Returning home; the Abbott's [HA, DA, HJ, EM, MS] WHO: Hannah, Dominic, Hestia, Ernie, Miles WHERE: the Abbott's WHEN: Sunday, 23 January, 2000; very early a.m. SUMMARY: Part two of Hannah's return. COMPLETED THREAD/COMPLETED LOG. RATING: PG
Hannah turned her head only enough to be heard, still not moving from the shelter and safety of Ernie's arms. The security here was of a different kind that it was with her father and she needed both kinds – all three kinds, actually – but right now, she needed Ernie's reassurance more than anything, that he still loved her and wanted to be with her, so strongly was she holding the guilt of earlier. She didn't want to go upstairs alone or be out of reach of any of them, so the idea of doing anything but curling up next to all of them, though not entirely possible, wasn't that attractive.
"You don't have to burn them, Dad," she said softly, looking up at him..
Hestia immediately answered, attempting to forestall any reaction on Dominic's part with a firm squeeze of his hand. "Of course he doesn't," she said, trying to placate all involved, which was difficult when torching the clothing sounded very, very good.
"Let's all go upstairs, you can do whatever you like in your bathroom to get ready to relax in bed and we'll all wait right in the bedroom so you can see us if you want to leave the door open while you brush your hair," she said, brushing back the mild tangle of Hannah's hair. She hoped it would give Hannah the security to clean up entirely, knowing they were within eyesight the moment the door opened, and they could have a few moments of whispered privacy to discuss an immediate game plan.
It was what Hannah had needed to hear, as she nodded then, but waited still to be led, as she wasn't leaving the room without them.
Dominic would see this clothing burned if he had to smuggle it out in the dead of night a week from now, but it wasn’t worth the fight with Hannah right now. Nothing was worth fighting with her ever again, and right now he was exhausted. Looking around, it was clear that they all were, though he doubted that he would ever sleep again. It was foolish, considering the heightened guard at the house (surpassing even that of that damned gala,) but part of him feared that the moment his eyes left Hannah he would find that this was just some sort of nostalgic dream. Besides, Hestia’s idea sounded like a good alternative, and it would allow Hannah to wash at least the physical traces of her captivity off of her, which would leave Dominic feeling much more at ease.
Nodding, he started toward the stairs, keeping a watchful eye on Hannah and Ernie.
It was hard to walk steadily when holding tightly to someone, but until they reached the stairs Ernie held very tightly to her. Not wanting her to fall, Ernie loosened his grip then, letting his hand take hers and his other hand rest on her arm.
It was surreal, to be back in her room with her there. Ernie had spent so many hours there (and Dominic had not been able to look at it) so for both of them, to be there with her, was perfect and odd all at once.
“There…” Giving her hand a gentle squeeze just outside of the bathroom, Ernie reluctantly let go. Dominic, who had arrived just before everyone else, had laid her favorite pajamas inside of the bathroom, so there was little other reason to prolong this. “We’ll be right outside whenever you’re done. We won’t go anywhere.” And no one else would come either. It was just going to be the four of them for a very long, long time.
Uncertainty in her eyes, Hannah surveyed them all for several long moments. It was only a few minutes' work to tidy up, change her clothes and return, but that meant being alone in the bathroom. She wasn't certain she could do it, but she felt awkward in asking someone to be there, so after another delay, she went into the bathroom but left the door cracked in order to still hear the sounds of people moving about as a reassurance.
The moment Hestia heard water running, she stepped close to Dominic and Ernie. "We say nothing tonight," she whispered, audibly moving a chair in Hannah's room to be a reassuring sound of their presence to her, for she had seen how Hannah kept the door open slightly, "nothing at all, other than to remind her how much we love her, how much we missed her and how safe she will be from now on. The rest can wait."
Ernie nodded, ready to go along with the plan. After all, it was no lie that she was well loved and had been missed. Besides, they were all exhausted beyond reason after the long, long week of Hannah being missing, and they deserved a night to recover.
