"So..."
Sirius looked up warily. He recognised that tone of voice. It hadn't changed in forty seven years.
"So what?"
"I said you looked as though you were flourishing." Odette took a seat beside him. "And physically, you do. You look considerably better than the gaunt-looking creature you were the other week. Still a bit thin, but much more like the Sirius Black I remember. How are you doing mentally?"
Sirius looked at her. "If I said 'fine', would that be a good enough answer?" he asked.
She raised her eyebrows. "No."
He sighed. "No, I thought it might not be."
"Well?" she asked, after a short silence.
"What did you do?" he asked abruptly. "After they died? I mean, Lily was your best friend, and James... well, James was practically your cousin. It must have been just as bad for you."
"Yes," she said. "It was a bad time. But I had to hold it together. I had a job to do. Just because Voldemort had gone, that didn't mean the war was over. We'd won, but there were a lot of Death Eaters still prepared to fight. I had to keep going. Claude - that's my husband, although he was just a boyfriend then - saw me through the worst of it. It helped, having him there. But I've had a long time to do my grieving and move on. I can look back at the happy times now, and remember those instead."
"You lost Farrall as well, didn't you?"
"Yes," she said again. "Evie was killed capturing a group of Death Eaters not long after Sophie was born. It was the way she'd have wanted to go, though. I don't think she'd ever planned on surviving the war, you know. She didn't want to grow old, not after what had happened."
He nodded soberly. "You said you could remember the good times without it hurting. I wish I could do that, but I can't."
"You will be able to," she told him. "Hard though it may be for both of us to realise, I'm quite a lot older than you these days. So take it from an old woman who's lived a very full life - it gets easier. You don't forget, and you never stop missing them, but it stops hurting quite so much."
He gave a half-hearted smile. "Well, I wish it would hurry up and do it."
She smiled back, more gently than was usual for her. "That's the trouble with you, Black. You were always too impatient."
"Look who's talking," he retorted, his voice returning to something more like its normal tones.
"Oh, I've learnt plenty of patience these days. I'm not quite the hot-headed twenty-one-year-old I was."
He grinned. "D'you remember that time when we were trapped in that cupboard under the stairs in that house, and we knew they were looking for us and would find us in the end, but we couldn't see where they were, or what the hell they were doing? And you said you couldn't stand just waiting for them to get to us, and blasted the stairs away to draw attention to us?"
"Vividly," she said grimly. "I almost got us killed. Your language was colourful on the matter. Thank you for reminding me how stupid I was at nineteen."
"I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "We weren't killed, were we? We fought our way out. And I think we would have been killed if we'd waited for them to find us. I saw the funny side of it afterwards. It just wasn't easy to see when you've just spent two hours trapped in a Death Eater's house and then barely escaped with your life."
"Yes, you did get extraordinarily uptight in that cupboard," she agreed. "I think it was your jitters that got to me most, actually. That was the first time I'd realised just how claustrophobic you are. Given how much time you spent in broom cupboards at school, it had never occurred to me."
"I'm not claustrophic," he said. "It's not the size of the space that matters; it's being trapped in it that gets to me. And do we have to have this conversation?"
Odette glanced at him. "Not if you'd rather we didn't," she said. "We can talk about something else instead. How about..." She let her eyes wander round the garden. "How about Lily Potter?"
The reaction she got was fairly satisfying, if short lived. He turned brick-red, and gaped at her in horror, but only for a moment, before he had himself under control again.
"What about her?" he asked.
"Well, she's a pretty girl, isn't she?"
"I s'pose," he agreed. "Where's this going?"
"I think you know where it's going. I've seen the way you look at her. And the way you flirt with her."
"I flirt with everyone, Irvine," he pointed out. "Merlin, I even tried it with you once. It doesn't mean anything. You make it sound like I'm trying to seduce her or something. It's not like that."
"Isn't it?" she asked. "What is it like then?"
He stared wordlessly at her.
"All right," she continued, when he didn't reply. "I'll tell you what it looks like, shall I? To me, that is; I'm not speaking for anyone else. First of all, you're not acting like yourself when you're around her. I mean, I'm perfectly aware that you'd flirt with a bar of soap if you couldn't find a better option. But the point is that you're not flirting with her. Not the way I've seen you do it with other girls. You start to, and then you stop. Or you do say something, and then suddenly look unaccountably serious, as if you wish you hadn't opened your mouth. And you can't keep your eyes away from her. You don't look at her constantly, but you keep drifting back to her. Merlin, Sirius, you're looking at her now!"
He started guiltily, and turned back to Odette, his cheeks red.
"Well, we were talking about her," he mumbled.
Odette looked sceptical. "Thing is, I don't think I've ever seen you watch a girl that way," she went on. "I mean, I've seen you eye up pretty girls in passing plenty of times. Casual attraction is one thing. This is something different. Because I always got the impression that one of them was as good as another when it came down to it. I certainly never noticed you pining after one particular girl."
"I'm not pining after anyone!" he broke in. "And I don't like this conversation either."
"Tough," she went on mercilessly. "Time to face facts, Black. I know you slept with her."
