Sofia/Delmar 3

[Shava]

Sofia had been dropped off by her parents for her annual time with Delmar and his family. Normally, she went at the beginning of the summer, but this year, her parents hadn’t even been home when she got back from school. They had literally come through long enough to pick her up and drop her off, and Sofia suspected it was only because they didn’t want to lose face with Mr. Torres by sending Galleta. It had been two years since she and Del had found out about the contract her parents had set up. At thirteen, Sofia hadn’t known what to make of the situation. She’d been hurt and angry at having her whole life mapped out for a price. She and Del were friends, and she had always thought he was cute, but there was a long jump between that and marriage.

At school, they were in different houses, and Sofia had most of her classes with the puffs. She had seen Del in passing, and they were friendly, but they spent very little time one on one save for the summers and winter holidays when she often spent part of her breaks with him. For reasons she couldn’t quite put her finger on, Sofia was nervous as she stepped into the house this year. “Mr. Torres? Del?” she called.








There was a sound from the first doorway and Mr Torres came forth papers in hand, glasses on his nose. His hair had a touch of grey on the sideburns, but otherwise he didn’t look too bad. “Hey Sophia! Del’s upstairs with his sisters, turn right at the hall there and you will see the stairs.” He smiled warmly adding “No pool here I’m afraid but there is a park. Maybe we’ll go there tomorrow for a bit. Good to see you, everything okay?” His eyes seemed to approve of her outfit.

Del was laid out in the hammock, his two youngest sisters leaning over him lightly giggling. A soft hesitant touch with a brush and he was getting a mustache as they played with the oldest sister’s make up. Del was asleep in the sun, swaying softly





Sofia smiled warmly at Del’s father. “All good” she assured him. “I’ll just go on up and see what everyone’s up to.” She sprinted easily up the stairs, came around the corner just in time to see the girls giving Del a makeover. “You guys!” she scolded them gently in a loud whisper, lips twitching. “Decided to have some fun and didn’t invite me?” She ‘tsk’d’ softly. “I guess you know what I have to do now…” She came up on Del’s other side and shook him gently. “Wake up or they’re going to give you a beard to match” she warned him.

Both girls gave into giggles then louder, one scolding with humor the intruder. “Sof! No! Aw, we wanted to make it darker…” but dissolved laughing as he moved slightly turning on his side before rubbing his eyes. “Wha--?” He blinked a few times in the sun before he could focus his eyes on her. “Sofia? What’s up?” He yawned and stretched, then seemed to hear the giggling as both girls fled the room laughing. “What did I miss?”








Lowering her bag to the floor, Sofia rifled briefly through her purse before she reemerged triumphantly with a mirror which she opened and held up to Del so he could view his sisters’ handywork. “I think they were using you for a model” she told him, still looking very amused. Her eyes followed the movement as he stretched and she noticed his muscle tone was much better than the summer before when she had last seen him shirtless.

Her nerves intensified and she suddenly understood them better. Up to now, Del had been her childhood friend. Even after finding out about the contract she had only really viewed him as such. But somehow, over the course of the previous year, something was...different.







Del said a rude word in Spanish and rubbed at his upper lip. It smeared badly. Looking at his hand he sat up in the hammock and frowned. “What did they use, mascara? Oh she’s going to kill them if they mess up her brushes again.” He stuck a hand under him, searching the hammock for his wand pushing his groin up unconsciously before he found it and wanded away the mascara with as much as skill as any girl with makeup removal, but he did have sisters. Not having noticed her looking he muttered “Buggers. How long you been here Sofia, have I missed much?” He looked up at her with a lazy smile still a little sleepy.






Sofia laughed softly, watched him remove the now horribly smeared mess from his face. “I just got here” she explained. “My parents dropped me off and your father sent me up to find you. I thought you’d appreciate the rescue before they could give you a full face.” She eyed him in the hammock and smirked. “Move over” she demanded. She loved hammocks, and she only ever really got to spend time in them when she was with Del’s family, presumably because he loved them too. They had done this a lot as young children, less since finding out about the contract, but Sofia had resolved to try and ignore the elephant in the room.

They still had two years to wait after all until they were expected to...to...Sofia took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. Not her problem, not yet. She climbed in beside him and was immediately aware that she had made a mistake. This was definitely not at all like it had been when they were children.








His necklace slid as she told him to move over and he rolled on his side again which meant as she got in she was pressed directly up against him with nowhere to put her hands to push back except for him. He smirked. “Yes I appreciated the rescue. And wow, Sofia, you grew up nice,” He said, indicating what was pressed up against his side with an appreciative grin. “A lotta changes I can see since school. I approve.” He half-expected a smack and winced slightly in case she struck out, but he watched her to see what she would do.








She lay, pressed against him, but pulled back her upper body so she could meet his eyes. When he spoke, she flushed and smiled hesitantly. “Thanks” she said softly. She caught sight of the necklace and without thinking, reached out to get a closer look, running her fingers over it and unintentionally against his chest in the process. “I...don’t think I’ve seen this” she said softly before her eyes found his again. “Is it new?” Or maybe she had just never been looking at him this closely before. Either way, she was looking now. “You’ve changed a lot too” she pointed out, still flushed. “Part of growing up I guess.”







Pleased she hadn’t lashed out at him like he thought most girls might his smile grew a trifle wider and he wondered if it would have been a time to make a move, but then the moment was past. Her hands were cool on his skin (Like a lot of guys he burned hot most of the time) and he liked the feeling, but then she questioned him while he was studying her chest, meeting hers as she looked up accidentally. A shrug. “Old actually, Mom gave it to me when I turned ten. I might not always wear it when I came over to your place, but I always have it on at school.”

Del had lost his mother at 12 and it had ached a long time after. “I’m named after a turtle from the sea that dad knew.” Was she flushing because of him? A tiny amount of interest reared it’s head. Time to experiment. “I’ll trade you, exploration for exploration. Equal amounts. If you noticed you have to be curious after all Sof.”





He mentioned his mother and she softened. She had died a few years before, and she knew him well enough to know that he missed her. Unlike her, Del was very close to his family. She released the necklace and pressed her hand to his chest instead over his heart. “I guess I never noticed it before” she said thoughtfully. “It’s…” she smiled. “I like it.” He mentioned his name and she flashed him a grin. “Really? A turtle?” She brushed a thumb over it again.

When he spoke, she looked up at him, eyes wide. “So like...I touch you...and you...touch me?” Her skin warmed even thinking about it.





HIs father had come up with the name, his mother had enjoyed it, and Del was very interested in the deep sea. Maybe there was quite a bit of influence there, but Del didn’t explore it. The loss had hit hard though there had been no one at the time to go to about it and he had to cover that up. He covered up a lot more than that, but he was used to it now. “I assume you have stuff you wear you especially like, right?” He didn’t add on to the name part any more than that, but then he knew she didn’t speak a lot of spanish either. “If touch is all you are interested in yes. Not like we have not seen each other swimming for a decade.”





“I…” now she was embarrassed. “Not really” she said simply. “Nothing special like that.” She glanced at the open door warily. “We could get in a lot of trouble” she said softly, hesitantly. “If your sisters or your father…” Still, she was tempted. She also had literally zero experience, and she’d seen enough of Del around school to know he had at least some. “I don’t...really know…” She bit her lip. “The contract is really strict so I haven’t really…”





A frown. “It doesn’t have to be like a gift, I was just thinking you probably have a necklace, a bracelet or something you like a lot right?” Didn’t all girls have that? “I got this last summer” he held up his wrist so she could see it. “It has a turtle and a manta ray on it. I just liked the links so small and all like fitted together.” A shrug. “It doesn’t mean anything, I just like it.” However she dithered, Del had seen the crack opened like she had not before. “Well. Right now you’re feeling up my chest and I like it, but that’s hardly trouble really. If my hands were like that on you yeah I’d expect trouble. So maybe my turn for that has to come later then. Fair is fair and we’re both curious about stuff right? So tell me what you’re curious about and we’ll talk out how to explore that….”





She nodded and gestured toward her ankle. “I like sunflowers” she explained softly. “When I was younger, my parents gave me permission to go into this little street market with Galleta, this little older woman was selling homemade jewelry and…” Here Sofia shrugged. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever really bought for myself” she said softly. “So its special to me.” He mentioned where her hands were and she flushed darker when he mentioned touching her the same way. “I...would think so...yeah.” But then he continued and she was forced to concede the point. She felt as if her skin would never cool again, and who else was she going to get the chance to explore with this way?

She bit her lip, seemed to be torn for a moment, but another passed and she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. She had no idea how to talk about it, what questions even to ask, but she’d wanted to do that since last year at school, and had never found a way to bring it up.






He looked down and then looked thoughtful. “Sunflowers. Is there something special about them besides that cause I don’t remember much smell and mostly just how big they are.” She explained and he filed that away. HIs grandfather had trained his kids to have long memory and attention to details; Del was not an exception to this family trait. “Then it’s a good thing. Really the only thing though?” Yeah her parents sucked major donkey balls. The idea she might let him touch her chest some point brought his own interest up quite a bit! His smile widened. “No one else will keep your secrets as well as I will, Sofia. We’re going to keep both of our secrets for each other for a long time I think. I hardly want you mad at me the entire time now do I?” Surprisingly after a moment of thinking she suddenly leaned in for a kiss and his eyebrows jumped even as he brought both his own hands to her cheeks and pulled her back just a moment. “Okay then, decent start. Here, turn your head right about here and when you come in you do a light brush first like this…” and he kissed her lips softly, stopping after a second trying not to smile then gave her a longer second kiss for a few seconds. Stopping without pulling back more then an inch he said very softly “There now; smell, taste. Remember. Feel the temperature between us. These all add a lot to your memory of this. So first the light kiss, then one longer. Like…”






Off and on over the years, she and Del had felt like partners in crime. When they were little, it had been cute, harmless fun. But in that moment, she felt a warmth for him that was slightly different than the physical she’d been experiencing before. There was a sense of belonging that was foreign to Sofia, but so very welcome. She was slightly embarrassed, feeling as though she had messed up somehow, but when he explained she nodded and did as he said, realizing it was more comfortable and made things easier.

He kissed her then, once, twice, and she didn’t need him to tell her to use her senses; they were in overdrive, making her hyper aware of everything, but most of all she was aware of him in a way she’d never been before. First the light kiss...She tried to mimic what he’d shown her, then the longer… She pulled back a fraction after a few seconds, face still flushed, but not from embarrassment anymore. She smiled shyly, but obviously pleased. Slowly, exploring, her hands moved lower over his chest and then to his stomach, learning the feel of him, having battled with the urge to touch him since she’d walked into the room.

It wasn’t touching him that made her nervous, it was him touching her, but fair was fair, they agreed on that point. “Better?”





She took the instruction well, tho with a flushed face, and she clearly looked happy with how things were going. Well that made two of them! “Good,” he responded to her first attempt after, his hands still holding her cheeks as she did so. He listened behind him but didn’t hear anyone nearby so far. And if she liked the way he smelled, surely she would be closer more often? He sure hoped so, he hadn’t even been out yet just a shower and a nap! He couldn’t smell bad! She continued feeling his body as he added “I don’t dare do more with the kisses here. My sisters have a way of showing up out of nowhere, but that was a good start.” A glance down as she felt his abs and he raised an eyebrow.

“So what is it there you like? Or just curious? Do I feel very different then you do?” Please think about it and how much you want to do this more, please please… “Nice. You taste nice, can’t say what you remind me of yet, but it’s good stuff. Like this so far too I hope?”





Relieved when he seemed pleased as well, she nodded. He was so unbelievably warm and comfortable, though some part of her mind had known since she was twelve that someday they would be...physical...She had never really had a true idea of what that meant, or how it would feel. Finding it was easier and more natural than she had worried it might be was such a relief, even if she still felt nervous about her own inexperience.

“I just…” She bit her lip, glanced away. “You look so different, I guess I just...curious...yeah” she said softly. She smiled at his question. “Very” she acknowledged. “It’s like…” She searched for a way to explain it to him, but after a moment, she lifted her shirt slightly, conscious of needing to be able to put it back easily if someone were to walk in, she took his hands and placed them on her stomach. “You’ve got all this hard muscle and I’m just...I dunno...soft?”

She tilted her head and grinned. “Yes” she admitted softly. “Yes I like it.” She bit her lip. “I guess its kind of boring for you though...right?” She knew he had to have more experience than she did, she just didn’t know how much.






Her smile said it all; he had chosen carefully since she had never given him this chance before. Whew! “Feel better then? You know Sofia whenever you have a question you can always just ask. I’m pretty straight forward about stuff, you know that.” Well, maybe she hadn’t thought about it, but he was not a hide in the cover before doing something type of person. She lifted her shirt (not enough damnit) and he felt her softness and grinned. “Oh yeah I like soft, like your face too. Feels nice, guys are all hard muscle and bones.” His hands were still there when he heard footsteps and quickly slipped both of his hands back to his chest crossed.

A second later he heard “Ooo Del!” and Ella’s face leaned over them, falling into disappointment at not having caught anything happening. “What Ell? It’s a hammock, you can’t have two people in it without being right up next to each other. We’re just talking, parrot.” She stuck out her tongue at him and then said “Dad says lunch in twenty. Get washed up.” “Sure thing, although if my hands need washing just cause I had a nap after a shower…” she huffed as she turned and headed for the door.





“Better” she agreed. She smirked. “Yeah, trust me, I know” she shook her head. “But I can’t talk to you about that kind of thing, Del, you’re a guy” she pointed out. His hands on her stomach were as warm as the rest of him, and oddly she felt the urge to shiver. He mentioned what guys felt like and she arched a brow. She knew Del liked both, couldn’t actually remember a time when she hadn’t known. She wondered sometimes if it bothered him that he wasn’t even allowed to choose which gender he wanted, but the heir was the important thing, she knew, and she’d never been brave enough to ask him whether he was upset that his parents had chosen her. She didn’t want to know if he was.

Ella’s thrilled tone was quickly replaced by disappointment and Sofia tried not to be too obvious about her sigh of relief. “Del’s a heater and I was cold” she confirmed quickly. “You’re welcome to come snuggle up with us too if you want Ella…” The girl wrinkled her nose before sticking her tongue out at Del and giving her a look that said she thought Sofia was being weird. When she was gone, Sofia flashed him a smile. “To be continued, I guess” she murmured as she made to climb out, careful not to move too quickly at the risk of sending them both tumbling out.





A shake of his head as he said “Not what you think, Sof, I know more than you know, but here’s the important thing to remember. Neither of us wants the other to go without knowing stuff. It means I’ve got your back more than anyone else right? Who do you see outside of your house the most AND inside your house. Me. Who has every reason to keep your secrets? Me. I can get you access to other places and experiences THROUGH my family right? You need me to be happy as much as you need to be happy. We’re bonded in this, partners.”

He helped her out by holding her arm for a moment then said softly “Wait Sofia till I get out I got something to show you.” As soon as he got out he caught her hand and led her to the hallway seeing his oldest sister Jos pass with a smile at Del. He caught Sofia’s arm just enough to make her slow and caught a door quietly saying out loud “Wait for me Sof, I’ll be just a second” and instead pulled her into the bathroom leaving the door open. Pulling her to in front of the sink he slipped up behind her and slid his hands around her arms, sliding them around her own hands over the sink basin. In her ear he whispered “You’re not boring, Sofia, not for me. I think I can make this very interesting for us both” and he kissed her ear softly and got the soap.

His arms held her almost up against his chest as he soaped up and washed her hands gentle, softly, running his fingers across her palm…






She hesitated, but after a moment she laid her head on his chest and exhaled softly, closed her eyes and nodded before pressing her lips to the spot on his chest that was easiest. “Partners” she agreed. “But I’m only with your family like a few weeks out of the year” she reminded him. “So not a lot of opportunity there.” She nodded easily as they left the room, and when he grabbed her she was somewhat surprised when he pulled her into the bathroom.

It wasn’t his closeness, she was relatively used to that, but his gentleness, his breath against her ear...this was new. The brush of his lips at her ear made her shiver, and her eyes widened in surprise that such a simple thing could affect her so much. Isi passed by the door, glanced in, obviously in hopes of catching them at something, but when she spotted Del washing Sofia’s hands, she seemed to shrug and continue on.

She realized Del must have helped his sisters many many times, but this was….very very different. This was...more. For his sisters, Del was their helper, their protector, and in his own way, he was offering to be the same for her. She laced her fingers through his in the water, and, knowing that his sisters were all already downstairs, she turned her head and kissed him, a brush, and then longer, wanting to say without saying that he had roused powerful feelings in her, not just physical but...more.







A shake of his head; she had no idea he was enticing her now to draw her in more at school and in her own home. Surely her parents wouldn’t be monitoring them overnight and he thought it probably worth the risk to get her really far more interested in letting him do stuff. Which meant he needed her to really like his closeness and trust him. Big time. “Depends. You are a little behind me in experience and I want to give you the benefit of some education a little more so you have more control when the time really comes you know? One person with all the experience is what gets dull, but there is so much pleasure out of the warm up to the big event. I won’t let it go to far. You did say your parents have spells to watch for that after all.”

He felt her and heard her quick breath as he kissed her ear a few more times, lacing his fingers in with hers was more cover than anything. Wary, he got the towel and took care of her hands and kissed his way down her neck, whispering “So much pleasure possible you don’t know about yet…” With dried hands he ran them up her front, cradling her under her breasts as if hugging with his hands adding softly “And you are going to be mine so there is nothing wrong about you learning what I know….right…”

A big grin plastered on his face as he leaned around her and tilted, kissing her on her lips then, drawing out her imagination before he released her saying “Okay time to play nice at the table.” Hooking one arm around her middle he pulled her along with him to the stairs.





A little. Right, if none was a little. Then again, she appreciated that he had been uncharacteristically sensitive to her insecurity about the whole thing, but he was right. In two years, they would be...she would be...and she wouldn’t mind having a better idea of what to expect. She’d heard other girls talking in the dorm about about all sorts of things. Some made her uncomfortable, but others… Why shouldn’t she get to act like other girls her age? Her parents had basically controlled her entire life. She spent the school year in the castle under the threat of whatever spells they had concocted to make sure she abided by the contract. At home, she was guarded by Galleta, who was devoted but ultimately belonged to her parents, and thus their orders took precedence over everything else.

Here...here was as close as she ever got to having a bit of flexibility. Del’s father treated her much the same way he treated his own kids. What little exploring she had done, what few freedoms she’d had, she’d had most of them with Del and his family. She couldn’t argue the logic, and what’s more, she didn’t really want to. “We’ll have to be careful” she warned him. She had no idea really how far the spells went or where the lines were, or what would happen to her if she triggered them. Still, he had a point, like it or not, they were in this together, and he was just as invested in everything as she was, albeit or different reasons.

She was so caught up in the moment, his lips on her skin and the way his whispers sent chills up her spine that she probably would have agreed with anything he said right then. “R-right” she murmured, eyes closed, she bit her lip. Then all at once, he seemed to shift gears, and Sofia remembered they had somewhere to be. She took a deep breath to try and steady herself, then nodded. “Right, lunch.”

She was mostly quiet at the table. She answered questions when asked, smiled when one of the girls said something funny or teased Del, but mostly she was caught up in her own thoughts, and the sheer amount of information and sensory overload that had occurred in the last hour. It wasn’t until later that afternoon that she more or less felt she had something of a handle on things, but even then she wasn’t really sure where to go from here. She sat outside on the front stairs, thinking everything through Del was right, ultimately they were getting married. It was almost literally written in stone, so what did it really matter if she explored a little in the mean time? Ultimately, it was only graduation and making sure she was a fully trained witch that prevented her parents from marrying her off now, Sofia suspected.

She was attracted to Del, she was at least fairly sure now that Del was attracted to her...so...why not?






For the majority of his life, he had known Sofia and been to her place. It was only very recently she had come to one of his and that only after they had concocted the plan to get her out of the prison of a house she had. Most of the time growing up she had not really talked much about ‘the contract’ and until he hit puberty it hadn’t been that much on his mind either. After all he couldn’t change what his father had done really and her elf really did good food. Mind you, fresh baking was good anywhere, but going over to Sofia’s meant he got a lot more of what he liked then he usually did!

Now for the first time she really was interested and that was a real plus in his mind! He’d always been told he would rebel against his parents at some point and he had never really wanted to, but now the idea of sneaking some extra pleasure for himself wasn’t going to be too hard with her. And naturally the further he could get her was good in the long run anyway right? No, today everything had turned out swell so far! Where would be the next best place to take her however would be the key. He couldn’t get the ultimate because of the magic, even though he was the one destined to get all her goods. Which he couldn’t now cause he had to wait two more--

Hmm. That was a thought.

Lunch was normal, albeit they had a guest with them who everyone thought of as almost family. Jos had claimed her right to feed the kid with Dad at the head of the table, Ella on his side. That left him at the other side with Isa and Sofia, the secondary ‘head’ of the family he thought uncharitably. Isa was full of conversation about her new newt to join her terrarium and he cut up her sandwich for her as she talked, and gave up trying to get much more of a word in. After lunch maybe the park would call and dad would be ready for a break from paperwork. As they got up and cleaned the table (though Sofia was not automatically handed stuff to clean) and spread out as his father told them “Okay in an hour we’re going to head out. Don’t get all stirred up or loud for the next little bit. Del?” Delmar caught Isa’s hand and motioned for Sofia to follow along.

Stopping at one door he told her “Here’s your room Sofia, I’m across the hall. Isa, let’s get you a nap right?” “But I don’t need one, Del” she complained lightly as he tugged at her hand. “Come on, Isa, you know dad’s rules and if you wanna go to the park where you might get to play with friends we have to have a lie down first. It’s only for a few minutes…” The argument and negotiations took a few minutes before she would stay down they all knew.






It took a few minutes, but after a while even Sofia couldn’t ignore the heat anymore. She stood, brushing herself off and heading back into the much cooler space of the house just as Del was coming out of Isa’s room, closing the door quietly behind him. Sofia smiled softly. The way Del was with his sisters had always struck her as a sort of dichotomy. With her, he’d always been fun, mischievous, playing at macho the way she knew men were supposed to in her culture, but after seeing him with his family, her view had shifted somewhat.

“Down for the count then?” she murmured, her smile a bit uncertain in the wake of what had happened between them today. It had been a lot in a very short time, and while she had processed it, the whole thing was still new and a bit daunting for a girl who spent the majority of her time behind high walls, either castle or Spanish villa, and who had never had the courage before to defy her parents’ stringent rules.







Perfect timing as he saw her and nodded. “She never wants it but she’ll make us all want to kill her if she doesn’t get it. Even Ella gets that and puts herself down.” He shook his head at the example and reached out, catching his intended around the waist briefly. “Come here, we need to talk for a few and this is a good time.” Leading her to his room and leaving the door open, he went over and sat on the side of the bed looking towards the window which he shut. “I love air, but it’s too hot now for it to be open,” he sorta complained. Siesta was a good time however because it usually meant lazy time in his mind.

Once she was sitting beside him he lay back on the bed saying “I have to tell you, Sofia, I really hate your parents some days, nothing personal. You’re fine and everyone here likes you, but it would be a lot better if they weren’t in the picture.” Exploratory thinking, he had read, was good for introducing new thinking and getting it accepted in stages.






He caught her around the waist and it was less of a surprise, but she was still getting used to his touching her so often, or anyone doing so for that matter. “I never minded naps really. I liked to dream,” she added thoughtfully. She frowned when he closed the window, equally frustrated with the heat. “I get it” she agreed. In cooler weather, Sofia nearly always was either outside or had the windows open, but during the summer it was nearly unbearable during certain times of the day. Talk? Hadn’t they already talked more about serious things in this one day than they ever had? Still, she was curious after the morning what he might want to discuss.

She followed him into his bedroom, settled next to him and turned to watch his face when he laid back. She arched a brow briefly when he mentioned her parents, but as he continued her expression became guarded. Her parents had told her that what went on in their home was private, and that she was never to say anything that might ‘paint them in a bad light’ in front of Del or his father in case it ‘ruined the deal’. She had no idea what the consequences would be, but she’d always tried not to think about it.

