(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Thirty-One

It takes a while for Tatiana to persuade Tony to go to the hospital to see Happy. She is the only person that can pull Tony out of his funks when he gets into them. But he does go with them when they leave. Because he isn't the only one dealing with Happy getting hurt. Happy is Tatiana's friend too. And he's been there for her when she'd needed him. Pixie has been raised around Happy every moment of her life. She took her first steps, Happy was there. Lost her first tooth, Happy was there. Her first A at school, Happy was there. So, Tatiana is the first through Happy's hospital door, Tony behind with Pixie in hand. Tatiana takes in Happy laying there, unmoving. He's hooked up to machines that beep away. Monitoring his health.

"Oh, Happy" Tatiana whispers as she moves to Happy's bedside. Pixie clutches at Tony's hand as he remains cool and composed but he is definitely feeling this. Pixie knows how much Happy means to him. Tatiana touches Happy's hand as she sits at his side, curling her fingers into his. Pixie looks up at Tony, wanting someone to tell her that everything is going to be okay, that Happy is going to be okay. Tony crouches with her and takes her arms in his hands.

"He's going to be fine" Tony whispers and kisses Pixie's head. "It's Happy, he's unstoppable..." He touches Pixie's cheek. "He'll outlive us all" She nods in agreement, he takes her hand and pulls her along as he moves to the couch set up for family and guests. Tony pats the space next to him when he sits down and Pixie curls up at his side, pulling her knees to her chest. Tony is ignoring Happy, not because he doesn't feel anything, but because he can't bear to see his friend lying there like that. So he focuses on his daughter instead. Back home and at his side for the first time in months. "Hey, you wanna talk about school?" He asks. "You're mothers been rather stingy with the dets" Pixie looks at Tatiana, surprised she didn't run to Tony to tell him everything. Pixie then hums as she thinks about what to tell Tony first, but there is one thing she is pretty proud of.

"I took on a troll" She admits. "With a slingshot, to save..." She pauses when she realises she was going to call them her friends. "Some Gryffindors"

"A troll?" Tony draws out.

"She's in trouble for that" Tatiana is quick to point out before Tony can praise her on something cool.

"I got house points for it" Pixie defends. "My teachers don't think I did a bad thing, saving some poor innocent students from the big mean ugly troll" Tatiana pauses, when she breaks it down like that, it doesn't sound so bad, it actually sounds like she did a good thing. She went out of her way to save students. Tony gives Tatiana a look and motions to their daughter.

"See, superhero in the making" He teases.

"Mom, I was amazing" Pixie points out. "And if it wasn't for me, a student would have been squished or pummelled, whichever is worse" She leans back in her seat. Tony smirks and nods. Tatiana lets out a breath and shakes her head.

"How big are we talking?" Tony asks her.

"Hulk big" She answers, Tony nods, impressed and then smirks. He is actually really proud of her for taking on a Hulk-sized problem to save her classmates.

"What else?" He pushes. "This year sounds so interesting already...."

"Oh, well, I played my first Quidditch game as the youngest chaser in Hogwarts history...I scored two goals before Harry caught the snitch and won....." Tony nods.

"That's..." He looks at Tatiana who gives him a subtle nod, he turns back to Pixie. "Amazing, sweetie...I have no idea what any of those words mean" Pixie smirks at him and then chuckles.

.....

Later, Tony plays with her hair, twirling the strands between his fingers as he watches her read from the engineering book. There are notes and shorthand all over the page, she's been busy. He tries to make sense of them but there are words in there, shorthand he doesn't understand. Pixie touches the page and then looks up.

"Mom" Tatiana hums. "At the Quidditch game, you were sat with Uncle Severus, right?"

"I was" Tatiana answers and turns to give Pixie a questioning look.

"So you heard the spell he was casting?" Tatiana's face changes, and that tells Pixie everything she needs to know. Tatiana knows what's going on.

"I take it one of your friends set him on fire?" Tony turns a look on Pixie in question, because what kind of people has she been hanging out with at that school.

"I don't know anything about that" Pixie whispers and fiddles with the bracelet around her wrist. Tatiana hums a little, not believing her.

"There are things you don't know or understand," She tells her daughter.

"So he was trying to kill Harry by hexing his broom?" Pixie asks her, Tatiana sighs.

"No," She answers. "Of course not..." Pixie gives her a look. "He was trying to save him" Tatiana softens, her eyes turning sad. "You really think that Severus would try and kill a child?"

"No" Pixie argues. "I never believed he would....but the others...they did and I told them...that they were wrong...and..."

"You fell out" Tatiana realises. That's something Pixie got from her and Tony. Family loyalty. She stands up for her loved ones. Her blood. She is standing by Severus and it is putting a strain on her friendships. Tatiana was in the same position once. Her loyalty to her brother put a strain on her friendship with James and Sirius and Remus who hated him. In their third year, they fell out because of it. But she found a compromise. She managed to save her friendships and kept her brother in her life. Pixie can do the same. Her fallout has just come a little sooner. "Oh, Pix" Tatiana whispers. "I know he can come off as cold to those around him, but as long as you know the truth, nothing else matters. Let them say what they want, but know you are right. Severus does what he does for the people that he loves the most. And he would never betray Dumbledore, ever....no matter what, you know that's true, Pix..." Pixie nods. She knew she was right about this. She was right about him.