CHAPTER TEN
The news of Hogsmeade terrified parents and made them paranoid. Some refused to sign the Hogsmeade forms for the next year and some weren't sure if they wanted to even send their kid to Hogwarts. Lily and Lilac's parents weren't too fazed however, as they didn't understand any of the Wizarding news.
"Are you still the top of your classes, Lilac?" her mother asked kindly. Lilac felt extremely uncomfortable, being placed on a higher pedestal than Lily. She didn't like it and wished that her mother still thought that Lily was better.
"Yes, mum," she said nodding.
"Why don't you demonstrate something for us?" her father asked. Lilac looked helplessly at Petunia who just nodded at her. With a sigh, Lilac whipped out her wand and pointed at the wilted flowers that were placed in the center. In a flash they turned into colorful petunias.
"They're beautiful!" her mother exclaimed. Lilac gave them the fakest smile she could muster. She absolutely hated how they seemed to favor the child who did the best. The ones who didn't do as well were completely forgotten. If Lilac was going to be forced to do magic, she was going to make sure everything she did would remind them Petunia was their daughter too.
"I'm going on a trip with my friends next week," said Lilac tersely.
"What? For how long?" her mother asked surprised.
"I'm not sure."
"Is this with the Potters?" her father asked. Petunia and Lily were both surprised by the sudden trip.
"No. I'm 17 though, I can even move out if I want to," said Lilac looking at her parents defiantly. Since she spent most of her life at Hogwarts, her parents still thought that she was the little shy eleven year old who had no backbone. They were always so surprised whenever she went up against them.
"Alright then," said her father reluctantly, "although, we're having our neighbors over for lunch tomorrow. I'm thinking of redecorating the house. Perhaps with flowers and a couple plants? These flowers are gorgeous."
"No wonder you named Petunia after them," said Lilac grinning at her eldest sister. Petunia's eyes widened and she smiled back, obviously flattered. "How are you and Vernon, Tuney?"
"We're doing well. We should invite him over for dinner before you leave," said Petunia excitedly. Lilac nodded in agreement.
"That would be great!"
After dinner, Lilac found herself cornered by both Petunia and Lily. They wanted to know where she was going and who she was going with. It wasn't as if she could tell them, they'd make sure she didn't leave the house if they knew.
"Gideon Prewett? Why are you going to Romania with Prewett?" Lily asked surprised.
"We're friends. Plus, he wants me to help him get something for Rosmerta. He likes her," said Lilac smirking. Lily and Petunia seemed convinced by her story. It wasn't completely a lie so Lilac didn't feel too bad.
"You'll be back won't you?" Petunia asked hopefully. The blonde gave Lily a repulsed glance and Lilac nodded. In reality Lilac wasn't sure if she would come back. For all she knows, there's a high possibility that they might die.
In the morning, Lily and Lilac got ready for lunch with the neighbors. Lilac hadn't seen the neighbors in years. She wondered if they would even recognize her with the new hairstyle. Petunia and her parents were stunned when they first saw her.
"Welcome!" her mother said cheerily as she opened the door. A tall woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes walked in with her husband. He was a large man with a curly brown beard. Just like she had a few years ago, she thought he resembled a lumberjack. Behind the couple was another couple. Mr. and Mrs. Hedgers were strict and stern people who only liked well behaved and well educated people.
"Dear me! Is that Lilac?" Mrs. Rhones asked with wide eyes. "I haven't seen you since you were twelve years old! You've grown so tall and beautiful."
"Thank you, Mrs. Rhones. You look well too," said Lilac politely.
"You must be a real heartbreaker at school," chuckled Mr. Rhones. He was always Lilac's favorite neighbor. "How many boys have you turned down since we've last seen each other?"
"Now darling, what kind of question is that?" Mrs. Rhones asked scolding her husband. Mr. Rhones only laughed and winked at her. They all went to the dining room and sat down. The neighbors were extremely impressed by the beautiful display of flowers and the decorations in the house.
"Did you hire someone to redecorate?" Mrs. Hedgers asked looking around.
"Lilac and Lily actually redecorated the house," said Mrs. Evans proudly.
"Petunia helped too," piped Lilac, "she helped pick the flowers and the silverware."
"Ah yes, how are you doing in school, Lilac? Better than average, I presume?" Mr. Hedgers asked scrutinizing her. Unlike Mr. Rhones, Lilac always felt that he hated her. Everything he said let her know that he didn't think too highly of her.