“I…” what could she say that didn’t sound bad? “They’re just really focused on my brother” she went to her most comfortable defense. “They don’t mean to...that is…” She looked helpless for a moment. “It’s just how things are.”






“Don’t get me wrong, I like sleeping. I like it a lot, but I don’t nap like I did when I was younger. Now I don’t get cranky about it, but she’s terrible.” He rolled his eyes about it, so she would know her terrible was just stress for everyone else. A wave of his hand as he laid down at the window seemed to sum it all up. “Just for midday really. Spain is just like that.” She mentioned her brother, a mystical person he had only seen once in all those years. As if he wasn’t worthy. That brought a frown out. “You know in all these years I’ve only seen your brother once. He’s always off getting treatments. They are more than a little focused on having a male heir. That’s obvious.” He gave her a look as if to say ‘don’t treat me as if I’m stupid.’ “Even dad doesn’t know that.”

“No, I was talking about this whole contract stuff. I mean they really seem to think of you like money in a way if you get my drift. That’s what I hate. You’ve seen my family, you know you are part of us. They always watch me like I might ruin things.” As if he broke things a lot. Mind you he was a handful when he was a kid he knew that, but he hadn’t actually broken things in their house since the single digits! Unfair! So he liked to try out new adventures…






She had always had very mixed feelings regarding Alonzo, her younger brother who was born severely disabled, and even magic had thus far been unable to put everything to rights. The brain was still mostly as much a mystery to witches and wizards as it was to muggles, but her parents had spent most of her life going to specialists on both sides to try and make progress so that their son could one day inherit her father’s legacy. Sofia sighed. “They don’t want to have to leave everything to me, because that means you’ll get it instead of it staying in my father’s name” she pointed out.

Personally, she could really care less about any of it. She knew what he was saying was true. Having snuck the contract out of her father’s study while her parents were out of town the year before, she knew that her major value to them was monetary, and exactly what sort of allowances they’d been prepared to make to her detriment if it got them the security and stability for their growing fortune that they valued nearly above all else. She couldn’t dispute his point, but she didn’t have to confirm it either. She flopped back finally and sighed more loudly this time. “What do you want me to say, Del? They're my parents” she pointed out.

“I know they wish I’d been a boy, I know they’re bargaining my life away for the resources they need to stabilize their money,” she said much softer. “But it isn’t like I can actually do anything about it. I spent all last year looking for ways around it. I practically lived in the library” she reminded him. “But if there is a way, I don’t think I’m going to find it there, and it isn’t as if I could look anywhere else.” It wasn’t his family or even marrying Del she objected to so much as the way her parents had basically defined her as property to be handed off and treated however the Torres family saw fit. She didn’t expect them to mistreat her, not even Del though he could be an arse sometimes, but it burned her to have no say in her own life.





“Like I want their money, personally, but yeah I get that. It’s why I dislike them so much. They don’t--” He rubbed his nose briefly. “It’s like they never live. You have this big house and a pool and a hot tub and all kinds of expensive things, but they seem to be there just to keep you occupied, you know? For show? How often do they go swimming?” He watched her, wondering if he had that right just because he had never seen it. She did the only real defense she ever had which wasn’t something he could refute either. “I know I know, I’m just saying you and I both know you would rather be over here with us. I’m just telling you it’s something I get, I understand why.”

He suspected it was something she had always needed to hear actually but he had never made a point in saying it out loud. It made sense to him that he make sure she knew that. “So. You know the contract, I’ve never seen dad’s copy. Can you like divorce me right after we’re married and get out that way? Or are there restrictions beyond that?” Not that he would be happy about that part, but still better to know the issues in advance right?





“Of course I’d rather be here” now that she’d broken the dam, it was like she couldn’t stop, “but…” The divorce comment made her expression darken, it was her least favorite part of the whole thing, the reason she’d looked so hard in the first place. “No” she said softly. “Unbreakable vow, but just on my part.” She could feel her anger rising, lingering just below the surface. “Besides” she said softly. “Divorce is nearly unheard of in the magical world anyway, and we both know even if I could, the kids would end up with you and…” She shrugged, “I want to be better than them…”

She rolled onto her side, she looked nervous, almost scared, but she spoke anyway. “You...you said you’d keep my secrets” she whispered. “Did you mean it?”






NOW he sat up, shocked looking at her! “What?! No way!” The vow was like, a terrible thing in his mind and anything like that should be dark magic in his mind though the Ministry still hadn’t classified it that way. “Oh that is not fair, not at all…” he sank back down on the bed, his face still not happy, quite shocked though fading as he matched it to what he thought of her parents and it fit too well. She spoke about the divorce and while it didn’t really sink in he did listen.

“Duh.” Of course he’d keep them! She was going to be sleeping with him eventually, didn’t she see it the same way? And in that he realized she had not invested her mind in that way yet, didn’t see him yet as a real partner. Reaching out he caught her hand and pulled it over gently to his own chest. While he was wearing a shirt he was sure she would understand the idea as he placed it firmly over his heart flat and held it there while he placed his own hand over the middle of her chest. Tantalizing, but not the time, he reminded himself.

“I, Delmar Alfredo Salome Torres, do swear I will keep your secrets as I expect you to keep mine, Sofia. Furthermore I promise upon my own death to be on your side in this matter and never on the side of greed, your parents, or in any mind set of slavery which they are certainly trying to enforce upon you. With me you are safe, wanted, and trusted as long as I live. That's good enough?” He had been willing his heart to slow, to show no excitement or betrayal of it during this, wanting to reassure her she was with the right guy. And if that got him her for a wife easier well that was all well and good, but defeating her parents was more in his mind just then, like some sort of quest.





He reacted to the news of the vow almost as negatively as she had, surprising her somewhat. When he spoke next, his hand firmly on her chest as hers was on his, she had never heard him be more serious, nor seen that expression on his face. “They’re never home” she confessed finally. “I stay at school during Christmas and Galleta takes care of me during the summer. They come through long enough to drop me off here, but that’s’ really the only time I see them” she admitted.

She couldn’t speak for the time before her brother had been born, but she’d been so young it was too hard to remember. “I…” this one was harder, because she felt guilty over it. “I think I hate them” there was both pain and relief in the words, in finally saying them to someone else. “But also I don’t...I don’t really know them.” She bit her lip. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone in case...they told me I could never tell you or your dad anything in case he changed his mind” she tried to explain. “I don’t know what they’ll do if he does, but…”

She felt anxiety rise up suddenly at the thought of what her confessions could cause. “Their whole life rides on this contract. I don’t know how or exactly what it is they need so badly, but…” She shrugged, feeling not only helpless now but also mildly panicked.





While he was slightly surprised at his own daring, it seemed to have paid off. “Never? Huh.” That didn’t totally surprise him, but in some ways it did. She really was by herself and that stirred up some anger in him. “I bet you do. I sure do.” His face turned angry, though none of it at her. “You basically have no family really, not the way family is supposed to be, caring for each other.” A shake of his head. “Dad thinks of you as his daughter already, don't you get that? He wouldn’t leave you to them!”

He didn’t need his psych studies to tell him what to do next; he had sisters after all and many a nightmare to deal with. He was the big brother after all! He rolled closer, pulled her in for a hug, her head on his shoulder. Held her tightly, one hand moving over her back soothingly. “Hush, it’s okay. I’m here, Sofia, we all are.” He didn’t let up the hug, didn’t try to cop a feel. She needed reassurance to let her know she had done right, she was safe. His mind concentrated on that for now. Why hadn’t he pushed her earlier then this? He could have been slamming this whole fiancé thing!

While a bit miffed at himself, his true anger at her parents got firmed up quite a bit. Determined to do something to foil them without hurting her, he decided to follow up with his father at first chance.





He spoke of his father, of how much a part of his family she already was, and while some part of Sofia had known or at least sensed that, hearing it out loud was different entirely. “I…” now that she’d actually done it, she only wished she’d done it sooner. What had she been so afraid of? She felt silly now. She had let her parents convinced her that being honest about them would anger Mr. Torres somehow, and that had been the last thing she wanted.

Her time with Del and his family represented the only time she really felt any sense of belonging outside of school, and the fear of having it taken from her had made her think less logically. Fear, she knew, was very good at that. He pulled her close, and laying there with her head an his shoulder and her own arms wrapped tightly around him, she buried her face in his shoulder, but stopped just short of actual tears.

Gradually, after a few moments, her breathing slowed and she got control again. “It’s just two more years” she tried to comfort herself and negate the anger she heard in his voice. “I’ve made it this long. I can handle two more years.”






He felt her getting herself back under some control, but knew he still needed to reinforce things. Important details, he knew now. Leaning back just enough to see her face he said firmly, holding her firmly, “No more secrets, Sofia. You need something you write to me if nothing else. Understood? Partners. And now you know you have someone you can trust I expect you-- No, I demand you keep me in the loop! I can’t help if I don’t know, okay?” He waited, knowing she was going to be hesitant still, but he had to make it clear he would be upset if she didn’t. “Hell, you already share my family and run with my sisters, the least you can do is let me take care of you as well as them.”

He took in a breath, his eyes looking past her thinking. “Two years. Seems a long time to me. There has to be a way to shorten it.”





She met his gaze, her own expression still wavered a bit, but she managed. “No more secrets” she agreed softly. It was both relieving and yet somehow still difficult to let her personal skeletons out of the closet. She had always, in her darkest moments viewed her parents’ disinterest as though it were somehow her own fault. Confessing to it, even now, felt like a lacking on her own part. Demand? Struggling for some sort of levity, she smiled shakily up at him. “Careful Del, I haven’t taken the vow yet…”

After a moment, however, her expression sobered again and she breathed out slowly, nodding. She thought about what she’d seen of him with his sisters today, so different from the boy he was at school. Would she even know how to let someone take care of her that wasn’t Galleta? She arched a brow at his mention of shortening the time frame. “Short of getting pregnant...and before you say anything I am absolutely not getting pregnant at fifteen...everything is pretty set in stone” she pointed out.






That she agreed to no secrets was a great relief to him! “Good. We miss out on a lot of time otherwise.” A wave of his hand as he sat up looking down on her. “Ha, like that vow matters. I am supposed to take care of my family, Sofia, and you are part of my family. Like the rest of your ‘family’ is more important than us to you?” Shaking his head he leaned over and kissed her forehead once. “Oh I don’t want you pregnant either, it’s way too early for that!” he exclaimed, before leaning down towards her and whispering “Though I do want to claim the right to please you and bring more happiness into your personal life….”





She watched him for a moment, wondering when exactly the boy who had teased her and gotten on her nerves through most of her young life would seem to have grown up. She sat up slowly. “You are my family, Del” she admitted finally. “You and your father and your sisters...you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had.” She flushed when he spoke about pleasing her, felt the warmth of the possibility as it spread through her in spite of the rest of the conversation. There was purpose in his expression now that made her wary. “What...are you planning to do...exactly?”






A soft smile for a moment at her eyes as she admitted the truth. “Good to hear it, Sof, I know my dad likes you a lot. You have to promise to not use my sisters to gang up on me just because I’m supposed to be protecting them and keeping them in line.” Ha, she wasn’t going to follow everything he said naturally, but he was already surrounded by women… “Never you mind, I have to think about it for awhile, think what is best to keep you safe. Don’t worry I won’t go off half-pickled and not thinking. “

He would remember her smell and touch first off. And savor the fact she was nearly his in reality. How to accomplish the two years faster was the trick. “Does Galleta come with you in the contract?” Or does she stay theirs?” He looked pensive about that; a lot of her agreement to do something would depend on the elf for sure.






She flashed him a grin. “Sorry, can’t” she shook her head. “Family bonding and all that.” There was real concern now. He had a look she recognized, stubborn determination. “You? Not thinking?” She smirked, “heaven forbid.” He mentioned Galleta and she really did look somewhat relieved. “She’s mine” Sofia assured him. “They bought her to take care of me, and when I marry you she comes with me, presumably to take care of our kids...when we have them...eventually.” It was still hard to think of herself and Del and...well everything she’d known was coming since she was twelve.





Gah. Another sister. Well, until he taught her more about what she would enjoy about physically being close to him. That brought out a twinkle in his eyes thinking she wouldn’t allow the teasing quite as much once she saw his true value. “Ha, bonding as an excuse for torturing me.” As that is what his sisters enjoyed. “Hey now, I’m older. You don’t see my jumping out the window anymore.” Though that particular memory had rocked he thought! ‘Well that’s a relief! I know you love her a lot. And she does make great cookies….” He said cautiously knowing he might get hit for that one!

Cookies from one sex from the other. His life’s future was starting to look very good indeed. “Just kidding. I know you two are close at least. And I think she was teaching you to play me at one point when I think back on it…” More than a suspicion, but she had returned with cookies on more than one occasion.

[Shava]

“I never said anything about torture…” she pointed out, widening her eyes at him innocently. “...But I did bring all of my makeup brushes with me…” She flashed him a wicked sort of grin. He mentioned the window incident and she blanched, remembering the sickening crunch when he’d broken his arm, but he’d worn it like a badge of honor until the healer could patch him up. Stupid, wreckless, Gryffindors.

She swung a pillow in his direction, though it was obvious she wasn’t trying to hit him. “She makes great everything” Sofia pointed out, though she flushed lightly when he mentioned Galleta teaching her to play him. “She just...had some ideas about how we would...get along better.” After a moment her expression softened and the amusement came through. “And it totally worked.”

Her expression sobered. “Seriously, Del. If my parents find out I told you something less than perfect about them, they’ll flip” she insisted.







“Yeah let me give you a piece of advice on that” he said pulling his head back slightly “Jos is going to kill them for taking her brushes for that again when she finds out. And that’s old hat as you can see I know all the make up removal spells. I had to learn early on.” Their family had too many houses that were rented for any spells to be set for under aged magic so he was safe there. Seeing the blanche he chuckled. “I’m not as random now, trust me.”

In a way that worked too though he wasn’t sure he liked the idea the elf knew how to tempt him into behaving. “I will just say in my defense food works better on younger boys then older ones. Older tends to be more tempted by sex then food is all I’m saying.” The twinkle in his eyes was helped by his defensive hands catching the pillow before it connected with his face. His face however sobered like hers.

“Stop your fear, Sofia. I’m not like that. Remember, my dad is training me in the family business, I understand the rules. I won’t give anything away and even if I dislike them a lot I know how to cover it. Dad does business with others he doesn’t like and trust either. He has to to make a living for us.” He looked towards the door hearing a stirring. “Almost park time I think. You have something cool to wear hat wise, like wide brim?”






“I was only teasing Del” she assured him, feeling better about things now than she had in a long time. “I’m not saying I won’t help them mess with you from time to time” she clarified, “but ultimately I’m on your team...not theirs” she pointed out. “Partners, right?” He pointed out how much he’d changed and she nodded. “I can tell” she acknowledged, wondering if she had changed half so much as he had. She kind of hoped so actually.

He mentioned temptation of another kind and she flushed. “Well then we’re both out of luck.” Her smile was rueful now. “Because I don’t have a clue how to go about that, and I don’t think Galleta could or would teach me how.” The thought alone made her shudder. She could maybe ask one of the girls in the dorm, but Ravenclaws weren’t as boy focused as some of the girls in other houses she’d seen. Then again, none of them had boyfriends who looked like Del either. That thought, much to Sofia’s surprise, gave her a sort of boost.

He mentioned the family business and she nodded. “But...don’t you ever…” She hesitated, but she’d revealed so much of herself today, she wanted to see if he would open up to her as well. “Didn’t you ever want to do something else?” She had spent nearly three years searching for a way out of having her whole life decided for her. While he would have more freedom than she did, his life was still all planned out, and he had never really struck her as the business type. This boy who loved adventure and sea turtles, it galled her a little to picture him dressed like her father and talking always of meetings and clients.

He mentioned a hat and she nodded. “Of course, I don’t want to be a tomato for the entire trip now do I?”






“Partners,” he said looking somewhat happier. Not that he believed that temptation wouldn’t still be there. She said she didn’t know that sort of thing and he raised a finger. “Oh I’m going to show you some levers to play with. Then it’s very similar to using cookies. Cause I want you to use those. Sometimes.” Offering up that sort of thing he knew he wouldn’t mind her offering him! “I have to educate you on what I like after all otherwise how would you learn?” He winked. Just as eventually he would learn about hers. And on that note…

“I should tell you though, I have not gone that far with girls and not really guys much either.” Hesitation. “Okay maybe a little farther with guys, but not really the big stuff so much okay? I’m really good at teasing it and tempting, but I’m not like a slut. But don’t pass that around. Girls have to deal with their system cleaning itself out every month, guys are tempted to clean theirs out every say twenty minutes.” Well five really. Okay maybe three, but it wasn’t usually possible to do so every time.

He misunderstood her meaning though. “What, marry someone else? Why? I mean, the other way I have to find someone and and only the one I THINK will be good or who can help out with my sisters and my brother or--” Oh. Oh, that. “Well duh. I am going to. But this pays to keep us all in good shape. I won’t be like my father five minutes after graduation duh. Come on Sofia. Dad’s going to live a long time. I get to do other stuff first.” Getting up he opened his bag and then glanced at her. “I’m going to change into shorts which you don’t have to leave for but I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable if you can’t deal with it you know.”






She arched a brow at his choice of words, wondering exactly which levers he might have in mind. She flushed and rolled her eyes. “From a book?” she teased him. She’d learned everything else that way. Actually...hmm...It had never really occurred to her to look for, but surely since everyone was so enthralled by it there would have to be...hmm.

A disbelieving look now as he confessed to a lack of experience. She imagined that past a certain point being with a guy would have to be very different, so that experience couldn’t have been very helpful in their current situation. She had trouble believing he lacked experience with girls however and it showed. She’d seen him in the halls, seen the way girls looked at and flirted with him, likewise the way he’d flirted with them which originally had not bothered her particularly but eventually after learning about the contract and realizing she was supposed to marry him it had begun to touch a nerve.

He got the complete wrong idea, but in a weird way she found it comforting to know there wasn’t someone else he wished he could be with more. When he seemed to realize, she nodded. “What is it? The thing you want to do?” She felt like it was important for them to talk about since it was only two years away and it would have a big part in her own life as well. He mentioned changing and though she blushed, she smirked, her nerve having been bolstered by their earlier activities and the conversation. “I think I’ll survive seeing you in your underwear, Del” she pointed out. How different could it be from a bathing suit really? He’d seen her in a bikini before and that wasn’t so different, was it?





“Eh, no, not from a book. The mechanic maybe, not the rest. Once you experi-- remember the ear in the bathroom? How I kissed you there and how you reacted? That’s not possible in a book now is it? There’s more than a few things you need to learn the fun way.” He smirked, a bit of the old Del in his eyes. The look in her eyes of disbelief he dealt with quick enough. “Hey, up until actually being inSIDE someone there’s a lot of what is called foreplay. I’m a master at that,” boast “and that’s what I use in school. Not the, uh, entering.” A slight flush on his own cheeks now. “Not that I don’t want to, I crave it like every fucking” that was unusual for him to say “time I’m around a girl outside my family I mean Merlin yes I want it like desperately! But no. I can’t.”

Looking very irritated about that too! The change in subject was welcome however and after she said she could deal he nodded and continued. “Knew you were smart. I’m going to ask you not to tell anyone,” as he undid his button and the pants fell to the ground leaving him in lime and green striped briefs “about this cause I want to be given a head start, but deep water stuff. Mostly ocean magic.” A shrug as he pulled shorts out of his bag and then realized he needed the belt off the pants and sighed. Grabbing it and pulling it off the pants he plopped down on the bed beside her with both in his hands.

She’d not been given such a close up possible view before. Even though bathing suits were close, this was far more personal and he seemed unconcerned. “Magic is very different underwater and I have a lot of time outside of class working in the black lake with those, but the ocean is going to be a bigger deal” as he got the belt off and started weaving it into the shorts.






Sofia smirked. "Who knows what's possible in some magical books" she pointed out, a slight glint of mischief in her expression. Del had always brought this out in her, the need to snap back, to compete. It didn't come naturally, but something about him... "I remember though" she admitted, even she could feel a lingering memory of the sensation, how much the simple touch had rocked her. "A master, hmm?" Now that sounded more like the Del she was used to. Even more so when he continued.

She knew sex was a powerful draw for guys, but something about the way he spoke brought the unwelcome thought that maybe it didn't really matter who he got to have sex with so long as it was someone, and since he was committed to her specifically... She recognized this feeling, the old insecurity as it krept up and threatened to sour her mood. This was what her parents had consigned her to, an entire life wondering if the man she was bound to actually wanted her. Despite her best efforts, a dark look crossed her face, but she smothered it as quickly as she was able. "Well, we know we'll get there" was all she said, her tone careful now, more like it had been in years past when he'd gotten under her skin.

She watched him undress, realized belatedly that while the two were similar theoretically, there was something subtly different about seeing him this way. Still, her earlier dark thoughts kept her from commenting as she might have beforehand. Instead, when he mentioned oceanic magic, she looked thoughtful and even mildly impressed. “That’s unique” she complimented, trying hard to leave her negative feelings aside for later when she was alone. It wasn’t his fault after all that he was trapped anymore than it was hers, and she couldn’t blame him for the way he felt even if a slightly more immature part of her wanted to do so. It was just the way things were, the hand they’d both been dealt.

“So you’re going to want to live somewhere by the ocean then, somewhere you can work with that sort of magic easily…” she observed, trying to engage her mind in less complicated things like logistics instead of emotions.





A snort. “From adults? In a kid’s school? Fat chance. They already keep us separated with magic tricks come on. You might find it in an adults only bookstore if those exist, but otherwise you write it and I’ll proofread it once we’re married.” Trust an adult to give you what you really wanted to know about? No, only what they wanted you to. Only a Ravenclaw. She barely responded to the rest of his comments despite their truth and he was confessing something very personal to her. That got him stung a bit. “Hey! Here I am telling you something very personal, okay? Don’t brush it off it’s as important to me as your being free is for you! I mean it when I say the urge is tough to not think about and I’m resisting it, okay?”

Frustration talking to her sometimes. He was unaware of the hypocrisy of the moment. “I’m trying to be open and be a partner okay? Telling you stuff like that is important.” Maybe he removed the belt a bit harder than necessary out of that same frustration, but her words had sounded as if she scoffed at the subject and he hadn’t taken that well. He threaded the rest adding “It is. Which is why I don’t want anyone else thinking about it so I’d appreciate you not talking about it to anyone else. Only dad knows now.” The flush in his cheeks was darker now as his mind now turned to thoughts of his mother and he jammed his feet into the shorts.





“There are a lot of things in that library that you wouldn’t expect to find in a school” she pointed out. “Mostly in the restricted section, granted, but they’re there.” She could tell he was miffed with her, but as she was equally miffed with him she wasn’t yet ready to try and suss things out. When he snapped at her, she flashed him a look, “and I’m trying not to think about all the people you’d probably rather be ‘foreplaying’ with, so I guess we can both be irritated.” This was, unfortunately, more like it. It reminded her of earlier trips when they’d had disagreements about things and had gone at each other as kids.

“Look” she could feel her temper rising, tried to make herself calm down but found it difficult. “I get that sex is important to you” she acknowledged. “But you can’t expect me to have any idea what that’s like. It’s just a word to me, Del. My parents have done their best to make sure I stay as far away from anything that might hurt their chances of selling me off since I was born” she pointed out. “It’s not like I can empathize. I’m sorry you’re stuck with me okay? But I can’t do anything about it either.”

Still hurt and angry, but knowing he’d trusted her with something big, she sighed. “Of course I won’t tell anyone” she assured him. “If that’s your dream, it’s safe with me, I promise.”






“Well yeah cause it’s dangerous and can get your turned into a number of things if not permanently disabled. Not quite the same as a book on messing around,” he smirked “I’m just saying the adults will work to keep THOSE sorts of books away from the library entirely.” Not that that would stop a student from sneaking one in if they even existed. He doubted they did. HIs head snapped around his pants unfastened and open and forgotten. “Hey! I never said anything of the sort! I was trying to give you information I thought you would need to know and of course you don’t cause your parents aren’t like anyone else’s! Even dad explained to me the mechanics years back!”

