"James and Harriet Potter!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Ari protested as she looked up from where she was sitting on the floor. "James-"
"I didn't do anything!" James argued, wiping his round glasses. "You were the one who was supposed to be whipping the custard!"
"You were supposed to hold the bowl steady!" Ari countered.
It had all started innocently enough. The two underaged wizards had been charged with making the trifle for dessert, a fairly simple task that even a lack of magic shouldn't have made disastrous. And it wouldn't have been… had James not been distracted by an owl flying into the mansion kitchen. He'd turned his head at the familiar hoot of his tawny owl - proudly knighted Griff the Great by an eleven year old James - just as Ari started the magicked whisk. Unfortunately, Griff's hoot had simultaneously startled her, and Ari's hand accidentally twisted more than it should have and the whisk powered straight to high instead of medium.
The result was James lost his grip on the bowl of custard, which sent the bowl and said custard flying. Ari had tripped backward in alarm, landing on the floor covered in custard. James was equally spattered with the yellow cream that had now covered the whole section of the kitchen the siblings had been working in - hence their mother's dismayed shout when she had come rushing in at the crashing noise.
"Sweetheart… honestly." Mrs. Potter sighed, shaking her head even as she waved her wand.
Instantly, the custard was all cleaned up, the siblings also free from the yellow goop, and a perfect trifle sat atop the counter.
"You could have just done that from the start, Mum." James grumbled while Ari protested, "It really wasn't my fault!"
"Shush, James, it was a lesson on the importance of knowing how to cook and do chores without magic. And yes, Ari, I believe you." Mrs. Potter clucked motherly as she bustled into the kitchen and began shooing her children out.
"Why would we need to know how to do things without magic?" James was complaining as he was basically kicked out of the kitchen. "I turn seventeen in three months."
"And believe me, dear, I have learnt my lesson on any last minute life lessons." Mrs. Potter replied dryly. Ari snorted, just as a tall figure appeared in the doorway before her.
"Sirius, dear, would you mind putting this trifle and the chicken pie on the dining table? I'm just going to check on the stew and the turkey." Mrs. Potter called, spotting the tall young man as well.
"Sure, Mrs. P." Sirius grinned while James grumbled again about being seventeen soon as he stomped his way into the dining room.
Ari lingered, mostly because Sirius was in her way, so she was still present as Sirius lifted his hands and Mrs. Potter caught sight of Sirius's arm once again. The older woman shook her head and sighed again with renewed exasperation.
"Honestly, why you boys would think going near that terrible tree is a good idea..." Mrs. Potter muttered as she turned back to the beef stew and away from where her daughter and honorary son.
Sirius, who was nursing a bandaged left arm, caught Ari's eye and they both quickly looked away awkwardly. Sirius had claimed the injury was due to a mishap near the Whomping Willow the day before break and Ari's parents, while exasperated, were none the wiser. Ari had held her tongue; she, unlike her parents, knew exactly what was under the bandages.
One week prior
Ari hurried down the last of the stairs, almost breaking her neck as she leapt the last three, and she raced out the secret passageway that led onto the first floor of the castle.
The moon hung like a crystal ball in the sky, streaming white light through the windows into the castle and throwing shadows into equally stark relief. It was extremely late, or very early depending on how one looked at it, and consequences for students out of bed at a time like this would definitely be harsh even if it was technically Christmas break. Especially considering the flask Ari had hastily tucked deeply into her pocket. Taking care to stick to the shadows, Ari hurried along the corridor before slipping into a hidden alcove that she and the Marauders were fairly certain Filch had no idea about.
Sirius jumped when she slid in hastily, but he relaxed as soon as he realized it was her. Or, relaxed as much as he could with the three enormous gashes on his arm.
"Lumos!" Ari muttered after casting a quick Muffliato charm, and Sirius grimaced at the way she paled when she saw the extent of the damage.