"She's the top of all her classes," said Mr. Evans glad to be able to brag.
"Impressive. Lets see, when did the Big Bang theory first originate and with whom?" Mr. Hedgers asked. As a scientist, he would never accept the idea of witches and wizards. He seemed like the type of person to even test on them to try and figure out where their magic even came from.
"1920's by Georges Lemaitre that was subsequently supported through research by Hubble," answered Lilac easily.
"What are the conditions of an ideal fluid?"
"Incompressible, laminar flow, and non-viscous."
"Not bad," said Mr. Hedgers sounding slightly impressed.
"Petunia helped me a lot," admitted Lilac looking at her sister, "she's really smart."
Trying to get her GED by herself was difficult so she had Petunia teach her things she didn't understand through letters. One thing that her parents never realized was how smart Petunia really was. The girl might always strive to be normal, but her intelligence was well above normal. It was a shame Petunia would rather hide it.
"Ah, Petunia. You're still dating that Dursley boy, aren't you?" Mrs. Rhones asked smiling. "Does he have any expectations in life? A job?"
"He's actually the director of Gunning's manufacturing company," said Petunia proudly. Lilac smiled to herself as the conversation was then placed on Petunia. She knew that without her help the conversation would never be about Petunia.
"Well, Petunia seems to be very well off. What about you, Lilac?" Mr. Rhones asked making everyone's attention go to her. "Do you have any plans for after you graduate?"
"I'm not exactly sure. I was given an offer with a… science professor but I'm not sure whether or not I'd want to accept," she said with a shrug, "during this last year I think I'll explore my options."
"I suppose that's smart. What about you, Lily?" Mrs. Rhones asked.
"Perhaps a nurse? There's been an increase in accidents these couple years so I feel as if I could help out if I became a nurse," said Lily with a smile. That then spurred the conversation into discussing the recent mysterious deaths. Lilac and Lily knew however, that the mysterious deaths weren't all that mysterious.
Lilac twirled her wand around in her hand as she and Severus waited for Gideon to appear. Anxiety was building up in her stomach and she wondered if she was going to have a panic attack. That wouldn't be good. Sirius wasn't around and he was always there every time she panicked.
"Stop doing that," mumbled Severus. She immediately put her wand down on the table and folded her hands over each other on her lap. Severus sighed and got up. He walked over to the bar and then came back with a shot of firewhisky. "Drink it."
She didn't hesitate to drown the glass of liquor. The corners of Severus's lips curled up as Lilac made a disgusted face at the burning taste. She definitely seemed a lot calmer however. The doors to the Leaky Cauldron opened and Gideon walked in with Regulus holding three brooms.
"Are you two ready?" Gideon asked.
"As ready as anyone could be when about to face something that could kill you with one look," grumbled Lilac as she took one of the brooms. Turning around, she noticed Severus give Regulus a bracelet. "What's that?"
"It's a bracelet. It's like the ring," said Regulus pointing at the silver band around her middle finger. "It's how I'll know if you're ever injured and in need of help."
"Then why don't you wear the ring and I'll wear the bracelet?" Lilac asked raising an eyebrow. "I don't take you as a bracelets type of person."
"I'm not. Bracelets are easier to break however, and you're about to face dragons and a basilisk."
"Alright don't start bickering," said Gideon interrupting, "we should go now and get this over with. Where's the hat? We need Fawkes too."
"Right here," said a new voice. They all turned around to see Dumbledore holding the hat. A phoenix flew after him and then perched on Gideon's shoulder. Lilac stared at the bird in awe. It was beautiful and so rare. "Fawkes will assist you in place of me. Regulus and I will get started on finding the ring."
"We'll meet here in a week's time?" Gideon suggested.
"Let's hope so."
The Magical Creatures Sanctuary of Romania was located deep in the mountains. They were lucky they could apparate their way there. With Gideon's auror status it was much easier to get through the wards.
"Hello, I'm Eric Sanders, the director of this Sanctuary. How may I help you folks today?" a short man asked. He was about the height of Lilac which was considerably shorter than Gideon.
"I'm here concerning the issue of the Basilisk," said Gideon, "it's the Ministry's concern that the basilisk may be a danger to those living around these areas."
"Yes, well we've been able to trap it in the pit over there and we have dragons keeping people out. No one's been able to kill the basilisk however, as one look in it's eyes and you die," said Sanders with a frown.