His look of disbelief that she would be mystified about girls he didn’t give a damn about except for release surprised him himself. What was up with her? “And I never said stuck nor even implied it,” he said his voice lower then before but nonetheless feeling attacked for a trifle, “I was trying to not fool around cause you can’t! Sorry if I take your situation as a pain for you to be stuck in and try to be fair!” Huffed up he didn’t pay any attention to the door and his sister entering. “DEL!!” He turned and nearly snapped “WHAT?” Jos pointed accusingly “Your pants!”

“I know Jos! I’m trying to get dressed! I offered to wait till she left but she’s seen me in a bathing suit okay?!” Jos’s face turned slightly red. “You’re not married though!” He face palmed. “Jos” he said calmer trying not to lose it on his sister “She’s family, remember? We’ve been friends since I was a little kid. You think she hasn’t known me long enough to talk while doing other things?” “That’s not the point! She’s a lady!” Del looked angry now and looked at his sister with some of that. “JOS! STOP! Okay?” She looked shocked but shut up as he grabbed the zipper and yanked it up barely missing injuring himself in the process as he turned yanking the belt through the loops. “You’re not one of us. You don’t have any guys you’ve grown up around except me, okay? Can you not one time believe me when I say something is okay? Did you see kissing? Fooling around? Anything dad has forbidden?”

Jos looked on the edge, biting her lip, but looking torn. “No…” He cut in, now that the shorts were finished up. “Then nothing. You have nothing except us arguing over a point while I dressed AFTER I offered to let her leave first and she said it was okay. So drop it. GO tell dad, Sofia knows nothing happened and I’m sure she will report the truth only.”




Sofia opened her mouth to respond, torn between her temper, her insecurity, and the hurt look she had glimpsed briefly in his eyes when Jos came through and she wanted to throw up her hands. Could they not, just once, just for an hour get through an argument, hell, a conversation, without one of his sisters nosing in? It was hard enough to try and work out the differences between them on their own, having so many eyes and ears around only complicated things further and made it harder to talk things out.

“Jos…” when Sofia spoke her voice was soft, nothing like the tone she’d been using a moment before. “I promise nothing was happening, Del needed to change and we were having a disagreement, I didn’t want to leave mad, okay?” Over simplified, but she felt that was probably best. When she was gone, Sofia reached out to grasp Del’s arm before he could leave. “Del…” She wanted him to look at her, but was afraid of what she’d see. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” The next bit was near impossible to admit, but she had promised him not more secrets, and Sofia kept her promises. “I was jealous, and I got upset. I don’t like thinking about…” Her eyes widened as something seemed to occur to her. She was jealous, but not because of the contract or their impending future.

Somewhere along the line she had begun to have actual feelings for him, and she was only just realizing it now. “Please don’t be mad” she wasn’t ready to tell him the rest yet, hadn’t quite gotten her head around it herself. “I overreacted...I really am sorry.”





Sofia said the same and even though his anger had transferred to nosy sister he felt some of the edge faded but not gone. “Just go Jos, let me finish getting ready and we’ll be down in a minute. Go talk to dad, okay? Just...go.” She edged out, still torn but he heard her head down the hall towards the steps. He sighed. “And you wonder why I say torture. I get no peace, but I still have to love them.” Family. Jeeze." She caught at his arm and he looked at her, wary of another round.

“Jealous? Of what? Girls I don’t see as worth anything but flirting?” His jaw dropped open. “Sofia, you can’t be serious. Really? Marly or Tina or Xenophen? They don't even have chests to look at, you’re like three times the woman they are. Jealous? Of what?” he seemed genuinely puzzled about this, not understanding. “I...Okay. Apology accepted. But seriously, Sof, they don’t mean anything. And again, you should ask me about stuff like that instead of holding it in. I’ll be honest with you about it I swear.”





“I was just thinking that actually” she acknowledged when he mentioned the lack of peace. “Trust me, you’re lucky. I get nothing but peace and its overrated.” The genuine confusion in his expression only served to confuse her for a moment. How could he not realize that his talking about things he did with other girls would make her...but then he kept going. She laughed softly. She couldn’t help it. “Maybe not” she agreed, “but everything you’re ‘really good at’...” she found this really really embarrassing to discuss, but if he was trying so would she. “You learned with them.”

She wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea that they didn’t mean anything to him. In a way, she found it sort of sad. Even in the brief time since this morning when they’d begun getting closer physically, she found it difficult to imagine not feeling something for someone you were with that way. Then again, maybe it was because she and Del had been so close their entire lives. They’d built up everything else first. “We should...I guess we should probably get downstairs” she pointed out. Merlin knew what Jos had told their father.





He looked at her with meaning. “I should stay over with you on the weekends more often in the summer then.” She spoke about the girls and the laugh helped ease the tension considerably. “No no, not with. Few of them were anything but trying to get in my pants and frustrated I stopped where I did. They were playing another type of game entirely of their own. All of them. Use them I did to get my own education yes, but never with them. They were trying to get me with them and away from you. That’s not possible.” Girls. Where did their minds go?

Nodding he sat down and grabbed at his sandals. “Yeah good point. Let me slip these on…” and then he stood and checked to button the shorts over the zipper. “Okay, let’s go get you dressed then.” and he headed out of the room grabbing sunglasses and lotion before stepping across the hall into her room. After all the doors stayed open. “The park we’re going to does have a water spray in one place for cooling, but otherwise it’s mostly sunshine. Just warning for what you choose.”






In years past, she would have told him to forget it, but after the day they’d had, she would have given a lot just to have a few hours with him to act freely. To have a real conversation, to actually get the chance to explore what was emerging between them before two years passed and made it suddenly necessary to experience everything at once. They were inevitable, what did it really matter if they started now or waited until everyone had signed on the dotted line and performed the necessary incantations? “You figure out a way, let me know” she said finally.

When he explained the situation, the words were out before she could recall them. “Do you ever wish it was...possible?” She looked up at him, suddenly wide eyed and shook her head. “Don’t...I’m not sure why I said that, don’t answer that.” She stood and almost sprinted across the hall. “Sorry” she offered him a half smile that was part apology and part mischief. “I’m going as is, just need my sunglasses and the hat. Black might not have been the best choice for sun, but the fabric was thin and breathable with enough exposed skin she felt like she’d be alright as long as she covered her head and wore sunscreen.






“Trust me when I say I think I can since dad will be bothered by what you told me today too. He’ll probably suggest I do go over more often.” A sigh for a moment then she asked and his eyes widened. “What? For ...cheap--” he stopped himself with an effort but she got the idea. “No! Merlin no! Jeeze Sofia, how do I put this in terms you can understand. They’re all social climbers looking for money and power to get farther along. Nothing would ever happen there, they are trying to screw over anyone else who might get in their way. You’re a Royce rolls and they are--” he hesitated over the word “Fiats I think? Is that right? Probably not. They aren’t in your league and I’d way rather be with someone who knows me then is a stranger with motives.”

A nod though he didn’t seem to have been expecting anything as his face showed no disappointment. “Cool, let’s get down there then. I’m not worried about her. Dad knows I am not going to disrespect him in his own house.” They got down to a flustered Jos in the hall trying not to meet his eyes and Del’s father giving them a glance with a slight but hidden smile. “Ah there you are! Jos come here.” His daughter came over sheepishly as Del said “It’s okay dad, she jumped to conclusions that’s all. I already forgave her” and caught his sister into a relieved hug from her face. A big hug as he whispered “you ought to trust me, Jos, I take care of you.” She got a bit teary eyed but then everyone was down and they were ready to go. Jos took one of his hands to Ella’s surprise who gleefully kept the hand of her little brother while Isa took his other with a smile.

Del chuckled. “Well you should use it. After all it’s one of your best weapons for getting me to change my mind about things. I always heard that’s how many boyfriends are so...willing to go to places with doilies and tea.” They went down, things were okay, and Sofia thanked his dad. The walk to the park was not a long one hence why little Matso could be trust to walk a little.




She laughed. “I have motives” she assured him. “They just don’t involve money...or whatever else it is women use sex to get.” Mostly it involved a life far away from her parents where she could raise much better adjusted kids on or near a beach somewhere where she’d be able to swim and enjoy the sun. Then, when they were older, there would be time for other things. Things like music and...well she hadn’t really thought about that yet. She’d been too focused on trying to find ways out of the agreement her parents had created. But she was so close to making peace with the whole thing, and now that she had, she was more focused on what sort of a future the two of them would have.

They made their way downstairs, and Sofia smiled at the way Jos’ expression lit up when Del caught her up in a hug. She laced her fingers through Del’s, still trying to get used to the concept of casual affection between them. They’d always been friends, and this certainly wasn’t the first time she’d held his hand, but it felt different now that there was so much more in the air between them. Though she’d been coming every year since she could remember, she was always genuinely grateful for the opportunity to spend time in a real household where people did simple things like cook and laugh and even pick at each other.

The walk to the park was hot, but the breeze made things bearable at least. Sofia was always happier outside than in save for when it snowed. She’d never done well with the cold, and she much preferred the sun to the mostly deary clouds that often hung over her home in England or back at Hogwarts. Bolstered further by the combination of sunshine and a sort of lightness born from everything she’d finally gotten off her chest, she was almost buoyant by that point. She squeezed his fingers for a moment before she released them, fully expecting that one of his sisters would likely demand attention at least at first. “Think anyone would be mad if I just went and stood under they sprayer?” Remembering his comment about using things to convince him, she shot him a mischievous look. “You could always come with me.”








Del took Jos’ hand though she was getting bigger every year. He wasn’t happy about the thought of her getting a chest like Sofia cause then he’d need a beater’s bat. Mollified by Sofia taking his hand they walked along and were there in a short block. “This is why dad got this flat. It’s just too cool a size.” As they got there, Ella and Isa picked up their little brother between them to hurry off as his dad chuckled and ambled along to go up and make sure everything was good like a few other parents were doing.

Del told Jos “You can go ahead Jos, it’s all good. I bet the slide is warm though so be careful with your hands okay?” She nodded and let go, going behind her siblings with a touch more dignity. A chuckle at Sofia’s words he nodded and ambled along that way past the head of Guliver. “Oh what? You don’t want to get your buns toasty warm? That’s the only drawback to going in the afternoon. They made it outta some stuff which doesn’t absorb the sun as quick, but late afternoon you can’t really slide easily anymore. Fun place though I’ve played here a lot.” Not breaking bones either somehow though he wasn’t sure how he had with the leaps he had taken off them….





She shot him a look, but then grinned. “Played?” she asked cheekily. “Or experimented with how many ways you could nearly break something?” She surveyed the space around them, all of the kids laughing and playing. She realized they were both a bit old for something like this, but Sofia hadn’t gotten to do much of it growing up when she’d been the right age save for what she’d done with Del’s family.





Looking only partly being funned at, he winked. “Well for boys playing does involve trying out things to the breaking point.” Ha yes well maybe too much truth. “Otherwise we’d be breaking bones as adults all the time.” A glance back as they neared the sprayer which was more mister then anything else and he stopped short of it’s edge for the moment. The girls were in full play, spreading among other kids while he could see his dad up somewhere looking down which meant that was where his little brother was.

“Yeah I’d be up there playing at being the protector from my sisters creaming someone on the slide if you were not here. I get to be automatic guest entertainment thank you. The high pitch of girls squeals is a bit much.” A look at her and his head tilted out of curiosity. “Hey, why do little girls squeal so high? Any ideas?”




She smirked at the image of him being king of the slide for the girls. “Well” her lips twitched and a teasing light glittered in her eyes. “By all means, if you want to play white knight for them, don’t let me stop you.” She glanced around at the people around them, most of whom were much younger. “I think I’ll be safe.” She laughed, however when he mentioned girls squealing. “Not all girls do, thank you” she pointed out. Then shrugged at his question. “I’m sure its some adaptation so we could be heard from far away if something was wrong” she pointed out.

“Besides, guys do weird stuff all the time” she pointed out. “Girls just hurt your ears.”





A chuckle slipped out at the mention of a white knight. “Not exactly, more like they were wiping out kids by not paying attention when they threw themselves on the slide. I was rescuing others from my sisters I meant.” He smiled at the memory and when she said she was good he turned and looked around before saying “Are we good? After earlier I wasn’t sold on that entirely. If there is something more you need to know, ask. Now is as good a time as any without little ears around.”





That thought amused her far more. “Maybe chaos runs in their blood?” she felt more comfortable teasing him than with the reminder of their conversation from before they’d left. She met his eyes, hesitated. “You want to talk about it now?” she asked, looking pointedly at all the kids around, though none of them seemed to be paying the least bit of attention. Maybe it was true that the best anonymity was in a crowd. She sighed, “honestly I’m not sure its the best idea. We...get pretty heated when we disagree on things, remember?”






A shrug. “”It’s noisy enough, but the main benefit is none of my family can hear. But you are anticipating an argument, right? Have we not already surprised each other today several times over? Come on, partners. We have to work things out you do realize. The sooner I would say the better. Probably should have had these conversations out years ago.” And really, his sisters were one thing, but seeming a couple in front of his father, didn’t that make the most sense for what she wanted in the long run? It wasn’t like Del had any idea how much of an advantage the contract was going to give him over her.





She conceded the point. “Sure it is” but it still felt weird to her. Nonetheless, when he continued, she smiled wryly. “We were both a little busy.” She had her books and her research, he had his...education. They’d been dancing around each other all this time, but he wasn’t wrong, it was past time to have this out. “The problem is I don’t even fully know what to ask,” she pointed out. “I’ve been researching legal loopholes and magical ones for three years. I haven’t really given much time to…” Well, anything else really.

She’d been so single-mindedly focused on avoiding being under someone’s thumb for her entire life that she hadn’t really paid attention to much else. The idea of passing from one set of rules into another had horrified her, most especially when they were younger and Del had come off an egotistical ass more often than not. She was less afraid of it now, but that didn’t been she fancied how much power he would have, whether he used it or not.

She moved to the side under the shade of a tree just off the actual equipment and sat. Mindful of the short skirt, she crossed her legs. She knew he didn’t know, but he would soon enough anyway, and since she’d spent the day pouring out all of her concerns, she might as well tell him. “Del, when this goes through…” She bit her lip. “You’re basically going to own me” she pointed out. “There’s so much obedience mess built into it…” She toyed with the ends of her braid, a nervous habit she hadn’t really dealt with in at least a couple of years. “Whether you’re planning to be a tyrant or not…” She sighed, “the point is that you could be, if you wanted…”





Her term ‘busy’ made him wince slightly knowing she didn’t mean it in a positive way. “In my defense as much as you aren’t supposed to do anything I’m supposed to know about everything. A certain amount of play should tell you how stressful that side of things is.” In other words the more she saw him flirting the more she would know he had on his shoulders and mind. “Well then leave the contract part alone and try to think of out of the box solutions. You have to give your head a break to think of things sometimes, Sof.”

As she spoke about it his eyebrows went up. “Excuse me? Like...you mean magically enforced don’t you?” He got angry again still not with her. “Your fucked up parents. I can’t even say all I want to about them. Slavery. Seriously.” His eyes closed as he bit his tongue and walked around in a circle for a few seconds. “Gah. I’m not a tyrant, Sofia, and don’t want to be. How could I ever be happy with kids being raised around that in the first place? Please please tell me you don’t expect me to be that way.”





She couldn’t argue that. Just because she’d been condemned to basically live under a rock didn’t mean she didn’t go to school just like he did. Boys who didn’t know what they were doing were often laughed at or mocked, most especially in the dorms where the girls got together to gossip. It was unfair really. As much as Sofia didn’t appreciate the double standard between them, she had to acknowledge that Del faced a lot of pressure also. Not that she ever would have mocked him for what he did or didn’t know. “Like magically enforced” she confirmed, and for a brief moment she both sounded and looked slightly miserable.

Strangely, his anger was comforting. There wasn’t the slightest hint of ego in either his expression or his tone. When he spoke, it startled a laugh out of her. “I guess in their minds, what guy wouldn’t want a woman who would do everything he asked? I dunno, or maybe they just thought since I hated the idea of a contract so much I’d be...obstinate.” She shrugged. “Either way.” She would forever be grateful to his parents, and especially to his father who had provided such a good example for his children of what a man should be. That it was unfathomable to Del to rule over her made what was coming almost tolerable. “Of course I don’t” she assured him softly. “You can be an ass, Del” she smiled up at him with the ease of long familiarity, “but never a monster.”





“Fuck.” How could his father-- he stopped himself, his father hadn’t accepted the contract except out of need of funds he was sure of it. There was no cruel streak in his family, thank Merlin. He frowned. “The only fucking assholes who want total control over their wife are all in Slytherin house I’d bet money.” Or at least he hoped; he didn’t want to be friends with anyone who thought slavery was good in any form. “Tradition. Yeah well that makes me want to fight this all the more.” Not just because knowing that would drive her straight into his arms though a little voice said that and was crushed.

He’d read Thomas Becket. His father had insisted. The Lottery was also one he had been assigned at home. It had cured him of being interested in any tradition. He squatted at the word ‘ass’ and caught one of her hands up saying “I’m sorry. I’m a guy I’m clueless sometimes about what I say, Sofia, but I don’t mean to be cruel. I just don’t always think. Please believe me.” The cool mist over his back made this a bit less uncomfortable, but the idea she might see him as just an ass bothered him deeply.

“I-- I want to screw your parents to a wall. Do you mind if I think about that? I want to hurt them from all this even if it’s just panic in their heads everything is ruined. Can I think that way at least?”





It was the Gryffindor in him, she reasoned, but also who he was that he rushed so fiercely and so completely to her defense. The warmth that spread through her wasn’t sensual this time, but in a way it was more powerful even, because she realized that she did trust him, she really did. It was the secret she had been most worried for him to find out, and he hadn’t even hesitated before reacting nearly as powerfully as Sofia herself. It was too hot really to hug him right now, but she made a note to do it later when they had time and a bit cooler space. “There really isn’t a way.” Her tone was regretful. “I spent all that time digging through every legal and magical loophole I could find. Unbreakable vows are...no one’s ever lived through breaking one, but…”

He caught her hands and she let him finish speaking before she impulsively leaned forward and kissed him, conscious of several small pairs of eyes “I think I…” she hesitated, tried to figure out how to say what she wanted to. “I want to marry you” she told him. “I may hate the rest of it more than I’ve ever hated anything….” She acknowledged, “but I don’t want to be with anyone else, I already feel much more a part of your family than I’ve ever felt of my own.” It was taking all of her nerve to be this open and transparent with him, but it was important to her after everything to get her feelings out.

She met his eyes. “You can think about it” she agreed, “but please be careful.”





It was her eyes that told him she believed and he nodded once, saying “Good enough. Thank you for giving me a chance.” A shake of his head as she mentioned the vow. “But you have not taken it yet am I right? That’s in the contract for later right?” But it was the next part which caught him off guard and he nearly fell over himself! Putting one hand on the ground to steady himself he asked incredulously “You want to? I mean after all this?” After all her parents had screwed up too. The surprise was clear on his face.

And that sent his mind through another whole set of thoughts after a discussion he’d heard from his father how the reason he and Del’s mom had done so well together was because she wanted to be with him and he wanted to be with her. That had helped them through rough times and his dad had admitted it was better then any marriage there could be but was damn hard to find. It did make him wonder why his father had agreed to this particular contract instead of another, but that was in the past now wasn’t it?

“Oh I’ll be careful. But there is no way I want them thinking this was easy peasy and they can do whatever the hell they want with your brother too just because they made him.” He sounded determined, but it was part anger too. “What parts of this are pre-contract, eh? Like what is in there that you can’t do already besides like sleeping with someone?”







“It’s supposed to be part of the ceremony I think” she confirmed. “I’m not really sure, but no I haven’t taken it yet.” He looked so genuinely surprised by her admission, which wasn’t exactly what she had expected if she had expected anything. She shrugged, and for a moment smiled shyly up at him. “Who else was I going to fall for?” she pointed out. Then she shook her head, realizing how that sounded. “I like you, Del” she pointed out. “And I think I would have realized it a lot sooner if it weren’t for everything else.” If she hadn’t been so focused on finding a way around the paperwork for example. “You’re brave and loyal and determined and…” Here she was a little less serious, “hilariously funny when you weren’t getting on my last nerve.”

She gave him a pointed look. “You could have been an absolute nightmare, but you weren’t. You take care of your sisters despite the fact they make you crazy. You’re willing to take care of me despite having no choice in the matter and a lot of guys would be more upset about that I imagine.” She bit her lip. “So yes, I want to.” She hesitated. “They really are trying to help him get better” she reasoned. Despite how they felt or didn’t feel about her, her brother was their prince. “Nothing really is spelled out, most of it is Galleta’s responsibility and a healthy dose of threats with consequences. Most of what’s in the contract pertains to what happens after and who gets what as a result” she explained.

“So except for the whole purity clause, most of it simplifies to ‘don’t screw it up.’ “ She gave him a wary look, “why?”





Ceremony. Not a great thing to look forward to for her then. He concentrated, clearly thinking something through. She liked him? Well, would wonders never cease. “I would think anyone who would free you from your parents really, but that’s probably unrealistic to think about. “Well choice was my parents long ago and it kept my sisters alive and out of contracts if the son covered everyone. Which I do my best to I think.” Threats. Well then they had a possible chance.

“Ha, I might have an idea then. I promise I won’t try anything until I’ve talked it out with you first and then dad. And I won’t talk with him if you decide you don’t want me to risk anything. So…” He took a deep breath and glanced towards the kids playing, looking for his father and spotting him still near the slide. “Okay, I want you to run away. In theory.”




She laughed. “Maybe” she conceded, “but I can think of a dozen guys right now who would jump at the chance to order me around or into doing whatever they could think of” she pointed out. “And you never have, not once.” She rested her forehead against his for a moment, closing out the world save for the two of them. “I probably would be grateful for the chance to be away from my parents almost no matter what” she conceded, “but I never expected to look forward to life after them, or to feel like part of the family I was being sold to” she added after another moment. “I owe that to you, and your father, and your sisters.” She straightened, met his eyes.

“You said those other girls weren’t in my league” she reminded him hesitantly of what had led up to their fight. “But I’ve never met anyone in yours either.” Certainly no one she believed would willingly make the kind of sacrifice he was prepared to to see his family secure and his sisters protected. “Okay, what are you thinking?” Then he told her and she eyed him with such incredulity that it would almost have been funny. “You want me to what?” Though her voice did raise a couple of octaves, Sofia was pleased to note that she still hadn’t squealed.

“Weren’t we just talking about…” Now she was confused. Was he hoping if she left it before the vow it would break the contract?






He gave her a look half-amused. “You wouldn’t have followed an order anyway silly,” but conceded the point she was probably right about most guys. “Well on behalf of my whole family you are welcome, but I bet Dad would love to hear you say it to him.” Boy he would! Maybe he got a slight flush at her comment about leagues but he didn’t really himself as much of a catch either. “Nah, just a guy whose too loud mostly. But thanks I guess.”

Not surprised she didn’t see it, he held up one hand. “Let me explain more,” with laughter in his voice and eyes, “Running away but coming to stay with us, or maybe dad picks you up. They wouldn’t know where you were till the elf told them you were missing so they couldn’t guarantee you hadn’t had sex during that time right? And dad could tell them he was still willing to make the contract work but it need to be rewritten to suit him a little more. And he would never accept most of their slavery terms, but they might be panicked enough to accept it as written.” He shrugged.

“That would at least get rid of the control clauses and then you’d probably be living full time with us instead of going back to them, right?”