He knew he must look a mess, covered in dirt, leaves and scratches. He knew for a fact he had one on his nose, which now that he was human would just look like he'd been nicked and there were a few others on his back. The worst was obviously the three jagged claw marks that had ripped through layers of skin although thankfully Sirius didn't think it had gone through muscle. The one perk of being in his Animagus form, he was physically stronger and it was much harder for even a werewolf to really hurt him. That didn't mean it didn't bloody hurt though.
"What happened?" Ari asked in a low, tight voice as she began to examine his injuries. "What were you doing near Moony when he was so dangerous?"
Sirius scratched his head sheepishly at her barely repressed alarm and incredulity.
The truth was that some stupid First Year had been out on a dare earlier that night - the first night of official break when most students were already home. But it was also a night of the full moon. Remus had decided to stay at Hogwarts this time since his father wasn't going to be home yet as he was still on his travels. James had pleaded with his parents to let him stay an extra night, which they had agreed when Sirius had also asked. The boys had made up the excuse that they'd planned a Christmas party just for themselves given their last night before Christmas break hadn't been together with James and Remus at Slughorn's party. Ari had agreed to stay at Hogwarts one more night - rather easily, to James's surprise and Sirius's silence - so it had been easily arranged with his parents. Things had gone as the boys had planned… until the stupid Gryffindor Firsty had shown up.
The foursome had been playing about in the trees not far from the Whomping Willow when they scented the human getting close. Sirius had instantly rushed to stop Remus while Peter squeaked and James went to protect the boy before Remus could bound out of the forest and hurt the kid. The First Year never saw Remus's transformed body thanks to Sirius's actions, just wondered why a pure white stag was so pushy as it led him away from the Whomping Willow where he was supposed to grab a leaf somehow.
James had returned as soon as he was certain the First Year would stay inside the damned castle, but by then Sirius had already received a vicious swipe to his left foreleg. His howl of pain had effectively convinced the First Year to stay inside - small consolation, Sirius now thought viciously as he grit his teeth while Ari poked his wounds gingerly with her wand.
James had forced Remus back into the Shrieking Shack - much to the werewolf's displeasure - with some help from Peter. Sirius meanwhile had whinged and limped back to the castle in pain. He knew he should go to Pomfrey, but she would ask questions they wouldn't want asked. Without much thought, he'd hidden himself away in the secret alcove and sent a note through one of the Hogwarts house-elves to Ari. He could only thank Merlin it was dark and the elves weren't attuned to the smell of human blood - either that, or the house-elf he had summoned thought he was about to engage in some very nasty foreplay with Ari.
Not his problem, Sirius had thought sourly as he gingerly tried to clean up what wounds he could while he waited for Ari to come. He wasn't as good at healing charms, and he didn't even want to think about how much worse he could accidentally make his arm - which was why he had called Ari.
She had been fast - faster than he expected, and he realized his note must have really worried her. Well, he supposed he had been a little delirious with pain and probably too cryptic. 'Urgent. Help. Please come. Bring Dittany.' did sound rather dramatic.
Ari looked up at him now with reproachful, unusually bright eyes as she repeated her question while cleaning up his injured arm and unstopping the small flask of Dittany she had stolen from Slughorn's office.
"Sirius, what were you doing near Moony tonight of all nights?"
Sirius heaved a sigh; he couldn't tell her he and her brother always went out on the night of the full moon because they'd learnt to become illegal animagi. Instead, he admitted in a lie disguised in truth, "I heard Moony howl. He sounded like he might be in trouble against something, so I went to check it out."
"You went, alone, out onto the grounds where you knew a werewolf would be?" Ari repeated, disbelief colouring her tone even as her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Bloody Merlin, Padfoot, that's not brave that's stupid!"
"I wasn't alone!" Sirius snapped. "Prongs and Wormtail were there too, and for your information Moony was in some trouble. This is the thanks I got for saving his ungrateful hide!"