"We're here to fix that issue," said Gideon holding out a letter. The Ministry's stamp was on the top of the letter and Lilac caught a glimpse of the Minister's signature on the bottom. She wondered how Gideon managed to get the Minister's permission.
"I'm sorry but these dragons are extremely hard to control. Even if you have a letter from the Ministry I cannot promise you a safe entrance," said Sanders unsure.
"It won't matter, we can get our way through," said Gideon glancing at Lilac and Severus. Sanders sighed and let them pass. There was a tall gate with signs everywhere, telling them to stay away. "Alright, mount your brooms."
Lilac and Severus clambered onto their brooms and Gideon flew up to the top of the fence. They followed the auror's lead and examined the inside of the fenced in pit. There were two dragons circling the entrance of the pit which would be difficult. Fawkes let out a screech before diving down. That caught the attention of the dragons immediately and they flew up towards them.
"Dive, dive, dive!" Gideon yelled as the dragons flew up. They quickly dove down and narrowly avoided crashing into the giant dragons. Her stomach plummeted and she turned just before one of the dragons shot a burst of fire.
"Sev! Behind you!" Lilac yelled pointing her wand at the dragon. "Stupefy!"
It stunned the dragon for half a second, giving Severus enough time to get out of it's path. Gideon was fending off the other dragon. The two Hogwarts students swerved and flew wildly to try and shake the red dragon chasing them. The other dragon was a light yellow.
"Lilac!" Severus yelled as the red dragon shot a blast of fire. It singed her hair but didn't do much damage due to her jacket's fire-resistance. Whirling around, she pointed her wand at the dragon.
"Aguamenti!" she shouted as it opened its mouth to breathe more fire. The water shot into its mouth and it started choking, giving the two enough time to fly into the pit. Gideon used a 'confundus' charm on the yellow dragon enough times for him to escape.
"Alright, everyone good?" Gideon asked as they caught their breath.
"I'm not hurt," said Severus.
"Me neither. If we manage to blind the Basilisk it'll be easier. It has a good sense of hearing though," she said reminding them again. Fawkes let out a soft screech to show he understood and dove down. All Lilac, Severus, and Gideon could do was to hope that the phoenix could manage to blind the basilisk.
All they could hear was Fawkes's screeches and hissing from the basilisk. The basilisk sounded like recordings of a dinosaur Lilac would hear at museums she visited with Petunia when they were younger. Soon the phoenix flew back up to them and she looked at Gideon. Slowly the auror turned around.
"I'm not dead yet so I guess that's a good thing," said Gideon flying down, "who has the dagger?"
"I do!" Severus yelled as he flew around the basilisk. It turned its head in his direction when he yelled.
"Incendio!" Lilac yelled distracting the basilisk. She screamed when the basilisk darted his head out at her. She tried to dart out the way but it's tail knocked her off her broom. The hat fluttered out of Lilac's hand and she hit the ground with a thump. Gideon's shouts and Severus's yells distracted the basilisk from attacking her.
"Lilac! Don't move! Don't make a sound!" Gideon yelled as he dodged the basilisk. She winced as she tried to sit up. Surprisingly, it didn't seem like any of her bones were broken. It was just bruises and aches.
Severus was no Gryffindor. There was a reason people connected Slytherins with cowardice, he was terrified. Before, he had been a bit more confident with the Gryffindor Princess and an auror but seeing Lilac getting knocked down so easily made it obvious that it wasn't going to be easy. He knew that Regulus must be in pain at the moment considering the fall Lilac had just taken.
"Here," said Severus handing Gideon the dagger as he flew past. He knew that there would be absolutely no way he'd get close enough to the Basilisk to even nick it. He tried to fly down and help Lilac but the Basilisk kept getting in the way.
"Shit!" Gideon yelled as the dagger was knocked out of his hand. Severus zoomed towards the man and grabbed his shirt, slowing down his rapid descend to the ground. Gideon groaned and let out a hiss. Severus's eyes went wide when he notice a large hole in his arm. Gideon was injured and poisoned by the Basilisk venom, Lilac was by herself on the other side of the pit, the dagger was nowhere to be found, and Severus was terrified.
Sirius cried out in pain as he crumpled to the ground. James dropped the Quaffle he was holding and ran over to his best friend. Blood trickled down Sirius's temple and scrapes appeared all over his left side.
