Chapter 6: The Invitation

Nearly a month had passed since her arrival at Number 12, Grimmauld Place when a surprise letter pleased Zen during the grating sameness of the days. It was one of the biggest events in the month, but not the only one. Two weeks earlier, Tonks had brought her two gorgeous sets of women's robes that fit her well. Sirius had told her to hang on to his striped robes as well, so in the end, she rotated the three sets of warm robes and was quite comfortable. Getting the new robes was fun, but the biggest event, of course, was when the strong, gorgeous Sirius decided to sleep in bed with her.

He never said anything about it, but it was a such a huge comfort to her that she didn't care. Without analyzing it, she accepted that she didn't have nightmares about him dying while she was sleeping next to him. On the other hand, becoming accustomed to his presence, his warmth, and his scent was just going to make everything that much harder when the time came for her to leave. The month was up, and she was mentally preparing herself for her farewells and departure.

On the day of her pleasant surprise, when she went up to her room just before lunch, she found a parchment rectangle with her name written in an elegant, spare script on the dresser. An envelope. She picked it up and examined it. The back was sealed with wax, which seemed both charming and silly. I'm surprised they even make sealing wax anymore, she mused as she broke the seal.

The same strong handwriting appeared inside, and the signature was Sirius's.

Zen –

I would be honored if you would consent to join me
for a formal dinner in the dining room next Thursday evening at 8:00.
Sirius

Holding the letter up again, Zen read the words that Sirius had written there in his elegant, firm handwriting. It was too charming to laugh at and too absurd to frown over. Sirius was inviting her to dinner? The man fed her all her meals every day. He wanted to host a formal dinner? In the dining room? Why? It didn't seem like something he'd enjoy. Maybe it was to be her farewell dinner.

The thought wrenched her heart; still, she had to chuckle. Although he tried to appear careless and apathetic, Sirius had manners and a conscience as well as a certain gentleness and sweetness under that disarmingly tough exterior.

She wasn't gauche. She took a sheet of loose leaf paper and wrote very carefully:

Dear Sirius,

Thank you for the gracious invitation.
I would be delighted to attend your formal dinner
and look forward to next Thursday.

Cheers,
Zen

Then she folded twice and, just as he had left his letter to her secretly in her room, she slipped undetected into his room and set it on his nightstand.

He didn't mention it, but she was later able to pinpoint exactly when he had found her reply. During the afternoon, she was working on some hard environmental modeling problems at her makeshift desk in the sitting room, and she was vaguely aware of his coming in every once in a while. Later, she realized he must have read her response, but at the time, she was concentrating too hard to spare a thought for him.

Once, he brought her a tea tray with a bone china teacup full of fragrant jasmine tea and a matching little plate with delicate little biscuits set on it. She had been deep in concentration, so he had just set down the tray without saying a word. The gesture pleased and touched her, however, and she blinked to clear her mind of difficult concepts.

"Thanks," she said, flashing him a grateful smile.

He was looking at her rather strangely, and she wasn't sure whether he was feeling confused and was trying to figure something out or if he wanted to say something that he wasn't willing to actually voice aloud.

"It's nothing." He shrugged, but he was still looking at her as if he were uncertain about something. Later, he realized that he had probably just found and read the reply, but at the time, she just took a sip of the steaming hot tea. It was wonderful. By now, Sirius knew she didn't like tepid tea or coffee.

By dinner time, she had forgotten all about the formal dinner. When she went up to her room to get ready for her evening bath, she saw the original letter and wondered why he had said nothing about it. Whatever his reason, she thought as she twisted her hair up on her head and secured it in place, she wouldn't mention it either.

Remus entered Grimmauld Place in the mid afternoon and was surprised to hear music coming from upstairs. "Sirius?" he called as he went up. There was no reply, but he could hear them laughing. It seemed to be coming from the drawing room, so he imagined they had turned the Wireless up very loud. In the doorway of the drawing room, he froze, for the pair inside was dancing and laughing while dressed in bizarre old clothes.

Sirius was wearing a purple velvet Nehru jacket over tight-fitting trousers with a Union Jack motif, and round green sunglasses made him look like a giant insect. Zen wore layers of long, flowing gauzy garments and small, rectangular sunglasses. When Sirius swung her around, the long skirt and her hair floated out around her, which was rather pretty.

