DISCLAIMER: None of it's mine, je suis désolé.
A/N: WOW! I was absolutely staggered at the amount of reviews I got for the first chapter! I swear, I did the happy dance as soon as I saw that! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!
Okay, just on a side note... I did research about France, the cities, castles, government, etc, so most of that stuff is true. Well, not the part about magic. Alas.
Be kind, review!
THE BEWITCHMENT OF JAMES POTTER
Chapter 2: Baby's in Black
On that same night, a dark figure arrived at an apartment in a posh building on Avenue de la Bourdonnais in Paris, France.
Lily fiddled with her keys, and entered the front hall of her loft-style apartment. After depositing her keys in the silver tray by the entrance, she hung up her purse and cloak, and glanced in the hall mirror. She sighed, noticing the dark circles under her green eyes. It had been another exhausting day at Le Ministère.
"Ma chérie, c'est terrible!" the mirror cried at her.
"Always a pleasure to come home to you," Lily murmured, then entered the dark living room.
Ah... scummy, mindless TV... then a bite to eat... and then some hard-earned sheep.
She kicked off her shoes as she made her way in the darkness, not bothering to turn on the light. Eyes not yet adjusted to the dark, Lily slammed her left shin on a low coffee table.
"Bugger!" she cried, she hopping around on her other foot so she could rub the sore one.
Unfortunately, there was a magazine lying on the carpet. Lily skidded on its glossy cover and toppled backwards, landing into the sofa right behind her.
Most unfortunately, there was a person already seated on it, and she had landed on his lap.
And that person immediately began laughing.
Without pausing to think, Lily elbowed that person hard in the gut, abruptly ending the laughter. She sprang up, pulling out her wand. "Who are you?" she demanded, brandishing it in the stranger's face. "Lumus!"
The light that appeared at the end of her wand cast shadows all across the room and revealed the familiar face of the handsome dark-haired man seated in front of her.
Lily stared at him in disbelief. "Black?"
"The one and only. Miss me at all, Red?" asked Sirius, batting the long, think eyelashes that had entranced many a Hogwarts female. He clearly had been stretched out on the sofa as if he owned the place.
Lily just stared at him, mouth agape. She was too shocked to even react to his use of the nickname she most loathed. My hair is auburn, damn it.
"Would you mind pointing that thing somewhere else?" he requested, eyeing her uneasily. "Anywhere else, in fact?"
Lily glanced down at her wand; it was aimed right at his crotch.
Blushing immediately, she lowered it, but didn't put it away. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Is that any way to receive an old friend?" he called, standing up and spreading his arms to hug her.
Lily ducked under his outstretched limbs and stalked out of the living room into the adjacent kitchen. "Old friend!" she exclaimed as she poured herself a tall, cold glass of water. "If we're 'old friends', what do you call Severus Snape? Your close confidant?"
"Please tell me you're not still sore about the Hogwarts days," said Sirius as he walked over and sat on a stool on the other side of the kitchen counter."
Lily snorted, as delicately as a woman can. "Still sore? I'm still pissed! Second year, you hexed my robes to call out 'Good Morning Buttercake!' whenever Professor Flitwick walked by!"
Sirius coughed to cover a laugh. "I thought that was your nickname for him?"
"Or like in fourth year, when you transfigured my homework in to a dog - the only zero I ever got!"
"You should have said 'But Professor McGonagall, the dog is my homework!'" exclaimed Sirius, grinning triumphantly. "A twist on an old classic, get it?"
Lily threw up her hands in frustration. "Or in fifth year, when you charmed Severus into serenading me with 'The Way You Look Tonight' by Sinatra during the Halloween Ball!"
"It's not my fault that the slimeball can't sing to save his life."
"He was on bended knee. In front of the whole school!"
"Touching moment, no?"
Lily slammed a glass on the counter top. "Stop it! Would you like something to drink?"
"What do you have?" returned Sirius, interested.
"Nothing poisonous enough for the liver to be your fancy."
"Water's fine," he said, raising an eyebrow. "And as much as I would like to bicker and have 'remember whens,' I came here with more important things to discuss."
"What, the fastest way to seduce the knickers off a girl?"
Sirius gave her a straight look. "First of all, I already know how to do that. Secondly, I'd hardly come to you, would I?"
