✧RIGHTLY ACCUSED PT.2✧

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"I'm taking you home, come." She ordered, and the girl hopped off the bed and continued to follow the elder witch throughout the home and to the nearest exit as Aurora still had trouble in getting reused to the floo system.

Since it was simply apprenting to another Lestrange manor, she was allowed to due to her union. However, she did not want to alert her in law and future in law to the situation just yet.

She needed to keep her bearings before starting a war.

"Darling, how about you—"
"LYDIA!" The young witch jumped at her mother's threatening screech, and honestly it hadn't been that much of a surprise to Rory that she hid behind her figure.

"Linda." Aurora caused the woman to halt her next step, it seemed like fear spread across her face.
"I was simply returning Lydia home, you are welcomed anytime sweetheart, but please owl before?" All hope that the girl was going to be given a free pass for what she did had been thrown away, especially when she saw her mother's fuming rage.

"Lydia I warned you on what would happen if—"
"I did not do this. That would be Bellatrix who must have been talking to my husband. Is your fiancé home?" It was common knowledge now that they were engaged, and the woman nodded in agreement.

"He's in his study." Aurora rolled her eyes, but didn't miss the opportunity to kiss Lydia's crown before making her way through the halls.

Funny how just a few years ago would she stay for a few nights, back then she hadn't known that she would be Rabastan's wife.
Nor was she even committed to a relationship just yet either.

A quick knock settled onto her father-in-law's door, and it wasn't long until he called out a confirmation for her to come in. Though he hadn't asked who it would be.

"Darling, did you find Lydia?"
"I did, although Bella beat me to it." His head shot up in the instant as it was not Linda's voice at all, instead he frowned on two fronts.

One because it was Aurora, and the second for Bella's actions.

"Suppose I have to have a word with her as well."
"No need, I warned her. I don't like a child coming to harm as much as the next mother. Lydia is not at fault, nor does she know what's happening." He too felt guilty on what had come to his youngest child's life, but what was he going to do?

There was nothing he could until the wedding and until she held his name.

"Thank you Cassiopeia, now then I have a few—"
"I am not done Lestrange." She interupted, all before placing the potion down to the table, not daring to pardon her eye contact with the senior wizard.

He held no remorse as his chair scratched backward, eyeing his daughter in law.

"How?!" His anger was clear, but it merely caused her to narrow her eyes towards the master of the home.

"Have you failed to realize I am on the team with Mr.Handson to build a new treatment?... Come to find out that Clarissa's bottles were a slightly different color, though there was no change from their first product to now." It was all too clear now that he had done this on purpose, and so she shook her head. Completely and utterly disgusted.

"Months, you rather her suffer for months rather than let her live peacefully. What sort of a monster are—"

"I was trapped in a marriage I didn't want." Rory scoffed at the idea of her father in law coming in with a complaint that all the pureblood society was facing.

"And you were must've been a damn treat for the woman? It sounds like you are regretting your sons...Just because you are a wizard, sir, that does not excuse murder."
"You have no proof."

"Of course I do, transactions. Mr.Handson who aided me in uncovering it...Congratulations father, you may have missed your wedding due to your imprisonment." He gritted his teeth off to the side as he coward.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want?... I want a normal bloody year, I wanted a normal marriage with a normal mother who didn't poison me to have a son." She leaned either hand down to the desk as she dared her father to look her in the eye, but the only remorse she could read was that he had gotten caught.

"Rabastan will not be able to handle the truth." It caused him to look at her fully...Had—Had he been able to get off the hook?

"What do you want...Anything—The will? I never took either of you off just yet. I simply want Linda and Lydia." Selfish indeed, but what was she meant to do? "I dated her in Hogwarts, you and Rabastan remind me of us...Had we stayed together then—" 

"Then my husband would not be alive...I pity you yes, but your actions will cost you." It started with her banning him from seeing his grandchildren, the will, and demanded him to speak to his sons on what will happen.

As well as explaining to Lydia.