"Padfoot? What happened? Did you get hit by the bludger?" James asked bewildered. Sirius drew in a shaky breath and stumbled back onto his feet. Lilac was hurt and in danger. He needed to find her.
"Lilac," he said tersely before apparating to the Evans' household. Petunia was outside on the porch, looking like she was waiting for someone. "Are you Lilac's sister? Do you know where she is?"
"Who are you? Stay away from me!" Petunia screamed, making Lily run out.
"Sirius! What happened?" Lily asked running towards him. She muttered a quick spell and his injuries healed.
"Lilac's hurt. Where did she go?" Sirius demanded. That got Petunia's attention.
"What?! What happened to Lilac?!" Petunia shrieked.
"She went with Gideon to Romania!"
There was only one place in Romania where she could've been so badly injured. He had gone there once with Regulus. There was no doubt that his younger brother knew where her exact location was. In a few seconds he was outside the place he dreaded. 12 Grimmauld Place. Regulus was already stumbling out of the house, looking much like he did a few minutes ago.
"Where's Lilac?" Sirius demanded. Regulus thrusted his Quidditch broom into Sirius's hands.
"Basilisk pit. Hurry!" Regulus yelled as a new cut appeared on both their legs. Sirius quickly apparated to Romania. A short man with the word Director Sanders on a tag stood waiting nervously by the gate.
"Who are you?" Sanders asked furrowing his eyebrows. Sirius ignored the man and got on the broom, flying right over the fence. One of the dragons - the red one - took one look at him and fly away. It looked drenched for some reason. The yellow one was the complete opposite and roared at him. Gritting his teeth, he started dodging.
Lilac staggered onto her feet and felt around for her wand. When she couldn't find it, she mentally cursed every old wizard she knew. Especially Herpo the Foul. Damn him, Lilac hoped he went and burned in hell for creating such a monster. He shouldn't be called Herpo the Foul. He should've been Herpo the Fucktard.
Her cursing was interrupted by a shiny object. Squinting, she gasped when she found the sorting hat. Inside the sorting hat, was a silver hilt encrusted with rubies. She grabbed it and pulled out a long silver sword.
"Hey, over here! You big ugly worm!" Lilac yelled.
She didn't think it could understand what she was saying since she wasn't a Parseltongue but it still turned around. As it moved, she caught a glimpse of Gideon who was clutching his arm in pain and Severus who looked petrified.
"Lilac no!" Severus yelled seeing her face the Basilisk. He grabbed his wand and shot a spell at it. The Basilisk was stunned for a second before it darted at Lilac. She jumped out of the way, hissing as she accidentally hit her bruised side. Her red hair was held back by a black bandana to keep it from falling in her eyes.
"Over here!" Lilac yelled as the Basilisk turned to Severus who kept shooting spells at it. Her chest heaved as she dropped onto the ground. The basilisk head passed right above her and she rolled before it dropped on her. The sword made grating noises as it kept dragging across the stone ground. It kept the Basilisk's attention on her and not Gideon. Fawks immediately flew over to Gideon and looked at the wound.
"Lilac!" yelled a new voice. Lilac gasped and looked up, seeing Sirius dive down towards her on a broom. The Basilisk looked up at the sound of his voice and tried to bite him. Sirius was faster however, and managed to dodge and fly down to her. He swiftly pulled her onto his broom before the Basilisk could attack again.
"Sirius, wait!" Lilac exclaimed holding onto him tightly. "We have to slay the Basilisk! Get me closer!"
"Lilac—"
"Shut up and do it!" Lilac yelled. Sirius grumbled something under his breath and they flew back down. As they circled around the Basilisk, she placed her hands on his shoulders and placed her feet on the broomstick handle.
"What are you doing?" Sirius asked with wide eyes. Lilac ignored him and waited for the perfect timing before jumping onto the basilisk. "No!"
She grabbed onto the scales and started climbing up it's long snake-like body. The Basilisk twisted and turned, trying to reach her. Sirius and Severus were smart however, and they both shot spells to distract it. Her fingers ached and the scales dug into her palms painfully but she kept going. When she got to it's head, she looked at Sirius.
"Someone stupefy it!" Lilac exclaimed.
"Stupefy!" yelled both boys. The snake froze as it was put in a daze by the spell. Taking that as her chance, she thrust the sword down and pierced right through the scales. The Basilisk roared in agony and flailed around, throwing Lilac off and onto the floor. The sounds died however, and it's large head slammed into the ground.
