Holly Bennett

How much time had passed since that night that had changed her entire world view? Made her question not only how she lived her life at the time but also the choices she had made for others in her life. Choices that had she made differently, well, was there any point dwelling on what she could have done? The ‘what ifs’ didn’t bring back the young witch who lost her life for doing nothing more than taking care of Saffron. It didn’t bridge the gap of time that she had kept something from someone who should have been in Saffrons life from the word go. Though that specific person had not actually made any attempts to contact her since the night that he’d saved his own daughters life. Holly assumed that he had the information and decided to do nothing with it. After all this supposed child of his was seven, how was he supposed to know if she really was his? The young witch pushed that thought and many more aside. It wasn’t worth dwelling on. Jon had the information and it was his decision whether to act on it. Plus, right there and then it was the least of concerns. After that night in the warehouse Holly had reflected on the way she was living her life. This had led her to make the choice to drop out of university and focus solely on the career she had built up for herself and being a Mother. Saffron had often had to spent time with friends or babysitters whilst Holly juggled this busy life, perhaps always feeling like she was on the low end of her Mothers priority list. Now she was priority number one, their was less babysitters in her life and now she spent time at friends houses because it was fun and something she wanted to do. That was where the young girl was right at that moment, this allowed Holly time to unpack boxes and use magic to push furniture where she felt it should be. The other big thing that had happened since that night was that Holly had finally managed to collect enough money together too buy her and Saffron their first home. A small two bedroom house that contained a garden big enough for her to play in comfortably. In a nice area of Narragyambie. It was a warm enough day that she had the windows and doors open as she sorted through the box of random items she’s put on the kitchen table, a glass of water within reach. Saffie was having an extended sleepover at one of her school friends, allowing Holly time to get this new home set up for them both. A new beginning.

Though Holly heard what the older man muttered she decided it was best not to point out that the assery was what landed him outside in the heat coupled with the fact that though his legs didn’t work right then he was still a wizard with the ability to cool himself down with a simple spell or two. Then again maybe he didn’t know how to do the spells or somehow his coma and disability had in some way effected his ability to preform magic. If that, by some odd happenstance, was what had happened then her dumping the ‘Hi, I’m your daughter’ on his head would probably be the thing that pushed him over the edge. Lingering in the door playing with the drink between her hands, she pondered for a moment just turning around and walking away. After all did he really need to know? How would it change his life? Her life? Saffron’s life? That last thought gave her a bit more courage too speak too this rude man who shared some biological tissue with her. After all, wasn’t this all brought on by everything that had happened? Saffron being kidnapped and almost burnt alive. Then he spoke again and that simple but snappy phrase made her step forwards and close the door behind her. Taking a sip from the glass in her hand she walked the distance between them, placing her drink on the table and taking the seat across the table from him. She was waist deep in this already, so might just jump in. She’d deal with the guilt of him rolling himself off a building if or when it occurred. “I’m not here to talk about your management skills or lack thereof. I’m here to ask you about a woman you knew, well, a week long affair probably isn’t more than knowing in the biblical sense.” she was somewhat rambling, taking another sip of her drink to quench the words as they bubbled up “A Veela named Nadya.”

The kiss was an impulse, one that she would likely look back on and cringe at. That was until he responded. Memories of their time together in school flooded back at that, reminders of why they got far enough to actually conceive a child together. A child she never told him about and most likely would not have if this situation hadn’t arose. A situation Holly would have much preferred she and her child not get into. “Maybe, but a thank you is always polite.” she said softly, heeding the words he said next about taking Saffron too the hospital. “Okay.” she turned too walk towards where their daughter was, stopping only too listen to what Jon had to say next. A small sad smile crossed her lips at his words before she responded with “I’m not sure if that will actually help.” Then she crossed the distance between herself and her child, picking up the small child and turning back towards Jon for a moment “Bye.” then with a simple turn on the spot, she separated away from Jon and too the hospital. -exit Holly/fini-