She listened, but it was hard to stay quiet initially, especially when he mentioned her and having sex, but the more he explained, the more she understood, and when he had finished, she was hesitant. “I would have to” she pointed out. “If I did that and went back home they would be…” She shuddered, bit her lip. “But what about Galleta?” She wasn’t sure he would understand fully her attachment to the elf, but she was the closest thing to a mother Sofia had ever had. “She’s not actually mine until I marry you” she reminded him. “And I can’t stand the thought of what they might do to her for losing me…”

[Shava]

He hesitated because he would like the sex, but she didn’t-- No he really needed to be honest. “Who said we would let you go back to those assholes?” And then held up his hands suddenly realizing the mistake. “I mean the whole point is if you went missing and they didn’t get the message for a few days they would have to panic and try to come back in the middle of whatever business they had gone off and left you for right? So they get Dad’s message and knowing how they feel don’t you think they would rather have the contract done and finished instead of messing with you? Just leave you to us I mean.”

Maybe if he didn’t mention the sex part again right now that would be easier for her to accept. Right? Right? “Well he would want her in the new contract, renegotiated naturally.”






Her eyes widened as she began to contemplate the ramifications of what he was saying in her mostly logical way. One could almost see the gears as they turned. “Finished…” she repeated the word almost as though she were in a sort of daze. “As in...get married...now?” It would definitely solve the problem of making sure she never had to return to her parents, and then Galleta would be hers outright, and...but… Short circuited was a new feeling for Sofia’s normally impressive brain.





“Well…” he had rather glossed over that part hadn’t he… “I’d leave that up to dad to see what he could get out of them, but they have most of his contacts, he has most of the money, both families would be free of each other and you wouldn’t have to go back. And she comes with you so” he shrugged, hoping there wouldn’t be a lot of fuss naturally, but her parents were dicks. “I did say think outside the box. I mean, if the contract can’t be worked around you have to do something before it comes due, right?”





It wasn’t so much the marrying him she objected to, that part she’d had years to come to terms with, but… “We’re fifteen, Del'' she reminded him. “You need to finish school. I need to finish school…” Her mind was in overdrive now. A life, free from her parents, safe with him and his family, all threats of her parents' power over her eliminated forever, and all she had to do was get married… “No one gets married that young anymore” she pointed out softly. “Everyone will think…” They’d assume she was pregnant and it galled her non inconsiderable pride.

She had been standing, but she sat again, overwhelmed with trying to weigh all of the pros and cons at once. “We had our first actual kiss less than five hours ago” she mumbled haplessly.






He huffed a bit, not having expected that much resistance. “It was just an idea, jeeze, we can try and think of something else. I just thought it would fix things for you especially.” As she went on about school he shook his head; marriage was what she was getting hung up on compared to years of more solitude and control “Everyone will think what? That we got contract married? Early maybe, but it’s an old thing Sofia, people used to do it at fourteen in the old days! More so, they used to have the girl younger than the guy even on purpose! So suddenly everyone will think your parents really were Slytherins?!” .

First kiss. “Well I’d tried to get one earlier than that...but yeah I wasn’t thinking about that. If you’d rather have the contract I guess we can wait.” There, take that. He had come up with an idea that might work even if it had drawbacks. But wouldn’t everything? Maybe-- then it clicked what she had been saying. “No. No, they couldn’t think that, Sofia, no way. They’d know in what, a month after that wasn’t true? Come on people don’t jump to conclusions that quickly…” Uh…





“I didn’t say it was a bad idea” she said softly, still only half paying attention anymore. She waited, giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was smart enough to work it out himself if she left him to it. When he finally did, she snorted. “When you get married at fifteen they do” she pointed out. “I know how young people used to do it, Del. It came up in my research” she pointed out, grateful that they at least lived in a day in age when it was mostly considered unacceptable to marry her off at ‘first blood.’

“It’s a great idea, Del” she knew him well enough to know her reaction had probably stung him. “But for that month…” There would be whispers and gossip and...all things Sofia had mostly tried to avoid. Most everyone knew that they were promised, but they had never demonstrated anything other than friendliness and an acceptance of the inevitable at school. It was almost surely one of the reasons all of the girls they had talked about felt it was worth a shot to try and lure him away. What would they say? That she had done it on purpose to solidify her claim on him? That she had been stupid enough to forget the spell? She knew exactly how catty jealous girls could be, and she suspected Del didn’t.

Still, for what the marriage would give her, wasn’t it worth a few weeks of mindless gossip? Especially if in the end she was vindicated and ultimately she still won out over her parents? If after all this time and stress she got to outsmart them after all? “Talk to your father” she whispered. “See what he says.”






“For that month I’ll deny it every day. You tell me any who ask and I’ll straighten them out but good. And tell the teachers we’re being needlessly made fun of. If even the professors are watching out that will make it stop quick.” He hoped. Not that he thought it would be as bad as she thought. “Besides, Sofia, surely they have potions for that sort of stuff by now so no one has to be that way now. It’s only in the old days they had to be. So you can always respond with that. Ravenclaws are good at giving others information they lack.” And make you feel stupid while doing it he had noticed, though not her particularly.

Well. Maybe when they had been younger she had done it a lot.

Then she changed her mind. “Oh no no, you have to go too. He has to know what they have been doing leaving you alone and all. He’s always liked you, that will piss him off I bet. That is what we need to sell the idea to him. And it will show him you want to be honest, be truthful to him which will sell big time. Really. But not at the park, no later tonight I think. We might think of something else to add in.”





She flinched noticeably when he mentioned the potions. She’d heard girls talk about that sort of thing of course, but it wasn’t something she’d ever consider for herself. She could probably blame her upbringing for that too. Out loud, she said softly. “It’ll be fine, if...if everything else works out, I’ll figure the rest out.” He mentioned her talking to his father and she paled noticeably despite the warm day. “Talk to...tell him about...about my parents…?” She began shaking her head ardently. “Del, I...I can’t.” Because then if it didn’t work, if he wasn’t convinced or refused to do it for some other reason… She would be breaking the second most important rule she’d ever been given.

She met his eyes, her expression pleaded with him to please at least try to understand how terrified she was of what he was asking her to do. Telling him had been hard enough, but telling is father? She was afraid she was going to panic again.





Seeing that she started to back out about this, he stood and used her hand to pull her to her feet, brooking no delay. He then commanded for the first time “Stay” and walked around behind her, sliding his hands around her middle and hugging her from behind tightly. In her ear he said “You are mine and I’m yours, Sofia. Partners. And we want to build a future together. Not because of the contract but because of us.” He kissed the side of her cheek briefly and spoke more. “I want you, but not if it makes you feel panic or being uncomfortable. But if I tell dad about this he will want to talk to you. He’s going to ask not because he doesn’t trust me, but he wants to know you are on board with this that I’m not doing stuff on my own.”

He held her to both give her comfort as well as to remind her what she was rolling the dice on. But really, he thought these were loaded dice. “But if this works and they insist on the marriage happening right away, pardon me for being cheerful about finally getting you in my bed.” with no little glee in his voice.





She arched a brow at the command, but didn’t move, at least until she decided how hard to swat him upside the head. He slid his arms around her, pulling her close, and despite the heat, she relaxed against him. The words, he’d never said anything like them, and she wondered where this had come from, if it had always been a part of him that she’d been unable to see, or if it was another thing he’d learned with age and experience. Still, she doubted sincerely he’d ever said anything remotely like this to anyone else, and she liked that thought. The more he spoke, the more bolstered she felt. Even a year ago, she would have accused him of trying to rush things for the sex or some other silly reason, but doing it this way, the worst parts of the whole thing would die, and with them a great majority of her fears and reservations.

It was a fair point, she acknowledged. Without her there to back him up, his father was likely to assume that Del was trying to rush things for his own reasons. She would have to risk it for the chance at what she wanted most, to be able to make her own choices, to choose and be chosen.

He mentioned what came after the wedding and she flushed. “Don’t you mostly sleep in the hammock anyway?” she teased him to cover her nerves over the prospect of a wedding night. While she trusted him, and was fairly confident he would take care of her, there was still so much she didn’t know, and she’d expected to have a lot more time to figure it out.






Feeling her relax more made him feel more confident, more like he was really doing the right things. A passing adult gave him a thumbs up as he held her and he slightly smiled back and then she spoke. He made a face. “That’s naps and definitely not I think if you are going to be there cause I could just see one of us half dressed falling out of it and needing a healer suddenly and I have to protect you from that sort of embarrassment. Bed,” he said firmly and then hesitantly added “Okay, I'll even wear pjs if that makes you feel better.”

Getting dressed to go to bed. So weird. “And we’ll use charms at least till school is over, okay?” He didn’t want kids at this age either; he got that they were expensive, he’d seen the household bills sheet!





She laughed. “I don’t wear pajamas to bed, Del.” She wondered how he would react to that particular confession. “I wear them at night wondering around of course, but actually in bed?” She shook her head. “I’d get all tangled up and never sleep.” She was still very amused however by the image of the two of them being dumped half-dressed out of the hammock, though he was probably right about how much it would hurt.

She turned in his arms, a bit calmer now but not quite all there just yet. “If your father approves, and if this works” she stipulated, holding up a finger between them for a moment before she put her arms around his neck instead. She smiled mischievously up at him and whispered, “I’m looking forward to it too.”





He nodded as well! “Exactly! Yet my sisters all like these long flowing nightgowns and all! I can’t even wear a shirt!” And then she sounded to be giving an ultimatum and he tensed wondering what new objection might show up suddenly. “I-- really?” Zing! “Oh cool I mean that’s awesome.” He tried to sound confident instead of suddenly horney as heck. “Well I just got a lot more enthusiasm for selling this idea, thanks…”





“Nothing wrong with flowing nightgowns” she clarified. “They’re pretty and comfortable” she shrugged, “but I’m more of a shorts and tank top kind of person in the house” she reminded him. “And as I said, much more comfortable to go without all that if you’re trying to sleep.” When they were younger, he’d always seemed like he was trying to get away with something with her, and it had given her pleasure to shut him down, but over the course of the day her impression had shifted, and with all that he had said and done, she was feeling much more generous than she had in years past.

She caught his expression and knew that her comment had hit home. Proud of herself, she tried not to look it. Maybe she wouldn’t need the book after all. She’d never really tried to flirt before, but she knew Del extremely well, and she had always prided herself on being observant. When he finished, she flashed him a grin. “Any time” she offered. She was afraid kissing him just then might be pushing his buttons a little too much for current surroundings. She was glad it had taken them this long to get here. If he’d been like this much earlier, they might have gotten much farther much faster without the experience or maturity to go with it, and that would have proven a disaster for both of them. “I...I love you, Del” she said softly, and before he could panic she shook her head. “I’m not talking about hearts and flowers” she reassured him quickly. “I meant...you’re my best friend, my family” she clarified. “This will work.” It had to.





He got what she meant, but didn’t like that feeling. “I have to have stuff on under robes which is the closest I’ve ever tried. No kilts either, like, underwear is like needed. I’m not fond of being naked under a bathrobe either really.” Too much air movement for sure. But yeah a certain part of his body really liked the images she planted and he recognized she had gotten him. “S-see, you’re learning fast. Good job.” His face flushed a bit more. His heart did however skip a beat when she said the L word and he looked at her in surprise before she clarified and he calmed down a tad.

“Um yes, you are my family. And I guess you’ve always been my best friend. Chad’s cool and all, but he doesn’t have the history with me you do cause we’ve known each other so long. Besides,” he tossed out there “he’s mostly an artist. Needy.” His head turned to her and he admitted “don’t take that wrong either, just touchy feely stuff, nothing else. He wants to be a sculptor.”






“Ravenclaw” she smiled cheekily up at his learning comment. It would have been funny, watching the blood drain from his face if she hadn’t sincerely been trying to make a point. Still, as he stumbled over the moment, she shook her head, still smiling, though the expression was rueful now. She knew she’d made him uncomfortable. In a way though, it was comforting to know that he hadn’t changed that much. She rolled her eyes when he mentioned his friend. “I don’t care what he was touching and feeling” she assured him, finding much to her surprise that she suddenly didn’t, not after everything she’d learned today.

“But” she added softly as she stepped back, releasing him finally. “If anyone does it again I will hex them” she pointed out nonchalantly, and she knew a lot of really creative hexes, she didn’t have to add. She thought it likely he’d had enough seriousness for one afternoon.





His eyes turned to hers as she mentioned hexing and he laughed softly. “I suspect if he asks again I’ll tell him he has to have your permission first. He only wanted to compare muscles but if he asks you he is not to ever have permission to feel yours. I’m going to put my foot down about that.” Then he slipped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek because of the people around and said “I suspect it’s time to go see who has gotten tired of the playground. And I suspect it’s going to be the youngest.”

The boy was only four after all. His legs weren’t used to keeping up with his sisters. They walked back towards the big slide to see his father and none of his sisters. Walking over he lifted an arm to wave at his father and intercept the kid sitting on the end of the slide. Hoisting him up he said “Hey buddy, you want to just hang with me a minute?” His father waved he had seen and walked off on the top probably to wherever the girls were. It was a rather huge playground after all.





She laughed. “I promise I won’t let your friend feel me up” she rolled her eyes. “But I seriously doubt he’d ask.” He kissed her cheek and she nodded, “let’s ‘go and rescue him” she agreed and the two of them headed back up the actual equipment where his father stood. Once Del hoisted his brother up off the slide, Sofia smiled at him, remembering when his sisters had been this small. Sofia had always been charmed by young ones, and Matso was no exception to that rule. While Del resembled his father, the youngest looked more like their mother, and she wondered sometimes if that made it hard for everyone. Still, the little boy had obviously nearly run himself out, rubbing his eyes despite insisting unasked that he wasn’t sleepy at all.

It struck her someday that someday this would be them, carrying a toddler to the playground, their own rather than one of his siblings. It surprised Sofia that something about the picture brought a warmth she hadn’t been expecting. “Maybe we should find some shade or something” she said softly. “It is awfully warm.”





“It’s Spain,” he mentioned, but looked around and pointed out a tree near the edge. As they turned that way his brother murmured something and he said “No it’s okay we’re just going to the shade here, See the tree? We can watch for them over here,” And just before they reached it he added “You know it will always be this warm on the surface of the ocean, you will have to get used to being underdressed I think out there.” Under he wouldn’t have the same problem at all, but on the island she would get very warm.

Hmm, good reason for having a house elf around actually. He thought that they could get a lot of stuff she might need under cover. Then it clicked in his head he hadn’t told her about that part. “I didn’t mention the island did I? Whoops.”





“Somehow” she murmured “I think I’ll manage.” But then he continued and she arched a brow. “Not yet” she confirmed. “I mentioned something about living near the ocean, but then we...sort of got off track” she reminded him. “Where is the island?”






A chuckle, no he hadn’t. “Anywhere I want to take it actually. It’s a boat with six platforms lashed to it. Three to garden, one to live on, one to work off, and one for recreation like nets in the water so nothing can get to you. Saw it in a magazine and realized you could live off one for months at a time yet float it to wherever you needed. I’d build the first one on a lake to be sure, but it should work fine anywhere.” And of course move them out of the way of any storm coming along as well.

He saw his dad reappear and waved till they got noticed. “See Matso? There’s dad! And...maybe Jos?” He couldn’t see them that clearly. But they were making their way down slowly. Dad wouldn’t use the slide he remembered.





A boat? Sofia was torn. On the one hand, that much open air and travel after so long being cooped up in relative isolation sounded amazing. On the other, she had only ever lived in the villa or at school, and the idea of going without her creature comforts was a daunting one. “I guess I should start paying more attention in herbology,” she murmured, still trying to process the new information, and the idea of spending the majority of her time at sea.






A chuckle escaped him. “I think I’d be bringing in a lot of seafood too. But yeah, it’s like a six room house but out on the water. Inside of the boat and three platforms with roofs. It’s nice and private I would imagine with very occasional visitors.” He had told her he needed deep ocean study time and this would cover the magic part very well among the muggle boats. “Bathroom and all on a boat.”






She exhaled despite her effort to appear nonchalant, seeming much more enthused by the idea. “Oh!” She sounded so relieved that she blushed and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I had a much simpler image and I don’t really have much experience with boats.”





“Only been on them once and not as nice as what I’m talking about.” He slipped his brother up on his shoulders and got a giggle out of him. “It’s like two levels, drive and top above, kitchen living space above with two beds in the far front. Bathrooms are small, but hell you can bath in the sea too.” He showed with his hands the placements and then added “It’s a lot slower then a normal boat so no sudden speeds just simple moves. Out on the water should be easy to hide magic doing too.”

He personally thought it sounded great and private but then it occurred to him he hadn’t heard her say something about her interests. “Say, you have not told me what you want to do? I mean before, after, or during kids.” The idea of her having children-- unlike her it got him more hot under his shirt and his first flush began. “Before this I bet you thought I wouldn’t be interested in what you wanna do didn’t you?” .





His brother’s giggle made her smile despite the fact her mind was going a mile a minute. The more he explained, the more curious she became. It still sounded a little intimidating, but given how little excitement or adventure Sofia had had in her short life, she was willing to reserve judgment and give it a try. He mentioned bathing in the ocean and she arched a brow, not sure how helpful bathing in salt water and such would be. “I think I’ll just have to see for myself when we get to that point” she decided after he finished. “I’ll figure it out then, I promise.” Even if it still made her nervous. If it was that important to him, she’d manage. Not to mention Sofia loved the ocean, and it wasn’t as if they’d never go back to land anyway.

She looked over at him when he mentioned her goals, and at his observation she flushed guiltily. It was true, she’d assumed he’d have little or no interest in what her goals might be. She’d never really had this conversation with anyone, having thought from such a young age that she wouldn’t really have the opportunity to explore her own wants. After a moment, she bit her lip. “I….guess if I were going to do something outside of…” Being the broad mare she’d been raised to expect. She felt extraordinarily awkward and vulnerable. “I...I really like music” she said finally. “I’ve been...taking lessons...from Professor Blair” she finally told him. “He says I’m really talented and that...I might be able to make something out of it if I wanted.”

Realistically, she knew that her current circumstances weren’t really conducive to that sort of thing, short of possibly doing some songwriting for others. Still, it was probably the one thing she’d managed to find a passion for in all this.





Well that was to be expected, she had never asked before and this week was busting out all sorts of surprises for her along the way. He was probably hitting her with too much stuff, but it all had to come out anyway. “It’s okay, by the time I do a lake trial for the platforms you will understand how it works better anyway so no rush. Just thought it better to give you a head’s up once you asked about my interests.” When he saw her look guilty which wasn’t hard since he had known her so long he became more curious. “What, you thought I would never be interested?”

His face became a little stern. “Music. Well I wouldn’t have expected that, I’ve only ever found you reading books, never playing anything.” A closer look. “Have you been concealing that all this time? Like, how long ago did you know you had an interest?” Did she really see him that way?





She smiled at the image of the two of them on some sort of super complex floating island. Sofia liked a challenge, and she’d had far too few of them in her life thus far. “Sure, and I can always try to find ideas” she said thoughtfully. “You can’t be the first person who’s ever had the idea to live on the ocean like that, maybe I can find someone else’s advice.” She glanced away when he asked. “It’s...it’s not that” she said quickly. “It’s just…” She wasn’t sure how to make him understand. “I never really had much that I did just for myself” she said softly. “I’ve never really told anyone about the music thing.”

It was almost as though keeping it a secret kept the idea safe. She had always worried that someone would laugh. Music wasn’t a real job after all, and she was a Ravenclaw, everyone expected her to be buried in books and using her mind, but music….it had given her an escape during her worst moments. She bit her lip. “I started experimenting with the piano in the main room when I was...seven?” Her voice was soft. “I never really did much other than play around until I started taking lessons with Professor Blaire in school” she explained. “I just...never really thought it was important I guess.”





Despite his brother recognizing his father getting closer he turned to her with a look in his eyes. “And you thought because I could sometimes be an ass you’d conceal it from me? Or just from everyone?” A reach out and he caught her shoulder firmly. “You said I was not a monster and you doubted I would be a tyrant, Sofia, how do you justify hiding what you love then from the one person who had your future in his hands? Did it never even once occur to you that selling me on something early on even if only for yourself like getting me to think about having a piano at the least would be in your best interests?” His look said that this concealment bothered him at least some, but the mindset that she had fallen into was really needled him.

Dad got closer and motioned Ella over to them. “I’ve got to find the other two, here’s our base if you can stay put,” with a wave and then he headed around the whole complex to find his sisters. Ellea came over and with a wriggling boy, Del put him down so he could get to Ella for a hug who didn’t complain at all but sat down cross-legged, clearly happy but worn out.





“Everyone” she assured him. She wanted him to understand, but wasn’t sure how to spell it out for him. “Del, you...you’ve always got someone” she pointed out. “There’s always one of your sisters coming through or your father or your brother…” She hesitated. “I spent most of the time I wasn’t with you before Hogwarts alone except for Galleta. When you’re used to being by yourself...you just…” She sighed. “I’m always in my own head, even at school because that’s how it was when I was little…” She shook her head. “It really didn’t occur to me” she confirmed. “That’s nothing against you” she tried to reassure him. “It’s just...the way I am.” The way she had been raised to be;

They were interrupted by the arrival of his father and Ella and Sofia was somewhat grateful. When he caught Ella up in a hug, Sofia smiled. What would it have been like, she wondered to spend all of your time in a family like this? How different would she have been? Rather than sink into her own thoughts, she focused on Matso instead. Asking him whether he liked the slide and what games he had played, listening avidly and with maybe slightly exaggerated fascination as he told her all about his afternoon in the slightly stilted language of the very young. It was much easier, she realized, to focus on the simple stories of a four year old than trying to process her own mess.





While reassured she wasn’t picking him out as someone to be feared in the long run, he didn’t let go of his thoughts about what she was saying. She was very much used to being an only child with no friends. He had to break that, even as he recognized it was going to be hellishly difficult for her to change those old habits. “Okay, I get that. But you do understand that has to stop now? That you can no longer afford to hold things back from the partner who is thinking about your future as well as his family and his own? I know it will be hard, but you have to remember that secrets aren’t just what I ask you about, but stuff you just have not thought to tell me before this? Do you get that?” He watched his brother settle in his sister’s lap and squated, touching Ella’s shoulder who turned her head to give him a happy nod. Their unspoken language was yet another reminder that long familiarity had it’s own way of speaking and he had little of that familiarity with the woman he was destined to be married to maybe sooner than later.





Was he upset with her? He’d been more serious in the last twelve hours than he’d been in the last five years as far as she could remember. “”Yes” she nodded. “I understand.” She could tell that he seemed upset, not overly so but it was there. She wasn’t fully sure what she had done to cause it, and that was a new and frustrating feeling for Sofia. She hadn’t been trying to keep secrets, but her entire life had been about secrets, and she’d been required to keep them. Being open was hard for her. It wasn’t a luxury she had had for most of her life. When his father reappeared with the rest of his sisters, Sofia was very quiet on the walk home. She stayed with everyone, but she had walled herself in unconsciously while she tried to process through everything he had said and everything that had happened.

It was ironic, she couldn’t help thinking, that her parents had spent her entire life preparing her for what they assumed he would want, and ultimately the person she’d been raised to be bore little to no resemblence from what she could tell to the kind of person he actually wanted. Unfortunately, that wasn’t really their problem. It was hers.





Frustratingly so, this day had been full of ‘if only I had brought this up earlier’ moments and here was another one. How was he going to rally his thoughts to pull this together? For he did feel even with the contract stuff that he was ‘responsible’ for pulling them together, for taking care of her in addition to his family and own projects. That was going to become frustrating quickly if he had to pry stuff out of her because she wasn’t letting him know when there were issues. Not the way he wanted his life going!

Nor this week. On the way back despite her words, he tried to think of new things he might try, might manage to get through to her how much a partnership depended on each person sharing. Not that he had ever thought this whole contract stuff was going to be easy, but he had spent several years now assuming things about her he should not have and falling into believing she was a certain type when she wasn’t at all and was hiding everything in her life. They got back and while his sisters and brother went into the kitchen with dad for a snack, he found himself just getting a glass of juice and retreating to the hammock, lying there staring at the ceiling as it wavered back and forth sipping and thinking, trying to reorganize the way his mind was working.

Man. Fifteen was going to be a far harder year then he thought! And he didn’t even have his half of the bet payment to look forward to unfairly as there was no private time with her that wasn’t going to be simple hanging, but questioning and prying to get facts from her. Maddening.





