Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They land in their bedroom.

The bedroom which they’ve owned for nearly a year but only shared a few nights in together. Ava’s side of the bed is unmade and a pair of shoes peek out from under it. Her beside table is a mess of empty mugs, a candle, a candy wrapper, her keys, her rings which she should really keep in a jewellery box or something, and of course…

A pile of Beatrice’s most recent letters. The once fresh parchment, crumbled and crinkled, from Ava’s constant rereading of them and has the occasional coffee stain or tear droplets on them.

Beatrice’s side of the bed remains neat and untouched. Her bedside unit comprising of just a candle. She probably has a lot of her stuff from Hogwarts packed in her case and during her stay in late December, she apparated between her flat and the house, bringing along her essentials.

They didn’t really have time to properly decorate but Ava put some stuff up whilst she was gone.

Like the comfortable, wool blanket is neatly folded on the cushions of the bay window seat in their bedroom, the window overlooking the street in front of the house.

Or the magical coat stand, with arms that moved. Ava was delighted whenever it fist bumped her. She put it by the entryway of their home.

Their home.

Their home, which Ava’s pretty sure she might be bleeding out on.

“Ok, wait here,” Beatrice grunts as she helps Ava sit on the edge of their bed. Ava’s head rolls forward a little, but she sniffs and lifts it back up, blinking blearily. She’s so tired and sore and just wants a shower because she can feel where her sweat has cooled and dried and can feel the thick, sticky blood in her hair and on her legs.

Beatrice isn’t much better. Her side had been stitched quickly, but Ava knows they have the right tools, potions and balms to treat it. There’s also that cut on the side of her face and no doubt some burns from various spells.

She frowns when Beatrice leaves to go into their en-suite, a couple of feet away from Ava’s side of the bed. She hears water running and almost cries in relief at the sound.

Wand, knife, auror badge and some stray jellybeans are taken from her pockets and she drops it all on her bedside table, knowing Beatrice will throw a fit when she sees the state that its in.

She unlaces her bracers and lets them drop to her feet, her thin leather fingerless gloves soon follow, and she grimaces at the dust that billows out as they hit the hardwood ground. It’s a struggle to pull of her jacket but she manages, laying on the foot of the bed .

Ava moves her head to her hands and groans softly.

She feels like shit. The little adrenaline boost from the battle being over and finding Beatrice has now faded and she is feeling it all. The rough landing after apparating into Hogsmeade, the other rough landing after being knocked down by Fenrir Greyback, the other, other rough landing after pushing Beatrice out of the way of the curse, as well as being knocked even farther back by Beatrice’s spell.

Yeah.

Its been rough on her back, and her head, and her ass.

The sound of gentle footsteps make her look up to see Beatrice leave the bathroom and unbutton her torn and bloodied shirt. She visibly winces as its taken off and Ava grimaces at how a patch of it sticks to her ribs, coming away a dark red.

Beatrice balls it up and throws it in their hamper, leaving her in her sports bra and slacks. Ava rushes to her feet at the sight of the burns on her torso.

“I’m fine, I just need to wash and then put some balm on, ok?” Beatrice says quietly, moving a hand to interlace with Ava’s one which was gently tracing a jagged burn across Beatrice’s shoulder.

Ava nods tiredly and unsteadily goes on her tiptoes to kiss Beatrice’s head. Beatrice waves a hand and all the candles in the room light, illuminating them and their shadows dancing against the wooden interior. The entire second floor is their bedroom and en-suite.

The staircase takes you directly into their bedroom and their loft is so cosy and romantic, but Ava can’t properly appreciate it right now. Mainly because she might collapse if she doesn’t sit down again.

Beatrice notices, like she always does, and kneels down to help Ava take off her shoes and socks, before moving up and wordlessly unbuttons her pants, before pulling them down with her underwear. All whilst Ava keeps a tight hold on her shoulder.

Last is her top, which usually comes off easily, but her arms are stiff and aching, so its slower and awkward. But it comes off and Beatrice grabs the bundle of her clothes and puts them in the hamper, leaving Ava swaying on her own.

She returns and takes her hand, gently leading her to the bathroom, before abruptly stopping and turning to cup Ava’s face.

Ava stares at her with half-lidded eyes and stands naked before her. She should feel vulnerable and cold, but she doesn’t. Beatrice is warm, her sun, and protects her, she feels safe in a way that Ava’s never quite felt before.

Soft and familiar lips press against hers in a closed mouth kiss and pull away quickly. Ava finds herself chasing them, despite barely being able to stay awake and she hears the soft chuckle from Beatrice.

She takes her hand again and the next time Ava opens her eyes, she’s in their bathroom above the bath. Beatrice had lit all the candles and the bath is soapy and steamy and it smells so, so good.

Beatrice stands behind her and runs her hands up Ava’s arms slowly. “Do you need help getting in darling?”

A shake of the head, and Beatrice removes her hands, but Ava can sense them hovering nearby in case she needs help. The water is the perfect temperature and soothes all the aches in Ava’s muscles and joints. She moans at the feeling and tips her head forward to rest on her knees, before ducking it underwater.

Everything above surface becomes…cloudy, if that’s the right word to describe it. Water goes up her nose and clogs her ears and it makes everything feel like it slows.

It would be so easy to hold her head here until she runs out of air.

Ava pulls herself back up, hair plastered to her head and the water has turned a bit pink, due to the blood. She pouts a little at that and scrunches her nose when she realises that there’s a dollop of bubbles on the tip of it.

Taking her hair out of the bun, Beatrice stands in front of their mirror and rakes her fingers through it. Ava watches her curiously, before leaning forward and resting her chin on the cool porcelain edge.

“You gonna join me hotstuff?” She croaks and its not nearly as seductive as what it would have been on a regular day. She’s bloody and scratched up. Her hair is in all different directions and there’s a large strand stuck to her cheek. To top it off, she’s pretty sure she got bubbles in her left eye, so she keeps rapidly blinking.

She’s a mess.

But its fine. She’s not trying to impress Beatrice anymore, because they’re married. Beatrice married her, knowing full well what she was getting into.

Her wife (merlin, her wife) smiles at her, before slipping off her shoes and pulling down her perfectly ironed, now ruined, slacks. Her undergarments come off last and Ava moves forward so that she can slip in behind her.

Ava sighs with contentment at the skin-on-skin contact

She feels lips press against the top of her shoulder firmly and strong, familiar arms, loop around her stomach, gently pulling her back closer to Beatrice’s front. Enveloping her, in her warmth and her loving embrace.

Ava breathes out deeply and feels the bubbles sway into her at the motion of her chest rising.

Her necklace floats in front of her, the dark silver of the crucifix and the shining gold of her wedding ring.

“Bea?”

Beatrice hums in response.

“Could you open the clasp of the necklace, please?”

Beatrice wordlessly nudges Ava forward a bit and sweeps the short hair out of the way. It takes some fumbling, but she feels it break free. Ava scoops up the chain in her hand and stares down at it.

Carefully, she slides the ring off the necklace and leans over the edge of the bath, to gently drop the crucifix necklace on the floor.

The ring itself is a simple gold band, which wraps around her finger, but at the top, the strand on each side, becomes a stalk flower. The two sides of now, flowering gold strands, circle the centre of the ring. In the middle, embedded and surrounded by delicate gold petals, a diamond.

It’s gorgeous.

Shaky hands slide it onto her ring finger and she smiles at the feeling of being able to finally wear it without any consequences. Without her bloodhound-nosed colleagues figuring out who it was and punishing her for having contact with ‘the enemy.’

Beatrice pulls Ava back against her and sighs happily. Her lips pressed against Ava’s shoulder again, before dancing up her neck, and tickling her jaw.

She can feel her wife’s heart against her back. Inches away from where Ava’s heart sits. Can feel them both jumping nervously, but strongly.

Heart to heart.

Lips progress from her jaw to her cheek and Ava turns her head slightly, bumping her nose with Beatrice’s. They stay like that for a bit, Beatrice’s gentle fingers brushing up and along her ribs and Ava sighs happily.

Because they’re home.

xXx

They’ve been home a few days before it starts.

Ava’s awoken to Beatrice twitching in her sleep. She squints in the dark and looks back over her shoulder at her wife. She reaches around to gently touch her arm; are you ok? She wordlessly asks and when she receives no response, she finally turns around properly to face her.

Beatrice’s face is scrunched up, face pulled like she’s in pain and she mumbles incoherently and Ava frowns.

“Babe?” She slurs a little as she nudges her with her foot this time.

Nothing.

Ava sits up a little bit and places an arm on Beatrice’s shoulder, and shakes it, “Bea?”

She’s unresponsive and grimaces in her sleep. Moaning and whispering under her breath. Ava clicks her fingers in the direction of a nearby lamp and it switches on, providing them with a soft yellow light which has her wincing.

“Beatrice.” Ava says this time, with her voice hard and that’s what does it.

Gold speckled eyes suddenly slam open as she jolts awake. Beatrice sits up quickly, hands fisting the sheets on either side of her, and Ava now sees how her skin glistens with sweat and how her t-shirt clings to her.

Her chest heaves and her eyes are unfocused, staring ahead and Ava puts a hesitant hand on her damp back.

“Bea?” She whispers softly, running her hand in circles across her wife’s back.

A nightmare no doubt. But she knows Beatrice and knows that she won’t appreciate being bombarded with questions or swept into a tight hug, like Ava. She needs a minute, but she also needs to know that Ava is there.