They all looked at the Basilisk warily, wondering if it was truly dead. Lilac made the first move and grabbed the silver hilt, pulling out the sword. It was dripping with a red liquid thinner than blood and lighter in color. Slowly, it seemed to absorb into the sword.
"Gideon," gasped Lilac running over to the auror. She cried out in pain as her right leg gave out. Sirius jumped off his broom and grabbed her, heaving her up. They stumbled over to Gideon and knelt before him.
"I'm fine," said Gideon weakly, "although I think Fawkes is quite attached to me. He's crying on me."
"Idiot," said Lilac with a small laugh, "phoenix tears are the only cure for Basilisk venom."
Once Gideon's wound was completely healed, they all examined the dead Basilisk. Gideon walked over to it and started pulling out it's teeth, much to the others' collective disgust. He put them in a bag.
"We can't let Death Eaters get their hands on this," explained Gideon, "are you alright, Lilac?"
"I'll be fine. Let's just get out of here," she said. Sirius and Severus nodded in agreement. They all got back onto their brooms, Lilac on Sirius's broom. Her broom had broken during the chaos. Lilac expected to face the dragons again but they seemed terrified of them for some reason, especially of her and Sirius.
"I'm guessing you're the one that hit the red one with Aguamenti?" Sirius asked amused. Lilac hummed in response. "These dragons hate water with a passion. I didn't notice until I saw how the red one shrunk away from the water."
"You're not as idiotic as I thought you were," said Lilac impressed by his observational skills.
"How mean of you to think so low of me," scoffed Sirius teasingly. Instead of shooting something sarcastic back at him, she rested her head against his back. His muscles stiffened but then relaxed at her touch. When they landed on the ground outside of the fence, Sanders was shocked and relieved that they were alive.
"Not many people can escape alive," said Sanders reassuringly. Lilac glanced at Sirius and they held back their laughter.
"Actually, we slayed the Basilisk," said Gideon much to the director's shock. His mouth dropped so low Lilac thought he'd need a nurse.
"You what?" Sanders asked dumbly. Gideon chuckled and shook his head. He then turned around to look at the three of them. He examined Severus's stiff stature and the scrapes and cuts on his arms, face, and legs. His blue eyes then trailed over to Sirius and Lilac. Sirius's arm was supporting Lilac as she couldn't walk on one leg.
"Let's get you all fixed up. Can you apparate, Lilac?" Gideon asked furrowing his eyebrows.
"I don't think so," she said frowning. There was a screech and Fawkes flew over and landed on Gideon's head. Lilac's eyes lit up as she remembered an essential piece of information. "Phoenixes can carry four people. Hold on, Fawkes, can you bring us to the Burrow?"
The bird squawked at her happily and landed on her shoulder.
"Brightest witch of our generation," murmured Sirius with a smirk. Lilac rolled her eyes and glared at him. She hated being called that has it raised everyone's expectations about her. She was a Gryffindor, not a Ravenclaw. She'd rather people praise her for her bravery and not her intelligence.
"Everyone grab on," instructed Lilac. They all grabbed onto a feather and suddenly they disappeared in a flash of white and red. When the light dimmed they were in the familiar crowded and cluttered burrow.
"Gideon? Lilac! Merilin! What happened to you two?" Molly cried as she ran over to the four of them. She guided Lilac over to a couch and made her sit down as she inspected her wounds. "Did you four have a run in with Death Eaters?"
"No, we faced a couple dragons and a basilisk," said Gideon casually.
"With three kids?! You must be out of your mind!" Molly shriek as she hit her younger brother with her apron. Two little kids ran out of the kitchen and threw themselves at Lilac, much to Sirius and Severus surprise.
"Aunty Lilac!" yelled the oldest one.
"What happened to your hair?" asked the younger one as he reached up to touch the blonde ends.
"Hello to you too, Bill, Charlie. I got my hair dyed," answered Lilac amused.
"Alright you two, go find your dad. Now hold still, this might hurt," said Molly pointing her wand at Lilac. She grimaced as she felt her bones and skin being healed. It hurt more than getting injured.
"Thank Molly," she said as she walked around the couch to see if her leg was healed. Sirius was healed next and then Severus.
"I should get going," said Severus clearing his throat.
"Right, I'll see you in September," she said surprising him but holding out her hand. Slowly and hesitantly, he shook her hand. "I'd hug you but we're no where close enough for that yet. Thanks for helping today, you were pretty brave for a Slytherin."