Sofia went to her room rather than the kitchen when they got back, preferring to shower off after the extremely hot day and be alone with her thoughts before she tried to reconnect with Del. She was afraid he wanted something from her she wasn’t capable of giving him, but then again she’d never tried either. She found him in the living room, in the hammock staring at the ceiling. As previously discussed, she’d changed into the sort of thing she normally wore in the evenings prior to going to bed, just a tank top and shorts. Her hair was down now since she’d washed it, in thick slightly unruly waves.

She approached him, but didn’t demand a spot this time, unsure where they stood after his irritation from earlier. “Del? Everything okay?”





About halfway through the juice (he was being more contemplative then thirsty) she showed up, hair down and dressed down. As she spoke he turned his head to take her in and his eyes fell on her breasts. “You know, I thought this week would be kinda relaxing, maybe trying to figure out how to get my hands inside your shirt at a max.” His eyes came up to her face. “Instead I find my head full of so many conflicts and new responsibilities I’m still trying to weave them all together. And it’s only the first day of the week.” He laughed weakly, eyes returning to the ceiling. “I have no idea where I am with the word okay. Nothing personal, it’s just….a lot to take in, you know?”




She smiled, but there was a touch of sadness to the expression. She really did feel bad and conflicted herself as well. “Will it make you feel better if I let you put your hands in my shirt?” Very softly since they were in a public space. “I….yeah I get that…” She bit her lip. “I’ll just let you...think it out then” she offered and turned to go back to her room.




A small cough of a laugh, but he said “You can crawl in here and hold me I guess. I know as soon as I would try, Jos would show up. Her little sister radar is on point. But that should be okay if you just wanna help me feel better.” He made a space for her and waited till she settled against him, still on his back looking up. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to trust me, several parts of me are quite interested in more than that, but I’ve got this talk with dad to figure out since that’s too important to go in with being upset.” He sipped a moment then added “And don’t think I’m upset with you, it’s still at everything your damn parents who have tried to screw us all to the wall. My desire to screw them over is a bit higher than the muggle airplanes passing over us right now.”





More than willing to oblige, she climbed in beside him and curled up against him on her side, her head on his shoulder. Even a year ago, if she’d made a joke like that, he would have jumped at it, but he still seemed impressively focused on the upcoming conversation, and what little misgiving Sofia still had faded. She still had major reservations about marrying this young, but they weren’t children anymore. They’d been preparing for this their entire lives whether they knew it the whole time or not. “We’ll get there” she reminded him. If all went well, sooner rather than later.

She laughed, startled by the comment about her parents. She’d have risked a lot just then to make him feel better in addition to her own desire to get revenge on her parents for using her all these years. She took a deep breath. “So lets” she said softly. “I’ll talk to your father” she told him. “I’ll tell him everything.” Or at least as much as she had to to make the point. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, and then, after a moment, she ran her lips along the shell of his ear the way he had done her earlier, wondering if it would affect him. She settled again. “I’ll do it if you think it will help.”




Softly he responded “We will. It’s just happening all at once instead of two years. It’s making me think more carefully which is probably for the best.” He could feel her breath against him and somehow that seemed so personal it got his attention before she even spoke the words. “Really? You sure you can?” That would make things far easier indeed! He knew his father and was pretty sure how he would react to all of this mess, but the idea that she would do half the talking would smooth things out big time he thought. The kiss on his ear was very personal and a smile ghosted up on his face. “Nice.”

“It will help. A lot I think. As would cupping you in my bed, but we’ll leave off that for a celebration if things go well,” he teased adding with a pat on her thigh “Don’t worry, I’m kidding. I want you a lot, but I have to get this other stuff straight before I can relax I think.” Which was probably the most adult thing he’d ever said in his life. “And don’t think I forgot about the music. There are these like, electric keyboards the muggles have and there are outlets in this house. I’ll ask dad for one tonight.”





“I can” she sounded scared, but determined. Ultimately, she had to acknowledge that he was right. His father was a lot more likely to go along with their idea if he understood the full gravity of her situation, and the best way to do that was for her to explain it to him herself. She grinned, shrugging lightly. “Just curious, you said I could explore.”

He patted her thigh and she snorted softly. “Are you though?” But then he continued, and she wondered how many times he would both surprise and impress her today. “It can wait” she pointed out. “We have enough to talk with him about tonight” she reminded him. There was so much powerful emotion going through her just then, fear and gratitude warred with each other, and want underneath them all. She had been physically attracted to him since they’d been old enough to care, but the more they talked about things, the more she was emotionally attracted to him as well, and that surprised her. It made her wonder what else she’d missed while being buried in her books over the past couple of years. “When do you think? After the younger ones are in bed?”




“You can. And I’m glad you want to. I have to teach you a lot more though some of it you may figure out exploring. Still, that’s mostly for another day. We have...fuck, six more days. I keep forgetting it’s your first night here.” The snort made him smile, but he dared not re-open that part of the conversation for want of being distracted from the meat of the night. “Just before dinner. No one is around when dad cooks cause they are too distracting to him. They want to help, he looses track of where he is, tries to monitor them too much, so he banished all kids from the kitchen before supper. That will make this all the more serious for him.” A hesitation as he looked at his wrist wa*ch which he only wore outside of Hogwarts. “We’ve got roughly forty minutes I think.” Enough time to make ou-- no.





She laughed then. “I know” she acknowledged. “It’s been quite a day.” She took a deep breath. Forty minutes, she’d been hoping to put it off longer, but she couldn’t argue his logic. She nodded. “Forty minutes then, so...nap time?” Her tone and expression clearly demonstrated she was teasing him. She sighed. “Seriously, Del, however this goes, whatever happens…” She bit her lip. “Thank you” she murmured, “for caring, for trying, for…” She was, for a moment, a touch overwhelmed by the whole thing. “For everything.”





A hand he slid over her tummy slowly, circling her belly button even though through her shirt. “It really has been. I wish we’d really done a lot of this earlier. My stupid brain.” All of that extra time in school as it was, never trying to meet up with her outside of random run ins. Merlin he was a real idiot. “I wish. This morning I was lazing away the day, not anymore I don’t dare nap. Tease.” Had he ever called her that before? Maybe over cookies. “Hey,” he said interjecting his own humor into this “I expect to be rewarded handsomely for all of this. I mean really, even you said it was a good idea and how many times on two fingers can I count you saying that of one of my ideas before…”

He snorted himself. “No really, I am getting as much out of this as you. Who wants to be constrained to those stupid old traditions. Those idiots of the past are the parents you have still. Thank Merlin my dad isn’t a fool. He knows how to appreciate new things and new ways at least. Did I ever tell you about my grandfather and why your parents came to us because of him?”





It was strange how she was even aware of casual touch now. She supposed it made sense given how little of it she’d actually experienced, but still, it felt nice. Her lips twitched with her amusement. “Well, you had other priorities at the time” she excused him. She wondered if she’d have been as distracted by it as he was if she’d had the luxury of exploring it sooner. It was possible, she decided. The girls in the dorm seemed to spend a lot of time talking about it after all. She widened her eyes innocently at the accusation. “I told you” her tone was soft but her eyes promised mischief. “I wouldn’t have the first idea how to do that.” Didn’t mean she couldn’t figure it out, however.

She laughed warmly. “So...cookies then?” she offered playfully, referencing the way she had bribed him when they were young. She had little doubt what he would want now, mostly because she was pretty sure she wanted it too. She pretended to think about his question. “Not counting all the times you suggested we go swimming?” She shrugged, grinned. “I’m out.”

He spoke about his grandfather and a story she hadn’t yet heard. Curiosity instantly peaked, Sofia shook her head. “Your grandfather? What did he do?”






The cookies thing did bring back good memories. “Yes, that’s my reward if we pull this off. She’s gotta have cookies ready for me like all the time. You still have full control, she’s yours, but I want you to make her promise to keep me in cookies. All kinds.” He laughed now more genuinely. “Exactly. Well when we jumped out the window and you got your magic you should have said it really, that was so awesome, but I’ll forgive that one.” Hearing he hadn’t told her he nodded.

“So Grandpa apparently had ten kids and he spent most of his life quizzing and teaching them how to remember details in a moment, like observing a room and going out and quoting things and keeping your ears open. He did it so much all ten of his kids got very good memories and remembered so much they made a lot of contacts that they had either stuff on or saved from heaps of trouble so it was so successful they did it with all their kids.” He took a sip of his juice. “So dad’s generation is very alert to details and increased their network of people who were connected or owed them so many favors that he and his sibs are like better connected then the Ministry.”

He waved a hand at his own head. “I’ve got a lot of that, but it’s a family trait now. Dad has the most of the kids so we’re like the next generation to be part of the web so your parents came to us to buy into that network, to get those contacts connected and pull some favors. And they had to pay a lot to get into another family’s network cause it’s like irreplaceable. They weren’t just buying our future for us” he waved out of the hammock to include his sisters, “they were paying for all my aunts and uncles descendants too.”





It clicked, for the kind of information and connection Del was talking about, her parents would have paid nearly anything, and it lined up too why Mr. Torres had put up with them all this time. It had never made real sense to her why someone like him would be friends with people like her parents. Now she realized they weren’t, and it was no wonder her parents were so careful not to make him aware of the way they treated her. While their money represented resources and a lot of them from Del and his family, what her parents were gaining in return was invaluable, the kind of connections she suspected they’d been more than willing to trade her for. When it came down to it, her parents needed the Torres family much more than they needed her parents. She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that revelation.

“So they’re not friends” she said softly. “It never really made sense to me that they would be, and now it makes sense why they’re so careful about what I’m allowed to say” she acknowledged. Strangely, it gave her a sense of confidence to know that Del’s father was less likely to take issue with helping her get back at her parents than she originally thought. Knowing what she knew now, she sincerely doubted he liked them much either. Still, she wondered at his parents’ daring to take a risk on a child coming from two such people, and she wondered what had made them do it. If it had been her circumstances or Sofia herself. She was too shy to ask, and it wasn’t important ultimately anyway, but still, she was curious.

She lay there for several moments, processing through what he’d told her. “I’m glad” she said finally. “I guess it was really just luck after all.”






Delmar shook his head after another last sip. “No, I’ve heard him careful about what he says about them, but that’s a sign of who he doesn’t trust really. But I can tell he likes you, he’s relieved more so I think as you have been here with us he’s relaxed a lot more about the situation.” She spoke of luck as he dropped the glass onto the floor by leaning up for a moment (cradling her in his arm so he wouldn’t mess her up much before settling back down with her). “Um, well probably not. Outside the Ministry he was really the only one with a big family, not tons of money, but tons of contacts. There’s only maybe two others in the family who have kids so he was odds out. Not too much luck there.”

“And dad couldn’t refuse the chance to get the whole family solvent. After all only one person had to take the risk and that was me and he had hopes that it would be okay one day, he just didn’t know what you would turn out like.” The idea of the conversation tonight surfaced in his mind and he had more firmness to his words as he ran his fingers up to her chin and turned her face to his directly “And when you tell him what they have treated you like and you still turned out so nice? Well he’s going to want to rescue you just like me. And be as proud of you for taking the risk to be honest with him as I’m going to be listening to you tell him.” and he kissed her softly, lingering a touch, but not long before he broke it off and smiled at her.

“I am sure going to like having you for a wife, Sofia, I’d trust you with a lot anyway, but knowing you will have my back is going to relieve me of a lot of worry in the future. Partners indeed.”





“I wouldn’t trust them either” she murmured, a touch of darkness in her tone and expression. She smiled when he mentioned his father’s opinion of her. “I like him too” she assured him. “Your whole family really is just kind of….well, not perfect exactly but...really really good.” She waited for him to put his glass down, and when he returned, she listened avidly. “I meant more from my end” she explained. “Like, I’m glad that they went to your family, but also that your parents were willing to risk it.”

She smiled softly. “And here I am, all books and swimming and not getting along with my parents” she pointed out. “He must have been worried I’d’ turn out like them.” That was the very last thing she wanted to be. He took her chin in his fingers and she met his eyes. “I really hope so” she said softly, sincerely, still a touch of nerves though she sounded better now that she was more aware of everything. He kissed her and she relaxed, kissing him back, wishing that they had more time and privacy but acknowledging that under the circumstances it was probably better that they didn’t.

She felt the compliment, the simple sincerity of it, in the warmth that flushed her cheeks and spread slowly down through her chest. “I’ll try to be a good one” she promised him, still worried about their conversation earlier. “Of course I will” she nodded, certain of it now. “I just hope I don’t get seasick” she flashed him a grin.

[Shava]

A smile on his face he responded “I think we’re good, no where near perfect, but when I hear some people talk about home I feel better about mine.” Listening carefully to her words he agreed privately that his father had had a reason to be worried, maybe concerned, but even with her little activity in life she had been much easier to deal with those first days she had come over and that had wiped away probably a decade of concern. And he didn’t miss seeing the warmth in her face and slipped one hand around her neck as they lay there, softly possessive of this young woman at his side.

For if he might still see himself as a boy in his mind, they had both done a lot of growing up today. Seasickness they could find a way to deal with he was sure so he ignored that for the moment. “Then as the tyrant I am not I’m going to warn you I feel very possessive right now. I’m going to be demonstrating a lot more of that then I have in the past and if they wanna make jokes about it in school then fuck them. And you can quote me if they tease you anywhere else.” His eyes flashed very clear that she was his and he wanted her to remember that.





She smiled. “You have a wonderful family” she had always thought so, even when she was young. The way they loved each other, took care of each other, it had made her jealous in the beginning. Then, as she got older and realized that someday she would be part of it, she worried about not being good enough, or not knowing how to do it right. She still did. She saw the possessive glint in his eyes when he spoke, heard it likewise in his tone, but strangely it didn’t gall her as she thought it might’ve. Rather she felt...safe...wanted, like everything would be alright somehow.

She tilted her head and smiled softly up at him. “I’m afraid a direct quote might get me hexed” she pointed out, “anyway, hopefully it won’t come to that.” She leaned into him, and when the sound of soft footsteps could be heard, she had to fight the reflex to pull back. They weren’t doing anything wrong, and she needed to get used to being able to be close to him, both in general and in front of others. “Dinner time” she guessed. “Or close.”






Agreeing but still he said “I hope not too, but I’m giving you permission to send them my way if they have anything to say or they can shut up.” Hearing footsteps he said “No, too early I think” He looked and then brightened saying “Hey Isa come here please!” A moment later she was looking over the side of the hammock eyes curious. “You like Sofia right?” She nodded “I like having her here! She’s nice.” A nod “I agree. I think she should stay with us all the time don’t you?” She grinned. “Sure!”

“I’m going to ask dad for that then. So you are my witness I’m serious okay? Watch this” and he kissed Sofia solidly for several seconds before looking up at the delighted face and saying with a wink “You go tell your sisters I’m going to ask him right now to stay here with us. And I’ll come tell you what he says, okay?” She made a happy sound and nodded, though part of her face clearly said she suspected something was up as he got out on his side and turned, sliding his hands under his fiancée and lifting her up to carry her away from the hammock before setting her down as Isa watched with big eyes.





Sofia didn’t have the slightest clue what he was doing when he brought Isa over save, possibly for building up more to sell his point with his father. So, when he kissed her and more than he had done up to that point besides, she lay there, wide-eyed and a little dazed for a moment before she registered what he’d said to Isa. When he climbed out of the hammock, she moved to do so as well, only for him to lift her out of it instead. The whole thing was straight out of some storybook, and she wondered briefly if he was rewarding her courage. She took a deep breath and smiled brightly for Isa’s sake, kissing him on the cheek. “Let’s do it then.”

They went into the kitchen, which, as Del said, was free of kids and Sofia could already feel her nerves building. She took Del’s hand almost unconsciously, looking for something to bolster herself and her nerve. She was intrigued to see exactly how he pitched this to his father, she would fill in the gaps as promised, but the rest...convincing him to let them get married, most especially when they both had two years of school left, seemed like a difficult thing to her.





Catching her completely off guard which he could see in her eyes was a delight and a flirtation trick he’d not exactly done, but he could see it worked out pretty well. Isa, was too surprised to run off so when he set Sofia down he turned and told her “Go tell your sisters I’ve gone to talk to dad and to stay up here till I finish my pitch, okay?” Then she suddenly realized what a juicy thing she had to tell and turned to run off. To Sofia’s comment he said “Absolutely fiancée, let’s go start our life.”

She caught his hand as he walked into the kitchen where his father was just starting to get some things together. “Dad, we have to talk. Things have turned very serious.” and as his father turned towards them he pulled Sofia in front of him and wrapped both arms around her, holding her hands to help give her comfort as he started out. “Sofia has been telling me some things today about how she is treated at home and I think you need to know it’s gotten extremely bad for her.”

“First off I never knew they don’t spend time at the house. They leave her there most of the year with her house elf who raised her pretty much by herself! She was only raised to be sold off in a contract. They don’t seem to care for her at all.” His dad’s face frowned as he listened but it was clear Del had his full attention. “And then they told her not to mention anything to me about them that might be considered negative in case it might get back to you, but Sofia has realized how friendly we are and finally confessed the truth to me. I had to think about how to tell you cause they have threatened her about this so she’s in trouble for telling me.” He looked a bit apprehensive there a moment before he continued. “I promised her I’d ask you not to say anything to them directly cause she has to go back to them at the end of the week.”

His dad looked more than a bit upset as he exclaimed “But of course! But I need to do something about this--” “Hang on dad, it’s deeper than that so I got more to tell you.” His father raised his eyebrows and motioned for his son to continue. “We were talking about how to get her out of there cause this has been going on for years. She has no other visitors except me. Period. No other kids and she has studies she has to keep up with but she has NO ONE except the elf who was only purchased to keep her in line and raise her. So that’s really her mom more the her parents who are always off doing stuff to try and get her brother medically better. She’s not like her parents cause they don’t do shit for her. So it can’t be just her we save, we need to save her elf too. And while we were talking today” you could see the light bulb go on in his dad’s face about why they had been off today “we might have figured out something we can do right now, not in two years.”

He took a deep breath, she could feel his tension in his arms around her. “What if she was maybe out in her backyard one day and she went over the fence and sorta seemingly ran away? You could meet her and bring her back here so she would be safe, but they would not know where she was while they are off somewhere in another country. So they return when the elf sends a message but that would mean she was gone more than twenty four hours and that invalidates her being ‘pure’ as far as the contract right? You could then write them a note saying you had found her and are willing to write a new contract since the other is invalid cause you would still like to honor the deal but on your terms.” He took another breath but his father’s hand cut him off. “All an interesting thought, Del, and you were right to come here to me with this. It’s-- well it might not be legal to do that in less than 24, but I can look that up.”

He turned to her and asked “First I need to hear this from you, Sofia. If this is true trust me to say I am horrified it went this far. Not acceptable of them at all. But tell me your side of this. Is my son telling the truth?”





To her credit, Sofia only hesitated a moment when he asked. “Yes” she said softly, and then, after another deep breath. “They’ve been looking for a way to cure Alonzo since he was born, but issues in the brain are really rare in magical children so there aren’t a lot of options there, and muggle science doesn’t know a lot about the brain yet, but there’s always someone coming out with something new to try…” She glanced away. “So most of the time, they’re off with him checking some specialist in another part of the world....or on some business trip of dad’s, or...or on vacation.” That one even she couldn’t defend so much.

“They bought Galleta when Alonzo was born because he needed so much care and attention and….” And it had never stopped. “They used to tell me it would be better for me to stay home where I’d have all of my things and the pool and...everything.” She bit her lip. “Now that I’m older its just….the way things are.” The other part was even harder. “They didn’t want me to say anything in case you changed your mind about everything” she confirmed. “So I...didn’t.” Because Del at his worst had been preferable to life under her parents’ thumb, and even when she’d been trying to find a way around it, a part of her had known she probably wouldn’t.

What’s more, at some point she’d begun to think of his family as her own, and she realized now that she had stopped trying so hard even before this year. “So we were thinking that if they thought I ran away, but I really came here...or wherever with you all, then they wouldn’t have to know that I hadn’t breeched the contract and then you could....do it however you wanted. He could have honestly taken them for all they were worth for all she cared. “But I wouldn’t be able to go back after that.”

Her tone and expression were very serious even for her. “And I can’t let anything happen to Galleta, and I can’t imagine what they’ll do to her if they think she let me…” She made herself stop, slow down, another deep breath. “But if we completed the contract, then Galleta would be mine, you and Del and everyone would have what you needed, and…” And her parents could fall off the earth for all she cared. “I know its a lot to ask” she said softly. “But I really do think it was a good idea.”





Her words helped and as he listened, Del watched his father’s face. He was focused, more so than Del had seen in a long time. He thought that was good, but he wasn’t expecting the words that apparently his father thought were the most important. “Does Galletta bring you things when you are with us? I mean have you asked her to before?” Del hugged her with a light squeeze to show he was there and she was doing good, not spotting his father’s slight increase of a smile.

“It’s a good plan you two came up with, really, but there are some...hmm...possible complications I need to check on to be sure you will be safe, Sofia. And you two Del because you don’t work in the wizarding world you may be unaware of certain laws and such that I have heard about recently. So there are some odd questions I need to ask you.” Del nodded, wondering what there could be to cause issues.





The question confused her. She wasn’t really sure what Galleta did when she wasn’t home, but it had never occurred to her to ask the elf to bring her anything. “No sir” she shook her head. “Why?” Unable to help herself, curiosity was generally always Sofia’s undoing. She felt Del’s squeezed and she laid her hands over his appreciatively for a moment, though her focus was still on his father.

When he mentioned complications, however, she felt her anxiety begin to rise again. “What sort of complications?” she hesitated when he mentioned odd questions, but ultimately nodded. “Okay.”






Del kept holding her since she wasn’t resisting and his father tried not to show how pleased he was their connection was a protective one. “Could she bring you your parents' schedule book on the excuse you want to see if there is a time you could come again this summer? Or do they hide that from you?” A pause while he thought of something else. “And what do you think they would do if I sent them a note asking them to take care of Del as well for a weekend in an emergency? How do you think they might react to a complication like that?”





“No problem” Sofia nodded to his idea about the schedule book. His mention of sending Del last minute made her grin as the image of her parents frantically trying to scrounge together the image they’d want him to have. Traditionally, when Del was supposed to spend time there, they went out of their way and planned for weeks nearly every detail. Throwing something like that at them last minute would be...hilariously funny as far as Sofia was concerned. “They’d panic” she assured him. “Everything has to be perfect when Del comes, throwing him in without a warning…” She smirked, realized she was doing it, and tried to school her expression. “They’re never going to say no to something like that, not from you.”






The man grinned as well seeing she liked the image of this. “If I can get the book for a moment I can make a copy and plan this right in the middle of a medical trip they have so they would be quite pressed and apt to make a mistake of trying to leave you and Del alone with the elf for a day possibly. That would mean you wouldn’t be alone when we tried this idea I’m thinking of.” He nodded, clearly several things the two were not aware of running along.

“I would think not, he’s been over there many times over the years without issues so they might be comfortable trying to skim a bit. And I have to say, Sofia, I really do wish you had told us about this before though I understand your concern. I hope I seem a decent adult to you; I would never want to screw up your living situation if I didn’t think you were being used unfairly in this. I’ve never liked your father’s attitude in speaking about you. He seems very unfit as a parent.”






Knowing her parents were out of town, Sofia called hesitantly. “Galleta?” Surprising her, the elf appeared. “Miss calls for Galleta?” Sofia smiled. “Galleta, can you bring me mum and dad’s schedule for the month? Mr. Torres and I were trying to figure out a time when I might be able to come back to visit.” She felt bad lying, but plausible deniability was important in this case. The elf nodded. “Of course miss Sofia, Galleta will be back soon!” And with a ‘pop’ was gone again. “You’re the best adult I know” she told him with so much sincere admiration than she blushed and glanced down for a moment.

She bit her lip when Mr. Torres mentioned her own father. “He…” She seemed to shrink a bit even with Del’s arms around her. “I honestly don’t know him well enough to know if you’re right or not,” she admitted.