The hands clenched tightly in the sheets loosen slightly and Ava quickly leaves the bed to grab her a new top.

When she comes back, Beatrice is sat hunched and look at her. Ava’s heart breaks at the defeated look on her face and she smiles shakily at her, motioning for Beatrice to put her arms up. She pulls the sweat soaked top off and lobs it at their laundry hamper.

She misses by a mile and pulls a face, but smiles when she hears Beatrice’s weak chuckle.

The new top is pulled over her head and Ava makes sure to pull the hair out from beneath the collar.

She rests her hand on top of Beatrice’s and waits. Five minutes pass before she speaks.

“Bellatrix.”

Oh.

Yeah, that makes sense.

“I know she was a horrible person but-” her voice breaks and she sniffs quietly.

“But she was still a person,” Ava finishes gently, sighing when she sees that defeated nod of confirmation. Ava tsks and wraps an arm around her shoulders, squeezing them and pressing a sleepy kiss to Beatrice’s cheek.

Its normal, she supposes, and she hates that she didn’t think about this. About Beatrice feeling the guilt from killing somebody for the first time. Ava can’t believe that she thought that it didn’t affect her that much, can’t believe that she overlooked this.

“I just-I can’t stop thinking about it,” Beatrice grits out and Ava nods sympathetically. She feels bad, because yeah it is morally wrong to murder someone.

But this was self defence and this woman was a Voldemort loving freak. She had it coming. But this has obviously been plaguing Beatrice’s thoughts since it happened.

“That’s what makes the two of you so different,” Ava says quietly, and knows that it was the right thing to say when she feels the tightness in Beatrice’s shoulders, loosen slightly.

She turns her head into Ava and Ava holds her until she falls back to sleep. She reclines back on the pillows with Beatrice’s head on her chest.

They wake up in the same position, when morning comes.

xXx

A few days pass before Ava decides to buy Beatrice a practical present.

Her wife is sat opposite her at the kitchen table, staring at the item in front of her with trepidation and fear. She gulps and her brows furrow, creating that small little crinkle which makes Ava want to lean across the table and kiss.

Ava rests her head on her fist and tries to smother her laugh.

“It’s an iPhone.”

Beatrice nods slowly. “You have one.”

“I do,” Ava smiles, placing hers on the table too. She’s had one her whole adult life, but didn’t bother bringing it to Hogwarts because it was against school policy. Also, something about the protection charms interferes with the signal.

She wouldn’t say she’s on it a lot, a healthy amount probably, maybe. She doesn’t bother turning on her screentime, she doesn’t need that hanging over her head

“Why is there an apple on the back of them?” Beatrice says sceptically, flipping hers over to show Ava and Ava freezes.

“Um, well its actually really interesting because the company is called apple because-well, ok you see-”

“You have no idea.”

“I do not,” Ava confirms and leans across the table to flip the phone back up and taps the screen, so it lights up. Beatrice jumps and Ava sees her hand inch towards her wand. “Babe no.”

Beatrice retracts her hand a little sheepishly.

“Ok so, I’ve set it up for you, I have created the password-”

“Shouldn’t I be the only one who knows my password?”

Ava sighs, “well when you figure out how to change it on your own, you can ok? But for now, it’s the day, month, and year we got married.”

Beatrice’s eyes soften at that and she looks down at the hands on her lap. “I guess I’ll refrain from changing it then,” she grumbles.

Grabbing the phone, Ava turns it to face her and slowly swipes up, making sure that Beatrice is watching and carefully enters the pin. It unlocks and she turns it back towards her.

“I’ve put my number in there. I’ve already messaged you, so I’ll be at the top of the page. You can either phone or message me. Hell, maybe even facetime me if we get there.”

She watches as Beatrice mouths certain words that Ava says, like phone or facetime, face squeezed in concentration.

“I’ve also downloaded solitaire and candycrush, since you’re like 70 years old,” she teases, poking her with her foot under the table and Beatrice’s face only becomes more confused.

“Candycrush?”

“We’ll get there.”

Ava taps on the messages icon to show Beatrice that her contact was there and described the keyboard to be similar to a typewriter, since that was the closest thing Beatrice will have come to an iPhone keyboard.

Then it’s the phone, clock and google. Good lord the look on Beatrice’s face when Ava said it had the answers to everything. So, Beatrice took it literally and clumsily typed in “where did I put my lavender shirt?”

Ava’s loud snort earnt her a sharp glare from Beatrice and she had to carefully explain the extent of what google knew.

“I also set up Siri for you, I used a spell to replicate your voice, to make it easier. She’ll respond to you when you ask her stuff, so say, hey Siri.”

“Hey Siri,” Beatrice draws out carefully, curious eyes on Ava and when the robotic voice responds obnoxiously loudly from the phone, Beatrice jumps about a foot in the air and grabs her wand.

“Beatrice no-”

They leave the Apple store with a new phone.

Beatrice looked very sheepish the entire time and kept getting distracted by the laptops and touchscreen watches. Ava had to actually pull her away.

They walk down the street in Glasgow. Their small town in Switzerland doesn’t have an Apple store, so Ava apparated to the dull, grey city of Glasgow to buy the first one. She took Beatrice this time to get the new one, seeing as the first was now a charred and blackened mess.

“You promise not to destroy this one?” Ava asks, holding the plastic bag up for Beatrice to see.

Her wife nods her head, a downcast look on her face.

“Sorry, I know it cost a lot of money, I really didn’t mean to-”

“Hey,” Ava stops and reaches out a hand to grab Beatrice’s forearm, squeezing it gently. “I know it was an accident, don’t worry about it ok?”

Beatrice chews at her lip and nods.

“I’ll buy you British snacks to take home, to make it up to you.”

Ava beams at that and starts to skip towards a supermarket called Tesco, which she’s never heard of, but Beatrice seems to recognise it.

Its less than 10 minutes later when Ava has a trolley full of Monster Munch, Tunnocks Tea Cakes, Irn Bru, Wine gums, Fruit Pastilles and Jaffa Cakes.

She has no idea what any of it is, but she just picked up stuff she’d never seen before. Beatrice did subtly drop a jar of something called marmite into the trolley, so Ava looks forward to trying it too.

Ava tries the marmite the next day and wants to file for divorce.

xXx

It’s a few weeks later and they’re trying to figure out how to install the tv above the fireplace in their living room.

Beatrice is no help because she’s never seen a tv before, other than glancing at the one in Ava’s apartment, but to be completely honest? They spent most of those three days in her bed, not the living room.

So, Ava said it was like the screen they saw at the cinema, same concept. Beatrice perked up at that and then when it was delivered, she fucking pouted. Pouted because it was significantly smaller than the cinema screen. Which Ava thought she would know, but apparently not. She can’t really hold it against her, it was cute.

Just like its cute watching her try to figure out batteries.

Its mounted now and Ava’s entertaining herself by watching Beatrice lose her shit over the very concept of batteries and a tv remote, when the doorbell goes.

They both still and look at each other.

“You expecting someone?” Ava murmurs, looking at the entryway and Beatrice silently shakes her head.

Ava stands and cautiously moves to the door, keeping an eye of her wand lying on the kitchen table. They live in a nice town, its reasonably quiet, but gets its fair share of tourists. There’s no reason to be on edge, other than the fucking war that was happening less than three weeks ago.

She looks through the peep hole and frowns. “The fuck?” She mutters and pulls the door open, revealing her former boss, Areala. The Areala who was replaced by Reya, the psycho and had dropped off the face of the earth.

She smiles at Ava pleasantly and Ava frowns because she and Beatrice set up protection charms around the property, so no magical person (other than them) could step closer than the mailbox on their small front lawn.

A necessary precaution.

They didn’t really have friends, at least, not friends who would visit without telling them. Even stranger, they hadn’t told ANYONE, their address.

“Ava,” Areala says warmly and nods past her, “may I come in?”

She blinks and hesitates, quickly scoping out the street before nodding and letting her past.

“Didn’t even give out the goddamn address to anyone,” she mutters under her breath and shuts the door, following Areala into their living room.

Beatrice stands and watches them with a careful eye.

“Ms Greymoore,” Areala nods to Beatrice, as she takes a seat on the recliner.

Ava clears her throat and moves to stand next to Beatrice. “Mrs, actually,” she puffs her chest out proudly, with her hands behind her back and looks up at Beatrice, smirking at her. Her dimples popping and eyebrows raised with a cocky smile on her face.

Beatrice gives her an exasperated look and turns apologetically to Areala, but Ava feels her fingers against the small of her back, looping themselves into a belt loop and gently tugging at it in a playful warning.

A bemused sound rudely pulls her attention way from admiring her perfectly sculpted wife and instead looking to her ex-boss who’s curiously looking at the tv.

“Sooo…” Ava says, rocking on her heels.

Areala fixes her with a look. That motherly look that’s stern and chastising but also, well intentioned.

“Someone at the high council was…turned,” she says the word as though it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. “You know how it is, one organ becomes compromised or dies, so do the others and then finally, the body.”

Ava frowns and feels the fingers that were loosely hooked in the loops of her jeans, tighten slightly. This is too cryptic for her.

“He-Paxton, I should say rather, convinced them to replace me with Reya an avid fan and follower of you-know-who-”

“Voldemort,” Ava says flatly, “he’s dead, there’s no need to tiptoe around his name.”

