Greg wasn't the happiest bloke in London. He was supposed to be a at training tomorrow and there was no way in hell he could manage it. He knew that grievous health problems were an adequate reason for missing a day, but it still brassed him off something fierce. He needed, wanted, had to get his frustration out and sparring was a constructive way to do so. He only wished there was room in the flat for a training room. He shuffled from the bedroom out into the living room. Luthien shadowed him clucking over his appearance. He didn't rightly care at the moment. Pansy had left not long ago, ordering him not to 'muck anything up'.

He dropped heavily onto the chaise end of his couch. His strength was returning slowly. Too slowly. He allowed Luthien to tuck a dark grey cashmere blanket around his legs, though he didn't feel it necessary. The light chills and shakes were all but gone. He knew it was a result of the potions. No matter what it looked like, he was far from stupid. Had he not been in a bad mental place upon arrival back in Britain he never would have disassembled so quickly.

"Master Val?" Luthien inquired softly, worriedly.

Greg shook his head. "I'm fine, Luthien. Something to eat and something to take my mind off everything would be brilliant."

Luthien smiled and rushed off to the kitchen. Greg snickered as he watched her bustle in and out of sight in the kitchen. Using his wand, he selected a handful of movies. Pansy hadn't said one way or another if she would be coming back. He didn't blame her if she went home. There was something bothering her, even as sick as he'd been he had seen that much. He'd scanned the owls he'd missed, making a mental list to get back to everyone. Most especially Maeve. A homeless man...shagging him even...none of that sounded like his Maeve. His Maeve, the girl who'd been hung up on Theo Nott, the wanker, since school. There was just no way that she would have tossed aside years of waiting and wanting, no matter how many times he tried to convince her to date others- at the very least. Hell, when he'd been in America, with Raven's family, there had been numerous young wizards who were family, that he'd wanted Maeve to meet. Of course, he'd never put it quite that way. He picked up one of her letters, scanned it again, and cussed. Nott! He is dead if he took advantage of Maeve!

With a world weary sigh, he Accioed quills, ink, and parchment. He had owls to send, apologies to make and the like. He'd just completed the one to Draco when the 'pop' of Apparition and the sight of a white faced Maeve eyes wide, looking like she had no idea where she was had him moving quicker than he thought he was capable of at the moment. He dropped to his knees, cradling her in his arms and tucking her up close. "Maeve? What's wrong, Poppet? LUTHIEN! LUTHIEN! GET ARTANIS HERE!" He struggled to his feet, worry over Maeve bringing in a bone deep terror. What the hell happened? Has someone died?

"Where?" Tracey looked up at his face as if she was trying to comprehend why he was holding her. "Why are you here Greg? Home. I wanted to go home."

Greg was baffled. She wasn't crying. In fact, he didn't see any evidence that she had cried at all. "I am home," he replied unthinkingly.

"This isn't home. Where are we, Greg? Why did I come here when I wanted to be safe at home?" She looked around, but she still had glassy eyes and a stunned look on her face. "Oh. This is your home. Why are you here? I thought Pansy was going to fix you. She said she would. She's always been the one who knew what she was doing. I've always been the weak one. The one who would believe anything anyone ever said. I believed-" she stood up and made to walk toward the fireplace. She looked around confused that there was no Floo powder. "Greg, where's your Floo?"

He glared at her, hard. "I don't have one, don't need one, and if you think that you are going anywhere while this upset..." he trailed off, getting to his feet taking her hand. He shook his head as he led her to the couch and gently pushing her so she would sit down. "Just tell me what is wrong." He crouched in front of her, quickly deciding that was a bad idea and shifted to his knees. He would push aside all his problems to help her. "You are safe here, you're always safe with me, Poppet. Tell me what is wrong. Do I need to hurt someone for you? Bury a body?"

"No. I'm fine, Val. I really am." I'm bloody well perfect. Just an idiot... that's all. A vile, hopeless idiot. It took all she had, but she managed to smile at him. Hiding things from him was always so much harder than anyone else. "What about you? You just wrote me a goodbye owl. You didn't think about what that would do to me. To any of us. I was frantic for days. Even Theo-" she stopped and took a sharp intake of breath before continuing on much quieter, "Even he was beside himself with what to do, I was so worried."

Greg rolled his eyes. "You are not fine. We don't discuss my fuck-up until you tell me, really tell me, what is wrong." He wasn't adding to her problems, no way. Not when she was this upset. If Nott is responsible, I'll gut him and let Huginn and Muninn feast on what is left.