"Hmmm," Lily paused and faked a pondering look. "Nope, you're right, you'd find the dumbest girl in the general vicinity." She placed a glass of water in front of him.
"Look, Red, I'm being serious here." Sirius swallowed down the water in one large gulp. "I'm here on Ministry business."
"Stop calling me 'Red.'" Lily took the glass from him and refilled it from the pitcher. "Whose Ministry? Mine or yours?"
"Both actually."
Lily raised an eyebrow at him, disbelieving. "Then why didn't you just schedule a meeting?" she asked, selecting an apple from the fruit basket and handing him a banana.
"I despise meetings. The official kind anyway. Almost as much as I dislike bananas," he said, delicately curling his upper lip in disgust.
"You should eat more fruit." Lily rolled her eyes for the fifth time that evening. "They're good for potassium and fiber."
"When we're done discussing my fiber needs, could we please get on to what I came here for?"
"Which is?"
"Minister Le Vau's trip to London tomorrow."
"What about it?"
"Well, it's not exactly what you'd call safe in London right now," he said patronizingly.
"Is it safe anywhere in Europe right now?" shot back Lily impatiently. "The Giants are revolting in the Scottish Highlands, the Dementors of Azkaban and the Dementors of Château d'Iste are threatening to quit, all in addition to the supposedly unrelated Muggle killings that have taken place throughout the continent... it's not safe anywhere, and Ministre Le Vau is meeting Bagnold to see if they can both come up with a solution. I assure you Sirius; this cannot be cancelled!"
"I'm not telling you to cancel, but why not make the trip safer for all those involved?"
"Oh wait - I have an brilliant idea! I'll send you," said Lily, laughing sarcastically. "You can go to the Welcoming Ball, and once everyone hears about the great, the dreaded Sirius Black being there, no bad guys will dare show up!"
Sirius emitted a low growl. "Look, if you're just going to annoy the hell out of me, then maybe I'll just go to your bloody superior."
Lily stopped laughing and fixed him with a level look. "Go ahead. I doubt the fool knows much about anything. By all means, go ahead and waste your time."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Okay, but will you hear me out about the plan?"
"You have an actual plan, then?" She sighed and gave in. "Well, there's really not much I can do from here. Why don't you give me a few minutes to shower and change, and then we can both go to the ministry together?"
Sirius nodded, and with that, Lily was out of the kitchen and in her bedroom, flicking on the lights before she did anything else.
So much for a bite to eat and some sleep... Lily thought wearily as she peeled off her robes and underclothes. She stepped into the shower, and allowed her body to enjoy the warm spray that both refreshed and awakened her. After whispering a Drying Spell, she dressed in a fresh set of simple, yet distinguishing black robes, and pulled her hair up into a loose chignon.
"Ok, let's go," she said, walking back into the living room.
Sirius was walking around the room, examining it. "These were your parents?" he said, pointing at a picture of a middle-aged couple, hugging two young girls.
She nodded, her lips tightening.
"I forgot you had a sister."
"Petunia."
He looked at her questioningly.
"She's alive and well, don't worry. Engaged, actually, last I heard," said Lily, pinning her government identification to the front of her robes.
"Is she a Squib?"
"No, a Muggle. The kind that despises anyone magical."
Sirius looked like he didn't know what to say.
"Anyway," she said, finally ready, "We'd better get going."
"Right," said Sirius, and looked around the room. "You don't seem to have a fireplace?"
"No, no." Lily shook her head, thinking. "We're not going by Floo."
"Why not?"
"The French Floo Networks aren't secure at all anymore; they haven't been for a few months. Several people were kidnapped when Dark wizards tapped into the Network, so Le Ministère disabled them last week."
Sirius gave a low whistle. "So then we're Apparating?"
"We could, but I some need time to unwind. We're driving."
Sirius looked at her, shocked. "As in an automobile?"
"Call it a car, or you'll sound like you belong in the 1910s."
"Fine, a car. We're going in one of those?"
"Do you know a better way to drive?" she asked, picking up her keys from the tray.
"James and I... er... 'borrowed' a motrokyle from some Muggles once."
"Motorcycle," she corrected automatically, shaking her head at the horrible thought of them joyriding on a stolen bike. "Really, would it have killed you to take Muggle Studies?"
She took her purse, and as soon as Sirius had helped her into her cloak (much to her dismay, although she could not very well resist), they left her apartment.
