The next morning at breakfast, Mrs. Evans said to Mercuria: "Petunia and Mark have something to organise this morning and the rest of us will go to town to do some shopping. While we are away, you will do the dish washing instead. And it will be done when we come home. Will you join us, Sirius?". He shook his head. When sometime later he entered the kitchen, Curey was busy cleaning the dishes. He leaned against the table and watched for a while as she washed the dishes in the sink, put them on a rack to drain and finally rubbed them dry with a cloth. "It's so hot. Would you like something to drink?". He nodded and she took two cans from the fridge. She handed him one and opened the other. Sirius didn't remember what to do. Finally, he pulled his wand out of his pocket and opened the can with it. Mercuria snorted. "You're pretty helpless without your wand, aren't you?". She turned and cleaned the last of the plates. While she put the dishes into the cupboards, she continued talking. "If ever I'll have a place of my own, there will be no household tasks to be done". Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I mean all you need is a coffee machine and a fridge for drinks. You can buy all you need at a take-away. So why worry about cooking and all these house-keeping tasks? Of course, for a wizard it is easy. You wave your wand, and everything is done without an effort. But for me it is just an awful waste of time. Can you repair a dish-washer with magic?". Sirius shook his head. "You don't talk much, don't you? Well, anyway". She sipped at her drink. When she had finished it, she threw the empty can into the dust bin.
Sirius followed her example. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw something spin through the air. It took him a moment to realise what it was and then he just couldn't believe it. Nervously, he fumbled for the back pocket of his trousers where his wand was always handy. It was gone. As he whirled around, Mercuria stood right in front of him with a determined look on her face. He raised an arm. "Curey, wait ...". In one flowing movement, she knocked his hand aside, wrapped an arm around his neck and swung herself onto his pelvis. Sirius lost his balance and fell backwards against the sink. As he pushed himself off the sink to straighten up, she snaked her left leg under his right one and jerkily slid her left foot onto his left thigh thus pulling his right leg upwards off the ground. Sirius fell backwards again and had to brace himself with his elbows to avoid hitting the floor. Briefly he tried to free his right leg, but she had it jammed as if in a vice. Mercuria took his face in both hands and kissed him tenderly on the mouth. Sirius' first impulse was to throw his head back, turn it to the side, and clamp his lips tightly together. Mercuria tore off his shirt and ran her fingers softly down his spine until he moaned and felt himself grow between her legs.
Meanwhile, Sirius had recovered from the shock of her unexpected attack. Although he could not move without risking to hit the ground hard, he increasingly enjoyed the unexpected situation. When Mercuria gently caressed his neck with her fingers, nibbled delicately on his earlobe and finally kissed him fondly, he opened his lips and allowed her to explore his mouth with her tongue. He closed his eyes and thoroughly savoured it. As she pushed deeper and deeper into his mouth, he stopped her, gently pushed her back and slid his own tongue into her mouth. She pressed herself against him even harder.
Mercuria softly ran a finger down his chest and unbuttoned his leather pants. Carefully she pushed her hand inside his pants. Sirius closed his eyes and moaned. He wished that she wouldn't stop, but when she softly stroked him with her fingers, he nearly cried with pleasure. She strengthened her grip. When she felt his orgasm approaching, she beamed down on him. When he climaxed into her hand he gave a joyful breathing. She kissed him gently on his lips, threw back her head and laughed. As she licked the proof of his arousal from her fingers and hand, a key turned in the front door. She freed her leg from its grasp, jumped to the floor, put on her shoes in a hurry and ran out of the kitchen.
For an instant Sirius was petrified. Then he straightened up, picked his wand from the floor and repaired his torn shirt with it. When Lily, James and Mr and Mrs Evans entered the kitchen, he looked as though nothing had happened at all. Only James noticed his agitation and gave him an inquiring look. They went out to the terrace. Sirius leant against the balustrade and lit a cigarette. "Old man, you look rather ruffled. What`s the matter with you?"ยด, James asked. Sirius looked at him bewildered. "You won't believe it if I tell you". Nevertheless, he explained to James what had happened. Several times James ran his hand through his hair, which stuck out in disarray, and shook his head in disbelief. When Sirius had finished, his friend burst out laughing. With both hands he seized Sirius' shoulders and shook him. Then he threw back his head and let out a loud guffaw. Between roars of laughter, James stammered something, which Sirius did not understand. Among the babble he only discerned the words "dwarf", "untertall" and "size 0". Now Sirius became really angry. "Will you please stop this", he hissed testily and pushed his friend's hands off his shoulders. James realised that Sirius was simmering with rage now. "Sorry, Padfoot. Still, it is hard to believe that you have been laid by this little devil. Without shoes she's just a dwarf. Obviously, she knows skills no witch does. I've never heard of anything like that".