Areala looks at her curiously. Something unseen in her eyes that Ava can’t quite figure out or interpret.

“Then the downfall began, as I am sure you are aware of. It only takes one to collapse a once stable structure. That one council member, began a catastrophic game of dominoes.” She looks away and crosses her legs, hands folded peacefully at the knee. She’s relaxed, Ava doesn’t think there’s anything weird going on here. “I’m sure you’ve seen the papers, I’ve been reinstated.”

“Congratulations ma’am,” Ava tips her head and out of the corner of her eye she sees Beatrice nod her head as well.

Areala waves them off humbly and settles her stare on Ava once again.

“Which is why I’m here, I heard how you lost the job and the circumstances behind it. Which is why it would be an honour to offer you that position again.”

Oh.

“Madame President would you like something to drink?”

Fucking Beatrice and her fucking manners and her fucking perceptive fine ass.

“Oh that would be lovely,” she smiles gratefully and Beatrice squeezes her forearm before leaving, as well as gently kisses the side of her head. Ava watches her go helplessly and turns back to face Areala.

She perches on the arm of the couch and stares at her hands on her lap.

Does she want this?

She can’t stay unemployed forever. Herself and Beatrice had admittedly been enjoying it all though. Making up for lost time, hell, Ava would say they’ve deserved it.

“I understand that its sudden, but you were always one of our best.”

Ava nods slowly, subconsciously runs her hands down her jeans, nails scratching against the denim slowly.

“I uh-I’m not entirely sure that I’m ready to go back full time,” Ava says quietly and watches as Areala nods in understanding, seemingly unsurprised by her answer.

“I do have a proposition for you.”

At that moment, Beatrice comes back in and passes the mug to Areala. Ava bites back a smile because it’s the plainest one they own. A basic grey, compared to the wildly coloured, misshapen and curiously designed mugs that Ava insists on buying whenever she spots one.

It was obviously an intentional decision.

Beatrice takes a seat on the couch and Ava feels her hand reach up to squeeze her thigh, once, twice.

“There are many, many criminals that need to be brought in or hunted down, under MACUSA command,” Areala says, humming as she takes a sip from the tea. “Even more so now, as Reya turned a blind eye to a certain number of individuals.”

Ava lays a hand on Beatrice’s that sit on her thigh.

“What are you saying exactly ma’am?”

Areala fixes her with a serious stare. “A bounty hunter, of sorts I suppose. We already have a few but none as skilled as yourself. We would owl you the necessary information; name, picture, charge, last known location and when you bring them in, you will be rewarded with a lovely cheque.”

Oh.

Well, that’s not what she expected her to say at all.

“Can I think about it?” She says quietly, fingers tracing Beatrice’s knuckles with great interest. “I don’t know if I want to go back into the field so soon.”

Areala nods and places her mug on a coaster before standing and reaching into her midnight blue robes. The golden lining, a fancy silk perhaps, as well as stitched gold stars into the deep, dark fabric. She pulls out a slip of paper, and hands it to Ava.

She takes it tentatively and her eyes ogle at the cheque in front of her.

“Compensation, for your work before.”

And she smiles knowingly at her before apparating in the middle of their living room.

She feels Beatrice gently take the cheque from her and turns her head when she hears the surprised noise emerge from the back of her throat.

“That’s a lot.”

“It feels like a bribe.”

“Darling this is a lot.”

Ava plucks the cheque back and smiles cheekily at Beatrice. “Don’t worry I’ll buy you something pretty-Or!” She suddenly cuts herself off, grinning widely and leaning down to place the cheque on the coffee table before swinging her legs over Beatrice’s, effectively straddling her lap.

“Or I’ll buy myself something pretty,” Ava leans in close, her hand trailing up Beatrice’s chest and curling around her neck, playing with the baby hairs there. Her lips brush Beatrice’s ear, “and you can take it off me?”

She feels hands suddenly on her hips and feels herself be moved and thrown onto her back on the couch with Beatrice hovering above her. Soft and familiar lips begin their attack on her neck and Ava giggles at the feeling.

The soft laughter turns into a whimper as Beatrice bites at the hollow of her throat, her tongue soon darting out to soothe it.

Ava’s hands run through her hair, scratching at her scalp and pushing the head down, motioning for where she needs to feel Beatrice’s tongue the most.

Muddled thoughts fill her brain, conflicting emotions regarding work and this obligation she feels to actively be out there doing something. But all the guilt or worry fades when her jeans are tugged down to her ankles and she feels Beatrice lick into her.

“Fuck.”

xXx

“You promise to be careful?” Beatrice asks, stood with her arms crossed and leaning against the doorframe of the en-suite. A tub of herbal healing cream anxiously being turned in her hands as she watches Ava move in a flurry around their bedroom.

“Babe, statistically I’m at less chance of dying interacting with a banker, rather than a dragon,” she turns and shoots Beatrice a knowing look, in reference to her visit to Romania before. Beatrice, wanting to explore her options for work in magizoology, had visited a dragon sanctuary in Romania.

Of course, Ava encouraged her to go. It was three days, and Ava stayed at home, trying her very best to maintain it. She came home without a scratch on her, thank god, and the brightest smile on her face.

“Yes well, one of those scenario’s includes a team of trained professionals and state of the art equipment. The other includes a man on the run, with little background information on him,” Beatrice snaps back as Ava holsters her sawed off shotgun (belated wedding present from Mary) into her holster on the left, by her hip and her wand in its holster on her right thigh.

She makes a show as well of tucking the antler knife inside her jacket, by her ribs. Beatrice rolls her eyes at that and steps closer. She pulls out the clumsily packed thin raincoat that Ava had shoved in her pack, and folds it properly, then places the tub, some gauze and a few vials (belated wedding present from Lilith) in with it.

“I will be fine. 6 days tops!” Ava cries out, smiling when she sees Beatrice pull some granola bars out from nowhere and pack them too. “Besides if you get lonely, there is the vibrator.” (Belated wedding present from Camilla).

“I still cannot believe you got it in a sex shop with Camilla, Ava.”

They’d met up with Mary, Lilith, Camilla and Yasmine in London, catching up for the first time since the battle and everything. It was nice seeing them in a different environment, especially muggle London.

“I changed the poor girls life Beatrice. I changed all their lives introducing them to battery operated sex toys, ok? I’m basically a hero,” she retorts playfully as she zips up the bag and leans up to peck Beatrice’s cheek.

Ava nods to the two-way mirror on Beatrice’s beside table (belated wedding present from Yasmine). She has one in her bag too.

“You got that, your phone, which you need to charge, ok baby? Its like a small animal, you gotta keep it alive.”

Beatrice nods and Ava can see that she still doesn’t fully understand but it’s cute.

“Plus, we got these, just like old times huh?” She reaches under her top to reveal her mom’s enchanted crucifix necklace, the ring unfortunately on the chain again, purely because it means there is less chance of her losing it.

Beatrice reaches under her shirt and reveals her own crucifix and Ava nods happily, tugging her bag onto her shoulders and tucking the wanted poster away into the pocket of her pants.

“Just-be careful,” Beatrice sighs, a hand coming up to hold Ava’s face.

“I always am.”

She watches as Beatrice’s face twists at that and as she’s about to argue, Ava kisses her firmly on the lips.

Soft lips move fluidly against her own and the hand on her ribcage strokes gently. The t-shirt a thin barrier between Beatrice’s hand and the marks she littered across Ava’s body last night. A going away present, Ava had jokingly called it.

“I love you,” she whispers against Beatrice’s lips.

“I love you too.”

8 days.

She chased that fucker for 8 days.

A big bounty on his head sure. The pay was good, fantastic even, considering the crime he was charged with was only fraud or something.

Stealing money from MACUSA, a big no-no.

But Winston Voit had about as many portkeys as Beatrice did freckles. Every time Ava had thought she’d found them all, another pops up. He was an pesky and slippery one, but she got him, after tracking him on foot in the Australian outback for two days straight.

Dickhead.

She’d apparated outside the house, as to avoid waking up her wife and she waves to Diego from where he lounges quite happily in the tree. The fairy lights strung up in it, making their home seem even cosier than before.

Boots come off at the door. Beatrice doesn’t like it when Ava takes mud through the house.

Her pack hits the floor in the entryway and she leaves it there for now, as well as hanging her raincoat up on the rack, fist bumping the wood when it takes it from her. She rattles her knuckles against the poll in thanks before trudging upstairs.

She’s exhausted and wants to sleep for two days straight. She almost cries when she sees Beatrice’s form under the sheets.

Ava collapses face first into the bed. The familiar, homely scent taking over, as she drifts into a deep sleep.

She wakes up, being held by Beatrice. Her back against her wife’s front and she’s in pyjama’s? Ava swears she didn’t get a chance to change before falling asleep.

Beatrice must have woken up and gotten her into comfier clothes.

Ava smiles into the pillow and turns in Beatrice’s arms, disturbing the other woman briefly. She sniffs and sleepily opens one eye, mumbling something to Ava who just hums in response. Satisfied, she shuts her eyes again and goes back to sleep.

Whereas Ava lies in awe of her for just a little bit longer, before falling asleep again.

xXx

She loves their life in Switzerland.

Loves the small bakery, a five minute walk away or The Bar La Vasseur, that Ava drags Beatrice to on Friday nights for a few drinks.

She loves how every few weeks she goes away to kick ass and comes back with a hefty pay check to spend on silly things for the two of them.