Ari frowned - but she heard the undeniable truth ringing in his words.
"Even so, you three could have been killed! Where are James and Wormy?" Ari added, worry seeping into her tone even as she spread the Dittany over his arm.
Sirius sighed as he instantly felt better before he answered her.
"They're fine; you really think I'd be here chatting with you if they weren't? They managed to get away."
"But they left you here?" Ari asked skeptically and Sirius rolled his eyes.
"'Course not." He answered. "Prongs had to look after Wormtail - you know he's not the most advanced in magic."
Ari nodded but there was still some suspicion in her eyes. Sirius decided he needed to steer the conversation away, and he asked with a grimace, "Are you almost done? It bloody hurts."
"Well it would - you got attacked by a werewolf."
Ari's tone was flat and Sirius's eyes shot up at her tone and her words; belatedly, did he realize why she was acting so tense besides the fact that he was injured.
"I wasn't bitten." Sirius muttered uncomfortably.
"You could have been!" Ari snapped. "You were obviously close enough that he got a swipe at you!"
"I had it under control!" Sirius insisted.
"How?!" Ari cried. "Sirius, this is beyond reckless, this was suicide! You could have been killed! Did you even think about what the consequences would have been?"
"It was my best friend in trouble!" Sirius snapped harshly.
But Ari didn't back down as she shot back, "And it was my brother and my friends who could have died! Or just as bad, been bitten. Do you think Moony would have wanted that? He hates what he is, I can see it in his eyes every time it's almost time for the full moon! What would he do if he found out he'd passed that onto someone else? His best mate, no less? Or if he'd killed you?"
"But he didn't!" Sirius shouted and Ari yelled back at him.
"But he could have! Did you even think what I would feel if something happened to James?! To you?!"
Sirius went quiet, as did Ari. The only sound was the sloshing of liquid and then the clink of glass as Ari finished healing Sirius's arm and then put down the nearly empty flask onto the floor. Muttering spells and obscenities under her breath, Ari wrapped Sirius's arm tightly enough that the bandages wouldn't fall but he also wouldn't lose blood circulation in his arm.
"I'm sorry." Sirius said at last, softly and almost under his breath.
Ari let out a huff of air before fixing him with a tired look.
"I know you are." She said eventually. "But I was worried. When that house-elf woke me up and I saw that note, on a night of the full moon..."
She trailed off before she lay her head on Sirius's shoulder. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her, hugging her close as she trembled.
"I didn't mean to worry you." Sirius murmured and Ari shook her head.
"You four never mean to worry anybody. But you do." She muttered but she gave him a half-hearted smile.
Sirius smiled back, glad she'd forgiven him relatively easily. She'd been doing that quite a lot lately and he briefly wondered when his luck would undoubtedly run out (or rather, when his stupidity streak would cross that line Ari did not tolerate) again.
Hastily dismissing the thought, Sirius said lightly, "You know it's because you love us."
"That I do." Ari replied dryly. "Merlin knows, sometimes I wished I didn't though."
She smirked to show she didn't really mean that, before she yawned.
"Tired of me already?" Sirius teased.
"You are the one who woke me." She reminded him with a grin. "Come on - you should probably get to bed as well."
"You go on ahead - I need to find Prongs and Wormtail." Sirius answered with a shake of his head. Ari rolled her eyes, but nodded.
Giving Sirius one more hug, she quietly snuck out and hurried quickly back to Gryffindor Tower while Sirius slipped away through the shadows, pulling out the Marauder's Map as he went. Waving his wand, he kept an eye out for Ari, making sure she made it back to the girls' dorms safely while also scanning for where he had no doubt James and Peter would be waiting for him under the Invisibility Cloak.
Christmas Eve
Back at Potter Mansion, Ari and Sirius wandered into the dining room where James was already seated with his father. The pair were talking animatedly about Quidditch, making Sirius brighten instantly and Ari shook her head at his one-track mind when Sirius quickly set down the trifle and pie on the table to join in on the heated debate regarding the next Quidditch World Cup.