James laughed so hard that tears started to run down his face. "Had you in a headlock. Imagine that. And was clever enough, to get rid of your wand. That's what I'd call a surprise attack". James giggled. "For heaven's sake, just stop it!", hissed Sirius. James straightened up and tried hard to suppress another fit of laughter and to be serious. He saw that his friend was on the verge of losing his temper altogether. Conciliatory, he patted him on the back and said, "Calm down, Padfoot. And despite the undoubtedly questionable circumstances of this encounter, didn't you enjoy it at least a bit? I'd say, she is a dish and quite exciting, don't you think?". Sirius frowned and cast him a suspicious look. When he realised that James was being serious, he relaxed and smiled ironically. "You're right. She is quite a dish. And to be true, after I recovered from the shock of being attacked like that, I genuinely enjoyed it. Nevertheless, I will pay her back", he added resolutely. "Of course, you will". James stifled another fit of laughter. "We both are not bossy and critical of Muggles. But as grown-up wizards we simply cannot tolerate to serve as a toy boy for sixteen-year-old Muggle school girls". Now both laughed. James said, "There is only one more thing I'd like to know. How on earth did she manage to take your wand without you noticing it?". Sirius had already been asking himself the same question. "Perhaps her numerous questionable talents include being an excellent pickpocket. This is definitely a skill we should not underestimate".
Mercuria had left and did not show up for the rest of the day. Sirius was absent-minded the whole day through. By and by he got really excited over what had happened that morning. When at dinner, Lily asked about Mercuria, her father said "As we told you, she has picked up a job at the local jeweller. Today is her last day. She has phoned to tell that it will be getting late. Well, what could happen at a jeweller's shop? Last year, we really worried. She picked up a summer job at a blacksmith. Said that she wanted to learn to forge a sword. Imagine that. Who needs a sword these days? And why does a girl ever want to learn to forge one? Imagine a dainty kid like her swinging a blacksmith's hammer. I guess that she couldn't even lift it up". Mark said, "You know her. There is a deeper meaning behind everything she does. She must be convinced that learning how to swing a blacksmith's hammer might be useful someday". James snorted, but when he noticed that Sirius straightened up and held his knife so tight that his knuckles turned white, he quickly asked Mr. Evans, "And what exactly do you do for a living?".
Just like the night before, Sirius, James and Mark were sitting on the terrace talking when Mercuria strolled through the garden. She stopped for a moment, then sat down with them. "May I have a drink?". Sirius poured her a glass. She sipped at it and said, "My last day today. On Monday Master Edgar closes the shop for a fortnight". Mark asked, "Is there a reason why you are so late?", Mercuria nodded. "Two weeks ago, a customer came by. He had an emerald that came from some jewellery. He had tried to remove it from the setting himself. In the process, the stone was damaged. We were able to save two thirds of it. Master Edgar recut it. The man was so enthusiastic that he offered me the rest of the stone. Master Edgar allowed me to pick up a few scraps of gold so that I could melt them down. I wanted to finish this". She pulled a small box from her pocket and took out a ring which she showed around. The ring itself was a delicate garland of interlaced golden leaves. On top sat a flower made of tiny green stones that sparkled in the moonlight. "I'll give it to Lily. It matches the colour of her eyes". Sirius smirked, when he saw James turn pale. Prongs' engagement ring had been far more expensive, but Mercuria's ring was truly a work of art. Hard to imagine that a Muggle had made it. Amused, Sirius observed as James swallowed hard. "Can I buy it from you?". "Buy it?". "Yes, please. I would love to have it". Mercuria laughed. "Why. It's a woman's ring". James hesitated and then confessed his intention to propose to Lily and told them about the ring he had bought for the occasion. Mercuria cocked her head to one side. Then she put the ring back in its box and held it out to James. "Thank you. What do you want for it?". "Nothing". "Nothing?". "James, a woman's engagement ring should be unique". James shook his head in disbelief and Sirius was impressed. He was sure that in view of her plans to run away she needed the money, and James would have been very generous to compensate her, no doubt. But perhaps she won enough at gambling to afford the gesture.