They headed down the stairs and she led him to the building's parking garage. "This is it," she said, walking past several models and indicating one. "This year's Alpha Romeo," she said, smiling proudly.
"Whoa! Hey, this one's kind of cool!" he said, admiring the sleek black car.
"Cool? I suppose, it's like twenty degrees Celsius."
Sirius sighed patronizingly. "You know. Neat. Awesome. Cool. It's only the American word to know."
Lily raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I've hooked up with a few American girls recently," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Individually or all at once?"
Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but Lily cut him off. "Never mind, I don't want to know. In any case, this car is very cool. When I got promoted, one of the benefits was a car and driver. I asked them straight out for a nice car for myself instead, and, after much shameless begging and pleading, I got my baby."
Lily unlocked her door and got inside, putting her keys in the ignition. Just when she was about to start the engine, she noticed that Sirius hadn't gotten in yet. Rolling her eyes, she climbed back out, walked over to the passenger's side, and opened the door for him. "Get in," she said, indicating the leather interior with an outstretched hand.
He looked at her with the strangest expression on his face, but complied, crouching down awkwardly to get inside. Lily closed the door slowly, sighing. Wizards.
Lily then walked around to the driver's side and got in. "Put on your safety belt," she ordered, fixing her own belt.
"My what?" he said, a blank look on his face.
"How many times did I tell you to take Muggle Studies?" She reached over him and tugged on the black strap. For some unknown reason, it was stuck. Lily moved over more closely, brushing against his arm.
"Hey, I know I'm good-looking and all, but carrot tops aren't my type-"
Lily elbowed him. Yanking hard, the seatbelt finally came free. "This is a safety belt. You put it on like so." In one swift movement she pulled the seatbelt, let it click, and strapped Sirius in.
"I'm suffocating!" protested Sirius, struggling against the seatbelt.
"You can breathe perfectly well."
As she rolled out onto the street, she turned to Sirius. "Are you nervous, by any chance?"
"Hell no," he replied, mock-yawning. "This belt thing is rather uncomfortable, but, after a broomstick, this is just a small house on wheels, right?"
Slightly offended, she pulled over and pressed a button, which caused the cover on the Alpha Romeo to lower. She laughed at Sirius's shocked face. "It's called a convertible, my dear."
With a squeal of tires, she pulled back out to the street. House on wheels.
"One thing's still bothering me," said Lily, her eyes on the road as she pulled out onto the highway, the lights of the city of Paris rushing by on either side. "Why were you in my living room, waiting for me? I mean, why in the dark?"
"I wanted to surprise you and see your reaction. Although, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that you would go weak in the knees and throw yourself into my lap, Red," he said, laughing with his eyes closed, obviously replaying the moment in his mind.
"I did not do anything of the sort! I had fallen, and instead of being a gentleman and helping me, you just sat there on your bony excuse for an arse and had a jolly laugh!"
Sirius was laughing too hard to hear her.
Irritated, Lily noticed that there weren't too many cars on the highway. "Laugh at this, Black!"
She pressed her foot down on the gas, sped up, shifted gears, and sped up again.
Sirius yawned again. "After a broomstick dive at over a hundred and fifty miles per hour, this is nothing, dear. But then again how would you know, you were too scared to ride a broomstick faster than a butterfly."
Lily's only response was the narrowing of her eyes, and her foot getting heavier on the gas pedal.
Sirius's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" His long hair was whipping sharply in the wind.
"Having some fun. Tighten your seatbelt!" she yelled, flooring it. The car streaked down the highway.
"Scared?" she inquired teasingly, noticing that Sirius was paling rapidly.
"Only of this blasted mild carton! I doubt it has any more aerodynamics than a bloody cow!"
"Scientists spend years creating this kind of car. It's safe, I assure you."
"Lily, there's another car right ahead!" yelled Sirius, gripping the edges of his seat.
"I know," she said, a mischievous smile spreading over her face. She slowed down slightly, changed lanes right, and before hitting another car right in front of them on that lane, she swerved right back into the left lane. Noticing no traffic ahead, Lily floored it again, the Alpha Romeo springing forward as if alive, leaving the other two cars in the dust.
"Lily are you insane?" Sirius cried.
"What, did you wet your knickers, Black?" she said, giggling a little as she slowed down. "Never ever insult my car again."
