Happy Friday!

Chapter 83

Jasmine's eyes shot open as soon as Death released her from that odd dreamscape. There was a hint of light slowly ebbing into the room from the curtains, it wasn't bright enough for it to be any later than sunrise. It was far too early for this.

She pushed herself up to see Sirius slowly rousing from the chair next to her bed. His wand was on her bedside table, definitely not where it had been the night before. Ro was nowhere to be found.

Sirius groaned, clutching his head as one eye peaked open and then shut again. He was pale, his lips thin as if he was in pain. He didn't reach for his wand. "Is it always this draining? Merlin, it feels like I've been run over by a Hippogriff."

Jasmine couldn't help the grin that was forming at the corners of her mouth. "It has been for the past few years, yes. There's a reason I would faint and have seizures at random times. Death is chatty," Jasmine admitted with a grimace, remembering all the different times she nearly died from those chats.

Sirius immediately put the pieces together. "Bloody hell, that was why you'd get so sick at random times? Here I thought that you were being stalked by a dementor for the past couple months. It turns out it was actually Death. I'm not sure what's worse, if I'm honest."

She hummed in agreement when she noticed he hadn't opened his eyes. "Death had been making itself visible to you? No wonder you always seemed to panicked when the Deity was around. Though, the fainting shouldn't happen anymore now that I'm of age, if it's any consolation."

He rubbed at his temples and hissed in pain. That seemed to make it worse if the crease in his forehead was anything to go by. "Then why do I feel awful?"

Jasmine quickly rummaged through her bedside drawer for headache reliever potion. "You made a deal with Death. Did you expect to feel pleasant afterword?" She asked as she pulled the potion out and handed it to him.

He drank it without a second thought and leaned his head back as the effects soothed the pain that had been building behind his eyes. Sirius slowly opened them, testing to see if the blinding ache would come back with bare minimum of light that was seeping into the room. When no blinding agony assaulted him, he blinked a few times before facing Jasmine.

He didn't lunge for his wand. Jasmine hoped that was a good sign that he wasn't going to attack her.

"So, I didn't dream all of that. It was real?"

Jasmine shrugged, her hair falling into her face. "As real as anything with incorporeal deities can be. Death can be a bit of an arse."

"I need to think things over. Jazz, that was a lot."

She let out a breath, "I'm aware. I meant what I said when I told you that you have a year to make up your mind. I've made peace with myself and what I am. If you can't handle me than that's it. I'll find someone worthy."

Sirius snorted, smothering most of the noise by covering it with his hand and trying to make it look like a cough. "Jazz, you're certainly something else. I just don't understand how you can stand being near any of us. I don't know how you could even be in the same room with people you watched die over and over. Why would you want to date me?"

This topic again? Here she had thought they'd gone over this already. "You aren't the same people. I never knew my parents, and you and Remus are very different then what you two were in the future I'd lived. I don't even see you as the same people. I don't understand why you're dwelling on this."

"It's because it seems like it's completely unreal. You'd never think that your friend is on speaking terms with Death, only to find out that the Deity is a jealous and extremely petty prick. It ruins the magic. Welcome to Death club." Theo magically projects his thoughts into the room, complete with his overly dry and sarcastic tone. Jasmine and Sirius turned to see him leaning against the door frame. Ro sauntered in, rubbing against his leg as she entered. He'd been practicing at making himself heard without skin contact. Jasmine had her earring in, but Theo would be using a bit more magic to talk to Sirius.

"What do you know about Death? How did he get to know first?" There was an odd lilt to Sirius' voice as he eyed Theo.

Was he jealous of Theo? Jasmine rolled her eyes, honestly, Sirius needed to make up his mind on what he wanted. "What are you, five? He's been following me around for eight lives. If he didn't know what was going on by this point, I'd be concerned."

Theo grinned at Sirius' behavior, not deterred in the slightest. This was going to be the first time in a long time that he was getting to tease a Gryffindor. His inner Slytherin was quickly coming to the surface. Blaise was going to be so pissed that he missed this.