She loves how Beatrice volunteers at animal sanctuary’s or reservations. Places that are more than happy to take her with her natural bond with animals and her very impressive qualifications.

She loves their Sunday mornings where she refuses to let Beatrice leave the bed and clings to her like her life depends on it.

She loves how Beatrice is more relaxed and more open. How she laughs without restraint when Ava’s being a dumbass or how she feeds and pets Orym out on their balcony. How she spent hours helping one of their neighbours little girls look for their missing dog.

Love, love, love.

Ava’s full of it.

She feels so giddy and high all of the time and can’t believe that she went without this for so long. How she went without Beatrice for so long.

Beatrice, an enigma to many, but a wife, a best friend and partner in crime to Ava.

Beatrice’s love is quiet and gentle, whereas Ava’s was thunderous and reckless. Beatrice shows her love by touching Ava or giving her things, small things which many would overlook but she saw it and thought of Ava. She quietly whispers her love into Ava’s ear and kisses it into Ava’s skin, so often that Ava think’s its imprinted on her.

Ava’s loud speals of laughter match with Beatrice’s soft chuckle. They’re wildly different but that’s why they work.

Ava will pull Beatrice into a dance when a song she likes plays on the radio in their kitchen. Beatrice shakes her head, insisting that she needs to keep making dinner, but eventually relents. Ava will clumsily hold her and spin her, giggling helplessly as she does so.

But then Beatrice will look at her. Really look at her and Ava will notice and stop, looking back with wide doe eyes. She’ll wordlessly move Ava’s hands to where they belong, because she was trained in dancing as a child, so she knows.

She’ll place them on her shoulders or hold one in her hand and pull Ava flush against her, cheek to cheek and Ava’s laughter will die down. Consumed by something stronger and deeper.

And the sex.

Merlin, the sex.

Its indescribable and they’ve been together for technically, almost two years at this point, but married for under one. But they never left that honeymoon phase which people always talk about.

Everything still feels new and exciting, if anything it just gets better, and Ava feels addicted. She. Can’t. Stop. All of the time she is touching Beatrice and begging Beatrice to touch her back. Every room of the goddamn house has been christened.

The kitchen. The kitchen counter, island, table, hell even against the fridge a few times. The living room, the couch, against the wall, on the floor in front of the fire. Against the front door (on the inside obviously), the stairs, she got pain in her back afterwards but it was worth it. Their bedroom, everywhere in the bedroom. The bathroom counter, the bath, the shower. Everywhere.

They learn things about each other all of the time. What they like, what they don’t. New things that they want to try out.

Like right now, Ava’s the one wearing the strap for the first time.

“Ava, Ava, Ava,” Beatrice chants her name like she’s something holy and the sound of it, her accent, the frown on her face and the open mouth. The hands on her back and in her hair.

“Say it again,” Ava whispers against her lips, slowly pulling out and pushing back in. “Say my name,” and she bites at Beatrice’s bottom lip.

The other woman moans and her hands scratch at Ava’s scalp. Fisting in her newly cut hair, (it was getting long again) and guiding her head down to her chest.

Ava gently takes a nipple into her mouth as she continues the slow and steady motion of her hips. Her teeth drag across the freckled chest and the hand she has underneath Beatrice, settled on the small of her back, rises, pushing Beatrice’s chest up closer to her.

“Ava,” she sighs as she squeezes her eyes shut and Ava gives each side of her chest equal attention.

She’s close. Ava can tell.

She pulls out slowly, not all the way, before pushing back in, hitting that sweet spot that makes Beatrice swear and makes her legs shake.

“God you’re so pretty,” Ava murmurs before wrapping her lips around a nipple. “You’re taking me so well baby.”

The feeling of Beatrice’s nails against her scalp makes her look up, abandoning the nipple and surging up to kiss Beatrice. Its lazy and slow, they take their time and Ava continues her rhythm. The rhythm which she knows that Beatrice prefers.

Ava doesn’t mind it slow; fuck she loves it. But she also loves it when Beatrice is rough with her. Sucking red marks across her neck and chest, biting at her breasts, fisting Ava’s hair in her hand tightly as she whispers dirty things in her ear.

Beatrice doesn’t like it rough with her. She prefers a slower pace. She also only sometimes enjoys penetration, unlike Ava who loves it. Which was why it was such a surprise when Ava started to pull out stuff to make dinner and felt Beatrice come up behind her and speak lowly in her ear, telling Ava what she wanted her to do, to wear.

She moves to kiss Beatrice’s cheek, keeping her face there as she feels her orgasm build. A hand on the small of her wife’s back and the other, flat against the mattress by Beatrice’s head.

“Meu coração,” Beatrice breathes out, hands sliding up Ava’s back.

Ava’s hips stutter and she stops. Beatrice groans at the sudden lack of movement and Ava presses a quick kiss to her lips before awkwardly pushing in again, mind muddled and chest aflame with something somewhat unfamiliar.

“What did you just say?” Ava gasps when she feels nails sink into her shoulder blade.

“Meu coração,” Beatrice murmurs, her hands moving to cup Ava’s cheeks and making her look her in the eyes.

My heart, in Portuguese. Ava’s never taught her that.

Ava dips down to brush her lips across Beatrice’s, pushing her hips in firmly and feels the hands on her cheeks tighten and she hears Beatrice moan.

Their lips slam together when Beatrice cums and Ava feels so consumed by love that she feels dizzy.

“Fuck I love you.”

xXx

There’s a knock on the door when Beatrice is out of the house and Ava’s catching up on all the marvel stuff she’s missed, the past couple of months. Too busy with work and then too busy with spending all her time with Beatrice.

She groans and pauses Ms Marvel and stands, stretching her arms above her head and checks the peephole. She frowns and pulls the door open.

“How did you get this address?”

Wren snorts and blows the short curly stands of red hair out of their face.

“President Areala, I told her that I had some of your stuff to drop off,” they say, holding out the cardboard box in front of them, towards Ava.

She sees stuff from her desk , generic things like a stapler, compass, quills and ink pots, some notes that must have been jammed in her drawers. Her cactus which someone must have fed for her and some stuff from her locker.

Its heavy when she takes it from them and she makes a noise of surprise when she sees that her flask of whiskey is in there, as well as a spare shirt which she was sure she’d lost.

“Wait,” she looks up at Wren who stands innocently in their denim overalls and boots. “How did you get past my protection charms?”

They look around them and raise a single brow, “you have charms here? Dude I literally just apparated in.”

Ava swears under her breath and jogs back into the house to put the box down on the coffee table and then back outside. She walks down the little cobblestone path, leading to their mailbox, where the charm was drawn up.

She quickly checks the street, nobody around, and if they were they would just think that her wand was a stick.

The protection charm is weak, as she pokes it with her wand and she stands back up, turning and walking back to an amused looking Wren.

“I’m such a shitty auror, actually, ex-auror.”

Wren shrugs and looks back over their shoulder at where the light shimmer of the charm is.

“Well, at least you weren’t a charm-breaker,” they offer weakly, and Ava shoots them a venomous look. “Maybe your wife can set up a better one-”

“Wren, I swear to god you better count your days.”

xXx

Later that evening Ava’s on the couch, lights down low, a Taylor Swift album quietly spinning on their modern gramophone. Lover, her favourite one, but she always makes sure to skip the one with Brandon Urie on it.

A glass of red in one hand with her feet kicked up on the coffee table because Beatrice isn’t home to tell her no. Diego’s lounging next to her, both of them enjoying the cinematic masterpiece that is Shrek 2.

“Incredible,” she mutters into her glass and the rain patters gently against the window panes, creating a wonderfully warm and comfortable atmosphere.

She hears footsteps and movement outside the door before its unlocked and opened. A rain-soaked Beatrice steps in, drenched from the downpour outside, her long black jacket, glistening with rain.

“Hey, how was it?” Ava smiles, raising the remote to switch off the tv and then resting her arm along the back of the couch to look at her wife.

Beatrice has one hand tucked into her jacket and is standing kind of funny. Ava flicks her wrist to dry off her wife, and she sends her a grateful smile in response.

“Don’t be mad,” Beatrice says as she moves around the couch to stand in front of the fire and tv.

Ava narrows her eyes and sets down her glass.

“That’s my line,” she murmurs suspiciously and nods when Diego chirps at Beatrice.

“It’s just, I never do things on the whim-”

Ava sits forward, “oh my god did you get my name tattooed on your boob or something?”

Beatrice looks almost appalled at the idea and vehemently shakes her head and waves her off. “No I just mean, I don’t do things without reason. You do-no offense I love you and you love me, you also trust my judgement ok so-”

“Babe, chill,” Ava smiles easily, wondering what the fuck Beatrice has done that has her acting this suspicious. “You can tell me.”

Beatrice bites her lip and nods before she wordlessly reaches into her coat and pulls out a bundle of fur.

Leaping off the couch, Ava squeals and jumps up and down.

“Oh my god is that a kitten!”

The fluffy tuxedo cat blinks sleepily at her, its white mittens clasped around Beatrice’s hand and Ava notices how its ears are rather pointed and fluffier than what might be considered normal.

“It’s a crossbreed of a cat and kneazle, yes. The place I was at, found it abandoned a week ago, they were looking for a home.”

Ava reaches out and Beatrice carefully passes it over to her. Ava’s heart melts when she feels the soft fluffy coat and the whisker tickle the skin of her hands. The kitten yelps and she coos at it, gently stroking the top of its head.