She emptied her glass and stood up. "I'd better go. Right now I don't want to have more problems with my aunt and uncle, because there are already more than enough". "From what I have seen and heard these last days, I suppose these problems are understandable", said Sirius. She cast him an innocent glance. "Are you mad at me?". "Am I mad at you? How could such a strange idea ever have crossed your mind?", asked Sirius, an ironic smile playing around his lips. "I am used to being attacked like that twice a day". "Well, you didn't cry for help, did you?". He laughed out loud. "At first, I didn't cry because I was far too dumbfounded. And then your tongue stuck in my mouth. Besides I didn't have the impression that you needed any help. Nevertheless, I still don't know what this was all about". She squinted at him in astonishment. "I thought it was obvious. I always wanted to try a wizard and you were the only one available. Who knows if I'll ever gonna meet one again? When Lily wrote that she would bring a friend, I decided to take my chance on you. You kept staring at my cleavage the night before. You found my boobs exciting. When I noticed, I knew you were horny and would be easy prey". Mercuria waved them good night and went inside. Sirius followed her with his eyes in total disbelief. For a moment he thought he had misheard. Easy prey? What was that supposed to mean? He, who until now had always dictated the way his relationships and affairs went, had fallen prey? And she had approached him just because he had been the only one available? A wave of fury ran through his body. Who the hell did this ridiculous little Muggle child imagine she was to think that he would allow her to use him at her will just like a toy? In his back he heard a suppressed giggle. James, that bloody idiot. Probably having a great time and thoroughly enjoying himself at his expense.
Easy prey? Slowly it dawned on Sirius that from Mercuria's point of view it was probably true. He felt James' and Mark's eyes boring into his back. What the hell was going on here? When he had read the letter, he had imagined that he would take that little Muggle girl by the hand and show her how things must be done. Now within a couple of hours, she had made him look like a complete fool. He did not risk turning around and facing James and Mark, because he feared that in his rage, he would use the Stunning Spell on them, should they start to laugh. He took a deep breath, filled a glass, which he downed in one draught and walked towards the terrace door. "She wants a wizard, she'll have one". Mark called after him, "Her room is in the attic". Their laughter rung in his ears as he climbed the stairs.
As he was about to open the door and rush into the room, he remembered the letter. If he entered in his present state of mind, there would be a lot of trouble. Mercuria was not the kind to be intimidated. They would argue violently and in the end, he would have to leave. In that case, he would not only have betrayed the trust of the anonymous letter writer. Even worse, he would put James and Lily in an awkward situation. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and contemplated. How did this unbelievable story actually pan out? He recapped what had been going on since his arrival at the Evans'.
It had all started when on the first night, Mercuria entered the living room. He had been immediately intrigued, especially when she had taken off her jacket. Why the hell had he kept gawking into her neckline and why had he not been able to tear his eyes away from the sight? She had noticed his intense stares, and smiled at them. But he had seen plenty of boobs already. What had been so special about hers? He wondered. The wrapping. Her top had provided some coverage, yet had been so revealing that it had made him long for more. Suddenly he grinned appreciatively and murmured, "Well done, little lady". She had staged a performance. Her clothes had most likely been carefully picked out for the occasion. After all, it hadn't just been the top. Her thigh-highs and shorts had also been chosen cautiously, so that a narrow strip of bare flesh was visible when she stood upright, and the base of her buttocks when she bent over. She had tested him. If he had ignored her, nothing would have happened. But foolishly, he had shown his interest all too clearly.
Now Sirius laughed to himself in amusement. Yes, this explained it all. Just like him, she had been pondering the forthcoming visit. Without envy, he had to acknowledge that Mercuria had been far more successful though. He had racked his brains to explore the differences between wizards and Muggles and to find a way to bridge them. Which had made him the victim of his own arrogance. For a moment, he wondered whether he hadn't adopted some of his parents' attitude after all. In his reasoning, he had relied far too much on the image he held of himself. A wizard, true-blood, coolest man of Hogwarts, heartthrob. All of this was unimportant for Mercuria. She just wanted to know if a man was a man, no matter whether he carried a wand or not Being blind and arrogant, he had fallen into the trap.
And her remarks on the terrace? In addition to becoming more upset than ever before in his life, Sirius had also felt insulted and offended. And he had been deeply hurt when she confessed that she had approached him only because he was available. He had completely lost control of the situation. He, who usually dictated the course of his relationships, all of a sudden had found himself in the role of someone who had been used. Suddenly he realised what had been going on. Had she flirted with him, shown her interest and expressed a desire for more, he would probably have reacted as he usually did towards women. Either with polite aloofness or with non-committal sex. Instead, she had made fun of him. To the effect that he was more attracted to her than he had ever been to any other and was now burning with desire. He chuckled. If she played blackjack or poker as perfectly as she mastered the battle of sexes, then she must be filthy rich. He pushed back the erotic visions that crossed his mind and stepped carefully into the room.