He scowled and pulled his arm away, acting as if her words didn't make him feel incredibly proud of himself.
"Tell Lily I said hello," he said falling behind his protective walls. He wasn't going to let Lilac get too close to him. That would end up horribly considering the dark mark burning on his left forearm. Without a word to anyone else, he left.
"Well he was very warm," commented Molly. Sirius and Lilac laughed at that. The idea of Severus being affectionate was completely unimaginable. Molly and Sirius talked for a bit as they had never met before. Sirius was raised to believe that the Weasleys and Prewetts were blood-traitors like the Potters, which made him even more excited to be in the presence of both the Weasleys and the Prewetts.
"Hold on, Sirius, how did you know where we were?" Lilac asked frowning.
"I went to your house and Lily told me you went with Gideon. I knew you and my brother were talking so I asked him for your location," said Sirius with a shrug.
"Petunia didn't see you, did she?" Lilac asked mildly distressed.
"Of course she did," said Sirius frowning. He didn't understand why she was making such a big deal.
"I'm sorry Molly, I'll have to visit you another time," said Lilac hastily.
"Of course dear, your sisters must be worried," said Molly understanding. She ran into the kitchen and brought out a basket full of little pastries and pies. "Take these with you. You're too thin. I told you to feed her, Gideon."
"Hurry up and take the basket before Molly attacks me," chuckled Gideon shrinking away from his older sister. Lilac laughed and gratefully took the basket before giving Bill and Charlie a hug. "I'll hold on to the sword and hat for now."
Arthur walked out holding Percy.
"Lilac! How nice to see you again!" Arthur said surprised.
"Hello Arthur, Percy. I really do need to go now though," she said apologetically. Sirius took the basket from her and grabbed her arm.
"I'll go with you," he said with a grin. Lilac rolled her eyes and apparated away. When she arrived, Sirius was still by her side, cheekily holding the basket. Vernon's sports car was in the driveway and she knew that Petunia was worrying her head off.
"Lilac!" Petunia exclaimed when they walked into the house. Lily's head shot up and gave her a look of relief. Petunia left Vernon's side to hug her youngest sibling. "Where were you? What happened? Why do you smell like smoke?"
"I ran into a small issue. I'm alright though, Sirius saved me," said Lilac with a reassuring smile. "Were you and Vernon about to go on a date?"
"Yes, we were. Would you like to join us for dinner?" Petunia asked glancing at Sirius who was standing behind her. He was still holding the basket and was raising an eyebrow at Vernon.
"I wouldn't want to intrude on the two of you," said Lilac shaking her head.
"You can bring your boyfriend," said Vernon eyeing Sirius, "it's about time I met him."
"He's not my—"
"Great, so dinner?" Sirius asked interrupting Lilac. He winked at her flabbergasted expression and wrapped an arm around her waist. The feeling was nostalgic and she found herself wishing they actually were still dating.
"I'll bring the basket to the kitchen," said Lily quietly.
"Are you coming, Lily? I can call James over for you," said Sirius cheekily. Lily shot him a glare and left the living room.
"Perhaps the two of you should get changed into something nicer," suggested Petunia eying the tears and rips in their clothing.
"Right, come on, Sirius," said Lilac pulling her best friend up the stairs. Once they were behind closed doors she immediately started hitting him. "What was that for?! Now they're going to think we're dating!"
"Oh come on," said Sirius with a chuckle, "it's funny."
"You're horrible," she grumbled, "just don't mention anything about magic. Vernon doesn't know anything. Petunia and Vernon are really important to me so please don't be a jackass and make them mad at me."
"Don't worry, Vix. I'll be a good boy," he said winking at her before apparating off, presumably to get changed. Lilac sighed and went through her closet. Just as she slipped on her off shoulder red dress, he apparated back wearing a button down shirt and black slacks.
"Zip it up for me, will you?" Lilac asked holding the dress up so it wouldn't fall. She felt his hands pinch the cloth around the zipper and his hands gently caressed her bare back as he pulled the zipper up. "I know you were doing that on purpose."
"You're irresistible, Vix," he said chuckling guiltily. They walked down the stairs and out to the driveway. Petunia wore a long pale blue dress and Vernon wore a business suit. He had obviously just come from work. Lilac sincerely hoped that Sirius wasn't joking when he said that he would behave.