“Excellent. Please know Sofia I am trying to act in your best interests and not just because my son wants his hands on you.” Del pulled away at once, flushing red in the face as his father chuckled. “No worries Delmar, I know you were only trying to give her support. But she is able to stand on her own two feet I think. She’s quite a fine young woman with a good head on her shoulders I can tell.” That didn’t make Del’s ears turning red slow down much!

He held up his hand saying “I don’t expect you to defend him or blame him. The man has never been able to talk about what else you do besides books and it seemed fishy to me especially after you first visited with us. And my daughters are delighted to fill your ears about their brother as much as they can to his embarrassment I think.” Sitting down on a stool he still seemed thoughtful but added “We need a date either right during the beginning of a new appointment which can’t be cancelled and the ending of another if possible.






Galleta reappeared, handing the book to Sofia and she knelt for a moment. “Thanks, Galleta, you’re the best.” Galleta smiled and toyed with the tips of her ears, but she frowned for a moment, staring into Sofia’s eyes. “Miss is alright?” Sofia nodded. “I’m perfect, Galleta. I’ll let you know when you can bring the book back.” With a mischievous glance and Del, she added. “And if mum and dad don’t have you doing anything, could you bring some cookies when you come back?” Thrilled to be doing something for her, Galleta nodded emphatically so that her ears nearly touched the floor. “Of course, miss!”

The elf disappeared and Sofia leaned back against Del again, only to laugh when he released her abruptly, though she was flushing herself. She bit her lip, flipped through the book, pointing to a date a few days after she was due back to the villa. “There” it was a Saturday, her parents had exactly one day between getting back from a clinic in Switzerland and another appointment in France. “They’ve been trying to get an appointment with the clinic in Paris for months” Sofia informed him. “They’re not going to cancel that for anything.”





Del added a “Yeah you’re the best Galleta,” before the cookie comment where he was suddenly very attentive “Yes!” before she managed to disappear. “I really like her” before he had to step away quickly from his fiancée. As she found the date her future father-in-law smiled. “That’s good enough for me. May I see that a moment?” He took the book, waved his wand in a complex way, another copy of the book appeared on the table which he dropped in a drawer and handed her the original back.

“So let’s find another week near the end of the summer to ask about getting you back to cover our tracks then she can put the book back. And I’ll need to speak to some folks I know about possible issues coming up. I’ll wait till the day before to ask them about Del coming over briefly and then explain I’ll drop him off in an hour after they agree. I’m sure you will see a flurry of activity after that.”






Sofia let him have the book, watched him make the copy, and nodded. “Oh I’m sure they’ll be waving wands and all sorts of things…” She shrugged. They’d have her all primped and pressed too, which actually amused her now that she knew Del probably wouldn’t care how fixed up she was so long as they left the two of them alone. Now that the worst of it was over, Sofia exhaled. Her week with them was amazing, but it made the return home all the more quiet-feeling.

Despite Galleta’s efforts to cheer her, Sofia missed the chaos almost as soon as she got home. Even knowing she would see Del again in a few days, and possibly, very soon, she’d see him every day. As predicted, her parents went into a frenzy when they got Mr. Torres’ call, and she even heard them arguing about the appointment the next day that evening as she and Del sat beside the pool. By the morning, however, it was clear that her mother had won, and the two of them left with promises they would be back ‘No later than the evening’. Sofia strongly suspected she would get a call in a few hours that they had been ‘unavoidably held up’ and would be back first thing in the morning.

She heard the telltale ‘pop’ of apparition and turned to Del, smirking. “It’ll be at least tomorrow” she promised him.






Arriving in all the confusion with a small bag compared to normal, Del had found himself hurried a bit more into the house as both parents disappeared and he gave her a raised pair of eyebrows instead of words as he tossed his bag down and found a downstairs bathroom to change into his trunks. The whole evening of arguing was certainly new and they whispered and laughed about the back and forth. In the morning he came down for breakfast to find the parents missing.

He chuckled. “So they took the bait? Fools. They really are a mess.” As he asked the house elf for an omelet and grinned at her eagerness he said to Sofia “Not a bad raising in all, she’d be the reason you turned out so nice right?” and expecting a swipe moved away suddenly laughter in his eyes.






“Hook, line, sinker” she confirmed as he came down the stairs. His comment about the way she turned out earned him a playful swat. “Well it couldn’t have been your good influence” she pointed out cheekily as she slid into the chair next to him at the kitchen table. Galleta served Del his omelet and Sofia her oatmeal, looking gleeful to have them both there to look after. “Young master Torres enjoyed his cookies?” the elf asked him

Sofia smirked into her breakfast. Galleta had always had a soft spot for Del, mostly, Sofia assumed, because of how much he enjoyed her cooking.





He winked back. “Well thank you for calling me a good influence then! Thanks!” and ducked again laughing. The omelet looked wonderful! “Yes Ma’am, Galleta, I do love cookies. Must be a leftover from getting used to your good cooking. Dad does fine, but mom was way better at food stuff then he is. Once my sisters try to help him it all falls apart.” He dug in, mouth full at Sofia’s smirk so he waggled a finger at her.

When he had swallowed he asked “So what’s on the schedule today? Need help with packing for school or is that too early? We can turn into raisins but We’re still in the middle of breakfast. Do you always have to eat oatmeal? Don’t you eat anything else?” he lightly poked her arm as if she was stuck in a rut. The elf grinned at their playfulness.





She rolled her eyes at him, but she was grinning as she did it. His warmth with the elf endeared him the same way it always had however. “Oh I don’t know” she shrugged. “I’ll probably just read books.” Her tone said she was intentionally poking fun at herself. “Its whatever you want to do really. I’m not going to pack until closer to the end of summer.” His jab about the oatmeal made her smirk. “If I ate like you I’d be three hundred pounds!” she pointed out, raising a brow at him. “And then where would we be?”

She shrugged. “I’m definitely planning to spend at least part of the day in the water, you’re welcome to join me if you want.”





A roll of his eyes around a mouthful of omelet as she spoke about books. It took a moment before he was able to speak again, but eggs were good stuff! “Hey I’m the guest you should be focused on me right? What about” with the elf’s back turned he played the piano on the counter with his fingers looking at her before reaching for his milk. Her comment about his eating had him lean back and pull up his t showing his abs which he smacked with his hand a few times.

“Oh I could help you work that off, you can see I burn it off fast enough.” He waggled his eyebrows and chuckled into his milk though he was sure that if they were active in the bedroom they would certainly burn off enough to make a difference. His cheeks showed a light blush as he thought of that though and he sounded much more serious as he added “Oh you know me, I’ll follow you there eagerly enough.”






She flushed, bit her lip, but after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “I’ll play something for you if you really want me to” she agreed. She was nervous about the idea, but in the end he was right. It was going to be the two of them soon, ultimately, and she knew how important it was to him that she let him in.

His comment about ‘working off’ her food made her blush as well. “I thought that’s what the pool was for” she said innocently, but her expression said she was having thoughts very similar to his. “So...piano first, then the water?”





He turned to her swallowing quicker then he probably should have. “Yes,” he said in all seriousness “and no pressure, but I’d like to hear you. Not to judge, just to hear you play. It would be awesome to remember you for doing something other than just reading and pool in my head. Really.” His face was quite serious. At her blush he might have had a wider smile but he admitted to her comment.

“Okay so upstairs to change,” maybe together “and then swimsuits on to the piano and I have GOT to remember a towel this time.” tapping the side of his head. “Anything else we need at the pool besides cookies” he said grabbing the last bite of his inhaled omelet before he stood.






“I’ll play for you” she said softly. She smirked, darting him a look. “I do more than read and swim, Del!” she insisted. “Just not much more.” She finished her oatmeal, handed the bowl to Galleta before heading toward the stairs. “Right, because you’re not stealing mine again today.” She promised him. “You can drip dry this time.” She made it up the first couple of stairs. “Maybe something to drink, it’s warm out.” It occurred to her when they reached the top of the stairs that there was only the two of them and an elf who was unlikely to think of the pitfalls of leaving the two, who she still viewed as children, alone together.





“So I guess I’ll...meet you back here when we’re done?”
Looking quite happy she had agreed, Del wondered if he was about to see something deep about her or just a passing change. Cheerfully he stood and handed his plate and glass to the elf with a “Thanks Galletta, great as always” to her return smile. “Not on these floors I think I’d feel guilty and then have to streak the house.” As he started to leave the kitchen he said “Hey Galetta no rush on the cookies and drinks, we’re going to change and play some music first if you have other stuff to do.” and as they stepped towards the stairs he said much softer “Unless you want to talk during, sure thing. I’m not going to be embarrassed around my future wife, Sofia.”

Especially as the plan was to get her in his house for the rest of the year. He might not be able to do much in the school, but it wasn’t school time by far!






The whisper was soft, but she heard him perfectly. She turned to look at him for a moment, searching his eyes, her own expression was torn. On the one hand, he was right, and if all went according to plan the future was coming sooner than they’d both expected. “If I go in there with you, I don’t think we’ll talk” her voice was soft, but she was smiling ruefully, blushing as she’d always done when he affected her.





Holding up his fingers he made sure she was looking before he quietly snapped them with “Dang” kinda look on his face. Winking, he left her at the top of the stairs to go in and strip down, then reach in his bag and grab out the bathing suit slipping it on. A different t-shirt, plain and white, and he felt ready enough. Grabbing his towel with an ‘ah-ha’ he exited the room. Padding back down the stairs barefoot he stopped on the bottom step and sat there to wait for her return.

After all he was a guy and despite her not being slow, he knew his outfit was easier to get out of. HIs father had told him to be sure to have his id in the top of his bag, a letter saying who he was and under it was a second sheet showing the contract description between the two of them which he wondered why he was supposed to keep those around. Odd, but nothing he wasted too much thinking on. He didn’t have much in his bag as this was just a weekend thing anyway.

Unknown to him, down the street a set of Ministry aurors had apparated into an arranged spot and were checking the area for muggles before continuing. One had a map. Behind them a woman with a seal of office around her neck appeared, a roll of papers in her hand and looking grim. Neither of the teens nor the elf knew this however nor about their approach in a few minutes. The group stopped for a final briefing and to go over the details of what they were cleared to do and inspect…

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Sofia came down a few moments later with a cover on over her bikini, spotting Del on the stairs, she grinned. “C’mon” she murmured, trying to keep her tone and expression light despite her nerves. She led him into the drawing room where the polished baby grand was obviously the focal point. Sliding onto the bench, she tried to decide what to play for him. The last few days, both with all he’d done and tried to do and the past few days of missing him had left her in an oddly soft mood, and after a moment, she started to play, not a song from the magical world, but a muggle one.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=32uSO-1zBL4

At some point, her eyes closed and she lost herself in the music as she always did. It was her favorite thing about playing. When the song came to a close, she lingered a moment over the keys before she opened her eyes and seemed to remember where she was. Turning to him, she met his eyes and bit her lip, waiting.







Following her he waited till she sat down then joined her on the bench, watching curiously. He’d seen a piano before but never watch it played so this was going to be a new experience. She played and he listened, listening to the words in particular. She had a nice voice and although he didn’t know the song it was pleasant enough. When she finished he watched with elevated eyebrows seeing her eyes closed. When she looked she would find him close up watching curiously.

“That was nice, did you have your eyes closed on purpose? Are you challenging yourself to remember where the keys are?” He put a hand on her leg as he listened, trying to connect in a way despite not being a very musical person. “I liked it! And the professor thinks you could make a living at this?” He wasn’t good with music so he didn’t know if she had a high quality voice or not, but it sounded fine to him…






She smiled softly at his question. “Not really, I guess it just helps me...focus on the music more?” She shrugged, “he thinks I’m very talented, and he said he has some people he can reach out to if I’m interested in making something of it. We haven’t really talked about it much.” She felt oddly better having shared this with someone, and most especially with him specifically. “For now its just something I love doing.” .






Huh. Closing your eyes was something he could see helping with focus, taking out other distractions. He was mildly amused he counted as a distraction, but didn’t mention it. “What all would that involve? Like, during school or after?” A nod as she said she liked it and he squeezed her leg lightly. “I’m glad you let me hear. No matter what you end up doing with it. I don’t think anyone in my family can carry a tune.” HIs head turned as he heard sound in the house towards the front and frowned.

“Did that sound like a female voice?” A moment later a man strode into the room, holding a wand pointed at the two teens and said firmly “Don’t move!” Another person passed him headed out towards the pool also with a wand out. A moment later they heard someone’s voice say “Clear” and a woman walked in. She looked at both the teens, looked at a paper in her hand, then said to Del “And you are?” Del said in a concerned voice “Um Delmar Torrens? I’m a guest. This is my fiancé--” She held up a hand and looked to the girl. “And your full name?” When Sofia gave it she said “And where are your parents currently? You can provide a location?”






Sofia looked absolutely terrified when the woman turned her attention. “I...th-they’re in P-P-Paris at a neurology appointment for my b-b-brother.” She managed. “Dr. Pascal Chaine” she had paled considerably. “I d-don’t know the e-exact address. They s-s-said they would be back in a few hours.” What were these people doing in her house? Were her parents involved in something illegal? What was going to happen to her? To her brother? Galleta, hearing Sofia’s terrified voice, popped into the room and moved to Sofia’s side. “Is everything alright Miss Sofia?”

Sofia didn’t want to know what to do or what to say. “Wh-why are you here?”







The woman wrote down the name on her paper with a quill and showed the badge around her neck. “Ministry inspection. We had a report about this house. The elves are helping us at the moment with determining that the house is indeed without any legal adult.” She frowned. “Who is your next nearest relative” she asked Sofia and then Del raised his hand to the woman’s sharp glance. “Sofia stays with us when she’s not here, I have paperwork in my bag. We’re contracted.” She wrote a note on her paper.

“Go get those. Zarloff will go with you.” A man stepped into the room and motioned to Del who went hurriedly with him for the stairs. To Sofia she said “How often does this happen, that you are alone in this residence? And do you often have guests with you during these times?” She looked at her as if expecting deception.






She watched Del go up the stairs with a sort of panicked look. When the woman spoke, Sofia’s expression shifted, became carefully guarded. She didn’t much care about admitting her parents were never home, but she didn’t appreciate the perceived implication. “They’re gone a lot to appointments and things for my brother” she answered in a clipped tone. “And no, I don’t usually have guests when I’m home by myself.” She willed Del to hurry, wondering why he just happened to have the paperwork in his bag, unless...was this what his father had been talking about? If so, why was this woman being such a...Sofia blushed at the rude thought and tried to shake her darkening mood.






The woman raised a finger at her. “That sounded evasive. I’d like the truth, I already have a report so be aware your words are being judged against that.” She waited to see if Sofia wanted to add anything to her statement. Del returned and the man had papers he handed to the woman. Del came over and stood with his arms around her protectively and whispered “I think this is something dad might have known about but he didn’t tell me anything.” Another man came in had a whispered conversation with her, then left again. “Very well then. I shall have you taken to the Torres family for the time being. You will stay there under Ministry order. Understood? The magic for underage wizardry is being placed there as we speak.” Del whispered “Damn.” The woman smiled grimly. She motioned to the house elf “Stay with them there. This house is under the Ministry for the time being till your parents are found.” Del raised a hand and asked “Um, does she get to pack a bag first?” Hesitation and then a nod. “Now.” And motioned for them to hurry up.






Sofia arched a brow. “I’m not lying!” she insisted, unable to keep from raising her voice a touch. “I’m here ninety percent of the time by myself, you can ask Galleta for Merlin’s sake!” Sofia hardly ever lost her temper, but this woman had just bust into her home while she was minding her own business and was making it sound like she was getting up to all kinds of things she’d never done in her life just because her parents were never home. It pissed her off.

When Del returned, she was so grateful for his presence she almost kissed him right there in front of the ministry dragon and everyone else. With one last dark look at the woman, Sofia sprinted up the stairs to her room. With Galleta’s help, everything she needed for the next several days was packed into her charmed bag. She couldn’t really worry about her school things, so hopefully this would be settled by then. She looked at Del, temper still hot but not at him. “That woman is a….” She couldn’t think of a good enough word in either language. She shouldered the bag and bit her lip, knowing they had to hurry, but unhappy to go back down and deal with whatever wand was up the woman’s arse.







“I said evasive, not lying. That means you could be telling the truth but avoiding saying everything. Hence your words are going to be recorded.” She made a note again. Del went up and easily grabbed his bag and then went to her room, standing in the doorway till she was done. “Sofia, whether you like her or not she’s Ministry and a full adult. Don’t piss her off she could make our lives a hell easily enough. Please!” They went back down and Galletta was told to take them through with a man going along to make sure where they went.

Apparating to appear outside the flat where another man stood keeping watch on the street. They nodded at each other and he pointed the teens to the doorway. “Stay inside, please. Mr Torres you are responsible for her behavior for the moment as she is temporarily a ward of the Ministry till her parents return.”






Sofia legitimately didn’t know what this woman wanted her to say. She’d just admitted to being home alone ninety percent of the time. Did she want to use veritaserum now? Rebellion flashed in Sofia’s eyes at Del’s plea, but logic won out when she had to acknowledge he was right. “She’s implying I’m some sort of…” Through sheer effort, Sofia swallowed her temper and nodded. “It better be worth it” was all she said, very softly. She wondered why his father would have chosen to do it this way.

Her behavior? Seriously? She wasn’t a toddler. Still, mindful of her promise to Del, her expression remained calm. It was the one she used when dealing with her parents and their apparent disinterest. She breathed deeply, in and out, focused on it rather than how much she wanted to tell this woman exactly what she thought of being a ministry ward for any reason, ever.

[Shava]

“Implying that you are an underaged teen under her parents' control and influence? I doubt she expected you to criminalize them, but it sounds like you convinced her you are emotional and therefore needing governance. Hence why she sent Gallette along. Thank Merlin,” he added In a very short time they were at the place Del had last left, the current flat in a different part of Spain then Sofia had been in before. Walking up the steps in between two buildings they entered a side gate where another wizard was and Del closed the gate behind them with relief.

A small courtyard garden was here and they passed across it to the house door quick enough. His father was sitting with a book in the hallway on a chair waiting. At their entrance he bookmarked his place and said “Well? What happened? Give me the details.” Del looked to Sofia and put a hand on her shoulder saying softly “Facts, not emotions.” and took her bag. Galletta looked around with interest, not seeming to be very concerned.






“Of course I’m emotional!” in a loud whisper. “She’s having me removed from my home with no notice and giving me five minutes to pack up for who knows how long.” Not that it took much longer than that with Galleta’s help, but still! Sofia knew she was overreacting a bit, but she didn’t like unknowns, and no matter how much she disliked her parents, she hadn’t been trying to get them arrested either.

Back at the apartment she’d only just left a few days before, Sofia was still tense. “Then maybe you should tell it” she answered, not trusting herself not to let the emotional toll of the last half hour color her recollection. She let him take her bag and tried hard to relax now that at the very least both she and Galleta were safe. She could be grateful for that part at least.




Rest here: www.pufikhomes.com/en/2019/09/ru-prekrasnyj-ispanskij-domik-s-nebolshim-bassejnom-i-terrasoj/

Del looked at her concerned and set the bags aside on the large couch living space. “Dad, the Ministry came in, started pointing wands, asked us who we were and all. It was abrupt, and the woman questioning Sofia made her feel like she suspected her of lying. She had us sent here and said they were putting up magics around the flat! What’s going on?” His father listened, slightly frowning. “A little heavy handed it sounds like. According to what I was told, they have to wait for someone to open the door when they knock, they show the papers, and establish quickly where everyone is inside before going further.” The elf nodded “I saw papers.”

Mr Torres looked and asked her “And did they do that? Find out who was in the house first off?” The elf nodded and told about taking one wizard to the other house elves (Mr Torres looked surprised there were more) and others went to make sure only the kids were there. “They did ask where her parents were located, but I had to go get the papers you told me to start keeping in my bag for being over there.” Mr Torres nodded again, standing and then saying “Well I suspect I’ll be given notice soon enough. You all go upstairs and try to relax. We’re a little tight here so the girls are doubled up, Galetta I saved you a bed down here, Del go put both of your things in your room for now. We’ll discuss set up later.”






Sofia was relieved when Del didn’t make her talk this time. She needed a few minutes to process what had happened and try to get her emotions under control. She supposed that everything from the last several days, culminating in what had happened this morning had simply overwhelmed her. Regardless, she followed Del up the stairs to his room, plopping down on his bed and laying back. “That was...a lot.”






“It sure was unexpected. Maybe that was what he wanted, us to be surprised so they didn’t know we were involved.” Her parents had taken the bait after all, interestingly enough. “Man, I think your parents just got exposed however. If the Ministry is involved they at least are going to make sure that you aren’t treated that badly again.” Wondering what would happen he opened his bag and pulled out underwear and shorts and changed with his back to her (not on purpose) nonchalantly. “There. Doubt we’re doing the pool today. But we can go sit in the sun if that might help.”






“I would rather he have warned us” she said softly. Sofia wasn’t a fan of surprises, not that she had ever had many of the good kind to compare to. She glanced over at him, only to flush crimson to the roots of her hair. Had he really just…? For a long moment, she gaped, and when he turned, she returned her gaze to the ceiling, still blushing. Changing shorts was one thing, but that was definitely a first for Sofia. “I...sun...um...yeah, maybe.” She realized belatedly that she was still in her own bikini under the sundress, but she was not about to do what he’d just done.




“You would have reacted different I bet for sure.” Her face was full on blush and both of his eyebrows went up! “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to bust a blood vessel or something.” Stepping closer he squatted next to the bed to look at her with some concern. “What’s up Sof? What’s wrong?” He was unconscious of having done something to cause an issue.






“Probably” she acknowledged. He seemed surprised by her reaction, and she didn’t understand how he couldn’t realize that seeing him naked from the waist down would shock her. “I...you…” She took a deep breath. “I know this may come as a surprise, but I’m not used to seeing half naked guys when I look up in a conversation” she pointed out.






He looked puzzled till she mentioned nudity. His face took on enlightenment. “Oh that? Merlins beard Sof! We’re expecting to get married two years early and you have not adjusted yet? I’m not sure we have a week left of even separation and we're in a flat where my sisters are three to a bed. Why do you think dad told me to throw your stuff in here for now?” He rolled his eyes and stood, holding out a hand for hers. “Good gosh, not that we’re doing the deed right now, but in the same room? Yeah I’m not truly surprised even if it’s earlier than I expected. Come on, come sit in the sun for a bit.”





He had a point, she acknowledged, but she still thought he didn’t quite understand the difference. “Easy for you to say” she murmured. “You weren’t raised under a rock.” She sat up and stood, wondering about the room arrangements and rather it meant they would in fact be getting married soon. If that were the case… No, not yet, one thing at a time. The ministry would find her parents and likely that would have to be resolved before anything else.

It brought up an interesting question. “If my parents are arrested, how will the contract work?” she asked him slowly. “The ministry will freeze their assets won’t they?” Suddenly worried that things might be more complicated than she originally thought even, she frowned.






He chuckled and pulled her to her feet. “Then it will be a very interesting night then indeed.” He shrugged. “Come on it’s me. Not only have you seen me in a swimsuit half your life, I generally don’t wear shoes and shirts then either so there’s only one part you hadn’t known for SURE what it looks like. You are far more a playground for me then the reverse; you can probably already mentally draw most of me as it is.” A shake of his head as he pulled her to the door.

“Don’t worry, Dad’s got a plan and he seemed to think it was going well. I’d guess your brother just became the male heir of the fortune for real. That should cover all his medical. You’ve got us and your parents’ money already. Oh! Here.” He reached under the bed and handed her a long flat black bag and then caught her other hand to go out on the outside sofa. “Dad got it yesterday, it’s all charged up.”






She flushed and her nerves skittered when he mentioned the night ahead. Even her father had had been fairly clear about his expectations of them all this time, was that different now? And if it was, did that mean…? Merlin… She smiled however when he mentioned the differences between them. “I doubt it” she assured him. “Trust me, it’s still different” although he did have a point she supposed.

