Cursed

When they arrived at the castle, they joined the others in the great hall.  Professor Trelawney offered an embarrassed apology, which Ianto managed to accept with shockingly good grace before she made her escape.

Professor McGonagall handed Ianto a cup of strongly brewed tea that was so heavily sugared that it was almost syrup.  He tried not to let anyone see how badly his hands were shaking as he drank, but Jack was watching too closely to miss it.  As they had agreed on their walk back to the castle, Jack gave a quick overview of what the dragon had disclosed, allowing Ianto to retreat within himself for a few moments, so he could regroup.

Once Jack was done, the group was subdued and uncharacteristically silent as they drank their tea.  It was too early for lunch, but everyone needed a bit of fortification after the morning’s events.  Harry, Ron, and Ginny were only just beginning to recover from Trelawney’s spell, but then Madame Pomfrey arrived with a soothing potion that began to restore their spirits.

As Ianto drank his potion, Jack slathered strawberry jam onto a scone before handing it to the younger man.  “Just one bite,” he murmured, kissing Ianto’s temple.  Ianto took one bite, and then another, but that was all he could manage.  Jack rewarded him by kissing some of the lingering sweetness from his lips before handing him a cucumber sandwich after first pulling all of the cucumber off of it.  Ianto nibbled the buttered bread absently as he gathered his thoughts.

No one was particularly surprised when he told Professor McGonagall that he thought it might be time to conclude his lessons.  Overall, it had been an excellent way to reacquaint himself with his magic, but he needed some time to let everything settle.  He was, in turn, surprised by Professor McGonagall’s reply.

“In all honesty, I’m not sure what is left for us to cover, other than apparition,” she said in her straightforward manner.  “We had planned to cover that tomorrow, anyway.  Would you consider taking the rest of today to rest and then join us for one last lesson tomorrow?”  She reached out and patted his hand.  “I am certain you will be fine either way, but you have mentioned being nervous about apparating.  It would be a shame for today’s difficulties to keep you from finding your comfort level.”

“Alright,” Ianto nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of her recommendation.

“Splendid,” she smiled.  “Tomorrow we shall do apparition in the morning, and leave the afternoon open to any lingering questions you might have.  And if you’ll consider staying one additional night, we can have a small celebration tomorrow evening.”

“And what are we celebrating?” Ianto asked, and she could tell he was genuinely confused despite his polite smile.

He was met with a wry, eloquently raised eyebrow.  “The fact that you are back with us would be reason enough, but you could also consider it a second graduation, of sorts.  You’ve worked so hard, Mr. Jones, and you’ve come so far.”

“Everyone has been very kind,” Ianto said, almost demurely.

“You are among your friends, my dear.  And we are all very happy that you have been returned to us.”  She frowned as he nodded, staring at his toes.  She reached out and cupped his cheek with a gentle hand, encouraging his eyes back up to her face.  “They didn’t tell you, did they?”

“Tell me what?” Ianto frowned, confused.

“Losing you was a blow to us all, my dear,” she smiled sadly.  “You only saw how the curses affected them, but you weren’t here to see how hard losing you hit all of your friends.  Ms. Lovegood lost her sight for almost two months.”

“What?” Ianto looked shocked.

“Yes.  And Ms. Weasley was benched as a flight risk for seven matches during the second half of that year’s quidditch season.  Aurors Granger, Potter, and Weasley were suspended because they spent so much time and so many Ministry resources in their search for you, even after they’d been ordered to close the case.”

“But the article in the Prophet,” Ianto protested.  “It said that even though I was still missing, the investigation had been closed, and I was presumed dead.”

“That was the Ministry’s official line,” she nodded, “but that doesn’t mean they stopped looking for you, my dear.  They didn’t.  Not for many months and only then because they ran out of leads.  Even so, the case was still open right up until about two and a half months ago.”

Ianto stared at her, wide-eyed and (almost) disbelieving as she went on.  “And they weren’t the only ones, of course.  I don’t think anyone realized why at the time, or perhaps they considered it a relapse of sorts in his grief for Fred, but George Weasley closed his shop for several weeks and returned to the Burrow, and  it was only Angelina’s and Molly’s intervention that pulled him back into the world, again.”

Ianto’s eyes were red and wet with unshed tears as she continued, “Your grandmother locked herself in her house and did not leave for almost a month, and I was only able to coax her out to resume her visits to your parents.  It took us a week to sober Pomona up enough to get back to her classes.  And it took me almost that long to get my animagus back under control.”  She smiled kindly at his shocked expression.  “Grief affected each of us differently, but its impact was felt quite widely, I assure you.”

Ianto scrubbed his hands over his eyes.  “No one said.”

“We were trying not to burden you, but that was an error, I think.  We were not taking into consideration the fact that you didn’t think you were even missed.  I would like to think that was down to the curses’ influence, but I am well aware of the fact that you have always felt like a bit of an outsider, even among your friends.  That doubtless made it easier for the curses to take root, the insidious things.  But now you know; I can only hope that will help how you see things as you continue to heal.”

