The very next day, an opportunity arose. After breakfast, Lily's parents and Petunia were off to work, and Lily and Mark had left to do some shopping. Sirius looked out of the window of his room and saw Mercuria sitting on the terrace, her sketchbook in front of her. When the phone rang, she went into the house. Sirius said to James, "Why don't we go downstairs and keep Mercuria company. She is doing sketches and you can see for yourself how talented she is". James nodded and they went downstairs. Halfway down, Sirius said, "I forgot my wand. You go ahead and I'll join you in a minute". He returned to their room, carefully opened the window, and propped his elbows on the ledge. From his post he had a perfect view of the terrace and James, who was leafing through the drawing book and as expected, found the forged documents in it. James examined them with growing amazement. When Mercuria returned, the book was lying in front of him. It was open where the documents had been hidden. Mercuria was surprised to find him sitting at the table. She bent over the table and tried to pull the book toward her, but James fought her hand off. "Sit down, cousin". She eyed him suspiciously as she hesitantly took a seat.
"What are you doing here? I thought everyone had left. So you've been snooping around in my personal things". James beamed at her excitedly and held up the document he had just been reading. "Look what I found. A driver's license in your name. But how is that possible? You're sixteen, and we know that Muggles aren't allowed to take the driving test until they're eighteen. Am I right?". She nodded. "Oh, but look at this, according to the date of birth on this driver's license, you're already eighteen. Did your family get it wrong and you were born two years earlier than they thought?". She stared at him. James could see her mind working. He continued. "I'm sure they got it wrong because this is an ID card. It clearly states that you are eighteen already". He held it up and looked at her questioningly. "Any explanation?". "I forged it", Mercuria whispered. James asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said". "I forged it", she yelled at him. He smiled. "How can you forge them?". "I know you wizards think that someone who can't do magic is a complete idiot. But I'm not. What's so hard about forging documents? I could draw and sketch before I could even walk upright. It was very easy".
James replied, "I don't think Muggles are idiots. And I believe that you are very talented, because of the ring which you crafted. And I have seen your sketches. But for what purpose did you forge these documents?". She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And what is this?". He held up the employment contract. She turned white as a sheet. She jumped up and shouted, "Give that to me". She tried to snatch the paper from his hand. When James didn't let go, the document tore in two. James looked surprised, while Mercuria stared at the scrap of paper in her hand, shocked and deeply disturbed. She whispered, "Why did you do that? You've ruined everything. You unbelievable scumbag. I hate you. I wish you had never come here". Sirius, who had been watching them, swore angrily, stormed out of the room, and sprinted down the stairs. He had just entered the terrace when Mercuria turned away from the table and ran toward the door. She bumped into him. He stopped her and asked, "What's wrong?". She held out the piece of the contract to him and shrilled, "Look what he has done. He's ruined everything. I hate him. I wish he was dead". She trembled with rage. Sirius looked at James, who shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.
Sirius pushed her to her chair, made her sit down, and said, "Now, calm down first. You know James is a wizard. He can fix it." She looked up doubtfully. "Can you fix it?". James smiled encouragingly. "If you tell me what it's all about, I'll put it back together". She lit a cigarette before she began to tell. "I applied for an apprenticeship with a diamond cutter in Antwerp. He accepted me. The best in his field. I can start there next week on Monday morning. But now you have torn up my employment contract and it is all over". Again, she trembled with fury. James said, "Lily didn't tell me you were going to the continent". He held up the train ticket. "Your train to Antwerp is booked for Saturday. If you could travel a day earlier, we would take you with us. We'll be going on vacation to France from here. We could stop by at Antwerp and drop you off there. That would be nice". She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Sirius patted her on the back and said, "Come on, tell us what this is all about". With trembling fingers, she took the train ticket and said, "Nobody knows about it". "Are you going to tell us why?". "When Lil was eleven, she got the invitation from Hogwarts. Her parents were so excited about it. They drove her down to London, bought her school stuff in Diagon Alley and put her on the Hogwarts's Express. They were so excited. Not a moment of doubt. I had been attending ballet classes since I was four. I was really good. And when I was twelve, I got an invitation from the National Ballet for an audition. They have a boarding school, and only the best ones get an invitation. My aunt and uncle said that I was too young. That I had to wait. That London is a dangerous place for a little girl like me. I didn't even have the chance to give it a try, you understand? It was so unfair. What did they know about the Wizarding World? Still, they were not afraid to send Lily there. But I wasn't allowed go to London". She shook her head in disbelieve. James said "And now you have decided to learn to be a diamond cutter. Why?". She looked at him. "Shortly after their refusal to participate in the trials, I run my bike into a car. I survived but the dream of ever becoming a professional ballet dancer died in the ditch. And besides, you cannot start out when you are eighteen. You must begin at an early age. In hospital I thought about what I am good at. Doing sketches. Designing jewellery".