"Crazy woman driver," muttered Sirius out of the corner of his mouth.
"That does it!" Making sure no one was behind her, Lily slammed on the breaks. The car swerved dangerously, but Lily simply went with the swerve, brought it around, made the car straight again, and accelerated. "Acceleration of 0 to 110 kilometres in ten seconds, baby!" she yelled gleefully, as they left the City of Lights behind them.
She glanced over at him, and was quite satisfied to see that Sirius's long hair was still flying around in all directions, partially covering his very pale face.
"Okay okay, I apologize! Just... slow down there, Red," said Sirius hastily.
"Stop calling me 'Red!'"
Lily very reluctantly obliged and slowed down a touch. "It's not fun when you're on the receiving end of teasing, is it?"
After driving at the normal speed limit for a few minutes, Lily turned to Sirius. "Bored, Black?"
"No!" he cried hastily. "This is nice. Really."
Lily smirked, and pulled out onto an exit, parking at a service station.
"Is this the Ministry of Magic?" said Sirius, looking down his nose at the simple surroundings.
"Merlin, no - I'm just out of petrol." Noticing Sirius's puzzled look she added, "The thing that makes my car move."
Sirius looked as though about to say something, but closed his mouth instead.
After depositing several francs, Lily filled up the tank. She climbed back in the car, and put the top back up before driving off.
"Right... let's make a deal... no more... fun." Sirius's face was twisted into an ugly grimace.
"Now, where's all your sense of adventure?" asked Lily mockingly.
"I left it at about 250 kilometers per hour ago," replied Sirius shortly, "and since when do you have one?"
"I've always have."
"No, you haven't."
Exasperated, Lily flicked on the radio and began singing along with the lyrics.
Until she noticed the disgruntled look Sirius was giving her. "What? I happen to like American music."
"Meeting American girls is far better – d'you know, it seems they find my accent absolutely enticing?"
Rolling her eyes, she turned it to an opera station. "Don't worry, I won't even attempt to sing this."
"Thank Merlin. I'd jump out of this bloody car - headfirst."
"No one's stopping you."
"Talk about a return to Hogwarts. You haven't changed a bit. Other than the fact that you like driving fast."
"I'll have you know that I've always driven fast!" exclaimed Lily indignantly. "My parents gave me a nice car when I was sixteen." She lowered her voice at the mention of her parents. Being an orphan had not gotten easier with the years. "And I have changed. A lot."
They drove on in silence.
"Here it is. Welcome to Versailles." She pulled into an exit. She turned left, right, right, center, and on until Sirius was thoroughly devoid of any sense of direction. She turned off onto a road lined by perfectly manicured lawns.
"Where are we going, anyway? Where is the French Ministry?"
Lily looked at him surprised. "I thought you were joking earlier when you asked if the petrol station was Le Ministère. Don't tell me the British Ministry sent you here blind, without knowing where you were going?"
"They sent me directions to your place."
Lily mulled it over pensively. "Yes, but that still doesn't explain why you don't know where the it's located."
"It wasn't supposed to be me. They were originally sending someone else."
"Oh really?" She slowed down in case she had to throw Sirius out of her car. "Who was supposed to come?"
"Well, they thought someone with a better name would be good. My family, while acceptably well-reputed," Sirius made a face to show what he thought of their reputation, "isn't as internationally-known as others. They needed someone who had family connections, Honours from the Auror Academy... well, you know how it goes."
Lily perceived that Sirius was tap dancing around answering the question. "A straight answer, Black."
Sirius looked out the window. "They sure have a lot of cows in Versai-"
"Sirius!"
"Fine. I'll tell you."
"Who was it supposed to be? You said it's a he. Edgar Bones? Alastor Moody?"
"None of the above. Think about it - who else would it be? James, of course."
A pregnant pause ensued.
"Watch it!" he cried out, as Lily swerved to avoid hitting a tree.
"I've got it," she muttered crossly. James was supposed to come... she smacked herself on the forehead.
Sirius yelped loudly as Lily narrowly missed a lamppost.
"Lily!"
After a few moments of mutual silence, Lily ventured to ask a question. "So why didn't James come?" she said slowly.
"I thought you were cleverer than to have to ask that question," said Sirius, avoiding her eyes. "The short of it is that he can't come is because of you. He knows that you're working at the French Ministry. I honestly don't know how you and he avoid each other; he's visited Le Ministére once in a while for work and to visit friends."