“Me too,” Ianto replied, looking a bit shocked by the information she had imparted.

“Now, you go and rest.  Try to eat some lunch in a bit, and perhaps try to sleep.  You can let the house elves know whether you would like to join us for dinner, but we understand if you’d prefer to keep to your rooms.  We will meet here for breakfast in the morning and have that apparition lesson, if you still feel up to it.  Agreed?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ianto gave her a small smile before letting Jack take his hand and lead him away.

***

As soon as they got to their rooms, Ianto staggered towards the bed, his intention to collapse onto it unmistakable.  But before he got more than three steps, Jack caught him around the waist and stopped his forward momentum.

“Jack,” Ianto all but whined.  “I’m so tired.  I just want to sleep!”

“I know, Kitty,” Jack murmured against Ianto’s neck before placing a gentle kiss there.  “But let’s have a nice bath first, yeah?  I know you’ll be glad we did.”

“But I just want to…” Ianto trailed off, frowning.  “Wait.  Are you telling me I stink?”

Jack was more inclined to swallow his tongue than say so, but dread, adrenaline, and sweat had definitely overpowered Ianto’s pheromones, which were normally quite delicious.  He reeked of terror, and Jack needed to wash it away.

“Let me take care of you,” he whispered into Ianto’s ear and felt the younger man’s body shudder in response. 

Jack guided Ianto into the bathing chamber and kissed him before changing the temperature of the cascading waterfall and stoppering the basin, which rapidly began to fill.  Steam rose from the basin, along with the lovely scent of frankincense and lavender, one of the oil blends that Jack had also added.

He turned back to Ianto, who was swaying on his feet with fatigue and watching the waterfall, transfixed.  Jack realized that as well as Ianto had handled everything, and as well-adjusted as he seemed, he was nevertheless in shock from the day’s ordeal.  The tea had helped, as had some home truths from both Gwydyon and Professor McGonagall.  But once again, Ianto needed to process it all, and Jack intended to help by getting his lover clean, fed, and laid before tucking him in for a nice, long sleep.

Jack quickly stripped and helped Ianto to disrobe before leading him into the bath.  Until now, he hadn’t been able to tell whether Ianto had been shaking because of the adrenaline crash or because he was cold from shock, but it was likely a bit of both.  His shivering became more pronounced once he was undressed, so Jack wasted no time getting him into the steaming bath. 

Once the basin was full, the waterfall slowed to a gentle trickle.  There was a shockingly comfortable molded bench against one of the rock walls, and once they were seated there, the water level was almost to the tops of their shoulders.  Jack gathered Ianto into his arms and held his trembling body as the warmth finally began to seep back into his bones.

Once Ianto stopped shivering, Jack used the exceptionally fine products set out by the bath to wash his and Ianto’s hair.  After rinsing the shampoo away under the waterfall, Jack grabbed a flannel and used the rich, thick soap to lovingly cleanse every inch of his wizard’s lovely, pale skin. 

The sweet, earthy tones of the frankincense reminded him of the forest they had just left, while the gentle, herbal notes of the lavender encouraged a sense of calm.  Ianto was relaxed and boneless by the time Jack finished rinsing the lather from his skin. 

Jack demurred when Ianto offered to return the favor, quickly washing himself but allowing the younger man to wash his back.  By the time they had rinsed the last of the soap away and stepped from the bath, both men were pleasantly hard but not uncomfortably needy.  They dried one another with many kisses and cuddles before dressing in pyjama bottoms and dressing gowns.

When they emerged from the bathing chamber, the table was set with hot tea, cheese toasties, and a savory mushroom bisque.  Jack noticed with great approbation and not a little relief that Ianto’s appetite had returned.  He knew this was likely down to the potion Madame Pomfrey had administered, but he didn’t much care the reason; he was too well pleased with the gift to check the horse’s dentition.

Once they had eaten their fill, Jack pulled the heavy curtains closed against the cheerful, sunny day, making the room dim and cozy.  They crossed the room, stripped, and climbed into the bed, settling into the sumptuously soft sheets.  Ianto hummed in satisfaction as he draped himself over Jack.

“Why’m I so sleepy?” he muttered, almost slurring his words.

“You had a pretty harrowing experience,” Jack pointed out.  “And now the dragon’s blood…”

“Gwydyon’s blood,” Ianto corrected, yawning.

“Really?” Jack asked, a bit surprised.  Ianto nodded sleepily against his chest.  “Huh.”  He stalled out for a moment before continuing, “And now Gwydyon’s blood is settling.  You had more time to get used to the unicorn’s blood.  Maybe assimilating the dragon’s blood is just a bit more tiring.”

“Mmmm…Maybe.”

“Go to sleep, Kitty,” Jack lifted his head so he could place a kiss on the top of Ianto’s.  He had planned to send Ianto to sleep in a post-orgasmic haze, but the younger man had barely been able to keep his eyes open as they ate.

He began revising his plans, plotting how he would waken his lover from his afternoon catnap, instead.  He chuckled.

Catnap.

How apt.

***