"In the past, I've gone by Theo. I'm sure Jasmine as mentioned my name a few times by now. If she hasn't Death probably has. The two of us have an interesting relationship."

"What kind of relationship-"

Jasmine cut him off before Theo could put any ideas into his head. "They hate each other. Theo managed to convince Death to let him and Blaise come along for my crazy mission. He refuses to tell me the details of the bargain he made, but the three of them are tight lipped about the entire affair. It's the one thing they've ever agreed on and it's to not tell me the details of the deal."

Theo just smirked and waved a hand dismissively. "Regardless, the sleep spell I have this house under is going to dissipate shortly. So, it would be best for Sirius to head back to his room for the remainder of the morning. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to be seen sneaking out of Jasmine's room. Otherwise, we'll probably be hearing about a marriage in the near future."

At the mention of the word marriage, Sirius' face flushed a light pink and he dashed out of the room, forgetting his wand in process.

Jasmine sighed and picked at the comforter. Once he was out of earshot Theo perched on the bed. "So, Death managed to break you two up? Do you want me to beat the shit out of Sirius?"

She shook her head and flopped back onto the bed, her dark hair fanning out around her. "Either it will work itself out or it won't. I'm upset about it. I haven't had a real relationship in quite a few lives and I've rarely been the one that's been broken up with, but he isn't ready for anything requiring commitment. I probably would have broken it off for the year regardless."

Theo raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything against the statement. "If you're sure. You had seemed so happy about the whole thing for the past few weeks. It's alright to be upset. Merlin knows I've had to deal with Blaise's love life over the years. I can certainly handle yours as well."

She grunted in agreement and made a shooing motion with her hand. "If I feel that I need to cry, you'll be the first shoulder I go to. Now, it's probably best if you head back to your room, we don't need anyone seeing you in my room either."

"That would be the scandal of the decade. American Native steals the Heart of One Britain's Most Eligible Bachelorettes."

After a long shower and a change of clothing, Jasmine made her way towards the kitchen. She would be leaving for her internship in a couple days. She just needed to get her test scores from her sixth year and pack for her yearlong adventure. Jasmine would spend August to December in Central and South America, January to April in East Asia and then most of June she would be working in various Gringotts branches in Europe. After that, at the very end of June she would be tested for her NEWTs and when she passed she would be accepted as a fulltime assistant to the two Runemasters at the bank until they retired.

Both had expressed that their retirement would be soon and that Jasmine needed to be prepared for a large workload in her near future.

Jasmine would be coming home for two different two-week breaks, one for Christmas and another for Easter. It would be nice to see her friends and family after being away for so long. This would be the first time in any of her lives that she was leaving England for more than a week. It was going to be very strange.

She could hear a whirlwind of activity from down the hallway near the kitchen. Jasmine raised an eyebrow at the voices of James, Euphemia, Sirius and Mikhail loudly discussing dueling forms around the center island. Food was spread out on the counters around them. The house elves no doubt had served them not long ago, since their plates were still relatively full. Monty was sitting at the nook by the window, looking utterly bored as he read the paper.

She slipped in at the tail end of an argument. "And that's why two wands are worse than a single knife in close combat. Wizards rely far too much on wands," Mikhail grumbled, arms crossed as he leaned on the center island, blonde hair mused from sleep.

James crossed his arms, "But at least you'd be able to cast spells. A knife creates wounds, but it doesn't heal or repel much of anything."

"That's why you learn to cast without a wand." Jasmine interjected as she made her way towards the counter to grab a plate and food, "This way you can carry a knife and heal yourself or others. Though, you should always have at least two wands and one knife on you at all times."

Mikhail threw his hands up in the air, "Finally, someone is speaking sense!"

"And yet, most laws don't allow stabbings to occur. Even most sanctioned duels only allow for wands. Weaponry is considered outdated," Euphemia added as Mikhail bristled.