She left the contract for now, especially when he handed her the bag. “What’s this?” She sat across the sofa with the bag in her lap, unzipping it carefully she saw the keys and turned to look at him wide-eyed. “You...you actually.” It might have surprised him that she zipped the bag again and laid it carefully down in front of them before she turned and threw her arms around him, kissing him soundly. “Del...that’s…” she murmured when she pulled away. She brushed her nose against his. “You’re really really great, you know that?”






Eh, she’d find out the same way he would probably. Still, he knew enough to know if he really wanted her loyalty deep down he’d take it slow and in steps. Not slow enough for her squeamishness about it, but slow enough it would take some steps in between. She asked him what it was and he shrugged; not his fault if she couldn’t remember what he had said he was going to ask for. “You’ll see.”

Hearing the bag zipped a second time he glanced over and was surprised to see her putting it down. “Huh?” And then she hugged him and kissed him like crazy! He took it, his arms going around her in response as he said “Well of course I am! Have I not been telling you that the whole time we grew up?” He grinned broadly enjoying the point score on his side adding “Oh but that doesn’t mean you have to ever stop you know. If things had gone the way we were afraid though, you would have been in very capable hands. I would have taken great care of you. Now you just get to do a lot more as well to reward me back” he chuckled.






For a moment, she was reminded of the way he’d been when they were younger, and though she did roll her eyes at him, she didn’t snap back the way she might have done before. Gratitude and relief made up for a lot at the moment. Still, she couldn’t resist as she shot him a look that was more mischief than reproach. “Don’t push it” she murmured as she pulled back more fully. “We’re not married yet, which means whatever spells there are are still in place. I’m still not entirely sure how far they went.”





A lazy wave of a hand as he stretched out some and since she had pulled back laid back with his head on the pillow next to her shoulder. “Oh man they won’t be done till your parents get back and that was what, you thought in the morning since they are getting no warning? They are going to walk into a giant mess. We’ll have to see what the rules in the Ministry are tomorrow probably.” He yawned. “Best to enjoy being still and safe for now at least. But you now know how right I am about being a great caretaker.” A soft smile of satisfaction over her reaction remained on his lips.

And then suddenly he opened his eyes. “Hey, wait a minute. We’ve been back like half an hour or more. No sister invasion?” His head came up with a frown; had his father done something? Or sequestered them? That didn’t sound like him...






She hadn’t even considered that part, but it made sense that the ministry would force her parents to release her from any spells that were considered inappropriate, and she could only assume based on their nature that the ones she was thinking of would likely fit in that category. “To say the least” she agreed. The idea of going back to the ministry made her nervous, not the least of which she would rather not have had to deal with the woman from that morning ever again, but she’d handle it better now, she thought, that she wasn’t caught out. “That sounds like a problem for tomorrow” she told him, tilting her head so that it was more or less on his on her shoulder.

She smirked when he mentioned being a good caretaker. “I’m not sure about that” she murmured. “I mean, I am technically homeless now” she teased him with a smirk. At the mention of his sisters, however, she sat up as well. She couldn’t remember a point past the age of thirteen when they’d been left completely alone for more than ten minutes, not an accident she imagined. “That’s...a good point actually” she murmured. “Did they go somewhere maybe?” Without an adult or at least she and Del? Unlikely. “If something was wrong, your father would have told us, right?”







He sat up now. “I’ll be right back. I have to find out about this.” He went back through the bedroom in his bare feet and to the stairs. In about five minutes he was back. “Ha, dad got them a playdate for today with some family friends; they won’t be back for another hour at least! He is so smart!” He dropped back down on the couch beside her and said “Okay that deserves something special.” Slipping an arm around her he let himself slowly stretch out on the couch, her partly on top of him.

“So lie here with me. Being close is acceptable now it seems for at least awhile. I promise I won’t try anything you’d object to, really.” Though she had objected to him being naked even briefly, but that he got was surprise.






She bit her lip as she watched Del walk out, slightly concerned but fairly confident that they’d have been told if something was really wrong. Her eyes widened when he returned. So they were essentially being left to themselves...at least relatively speaking...that was...different. She half expected Del to push or at least to make a joke along the lines of doing so. It surprised her a bit when he didn’t, and she obligingly stretched out with him, not so different from that first day with the hammock save for her own lack of dress this time since she was still dressed for the pool from that morning.

She smiled oddly when he mentioned her objecting. “That list is a lot shorter than it used to be” she murmured. She’d been a little curious for the last couple of years, and much more so since a few days before. Now that it looked like the wedding was coming much sooner than originally planned, most of her reservations were fading. She was still very nervous, but that came mostly from her passionate dislike of unknowns. Once she was free of the magic that kept her at least mostly restrained, she’d be nearly as interested in exploring as he was. “But I’m still a little worried about magical consequences for now.”






A good sound from him. “Well that’s good, I need to teach you a lot more little things anyway. That will help you I bet cause once you know a trick I think you will be more aware of what you can do for yourself too. And we only have a few weeks left to begin with for the summer.” Suddenly a bark of laughter escaped him. “Damn! Now I gotta think about Christmas presents cause you’ll be here! Or with us wherever we are then. Gotta do something special for my wife…”

Who was she kidding? Until they went all the way she’d be nervous period, magical constraints or not. He’d known her too long to not get that! “Eh, we’ll find out I would think the latest sometime tomorrow and then we can talk. Right now I don’t think lying still and enjoying a little teasing is out of bounds.” He kissed her cheek, slipped one arm around her middle possessively and turned slightly so he could run a line of kisses across her jaw then down her neck. It wasn’t till he got down to her wrap that he thought of it and went down to the point her neck reached her shoulder tantalizing close to better targets, but he was happy enough for now.






She was lost down a path of wondering how many ‘little things’ there were to learn, when his laughter startled her and she arched a brow at him. When he mentioned the word wife, she made a face, not in a negative way, but more at the strangeness of how near they suddenly were to the previously far off outcome being a near reality. She didn’t feel nearly ready for this, but she supposed no one ever did really. People used to do it this young all the time, she reminder herself, and younger still besides. They had two more years of school to get through before things really got serious, though she wondered what it would be like to be married at Hogwarts since she doubted much would change really in their living situation. “I was thinking about getting you a pet turtle” she grinned, but knowing how they traveled acknowledged that this was probably not the best idea. “But something not alive would probably be better.”

“How much is a little?” she murmured, but then his lips were on her skin, soft and teasing, not at all like she would have expected from him knowing how long and how often he had teased her about this kind of thing. It felt…”Merlin” she murmured and there was a shift in her tone as though he had distracted and surprised her. She’d known after the first kiss that he affected her, and certainly after the one in the living room, but this was a different sort of feeling all together. The spot on her collarbone was particularly sensitive and she gasped reflexively, surprised by the way her skin was tingling under his mouth. She didn’t have to wonder what he meant by teasing anymore.

Wanting to participate rather than be passive, she ran her fingers into his hair. “Del” she whispered, and when he met her eyes, she kissed him softly for a moment, and then, curious as to what spots he might react to and how, she trailed up and over his ear again for a moment as she’d done before, and then down again over the column of his throat until she reached the base and looked up at him to see if this was okay or she needed to do something different.
.





A pet turtle? He grinned. “Yeah I think you keep them in terrariums, but sea turtles like mine are big big when they grow up. I’d never be able to keep one of those. Though it would be cool I imagine. I’ve never had a pet really.” Not even at school because it had really never seemed fair to keep moving from school to house to house to house to house to school with one. Some how he doubted many animals would have handled it that well. “I suspect if I ever did have a pet he or she would immediately be taken by my sisters.”

Her gasp of the world famous wizard’s name was satisfying for sure. For a moment he wished he had bet her sometime she had to call him Master, but then with her clever mind she would have found a way to make him regret it. “Little things really, not that important,” but somehow vital he didn’t say. When she kissed him back he enjoyed that, and then lay back as if accepting his due until she got to the base of his throat and he made a slightly surprised sound. No, that spot was sensitive in a way no girl had tried before he realized and stretched his neck out to show how much he trusted her in such a touchy place.

One hand moved up to the back of her neck and rubbed there slowly, softly in response.




“I’ll think of something” she assured him, and then, after a moment of hesitation, she bit her lip. “You asked me why I like sunflowers so much, remember?” She smiled softly. “No matter where they are, they always find the sun…” She liked the idea very much. “If they can’t find the sun, they face each other...and I guess I liked that idea.” Conversation faded as they fell more into touch than talk. The noise he made surprised her, and she wondered what it meant, but when he shifted, apparently allowing her more access, she brushed her lips over the same place again before she came back up slowly, taking her time in ‘rewarding’ him the best she was able.

This time she lingered over his jaw, coming back up to the place just below his ear before she found his lips again, kissing him softly for a moment, and then, made slightly bolder by the rush of endorphins and curiosity, more deeply and intently than she had before, wanting very much to surprise him the way he had surprised her.





Following the sun, yes he could see why she might like that quite a bit. As she followed up the cue and came back up he rubbed her neck more so enjoying the sensation before she made her way back to his lips. “Lovely” he said quietly just before she kissed him fully and it wasn’t long till he kissed back. She seemed to be into it more than he would have thought and so he went with her energy and it was only after a few that he broke it off purposefully with a slight regretful sound. “Yeah gotta stop--” as he caught her hand and put it right on top of his groin so she could suddenly realize how tight his shorts had become.





She flushed darkly when he moved her hand both nervous and somehow thrilled at the proof that she could affect him despite her inexperience. Though she knew very little in general, she did at the very least understand most of the technical details from listening in the dorm, most especially that it was difficult for guys to stop after a certain point. “S-sorry” she managed as she pulled away and sat up, feeling badly that she had let things go this far when she couldn’t follow through.





Unexpectedly for him at least was the fact she didn’t jump away so much. His eyes opened looking at her with surprise “No no, don’t apologize I really liked that, but I think I might better control our speed till we’re officially able to do that cause I’m almost at the ‘no stop’ point.” He was breathing heavier then before as he added “And you’re first time I need to be taking it slow. Not-- what I want to do. Very badly.” He sat up more, turned and kissed her cheek before she got too far away and looked over her body with regret. “No, I want you a lot, Sofia, never misunderstand me on that!”





It made sense, and she was touched that he cared enough to think about that kind of thing, especially right now when it was very clear he wanted to continue. She smiled, “I know.” She bit her lip, afraid if she touched him she might be tempted to continue what they’d started. “I want you too” she admitted. It was hard to remember the potential consequences when they were up here, left to their own devices for the first time ever, and she was on the cusp of being free of her parents for good.

Her expression turned a touch rueful. “School’s going to be weird isn’t it?”





Downstairs a man delivered paperwork and left through the garden. The other guards leaving with him except for one in the garden just changed out. Mr Torres looked through the papers to get an idea of where they were and smiled. The ploy, though not without risks, had mostly succeeded and could certainly be considered successful revenge for his daughter-in-law trials. Pulling out some paper he started making notes of some of the key details carefully checking the time first. He would need to hurry to get things in today...

A rueful face appeared upon his features as well as he made adjustments to the front of his shorts to hide the evidence of his interests. “I guess I’d better run a refresher over that spell-- oh damn! I can’t now that they’ve warded the flat.” He sighed. What a mess. “Ah, we might be in a tricky spot after all. Hmm.” She mentioned school and he winced. “Very. But maybe by then we’ll have found a spell to hide things a bit better. Like the rings. The school will know and so will we, but I don’t think the teachers will be apt to spread the word among everyone else. That might delay things for a bit at least.”

He frowned thinking about it. “Something...just to hide it maybe? Though won’t the teachers call you by your new last name, hmm. We need a story, A believable one and soon. After all if we’re in separate dorms they can’t really believe any story about us being married right?” Gah the Slytherins were going to be murder this year with the teasing and crap.






She thought about it for a long moment, weighing everything out, trying to decide what the most logical course was. After a few moments, she sighed. “We could just...not” she offered finally. Another beat and she added, “I don’t want to hide us being married like its something to be ashamed of. I know what I said about everyone assuming, and I still the Slytherins are going to be hell.” Not to mention his long list of admirers who weren’t likely to take losing out a full two years early with any measure of grace.

“But hiding it just feels like we’re lending more to the gossip instead of just coming out with it facing people down.” It was uncharacteristic for her to face things head on, but after everything she’d managed to face in the last couple of weeks, she was feeling braver for it. “I’ve had enough of secrets and sneaking around and hiding things” she said softly, and for a moment she sounded surprisingly tired for someone her age. “I just want to live.”





He looked at her for a long moment, hands still adjusting though hesitantly still at the moment. “Are you sure about that? I’m going to have an easier time I would expect amongst the guys, but girls are a different thing entirely.” Most of the ones he had flirted with were not so much the issue he felt, since most had just been trying to hurt or take advantage of a social climb of anyone else, but in her own dorm wouldn’t there be issues? “The Snakes always are no matter what. They hate me already for being a half most of the time.”

A hesitant smile but then he managed to say something she might have been surprised by. “Well it’s not exactly what will happen I think. It’s either be quiet about it or loud. Girls will see a ring pretty quick I imagine. But otherwise it’s like shouting ‘rebellion’ in the middle of a classroom cause no one else is in the boat at all. Not in school.” Not that he really disliked everyone in the school thinking he’d done it with Ministry approval at least ONCE! “Living after that is going to be very different for you indeed.”





Sofia sighed, “No, but a lot’s happened in the last few days and everything’s kind of crazy right now” she admitted. “Maybe we can decide in a couple of weeks once everything’s settled down. We don’t even know what’s going to happen with my parents exactly or how the contract’s actually going to come out…” She smirked softly. “We’re not even a hundred percent sure we’ll be married by the time school starts. You may have to wait two years after all,” she teased him. She also sincerely doubted it, but poking at him had always been one of her favorite things.

She laughed suddenly at his ‘rebellion’ comment. “Imagine that, my whole life contracted out, and in the end I’m a rebel after all.” The thought amused her very much and after a moment’s hesitation she relaxed from where she’d pulled away from him, laying her head on his shoulder again in a way that was far less sensual and far more about familiarity and comfort. “I meant what I said” she reminded him nonchalantly. “I’m not afraid to hex someone if I have to.” Not that she would really, but the threat of it might be fun enough. She was particularly good at DADA, though she’d never made much about it. Part of her liked the idea that while she had always been his to some degree, after this he would be hers, for real in ways that mattered. The feeling of wanting and being wanted was powerful for a young woman who had spent most of her time alone and in forced isolation. In that way, she did intend to rebel.





He saw her point, but really… “But that’s just it right? No matter what they decide, we need to make our own decisions about things. Sure, anything might happen with these contract things, but deciding how we pull it off isn’t up to the adults but what we decide. I don’t want to wait till the last week to make plans or do things if there is something we think of sooner, you know?” A shrug but when she set her head there he stopped moving. “Maybe we have to wait till we find out what the Ministry lets us do, but still. I don’t want to wait a long time after that.”

“I’m not sure saying Rebel Wife sounds right, but I’m game. Makes you sound like a Highlander or something,” referencing the history classes they had had at school. A laugh. “Yes hex away I trust your reason on who needs it, just warn me when you do cause I might become the next target.” He looked slightly ashamed though not tons. “My studies have been more on under then over threats so DADA has not been my best class. I keep my grades up, but they won’t help me underneath the surface much at all. I do best in stuff Hogwarts doesn’t grade on much.”

Downstairs three rather excited girls piled in only hesitantly past the guard man and spilled into the living space to tell their father all about their visit and ask what the man was doing in their garden. He told them that the guard was there watching for a criminal they were searching for and that he was keeping them safe inside. Jos looked suspicious, Ella looked impressed, and Isa wanted to take the man some toast cause “he must be hungry.” Mr Torres sorted through all the confusion, explained Sofia was here with them today and tonight and then introduced them to Gelletta. Sending Isa upstairs to get the two teens (though she went to her room first to hug her stuffed sloth and tell him she was back and had missed him), he had a cautionary word with the older two who were more able to comprehend what might be happening that very evening.





She nodded, conceding the point. “So we’ll talk about it after the Ministry” she agreed finally. When they spoke about school, she nodded. “I get it” she assured him. “Don’t get me wrong, I think grades are important, but its just as important to do something you love” she was very passionate on that particular subject. “So as long as we don’t starve, I’m behind you.” She heard the chaos downstairs as the girls came in and smirked. “Looks like our privacy has run its course” she murmured. She heard someone coming up the stairs and was surprised when they didn’t immediately come to find them.

When Isa did finally appear to tell them to come down, Sofia nodded. Standing and stretching for a moment as she prepared for whatever might be going on downstairs. She found much to her surprise that she enjoyed the chaos being with Del’s family tended to bring. Letting Isa get a bit ahead of them out the door, she leaned up and kissed him softly. “It will all work out” she said quietly, one way or another.





A smirk. “You can be my homework checker if you want,” knowing there was no way after this marriage he would get away with sloppy work if she had anything to say about it. “I think school will feel very different even if the only thing that happens is checking up with each other everyday. I’ll show you my dorm and you show me yours.” When they heard noise he told her “First command is more of a caution. Little girls break things as easily as little boys do. Don’t leave that keyboard anywhere except whatever bedroom we have. Experience tells me you won’t like their curiosity.”

Isa came in, her sloth in her arm saying “Hi Sofia! Dad says you get to stay with us more! Del, dad wants you both downstairs.” Del held open his arms saying “What? No greeting to me?” Isa giggled and came gave him a hug as he asked her about what they did. After the kiss when they got to the stairs Isa took his hand as they went down the stairs and told him all about ‘Chrissy & Sal’s house’ and a playhouse they had in their yard. She ended up asking him why he hadn’t built one for them yet at one of the flats and he rolled his eyes over her head. “Cause you have not convinced dad we need one yet. He’s in charge, Isa.”





She pulled a face at him when he mentioned having her check his homework. “And what do I get?” she smirked. “I don’t tutor for free you know.” Which was a lie because she totally did, especially for the younger years. She nodded when he mentioned school and the dorms. “Maybe they’ll be more understanding than we think…” She offered hesitantly, but she doubted it, she couldn’t see most of the staff making allowances for something like this, but someone might surprise her. When Isa arrived, Sofia grinned. “Yep, you’re stuck with me.” Mindful of Del’s warning, she waited until Isa was out before stashing the keyboard under the bed, making a mental note to put it somewhere more secure later.

She caught up with Del, and they followed Isa downstairs, Sofia grinned when the little girl mentioned wanting a playhouse. “Sounds like an excellent idea to me” she offered unhelpfully, grinning innocently at Del as they reached their destination. She wondered if Mr. Torres might have information for them.





“Why” he feigned innocence “Because you want your hubby to do better. You care about me.” He shrugged about the staff helping out, but who really knew? For all he knew they were already being alerted to the possible mess with her family. ”Yeah get dad to agree first off. I’m sure he has better ideas than me anyway on making one.” They parted with Isa at the bedroom level and continued on down where his father and the elf were waiting.

Mr Torres pursed his lips for a moment before speaking. "The Ministry takes child neglect very seriously, not just because our children are the future, but because young people are heavily influenced by the adults in their lives. Your parents are not what the Ministry considers a safe situation. So while they are being seen to and interviewed to see what charges might be pending, the children have been removed from their access temporarily. Because they had already set up a situation for Sofia, the Ministry checked into it and deemed this one a safe and nurturing situation."

He smiled. "Until she comes of age, Sofia is going to be temporarily warded to her fiancée. That means Del you are responsible for any trouble she gets into. And because contracts are done through families not through the Ministry they don't normally have control over them. I was able to renegotiate making several large changes to this one removing the controls, sheets, and quite a few of the old traditions. Because Sofia is underage, she has a mild obedience ring for her last two years until she is 17. That one is to me as the supervising adult. Which I doubt you will object to very much."

Now he had a more serious look on his face as he held up a finger. "Oddly however, this is where things get a little muddled. The laws cross each other in age versus schooling and marriage. If you were not going to Hogwarts this probably wouldn't matter. And if you decide to go to Beauxbatons we might be able to manage this to go away, but if you want to stay at Hogwarts, then you can only stay in this situation with us if the two of you are married this week. That makes Delmar a legal adult for the last two years in anything involving Sofia's rights and at school oddly. Since he is still underage that could mess up some legal stuff along the way but we'll see when those come up."

Having finished, he handed Delmar a folder motioning for them both to look it over. It didn't have many papers in it, but it described her brother's assignment at Ministry expense to St Mungos and her automatic visitation rights throughout the year. Quarterly reports would be sent to Mr Torres and then Delmar on her brother's progress. The house was in escrow in her parents names but any items she wanted from her room or for her brother Del could collect for her this week only. After that her brother was considered the heir in her parents' wills so that was all finished up. "So Sofia, I don't want to rush you but I'll need to know by the end of today what school you want to go to. The girls wouldn't mind at all having you go with them and I suspect Del won't have any problem having you at Hogwarts. That part is entirely your choice. They think day after tomorrow we can go to the house for you to collect things. And yes before you ask, she is now your elf in name, not Del's."

[Shava]

Sofia listened, tried to maintain a reasonably calm expression, but it was a lot of information which represented big life changes in a very rapid fashion. Marrying Del was fine, they’d been planning for that anyway. She wasn’t thrilled with the obedience ring or with Del essentially being granted ownership of her person for the next two years, but since it was far less than she’d been looking at originally, she would cope. “I would rather stay at Hogwarts” she said softly, of that part at least, she was certain.

With all the changes taking place, she didn’t need a new environment to try and adapt to, most especially not this late in the game, and given the fact she didn’t speak French, it really wasn’t an option. She tried to remind herself that this was really a much more ideal situation than the one she’d been facing before, and it helped, but still she felt a sense of having her decisions taken away. The magical world was extremely patriarchal, and it wasn’t as if she had expected anything less, but despite the early hour, all she could think was that she could really use a nap. “Day after tomorrow should be fine” she agreed softly when he mentioned going to get her things.

The mention of Galleta made her smile. She had succeeded in that much at least. “Is that everything? Or do we need to sort out anything else?” She was trying her hardest to simply go with the flow and handle things as they came, but she was feeling overwhelmed by the concept of how much her life had changed in a very short time. Flipping through the pages that concerned her brother was at least comforting. Their parents’ money would keep him quite comfortable she expected for the rest of his life, and she would visit regularly to be certain he was being well cared for.





Trying not to look too relieved, Del listened, wanting her to ask any questions she might have before he spoke. This was more for her than anyone naturally. His father smiled. “I think that would be easiest, but I wanted to be sure you decided.” He hadn’t missed her dislike of the ring however. “As I said it’s a mild one, mostly because the Ministry feels you won’t be used to me or my rules. I doubt I will have much need to use it. And it will be good if you need permission slips for anything or permission for the nurse at school if Del is there to sign off on whatever happens there.”

Unexpectedly he added “We’ll be in a hotel in, hmm, five days so whatever you get I need to send an extendable bag with you for. Is there any furniture or such you need moved to storage for awhile from there?” Del shook his head but did ask “What about the rings, dad? I assume the service is at the Ministry?” And then half a second later “Wait-- hotel? Why a hotel?” He seemed genuinely surprised at the idea. His father chuckled “Got to be near Uncle Arturo’s.”





She could see the logic in that situation, having Del essentially be her guardian meant she wouldn’t have to argue with McGonagal over Hogsmeade or any other parental consent issues. That part at least would be a relief she supposed. She wasn’t used to observant adults, so when he commented on the ring again, she blushed. “I don’t really care about the furniture” she assured him. “There are some books and things I’d like to take, but really not a lot.” Besides her clothes, her books, and the piano Del had already provided, she would be fine. Despite being from a wealthy family, Sofia had never really had much in the way of frivolous things.

She turned to glance at him for a moment, wondering before she turned back to his father. “Arturo?”





His father flashed a bit of satisfaction for a moment in the thought his son was alert to the details. “Rings tomorrow, they might need some work. Family get together. You don’t think the main son can get married without family at least for after do you?” Del put his head in his hands. “All of them? Oh Merlin…” His father seemed amused. “Food, Del, just keep thinking lots of food and you’ll be fine.” Del took a minute to look for the first time regretful that night and then stood. “Okay so then what’s tonight count as?” His father looked at him about ten seconds before saying “Friendship. Tough spot.” Del nodded and glanced at Sofia and stepped into the kitchen motioning her on.