Perhaps it was just a mark of the trauma of the previous week, but Dominic wasn’t able to just let it lie for a night. Everything seemed like a danger, and the danger of her feeling the pain of secrets again felt menacing. “She has to know though.” He persisted, keeping his voice a low, steady rumble that likely would carry into the bathroom but not be clear enough to decipher any words. “We can’t go keeping secrets from her, certainly you remember how well that’s gone in the past, and I don’t want her to spend any more time worrying about that bastard. Damn it, she doesn’t deserve this, doesn’t deserve any of this, and I don’t want her dreams tonight to be sympathetic ones of him. He kissed her.”
Ernie’s jaw clenched at that, as it was easy to lose track of that fact when confronted with the joyous reality of having Hannah home. Someone else had touched his girlfriend, and while Ernie couldn’t blame Hannah for it in the least, he could blame Lestrange and want him locked away in Azkaban.
Hestia stepped forward, caressing Dominic's cheek. She knew what she was asking of him was difficult, almost impossible even for him right now, but she had to ask it. He had to do it, because it was the only way she could see. This was so very different from secrets from before, as now they would have to fight with Hannah's very perception. It was a battle for another day.
"Dominic, she would have nightmares if we told her tonight," she whispered. "She deserves her return home to be as warm and welcoming and safe as it can be, and correcting the damage he did isn't going to happen the moment we tell her. She's no doubt exhausted - you are, Ernie is, I am. Let's just... we'll all climb into our bed and reassure her, reassure ourselves, and go to sleep. Tomorrow, with sleep under our belts, we'll deal with the rest."
Unable to be alone any long, Hannah emerged shortly after Hestia finished speaking with her hair wrapped in a towel and her brush in her hand. She looked at all three of them before resting her eyes on Ernie.
"Ernie? Will you- could you- help me dry my hair?" she asked softly. It wasn't as though she couldn't exactly, she was settled enough now to do such a thing magically without adverse side affects, but she desperately wanted the contact right now.
Damn it, Dominic thought, this wasn't how this was supposed to go at all. She was home and now things were supposed to be perfect, and instead there were still a good many way things could go wrong. Still, she was home and that was a good starting point if nothing else. “Tomorrow then.” he whispered to her just before Hannah came in. And he meant it. After a good night's sleep, hopefully she would be ready to face this, and really they could safely put it off no longer than that, lest Lestrange contacted her to try to 'apologize' and took her again. Heaven knew you couldn't count on the bastard's wife to release Hannah the second time, the first time had been a miracle.
Ernie flashed a her a grin, more than willing to help her with anything. He went to take her hand, marveling at the simple things such as the way that the familiar smell of her shampoo seemed even more aromatic now, how soft the skin of her hand felt when he touched it...everything. “Here, Hannah, sit down.” He led her to the bed, because while it might make things a bit more awkward logistically to dry her hair than it would in her desk chair, she needed the comfort of her bed, and in a way he did too.
Dominic's jaw clenched when he saw the Macmillan boy sit down behind Hannah on the bed. Though there was something very tender about the way that Ernie gently unwound the towel from her hair, the way that he carefully worked the brush through her hair, working through the tangles so that he didn't tug at them, Dominic still felt a little on edge from the last week. There was just so much emotion, fear about what might happen if he didn't tell Hannah in time, new worry about telling her too soon, irritation at Ernie for leading Hannah to the bed, sheer exhaustion, relief that she was home...and that was just the tip of the iceberg. However, it was a mark in his favor that he kept silent, that he just studied her as if to reassure himself with every sense possible that she had returned.
Proud of Dominic for acting in Hannah's best interest rather than the worry of delayed disclosure and the fear of allowing the misconceptions to linger, Hestia slipped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back. The only thing that had kept them all upright with no sleep thus far was knowing Hannah could return at any moment, and now she was here. Hestia could feel her exhaustion announcing itself loudly and definitely, a yawn escaping a moment later as she snuggled closer to Dominic's back.
Sitting down on the bed as directed, Hannah made Ernie's task more difficult no doubt by leaning back against his chest. She needed the feel of his warmth against her back, the note of safety involved in touching someone so closely. Though she had needed her hair dried and brushed, there was a healing aspect to it, as the careful movement of his fingers and the slow stroke of the brush through her hair was soothing, bringing on a temporary calm she desperately needed right now. Sitting there with her eyes closed, she could pretend nothing had happened to her, that this was just a normal place in time. Calming, however, made her exhaustion clearer to her and she began to lean back against Ernie at steadily heavier increments as he continued.