Tracey tried to stand up but Greg held her there. "I'm fine, Greg. I really am. Nothing that I can't deal with on my own. You don't need silly trivial rubbish to cloud up your recovery. It wasn't as though he cheated anyway. And Pansy... poor Pans. She has no idea. And it's going to stay that way. She can't know. It's silly anyway." She leaned back against the sofa. Why does it hurt so much if it was so silly? Her words were coming out jumbled and soft, like it hurt to speak them, but she had to do it, if only to make things clearer in her mind. "And look on the bright side, you won't have to worry about Theodore Nott for much longer. I was just a random witch to him. He's just like every other bloke... they tell you they love you, but they don't. Why didn't I see he was just like everyone else?"

"Stop," he growled. "Just fucking stop, Tracey Maeve Davis!" He didn't raise his voice since his anger wasn't with Maeve, but with the wanker Nott. Gutting him isn't enough. "Explain what you mean, in detail, no holding back."

Tracey closed her eyes and sighed. This was exactly what she did not need. An inquisition from Greg. She couldn't lie to him. To Pansy, yes. To Draco, absolutely. But when it came to Blaise or Greg... they always knew the truth, no matter what rubbish she tried to throw at them. "I'm seeing Theo. Well, I suppose I was seeing him. I'm not sure how I feel about that at the moment. We went on a few dates. Mostly bad, but then a good one. And somewhere between that and my asking him to move into the Park with me he shagged Pansy. I think it was something they did all the time at school- it was just a one off, but... what does that make me? Am I just another witch to him? He was so much more than that to me."

"I. Will. Kill. Him."

Normally, Tracey would roll her eyes at him and tell him to calm down, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't kidding. "Val, I shouldn't have told you. I won't let you hurt him." I love him.

Greg's expression softened when he saw the look in Maeve's eyes. She loved the ruddy wanker...killing is out then...maiming it is. "I will hurt him...though I promise not to kill him. Now tell me all of it, Maeve."

"You won't Greg. You can't hurt him. I don't want you to hurt him. That isn't how I work. I don't want to hurt him for hurting me. I'm not even angry about Pansy. I'm so mad at myself for just shagging first and thinking about it later. I wanted him so badly. I've wanted him for so long. It didn't matter to me that it'd only been three dates. It didn't matter because I loved him. I set myself up for this. It's my fault." Tracey managed to push past him and began to grab for the wand in the pocket of her robes.

Greg snatched the wand from her hand and held it away from her. "I won't have you saying this is your fault. It's his. He knew about both of you. You had a right to know before you shagged him. I may not kill him, but I will insure he knows to respect you and Pansy. He was raised as I was, to respect women...witches...hell and damnation, Maeve." He laid his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezed. "I love you, Maeve. You are my sister in every way that counts. I was stupid. I can't...won't let Nott come between us. I would kill for you, Poppet." He turned her to face him gently. "I need you...I really do."

Tracey nodded, stepping on his toes to grab her wand from him. "I know, Val. I need you too. I just can't be around anyone right now. I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow, right? You're still coming with us?"

Greg didn't want to go. He didn't want to do much of anything right now. But... "Will Nott be there?"

Tracey sighed. She hadn't thought of that. Getting the two of them in the same room would not be pleasant. "I'm sure he'll still escort River and I, if you'd like to meet up somewhere instead?"

Already thinking of how good it would feel to beat the shite out of Nott, Greg nodded. "Where and what time? I won't be able to stay long," he added in warning, "I'm supposed to take it easy for a while yet."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "The Three Broomsticks at 8pm, okay?" Tracey was not about to let his last line go unanswered, "Once this mess of a festival is over I fully expect a full reckoning, Val. I want to know everything. No secrets. No protecting dear Maeve because she's weak and can't handle it. I'm not fragile, no matter what you think, and I have a right to know why I was compelled to write near howlers to blonde Gryffindor bints that I hardly know and panicked owls to Pansy. We've not even begun to scratch the surface of what I want to know. I deserve that, at the very least."

"I know," he replied softly. "I never saw you as weak, Maeve, never." He reached out and gently laid his hand on her cheek. "You aren't weak or fragile. You're my baby sister. I thought I had to protect you from me, Poppet. After your big Halloween Bash is over we'll talk and I will tell you everything you want to know. The good and the bad. I love you. I want only the best for you." He looked her in the eyes and let her see just how damaged, how broken he felt. "Even if that meant protecting you from me. I'm damn proud of you."

Tracey had to leave if she was going to keep it together. She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Tomorrow, Greg." and Apparated and was gone.



(Summary: Tracey accidentally Apparates to Greg's house and he insists on hearing the whole sordid affair between her and Theo.)