planned to swerve, since I knew exactly where he was going to be. That's how the game is played."
"Let's just say I am thankful you are not pursuing the English National Team position and leave it at that," he said, using his wand to vanish the unsatisfactory plant pieces that he had removed and then moving onto the next plant bed.
"It was never in my plans to join the national team. I don't know why the reporters got it into their minds that was what I was going to do. If I was going to take the national team position I would have taken it in '04 when I had the opportunity to try out," she said, slightly irritated by the whole situation. The Harpies winning the League Cup had been on the front page of the Daily Prophet this morning, which was fine, but the endless speculation about what she was going to do next was annoying. Couldn't she just be a Wizengamot member and a potions researcher? Why did there always have to be more?
She had purposefully not taken the Chief Warlock position when Professor Dumbledore had died four years ago, because she didn't want it. She had declined the ICW seat shortly after that, much to Rufus' frustration and dismay. She wasn't going to let them force her into roles that she didn't want. Rachel felt that she was doing her part for magical Britain with the work she did in the Wizengamot and she got more than enough push back about that.
"It's a common trajectory for people leaving the League mid-career to transition to their national team. It makes sense that is what they're expecting of you," Severus said, leaning closer to look at the star grass before watering it and moving on.
"I'm hardly mid-career. I've been with the League for eleven years. I'm nearly thirty!"
"Would you be retiring right now if it wasn't for your shoulder injury?" he asked, pausing to look at her again.
"Probably not," she admitted. She was still fairly young and fit. She still had her reflexes. She'd still been the fastest Seeker in the League. It had simply reached the point that playing wasn't worth the days of pain after it any longer - not when she was on a broom three to four times a week at peak season.
"The public at large does not know how bad that injury was. They don't know you're retiring because of it. If they did, they would not be expecting you to join the national team," he pointed out. "How is the pain today?"
"Medium." It was still sore and she really should not have done the sloth grip roll. She needed to simply accept the fact that was not a move she could do any longer.
"Do you realize you're cradling your left arm?"
Rachel looked down and saw that she was. "It just hurts to extend it right now. It will be alright in a few days."
"Should you be in a sling for a few days so you're not continuing to aggravate it? How is the swelling?" he asked.
"I don't need a sling. The swelling was down this morning. I'm really alright."
He raised an eyebrow but went back to his work. "Have you given more thought to seeing a specialized Healer? I know having it regrown will be a lengthy and painful ordeal, but it might be worth it to stop the chronic pain."
"I'm going to give it a few months of not flying and see how I do. Maybe it will fully heal if I'm not using it several times a week." She did not want to go in for a full medical procedure if she didn't have to.
"You're doing the exercises with it that the Healer instructed you to do?"
"I am." She was - on the days she could move her shoulder without wanting to cry. In a day or two she would gently rotate it and see where she was at.
He nodded as he examined the dittany.
"How is Andrea?" Rachel asked, deciding that they'd spoken enough about her for the time being. There was only so much poking and prodding that she was willing to take, even from Severus.
Severus sighed.
"That bad?"
"She is somewhat reckless. I took her because of her interest in combat potions, but I am having difficulty in conveying to her that sometimes we do things for a reason," Severus said.
"Well, it's been what? A month?" Rachel asked. Andrea was Severus' second apprentice since he'd left Hogwarts.
"Yes. A month. I have strictly forbidden her from brewing anything without a recipe until I hammer into her head that there are safety protocols for volatile potions that need to be followed every time, and that any potion that is intended to explode at any point is a volatile potion."
Rachel found that she was slightly jealous. She hadn't done any purposefully exploding potions during her mastery - hers had been entirely focused on non-traditional Healing potions - and it sounded like fun. She suspected there was a small part in every person that just enjoyed seeing something explode - fireworks wouldn't be nearly as popular as they were otherwise.
"Well, you're in charge. She can't do anything unless you let her do it. Besides, it can't be worse than teaching a classroom of twenty eleven year olds not to blow something up," she said, figuring any situation where he only had one student had to be better.