Opening her eyes at one point, Hannah noticed Dominic studying her and summoned a small smile for him.
"I love you," she said softly.
She realized no one had said that yet, focused more on 'I missed you' and other comforting phrases. It felt good to be the one to say it.
Dominic's look softened when Hestia rested her head against his back. His gaze turned even more tender when Hestia yawned. She was exhausted and she truly thought that she was doing the right thing for Hannah, and he couldn't fault her for that. Perhaps this compromise, telling her but making it tomorrow instead of months and months later, would be the best of both worlds.
He even smiled when Hannah said that she loved him. No matter what she thought of Lestrange, she loved him, she loved them, and that was what mattered most just now. “I love you too, sweetheart.” His eyes met hers, and his smile widened. “I love you so much, we all do.” No matter their other reasons for wanting Hannah home, that had been the most prevalent reason...love. They might have differences with one another and disagreements, but Hannah and their love for her was the link that joined their mismatched group together.
Though it was harder to brush her hair with Hannah leaning against him, Ernie didn't care. The closeness did them both good, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Satisfied that Hannah's hair was fine, and knowing that if he touched it for much longer the sweet smell and repetitive motion of it might be enough to lull him to sleep, Ernie sat the brush to the side and moved his hands to her shoulders, kneading them with the same gentleness that he had used on her hair. “We all love you.” he said echoing Dominic's words. “I don't think we're ever going to let you out of our sight again.” It was another poor attempt at a joke, because just as Hannah felt guilt, he felt his own, for not paying more attention to the man she had been dancing with just before her disappearance, not noticing that it was a Death Eater with sinister intentions rather than just some Ministry nobody.
Comfortable despite her standing position, a mark of both her exhaustion and years of training, Hestia was already in the lightest of dozes by the time Dominic finished speaking. She could still hear them all, but her eyes were closed and the tones were fulled, as if the words themselves were fuzzy. She was content now, secure in the knowledge Hannah was home, and that made all the difference in the world. Finally, she could let her guard down at bit.
"You won't get the chance," Hannah answered Ernie, still looking at her father. She leaned back more, until her back was fully against Ernie's chest and she could rest the back of her head on his shoulder, allowing her comfort as well as the ability to still see or feel everyone. She stroked the comforter on her bed a moment, then spoke once more to Dominic.
"Dad, do you think we could all go to your room?" she asked tentatively. She didn't want to be alone, she knew they didn't want her alone, but her bed was not so big as his and, unless her father had moved them, there had been more comfortable sofas and chairs in his room from everyone entertaining Hestia.
Dominic was a bit thankful that she wanted to go to his room, as it would mean more of a chance for both him and Hestia to cuddle with Hannah, and for the Macmillan boy to get a somewhat comfortable chair to sleep on as well. While Dominic might not care for Ernie of his own merits, he did like the way that Hannah lit up when he was around, and he could appreciate the tender way that Ernie was acting around Hannah.
“Of course,” He said, turning slowly so that Hestia was resting against his chest instead of against his back. He fully intended to move the bed against the wall and nestle the two of them between him and the wall, and to ensure that they never left there again. “Of course sweetheart.” Pressing a kiss against Hestia’s forehead, he scooped her up into his arms.
“Stay close to her, Macmillan.” He waited near the doorway, not wanting to leave Hannah and Macmillan alone in the room, not wanting to be out of the room that Hannah was in even if it was just for a few minutes.
Ernie sighed quietly, not wanting to get up because it felt as though everything had fallen in place once more with Hannah resting against him like that. Making a low groan of token protest, Ernie pushed himself off of the bed, and offered his hand to Hannah. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight, out of his arms, ever again. Dominic might think that he would be sleeping on a chair, but he didn’t see that happening at all. There would be no more dancing with strangers, no more looking at one another across the room, no more leaving her side again, if he had anything to say about it.