"Men and their sports." Ari sighed, making all three heads snap to her.
"Like you can talk." James retorted. "Don't pretend like you're not interested in the World Cup."
"I'm not saying that, I'm just pointing out that none of you are offering to help Mum while you sit here and discuss your interest." Ari answered dryly as she began lighting the candles with matches.
With matching guilty looks, Mr. Potter and Sirius began to rise again while James muttered petulantly even as he too stood up, "Well, she was the one who implied she didn't want me helping."
"Now, James, I think you're too old to sulk." Mrs. Potter chuckled as she entered with three enormous dishes floating before her.
"Dear, let me help you." Mr. Potter began but Mrs. Potter just laughed at him.
"Fleamont, I think I can handle making it five more feet." She smiled as she settled the turkey, the beef stew and the mashed potatoes on the table, rearranging the food with another wave of her wand so that everything was picture perfect and within reach of everyone at the table.
"Besides, I'll excuse you three since it's Sirius's first Christmas with us and he's recovering."
"Thanks, Mrs. P. Everything looks great." Sirius said, flashing her a winning smile that had both James and Ari snorting. Mrs. Potter chuckled and ruffled Sirius's head fondly.
"You are sweet, dear. I hope you find someone you can shower with such praise soon."
"Right." James laughed, shaking his head. "The day Sirius settles down-"
"- Is the day Evans agrees to go on a date with you, eh, Prongs?" Sirius shot back.
James scowled instantly while Ari and her parents laughed.
"Tell me, how are things going with this Ms. Evans?" Mrs. Potter asked curiously as the group settled down around the dinner table. "Oh, Sirius honey, can you pass me the sugar please?"
Ari tuned out her brother's awkward reply to their mother's first question as she watched Sirius hand her mother the sugar, remembering the first time he'd come over for dinner at their home. He had been so bewildered when the family passed around condiments without magic - well, no, he'd been surprised starting when Ari's parents had joined them at the table for dinner in the first place. It was sad really, how back then the little things would shock Sirius although he had been too polite to say anything to Ari's parents and only curiously grilled James and Ari later.
Of course, now Sirius was used to most things at the Potter household. But this was the first Christmas he was spending with them, having always previously been obligated to go home for the various end of year functions that the old-fashioned pureblood families hosted. The Potters had long since stopped accepting or receiving invitations to such events, but Sirius had been forced to attend every single one. He never said it, but the Potters knew he had loathed Christmas for the longest time - which was why they'd made the effort to downplay this year as much as possible, wanting to show Sirius what a normal Christmas could be like.
However, as they cleared the table once dinner was over (and after Sirius and James had once again shocked Mrs. Potter with the amount of food they could eat), James shouted, "Presents!"
Ari saw the way Sirius looked startled when Mrs. Potter laughed and said, "All right! Honestly, James, you'd think you would change with age."
"If he's our son? Not likely." Mr. Potter chuckled as he followed James into the sitting room.
Mrs. Potter smiled and looked back before she blinked. Ari too was looking at Sirius as he watched Mr. Potter's back; she recognized that look on her friend's face. It was the one he had worn many times as a young teenager whenever the Potter family had taken him by surprise but which he hadn't much needed since he'd gotten used to the differences between their family and his. It didn't take long for Ari to pinpoint what could have taken Sirius aback this time. She briefly wondered if he'd even ever received gifts from his parents before dismissing the thought quickly.
"Hey, you're going to miss presents." Ari told him lightly.
Mrs. Potter had silently left the room already, sending the dirty plates back to the kitchen while she followed her husband and son down the hallway. Sirius glanced after the older woman before looking back at Ari, and she knew from his expression she hadn't fooled him just as he knew he wasn't going to be able to fool her.