“They were calling him Gerald, but we can change it.”

Ava gasps and stops her fawning over his magnificent pink toe beans and looks up to Beatrice. “No, we are absolutely still going to call him Gerald.”

“Hi baby,” she coos when he purrs into her. Her finger stroking the short hairs under his chin. She might actually pass out from the cuteness.

“So, we can keep him?” Beatrice’s hopeful voice interrupts her train of thought and Ava smiles gently at her. Shrugging and readjusting Gerald in her arms.

“I mean, what’s one more familiar to have around?”

xXx

Her birthday passes, 31 and Beatrice is teetering towards 35. Time flies when you’re living in a small rural area of Switzerland, away from society and hiding out in a love shack with your really hot wife.

Beatrice had taken her away for it, to Greece. Somewhere that Ava’s always wanted to go to.

She spent days basking in the sun and holding Beatrice’s hand as they toured monuments and beautiful museums, filled to the brim with sculptures and ancient architecture. Hours spent by the pier, with the Hippocampus’. Beatrice told her everything she needed to know.

When dinner would come around, she would automatically give Beatrice her olives. She liked them, Ava didn’t. It worked.

It was today, in September that Ava was suddenly transported back a few months to her trip when she taps Beatrice’s phone.

They’re lying in bed, far past the appropriate time to get up and Ava lifts her head from Beatrice’s chest to check the time. Her phone was nearest and Ava taps the screen, expecting to see the time and the generic wallpaper provided when she set up the phone.

But Ava freezes when she sees the picture serving as Beatrice’s background.

Its her, in Greece, leaning against their balcony, looking out across the ocean. You can only really see her side profile and her eyes are peacefully shut, with a relaxed smile on her face. Her skin is golden and tanned underneath the sun and she’s wearing one of Beatrice’s shirts, loosely buttoned up.

The collar sticks up on one end and she’s pretty sure that from the looks of it, the order of the buttons done up is also wrong. Her hairs up in a loose bun and tendrils fall to frame her face carelessly.

There’s a little smudge at the corner of the picture which Ava assumes to be Beatrice’s thumb accidently covering the camera.

Its so casual and she looks so happy, and Beatrice took the photo.

Beatrice who avoids technology like the plague. Who’s never even used the camera on the phone before, at least not in Ava’s presence. Who forgets that her phone exists and it sometimes sits in her drawer, dead for days before Ava finds it.

Her heart pounds as she looks at it.

A soft, questioning sound from Beatrice pulls her attention away from it, to look back down at her wife.

Their limbs are tangled together, skin on skin but there’s no sexual element to it. Just comfort and the knowledge that they’re there.

“What is it?” Beatrice murmurs, her fingers tracing up Ava’s spine and Ava bites her cheek before shaking her head.

“Nothing,” she breathes against Beatrice’s mouth, a hand moving to tuck a few strands of dark hair behind her ear. “I just love you, that’s all.”

Beatrice stares at her for a few seconds, eyes searching hers and then leans up to kiss the bridge of Ava’s nose.

Ava blinks in response to that, but a wide smile splits across her face and her hands move to cup Beatrice’s cheeks, thumbs stroking along cheekbones softly. Their heads bump together, and she closes her eyes, simply breathing Beatrice in.

She feels Beatrice’s nose hit hers as she tilts her head a little. Ava grins and follows, lips centimetres from Beatrice’s, ready to meet the soft ones she knows are waiting-

When she hears the doorbell.

Her face hits the pillow next to Beatrice’s head and she groans into it loudly and feels Beatrice’s hand tap at her ribs.

“I got it, I got it,” Ava growls into the pillow before lifting her face up and skilfully rolling of Beatrice and onto the floor. “I’ll get rid of them, I promise I’ll be right back,” she hops as she tugs on some shorts and plucks one of Beatrice’s shirts up off the floor.

She turns to see her wife laid back on the bed still. Hair a little wild and chest a little bit pink. There’s so much skin on show that Ava can’t handle it.

The freckles on her face and chest. The mole by her hip that when Ava bites over it, Beatrice’s hips always jump in surprise and pleasure. Her thighs, the dark patch of hair between her legs, her biceps and her hands.

Good lord, her hands.

“Don’t move,” Ava warns her as she begins to descend downstairs.

She hears Beatrice call from above, “don’t be rude!”

The kitten is miraculously still asleep on the couch and Ava looks through the peep hole and swears loudly, thankful for the soundproof charm on the house. “Motherfucker, that son of a-”

She yanks to door open, unimpressed and sizes up the bastard who interrupted her time with her wife, standing awkwardly on her welcome mat.

“Mr Potter.”

“Coach Silva.”

She holds back an eye roll. “I told you, just Ava now, technically I was never actually a coach.”

“Right, Ava” he nods his head and looks down at his shoes.

Silence.

Wait a damn minute. How did he get here? Did he get past her protection charms too? Jesus Christ, she needs to have Beatrice take a look at them.

“Did you apparate onto the property?”

He nods. Ava swears under her breath and jumps when she feels a hand on her back. Beatrice.

She stands, unfortunately dressed in wide leg pants and a short sleeved shirt pulled on top, more casual than Potters probably seen her before. Ava wants to groan because she’s up now and dressed and she just wanted to have her way with Beatrice in bed.

“Oh um, Beatrice hello-”

“Its still professor to you, Mr Potter.”

He straightens and offers her an awkward smile, sweeping a hand through his dark, messy hair.

“Right sorry.”

Silence again.

“Can we help you, Potter?” Ava asks, leaning back against Beatrice slightly. Feeling her thumb brush over the small of Ava’s back.

He seems to hesitate and she feels a pang of guilt for her slight rudeness upon answering the door, the way that she did. She, and everyone else, are in debt to him. He killed the most evil man on the planet and almost died doing it.

She owes him her life.

“I’ve just taken some time to er, to rest you know, and you guys have too, obviously,” he gestures to them and they nod. “I just wanted to thank you. For the defence club, the undercover stuff which I still don’t fully know the ins and outs of, but I know what you did was important. Also, thanks for coming back to help, we really needed it.”

Well shit.

She feels even worse for being short with him before.

“Its nothing really, just our jobs,” she smiles at him sadly and he nods, fidgeting with his hands before pointing over his shoulder.

“I’m here with some friends, they’re waiting for me at the bakery,” he smiles and begins to walk back, taking his leave and Ava perks up at the mention of the bakery.

“Oh! Try their donuts,” she gasps excitedly and he smiles, nodding as he turns to go, before stopping.

He looks past her this time. Locking eyes with Beatrice.

“And for Bellatrix, thank you for dealing with her. If you hadn’t, she would have killed so many more.”

She feels the thumb stroking her back through the shirt freeze. Ava imagines that Beatrice must nod to him, because he smiles and walks away down their path.

“Thank you, Potter,” Ava calls out, raising a hand in a friendly wave and he does the same, disappearing down the street.

She shuts the door and turns to face Beatrice, who has an odd look on her face. She murmurs that she’ll make Ava something to eat and then disappears into the kitchen, leaving Ava in the entryway.

Gerald yawns and stretches on the couch. His little claws digging into the cushion and his back paws curling as he rolls onto his back. Ava gently strokes his fluffy tummy before moving into the kitchen.

Taking a seat at the table, she watches Beatrice.

Beatrice moves around the kitchen like she’s on a mission. Not one second is wasted. Its like everything she does, its precise, its perfect. She doesn’t make mistakes, which allows Ava to ponder on something for a moment.

The moment she collided with Beatrice, shoving the both of them a few feet back from Bellatrix and out of the way of the killing curse, the whole memory is fuzzy.

But there’s something about it that’s bothering her.

“Confringo.”

Beatrice pauses in her movements and turns to look at Ava. “I’m sorry?” She blinks as she sets down the bread knife.

“Confringo is the spell you used to kill Bellatrix.” Ava states, and Beatrice nods slowly. “It causes the target to explode, a relatively large explosion for anybody near.”

She sits up and frowns. “We had a course on auror training on it, y’know what to do if someone was caught in the blast radius, how to treat them, if they were still alive. I believe 10ft was the maximum distance.”

Beatrice clears her throat and Ava watches as her hands clench around the kitchen counter, knuckles turning white.

“If I hadn’t been there to push you, you would’ve been caught in that explosion, you two were very close when I arrived, plus you were already injured,” she points to Beatrice’s side where the massive wound used to be.

“Whatever it is, you’re trying to say Ava, spit it out,” Beatrice whispers and her eyes narrow at Ava in the way that they do whenever she gets defensive.

“You don’t make mistakes, ever,” Ava says as she stands and moves to the island, planting her hands on the top of it and leaning against it. Beatrice stands opposite her against the counter, so close that Ava can see her throat bob.

“You knew you would get caught in that blast,” Ava breathes out and knows that she’s right when she sees Beatrice wince. “You were ready to die.”

She watches as Beatrice clenches her jaw and shrugs calmly, turning her back to Ava to continue with her brunch.

“I knew the risks, yes.”

“That’s all you’re going to fucking say?” Ava laughs in disbelief, rounding the counter and pulling the knife out of her hands and dropping it on the counter. Beatrice winces at the sound. “Beatrice there were other spells-”

“I had to make sure she was gone for good-”

“Did you want to die? Is this something that I’ve somehow missed, that you were so ready to throw your life away?” Ava cries out, waving her hands as she does so and can see the twitch on Beatrice’s face, the clench of her fists.