I'm not going to tell Sirius that the only times I ever take a holiday is when I know James will be around… "Only this time, he'd have to work with me because I'm in charge of this?" surmised Lily.
Sirius nodded. "When Moody, who is now Head of the Auror Department, realized the implications, he sent me instead to make sure nothing... interfered."
Lily gripped the wheel until her knuckles were white. "Nothing would have! I am a professional, and I am sure James is too. He has certainly has accomplished much in a short time. What is he, a Special Auror, Second Class?"
"I'm Second Class. You know perfectly well that James is First Class, as in every aspect of his life." He sneaked a smile. "You've kept tabs on him."
Lily tried to avoid his seeing her slight blush. "Every now and then I hear things about the four of you Marauders. I was sad to hear Remus was not accepted to the Academy, although Pettigrew's failure to pass the final exam came as no surprise."
"And we've heard about you too," continued Sirius politely, "as it's not every day that a ridiculously young witch becomes a senior security analyst in a foreign country."
Lily smiled. Truthfully, she was quite proud of her position. "Yes, well, I mostly coordinate the Minister Le Vau's trips to other countries. I help out a little with intelligence missions, but I generally end up at the office, making sure everything happens according to plan. Unfortunately, that does mean I get stuck with all the paperwork, and I'm hardly ever out in the field."
"Be that as it may, you've done quite well for yourself, Red." He reached over and impertinently pinched her cheek.
"And yet you insist on calling me Red," she said, suppressing the urge to smack him.
"Don't worry, I still call the guys by their pet names whenever I can. You have no idea how much it embarrasses James when he's giving me and his other subordinates the plan for a stake-out and I call him Thongs. His ears turn quite the interesting colour."
Lily forced a laugh. She kept feeling a pang every time she heard a reference to James. Stop it Lily, you got over him a long time ago remember?
"Right, here it is," she said, turning into a drive. "Le Ministère de la Magique has its headquarters here, at le Château de Versailles. These are the gardens, designed by Louis XV, for the enjoyment of his wife. Pity you didn't get to see them during daylight; they are magnificent."
Sirius looked out his window, and, in the moonlight, was able to discern several architectural structures, fountains, and small chapels decorating the sprawling grounds.
"Does the Minister live here?"
"Of course. He and his family live at le Trianon, which is a group of buildings at the back."
"So he's basically treated like a bloody French king?"
"Basically - yes. But he's a really nice man, if a little pompous, and his daughter Madeleine is a good friend of mine."
"Not to mention a childhood friend of James. I've met her – she's hot!"
Ignoring the pang that went through her at the mention of James, Lily turned right, saying, "the other way leads up right to the front of the castle. We're taking a smaller side entrance… Voilà!"
The castle was now in full view. The moon cast a silver glow over it, making it seem to shine from an inner radiance. The château was mirrored in the large crystal reflecting pool in front of it.
Enjoying Sirius's speechless look, Lily grinned. "Wait till you see the inside… I cannot believe you've never been here. It's open for Muggle and magical tourism, you know."
"My family wasn't interested in sightseeing," said Sirius, with only a trace of bitterness, "and when James and I travelled, we usually went to more exotic escapes – Cyprus, Egypt, Mexico… Whenever we did come to France, we'd go to his family's vineyards."
She drove around the small roundabout, and stopped in front of a tall man dressed in the castle guard's elaborate light blue and dark purple robes. She got out of the car and smiled warmly at the man. "Bonsoir, Philippe," she said in greeting, and handed him her car keys.
Philippe bowed in response.
Eyeing the wizard's ostentatious robes, Sirius snickered loudly enough to be heard through the glass.
"Is Minister Le Vau here for the night?" Lily asked Philippe in French.
"Yes, I believe 'ee arrived 'ere an hour ago." For some annoying reason, he always insisted in replying to her in English, no matter what language she spoke to him in. "And I believe 'ee is staying at ze Official Residence at ze moment."
"Merci." Glancing down, she realized Sirius was still in the car. "Black, quit playing around! Let's go already."
Sirius tried to get out, but was unable to move. "I assure you, Lily, nothing would please me more than getting out of this blasted contraption!" he snapped, struggling against the seatbelt.