But neither commented, both unwilling to dredge up what could only be unpleasant memories for him. Instead, Sirius smirked as he asked, "Did you get me a comb and handheld mirror set again?"
"Now you know that was just a joke." Ari laughed as she and Sirius wandered down the hallway toward the sitting room. "Besides, you really were as pretty as a girl back then."
"I'm insulted." Sirius quipped back. "Are you implying I'm not pretty anymore?"
"Oh, I don't know… but I don't think age has been kind to you, I'm afraid." Ari pretended to sigh disappointedly, making Sirius bark his signature laugh.
They were interrupted, however, when James suddenly yelled at them.
"Mistletoe!"
Sirius and Ari looked up at where James was pointing, startled, to find there was indeed a sprig of mistletoe hanging from above their heads. A sprig that had definitely not been there before.
"James-" Ari began with narrowed eyes, but her brother just grinned mischievously while her father laughed.
Sirius too smirked and he tutted, "Not your best prank, Prongsie."
James laughed and he answered, "You're stalling, Padfoot!"
Sirius barked a laugh and Ari saw the way her mother relaxed and smiled warmly from her spot in the armchair by the fire. Understanding dawned - her ever kind mother had probably seen Sirius's expression earlier and hoped the little joke would ease Sirius from the darker thoughts that memories of his family invoked.
'Well, at least it worked.' Ari thought as Sirius demanded playfully from James, "Are you calling me a coward?"
"Maybe." James sang.
Ari shook her head, smiling at their banter, and she chimed in, "Don't I get a say?"
"You can be the troll the prince kisses to change into a princess." James answered without missing a beat.
"What was that?!"
Ari pretended to be outraged, and Mr. Potter cut in with a laugh, "All right, that's enough kids. Ari, Sirius, hurry up and join us."
Ari went pink at her father's words, suddenly feeling a little awkward. It was one thing to always joke and pretend to flirt with her brother's best mate, but it was another thing entirely to kiss him, however platonically, with her family watching. But before she could say anything or protest, Sirius suddenly swooped down and Ari's eyes widened at the feel of his soft lips on hers.
It was a light kiss, his lips barely pressing against hers - but it was like a bolt of lightning had suddenly hit her. Every cell in her being seemed to be on fire and Ari found she had the inexplicable urge to pull Sirius in for a deeper kiss.
He pulled away quickly, a little too quickly as if he too had been electrocuted. Their eyes met as they parted and Ari saw shock and something deeper, more intense and akin to molten lava in those stormy grey eyes that made butterflies explode in her stomach.
'That's new.' Ari thought dazedly, finding herself unable to look away from Sirius. Sirius stared back into her eyes briefly before he looked away as James cackled madly.
"You two do realize that there was no charm on that mistletoe, right?" James laughed while Ari and Sirius turned to stare at him in shock. "You could have just walked over."
"Not funny, Prongs!" Sirius responded, recovering quickly and laughing as he joined James and playfully wrestled with his best mate.
Ari flushed a little as she saw her parents' amusement as they surveyed both the boys and her, but she willed herself to remain collected as she too joined her family.
"You're just jealous, Jamesie, that Sirius got a Christmas kiss but you didn't. Bet you wish you could have gotten Lily under a mistletoe."
"Hey! Low blow." James complained, making them all laugh again.
But amidst the lighthearted laughter, Ari was careful not to meet Sirius's eyes as she felt a strange fluttering in her stomach when she thought about their kiss. Unbeknownst to her, Sirius was similarly avoiding her gaze as his heart clenched in the most unusual way and a foreign but pleasant warmth surrounded him in a loving embrace that he had never felt before.
*A/N Just wanted to say another thank you to NariNyxx, for your kind review! I'm sorry updates are slow but I just needed to give myself the time to not get overwhelmed by the number of other projects I've got going on. And of course a huge thank you to Momochan77 for reading and reviewing on so many of my stories!