Cursed

They were clearing away the lunch things when Harry, Hermione, and Ron came to visit.

“Oh, dear,” Ianto quipped after one look at their grim expressions.  “What’s happened?”

“Well you see,” Hermione looked at the others before taking a seat at the table opposite Ianto, “we’ve just found out that someone in the Ministry has leaked it to the Daily Prophet that you’ve been found.  Well, that is to say, that Neville Longbottom,” she gave a sad sigh when Ianto gave an involuntary flinch, “has been found.”

Augusta gave an angry growl as Ianto slumped back in his chair, and Jack reached out and gave his shoulder a squeeze of support.  Ianto had only been up for a couple of hours, and he looked haggard with fatigue.  He hadn’t looked quite this tired before this news, but clearly it was an added stressor.  Jack looked around at the Aurors.  “So what does that mean?”

“Nothing at all,” Susan declared, surprising them all.  “There are strict orders that no one besides us,” she gestured around the room, “and the Minister are allowed in here.”

“Freesia’s in here all the time,” Jack pointed out.

“But never without me,” Susan nodded.  “The order stands.  And if anyone defies it, they will have to answer to me,” she raised her chin and crossed her arms over her chest, and in that moment, Jack felt a bit sorry for anyone who might try to sneak in without Susan’s permission.  Ianto’s chuckle told him that his lover was thinking the same thing.

“Has anyone tried to get in?” Jack asked.

“No, but the news only broke this morning,” Hermione sighed, sliding the paper across so they could see the article that was on the front page, above the fold.

Battle of Hogwarts Hero Found, Cursed and Disfigured, but Alive!

Ianto snorted, and Jack bristled.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” Augusta said, exasperated.

“We know who leaked the story,” Ron said, “and they’ll lose their position over it, at the very least.”

“I should think so,” Jack frowned.  “That’s a major security breach.”

“Yes,” Hermione nodded.  “They are considering whether to prosecute.  The… individual,” she sniffed, having clearly censored herself, “will likely end up in Azkaban for a stretch, so I hope the pittance the Prophet tossed their way for the story was worth it.”

“What will this mean?” Jack asked.

“Probably nothing terrible,” Hermione replied, then turned her eyes to Ianto, who was still scanning the story, which was filled with plenty of salacious conjecture, but very little accuracy.  “But you may want to get out ahead of this.  Perhaps grant an interview?”

Ianto ran a hand over his face and heaved a sigh.  “How soon?” he asked, and it was the same expression he’d worn each time they’d told him there was another curse-breaking or potion to endure.

“Not until you’re good and damned ready,” Susan declared.

“But before I’m discharged from here,” Ianto murmured, then looked at Hermione.  “Yes?”

“I’m so sorry, Ianto,” she said, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze.

“This is unacceptable,” Augusta stood.  “How the devil did this happen?  He was taken in the first place because he wasn’t properly protected…”

“Gran,” Ianto tried to stem her righteous anger.

“…And now he’s returned to us, and you cannot even protect that information until he is healthy enough to endure the publicity of his return?”  She stared from one Auror to the other, and they were all leaning away from the onslaught of her fury.  “This is not to be borne!” she all but shouted.

“You’re right,” Hermione replied, her voice cracking as tears filled her eyes.  “It was only supposed to be the three of us who knew, and the Minister, but then we went after the Carrows, and even though only a few people were read in…”

“Hermione, it’s alright,” Ianto interrupted.  He gave her a small smile that was reassuring, despite how terribly tired he looked.  “I have an idea.”

Jack grinned, loving Ianto‘s agility in handling each unexpected turn of events that he encountered.

“No, she’s right,” Hermione said, sniffling and wiping her eyes with a frustrated swipe of her hand.  “We should have done better.  You’ve been through so much, and…” she sighed.  “We should have done better.”

“You’ve done fine,” Ianto declared.  “You found the Carrows and took care of them, and honestly, what I needed more than anything else was to feel safe from them.”

“What’s your idea?” Ron asked, curious.

“First, I’d like to see Ginny and Luna.  But if you can explain it all to them before they come, that would help.  I don’t know that I’m up for that.”

“We can do that,” Hermione said, and Harry and Ron nodded.

“Don’t freak out if Luna already knows about the curses,” he added sadly.

“What?” Hermione almost shouted.  “That…  That…  That flake!” she hissed.

“She’s a seer,” Ianto reminded them.  “An Unspeakable.  The curse affected her differently.  She’s not a flake,” he defended, and Hermione looked abashed.  “She knew as soon as she saw me, but the curse hit her, through me.  And not the way it hit any of you.  It…  It slashed her.” 

He sniffed.  “At least it was just her arm, but I had to leave before it did any real damage.  And as soon as I was out of her sight, she forgot.”  He gave a heavy sigh.  “I’ve no idea how the curse explained the injuries after the memory wipe, but I couldn’t chance her being hurt, so I didn’t go back to her for help.”

“Oh, Son,” Augusta sighed, clasping his other shoulder.

“We’ll go tell them both, now,” Harry said, shaking his head sadly.  “When would you like for us to bring them?”

“How about you, Ginny, and Luna join Jack and me here for dinner this evening?” Ianto suggested.  He felt a bit silly doing so, because where the hell else would they meet?

“Sounds good,” Harry nodded, then looked to Ron and Hermione.  “Can you two go find Luna and explain it all?  I’ll go find Ginny.  We’ll meet here at seven?”

Ianto nodded, and Jack helped him to his feet.  He kissed his grandmother on the cheek, thanking her for her fierce defense (and the biscuits) before letting Jack guide him over to the bed, where he unselfconsciously stripped to his boxer briefs and climbed in.  The others left, and Jack joined his lover in the bed, unsurprised to find him already deeply asleep.

