“Do you have children yourself, Auror Moody?” Cissa found she couldn’t quite recall one way or the other, despite how much her mother had pressed her to memorise pureblood family trees. She suspected that if he had kids they might have been in school with her, but she’d never been overly social.
Countermeasures, as if he expected that to happen again. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, but nodded. “I’d certainly like to hear about anything we could do to keep our students safer– the gym is supposed to be a safe place for them. Outside of the war.”
But there she was rambling again, and she stopped herself from continuing. Auror Moody must know just as well as she did how the war only seemed to creep closer– she’d lost cousin after cousin and friend after friend, but Lucius always came home.
“A- a taxi?” She blinked in surprise, before managing her expression back to something neutral. Cars were completely foreign to her– her parents had taken great pains to avoid even the enchanted ones– but she didn’t want to give off the wrong impression. “However you’d like. Academy of Defense is in Horizont Alley, about a block past Pilliwinkle’s Playthings.”
Moody tilted his head slightly at the question and said, “Depends on who you ask and what qualifies but none I’ve gotten to adopt no.” After all, he hadn’t really had the chance had he? He’d married Alex right as the war started, and there was no way he would put that target on a child. He already knew that he’d caused Alex heartbreak after heartbreak he couldn’t expand that.
Still, he supposed there were people he had adopted, in some type of way even if he wasn’t really their dad. There was a bit of comfort there, but as the war continued he couldn’t help but think maybe he wouldn’t get to see a child grow up. That he wouldn’t get to be called a dad, and that he’d stolen that same chance from Alex.
Moody nodded and said, “Children should feel safe. No one should live in fear of being hurt, but children especially. I can explain some, but I’ll also send over a memo of other protections and wards you could put up after I put up mine.” After all, if there was one thing he was sure most people who had a heart could agree upon was that children should be safe. They shouldn’t be frightened. Fear breeded resentment and divisions, and if this war was ever going to really end all children should feel safe.
He just wasn’t sure if that would happen.
He nodded slightly as he started to navigate the halls and said, “Okay. You can also explain any kids you might be worried about. If we do checks, we won’t involve your name or your establishment but say that it’s a mandatory check from the ministry. ”