Jasmine waved her hand, "Yes, but it all depends on the context. If someone is attacking you, then a knife is fine to carry. Official duels aren't what I'm gathering Mikhail is talking about."

"You would be right. We're talking about defense in the upcoming war. My family sees it on the horizon. So does my government. I doubt they will do the right thing, but I can hope. My parents are making plans already. I wanted to see what yours was doing. Though, I don't have much faith in the English Ministry. You're better off going back to Austria."

All the Englishmen in the room started to raise their voices at that comment. "We are doing everything we can to make sure that the rising Dark Lord never comes to power!"

Mikhail snorted, as he roughly bit the top off a muffin. "Yes, and not training your young to fight dirty is your first mistake. Dark Lords don't care about honor. They only want death."

He wasn't wrong about that. Voldemort was as crazy and bloodthirsty as they came. He was saner now and less likely to murder and entire village at the drop of a hat, but he'd still gladly split his soul again for more power.

Jasmine put a hand on her friend's arm. "Mikhail, they weren't raised the same way we were. Fighting isn't their first instinct. Though, I do agree that not having a mandatory class on physical defense is a bit of wasted opportunity when a war is on the horizon.

He scoffed and took a rather aggressive bite out of his scone. "Did you at least sleep well after that impressive light show from last night?"

Jasmine snorted into her tea. She would have felt more rested if she had stayed up the entire night. Dealing with Death was exhausting. "I feel like I need a weeklong nap, but I only have a couple of days before I'm expected to travel to South America. We're heading to Chile first."

The room descended into a tense silence before Theo entered the kitchen. His hair was up in a braid, long jagged scars were on full display down his neck, it was easy to see the firm muscle beneath his thin shirt. He was wearing his casual muggle clothing, not caring that everyone in the room was staring at him. Theo usually wore clothing that covered the mess on his neck and body. He'd always been the conservative one, but he had never been the best at reading a room when it came to desires. Mikhail was looking at him like he was a piece of meat.

"I'm assuming that's what took your voice?" Mikhail asked as Theo sat down next to Jasmine. His brown eyes gazed towards Mikhail as Theo's fingers trailed up towards the scars. He nodded and started to eat. A cup of hot tea was steaming next to him. It was made the exact same way he preferred it for his last eight lives.

It was good to know that some things never change.

"Jasmine is going to leaving for her trip shortly. I know that you mentioned the other day you were also traveling for the year."

Theo touched his earring for a moment before projecting his thoughts outward, "I will be leaving this afternoon. I received confirmation from one of my instructors that I would be needed on the Albanian border. There is a portkey I need to catch at noon."

He smirked at Jasmine at the mention of Albania. Voldemort had spent quite a lot of time there during his earlier years. There could be a Horcrux hiding somewhere in the country. It was also supposed to be gorgeous. Theo would have a lovely time there regardless.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," she replied with a knowing grin. He gave a wink in reply. Sirius cleared his throat from across the room an odd expression on his face as all eyes turned towards him.

"I think we all forgot to mention something, happy birthday, Jazz."

A litany of hasty and embarrassed well wishes cascaded down on Jasmine from all sides as she let out a small laugh at her family and friends.

"You threw me a party yesterday. No need to panic at forgetting it's my birthday after most of you were all up waiting to see what would happen."

"Brilliant light show, by the way. I didn't realize that your family had such an extravagant ritual behind it," Mikhail said with a roll of his eyes. He knew all about extravagant rituals. They had one for every kind of situation, except for choosing a spouse, that was the responsibility of the heir and their parents.

"At least it wasn't loud," Monty added from behind his paper. He took a long sip of his tea before turning a page.

Jasmine said goodbye to Theo shortly after breakfast. They spoke quietly to each other in front of the fireplace. His ministry authorized portkey would be ready shortly in the Travel and Recreation Department. The green flames danced around them.

Despite his protests she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Theo squirmed in her grip. He had never been one for physical contact. He pulled away, keeping her at arm's length so he could sign to her.