"She is too young to—"
"Had I not been returning home then Lydia might not have been the same after Bella's fun. We both know that she will not follow an order unless it's from a higher power." He nodded once again, but Rory was still sanctioned on the thought of Clarissa.

"I truly hope karma is good to you, it will surely cost a miracle for you to get through this without harm...But if my forgiveness goes for giving my mother a second and third chance I suppose you will be granted the same." He continued to blink, overall shocked that he had been caught and been given a semi-free pass.

But truth be told, Clarissa had caught the poxs on her own. She was due to die at any moment anyway.

"You are too smart for your own good Cassiopeia...Too smart."
"Well at least my empathy for a situation is what is stopping me from telling my husband the truth, unless we go together and discuss this?... Then you have no right in insulting me further, father." He watched as she whipped her head around and exited out of the room, Linda had been on the other side of the door and she too heard the conversation.

She hadn't known what he was planning, she simply assumed that Clarissa was unwell.

"What did you do?" She whispered out, and now the man was issued the supposed Karma his daughter had just warned him. Though neither him nor her knew that Linda was listening, it wasn't all that coincidental that it happened so soon.

"I did what was best for—"
"For us...And I've told you that it would be easier had we just waited for—" He had waited long enough for her, watching his son fall in love was a tremendous pain and reminder of all that could've been for him and Linda.

He heard Cassi say that he regretted having his sons. He doesn't. He simply wished for another woman, but would never cast the blame onto his sons.

It was simply the hope that Cassiopeia keeps her promise of hiding the news rather than spilling out the truth. He didn't know how much longer he could handle having both sons hate him at the moment.

Aurora rightly couldn't see Rabastan at the moment, instead she gave herself time to digest all that happened, and that was in the form of giving Cara a bit of attention. She wore a protective cloak so that the youngest Lestrange heir wouldn't feel any harsh weather.

The young mother was humming along, even finding a step on the patio's stairwell to snuggle her further. In addition to the mother and daughter moment, Nymeria had snuck out from Halsey's clutches only find her own mum and the youngest.

It was a blessing that the Dire wolves shifted towards the children when they arrived, it was an adorable sight indeed.

Rabastan had been confused on his wife's behavior all morning, and when he questioned Orion he simply shrugged his shoulders and claimed that he didn't know what was bothering the woman either.

Part of him wanted to owl Otto in regards to an update and trading of worryment, but withheld as he found her catching her breath with the littlest munchkin of the bunch.

"Seems like Cara has you wrapped around your finger love." She smiled brightly up to her husband, the purity and innocence that her daughter was projecting gave a sense of clarity that she rightly needed...Even if Rabastan decided to sit down beside her on the steps.

"Is everything alright? I heard you coming and leaving a few times...As well as you and Bella going at it, but hadn't the time as you were already gone."
"We were looking over the current Dragon Pox medication and stripping it down to see what is being used currently again...I guess I just couldn't with my father and—" He understood what she was getting at, perhaps sending her back to work was a mistake, but it was far too late to retract what he had said.

"...Lydia was looking for me, she ran into Bella." She watched in pure shock that her own husband had turned rather dark, especially in his eyes as he closed his fists. "What was she doing here?"

"She was looking for me, but I don't know why or for what...She—" Rabastan waved as he shook his head, not wanting or carrying to know.

"She is not allowed in this manor. Her or her mother." Her hurt reaction pushed him further. "The wedding is in twelve days." He remarked, Rory raised to her feet with Cara still babbling close to her chest and over her shoulder.

"Raba please...Please don't take your anger out on a child."

"You make her sound so innocent, she's moving into my bedroom." Aurora made a reach for her husband, though he threw it off.

"Don't Aurora. You won't change my mind."

"Won't I?...I have no siblings left, I have your brother and Bella. And you have the chance to be an older brother, to aid her...You're not taking the opportunity. I get that you are upset, I know you are...But pinning it to her is pointless." Rabastan had opened his mouth to give his opinion, but was interrupted by the sudden wail of a child.