He snorted and shook his head again. "There is that. At least we're aiming for purposeful explosions. What are your plans for the week?"
"Eh, the usual. I've got a faction meeting first thing Monday, which should give me a better idea of where we stand on the whole House Elf thing. I'm not letting the Wizengamot push this aside again."
"What does the Minister have to say about that?" Severus asked, brushing dirt off his hands.
It was Rachel's turn to sigh. "He'll support it if I can get support for it. If I want to push this through, it's on me and my faction to do it. I can't count on him, Amelia, or Janice to raise support for this, which means I'm stuck going to everyone individually. At this rate, I'm hoping to have the proposal put to vote in the spring."
"Hedging their bet, all of them. They don't want to be seen as supporting something that will ultimately fail, whether or not they actually believe in the proposal."
"I know. Which-" Rachel cut herself off, because there were several curse words she could say there, and these were people she generally liked and respected. "It's politics. It's all politics. Sometimes I have half a mind to just walk away from it all."
"You can, if you want to," he said, setting aside a watering can and motioning her toward the greenhouse door.
"Maybe one day. I still have things I want to do first." It had gotten easier after her prison proposal had passed, and easier after that once the prison had been built and had started showing the results she'd promised. And then, when Professor Dumbledore had died, she'd been able to scoop up a number of his people into her faction. There were still some that she was persuading, but she now had enough reliable people to stop votes from passing when she wanted to do so.
They began walking back toward the house. "Just keep in mind that there is nothing that you are required to do. If you want to spend the rest of your life as a hermit, you could do so."
Rachel smiled. "I don't think I'm ready for hermit life quite yet. Did you say pasta for dinner?"
"I did. Bread too."
"Sounds good. Let's cook," she said. It was nice to have a quiet evening with Severus.
*****
"Hey, congratulations on the win," Anyssa said when Rachel came into Sirius' kitchen the next morning.
"Thanks," Rachel said, taking a quick glance around the room. Sixteen people, which meant everyone wasn't here yet. She had twenty two people in her faction, which was the largest faction currently in the Wizengamot. The pureblood extremists still had ten people, all of them inherited seats. Rachel didn't expect any of them to move within their lifetimes. The Guilds had eleven seats, and Rachel often allied with them. She had a good working relationship with Janice and Ethan and the rest of the Guilds seats usually voted with them. Rufus and Amelia led the Ministry faction, which only composed six seats. Rachel could usually work with them as well. And the remaining seats were the independents. She was currently trying to collect a few more of those into her faction.
Officially, the factions didn't exist, which was why they didn't meet at the Ministry. Unofficially, everyone knew where everyone else stood. Rachel had made it clear to her faction from the beginning that she wanted them to vote what they honestly believed was the right thing, and if that meant voting against the rest of the faction, so be it. In practice, her faction voted with her almost a hundred percent of the time.
"I heard it was a rough game," Malcolm said, approaching carrying two cups of tea.
Rachel accepted a cup. "Not that rough. I had it under control."
"That's what you always say," he said.
"Because it's true," Rachel said, pausing by the tea tray to add two spoons of sugar and a splash of milk to her tea.
"What did your father have to say about that? I assume he was watching," Anyssa asked.
"He was. He said he's thankful I'm retiring," she said, causing both of them to laugh.
"I'm sure there are a number of people who are thankful about that. Amelia always gets a pinched expression when the talk turns to you playing Quidditch," Anyssa said.
"I'm aware. I stopped because I decided it was time, that's all." She did not want rumors to go around that she'd left the Quidditch team at the Ministry's behest.
Neville entered the room looking slightly harried. "I just got Lisander down and he sicked up on me."
"Well, they will do that," Anyssa said. "That's why I don't have any of my own."
"That's the whole reason?" Malcolm asked.
Anyssa held up her hand. "Vomit. Poop. Screaming. Crying," she said, raising a finger for each item. "I could go on."
Draco approached. "I hate to say it, but you get used to it. It's not as bad as it seems at first. After a while you don't even notice how sleep deprived you are."