"I'll see you soon. I won't let you deal with this Dark Lord alone," he signed to her, cupping her cheek with his free hand.

Theo stepped through the flames and vanished with snap of his fingers. Floo powder worked differently for him due to his lack of voice. He had to treat it like wandless, nonverbal magic.

"Should I be writing up a courting contract with his family?"

Jasmine spun around to see Euphemia leaning against the wall near the entrance. Her guardian was in her day robes, her hair pinned up. Jasmine felt her cheeks heat up at the implication. A relationship with Theo wasn't something either of them wanted, nor had they attempted it in any lifetime she had been in. While they been mistaken for a couple in the past it had never been something they pursued.

"Absolutely not!"

"You just seem to get along. With the Black Family stopping any potential matches in England, looking towards the states might be your best bet if you aren't going to accept the Black Family's offer. You are of age now, marriage is one of your logical next steps."

Jasmine grimaced. "There are more important things going on in my life than getting married."

Euphemia let out a small laugh. "You are right about that. Just don't limit yourself unless you want to pursue Sirius. I would hate to see him get led on or for you to have your heart broken. He is meeting with a potential suitor after you leave."

Jasmine nodded. She knew that.

"What Sirius decides to do is his own prerogative. Though, I will keep my options open."

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Jasmine spent most of it in her room packing for her trip in a couple days.

It wasn't the early evening when someone knocked on her door. Sirius was standing in the entrance, bouncing from foot to foot. He had a mirror in his hands, a very familiar mirror. "You can come in. I won't curse you, you did knock first," she teased.

His shoulders slumped and he smiled at her tone. "I was worried you wouldn't want to see me after my reaction last night."

Jasmine let out a sigh as she stopped packing her books up and turned to face him. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she caught a snag. "While I didn't appreciate my feelings for you being called disgusting or questioning the validity of any of the relationships I've built here. I understand that you need time to think it over. I'm not going to push away one of the few friends I have over Death's nonsense."

"Yes, well…Prongs and I thought that you could use this while you were away. We use these mirrors to talk to each other in detention, but they work overseas, you just need to be in an area with a lot of magic for it to connect. Letters would take forever to reach over across the pond…" he rambled, not quite meeting her gaze as he pushed the mirror into her hands.

She gently placed it onto the bed, and she felt her lips tugging upwards into a smile at Sirius' rather awkward attempt at giving her a gift. She was going to miss this while she was away.

Jasmine pulled him into a hug and he tensed for a moment before relaxing against her. "I'll miss you too, Sirius."

He let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't be gone for too long. I don't want this to end between us and I'm not talking about all the marriage nonsense hanging over our heads. Our friendship is something I've grown to treasure over the last two years. Hogwarts isn't going to be the same without you," he mumbled into her hair.

She squeezed him a bit tighter. "I'll write constantly and I'll call whenever our timetables align. We'll be dealing with time differences, but we'll make it work. Regardless of what happens between us, you're one of my best friends. You didn't go running for the hills when Death showed up, if that doesn't prove your character I don't know what else would. I hope that with a little distance you can figure out what you need to, Sirius."

He let out small huff of a laugh. Goodbyes were always difficult, and Jasmine had come to realize that Sirius hated change, hated watching people he cared about leave, and this was both at once. Though, it was all only temporary. Jasmine would be back, she had too much work that still needed to be done.

AND IT'S INTERNSHIP TIME! What is South America going to look like for Jasmine and Petunia, who are going on adventures together?! How is the long distance going to go between the Marauders and Jazz? It's going to be a fun section to write.

Anyway, there was a question that people had: how did Sirius know that Jasmine could have been a copy? It's kinda a vague thing, but think about it, if he can see Death and thinks he's a dementor, what would you think when she got kissed and then sat up like nothing has happened?

Regardless, thank you all so much for your support! You are all great! I'm on a break from work as of the 18th for a week. I can't wait to get writing!

See you soon,
~Animerocker