The father had a bit of trouble in depicting if it was one of the boys or Halsey, but Rory knew instantly it was Romulus. His cries were usually softer, but this one seemed to be in pain, and Rabastan watched in pure helplessness as he followed behind his wife.

"Rommy, sweetheart what's wrong?" The young boy had hurt his arm whilst playing with the broom, one of which their mother made a rule in not playing without mummy or papa present.

The terrified screams only elevated as Rory took her son's arm in hand, it was definitely broken. "Daisy I need my aid kit! Now!" She screamed, and the elf didn't bother popping in as she retrieved the box for the second time today.

Her hands shaking to get the small dropped and open her son's mouth as she gave him a dose of a pain reliever before feeling around for her wand.

"Rab—Rabastan give me your wand." He wasted no time at all before settling the wand to his wife's hands as she mended the boy's arm.

However he was still feeling the slight trauma of feeling that much pain coursing through his veins. "Shh Shh, you're alright Rommy. You're alright, see?" She allowed her hand to drag down the likes of his arm and massage it, soothing her son's fears and pulling him close.

But it wasn't the only thing that was left untouched, a few pictures and pieces of art were shattered amongst the rest. To make matters worse had Halsey come in with a childish cackle on her broom, her second broom as she broke her first.

Aurora threw the tip of Rabastan's wand to pause her daughter's cruising, with one small glance did the daughter know exactly what was going to happen.

"Halsey Imara Lestrange, what in Salzara's name are you doing? Both you and Romulus?!" Rabastan's voice had never gone over a normal beat, but this was a different subject.
Romulus had broken his arm, and his twin was sporting a few cuts and what could be bruises later.

"Daisy, take Cara to Ronan." Halsey knew downright what this was going to entail, but the tears were not going to help her this time around.

"Who's idea was this?" Aurora questioned, now looking between either child was it obvious that it was Halsey's imagination, but Romulus did not have to follow through with the idea.

"Halsey, come here this instant!" Aurora shouted, and the small toddler began to throw a fit. Her head fell backwards as she wailed out, apologizing and claiming to have her own set of scrapes.

"You are not allowed to touch the broom until your father and I say so, is that understood?!" The daughter did not understand, not at all. It was a strange concept of punishment as usually, they weren't to something being taken away.

But then again, they hadn't been this damning in quiet some time.

"Halsey, you know the rules. I don't want you or any of your brothers or sister to get hurt. No dessert and you both are going to bed early tonight." Romulus was entirely settled as he was simply poking the spot that had been causing so much pain just seconds ago.

As Rabastan was about to say his piece, a vase from the hallway off behind them both had been shattered to bits. Aurora jumped and turned around on the defensive as she saw the end result of the vase shift from the pedestal to the wall across the ways.

"Halsey, sweetheart...You went against my word, why should you get dessert or stay up if you cannot follow my rules?"

"Your mummy's right Halsey, you know better than to go against her...Best let her clean you up and get ready for dinner, then settled into bed." She continued to sniffle, protesting about going to bed, but mere seconds over the pillow had the girl seemingly found no willpower to stay up any longer.

Rabastan had waited for Aurora outside the twin's room as she tucked them in and made sure the sap was healing their bruises properly, and they were...Though it was giving her a difficult time to accommodate how hurt her children had gotten, now she understood why her mother didn't want her playing Quidditch.

Barely a moment out of the room had she found Rabastan hesitate in coming closer. He was battling with himself in whether or not to give his wife a moment or bring her into an embrace.

The mother dragon in her was demanding that she stay with them, but another had felt terrible in them not listening. They were children, children do not listen and not at that age. But her heartache was still loudly beating, so she looked to her husband beneath her damp eyelashes as she sighed further.

She offered up his wand, which had ultimately caused him to inch closer and replace her own from downstairs. "Poppy, ready a bath for my wife." He ordered, the woman was desperately tired now that the crisis is over. But he recognized her attire as still being her work uniform, she barely had the energy now to discuss what they had prior to the incident.