The urge to shoot out from between the flames and smash something into the heads of the people who had done this entire thing grew with each passing moment and then doubled with each spell she shot that didn’t hit an intended target. Holly had never been all that good at dueling, had never taken it that seriously when learning it. Though this wasn’t exactly dueling it was the closest she had come since her days at Tallygarunga and, with any luck, would be the closet she’d be too it for a long while after. As Saffron stirred in the one arm Holly had around her the thought did pop into the young mothers head that learning some more offensive and defensive spells would be a very good idea. That was perhaps something Jon could help her with should they get out on here alive and then he didn’t turn around and do something too them. As before she pushed that un-trusting voice that pointed out that she didn’t know him anymore, that the father of her child was a stranger to her. A stranger she had lied too, well, not so much lied but omitted to let him know a fundamental information he was entitled too. Then that stranger was grabbing her arm and helping her and a groggy Saffron to their feet. He spoke as well, mentioning something about leaving, buildings and fireworks. Heeding his words with nothing more than a nod of her head, she positioned Saffron in front of her, wand still held tightly in her hand and allowed them both to be herded out of the building. The pair walked until Jon made a motion for them to stop. Holly’s focus had turned almost entirely too her daughter, who she helped sit down on the ground, hands dancing over her checking for any real injuries. “I need to take her to the hospital.” Holly said, finally. Saffron was not injured in any obvious ways but she would be getting the complete check over magical and muggle ways if needed. A quick spell helped the young girl relax on the spot before Holly turned around to face Jon, her wand still gripped tightly in her hand. She didn’t really know what too say in that moment as she stood staring at him, ignoring the ruckus from the building exploding behind him. So instead she simply acted, stepping forwards and planting a kiss on his lips before throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug before stepping back from him and clearing her throat slightly “Thank you.” she said finally.

It had taken Holly a while to get up the courage to return to this pub and turn one mans life upside down. A life, that by all accounts, had already been turned on it’s head and had several implements shoved down it’s exposed rear end. So what more damage could the announcement ‘Hi, I’m the daughter you had not interest in slash didn’t know about from one of your one week romances’ really do? The answer to that question and a million more than were floating around in her brain the last months, weeks and days was something she could only get by pushing through the door she was standing in front of and confronting the wheel chair bound man in question. Taking a deep breath she finally stepped over the threshold only to find herself facing a somewhat empty bar. Great, she thought, the one time she screws up the courage to do something so life altering was the one time the person in question wasn’t around. Then again, nor was the bartender. Picking a stool she parked herself on it, figuring she might as well have a drink whilst she was here. Getting her phone out of her jacket, she flipped through a couple of messages she’d received. Babysitter, work, university. The usual tirade. It was just as she was typing a message back to one of her colleagues was when the bartender reappeared. This caused her to send off the message she’d been typing without checking she’d stated everything she’d been trying to say. Leaning forward on the bar slightly she was about to ask where she could find the owner when a voice shouting from the back told the young woman exactly where he was. So one alcoholic drink ordered and a quick question about how to get out to the beer garden. Picking up her drink she thanked the clearly over worked and stressed man and headed the way she was directed to go. Stepping through the door, her blue eyes fell on the angry man she was planning to make angrier. Sipping the drink in her hand to give herself a bit of liquid courage, she opened a line of communication “Are you always that much of an ass too your employees or has this one done something particularly atrocious to deserve such a tirade?”

“Enjoyed burning the son of a bitch that thought burning my daughter was somehow amusing? Yes. Enjoyed having that disgusting creep groping me? No.” she replied, looking over at Jon. The groping was the part that she’d be washing in bleach for. Stepping back she turned towards Jon, wrapping her arms around herself for a moment, a vain attempt at finding some comfort in what was going on. The sad truth was that she’d only find that comfort when she held her daughter in her arms whilst watching this place and all the people within burn to the ground. Silently as it possibly was for her she followed Jon, standing fully in his personal space when he stop at the wall. It was then that she found her daughter, tied to a chair in the middle of the room. One hand came up to her mouth to stifle the sound threatening to erupt from her throat. The other hand gripped onto Jon’s upper arm, a vain attempt to hold herself back from racing across the room and trying to get her daughter free from the potentially dangerous chins. “We don’t know what the combination of Fae and Veela will do with iron. I’ve done my best to keep her away from it.” she followed Jon’s train of thought quickly as he came up with a plan for her to rush across the floor, surround their daughter with fire and then somehow get her out of the potentially dangerous chains. “Well,” she said softly “Let’s hope I don’t need a key or I can somehow get things hot enough to hit the melting point of iron.” leaning forwards before she set off on her stroll, she quickly kissed Jon on the cheek “Good luck.” then with that turned and made her way across the room, glad that she wasn’t alone as she reached her daughter. The little girl was barely conscious and not really overly aware of what was going on around her. Kneeling down in front of the child she’s raised, two fingers found her pulse and checked. A gentle thump against her fingers told her enough about her daughters state of life. It was weak but there. Ignoring the rest of the commotion going on around her, Holly set out the ring of fire as instructed before turning her attention to the chains that held her daughter. It was perhaps luck that she saw the cheap lock they had used to hold the iron chains and in place. Her instincts made her reach up for a hair grip, it was a cheap lock one that would be easy too pick. It took her taking the grip out of her hair and inserting it into the lock before her rational brain caught up reminding her that she was, in fact, a Witch. A witch that had a wand and magic to help her. Slipping a hand into her jacket she pulled out her wand, aimed it at the chains and whispered the correct spell. The iron chains recoiled around her daughter like a retreating snake before collapsing at the foot of the chair. Holly lurched forwards in time to catch Saffron’s body as she fell from the chair. Saffron now safely in her arms with a ring of fire around them, all the young woman could do now was turn and face what else was going on in the room and send out the occasional spell when needed.

