If Walls Could Talk - HP/DC

9

True to Emery's word, the floo wasn't fun. Damian realized this as he was thrown out of a fireplace. Luckily she didn't let him do it by himself and was able to catch him before he hit the creaky wooden floor of a dirty-looking pub. Emery gently guided him to a seat to recover from the nauseating effects of floo travel as the fireplace roared to life once more. Neville gave the young assassin a sympathetic look as he stepped out of the flames, Fred and George in tow.

"You okay, Dams?" Emery asked softly. Damian noticed a tone in her voice that made him feel warm, he wasn't familiar with the feeling, but he could certainly grow accustomed to it.

"I'm fine, Uhkt," he huffed, his Arabic accent a bit thicker than usual.

Emery raised a brow, "It's normal to feel sick after using the floo for the first time. It doesn't make you weak, I promise."

Damian muttered, "Perhaps I could use a glass of water."

The elder Wayne nodded, "Okay, stay with Nev and the twins. I'll be right back." With that said she walked off to the bar where a man stood, hunched over the counter with a newspaper. Damian kept an eye on his sister, just to be sure she was safe. Neville, Fred, and George found the younger wizard adorable, even with his gruff exterior.

"Are you excited about Hogwarts?" Fred asked the younger boy, smiling as Damian nodded without looking away from his sister.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" George mused, he knew Em was neutral on her stance about houses, but he was curious to see what the boy's opinion would be.

Damian glanced at his sister's friends, "I would like to be in Hufflepuff with Uhkt, but she says I would do well in Slytherin."

"I can't help but agree with Em." Neville mused.

The boy shrugged, smiling slightly as Emery returned with a glass of water and some muffins. "I noticed you didn't eat much during breakfast," she said softly, setting the cup and a blueberry muffin in front of him.

Damian shrugged once more, sipping the water as she distributed the rest of the muffins, keeping one for herself. She frowned slightly at Damian's behavior, "Dami, this morning wasn't the first time I noticed. Do you have an eating disorder or any allergies? If you do you have to tell us. You can't not eat. That's bad for your health."

The level of concern in Emery's eyes made Damian uncomfortable, solely because he wasn't used to anyone caring about his health. For as long as he could remember he was training to become the perfect heir and weapon for the Al Ghul family, his feelings didn't matter, and neither did his health, so long as it didn't interfere with his training. So, if anyone would mention that he fidgeted under her gaze, he would vehemently deny it.

"Frate, you're a Wayne. Sooner or later you'll get used to me mother henning you." Emery teased softly. The double meaning in her words had him tearing up, but that, and the way he snuggled into her side, were more things he'd strongly deny.

Emery wrapped an arm around him protectively and kissed his head tenderly as he quietly nibbled on the muffin. The twins and Neville smiled fondly, having long since gotten used to Emery's 'Mama Badger' moments.

Damian, after a minute or two of confliction, sighed and muttered, "I don't like eating meat."

Emery nodded, "Okay, all kinds of meat, or is fish okay? Poultry?"

"All kinds of meat," Damian answered, a little less hesitantly than before.

"Alright, how about eggs, dairy products, and honey?"

"Dairy and honey are okay."

"Good to know, I'll let Papa, Tata, and the boys know you're a Lacto-vegetarian. Papa and I will teach you and the boys how to make meals for you for when Papa's sick or on vacation, okay?" Emery assured a warm grin on her face.

Damian frowned, looking apprehensive, "It... it's not weird?"

Emery huffed, "Of course it's not, I'll hex whoever tells you otherwise."

Warmth swelled in Damian's chest at her words and he found himself hugging Emery tightly. Emery simply hugged him back, running her fingers through his hair soothingly. She let him cling onto her until he composed himself, if his eyes were a bit red and puffy, no one mentioned it as they finished their muffins.

"Ready to go?" Emery asked softly once they finished.

Feeling much better, Damian nodded, holding his sister's hand tightly as she led them out of the pub and into an ally. The younger wizard was confused, especially when she produced her wand and seemed to randomly tap bricks on the wall. That confusion turned to awe as the bricks moved meticulously to form an entrance to a crowded shopping district.

"Gringott's first, then we'll walk around for a bit, okay?" Emery said firmly, noting the excitement in the boys' eyes.

"Yes, Mum/Uhkt." the boy's chorus, earning a fond chuckle from the witch.

"Hey, Damian." the twins chimed, popping up on either side of the Wayne siblings, "You call Em 'Uhkt' a lot, what does that mean?"

Damian subconsciously tilted his head, "I'm part Arab. 'Uhkt' translates to sister in Arabic, which is my native tongue."

"Oh, cool." the twins chirped, "Think you could teach us some Arabic?"

The young Wayne nodded, "I can also teach you Mandarin if you're interested."

The redheads grinned simultaneously, "That would be wicked!"

"They're getting along swimmingly." Neville mused, watching the twins talk animatedly with the youngest Wayne, who was still somewhat shy. "Either he feels safe with me or the twins are performing some sort of miracle." Emery murmured, a soft grin on her features as she added, "Maybe both." as an afterthought.

Neville chuckled, "It's the so-called 'Demon Twins', I wouldn't be surprised if they were using some sort of dark magic." his tone teasing and just loud enough for the twins to hear.

"Hey!" Fred and George exclaimed, near identical mock affronted expressions on their faces, "We resent that!"

"Uh-huh, sure." Neville giggled.

Fred and George growled playfully, "Why you!" and lunged for the shorter boy. Neville laughed as he dodged the redheads and hid behind Emery, who couldn't help but giggle herself.

"That's not fair!" Fred huffed, George continuing, "You can't just hide behind Mama Badger!"

"Can too." Neville grinned smugly over Emery's shoulder.

Emery rolled her eyes fondly and looked to Damian, "Bunch of children, am I right?" she grinned, earning a chuckle(read giggle), from the preteen, "Indeed."

Three indignant squawks left the teenage boys, "Rude!"