As much as he knew about the fashions and trends of the hippies and flower children of the sixties, Sirius and Zen looked like weird rejects even to Remus, who was no fashion plate himself. The other thing was that they danced with abandon. Remus knew that he could never dance in front of people, and he could certainly never be this unselfconscious. But Sirius and Zen went on laughing, singing, and dancing, blissfully unaware of their audience.

Baby, I've got no more foolish pride
Baby, I must have you by my side

They looked good together. Obviously they were accustomed to dancing together, so that was probably what they got up to when no one was about. Remus leaned against the doorframe, smiling. It was a lovely thing to see Sirius happy.

It was this lack of self-consciousness that Remus had always admired and envied about Sirius. Remus's whole life had been one of secrecy and anxiety over how others perceived him. No, Remus would never behave like this, with such abandon, not even when he was completely alone.

Deciding that they should be left alone, Remus backed away slowly. He wasn't worried that they'd feel embarrassed or spied upon if they saw him. Rather, he was afraid that Zen would insist that he dance as well. He crept up to his room and found a note from Sirius asking to talk to him in private. Apparently, he needed help with something that was a secret from Zen.

Later on, he was able to talk to Sirius while Zen was doing some work at her desk in the sitting room. "I want to set up a romantic evening," said Sirius with unusual gravity, "but I can't do it on my own while I'm trapped here."

Remus wasn't sure exactly what he was getting at, but he could tell it was important, so he sat and really listened.

"I can't leave the house. That's a given," Sirius stated. "I want to take Zen on a date, a proper date, but it has to be in the house."

The idea was too bizarre for Remus to understand. A date? In the house? On the other hand, he knew he had never had the creativity that Sirius had, so he resigned himself to do as he was told. "What do you propose to do?"

"Well, get some special food. I mean gourmet, epicurean stuff. She likes that stuff. Someone to serve better than Kreacher. Us dressed up in good robes. Some really good wine."

Finally, Remus understood what he meant. "A real date," he mused. Even if they brought in fancy gourmet food, it wouldn't be easy without a house elf. Then a thought struck him. "I think it'd be a nice diversion for both of you," he said, "but there are a few things you need to do."

"What?" asked Sirius with impatience.

"First of all, you need to get yourself some formal robes. Decide what kind of food you want. Pick out a menu. Get her some flowers."

"I can do that," said Sirius. "What else?"

"Then provide the lady with some breathing space. For Merlin's sake, don't ask Tonks to help her! Give her some money and don't interfere. Let her make her own arrangements for pretty robes and… nail varnish and all that."

"Nail varnish?" Sirius stared at him in astonishment as he could not comprehend the fact that a woman would want to look pretty for him.

"I think a fashionable witch could help out best in these circumstances. Let me take care of that."

There was a meeting of the Order; as usual, Zen went up to her room to relax and read her novel. Of course, she couldn't concentrate on her book and ended up rereading Sirius's invitation and thinking about this strange month that had passed while she lived there with him.

She knew he had been desperately lonely for a long time and that he would lavish attention on almost anyone who was stuck here with him. On the other hand, they were trapped together in such extraordinary circumstances and got along excellently. Usually, a man who wanted her constant attention drove her mad, but she didn't mind with Sirius, who often left her to her precious solitude.

She thought about how things might have turned out if they had met under the circumstances of normal lives. If they had met at a party or a sporting event or a concert or dance or a cooking class, what would have happened? Would they have been attracted to each other? Would he have asked her out, and if so, would she have gone? Would they eventually have come to know each other as well as they had at close quarters? Would he have preferred another woman? Dumbledore had said that many other authors had come here. Had Sirius developed feelings for any of them? That thought made her feel sour and jealous.

Oh, for God's sake! she told herself. Not that it's any of business of yours! Same as your love life is no business of his.

She imagined for a second that she went for Remus instead of Sirius. The werewolf was certainly attractive enough, and he was a funny, gentle man, the exact kind of nice guy she usually preferred. Zen knew that she could have gone for him under other circumstances, but thinking of settling for him instead of Sirius made her feel a sharp pang of grief. No, although Remus was quite a catch, she had fallen for Sirius.

Just what I need, she thought with a sigh. Could be leaving tomorrow and I fall for the Wizarding World's Most Wanted.

She felt tears burning and soreness at the back of her throat, but then someone knocked. Sirius, no doubt, for Remus wouldn't come to her room, and no one else had a reason to seek her out. No one else has such rotten timing, either! She folded the letter and stuck it in her book and then slapped her own cheeks to clear her head. "Come in," she called, sitting up straighter.