“Great. You get all the old folks this week at once.” He made a face. “I like my family, I don’t like old cologne, old people smell, and pinched cheeks. Got any preparation for that?”






Sofia laughed at Del’s reaction for a moment before she realized that for the first time he wouldn’t be the only one who felt deprived. Still, his reaction to the idea of a family event helped, even though she found herself nervous about meeting everyone. When they went into the kitchen, she shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person” she pointed out. “Both my parents were only children, and my grandparents are already gone” she pointed out. “I’ve never been to anything like this.” Then again, she’d never been married either, but she supposed getting everything in one shot wasn’t the worst thing. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.” It sounded oddly wonderful to her.





Delmar shrugged. “Spanish family, Spanish traditions. There’s some coins, gifts, gotta talk to everyone, something I think about cutting my tie off. Yada yada, it’s mess of stuff. I’ll have to ask Jos for her album from the last wedding one of her friends did.” He sighed, not having thought about his uncles and aunts. “Twenty people, three kids and probably out on Unc’s lawn since it’s near him. He’s the family head, dad is the operator of the family business in a way. Each family member has different contacts, different kinds of people. Dad’s right, least we’ll get a lot of food.”





Sofia nodded. “Sounds like fun” she decided. “Is everyone going to be...okay with the fact that we’re doing this...so young?” The last thing she felt prepared to deal with was someone’s disapproval. “Well” she said thoughtfully, “at least I’ll get to meet everyone at once.” she pointed out. She tried to picture the image he had described, wondered what it would be like to have that many relatives all clamoring to be heard and laughing and...it still sounded wonderful. “I wonder what will happen to my parents” she murmured softly. As much as she resented all they had done, and as much as she had expected to feel some sort of satisfaction now that things had finally come to a head, instead she just felt...sad.





Del looked at her, not sure. “I really don’t know. I’m sure they all know about the contract originally. Imagine they would be happier with this one now than the other.” Other than that he had no real idea if any would be upset. “Ha, yes. Normally they don’t mix much, but even my family thinks I really am a big deal.” He winked when she looked at him and then turned and got some pineapple juice from the fridge. “Want anything?” She spoke, but he picked up on the wonder and though she was regretting maybe things a little.

“Hey who knows-- I’m sure we will be one of the first to know when they finish deciding. It’s possible they may pay some huge fine and be released, but not allowed to visit either of you for a time. Bad influence at the very least.” Putting the juice down unsipped he caught her around the middle and hugged her, putting his head on her shoulder. “Are you feeling...what...sorry for them a bit?”





“Probably so” she agreed, thinking that most anyone would be surely. She smirked when he mentioned being a big deal. “I suppose someone had to be responsible for your ego” she teased him, smiling softly. “Since we know it wasn’t me.” She watched him, realized she hadn’t had anything since she’d gotten out of the shower and nodded. “I’ll have what you’re having, please” she asked, realizing she should probably do a better job of staying hydrated in the warmer climate.

She could tolerate the idea they’d be punished for what they’d done, but as much as she thought they might have deserved it, she didn’t want them to go to prison. Justice was one thing, and there was some poetry in the idea of them being locked up the way they’d done to her, but Sofia was far more mercy than justice now that she was safe and her anger had cooled. Del pulled her close, surprising her though she realized she shouldn’t have been by now. He was more observant now than he had been when they were younger. “Maybe...a little. I know you probably think that’s crazy, but…” She bit her lip. “They’re my parents…” She shrugged, I don’t think they meant to be bad, just...indifferent, and I know that’s bad, but...I can’t help thinking it’s not Azkaban bad…” She moved in as close as she could, seeking comfort. “I don’t want them to suffer. I know I said...but I was angry and...I really don’t.”






While not surprised, there was a flash of...something there before he looked maybe a bit embarrassed. “Is it that bad?” A view of his mother’s face telling him he couldn’t do everything he wanted flashed through his mind and his mood shifted. He poured her a glass maybe more than his and handed it over before replacing the box in the fridge. One of his aunt’s had a wholesaler for restaurants and they got regular deliveries when they got to a new rental. A shake of his head.

“No, as much as they don’t deserve you and I am happy to deny them you for sure, I get it. It’s your parents and they've had a large influence on who you are, good or bad. Now you have to find out who you are without them around and that’s going to surprise you over time I bet.” Del sighed slightly as she pushed more into him and held her maybe more firmly as a result. “Out of our hands now actually. Which might be the good thing that Dad did. BY getting the Ministry involved it’s no one’s fault but their own whatever happens. You can’t claim having any hand in it really.”





“Oh not nearly” she reassured him. “But when we were kids I wanted to throw a book at you sometimes” she admitted. She shrugged, took a sip of the juice and knew immediately it had been a good decision. “We’ve grown up since then. I was just teasing, Del.” For the first time, it occurred to her that he might actually care what she thought, not just in the things that she wanted, but also in what she said and felt about him. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her so much given the last few days, but it wasn’t as though she had much experience with her opinion being important.

She acknowledged silently first that he was right, and found herself thinking it might be easier than she’d first thought getting used to having someone to hug all the time and talk to, despite the strangeness of it lingering somewhat in the nervous energy she still felt a bit. “I just hope they end up okay” she said finally after a long moment. Far away from her and her brother who would more than likely have a much better quality of life in the long term care unit of St. Mungos, but okay nonetheless. “Are you nervous?” she asked suddenly. “About, well, everything?”





HIs face was still...something mixed. “Yeah I know, but sometimes.” He hesitated. “Well. Not about you or what happens to your brother really. I don’t have any feeling for your parents really beyond they got whatever happens coming, but I know you have feelings for them. I’m going to be leaning on your version though not my own feelings.” Another hesitation, out of character too as he let go and leaned back against the counter. “Um...could you like, I don’t know, maybe warn me next time when I’m getting too...uh full of myself?” Odd how much that bothered him somehow…






She studied his face for a long moment, no doubt about it now. Her comment had gotten to him, joke or not. It surprised her really, because even a year ago she would have expected him to say something snarky back at her and the two would bicker they way they had always done. She stepped closer when he pulled back, but didn’t force her way back into his personal space, save to lay a hand against his cheek. “Hey” she murmured, smiling warmly up at him. “It was only a joke” she tried again to reassure him, having been unaware that something she said had the power to bother him.

“We’re not kids anymore, you haven’t been like that in…” Could she even remember the last time he had made some snappy comment designed to get under her skin? “Forever” Giving in to her own impulses, and how much she enjoyed having him close, she placed both hands on his chest and came in close again. “I’ll tell you” she promised, “just like I expect you to tell me if I’m getting too lost in my own head or all my secrets” she reminded him. “Partners, remember?” she brushed her nose against his briefly and then kissed him gently. “You’re incredible, Del, really.”





A joke right, but he had been doing it. His lips twisted up as she spoke, an internal dialogue playing. “Right, but it hasn’t always been a joke really, that’s my problem.” There was no resistance to her coming closer. She spoke and he nodded, forcing his gaze to her eyes. “Right. Throwing my words back at me. Sorry,” he laughed slightly “I like you being close. It feels right.” She kissed him and he brought his arms back up around her in a light hug. “Oh no you don’t, I just said don’t let me get that in my head Sof!” He was amused again, more of his old self.

“Look, let’s take our drinks and go ask Jos for that book and we’ll sit down and talk over what I can remember of that wedding. That will help both of us stay busy. Distracted, right?” Sure that would help her mind set enough, he kissed her and let her waist go, capturing a hand while he got his juice.





“What?” She looked up at him innocently before a touch of mischief crossed her expression. “They were good words.” She tilted her head slightly and nodded. “It does” she agreed, “but then again we’ve always been close...haven’t we?” Looking back, even when they’d been young and arguing more than anything else, she’d been more comfortable letting him into her personal space than anyone. Without really meaning to, and without her knowledge or consent even really, he had become an integral part of her world, and she couldn’t imagine it without him. She offered him a half smile and a nod. “Can’t help it” she winked at him, “stop doing incredible things then.”

She laced her fingers through his and lifted her own glass off the counter. “So juice and family trivia...there are worse dates.” She’d heard of several through the grapevine in the dorms. Once he had procured the album from his sister, she sat next to him and bit her lip. “I’m probably never going to remember all the names” she warned him in advance. “Fair warning.”





“Yes. We have always been close except at school.” He looked sorry for that. “I should have tried to pry you out of your tower much earlier than this.” And this close he wasn’t sure they would have managed the same. If the contract had gone ahead then many things might have been different so he was happy to have her feeling good about getting in close to him; this afternoon upstairs had confirmed this! “Man nothing personal but I really wish this was happening now so tonight could be more.”

Sticking his tongue out at her he laughed. “Okay okay, I’ll keep being wonderful.” He rolled his eyes, but he seemed pleased. Jos was puzzled about why he wanted it, but he got it and went up. “Well...I don’t know about trivia so much, but this is going to be odd. I mean it’s a Ministry wedding legal not like some big family affair so they will be a--- a reception I guess? I don’t know how much of this will happen…” They sat down and he opened the album saying “So I did tell you ten brothers and sisters, there are three kids among them. All “ he hesitated for a moment thinking “all younger than us so playmates probably for the girls.”

He glanced over a few pictures before pointing one out in particular. “In Spain they don’t wear the rings the same as in England so I’m not su-- Oh say!” He hadn’t thought of that actually! “The engagement ring goes on the left hand, the wedding band on the right! You will probably only have the band so none of the girls in your dorm may realize you are wearing a wedding band specifically!” Ha, that could help out even if they weren’t announcing it all. “If you don’t mind following a Spanish cultural thing instead of an English one…”





Sofia laughed softly. “I mean, it’s been years” she pointed out. “Its one night, Del. It’ll go by like…” Here she snapped. “That.” She rolled his eyes when he stuck his tongue out at her. She shrugged, “well, since I now get to forgo the confectionary dress and the dark magic, I’m pretty sure I can handle anything” she pointed out. Her mood was so light she almost felt like she could fly if she really wanted to. He mentioned the kids and she nodded. “I’m sure that part will be easy, it’s the adults that make me nervous” she pointed out.

She looked contemplative when he offered an alternative that might confuse their classmates. “That could work” she agreed. After all, though she had grown up in England, both her parents had been raised in Spain. Most of what she knew of her heritage she had learned from books or from time spent with Del and his family. The idea of embracing something like that intrigued her. “So for all they know the left hand is an engagement ring which makes sense because the whole school knows we’re promised, and we put the wedding band on the right hand which means nothing to them.” She nodded, “that could work.” She kissed his cheek. “You’re brilliant sometimes.”





Liking being told he’s smart, Del smiled more when she kissed him. “I can’t claim much, it’s the wedding thing around here. This isn’t even our family, but it’s a tradition just like the arras” he said tapping a picture of a small set of coins in one picture. “I have to give you 13 don’t-ask-why-the-number coins and then they cut off my tie and auction it among the guests to give us money to start out new life with. It’s different.” Although how any of these things got started he had no idea.

“Oh and yeah, pins. The bride and groom give the guys cigars and the women pins. So weird. Although I doubt anyone in my family will do cigars, I guess dad is getting things when we go to get rings. I’d better ask, what sort of stuff do you think you would like in a ring?”





“I know about the arras” she pointed out. “I did a lot of research into wedding traditions before I saw the contract. I was trying to get an idea of what might be expected.” She shrugged, “just tell me what to give whom and where to stand” she promised him. “I’ll do my best.” He mentioned the ring, and she met his eyes. “I....haven’t really ever thought about it” she admitted apologetically. “I didn’t really expect to get a say so…” She’d spent her life since the contract fully believing her parents would decide most of it, and what wasn’t up to them would be up to Del and his family. Now she had exactly twenty four hours suddenly and a lot more input than she had ever expected to have.

“Just...not too flashy.” Sofia liked pretty things, but her mother had always worn too much jewelry in her opinion, as though she were trying too hard to demonstrate their wealth.
She smiled warmly at him. “As long as we get through the day in one piece, I’ll be happy” she pointed out. “Everything else can be a chaotic mess.”





She knew about at least some of it thankfully. “I always thought the tie was kinda weird. Seen two weddings and watching them cut his tie off was kinda scary I thought.” Nothing like having a knife up against your throat by the people you trusted, right? He shrugged. I wouldn’t have any groomsmen so I don’t even know if that happens this week.” He gave her a look. “Flashy. IN a band? They don’t even have stones do they? An engagement ring would be like ten years too late,” he chuckled.






She grinned. “I guess you’ll just have to summon all of that Gryffindor courage” she teased him. His comment about the engagement ring earned a snort. “I have no idea” she reminded him. “My parents were all about flashy things so their wedding stuff is super flamboyant” she reminded him. “I don’t know what normal people do.” She widened her eyes at him innocently, “so then, wouldn’t that mean you’re ten years late?” The whole thing was equal parts amusing and terrifying the more she thought about it. “Seriously, unless you can somehow get me a band made of sunflowers, I don’t really have a preference” she assured him. “It’s what they represent that counts, isn’t it?”






There was little about knives which was a lion, he thought, but probably someone did. “Yeah right, relatives, funny smelling old people and knives. Perfect.” She teased him about being late and he shook his head. “Nope! Your parents didn’t let anything happen outside their plans. Remember? They probably wouldn’t have even let me get one, but provided one they thought flashy enough.” She wanted sunflowers on a band? “Yeah I don’t know much about the rings but I’ll look. That’s all I can promise.”





She shrugged again. “It really doesn’t matter, Del” she said again. “Since all this is happening tomorrow I doubt anyone’s going to have a lot of time to be terribly picky.” In fairness, after everything that had happened today she was probably going to have to call it an early night if she had any hope of having the wherewithal to withstand tomorrow. “Think anyone would notice if I went back upstairs for a nap and didn’t come down until tomorrow?” she tried.





“True,” he half-thought as he nodded. But he searched her face. “But isn’t there something you want, something to make it more, I don’t know, personal? Not just contracted like?” She was female and they were far more interested in emotional and romantic responses. Her mention of naps made him smile. “I think that’s fine do it. When I come up I’ll be sure to wake you before I get in bed. Or play with your keyboard if you like for awhile. I can find other things to do down here if you need time.”





Sofia nodded. “Thanks Del” she kissed him gently before lifting her glass off the counter and heading for the stairs. She took his advice, channeling her nervous energy into the keyboard, but she took it out on onto the roof and kept the volume on very low to avoid his sisters’ awareness. She wouldn’t mind giving them lessons any other time, but today she needed...She just needed some time and space to process the last twenty-four hours...and the next twenty-four hours. As afternoon bled into evening, she begged out of dinner, telling Jos she was tired and wanted to get plenty of sleep before the big family reunion the next day.

Briefly, she considered trying to sleep in her clothes, but what she’d told Jos had been mostly true, and she knew she’d be uncomfortable if she didn’t sleep the same way she always did. So, grateful that he was still downstairs, Sofia stripped out of her tanktop and shorts and climbed into bed, with any luck, she’d be asleep when he came up, but she’d forgotten by that point his promise to wake her before climbing in.





Keeping his sisters entertained, he was busy for most of the rest of the evening, before and after dinner accepting some stuff to leave beside the bed for later if she felt hungry. Explaining she was trying to wrap her mind around everything was good enough for his father and the elf, but the girls were sad she wasn’t down. When he did decide to head up later, he took the covered plate up and set it along with a bottle of water on the side of the bed with a note with her name on it. Walking quietly on bare feet he closed the outside door partly knowing it would be too warm in the morning if he did not and then turned to the bed.

She looked far too asleep to wake actually. For a minute he just knelt there watching her sleep and his face indeed softened. He tussled with himself a few minutes before he got up and stripped down to his underwear and crept onto the bed behind her nearer the wall. Slipping underneath the covers very slowly, he thought he had managed it by the time he was all the way under. Softly he touched her shoulder and said her name low, not really wanting to, but he had promised. It wasn’t much of an effort really.

Laying back he looked at the ceiling and thought about what it would be like to sleep no longer alone. Del wondered for awhile if he would be able to touch her more without her waking…





Sofia roused slightly with the shift of the mattress, mumbling something unintelligible before settling in again. The combination of his touch and his voice, however, and she moved reflexively toward his warmth, snuggling in against his side. Not aware enough to be embarrassed.

“You’re so warm…” she murmured, voice heavy with sleep, she rolled over and wrapped herself around him. “M’cold”





When she started to snuggle into him he realized after a second she actually hadn’t woken fully and she managed to get him completely hugged in before his face went red in the darkness. With a leg around him, his arm was in a spot he had never been in before causing his extreme flush before he said back “Feel free, I got ya” and managed to slide that arm up and out from between her legs and get it around her waist instead an expression of ‘whew’ on his face before he settled more.

Wow. Trying to ignore what his body was excitedly reacting to he mentally tried to quiet his mind and failed. Multiple times.





It was his movement that woke her more fully, and she flushed darkly when she realized what had happened. “Sorry, Del” she whispered, knowing their current position must be torture for him, she made to disentangle herself.

As soon as she said “sorry” Del pulled at her waist. “No, I need to get used to this and you are cold you're like ice, come here” and kept her from pulling away. “Sorry I was trying not to wake you, you looked so peaceful. Go back to sleep.” A kiss on her cheek as he attempted to be a man and not react further to certain parts of her. Not that his imagination didn’t run wild at that point, trying to envision what she looked like and found himself wide awake.

Really. He could not wait for this marriage to be started. There were so many things he had been dreaming about…





He pulled her close again and she sighed, grateful for his warmth despite the lack of barriers between them. She smiled softly. “It’s alright” she assured him. “I asked you to.” She turned her head to kiss his shoulder. “How did the girls react when your father told them about tomorrow?” she asked him softly, looking for something to distract from her own curiosity. “Or did he?”

She sighed softly and for some odd reason it sent a spark of interest in his head. His mouth opened softly without sound before he shut it, confused why. Why had that gotten him? Her snuggling close however gave him a clue he started trying to figure out. “About getting rings? No, he didn’t tell them that, just said that the wedding was happening this week. They were enthused to say the least.” And probably still awake except for Jos whose eyes said she didn’t get why it had to happen at once.

Older she was, but not quite ready to hear all the rules she would have to confront herself in a few more years; he certainly wasn’t ready to deal with her getting that old either! “Isa and Ella don’t really understand, but the idea of there being yet another girl around all the time thrills them.” They’d get there eventually so he wasn’t too worried. The less they understood about sex the better in his mind at this age.





Sofia nodded. “I’m just another playmate to them” she murmured, a touch of playful ruefulness in her tone. “Still, it will be nice to have sisters. I always wanted someone to play with growing up.” Even though she was a bit old for it now. She relaxed more fully into him, nerves giving way to warmth and simple comfort, and...maybe something a bit more than that. They’d never really been curled up this way in anything less than full dress. They’d seen each other in bathing suits of course, but Sofia had never climbed into the hammock with him dressed that way.

Now, she was keenly aware of her state of undress combined with his and the knowledge that no one was going to come busting in on them if they were to...but it was still a bad idea. The alterations to the contract didn’t undo the spells that had been cast, and Sofia wasn’t sure how rigid they were until the binding was actually done, or what might happen as a result. “I guess we should both...tomorrow will be…” But she sounded hesitant even in her own ears. Sleep seemed like such a waste.





Ah. It had taken a moment to see it, but it was because he felt it when he did something she wanted. IN this case just holding her clearly made her happy and he had jumped right into that reaction. Hmm. A certain cheerfulness about her words came about. “Yes thank goodness, I might not have as many distractions to deal with if you help at keeping them in line. Heck, that’s probably good training for when our own kids are bigger really.” And by the very definition of age and being his wife she would have a lot of authority with the girls although never as much as he did. She however would have experience as a woman and they would all three want to learn from her.

One hand slid slowly down her backside and onto her ass. If she could have seen his blush in the dark she would have known exactly why as he tried to make it nonchalant. A certain thrill ran through him which she could easily feel from his tremble. “Sleep? With one of the most desired women in my life in my arms? No, I doubt I will sleep tonight even if I can’t do anything about it!”






She laughed softly. “I don’t mind hanging out with them sometimes” she pointed out. “But if I wake up with a painted face I’m going to expect you to get payback for me. Being recognized as an adult should remove the trace shouldn’t it? Even in places where they can track it?” She felt his touch as he trailed lower, and her own skin flushed crimson as she bit her lip. “It’s not that I don’t want…” she tried to reassure him. “Just that I’m not sure how far the magic goes or...or what will happen if we…” she shrugged helplessly.






“Sometimes? You don’t understand little siblings.” A shake of his head at what she was going to learn very soon. “You have as much chance at being interrupted at all hours of the day and sometimes night as I do. Wait until the first thunderstorm at night and Isa is suddenly crawling in between us.” Ella was slightly more hesitant, but if she wanted something she would be there still. “I’m supposed to make decisions between them on who did what and what was done wrong and this frog should be colored blue. You get to do that soon too.” She asked about the magic and he sorrowfully shook his head.

“They put it up on this place today. We won’t be free of that till we move next week probably. By which time we’ll be a full couple. I doubt we get to make adult moves until birthdays anyway. He did say I’m your guardian for stuff at school after all.” She hesitantly warned him and he responded quickly “Yes but that was under the contract the Ministry voided today and made a new agreement with Dad. And the old one was a warning system not a punishment thing, right? Cause nothing has ever happened I thought?”





Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. “I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a referee” she pointed out softly. She had exactly zero experience with any of that. She shrugged, “I’m not sure if the magic and the contract are necessarily connected. My parents cast the spells themselves after they came to the agreement with your father. I’m not sure if its the actual contract that controls them or the bonding ceremony when that happens.” She looked thoughtful, “I really know” she answered honestly. “It’s not like I’ve ever tried anything with someone who wasn’t you, and you and I only really just…” She bit her lip. “I’ve never tested it, Del.”





His other hand came up and cupped her cheek, slowly running his fingers across her skin and loving his given permission. “You are going to learn how. Little sisters need separating often enough. Hey, you’re going to get lots of lullaby practice too in the evenings.” Ella was bad about needing something to put her to sleep whether it be long readings from a book or song. A light squeeze with his hand on her buttock before he slid it upwards.

“Well we will know by the end of the week at least, but don’t fret my Sof, I’m not planning on going that far anyway tonight. But a little exploration is like a massage and can’t set off any sort of magic anyway. And I’m pretty sure you are interested still in exploring a bit. Just, ha, don’t get so carried away as you did the other day unless you have a hand wrapped around that part to see how it changes.”





“I can do lullabies” she said softly, “and story time shouldn’t be too much of a stretch either” she added with a rueful smile. She flushed darkly both at his comment and the way his hands were traveling over her skin. Her face and then a moment later her entire body warmed.



“I...sure...no..I won’t...I p-promise.” Excited, but also extremely nervous, she brought a hand up to his face and kissed him softly, easing her way into this mindset again, like sinking into something soft and comfortable, though this was neither.





HIs eyes sparkled even in the dark as he kissed her adding softly “I think you will be way better at lullabies than me and I bet the girls will adore you all the more for singing to them!” Referring to her love of music and singing, Delmar who had never been big into music thought he might have to ask her to do that for him sometime even. He knew without words that he needed to be sure and work music appreciation into his coming days. A tilt of his head as he thoughtfully added “I’d be surprised if most girls weren’t curious about that part actually, but I was more thinking anything about me you are curious about would help us both get used to the feel of each other up close like this. Otherwise we’re going to need a lot more sleep before this week is over.”

Letting her do as she wanted, Del slid that hand off her face and down her back to her other side, one hand sliding under her thigh to squeeze her leg softly just underneath where he was sure he could surprise her tonight and probably every night this week. “You feel really nice and firm under my hands, Sofia, I very much am going to enjoy this week.” Fingers spreading, he kept one hand on her butt and slid the other down her leg to her knee and under it, bending it up over his own leg as he enjoyed her length. “Gosh you are sexy…”