He started, and stared at her. "What? How did you...? I mean, what the hell are you on about?"
"I worked it out," she replied, ignoring his correction to what he had been going to say. "And then I asked her, and she told me. So there's not a lot of point in telling me you didn't, unless you want to tell me she's a liar."
"Oh." He stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at her. "Look, Irvine... Odette... whatever. No offence, but I didn't even used to tell you this sort of stuff when we were the same age."
"Yes you did," she contradicted him. "You told everyone. We all knew far more about your sex life than any of us wanted to. Of course, I can understand why you didn't broadcast this one..."
"Yeah, whatever," he interrupted hastily. "I don't mean about sex. I'll admit that, if that's what you want. I slept with her, for one night back in 1980. I mean about... other stuff."
She looked shrewdly at him. "Like real, deep feelings? You're right; you never did let me past the mask, did you? But I've seen it slip on the odd occasion. I know you've got deep feelings behind there, Sirius. How many people have you let past it? James, of course, but James is gone."
His eyes gave him away without him meaning to; they slid involuntarily back to Lily. He retrieved his gaze as soon as he realised where it had gone, but it was too late.
Odette was staring at him, her expression uncomortably understanding.
"Her?" she asked, softly. "Really?"
He shrugged.
"Well, that tells me something, and if it doesn't tell you the same thing, you're an idiot, Black."
"Oh, hell." He gave up suddenly. "What's the point? What do you want me to say? You know it all anyway, and it's not like it's any good thinking about it. It wouldn't work, even if she wanted it to, and she's not interested in a relationship." He laughed. "Ironic, isn't it? I finally find a girl I can't stop thinking about, and she's not only out of bounds, but is also about as interested in commitment as I always was. Which is not at all."
"I don't know," Odette said. "I'll agree with you on the irony, but I'd say that you falling for a girl who was out of bounds is more typical of you than anything. You always did enjoy having to break rules to get what you want."
"There are some rules that can't be broken," he said softly.
"You're not thinking of the people in this time at all, are you?" she said. "You're thinking about James. Those are the only rules you'd never break, aren't they? It's because she's his granddaughter." She leaned forward and looked him in the eye. "Listen to me, Sirius. As hard as this may be for you to hear, James is dead. And you are here, alive. In 2028. That was never allowed for in any of your bloody rules. You're trying to imagine what James would think of a situation he never thought of, and I'm telling you now, it's pointless. You've made your choice; your life is here now, and there's no point thinking in terms of generations. They don't work any more. She's a girl a year or two younger than you. Would you be feeling like this if she was James's little sister, which is the closest comparison I can come up with?"
Sirius stared at her for a moment, and she gave him time to think.
"I don't know," he said, at last. "I'd have had to talk to him first. Only I can't."
"No," Odette agreed sadly. "You can't. All you can do is imagine what he'd have said. And I can do that as well as you can, because I knew James when he was still in nappies. He'd have done a lot of swearing, and sulked with you for a while. And then he'd have come round to it, and decided that the happiness of two people he cared about was more important than any ridiculous squeamishness on his part. And then he'd have spent the next six months teasing you about it."
There was another silence.
"And you know," she said wryly, as an afterthought, "James may not be here to do it himself, but his son is, and his grandsons too. I think you can assume that between them, they probably represent James's opinions on the subject quite well."
"They'd kill me," Sirius said with certainty. "And anyway, there's no point. You're forgetting the most important thing: Lily isn't interested."
"I wouldn't count on that," Odette said. "And they might not be too pleased, but I doubt that they'd actually murder you. What I really want to know is, just how serious are you? And if you make any stupid puns right now, I'll save them the trouble anyway, and murder you myself. But I know what you're like. You've never been in a committed relationship in your life. You don't take them seriously, and you get bored in a matter of weeks. Is that what's going to happen here? Because if it is, I think Lily's family might just kill you, and I wouldn't blame them."
"I don't know," he muttered, after another pause. "It's different. She's different."
"Well," Odette said. "I have to say that I suspect she might say the same about you."
The hope that swelled in him when she said that could have left him in no doubt about his own feelings, even if he'd still been unsure. But then it faded to something like desperation.
"Even if you're right," he said. "What can I do about it? It's all impossible."
She sighed. "I can't tell you what to do. I don't know what you feel about her or what she feels about you. But if she really is more than a casual attraction, if you really do have genuine feelings for her, you can't let that slip by, Sirius. Not because you're worried about the ethics of being with a girl born forty five years after you, and certainly not because you're worried about what your best friend might have thought about it, if he'd been alive to know about it. If you've fallen for her, you'd better do something about it."
He stared at her, and it was as if he was seeing two people at once, the elderly woman, and the girl he'd known. Irvine had always said exactly what she thought, but they hadn't talked about this sort of thing. If she'd given him advice, it wouldn't have been likely to be quite so understanding or meaningful. She was older now, much older. But could he trust her opinion?
"D'you really think that?" he asked at last.
"For what it's worth, yes. But you never took my advice before, so I don't see why you should start now."
