She'd already knocked Duff unconscious by the time she got up the stairs. Mainly because he was being an arse then didn't back down when she told him to. People had cleared a path. Mac was obviously upset.

Nessa was waiting for Neville to warn him. It was best to steer clear when a MacDougal was that upset, but Nessa did want to know what had happened. She had a feeling it had to do with the Ministry since her granddaughter had not been like that when she left for work that morning. That place had a way of killing a spirit at times.

"Boy," she called when he entered the pub.

Neville looked up when Mac's Nana called him over. He was on his way up to their room after a long day at the office, but as he made his way over to Nana, Neville noticed the pub was abnormally quiet.

"Did something happen?"

"Aye, but I dinna know what. Tread light wit Morag. Or better yet, go upstairs and shag her rotten. I want more great grand babies, and she needs the stress relief."

His eyes widened. He'd never get used to his grandmother and his girlfriend's grandmother conspiring together to get great grandchildren. "I think we'll just talk," he said nervously as he made his way towards the stairs. "Any idea what's got her upset? Any at all?"

"None. My advice is to strip naked a'fore ya walk in tha' room. Might keep her from punching ya unconscious like she did Duff."

Neville's eyes widened. That was serious. Duff was not one to be screwed around with. Perhaps he'd take off his shirt beforehand.

"Thanks. I think."

After taking a deep breath, Neville started towards the stairs. He stood at the door and couldn't hear anything in the room. That was good, then. It meant she wasn't destroying their room. When he made sure there was no one in the hallway, he took off his coat and undid part of his shirt. He just hoped he didn't look like an idiot when he walked in.

As he opened the door, he didn't see Mac anywhere. "Mac? You home yet?" he yelled out, pretending that he just hadn't been informed that she was on the warpath.

She came out of the closet in her knickers and a camisole top brandishing a wire hanger. "He thinks I willna do it. Well, I am. I already signed up. I'll show him. I'll show all of them tha' thinks I'm just a brawler."

Neville's eyebrows shot up. "He doesn't think you won't do what? Am I going to like this 'what' or 'he'?"

Mac grabbed the parchment off of her desk. "I take my tests on Monday."

She handed the parchment to Neville. It was her test schedule to get in for Auror training. She'd signed up earlier that afternoon.

"I'm tired of Harry actin' like he has a burr up his arse about me no' bein' one of them, so I'll be one of them."

Neville stared at the parchment in shock. "You're joining the Auror program? What for?"

"Ya dinna think I can either. I'll show ya. I'll show everyone."

She started pacing.

"I won't let these kids be going out there all bad. They need help. I want to help. I want to stop the likes of what killed my uncle Conell and Dirk."

"I didn't say anything about being bad! You've just never expressed any interest in the Auror program. Are you doing this because it's what you'd like to do for the rest of your life or because you want prove yourself to a group of people who really don't matter anyway?"

He hoped that him trying to get to the root of the problem wouldn't get his limbs detached.

"I want to do it because I can. Because I think I'd be good at it eventually. Iffen I am an Auror, I can teach people to tell secrets the MacDougal way. Mayhap I can save someone wit what I teach them."

"I don't want to have to heal headaches from your MacDougal secrets, Mac," Neville said with a grin. "But if you're doing this for you and not for what other people think, I think you'll be wonderful at it."

"I think I can help. They're bad, Nev, but they can be so much better. Then there's criminals walking around. I think sendin' their arses back to Azkaban might be fun. I know I willna be doin' any of tha' at first, no' even for a great while, but I'm patient. I waited for ya to figure out ya wanted me again, dinna I?"

Neville smiled at her. She had waited for him. She'd waited for a long time, far longer than she should have. "Yes, you did. And I'm very thankful for that."

He chuckled. "Your Nana was worried you were going to kill me when I walked up here. Of course, that could have been an excuse for us to make great grand babies for her, which she freely admits she's waiting for."

"Is tha' why yer shirt is like tha'? I thought ya were manwhorin' it out for yer patients today."

He glared at her. "Thanks." Neville's glare turned into a grin. "But don't you think if I didn't wear a shirt it'd give Zabini an eye-twitch. That's reason enough for doing it. Plus we'd get more female customers."

"Ya'd also run out of skele-grow."

He made a face.

"Tha's a lot of leg breakin'. I dinna want anyone lookin' on yer chest but me."

Neville laughed. "I don't think they'd let you be an Auror if you went around playing the jealous girlfriend and breaking people's legs. Besides, isn't the rule for leg breaking 'look but don't touch--touch and lose limbs'?"

"Depends on how folk are lookin'. I get jealous."

Mac sat down on her bed. "So yer all right wit' this? Me bein' an Auror? Provided I pass."

"You're a MacDougal and a Ravenclaw. You're going to pass if you want to." He sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. "I think I'm going to say I'm okay with it, but don't be surprised when I throw a complete fit when you get injured the first time and I have to heal you. It's not going to be pretty."

Mac grinned and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I will try my best no' to get hurt. Besides. I willna be in the field at first. No' for a while. It's all classes."

"Good. Maybe all your Ravenclaw-ness has worn out and they'll hold you back a few years. Or just fail you out completely. That'd be nice," Neville speculated, but quickly tried to backtrack when Mac glared at him. "Not nice for you, obviously, because you would have failed, but nice that I won't have to worry and I'm just going to shut up now."

"I willna fail, so just surrender tha' dream."

Mac put and hand on his thigh and squeezed slightly.

"I'll make it worth yer worry."

For one tiny moment, Neville had the thought that if Mac was pregnant, she wouldn't be out in the field as an Auror. It would certainly get his Gran and Mac's Nana off their backs about grandchildren.

Then came the reality that he was nowhere near ready to be a father. That didn't meant they couldn't practice though.

"Oh really? Promise you won't spend all your nights studying?"

Mac moved until she was in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him, savoring the moment.

"Oh I'll spend all m'nights studyin', but the subjects will differ. Like right now, I'd like to study what's in yer pants."


{SUMMARY} Mac tells Neville what she's planning.