The moment the man in front of her explained that they were going to be burning someone it took all of Holly’s self control not to start the fire early, starting with him and his ridiculously smug face. They were talking about Saffron. Her daughter, her seven year old daughter. This, she understood somewhere in the back of her mind, also included Jon and herself as well. Saffron had been the bait to lure them here. This had to do with either being of pure origin. She managed to at least look interested in what the idiot was saying, then again, she’d spent large chunks of her life hiding her true feelings. “I do like a fire.” she said , stepping closer to the man in question, invading his personal space and slipping one arm around his neck. She even let out an uncharacteristic giggle at his bad attempt to refer to them having sex somewhere down the line. It was when she was about to say something along the lines of calling him a naughty wizard, when she caught Jons movement out the corner of her eye. There was a grim satisfaction seeing his dispose of one of the idiots that answered the door, somewhere down the line of time she might look back and be disgusted with her own lack of empathy for the now murdered young wizard. Right there and then, though, she felt many things but empathy or grief as the passing of such a person. She couldn’t dwell on that though, as she still had her lump of useless flesh to deal with. Her hands slowly heated as she turned this man’s view away from what Jonathan was doing with his former comrade, trying her best to not snap at the wandering hands that were quickly finding their way down passed her waistline. Leaning forwards she brushed her lips lightly against the offending mans, allowing him clumsily kiss her whilst she allowed fire to grow between the hands she had clasped around his neck. It was sad really that he didn’t actually notice the hot sensation at the nap of his neck or perhaps he did but decided it was a discomfort he could put up with. Eventually, though, it became hot enough that he pulled back away from her far enough to ask what was going on. It was in that moment as he opened his mouth to speak that she shoved one of her hands almost in his mouth and let go of a fire ball. “You didn’t specify who would be burning.” she asked lightly as the man’s shocked face, stepping back and watched the brief chaos her fire ball caused him before his burnt corpse fell to the floor “There isn’t enough alcohol or showers in the world to make me feel clean after that.” she said whilst turning towards Jonathan.

Shortly after knocking she stowed her wand away out of sight, something every fiber of her being told her was a stupid move, a weak move. She was leaving herself open to attack but she knew she had to appear the helpless maiden, the damsel in distress. She just hoped the clowns that opened the door were men. Men who could be easily pulled into the charm of a Veela, well, half a Veela. The voices that responded to her knock told her that her luck was in. As the voices behind the door worked at opening it, she shot a sideways glance at the area where Jon had stood. He wasn’t there now. She allowed herself, for a fleeting moment, wonder over whether he was actually there or was simply using this whole affair to tie up some very loose ends in his life. If that was the case then he best hope she was killed because if not, well, the phrase a woman scorned would fit well in the retribution she would bring down on him. She pushed that thought away as the door opened and a man came into her eye-line. Well, that wasn’t entirely what she was expecting. Then again, what was she thinking they were going to be? Great hulking Orges? Goblins with an axe to grind? The truth was she hadn’t thought about what they might have been or who they were. In her mind they had been persons unknown who had violated her sanctuary, killed the best damn babysitter and kidnapped her child. Anger boiled just below the surfaces as she looked at their tidy hair and neat clothes, then, she thought of the bigger picture and shoved that burning rage down, right down to the pit of her stomach and smiled at the wizard in front of her. “I’m so sorry,” she said shifting her accent slightly, letting it hit the notes one would expect of a well bred witch “I was visiting a friend and he...just...” she trailed off slightly, wiping at one cheek as she turned her head away, taking a deep breath and looking back “left me here, alone.” then continuing the defenseless damsel routine she ventured on to the rest of what he said “Action? Is there a party? I could really use a drink” gracefully she stepped towards the man, resting a hand on one of his biceps “and some company.” she let the words hang there and hoping she hadn’t overplayed her hand and that the man would let her in.

