Harry leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. After a few minutes he asked her another question. "Would I still be able to keep my last name? I don't want that link to my parents to just…die off."
"It's really up to you, Harry. I could ask my solicitor to move forward with either an adoption or a legal guardian status. Legally speaking, they'd be the same thing. An adoption would have you taking my name or at least hyphenating it in. A legal guardian would basically still have you as a member of my family but more as a ward than a son." Shiva gave his hand a squeeze before continuing, "You don't have to answer right now, Harry. Take some time to – "
"Legal guardian," he said cutting her off.
"Sorry?"
"I want you to be my legal guardian. Then I can keep the Potter line going but still get away from the Dursleys. And I trust you. That's…I don't like adults. I like you. I'd like you to be my legal guardian, Shiva," Harry finished in a rush.
Shiva pulled the boy into a hug and for the first time she could remember, he hugged her back. "You sure, kid?"
"Yes," he whispered into her shoulder.
"Okay." She lifted a hand to quickly wipe away a sheen from her eyes. "My solicitor warned me that this might take a few months. But worst case scenario it shouldn't be any longer than a week or two into the summer before everything is finalized, tops. And even if it takes that long I want you to – "
"No." Harry pulled back and shook his head. Shiva frowned at him but before she could ask he already answered. "If it takes until a few weeks into the summer than I'll stay with them until it's done."
"But – "
"I am not about to risk being stuck there for another five years simply because I couldn't handle two weeks. I'll stay until it's done and no one can do anything about it."
Shiva regarded him carefully before sighing. "You are very stubborn you know that?"
"Professor McGonagall says I get it from my Father. Professor Flitwick says I get it from my mother," he smiled at her. "The way I see it, I'm cursed to be twice as stubborn as either."
Shiva had just sent off her owl to her solicitor with instructions and was headed back to her office when she saw a figure moving to block her path forward. A figure whose teeth caught the glint of the full moon. Sighing internally and steeling up her features Shiva nodded to the idiot in front of her. "Evening Gilderoy." God how she wished she could use his last name instead but she honestly didn't trust herself not to call him Flophart like Harry and his friends liked to.
"Ah, Babs, fancy running into you on this most beautiful of evenings!" His smile widened while her teeth clenched at the horrible nickname. "Why the night is almost as beautiful as you, my dear!"
"I've asked you not to call me that, Gilderoy," Shiva said, quietly counting to ten internally.
"Ah but Bathsheda is such a horridly mismatched name for a nymph such as yourself." Lockhart walked a little closer. It was close enough for her to smell his aftershave. Which was a shame because the scent itself was actually rather nice. It was just that it wrapped such a disgusting package.
"I'm not like your little fangirls prancing around the upper classes, Gilderoy. I've had a long day. Good night." She tried to push past him only to find him stepping back in front of her. Shiva hissed in frustration. Would this idiot ever stop? How many times did she have to shoot him down before he gave up the chase?
"You've said that for months now, Babs. Just one evening. You will never regret it, I promise. There are many who can testify to that." He winked at her. He actually winked at her. Shiva had to fight down the urge to vomit. "Oh, look mistletoe! You know what they say about traditions!"
A horrible idea came to Shiva but she couldn't stop the manic grin from spreading across her face at its potential. "Oh, that it is. You want a kiss, Gilderoy?" The idiot smiled and moved in, closing his eyes.
"Ah see that's the spirit my – arrrggghhhh!" Lockhart collapsed to the stone floor hands clutched between his legs and knees clenched tight.
"Have a pleasant evening, Gilderoy!" Shiva waved over her shoulder walking away. The grin stayed plastered to her face and she whistled happily all the way back to her office.
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