Mildly amused, Lily opened the door, reached across him, and popped the button to release him. Sirius practically rammed into her in his rush to get out.
Philippe looked at Sirius piercingly. "An' 'oo is zis?" he asked Lily, indicating Sirius. Although Philippe was about two heads shorter than Sirius, he still was able to give off the impression that he was looking down his nose at him.
"Mr. Black. Here for business."
"And for pleasure," cut in Sirius, leaning casually against the car.
Philippe gave Lily a concerned look. "What 'oold Monsieur Renoir say abou' zis Monsieur Black?"
"Nothing," said Lily, blushing slightly. "Black's just an old friend from Hogwarts. Anyway, I must be leaving."
Lily started climbing up the old stone steps that led to the door. She looked back, making sure that Philippe was taking her car to be parked, and that Sirius was following her.
"Who's this Monsieur Reindeer fellow?" asked Sirius, dogging her steps.
"It's pronounced Reh-nuah. And he's nobody," said Lily, reddening. "I mean, well, obviously he's somebody, but... oh, it's really none of your business." She kept on walking, and another man, also dressed in the same flamboyant blue and purple robes, rushed to open the doors for them, bowing.
"Nice uniforms," he hissed at Lily as a smirk plastered itself on his face. "I didn't know men still wore tights in France."
"Those are the uniforms of the official guard. I'll have you know that they were designed by Manet himself."
"I though Monet painted water lilies."
"I said Manet, not Monet – they're different. Manet was –"
"Spare me the art history lesson."
Lily entered the Great Hall, motioning for Sirius to follow her. "Even you will appreciate this - feast your eyes!" she said, waving her hand around the Hall proudly.
Sirius had a dumbstruck look on his face.
It was all splendour and beauty. The curved and arched ceilings were painted in Renaissance-style to look like a setting sky. Angels poked out from behind the clouds, dancing, their wings gilded. Paintings from the Renaissance and Rococo era were framed in gold, with intricate designs carved into the framing. The walls on which they were displayed were works of arts in their own right - inlaid with a golden leaf pattern. An endless row of stately aureate candelabra provided lighting from above, and the floors were of luxurious Italian marble, in patterns of pine green and ivory.
Lily sneaked a glance at Sirius, and had to cough down a laugh, as he was standing there with his big mouth hanging wide open. The Ministry witched and wizards gave Lily a funny look as they walked in or out of the hall, disappearing behind handsome oak glass-paned doors.
Lily pushed Sirius out of his trance. "Shall we? We've got work to do."
Sirius followed her, nearly ran into a wall when a nude painting of Venus waved at him, revealing even more skin. Lily patiently kept shoving him in the right direction.
Watching his amazed expressions and hearing his astonished exclamations made Lily think of when she had observed the hall's enchantments for the first time. She was only seventeen, a summer intern at the Ministry.
"I can see why you've stayed here," said Sirius, looking up at the ceiling.
Lily nodded toward the ceiling. "Monet did that... and le Ministère enchanted it to make it move. I love this place." Lily turned right into an adjacent corridor, but Sirius, who was still looking up at the ceiling, failed to see her turn. He kept on walking, startled to see a particularly fat little cherub peeking out at him through the golden clouds. He was so distracted, in fact, that he didn't see the witch in front of him until he had ploughed right into her, knocking her to the floor.
"Oh, pardon me! Er - excusez-moi," apologized Sirius, using the little French he knew, and bent over to help the young witch up.
"Pas de problème!" the witch replied, regaining her feet. "No problem – You must be Sirius Black," she said, surprising him with a rolling Scottish accent.
Sirius smiled back at her. The witch was attractive, in her early twenties, with a trim, athletic body. Her hair was chin-length dark chestnut, and she was tall enough that Sirius could see directly into her gray-blue eyes.
"My reputation precedes me," said Sirius, winking at the witch. "What's your name and why don't I know it yet?"
"Marlene McKinnon," said the witch, smiling widely as she extending her hand, "are you alone here?"
Sirius slapped a hand to his forehead, remembering Lily. He looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Travelled alone from Britain, yes, but I was with a friend here..."
"Who is..?"
"Lily Ev-"
"SIRIUS BLACK!"
Sirius winced as he heard his name being yelled and recognized the voice. "How about you and I just... leave? Now? And we run?"