A petite woman in stunning lavender brocade robes opened the door and entered, and Zen stared at her. The carefully braided coils of dark hair, the pale face, the exotic eyebrows – it was her creation in flesh and blood. The Contessa di Janarra.

"I am sorry to disturb you," said the lady in beautifully accented English.

"Calyxa di Janarra," Zen breathed, still staring.

The little Italian witch smiled sweetly. "Good evening. Remus asked me to speak with you." She closed the door and came closer.

"Please sit down," Zen invited, trying not to stare openly at the slight, graceful form of the contessa. She wasn't beautiful, but she was elegant and very sweet-looking. What a perfect pair she and Remus made! Zen smiled to think of it.

"Thank you." Calyxa settled on the edge of the bed and examined Zen much more subtly that Zen was examining her.

"I didn't realize you were at the meeting," said Zen.

"I was not," she replied. "Remus asked me to see you while Sirius was occupied in order to help you prepare for your dinner next week."

"That'd be great. I can use all the help I can get," Zen said with truthful humor, but she was still staring. The contessa's lack of contractions made her sound oddly formal. Like Data from Star Trek, just as I had imagined.

Calyxa smiled warmly. "Perhaps we can start with robes." She conjured an image of deep green robes with a moderately cut neckline.

"Green doesn't really suit me," said Zen.

"Very well." Another gesture caused the image to shiver and break into three images: dark blue, red, and violet.

"The purple, I'd say,"

"That is what I would have chosen for you," Calyxa admitted. She waved her hand again, and the three images changed. Now, they were all violet, but one set was styled off the shoulder, one set had a narrow, plunging neckline, and the third had a wide v-neck.

"That one." Zen pointed to the robes with the v-neck.

"A lovely choice."

"Let me get some paper to make a list of things you can get me," said Zen, getting up to fetch a sheet of loose leaf paper.

"Certainly. Gocciolina, my House-elf, will come here on the day of the date," Calyxa informed her. "She is very talented in grooming skills, so she may help you to prepare."

"Date," repeated Zen, blinking, the list forgotten. It that what Remus had told her? Is that was Sirius had told him?

"I must say that Sirius really is a fine man and a soft-hearted one," Calyxa said gently, "once one sees past all his defenses. But I doubt you need me to tell you that."

I'm an idiot, Zen realized. Here was an excellent resource: Calyxa was an empath and could recognize exactly what Sirius was feeling. But would she share her insights?

"I need to ask you something important," she prefaced, and Calyxa grew quiet. "You know that Sirius and I have been living here together all alone for about a month."

"Yes, I know."

"And Remus has told me, more than once, that Sirius has grown fond of me."

"He has grown fond of you," Calyxa assured.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking that he has no choice. There's no one else to be fond of. You know what I mean? That if he was free, he wouldn't…" Zen heaved a sigh. "Do you think he's genuinely fond of me? Or is it more the circumstances forcing us together? If there were ten other women here, maybe he'd prefer someone else."

Calyxa blinked slowly, and her eyes became soft and unfocused.

Crap! thought Zen with a chuckle. She's using her mojo on me!

"He has genuinely tender feelings for you that would have developed under any circumstances," the Italian witch answered. "What you do not know is that you are not the only woman to come here. Many other authors from your world have stayed here."

"Many? How many?" asked Zen in surprise. "All female, of course."

"Yes, of course they were all female," said Calyxa. "I do not know how many, but I can find out. It was a large number. Perhaps twenty."

"Twenty!" cried Zen. Twenty assorted female writers. Suddenly, the lonely bachelor no longer seemed so desperate and needy.

"At least." Calyxa was almost grinning. "As far as I know, you are the only one he has liked."

The news struck a deep chord with Zen. "I see."

"He truly is a good man. And – he is passionately fond of you. These close quarters may have accelerated the pace of things, but they certainly did not fabricate anyone's feelings."

At these words, Zen regarded Calyxa with a frown. "Do you intend to tell him – or Remus – that I care for him as much as I do?"

At first, Calyxa looked surprised. Then she laughed. "Certainly not! That man needs to pursue you, to court you, to win you. He needs this. I shall not do anything to make it easier, and neither should you."

Author's note: I'm still working without a net (i.e. beta readers), so please let me know if you spot any typos or inconsistencies!

Song lyrics:
It's Getting Harder All the Time
Performed By: The Mindbenders
Composed by Charles Albertine
Lyrics by Ben Raleigh