Hestia nuzzled close to him as he moved, then sighed softly when he lifted her. "I'm awake," she muttered, yawning again, though she let him carry her until they reached the bedroom, waking herself back up, then wriggled until she was let out of his arms. From there she started to dictate, even as she moved the TV and related electronics close to the bed.
"Ernie, you get in the middle with Hannah," she gestured, grabbing more blankets so they could lay atop the coverlet if they wished, rather than below the covers. "I know we all want Hannah close."
Hannah held tightly to Ernie's hand as they left the room and walked the short space down the corridor, leaning against him as best as she could while walking, wrapping her arms around him when they game to a stop in the room. Feeling cared for and loved, she was able to summon a smile at Hestia's orders.
"I like this idea," she said softly, waiting for Ernie to climb into the bed.
Grinning almost impishly at Hestia as she dictated where everyone should go, Ernie settled on the bed, holding his free arm out for Hannah. She settled between his legs and he closed his arms around her, worried about silly things now like her catching a cold after her shower or even just not feeling safe enough.
Dominic did NOT like Hestia’s idea. Hannah had just returned home, and she needed to rest. She needed to spend time with her family, which was him and Hestia, the people who had been with her since she was a child, not her boyfriend. However, still determined to not let Hannah see his displeasure (because today was, after all, about her and the joy that she was here at all) he turned to fetch a throw blanket, tucking it around her tightly. He was of the mindset that she should rest, and he could only hope that the blanket would remind her of that. He turned a questioning look to Hestia, as if to ask the sudden dictator where his place in all of this was, if he was supposed to sit and play nicely with Macmillan or if he was the one who had been demoted to the chair.
Settled in Ernie's arms, Hannah kept her eyes on Dominic and Hestia. While the others were clearly exhausted, she was merely just tired – while her sleep had not always been deep or restful, she had slept, as sometimes it was the only thing to do when she knew she wouldn't be disturbed. And, truthfully, she feared the nightmares now, onces she knew would come despite the safety of where she was. For now, she simply wanted to be awake and seeing all of them.
Turning on a movie that she felt certain wouldn't be triggering for Hannah, as it was some animated thing of some kind, Hestia turned back and noticed Dominic looking at her. She knew he wasn't exactly pleased about having his bed invaded by Ernie, nor how the two were cuddled on the bed, but it had been the only option she could see that would allow them all to be close to Hannah. Her eyes laughing, she crawled into the bed, settling on her normal side of the bed. Though close to Hannah, she was not entirely curled up to them, as that would be snuggling up to Ernie too – and that was just odd. Even as she got comfortable, she could feel exhaustion tugging her eyelids down.
Hannah looked at Dominic expectantly. "Dad, are you coming up too?" she asked, shifting so she was primarily facing the side he would normally lay on.
Dominic could hardly say no to anything that Hannah asked of him now, even if it meant that he would have to be closer to the Macmillan boy that he would necessarily have liked to have been. When it all came down to it, the most important thing was that she was here now, and minor things like seating arrangements hardly mattered. Still, the fact that Ernie was closer to Hannah than he was, and even closer to Hestia, sort of made him gape inwardly at the way the boy had been more or less promoted to not just a member of the extended family, but of his family without his knowledge or consent. Yes, he was going to have to have a little discussion with Hestia later about bringing her stray trainees home.
“Are you hungry?” he asked Hannah quietly, unable to just sit there and watch the movie and not fuss over her. It seemed illogical that after a week away she would have no physical consequences. Not that the emotional ones wouldn’t be enough to overcome, but he was waiting on the other shoe to drop, to find out that they had beaten her or starved her or worse, because he couldn’t believe that Lestrange had once again held his temper with someone that Dominic held dear.
Slipping a hand into Dominic's, for the other was held by Hestia, Hannah smiled at him, head happily pillow against Ernie's chest.
"No, I'm not hungry," she said softly. All she needed right now could be found right here, from the sight of her father to the feel of Ernie's heart beat against her shoulder to- the sound of Hestia, apparently. A soft snore, hardly noticeable beyond the fact it indicated sleeping, came from the other side of Ernie and Hannah, causing Hannah to smile. She could feel Hestia's hand slackening in her grip, so she held carefully so not as to wake her but also not lose the contact.