He laughed. "You've never lost your liking for trying to sort out other people's lives, have you? Remember your attempts to get James and Lily together?"
"Yes, I do. Although I would point out that that wasn't just me. You played your part in that one as well."
"Yeah, but it was your idea."
"And was it a good one or not?" she demanded. "Take note, Sirius. My ideas generally make sense. Now," she looked around, "what's happened to that family of mine? Sophie's alright, but I've abandoned Nicolas in a sea of foreigners. Oh, it's all right. He's still with that cousin of theirs. What's his name? Louis? I'm glad he's here, although I hope he doesn't mind being monopolised like that." She paused for a moment, looking at them. "On second thoughts, he doesn't look much like he minds."
Sirius also looked in that direction, and had to agree. Louis was tilted back in a garden chair as he talked, one arm gesturing in the air, the other laid with his elbow on the back of the chair. He was laughing and animated, his eyes bright, and paid no attention to anyone else around them. Nicolas had his back to them, so Sirius couldn't see his face, but his gaze was fixed on Louis.
"No," he said. "I don't think he minds. Um... Is Nicolas, er... I mean, he seems pretty happy too."
"Yes," Odette said. "Nicky's bisexual, if that's what you're asking. I assume you understand what that means, even if you are a sheltered Pureblood from 1981. I didn't realise that Louis might be interested in that way too, or I might not have been quite so keen to push my grandson into the care of a part-Veela boy."
It was after dinner when Albus felt a hand on his arm, and looked round to find Odette close beside him.
"I thought you'd like to know," she said quietly. "The answer's yes, I was right. He's got it badly. And I think it's serious."
"Oh." Albus stared blankly at her, his heart sinking. "Well, that makes things... interesting."
"You could say that," she agreed.
He groaned. "Oh, hell. What a mess. Why couldn't they just have kept things platonic?" Al had never been interested in trying to dictate Lily's love life, and indeed had gone to some trouble in the past to stop both James and Hugo doing so. But this seemed like a whole different thing, and it worried him.
"I doubt if either of them intended this to happen. But you know, Albus, if they do decide that they want to be together, I don't think that you, or me, or the rest of your family, or anyone else, has the right to stand between them. Do you?"
"No, I suppose not." Albus sighed. "Although I bet James'll try his best to. And I can't see Dad being too happy either. But I don't know what to do about it."
"I'm not sure that there's anything you should do about it," said Odette gently. "Except let things take their course, and be there if Lily needs you. Because the rest of your family might not be quite as open minded. Although," she said, and smiled mischievously, "I did tell Sirius that in my opinion, he ought to make a move."
"You're joking?" Albus stared at her in horror.
"No, I'm not," she said, firmly. "What would you like them to do? Say nothing, and carry on making themselves and each other miserable over it, and potentially regret it for the rest of their lives?"
"Yes, well, that's another thing, isn't it?" said Albus. "The rest of Sirius's life isn't going to be all that long, is it? He has to go back in twelve years, and we all know what happens to him in the end."
"Yes," she agreed. "We do, and so does your sister. She may not have much sense - Merlin knows, falling for Sirius Black shows that - but don't credit her with no brain at all. I'm quite sure she's thought of all that, and a lot more. If she gets involved with Sirius, she's risking a lot of pain. But she knows that. She has to choose whether or not it's worth it, and nobody can make that choice for her, or has the right to try."
"I suppose you're right," he said. "Although I hope you're right about her having thought it through. Lily's not always very good at thinking about things until it's too late. But I suppose there's nothing more we can do about it, really."
"No, there's not," she said. "But I tell you what you can do..."
He looked expectantly at her, and she grinned.
"You can tell your cousin to stop seducing my grandson."
"What?" Albus looked wildly around, and his eyes fell on Louis and Nicolas, still together. "Oh, bloody hell! What's he playing at?"
Louis seemed to have his Veela charm turned up to maximum, and the expression on Nicky's face was somewhat dazed. It wasn't something Al had seen very often - if ever. Louis didn't go in for that sort of thing - he wasn't a flirt, and was usually shy about relationships. The question was whether he knew what he was doing, which Albus thought was doubtful. His Veela blood made Louis self-conscious and embarrassed, but at the moment he looked fairly at ease, and seemed to be enjoying himself.
Albus stared at his cousin for a few moments, eyes narrowed, and then turned back to Odette.
"Louis's not Sirius," he told her. "Or James, or even Lily. People don't tend to get hurt around Lou. But I'll go and interrupt them, if that's you want."
Odette sighed. "I'd be quite grateful if you would. Not that I want to ruin their cosy chat, but it's been going on some time, and Nicky's only nineteen and somewhat naive. I think he's a tad out of his depth."
Albus laughed. "Well, to be fair, I don't think Louis's doing it on purpose. But I can go and tactfully join them." He was about to head off on his mission, when something else occurred to him, and he looked back at her with a grin. "Although, after all your talk about people being adults and looking after their own lives, this is a bit hypocritical, isn't it? Seems like it's a bit different when it comes to your family."
He disappeared quickly, before she could reply.