"I can barely fathom the idea of them getting hurt...But if someone dares touch our children with malcontent as Bella had, I would kill them." Her point was proven as Rabastan leaned forward with a small kiss to her cheekbone, though his hand gestured her chin upwards to make sure that she was angled properly to meet his affection.

"I love you Aurora...You're everything to me, you and the four little munchkins." She smiled in a small fraction of delight before she mumbled a goodnight, and although she made it a given few steps away, she halted at the sound of his voice.

"What—What you said Rory...I agree, if someone dares to hurt any of you I would retaliate with every fiber of my being...Lydia is...I need time." His response granted her to turn around and she smiled, though her eagerness to get some sleep.

"That's all I ask Raba." With the final words did she rightly continue off to their bedroom and drown herself in the hot water.

Good gracious did she need it, with the lack of response between either brother. Albus and the rest above, sweet Merlin was her body going into overprotective.
Personally she could sleep for a month.

She timed herself, knowing full well that she would manage to fall asleep in the tub if she wasn't careful enough. So she rose, dried and wrapped a robe around herself before finding the miraculous feeling of what the bed gave her.

Was it selfish of her to want her husband to come to bed?

"M-mummy?" Aurora responded in a tired daze as she looked up fro her position. The blanket partially on her body as she looked to the small peak in the door.

It was Halsey.

"Sweetheart, it's sleep time." The mother reminded, and the girl simply ran the remaining space between as she tried to climb the bed. Her arms wrapped around her mum and cried an apology.

"Halsey, my crazy little girl...I am not mad at you love, but Romulus had a big big ouchie because of what happened. I want you safe darling, mummy was sad that you were crying." The young daughter continued to cry in her mum's hold, but it allowed each other the comfort of falling asleep so easily.

Rory didn't have a favorite child, it was the unfair nature that she grew up with her entire life. She witnessed how much it hurt Sirius to know that he was neither his parents favorite.

Rabastan had work to finish up, and part of him wanted to wait until later to complete it. However with the sudden threat of not being apart of his father's will any longer, it was going to cause a surge of panic...Especially if his wife makes money than him.

It was unheard of, especially in their kind.
Lawyers and wizards who find themselves in the lawful side of the ministry receive a high salary, however with potion fanatics they can manage anywhere from minimum wage to millionaires...

And everyone knew Aurora was on her way to becoming a famous inventor, clearly it was why everyone shared their high hopes.

Knowing his wife, he assumed she was feeling the drastic pressure. But even now her working on a cure was going to bless the globe with an antidote.

He caught himself daydreaming of all the cures his own wife could muster, his nightcap running dry did he gulp the last of the contents before retiring himself.

And it was a picture-perfect image, seeing Halsey snuggle up to her mum.

But Rory needed rest and he wanted to be the one to cuddle his wife, so he gently took his daughter. Her head falling in the crook of his own neck as she hummed.

"Papa?" She tiredly popped up, and he grinned. "Yes? Ma jolie fille? Sleepsleep."
[Yes? My beautiful daughter? Sleepsleep]

She repeated her father's words of sleepsleep, something that all the children acquired from their mother. He was plenty sure of that.

With the cribs finally upgraded to toddler beds was it easy to replace and tuck in his daughter, all before turning down to his son. His hand running through the little lad's locks, something so visibly the same as his own that the euphoric hummed through his veins.

Truly, he adored the lights out of his children. Even if Romulus held a snitch in his hands.

Sealing it with a small kiss did he decide it was finally time to head to his wife. Someone who looked mildly appetizing in a simple robe. One of which was riding up the likes of her thigh and showing the creamy goodness of her skin.

His knuckles were taking a mind of their own as they tickled upwards as far as they dictated. She squirmed lightly in her sleep as she jerked away, but only slightly.
Instead she pushed closer, almost as if she knew it was him.

And she surely did once he encased her into his hold...

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Date Posted: 11-19-19

Time: 12:13

Words: 3502

Rory is keeping another secret from Rabastan...🤫👀