Attention still on Dominic, she squeezed his hand. "You should sleep, Dad."
Though he didn’t necessarily want to sleep, the fact that he had not voluntarily slept in a week was starting to weigh heavily on Dominic. Squeezing her hand tightly, he lowered himself, so that he too was laying on the bed and he could see Hestia sleeping too. “I’m not that tired, but perhaps if I lay here I can keep Hestia a bit of company.” It was the most you could get from Dominic in admitting that he might perhaps be a bit tired, as he thought his role in all of this was and always would be to remain strong for the rest of them.
Ernie laughed softly a mere moment later when Dominic’s breathing evened out. Even the minister, it appeared, needed sleep. A bit more relaxed now that Hannah’s father was sleeping as well, Ernie leaned in a bit, kissing Hannah’s hair. “It’s good to have you back, Hannah, I missed you more than you know."
Smiling softly, Hannah squeezed Dominic's hand again, gently this time, and then blew him a kiss. Only then did she turn to look up at Ernie, nuzzling into the touch. It was wonderful to be home and here, like this. What she had gone through seemed less likely to crush in on her now with his arms securely around her.
"I missed you so much," she said, voice breaking slightly.
Finding it easier to relax with Hannah home than it had been in a week, Ernie scooted back a bit, careful to not brake their touch, but further back in the bed so that his back was resting against the headboard. With something to lean against other than Hannah, and his front pressed against her warmth, it was quite easy to relax indeed. Though he tried to concentrate on her and the movie, his sheer exhaustion took over and his eyes fluttered to a close.
After the movie ended, Hannah carefully laid down both Hestia and Dominic's hands and then gently worked herself free from Ernie's arms. Moving across the bed slowly to not as to wake them, she turned off the television and headed for the bathroom.
It was in crossing the room that she was spotted by none other than Miles. He had been looking for Ernie, or anyone really, and figured upstairs was the best place to go. When he had not found Ernie in Hannah's room, he had gone down the corridor, stopping in the doorway in a moment of shock at seeing who was crossing the room.
"Hannah."
"Hi, I-" All else was cut off as Miles let out a loud whoop, like a war cry, darted into the room and grabbed her up in a fierce hug. He swung her around several items before planting a very relieved, slightly comical and very loud kiss on her.
Woken more by Miles’s war whoop, and a split second later by the way that his hand felt so empty without Hannah’s smaller one, Dominic woke in a start, though thankfully it was just to see Stebbins’ celebration. He deserved a bit of fun, Dominic thought, after his tireless work over the last week over a girl who wasn’t his girlfriend or daughter, just a friend. “Stebbins, I’d appreciate it if you don’t snog my daughter, she’s still recovering from a kidnapping, after all, no need to make her ill in addition.”
Ernie woke at the noise as well, sitting up straight the instant he realized that Hannah was gone, though thankfully his eyes found her almost instantaneously. “Yes, Stebbins,” He growled comically, relaxing a bit against the headboard again, sheer relief that Hannah was really still here threatening to overwhelm him. “Get your hands off of my girlfriend.”
The men might have greeted the heart-attacking inducing interruption in good humor, but Hestia, who by that point had been all but dead to the world, did not. Grumbling beneath her breath, she searched for an extra pillow them hurled it unceremoniously at Miles, who ducked it with a laugh and continued to dance about the room with a now helplessly giggling Hannah.
At Ernie's comment, he made a face and kissed Hannah again, this time on the cheek. "No, since you couldn't see fit to fucking tell me you found her, I'm keeping her," he said, hauling her to a more comfortable position to keep a hold of her, her feet dangling above the floor. It only made Hannah giggle harder.
Ernie groaned, grabbing a pillow and sending it hurling toward Miles as well. "Well as much as you complain about your lack of beauty sleep, and as everyone's always bemoaning the fact that you need more of it, I thought I'd do you a favor.
Dominic cleared his throat when Ernie threw the pillow. "That's about enough of that, children. Miles, certainly you can see where we might have been too distracted to let you know of Hannah's arrival, it happened only a short while ago. However, I think that if you scare Hestia and I like that again, next time we may ensure that YOU disappear. Sleep is, after all, quite important."