She took her sketch book and opened it. "I want to create jewellery. Look, here are some of my designs". She showed them her sketches. James and Sirius thumbed through the book. Finally, James said "These are really good. They're inventive, skillful, and surprising. Just as the ring you crafted. I think that you should pursue this". She eyed him suspiciously "Really?". He nodded. Mercuria said, "But my uncle would never let me go. Not at sixteen". "Why don't you wait until you are eighteen then?". "The apprenticeship takes at least three years. Do you understand? Master van Gemsveeld needs someone now. When I turn eighteen in two years, he'll have an apprentice. There's no room for me then. This is my big chance. Now. And not in two years. I don't want to miss it. But if I tell them, they will make me stay". "I see". James pondered for a moment. Then he took the scrap of paper from her hand. He put both parts of the contract on the table, waved his wand at them and murmured, "Reparo". The two pieces joined, and the tear disappeared. He placed the contract into the book together with her forged documents and the train tickets. "If you give us your address in Belgium, you can have your book back and we won't tell anybody". She gazed at Sirius, who nodded encouragingly. Hastily she wrote her address on a piece of paper and handed it to Sirius who made a copy for his friend. James pushed the book at her. She pressed it to her body and smiled.
Sirius seized the opportunity to ask questions that had been bothering him since he read the letter. "How are you going to cope there. Where are you going to live?". "At Master van Gemsveeld's. He owns the house with the studio and the shop in it. There is a small self-contained flat which I have rented". "And what about money?". She giggled. "Man, I've been gambling since I was twelve. It might not be a fortune, but it'll do for the first few weeks. After all, they pay me a small salary. That will get me by. I don't need much". "And what about the language? They might not speak English there". She giggled. "Sirius. how long does it take to pick up a language? Ever since I knew I was going to Belgium, I started to learn Flemish. In less than a month I had gone through the first textbook. And I had French lessons at school. That's really the least of my problems". James and Sirius gave each other incredulous looks. "Aren't you scared all by yourself?". "What should I be scared of?". James reasoned. "You don't know anyone there. You don't have any friends. If something happens, what will you do?". "Guys, people in Antwerp are humans, not trolls. I'll get to know someone soon. It can't be that difficult". Sirius suddenly felt a strange emotion. Jealousy. What if she met another man there? Perhaps he should forego the trip to France and instead join her in Antwerp? But then it struck him that this would be a big mistake. She would throw herself into her new task, and he would only be a hindrance. In the end, he might even be a nuisance to her. No. After countless frogs, she had chosen her prince. She surely would not drop him easily.
The rest of the week went smoothly. Sirius visited Mercuria every night and it seemed that both couldn't wait for evening to come. It was not only the physical closeness that attracted him. Sirius enjoyed the way they carefully and sensitively explored each other's needs, learning things about each other, but also about themselves. Both were curious, open-minded, and eager to experiment, and their tender exploratory drive bestowed on them sensations they had never known before. Their conversations also opened a whole new world to Sirius. Until now, he had always thought of himself as being prescient and astute. But the ease and speed with which Mercuria weighed up several options in advance and made decisions or drew conclusions irritated him considerably at first but thrilled him at the same time. However, what he found most unusual was her ability to quote him verbatim thanks to her eidetic memory. True, he doubted that she could really remember conversations from ten years ago, as Mark had implied. But the mere fact that seemingly effortlessly she was able to repeat every single word he had said during his stay at Cokeworth to her and the others so far both unsettled and fascinated him.
