Author's Note: I'm sorry this is wildly late, but my youngest is quite ill and my work load has about tripled in the last week. From now until the end of the year I will update when I find time to read, but I don't expect to have much time. Thank you for your understanding and for the Americans, have a Happy Thanksgiving this week. MNF
Chapter 47:
What We're Made Of
Saturday 2 April 1977
Sirius blearily stumbled into the common room where he met up with his girlfriend for breakfast.
"Did you sleep at all?" she asked, taking in his baggy red eyes and general malaise.
"I think I slept for a couple of hours," he answered before taking her into his arms and gently kissing her. "Your brother was nervously talking until the early hours of today. Then I couldn't get comfortable. I don't sleep good without you."
"You don't sleep well without me," she corrected. He shot her a dirty look. "I do not sleep as well without you either. We do have the offer from Professor McGonagall for a married accommodation. Private sitting room, loo, bedroom; might be worth thinking about."
"You parents would know we're…you know."
"Having sex, well, Mum already knows, and I doubt Dad is that dense," she said with a slight smirk. Sirius's stomach chose that moment to growl. "Come on, let's feed that beast inside you." Sirius went through the portrait door first, holding his hand out for his girlfriend to steady her as she passed through. He then draped his arm over her shoulders and the pair walked down to the Great Hall.
"The only problem with having a private suite is that I'd feel like I was abandoning the guys. Do you really want to leave Lils, Char and Em?"
"Why are you shortening their names like that? When did you start such a thing?"
"Oh, I don't know, Win." He said with a lopsided grin.
"Point taken," she replied, and the pair were laughing as they entered for breakfast. It was a leisurely meal, and both stayed long after they were finished eating. They drank their preferred morning beverage – Sirius, strong black tea and Anwen strong black coffee – and chatted with various friends. Sirius looked longingly at the empty Slytherin seats, wishing his brother was sitting there.
An hour before they'd promised James and Lily they'd leave, Anwen entered her dorm to find every item of Lily's clothing strewn on her bed and the floor.
"Did your wardrobe explode?" she asked.
"I have nothing to wear!" Lily yelled. This action earned her a pillow to the head from the direction of Charlotte's bed.
"You have plenty of pretty things here," Anwen said before she waved her hands and nearly everything returned neatly to where it belonged. There were two items left, a navy-blue dress that scraped her ankles and had a bit of lace around the square neckline. There was also the sweater Fee had knit her for the Christmas recently passed that was in a soft green with little white flowers on it. "You'll look beautiful in this, and it makes your bum look amazing."
"How did you do that?" Lily asked, slumping down onto her bed.
"Well, I saw everything you owned, so it wasn't that hard. Plus, I don't have any nerves about going to Hogsmeade today. I've been with my date for three and a half years."
"Has it been that long?"
"Longer, if we're honest. But this isn't about me. You really like my brother, don't you?" Lily was quiet for a long while before answering.
"Yeah, he's grown on me. There is definitely more to him than the annoying little boy he used to be."
"Oh, he's still an annoying little boy sometimes, but there is so much good in him. I'm glad you saw it. Just relax, Sirius and I will be there if things get uncomfortable. Sirius can always belch the moons of Jupiter for you."
"He can do that?" Anwen nodded her answer while rolling her eyes.
"Okay, I'm going to the loo to brush my teeth and I'll meet you downstairs when you're dressed?" Lily nodded, standing and opening the drawers of her wardrobe to select undergarments for the day.
Forty-five minutes later, the quartet was headed out of the castle towards Hogsmeade. James took Lily's hand, and she didn't pull it away. Anwen and Sirius decided to give the new couple some space and walked about eight feet behind.
"So, how do you think today is going to go?" Sirius softly asked her.
"Either they will fall in love or it will be a debacle. There isn't any middle ground with them," she answered. Sirius stopped to kiss her lovingly.
"Come on you slow pokes," James yelled at the pair.
"He is clueless," Anwen remarked before they jogged to catch up with them.
Their first visit was to Quality Quidditch Supplies as Anwen needed more broom polish and Sirius needed new gloves. They picked out their items and paid for them quickly. James, however, stood and looked at everything, boring Lily greatly. Finally, Anwen suggested they go to the shop down the lane that sold ladies clothing.
"What is going on with James?" Lily asked. "It's like he forgot I was there."
"Sorry about that. Sometimes he sees shiny Quidditch gear and his eyes glaze over. " Anwen muttered. "Come on, I need more knickers," she said, opening the door.
"What happened to all of yours?" Lily said with one raised eyebrow.
"Sirius keeps ripping them in his haste to remove them," Anwen whispered and Lily laughed loudly. The guys were waiting for them outside when Anwen had finished.
"Get what you needed?" Sirius asked in a sing-song voice. He knew exactly what she needed and why.
"I did, and you're not to destroy these!" she mockingly admonished him.
"What is Sirius destroying of yours?" James asked.
"You don't want the answer to that," Lily interceded. "Come on, we need chocolate. I promised Remus a large bar since he helped me with my Runes homework."
"You don't need help in Runes," James said.
"You're right, but I can buy Remus chocolate this way and he doesn't see it as charity. Anwen, Charlotte, Emme and I have been doing this for years. He either doesn't realize it or he's playing along."