"Yes sir, Mr Minister," Miles said, holding Hannah with one arm as he saluted.
Hannah smiled at him. "I'm glad to see you too, Miles," she said, slipping her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. A rare moment of 'nancy emotion' he hugged her back just as tightly, almost fiercely, then set her down on the floor again..
"So. Right. Macmillan's spot on, he needs all the help he can get, so beauty sleep for him without a doubt. You are gorgeous, so you don't need it, but Macmillan will likely bore you right back to sleep."
"Shut up and go back to sleep, Stebbins, or I'll make you run around the house until you wish you could sleep," came the grumble from beneath the pile of blankets and pillows that, as always, had gravitated toward Hestia.
Dominic smiled endearingly at the pile of pillows and blankets. “Your trainer has a point, Stebbins, I would be quiet before you test her will to actually carry out her plans, I assure you, she sounds like she means business.”
Going over to Hannah, he rested a hand on her shoulder. “And regardless of why you fall asleep, be it Macmillan’s boring nature or something else, you should likely sleep.” After all, there was only so much time that he could shield her from the Aurors’ questions, and tomorrow they also had to tackle the topic of Rodolphus Lestrange’s true nature. She needed her rest.
“Hey!” Ernie exclaimed, glaring good naturedly at Miles. “If anyone’s in danger of boring her to sleep it’s you, Miles. While I find it amusing to talk to someone whose entire vocabulary consists of curse words, I’m sure some people like, you know, talking like normal people do.” Despite his teasing he was happy now, happy and relieved and so full of appreciation that Hannah was home that he could hardly stand it.
The pile of pillows and blankets that was Hestia grumbled again and then ceased movement, as she had once more fallen asleep, the exhaustion just that thorough.
Miles laughed, albeit quieter now, as it wasn't the threat, but his own good nature that made him listen. He might aim to misbehave, but they were all exhausted and he knew Hestia needed sleep, just as they all did. Walking toward the door, he aimed his parting shot at Ernie.
"You just wish you could pull this off," he announced and, with a cocky wave, exited the room.
Squeezing Dominic's hand, Hannah smiled up at him. "Just give me a minute, then sleep, definitely."
Dominic squeezed her hand tightly. While it was one thing for them all to watch a movie in bed together, it was another thing entirely to think about Macmillan sharing the bed with all of them, particularly Hannah. He looked pointedly at Ernie for a long moment, then turned his attention back to Hannah. “I’m thinking about setting you up with your own room adjacent to my office at the ministry.” He said, only half joking.
One did not get inducted into the Order and the Aurors without learning to pick up on subtle (and not so subtle) cues, but Ernie chose to ignore Dominic’s obvious attempt to tell him to get out of bed. While spending the night curled up near the Minister was hardly his idea of fun, he’d endure it if that was what it took to spend the night next to Hannah. Hestia, he decided, had rose to the post of Auror trainer not through experience, but through sheer patience alone, as exhibited by the git she chose to settle down and play house with.
"It'd never be boring," Hannah said with a smile, looking briefly in the direction of the door Miles had exited from, then at Ernie, before looking back up at Dominic. "and I'll be right back," she promised, kissing his cheek before making her way to the bathroom. This time the door remained closed, but it was a brief time and she reemerged to go back to the bed and settle down against Ernie as before, eyes on her father.
Ernie wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face against her neck when she returned. He had not meant to fall asleep earlier but something was far too relaxing about having her right here so that she was a physical reminder of her own return and he didn't have to worry about nightmares plaguing him about what she might be going through.
Dominic studied them for a long moment before going to sit in a chair near the bed. Something about curling up next to Macmillan just seemed unnatural, as it would mean accepting that his relationship with Hannah had evolved into far more than just a casual dating one, and he wasn't ready for that, however, he wouldn't tell her that she couldn't sleep next to him on her first night home either. So that he didn't offend her, he picked up a book, pretending to read it. "You should rest now, Hannah, I'm going to sit up a bit." He sounded for all intents and purposes like a concerned father who wanted to watch over his daughter while she slept, and essentially he was, it was just what he was protecting her FROM that he kept to himself.