“It just seems pretty suicidal to carelessly-”

“Well Ava maybe you’re just more upset about me putting your life on the line, unbreakable vow and all,” Beatrice snaps, smacking her hand down on the counter. “I die, you die,” she says, pointing at Ava. “That’s what you wanted; I didn’t ask you to do that.”

Ava’s mouth hangs open at the words and she backs up a little.

“This has nothing to do with that.”

“Oh really?” Beatrice scoffs, “why else are you so upset about something of the past?”

“Because this is your life and I do not want you to fucking die Beatrice!” Ava shouts, waving her hands around like a lunatic. “Is that so hard to believe? We’re married for Merlin’s sake,” she snaps and watches as Beatrice ducks her head.

She takes a moment to stop and breathe. A hand rubbing tight circles across her chest, above her pounding heart.

“I’m scared,” she finally whispers and hears Beatrice’s breath catch. “I don’t want to lose you and our life, the idea that you were so ready to give up, terrifies me.” She moves closer to grab at Beatrice’s hands. “You die, I die, but not yet, ok?”

A single nod, but Beatrice refuses to make eye contact with her.

“I was just so tired, I didn’t have much hope left,” Beatrice’s voice cracks and Ava squeezes their hands together, once, twice. “I just needed her gone.”

Ava nods and brings Beatrice’s hands up to her lips, kissing the scarred and nicked knuckles gently.

“I’m sorry for shouting.”

“Me too.”

“Why is it so hard for you to believe that I want you here, that I adore you?” Ava asks, moving a hand up to Beatrice’s shoulder and she fears that she already knows the answer.

The guarded look Beatrice gives her tells her all she needs to know and Ava feels a hot, burning rage settling in her chest.

She fucking hates Beatrice’s family.

xXx

A few days later she’s checking their mailbox and waving to her neighbours who sit on lounge chairs on their freshly trimmed lawn.

It’s the usual, the Daily Prophet, her Which Broomstick? Magazine, a letter from Camilla which smells suspiciously like smoke, bills, a letter for Beatrice-

Hold on.

Ava pulls the envelope closer and peers at it. No stamps, no address, just Beatrice’s name in fancy handwriting on the front.

She flips it over to see a red wax seal with a raven on it with a snake between its talons. Its intricate and a crest she knows all too well.

The Greymoore family crest.

“Fuck.”

She goes back into the house and makes her way to the living room where Beatrice is sat on the couch, writing in her notebook. Gerald sits on the back of the sofa, by her head and Diego is sat a few inches away from him.

Giving him the stink eye.

“You have mail,” Ava waves the envelope before handing it to Beatrice.

Better to rip off the band aid quickly.

She sits down in the armchair, a few feet away and tucks her knees up to her chest, chucking the rest of the mail onto the coffee table. She watches as Beatrice closes the notebook, already bulging with notes and photographs, and stares at the envelope.

“It’s from Walton.”

Her brother.

“You could tell from the handwriting?”

“Of course,” she murmurs, tracing a finger over the looped ink.

Ava tips her head back against the headrest and stares at the ceiling

“He’s not the one I threatened right?”

“No that was Victor.”

Ava lifts her head to look at her wife, who’s carefully breaking the seal and pulling the letter out of the crisp white envelope.

“Both your brothers are named after characters from Frankenstein?”

Beatrice lifts her head this time and raises a brow.

“I’m surprised you’ve read the book?”

Ava shrugs nonchalantly and plays with a loose thread on her socks.

She watches as Beatrice reads the letter. It’s a long one and Ava feels a strange feeling in her chest knowing that he hand delivered this. He knows their address.

Orym and other owls had delivered letters from the family before, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. All they needed to say to the owl was “take this to Beatrice,” and the owl will find her. But how on earth did Walton get their location and address?

Beatrice always burned the letters, never reading them.

It takes a few minutes before she finishes reading and stands, handing it to Ava before sitting back down.

Ava looks at Beatrice, who picks the notebook back up and continues writing.

Beatrice.

My wonderful sister. It has been some time since we were last graced with your presence.

I know these have been trying times, but we have not even seen you since before the battle. The only way we knew you survived it was because a friend, Mr Powell, from the Ministry arrived at Hogwarts to assess the damage, and saw you leave with a girl.

Evelyn and Charlotte miss their aunt dearly, as do I miss my sister.

I know you’ve burnt the families letters, so I decided to write one. With the full intent of sending it by owl, I was given your location by accident from one of your accomplices. A Yasmine Amunet? I knew she was a colleague of yours and she was at the Ministry with many others to attend a conference regarding the battle of Hogwarts. I overheard her mention of your stay in Switzerland.

So naturally I apparated there and asked around. It only took some time before someone recognised the name and then mentioned a wife.

A wife, Beatrice?

I never thought you would be one to marry. Perhaps I was blinded by an ignorance so strongly held by our family. I know you told us of your lifestyle choices, or rather of your sexuality, but it was still a shock to hear.

I did not inform mother of father, do not worry.

Victor did mention many months ago of a woman who had threatened him and who you had taken up to your room. He said he had an inkling of what was going on so he left very swiftly, so don’t worry about that.

He is a cruel man, with so much hate in his heart, much like mother and father, much like me perhaps. But I’m willing to learn, and I apologise for not sticking by you in the past, my darling sister.

Should you reply, I would be overjoyed, as would my girls.

Maybe one day, I could meet her? I could come to the house, which is lovely despite its small size. Or maybe one day, you bring her to the tigers den, a family dinner at the manor?

Work at Gringotts has been good, though much repairs were needed after Mr Potter and his entourage rode a dragon through our roof.

I just want to know that you are well, if you wish for me to stop sending letters I will, and I will not mention my contact with you to the family either.

Best wishes

Love, Walton.

Ava finishes and runs her thumb over the signature at the bottom of the page.

“He seems like less of a dick, than your other brother,” she says meekly, and Beatrice doesn’t reply. “Are you going to write back?” A single shake of the head is all the response she gets. “Beatrice-”

“No.” Beatrice stands abruptly and moves closer to Ava to take back the letter and Ava clutches it close to her chest.

She receives a glare in response, but Beatrice makes no move to grab it.

“Isn’t this a good thing, he’s reaching out-”

“I do not wish to communicate with them anymore. I made that decision, please respect it,” Beatrice says desperately and against her better judgement, Ava hands the letter over.

Beatrice holds it in her hands for a moment, a glimpse of something soft in her eyes, before sniffing and hurriedly folding it, then shoving it in her pocket. She clears her throat and looks away from Ava.

A few days later, one evening Beatrice asks Ava to fetch something from the top drawer of her bedside table.

Pulling it open, she rakes through the neatly organised items before her fingers catch on something. Paper.

The letter from her brother.

Beatrice hadn’t burned it, like she had the others.

The paper is a little crinkled and some of the ink looks slightly smudged. She must have re-read it quite a few times when Ava wasn’t around and Ava’s heart pangs at the thought.

But she also smiles because they might be getting somewhere with Beatrice’s family, or at least one person in it.

One step closer to closure.

xXx

By pure luck, they find themselves both in eastern Peru, for work.

Beatrice is here as per a ‘suggestion’, given to her by a friend she made working in the Romania Dragon Conservation institute.

Dragon poachers spotted in Peru. They requested that she checked it out, disabled any traps found and tag any wounded dragons. A hard task, seeing as wild dragons would eat her if given the opportunity.

Coincidently, Ava’s newest bounty, Drago Zuiq, a poacher and “exotic sales expert” has been spotted here too. Ava had scoffed reading the poster because there’s no way in hell she’s tracking down a dragon poacher, called Drago.

He’s either egotistical or his parents knew damn well what they were doing when they named him.

They both stay in a small house together in Urubamba on south-eastern Peru. Ava, going to speak to locals about any strange men that have arrived of come through the town, whilst Beatrice makes her way through the wild and up to the mountains.

She’s careful, Ava knows that.

At the end of each day they return to their rented home, Ava weary and pissed off that she’s found nothing, and Beatrice, covered in soot and smiling so wide that her face might split.

Any anger festering in Ava diminishes at the sight.

Its day 4 of travelling around Peru, and apparating back to the house every night, before she finds a lead.

The idiots hiding out in Machu Pichu of all places. In the prohibited part, amongst the buildings and she feels dirty for walking among them, knowing that it’s not allowed. She finds crates of dragon talons and teeth, plus vials of poison extracted from their fangs.

It doesn’t take too much to take him down, she avoids using spells, not wanting to damage the buildings and uses her knife and the surprising upper body strength she possesses.

His team weren’t there, but its fine because he’s the only one she was meant to catch anyway.

Ava apparated to MACUSA with him in tow, kicked him to the fine marble floors, picked up her hefty cheque and returned to Peru to enjoy some lomo saltado. Beatrice is still busy though, working with one of Romania’s contacts out here, an expert on dragons.

Because Ava’s free now, she naturally offers her help.

So that unfortunately means walking. A lot of walking.

Any poachers they come across, her and Beatrice take them down with ease. Any crates of goods and spoils of war, Beatrice stamps for the Romania team that’ll arrive after she’s surveyed the land and found all she needs to.

But the most memorable moment was when Ava saw a Peruvian Vipertooth up close.

Beatrice had told her its brief history, whilst they trekked up the mountain. Ava paid attention for the most of it, but on the occasion she became distracted by her wife’s arms.