Anyssa shuddered theatrically. "Need I say more."
"How does Angie feel about that?" Neville asked.
"If Angie is birthing anything, it's her research," Anyssa said. "It's just not for us."
"I think it's wise that you know that up front," Rachel said. She wasn't planning on having any children, if not quite for the same reasons that Anyssa didn't want children.
Sirius entered the room and took a look around. "Have we got everyone?"
Rachel looked, counting and grouping people. "Not quite yet." She checked her watch. "We still have five minutes."
"How close are we on a draft of the House Elf proposal?" he asked.
"Close. Give me and Booker another week or two for revisions and I'll get a draft to you."
Sirius nodded. "By the way, nice save on Saturday."
"Thank you." She was glad he was willing to leave it at that instead of telling her how much she had scared people.
"You're taking a break for a little bit?"
Rachel shrugged and then winced. She really had to train herself out of that. "We'll see. I've got some research projects that need my attention, and I'm going to be putting a lot of focus on the House Elf proposal for the next few months. I'll have plenty to do."
"I'm sure," he said, though his expression had registered concern briefly at her wince. "Give yourself some time before jumping into anything new."
A few more people entered the kitchen in a clump and Rachel did another count. "Let's get started," she said, wanting a relatively brief meeting today. She took the seat at the head of the table. Sirius took the seat to her right, as her second in the faction. Malcolm sat next to Sirius, and Anyssa next to him. Draco and Neville were to her left, followed by Linette. The rest of the faction ordered themselves down the table, people joining as they fetched cups of tea. Neville had a quill and parchment for notes, which Sirius would distribute to everyone later in the day through their clerks.
"First, I'd like to thank everyone for their support and work on the Muggleborn Employment Equality proposal. Passing with forty three votes is actually a good sign of things to come," Rachel said. They wouldn't have been able to pass that proposal with the last Wizengamot, even with Professor Dumbledore's influence.
"It's concerning that so many of the independents voted against us. The last thing we want is them joining with Turner's faction," Stephen Bryant said.
"It is concerning," Rachel agreed. "Has anyone seen or heard signs that Turner is doing more to recruit them?"
There were a few murmurs around the table but mostly people were shaking their heads.
"We'll keep an eye on it," Sirius said. "Ask your clerks to keep an eye on it as well."
"Are we really pursuing House Elf legislation next?" Linette asked.
"We are," Rachel said.
"Is that wise? Do we think we can get that to pass?" Nathan Wright asked.
"What provisions are going to be included? Paying House Elves?" Dolph Jenkins asked.
"Requiring that House Elves be paid for their labor will definitely be a provision in the proposal, among others," Rachel said steadily.
"We'll have a draft for you by the end of the month, then we can discuss specific provisions," Sirius said.
"As for if we can get this to pass, I believe that we can. We have a fairly pliable Wizengamot and that may not be the case in three years. We should take advantage of it while we can," Rachel continued. "If we can get muggleborn provisions to pass, we can do this too."
There were skeptical looks from around the table, but not one said anything.
"The House Elf proposal will be our big focus for the next few months. We'll discuss it more when we have details," Sirius said. "Anyone have anything to report?"
"Here," Thomas Wiggens said. "I tried to speak with Mason Fallon like you asked. He rebuffed me; he said you can speak to him yourself."
Rachel frowned. Mason Fallon was one of those who had been elected at the last elections in '05. He had voted against the Muggleborn Employment Equality proposal and Rachel was trying to figure out if they could work with him at all. "I'll set up a meeting," she said, though she was already annoyed with the man for sending away the person she had sent.
"I can do it," Sirius offered.
"No. I'll take it. If he doesn't want to work with us, that's fine, but I'd like to know where he stands," Rachel said. She'd make it clear that Mason didn't get to dictate terms to her. "What else?"
She settled for listening to various problems and issues for the next hour or two, all the while willing for everyone to hold on and work together. She hadn't initially wanted her own faction, but now that she had it, she was going to make it work.