Leaning forward onto the counter of the bar, elbow holding her against it the young woman listened to what her former headmaster was saying. This was about the man who was her Father. The point about him only giving each woman in his life one week prompted her to throw back the rest of her drink and summon another. She vaguely remembered that as something her mother stated in passing. That her Father had been a one week wonder. That he’d come into her life and left just as quickly, expect he left something behind. It was clear that Alan felt some sympathy for his friend and the situation he’d got himself into. She found that same sympathy hard to come by. If he choose to be a one week wonder than he really had not grounds to being a mopey dick afterwards, that was the decision he made. He decided to walk away. At that thought she turned her head and looked at the man who they were discussing, sitting in his wheelchair. No doubt lamenting the way his life had changed. That was when she was taken back into the story of Matt the sperm doner and it changed to Matt then husband, Matt the tragic man. Though the story was around the woman who managed to get him to settle down, the woman who stayed with him through this whole ordeal. She listened silently till the end, playing with the edge of her drink for a moment before deciding that one alcoholic beverage was enough needed to say what she was going too. “I don’t need to ask his wife. I already know one of his secrets.” she said, knocking back her drink again “I’m glad too hear that he is a good friend and loves his family, though.” she rolled the glass in her hand for moment before placing it down “Thank you Professor, it was nice talking to you.” she added, before swiveling around on her chair and standing up, grabbing her jacket and getting ready to leave.

Holly nearly jerked away when he took her wrist, not out of some aversion to being touched. They did have a child together so the pair of them had done numerous sorts of touching back when, well, they might not have been all that clever in what they were doing. Her jerk was more of a knee jerk reaction to him touching her hand, a hand which was very close to forming it own fire. It was a good thing that he reached for her, since that small movement brought the young witch back down to reality. A reality that told her going in fire flying would not only get her killed but Saffron as well. “Thank you,” she said after he spoke. Her temper could often get the better of her and in this situation it would have ended badly, very badly. Holly followed him into the veil of darkness, almost as passive as a chastised child following an adult. Her passivity wouldn’t last long but in this moment she was willing to be led and instructed in what she was to do. This was helped by the fact that she could burn the whole thing to the ground after Saffron was safe. When they stopped by the wall the urge to rush in and save Saffie rose up again, something that she was close to doing after Jon dropped her wrist it was only him telling her to stay close and follow him that stopped her. Though as he peered through a crack in a door her impatience started to raise again, that was until he started to speak. Could she cause a distraction he asked, causing her to raise a single eyebrow at him. Reaching back with one hand she gripped the small band that was holding her long hair back into a ponytail almost ripping it out of her hair allowing aforementioned locks to fall down around her shoulders. “I think I can distract them a bit.” she said whilst getting her wand from under her jacket and using one of the few cosmetic spells to enhance a few key features “As long as I don’t have to do a dance.” she smiled wryly at him with that comment “I was never very good at the seductive dance of the Veela.” once she’d finished doing whatever she could to enhance her appearance, she turned and walked to the door before shooting him one last look over her shoulder. “Wish me luck.” then once he was out of sight, she knocked and waited.

Holly watched him closely as he absorbed the news that he had been successful in passing on his genes, that those genes had formed a young girl. As he tapped his forehead with a finger the urge to reach up and snap the offending finger rose quickly. She knew this was a boat load of information that had just been dumped on his lap, more information that any person could sanely deal with but there and then she’d much have preferred if he’d just get on with laying out his plan. It also better be a good one, since, her plan was pretty much through fire balls at everyone. Then, after what felt like a century the new father spoke. The plan he was saying sounding more like a ‘play it by ear’ plan than a solid one. She left had curled into a tight fist as it heated up. The temptation to throw fire was rapidly rising. This increased as she turned to face the building where her daughter was being held, the building where the murderers of the best damn babysitter she’d had it a while were sitting, probably congratulating themselves on a job well done. What brave people, kidnapping a child, murdering a young woman. As her internal feelings and thoughts raged, she knew her outside would also be shifting. Her eyes and features slowly becoming more bird like as she watched the house, the anger drowning out anything else Jon would have said. Taking a deep breath she tried to push away the rising rage, before turning back to the man who stood beside her. “I’ll follow whatever plan you have,” she said softly before turning her face away from him and back to the building in question “But, if my daughter is hurt in anyway,” she turned her face back to him as she said the next bit “I’m going to burn them all alive.” this was delivered in a flat and serious tone.