“Did you know that the disease Dragon Pox was originally contracted by wizards working closely with Peruvian Vipertooths, before it became a widespread wizarding disease?” Beatrice breathes out as she peers through her binoculars.

Ava from where she’s bent over, panting, suddenly looks up very alarmed. “Can we get dragon pox from these guys then?”

“Don’t worry, we’re not spending days around them, plus I have the cure packed in case.”

Ava nods and wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. Diego sits loyally on her shoulder, occasionally tugging on a strand of hair whenever he got hungry.

“So, what do they look like,” she says as she reaches into her pack for her canteen.

“They’re quite small, only 15ft in length-”

“Only?”

“-also smooth-scaled and copper-coloured with black ridge markings. The horns are short and the fangs are particularly venomous, so look out for those,” Beatrice says, tucking away the binoculars and frowning. “We need to head north.”

Ava almost falls from distress.

“Have we not been north, have we not been going there this entire time,” she whines and Beatrice picks her pack up off the ground, swinging it around her shoulders and holy biceps.

“More,” she says simply, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. “We need to go up,” and she points to one of the mountains, much to Ava’s dismay. “Come on.”

Ava trudges behind her, leg muscles burning as Beatrice marches on.

“If you keep up, I’ll give you a reward when we get back to the house,” Beatrice says slyly, looking over her shoulder at Ava and raising a single brow. “I promise it’ll be worth your while.”

Ava runs to catch up with her.

“Holy shit.”

On top of the dewy grass and under the grey sky, lies the beast that they’d been tracking for two days. Coppery skin glinting under the sun, when it peeks out from behind the thick clouds.

Its snout, pushed into the grass, huffing and making the strands dance in its wake.

Thick, glowing chains wrapped tightly around its torso, trapping its wings to its side, unable to move.

Beatrice moves closer and Ava hurriedly walks behind her to catch up, keeping an eye on the twitching snout and grey smoke coming from its nostrils.

“Its injured,” Beatrice breathes, laying a hand on the smooth scales. She reaches into her pack and pulls out a metallic rope. She walks to one of its hind legs and taps it against the skin, the rope comes to life and wraps around the flesh. Magically linking with the opposite end like a magnet.

The red gem stone in the centre of it flashes and Ava knows that its sending a signal back to the Romania sanctuary, for them to send out a team.

The whole point of Beatrice coming was to observe the wild life, intervene with poachers and identify possible wounded creatures.

Her job was to not, single-handedly free them.

“Beatrice no.” Ava says, her voice stern as she watches Beatrice reach a hand out to the chain. Diego leaps from her shoulder to Beatrice’s and begins to sniff the lock. “It will eat you, and then me, which I’m not super on board with.”

“But its hurt-” She insists, pointing to the tear in its wing and Ava nods empathetically.

“I know, but if it can’t fly away, its grounded and hungry and we will look like a five star Michelin meal to it.” She moves closer and lays a hand on Beatrice’s arm. Her heart swelling with affection at the torn look on her wife’s face. “You’ve tagged it, they’ll probably be here within a few hours and check the rest of the land, now that you’ve identified that there is activity here.”

Beatrice nods and sends a mournful look towards the dragon.

“You’re right.”

“It happens every few years.”

A loud crack in the distance makes them look up to see a group of five people, in padded robes make their way over. They speak quickly in Romanian to Beatrice who answers flawlessly.

Ava watches as some kneel by the dragon, kits on the ground next to them, checking its health and their wands poking at the chains.

Beatrice smiles at them and turns back to Ava, holding out her arm.

“Ready?”

Later, they’re back home, both respective jobs now done and Ava’s riding on Beatrice’s lap.

Hands curl around the headboard tightly as she rolls her hips with Beatrice’s. She feels so deliciously full. The toy stretching her and hitting that perfect spot every time.

It was a new one, one that Beatrice had gotten without Ava’s knowledge. Larger than their others too, the girth, fuck the girth.

“You’re taking me so well Ava,” Beatrice whispers into the hallow of Ava’s throat and Ava’s breath shudders as her head rolls back with pleasure. “You look so pretty for me.”

“For you,” Ava murmurs, agreeing and lifting her head back up to stare down at Beatrice.

Her mouth falls open at a particularly hard thrust and her head dips to meet Beatrice’s, foreheads resting against each other. A high-pitched moan rings out and she almost frantically moves her hips with Beatrice’s.

“I’m gonna cum,” Ava whimpers, fingers moving to curl around Beatrice’s jaw. She almost sobs when she feels Beatrice shake her head.

“I think you can wait a bit longer darling,” Beatrice whispers back, blunt nails digging into Ava’s hips, teeth dragging against her jaw. Panting lowly in Ava’s ear, “be a good girl and wait.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

Ava whimpers and nods, sucking air through her teeth as her chest becomes tighter and her stomach grows warmer. She chases that flicker of intense heat she feels deep in her gut.

The sound of skin on skin and the noise of the strap on moving in and out is filthy. Her whines and moans bounce off the walls and she can hear how wet she is.

More.

A hand tangles in the hair at the back of her head and pulls it back. She gasps as teeth attach to her throat and suck, before making their way down her neck and moving across her collarbones.

“More,” Ava begs, pushing at Beatrice’s head. “I need your mouth on them please-” A loud guttural moan escapes her when Beatrice’s lips latch onto a nipple. The pink tips are hard and sensitive and Beatrice licks around them, her other hand moving to play with the other.

She can hear the bed moving, the headboard against the wall but she doesn’t care.

Her hands dig into Beatrice’s hair, keeping her head there as Ava desperately bounces on her blue cock.

A gasp escapes her when she feels Beatrice’s hand slide down to press against Ava’s clit, firm and unrelenting. A pressure builds low in Ava’s stomach, growing hotter and climbing higher. She can feel the rush of wetness escape before she even has a chance to register it.

The orgasm is so powerful she momentarily blacks out, before coming to and noticing the slick feeling on Beatrice, how Ava’s cum has reached her stomach.

Did she fucking squirt?

That’s never happened before.

Beatrice seems to realise too as her eyes look down slowly, then back up at Ava. Dark and hungry.

“Get on your back.”

Ava scrambles off of her and just as she’s about to lie down she looks at Beatrice and the wetness covering the strap. She shifts close again and wraps her lips around the tip of it, tongue swirling around her cum.

She hears Beatrice’s breath hitch and a hand sinks into her hair. Its tight and moves Ava’s head down gently. She bobs her head up and down it, pushing it down with her hand, knowing that Beatrice will feel it on her clit.

Moaning at the taste of herself she moves faster, gagging as it reaches the back of her throat and the hand momentarily loosens.

She pulls herself back up, lips wet, and mouth parted.

Beatrice is looking at her with wide eyes and her thumb moves to Ava’s bottom lip.

“Get. On. Your. Back.”

Ava does so and smiles when Beatrice’s face settles between her legs, arms hooking around her thighs and licking up Ava’s cum on her thighs.

Then she looks up to Ava, chin glistening.

“Try to actually wait this time my love,” she murmurs before diving in.

xXx

October 31^st, Halloween and Ava’s managed to convince Beatrice to watch scary movies with her.

Despite her wife being a novice when it comes to movies, tv and any form of digital media, she’s somewhat unphased by the murderous rampages and jumpscares.

Ava hides her face in the crook of her neck, hand bunched tightly in Beatrice’s soft jumper.

“Is he gone, is it over?” She whispers, eyes squeezed shut, before popping one open to hesitantly look at the screen, and then instantly regretting it and shutting them again.

She hears Beatrice’s chuckle and feels her hand on her back. Gentle fingers running up and down her spine in a comforting manner. She feels her kiss the top of her head and bury her nose in her hair. Ava feels the warm puffs of breath on her scalp.

“I thought you’d seen this one,” her voice teases and the hand Ava has fisted in the jumper, loosens and she gently smacks Beatrice’s chest in warning.

“Its still scary,” she mumbles into Beatrice’s neck. “Though I’m kinda pissed that you’re not scared at all.”

“It’s not real Ava.”

Ava huffs and hesitantly pulls her face out from the comfort of Beatrice’s neck and glances at the screen.

“Yeah, well I was kinda hoping this would be the other way around, y’know,” she gestures between them. “Me holding you.”

Beatrice lets out a huff of laughter as if the idea is ridiculous and just as Ava’s about to retort, she hears the knocks of tiny fists against their door.

She shoots off the couch, glad for the distraction and almost whines when Beatrice pauses the movie, she’s so generous like that. Doesn’t want Ava to miss a thing, judging by that smirk on her face. A proud smirk because she knows how to use the remote now.

The tub of candy, shaped like a pumpkin sits on the floor and she picks it up, before opening the door.

A little kid with a white sheet pulled over him, with eye holes, a witch, an astronaut and her eye twitches when she sees a kid with a Scream mask.

“Woah! You guys look great,” Ava gasps as she hands out candy to them, nodding enthusiastically when they insist on telling her their carefully practised and rehearsed jokes. She gives them each another sweet for every joke and out of the corner of her eye she sees Beatrice.

She’s still sat on the couch, but is turned to look at Ava.

An impossibly soft look on her face and looking at her with something, something so affectionate and full of adoration that it almost makes Ava freeze. Its almost like there’s also this realisation in Beatrice’s eye, an eureka moment and Ava can see that small, fond smile pull at her lips.