***

When Ianto woke, it was half six, and he was still sleepy and befuddled as Jack helped him wash and dress.  Jack lifted the head of the bed, and they sat together, Jack telling him the latest Torchwood gossip as Ianto leaned into his warmth and did a bad job of trying not to doze off again.  At precisely seven, the door opened, and Jack barely had time to rouse Ianto before a ginger blur jumped onto the bed to Ianto’s left. 

“Nag!” Ianto laughed into the young woman’s hair as another, ethereal young woman with long, white-blond locks crossed over to Jack’s side of the bed.  “Bunny!”

She introduced herself as Luna and somehow maneuvered Jack from the bed and took his place before her name even registered.  Harry gave a laugh at Jack’s bemused look.  He clapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “Those three are thick as thieves.  Best not get in their way.”

“Noted,” Jack said with a smile as he watched Ianto wrap an arm around each woman and let them settle against him.  For several long moments, no one spoke as they just held onto one another.  With a tender look, Ianto kissed each of them on the top of the head as they cried into his chest.

“I have missed you both,” he said after a while, his voice quiet and intense with emotion.  “So much.”

Ginny made a sound that was half-laugh, half-hiccup.  “Oh, Smoke, I’ll bet that accent gets all the girls,” she said, sitting up enough to brush the tears from her face.

“And the guys,” Jack quipped.

Both women turned to gape at him. 

“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.

“Jack,” Ianto said in a chastising tone, but he was smiling as he did it, “I would like for you to meet Ginny Potter and Luna Lovegood.”  He looked from one woman to the other.  “Ladies, this is Jack.  My… partner.”  The hesitation was minor, but it was there.  But in fairness, this was the first time he’d introduced Jack since finding out he could use that term to describe their relationship.

“Ladies,” Jack grinned broadly, glancing at Ianto to let the younger man see that he was happy with the introduction.  He made a mental note that it was another way he could help Ianto recover some of the self-confidence the curses had taken from him.

“You never said,” Ginny exclaimed, smacking Ianto on the chest.

“How could I?  I didn’t even know.  I hadn’t met him yet, had I?” Ianto replied with a lopsided grin, and Ginny let out a mad giggle.  Ianto reached over and took a lock of her hair in his fingers.  “You cut off your hair,” he said, looking at the neat bob with a critical eye.  “It looks good,” he nodded.

Some unspoken understanding passed between them, and Ginny got up, letting Ianto move to get up, as well.  He and Luna ended up sitting side by side on the edge of the bed.

“Bunny,” Ianto sighed, his voice ragged.

“Don’t,” she said, knowing he wanted to apologize for something that had not even been his fault.

“Need to,” he shrugged, then reached out with his left hand to take her right.  Then he gently pushed up her sleeve to show a jagged, magical scar on her right forearm.  He clasped her hand tightly and let out a sob as he traced the scar with gentle fingers.  “I am so sorry,” he whispered a few moments later.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Luna replied.  “It was the curse.”

“But you were hurt,” Ianto sniffed.  “Because of me.”

“No, I was hurt because of the Carrows,” she contradicted, her voice wobbling.  “It was not your fault,” she repeated.  Then with a sob she reached out and wrapped her arms around Ianto, holding him close as they both wept.  Ginny clambered back onto the bed behind them and wrapped her arms around both of them, burying her face in Ianto’s shoulder and holding onto them fiercely.

“I’m sorry I tried to curse you, Smoke” Ginny said, and winked at Luna when the pale-haired witch sat back and gave her a cross look.

“That wasn’t you,” Ianto sniffed.  “It was the curse.”

“Exactly!” she cried triumphantly.

Ianto let out a choking sound that may have started as a laugh but quickly turned into a sob.  Ginny and Luna held onto him until the storm passed, while Jack and Harry began getting the table ready for their meal.  Once the tears stopped falling, all three piled into the ensuite to wash their faces.  Laughter could be heard from the room.

“They’re taking it well,” Jack remarked, his voice quiet.

“They’re happy to have their friend back,” Harry replied with a shrug.

“Almost everyone else has been examining him for some sign of Neville.”

“Yeah, well.  They don’t need to,” Harry chuckled.  At Jack’s look of confusion, he said, “Did you notice the names they call each other?  No one gets to call them by those names except for them.  More than one of us has gotten hexed, for trying!” 

He laughed as though overtaken by a fond memory, but then he sobered.  “Gin and Luna haven’t uttered those names since he disappeared.  They took it hardest, see.  Those three had a bond.”

“Like you, Ron, and Hermione,” Jack said, and Harry nodded his agreement.  “Those kinds of bonds can be damned near unbreakable.”  He paused, then asked, “But what were you saying about the names?”

“It was something the three of them shared.  I think it started out as a way of communicating anonymously, so the death eaters,” he paused, “including the Carrows, couldn’t find them out.”  He blew out a breath.  “Hell, most people don’t even know the names, much less where they came from.”  He shook his head.

“But they fell back into it, just now,” Jack nodded.

“He may not be Neville anymore, and yet he still is,” Harry said, staring hard at Jack.  He pointed towards the ensuite.  “That man is the same man that fought with us.  He may look different, now; hell, he may be different, now.  But he remembers.  And so do we.  And that’s good enough.”

Jack nodded.  “I’ve never said he didn’t remember being Neville.  My problem is if you make him try to be Neville, now.  Because they took that away from him, and for his friends to look for Neville now is to further his torment.  He’s Ianto, now.  And that needs to be okay.”

“We understand that, Jack,” Luna said as the three emerged from the ensuite.  “Thank you for championing him,” she intertwined her fingers with Ianto’s and gave him a smile.  “The Carrows may have robbed us of who Neville might have been, but they would be terribly upset to realize that they have gifted us with who Ianto actually is.” 

***