No, she really didn’t know what it was like to have a young life where your biggest concern was getting good grades and other such minor teenage concerns. Picking up her drink she sipped it slowly whilst listening to the man next to her going over the life he’d shared with her biological father. He was the one that talked sense into them and kept them on the straight and narrow. Well, least he was there for someone. Taking another large sip of the drink in front of her, wishing she’d actually gone for an alcoholic version instead as Alan continued with his story. “He sounds like he was a good person to have around.” she said finally, turning to face Alan, making sure she looked relaxed and interested. This man didn’t need to know that emotional war she had been raging for months and was now in full battle gear and raging within her now. She knocked back the rest of the drink in front of her before motioning to the bartender. “Same again,” she said pointing at the glass, before reaching out with one hand and stopping the tender as they turned away “No virgins this time.” Alcohol was sometimes referred too liquid courage though in her case it was going to be liquid perseverance. Now that her order was placed in, she turned back to Alan. “I can understand why he might be annoyed, when you are used to looking after yourself it is hard to relinquish that control and accept help.” that was when her drink arrived, brimming with that much desired alcohol. Taking it with a smile and a thank you she took a long sip before returning back to the conversation at hand. “Though no one is that straight laced, he must have some wild story or secret to go on with.”

“A daughter.” she replied to Alan’s question, though she wasn’t entirely sure he heard it because a child approached him causing him to turn away from her and speak to the child. She watched the exchange between man and boy curiously, sipping at her drink , a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. He was known to be one of the most casual head teachers in the wizarding world but it was still odd to see him interact with his own children, just like any other father would. This thought caused her to briefly look over one shoulder at the wheel chair bound Wizard who was her own father. He didn’t know that though, didn’t know he had a grandchild either. Then Alan had his attention back on her and she pretended to be fussing with her bag, hopefully hiding the fact that she had been staring at Matt. She looked up from her pretend bag fussing and smiled at the wizard as he continued to speak. It was clear that he loved his children and was very comfortable in their current environment. She listened as he said a few more things about his children, pride and contentment clear on his face. The conversation then moved onto the one thing she’d asked about him knowing the couple they were here celebrating. Though, the tone of the room and the look on Matts face was so forlorn that she could be forgiving for mistaking it for a wake instead of a celebration. Taking another sip of her drink she mulled over how to respond to what he said. “I don’t know, he doesn’t look particularly happy at the moment.” she said coming to the conclusion that Longy must be Matt. “So, you were kids together. I bet you have loads of funny and absurd stories about the things you both got up too as children and eventually young bachelors.” perhaps she could get him talking about the past and get a sense of the man that Matt used to be, the man who not only attracted the Veela that was her mother but also sired Holly herself.

Her knee jerk reaction when he first turned towards her and spoke was to brush off why she was here and make out that her question was innocent in nature. She could pretend that coming too abandoned buildings that may contain racially inclined bigots was an everyday occurrence for her. She could, perhaps, pass it off as something she was studying for university. All these thoughts occurred to her and maybe more as well. There was an over arching problem, though. One she would need help with. That problem was those racially inclined bigots had her innocent daughter and Holly was woefully inept at the sort of magic that would get her child back alive and allow herself to leave alive as well. The hard cold truth was she needed help to get her daughter back safely and kick the snot out of whoever had her. This meant that she was going to have to break some rather unpleasant news to the man before her. News she’d never considered breaking to him before, news that she knew would cast her in a rather bad light. In this moment though, she didn’t care. All she cared about was her daughter and if she would break this wizards world if she had to for her daughter. “Her name is Saffron,” Holly said followed by a sigh before walking up to stand near him, she had to tilt her head up slightly to make sure she was looking into his eyes when she dropped this bombshell “And, they aren’t mistaken. You are her father. I don’t know how these people, whoever they are, found out. To be honest I don’t much care how they did either.” She could have, and should have, said more regarding his paternity of Saffron, her bright eyed and beautiful child. Right there and then though all she cared about was her daughter being alive and well and hopefully not scarred for life after seeing her babysitter murdered. Please tell me you have a plan.” she said finally, doing her best to hold back the tsunami of emotions that were threatening to erupt from her.