Weak in the knees and heart thundering in her chest, Ava turns her attention back to the children, bidding them a farewell as they scamper off into the night.

Other groups of children and weary parents litter the streets. In the distance she hears a parade of sorts and sees adults with wooden carved masks, depicting witches and spirits.

Ava shuts the door, leaving the cool night air outside and takes one of the sweets with her back through to the living room. She unwraps it and pops it in, face scrunching up at the sour taste. She blinks blearily and coughs before swallowing it and sitting down next to Beatrice again.

She turns to look at her and sees that look, again.

“What?” She smiles self consciously and Beatrice just stares at her for a moment longer, before shaking her head.

Beatrice lifts an arm for Ava to wriggle under and holds her close.

“Nothing.”

xXx

Ava’s on their front lawn, chopping firewood.

Its mid-November now and the snowfall has piled up around her boots. She can feel her fingers becoming numb under her gloves and her nose turning red.

She flips the axe around in her hand and raises it to come down on another short log when she hears someone clear their throat behind her. She turns breathlessly and drops the axe when she sees Mary, Camilla and Lilith standing behind her, all bundled up for the cold.

“Hey!” She smiles brightly, pulling them all into a group hug, squeezing them tight as Lilith grumbles in her ear.

She pulls back and beams at them before frowning and looking down at their feet. They’re past the protection charm. The charm Ava set up so that no magical persons can walk onto the property. The charm which has had little luck so far.

“Fuck I’m shitty at protection charms.”

Mary barks out a laugh and smacks her arm, heading down the path and towards the small house, a bottle of whiskey in hand.

“Maybe get your wife to look at em.”

Ava sighs and follows them all into the house, kicking up snow as she does. “I’ve been meaning to ask her.”

She watches as Camilla zooms into the house, barrelling into Beatrice who just manages to catch her without falling over. Lilith gives her a short hug and Mary wraps and arm around her shoulders and looks around the living room.

“Damn look at this place, you guys really disappeared off of the map to hide out in your little love nest,” she snorts and then looks at Ava, “that’s kinda gay.”

They all catch up over lunch and sit at the kitchen table with a spread that Beatrice had quickly made up. Sandwiches and various fruits, with Mary pouring them all a dram of her whiskey. Scotland’s finest, she had said proudly, cradling the bottle like a new-born baby, the amber liquid sloshing around inside.

Camilla apologises profusely for dropping by unannounced and uninvited. It was a spur of the moment decision apparently.

“So, where’s Yasmine?” Beatrice asks as she downs the last of her glass.

“Well,” Camilla starts, sitting forward and dropping her voice conspiratorially, “she has a job interview today, at the Ministry.”

Ava raises a brow at that and whistles lowly, “she’s leaving Hogwarts?”

Lilith snags an orange slice off a plate and shakes her head.

“Not necessarily, it depends on how the interview goes and the conditions she’ll be working in.”

“What is it again?” Mary says, toping up her glass and moving to do the same to Ava, but Ava waves her off.

“She didn’t say, all I know is that it’s a big deal.”

“10 bucks say she’s the new Minister of Magic,” Ava smiles and Beatrice hides her smile by looking down at her lap.

Laughter bounces off the kitchen walls and echoes through their small house. It’s a little bit cramped in the kitchen with all of them there and Ava can’t help but imagine a larger space for them all, one day.

Her friends insist on going on a mini drive to see the countryside and nature.

Ava makes sure that she chugs a bottle of water. She only had a little whiskey but she’s extremely cautious when driving. A red Jeep Gladiator truck, she rarely used it and it often stayed parked out in front of the house.

Buying it was interesting because Beatrice had no clue what was going on and kept trying to poke the different buttons.

They all pile in, Beatrice riding shotgun and Ava begins the drive. They follow curvy roads around the hills and her friends fawn over the car. Camilla wants to push all the buttons, so Ava has to put the child lock on the doors in the back.

She keeps a hand on Beatrice’s thigh, the other on the steering wheel. Her thumb brushes over the trousers gently and she smiles when she feels Beatrice lay her hand on top of Ava’s.

The mountains and hills look beautiful under the snow and at one point they’re driving slowly past a ranch or farm. There’s a sign on the outskirts of the large property saying that it’s for sale.

A stone wall encircles a large part of the property, and a fence encircles the rest, where Ava assumes horses or some other farm animals would’ve stayed. Its pretty run down, but its large and beautiful. She can see the potential in it.

When they say goodbye again and Ava watches as Lilith and Mary hug Beatrice. She smiles openly with them and hugs them tightly.

Camilla appears at her side and nudges her, nodding in Beatrice’s direction.

“She’s so much happier,” she says, with a small smile aimed at Ava.

Ava looks back to her, “yeah?” Her voice is small and hopeful.

Camilla puts a gentle hand on her arm and squeezes.

“Yeah.”

xXx

Ava wakes up to lips on the back of her neck.

She sleepily rubs her cheek against the pillow. A smoky citrus, like Beatrice’s cologne and the scent of their detergent which they picked together in the nearest convenience store. Hands tangled together.

Breathing in heavily she turns in Beatrice’s arms and blinks slowly at her wife whose face lies centimetres away.

She’s spent hours tracing and counting the freckles, dusting her nose and cheeks. But every she counts again, there’s more. Tracing her finger over the freckles, over the crinkle between her brows, over the thin white scar on her chin, could be considered some of Ava’s favourite hobbies.

But lying in Beatrice’s arms and simply staring?

That takes the top spot.

Soft strands of hair that had escaped the bun she fell asleep in, frame her face and kiss her cheeks gently. She’s so beautiful so effortlessly.

Golden brown eyes blink and stare back. They’re so close, sharing Beatrice’s pillow. Because they’re hopeless romantics? Because they can’t keep their hands off each other? Or because its December and they’re fucking freezing? Ava doesn’t know. But she’ll never complain.

She cherishes this time, never lets it go to waste because she knows the feeling of being separated from Beatrice. She never takes their time together for granted.

Leaning forward slightly, she gently connects her lips to Beatrice’s. Softly moving against each other, before the kiss breaks and she sighs happily into Beatrice’s mouth.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Happy anniversary,” Beatrice replies, and Ava can feel the curve of her smile.

She pulls away to flop on her back, brimming with excitement when she sees snowfall through the bay window.

Beatrice turns on her side to stare at Ava and Ava looks at her and smiles.

“So, what’s coming up today,” she whispers, “because our first Christmas, we got together, like properly and then the second we got engaged,” she holds up her hand with the golden band on it. “So, what’s the next big milestone?” Then she gasps theatrically and stares at Beatrice’s stomach, a hand moving to cover her mouth.

“Beatrice, do you have a bun in the oven?”

The other woman rolls her eyes and smiles regardless. “That is not in any way how that works.”

Ava wags a finger at her, “not true, you just need my egg, we take a trip down to the fertility centre at MACUSA or the Ministry and boom, baby in the womb.”

Beatrice raises an eyebrow at that and her hand moves to rest on Ava’s ribs.

“You would voluntarily go to the Ministry?”

“Well yeah,” she shrugs, “my names been cleared now.”

Beatrice nods slowly and Ava practically purrs when her hand slips under Ava’s top to rest on her skin. Ava watches as she breathes out gently and can almost hear the cogs in her brain turning as she’s thinking.

The conversation was a joke, obviously but Ava had some truth in what she was saying, so she’s anxious to hear Beatrice’s response.

“One day,” she murmurs gently, loving eyes settling on Ava’s face.

Ava sits up on her elbows and looks at her in disbelief. “Yeah?” She whispers, her voice cracking a little as she does so. Hope blossoming and blooming in chest at the idea of a baby. A baby with Beatrice.

“Not yet,” Beatrice says carefully, reaching out to grab Ava’s left hand. “But maybe a few years, we can look into it, ok?” She says softly, and raises the hand to kiss it. Warm lips press against the cool metal of Ava’s wedding ring.

Ava nods breathlessly and watches her.

“So…say it did happen, we’d need more space,” she says slowly and Beatrice watches her, nodding for her to continue. “You know that ranch we drove past a few months ago?”

“The rundown one?”

“Hear me out,” Ava sits up and Beatrice does the same. “We buy it, call it a project or something. Work on it whilst we’re not away for work, fix it up, turn it into something permanent.”

This time, its Ava who grabs Beatrice’s hands and holds them.

“I love this home you bought for us, and I’m not ready to move on from it yet, so we still live here whilst we fix the ranch up and make it liveable?” She stares at Beatrice and how the Christmas lights that Ava strung over their bed, glow and lighten up her face. “I’ve already looked into it. There’s space for five bedrooms, a study, a kitchen, a living room, a separate dining room. The land outside? That could be used for keeping animals,” she sees Beatrice perk up at that.

“I’m not expecting a yes or no-”

“Yes.”

Ava does a double take and her heart stops in her chest.

“Yes? Are you sure, like I’m not pressuring you into-”

She’s cut off by Beatrice’s lips slamming into her own and long fingers holding her face close. Its full of that something which Beatrice had been looking at her with. Want, love, lust, everything piled into one kiss and Ava gasps into it.

Soft lips pull away to pepper kisses all across Ava’s face and she giggles at the feeling, being pushed onto her back again and feeling Beatrice press her weight onto her.

A knee moves between hers and hands hold Ava’s cheeks as lips firmly press against her forehead.

Her eyes flutter open to look into Beatrice’s and she bites her lip to refrain from beaming too wide.

“I’m sure.”