It was good they were early, as the shop was already quite full and it wasn't even lunchtime. The couples broke off, Sirius walking his girlfriend to the rear of the shop where the boxes of imported confections were. He immediately spotted a box of dark chocolate truffles from France that he grabbed.
"Yum!" she said with a wide grin. There were also French macarons, so Anwen took an assorted box as well as a box of Belgium made dark chocolate caramels. The pair walked back toward the front of the store, Sirius grabbing some Bertie Botts and Sugar Quills while Anwen got some licorice wands. She also grabbed a few bars of dark chocolate with almonds in it.
"Odd mix, sis," James said when he looked at their selections.
"I can't afford to only eat the high end stuff," she explained. "But my birthday is in two weeks, and I am going to have macarons and chocolates for breakfast."
"The baby is finally going to be seventeen," he said.
"You only just turned seventeen. It's like three weeks between us, James!" Anwen yelled and everyone in the shop stopped to look at her. She then turned herself into Sirius's chest to hide. They paid for their purchases, although Sirius insisted he pay for Anwen's, and they left the shop, planning to go to Zonko's. The alley was quite full now, it looked like most of the students from third-year on had decided to take advantage of the warming weather. Just before they reached the joke shop, an explosion from down the alleyway shook them.
Then there were the tell-tale pops of people Apparating in. Death Eaters were filling the street.
"Anwen, Lily, go start getting kids into the shops. Sirius, come with me," James directed and everyone did what they asked. Anwen darted across the street and began yelling at students to take cover and shoving them into the nearest open door. She ran into Madame Rosemerta, who had come out to see what the racket was.
"Can you contact the Ministry, please," she asked. "We need Aurors." The Three Broomsticks owner nodded and hustled more students into her pub.
"Anwen," a cool voice said from behind her and the sixth-year student turned around to see Narcissa Malfoy. "Get out of here."
"No, look what they're doing!" She indicated down the street with a tip of her head where two Death Eaters were juggling two younger students who Anwen was sure were Muggleborn. "How can you justify that?"
"They don't belong having magic, Anwen," Narcissa said. "For that matter, you really shouldn't either, but no one will attack you because you're the Parker Princess."
"I wish people would stop calling me that," Anwen said. Twisting her fingers while at her side. Narcissa suddenly found herself bound up in a rope made of Anwen's magic. She added a silencing charm for good measure. "Cissy, you were once a good person. I remember you when I first arrived at the Potters. You were kind to me. Don't let that wanker you married corrupt you. Please don't become like your sister, either. She's always been mad. Get out, while you can. Go to your grandfather, he will protect you." She might be haughty and awful to Sirius sometimes, but Cissy had never been a bad person. Lucius and Bellatrix were.
Anwen then ran across the street to where Lily was and they began walking back to the area near the train station, urging anyone they saw to get inside. As they approached the main group of Death Eaters, they heard a cackle which caused goosebumps to form on Anwen's skin.
"Bellatrix," Anwen whispered. "Look, I'm safe here, you need to get inside, Lils."
"I'm just as proficient at Defence as you are!"
"You are, but you're Muggleborn and they won't hesitate to kill you. Please, go inside." Lily begrudgingly went into the closest shop and Anwen moved closer to her betrothed and brother. The two guys were fighting back to back and had a natural flow to their movements.
"Well if it isn't the little Parker Princess," Bellatrix yelled out, and Anwen reached across, un-clipped her bracelet and slipped it into her pocket.
"You killed someone I cared about," Anwen yelled back.
"I kill lots of people."
"And you're proud of that?" They were just dancing around each other, neither firing. Anwen had enough of it and cast a Body-bind Curse at her. It barely missed Bellatrix, and the other witch was shocked at the power of it.
"Someone grew a pair since we last saw each other."
"You've no idea," Anwen said darkly. With her left hand she held her shield and with her right she cast a quick succession of Immobilization Curses and a Cutting Hex. While she missed on the first two, Bella had a large stripe blooming across her shoulder.
"You hexed me!"
"I did, and I'm going to leave you the way I left your sister, all trussed up and ready for the Aurors."
"You did what to Cissy!" Bellatrix screamed.
"I hope she'll come to her senses and go to your grandfather. She was a decent person once upon a time." Bella became enraged, and began throwing everything she could at Anwen. Since the younger woman could see what was being cast, she dodged and shielded deftly. Anwen cast three Bludgeoning Hexes, driving Bellatrix to the ground. She was about to bind her when she heard Sirius's voice above the din.
"James!"
Anwen lost her concentration, and Bellatrix Disapparated out as the Aurors were headed for them. There were more pops as others left or arrived and it was chaos. Anwen ran toward where she heard Sirius's voice and found her beloved protecting the body of her brother. He was on the ground, curled up in the feotal position, his back was bleeding badly. Anwen skidded down into the grass next to him. She quickly peeled his clothes away with magic and looked at the three deep gashes on his back.
"This is so far beyond my skill, and it looks like there's gravel in two of the wounds. He needs to go to St. Mungo's. Flag down an Auror for me, they'll have an emergency portkey." Sirius stood to do as she asked. Lily came and sat next to Anwen, while the latter was banishing what debris she could.
"He was providing cover so the younger students could get back to school," Lily explained. "He and Sirius were brilliant. Marcy Tuttleflutter is dead."
"Shite," Anwen said. "One of his vertebrae is cracked and there is a bit of bone sticking into James's spine."