Though Dominic made it sound dismissive, that he was just sitting up to read and it was no concern as he was right there, Hannah wasn't pleased. She was worried, given how quickly he had fallen asleep before, and she didn't like the distance. She knew it was a physical, not emotional, distance but it was one that seemed very big. She shifted against Ernie so she could face Dominic better, then put out her hand.
"Dad, you're tired, please come lay down," she said, patting the bed. Though she was normally far from manipulative and never did it for bad reasons if she did, she could see it was to all of their advantages if she did it a little now. "You're too far away from me, please be closer?"
And just like that Hannah made staying away impossible. While he didn’t want to be curled up next to the Macmillan boy, Dominic Abbott would curl up to the devil himself if it meant that Hannah would be happy. She needed him now, and, despite his own selfish desires to keep Hannah’s boyfriend out of his hair, Dominic would be no father at all if he didn’t go to her.
“Who will watch over you?” he asked, going to perch on the edge of the bed and rub her cheek with the backs of his fingers the way he used to do when she was just a little girl. “who’s going to make sure that you don’t wake up and wander in the middle of the night and get a similar greeting by Stebbins again, or ensure that you remain covered up and warm?”
Smiling, Hannah leaned her cheek into the touch. She loved him dearly, but as far as she was concerned, her father was being more than a little silly. She didn't need watched over right at this minute so much as she needed to know everyone was all right. She was aware this hadn't been easy for any of them and they were all exhausted. She was here now, and with that concerned she was still very much the same Hannah she had always been.
Looking at Ernie briefly, gaze warm, she refocused on Dominic. "Dad, all I need is for all of us to be here and sleeping like we need to be now."
Deciding on a compromise, Dominic curled on his side so that he was facing her, though he was thankfully nowhere near actually touching the Macmillan child. Ernie noticed, and though he was more than a little amused at the fact that Dominic was keeping such a careful distance, he wasn’t about to complain. He no more wanted to sleep next to the Minister than the Minister wanted to sleep next to him, but this wasn’t about him, or about Dominic, it was about Hannah and her first night back, and if there was one area where the cocky auror trainee agreed with the stubborn Minister, it was that this night had to be perfect.
Not satisfied, Dominic raised himself to a sitting position once more and, drawing his wand, he scooted the nightstand out of the way and scooted the bed against the wall so that Hestia’s side of the bed was wedged against the wall, Ernie and Hannah were in the middle, and Dominic was on the outside. It was similar to his original plan (with the unfortunate addition of Ernie Macmillan) and it was the only way he’d rest soundly tonight. “I can’t sleep before you do you know.” He said almost teasingly to Hannah, lowering himself again to lay on the bed.
Pleased he had complied, Hannah resituated herself to a more comfortable reclining position on Ernie, the one hand resting on his leg unconsciously stroking it softly, as if trying to lull him to sleep as well. She laughed a little when her father fidgeted again, then watched with an expression of amusement at he proceeded to rearranged the bed itself to his liking. His fidgeting with the arrangement was endearing to Hannah and only served to make her even more happy she was home, back with those she loved so much.
She reached out for him when he had once more settled, squeezing his hand before sliding her finger into a position as if to shake it. "All right, I think I can go to sleep, but only if you're going to sleep too, okay? Deal?"
Dominic squeezed her hand tightly, his other hand moving to rest over it almost protectively. “Yes, Hannah, we have a deal.”
As though he were some part of a conspiracy, Ernie leaned back a bit more, careful to keep his breathing steady in the hopes of lulling Hannah into a deep, dreamless sleep. Despite the gilded cage Lestrange had evidentially kept her in, it was still a cage, and she needed time to recover, time to heal, and rest as well. Ernie was intent on ensuring that she had both of those things.
“Sleep now, Hannah, or I swear I’ll hum you a lullaby that will make dogs howl all the way in the states.” Dominic had always been a bit too put together, too much of a political official, to hum his daughter lullabies. That had been Teaghan’s job, and thankfully so, as Dominic knew he was in no way a singer, let alone a hummer.