He began walking off, but was intercepted. "Sirius!" cried out Lily, grabbing his shoulder and whirling him around. "I was looking for you! I leave you alone for one second, and – oh hi, Marlene," she paused, noticing her best friend, but then continued on her rant. "Ugh, this is just like at Hogwarts... I leave you alone for two seconds and suddenly you're unsurprisingly with a girl -"
Marlene cut Lily off. "It's quite alright, Lily. He ran into me before he could get into any trouble."
"Have you two met? Sirius, this is Marlene McKinnon, one of the resident Potion Masters. Marlene, this is-"
"We've just introduced ourselves," said Marlene, smiling broadly.
"Well, in that case, we should go," said Lily, grabbing Sirius's arm, "as we have a lot to do." She tugged him towards her office, but Sirius was too strong.
"Aw, Red, but there's so much beauty to be enjoyed here!" said Sirius mournfully, looking around the room, and then winking right at Marlene. "How about we meet sometime... for a drink or three?"
Before Marlene could answer, Lily took out her wand and pointed it at Sirius. "Don't make me Levitate you!"
Sirius held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay!"
"Wait a sec, Lily," said Marlene, "I received an owl from Caradoc Dearborn an hour ago, British Ministry witch, remember her? She said that a British wizard would be coming as well, but I don't think it was Sirius. And then Margeaux from down the hall told me that he's arrived and is waiting for you in your office."
Lily's heart began to pound. "Do you know who?" she asked in a squeaky voice, turning to Sirius.
"No idea."
Lily smoothed her hair and straightened her robes.
"Oh, and Lily, you know who else is looking for you?" said Marlene, smiling mischievously.
Lily's eyes widened with a slight panic. "No, Marlene, tell me later -"
"Edouard Renoir! He wanted to see you before he left for London to secure the Minister's arrival, but you had just left!"
"Again with the Reindeer creature?" inquired Sirius smirking, "gosh Red, he must be someone important to you."
"We'll talk about this later, " hissed Lily to Marlene hastily. "Let's go," she said, shoving Sirius.
Sirius turned back to Marlene and blew her a kiss. "See you!"
"Keep it in your pants," said Lily crossly, pushing him again. "I forbid you to see her."
"So, Red, do tell me," he said, changing the subject. "Who's this Reindeer bloke? Pardon, I mean Reh-nuah. That was the second time his name has come up in like, three minutes."
Lily quickened her pace as they stalked down the Hall but remained wordless.
Giving up, Sirius quietly followed Lily as she turned onto the adjacent right corridor, identified as le Ministère de la Securité Internationale by a side sign.
Lily entered, Sirius right behind her, and passed the many modern-looking, small cubicles. She stopped at a desk that was in front of a huge window that showed a great view of the grounds during the day. "Madam Berot?" she said addressing the tiny witch that sat behing the desk. Sylvie Berot was slightly overweight and probably in her mid forties, and had been Lily's secretary ever since Lily became a full-time employee.
"Ms. Evans! What can I do for you?" the secretary said in rapid French.
"I have some issues I need to resolve before the Minister's trip. Could you please provide me with a copy of the Minister's updated itinerary?"
Sylvie bowed. "Oui."
Lily nodded her approval, and walked up to the window, and then realized she was alone. "Sirius!" she hissed.
Sirius was leaning in the doorway of a nearby cubicle, obviously flirting with one of the security analysts. "Oh yeah, be right there, Red." He scribbled something on a piece of parchment and slipped it inside his pocket as he walked over to Lily. His grin recalled the Cheshire cat. "You called?"
"I forbid you to write to her," said Lily, glaring at him.
"Can't see Marlene, Can't write to this girl... is there anyone I can date?"
"How about those American girls you were so keen on?"
"They're in love with my accent, so all they want to do is hear me talk, not... you know. Now these French girls on the other hand... let's just say there's a reason they call it French kissing!"
"I don't want to hear any of that, it's disturbing," hissed Lily, shoving him in the right direction again. "I'm supposed to be catching up on precious sleep right now, so could you please just focus? Come into my office."
I want to see who is inside of it already!
She indicated the door next to Sylvie's desk, her hand shaking perceptibly as she reached for the handle.
For the second time that night, there was a man already in it. A wizard, to be exact.
Another wizard that Lily hadn't seen in three years.
A/N:Thanks for all the reviews, they really are what keeps me writing this!