In the remaining days, Sirius wanted to take the opportunity to familiarise himself with the Muggle world. From Jamie's stories, he had particularly remembered the telephone and TV. He therefore asked to be allowed to watch television. Out of respect for their guests, the Evans had not yet switched on their telly. So one afternoon, James, Sirius, Lily and Mercuria sat down on the couch and watched a video that the two wizards had chosen by its title. At first, James and Sirius stared at the screen, dumbfounded, and watched the action intently. But at some point, they could no longer control themselves and either giggled foolishly or roared with laughter. "What's the matter with you? This is a mystery movie and I think it's quite scary". James and Sirius looked at Mercuria in amazement. She was pressing a cushion against her chest and trembled. James asked, "What's wrong with you?". "I don't think it's funny at all. Ever since Lily told me that ghosts really do exist, I can't watch movies like this anymore. What if one of them suddenly invades our house? I can't defend myself then because I can't see him". Lily took her in her arms. James said, "But they're not that bad. The Gryffindor house ghost, for example, is a real pleasant guy. Everyone likes him". "Yeah, all the wizards and witches. They see him, too. I can't". When Sirius saw that she had tears in her eyes, he got up and said, "I think we should put an end to this now. Tomorrow is our last day. What do you say if we drive around on your tuned moped for a while? It's made for two, isn't it?". She nodded. By now Lily had switched off the video recorder. "Lily, what do you think, can you still drive Petunia's old moped? Then why don't you and James join us? We'll drive out to the lake and have a picnic there". She explained to the two wizards. "Tuney used to go by moped as well. But on her eighteenth birthday she was given a car. Lily then used the moped whenever she came here on holiday". James took Lily in his arms. "Yes, that would be great. I would love to do that". Lily nodded hesitantly.
Thus, the next day they got ready for their excursion. While Lily prepared the picnic basket, the other three got the mopeds out of the garage. James put his arm around Mercuria's shoulder and said, "We know your moped is tuned. What about the other one?". "You heard what Petunia said. That she can't understand how a girl can tune a moped". James nodded comprehendingly. "In fact, we don't think Petunia did that. When she got her car, you were fourteen, right? No doubt you were capable of tuning a moped by then". Mercuria frowned. "I wasn't supposed to be driving it at fourteen. So why waste time tuning it?". Sirius laughed, "says the girl who forges signatures and ID cards. Don't tell us you never drove that moped when you were too young to do so. No one would have noticed. On weekdays you were the last one to leave the house. So, nobody would have seen you take the moped instead of the bus. Listen, we all did things that were forbidden because we weren't old enough". "What things?". James beamed. "Magic, for example. You know. We're not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts until we're sixteen. But some, of course, didn't adhere to that". She considered this for a moment. Then she walked up to Petunia's moped and showed James a tiny lever. "If you press this, it will go faster. But don't tell Lily about it. I don't know if she can handle it". She didn't notice the triumphant looks James and Sirius exchanged. Sirius examined Mercuria's moped carefully until he saw the same tiny lever on it too.
When Lily joined them, they mounted the mopeds and drove off. Sirius put his arms around Mercuria's waist and watched intently over her shoulder how she operated and steered the vehicle. He quickly observed that she was an experienced driver who navigated them safely along the canal through the initially heavy traffic. However, he wondered why they were moving rather slowly for his liking. Until he realised that she was driving carefully because of Lily. When they left the main road and crossed the hilly landscape along the river, they only occasionally encountered a car, Mercuria accelerated, but did not lose contact with the other moped. They passed fields and drove through a grove behind which the lake extended. Mercuria followed its shore to a small sandy bay where she stopped her moped and turned off the engine. "It's nice here. We can stay here." Sirius dismounted and Mercuria put the moped on the stand. Meanwhile, Lily and James had also arrived. They spread out a blanket and sat down.
James opened a bottle of champagne with a toast. "To the end of school days". "To the end of school days", the others repeated. They spent a pleasurable day. It was warm, and after a while they became sleepy. Until Mercuria suddenly jumped up and said, "I'm going swimming. Is someone coming?". They shook their heads. Sirius lay down on his back and folded his hands behind his head. Now he finally had a chance to compare his cover girls to a real woman. He watched with a smile as Mercuria took off her jeans and shirt. Speechless, the wizards stared at her. For a moment Sirius thought she wasn't wearing anything at all. Then he noticed a couple of small strings holding the top and bottom thong in place. Lily looked deeply embarrassed, and James gazed open-mouthed at Mercuria. Sirius asked, "Is that what all the Muggle girls wear to the beach?". Mercuria laughed. "No. These are from Brazil. Aren't they cute? Nothing unpleasant or distressing about them". Sirius smiled wryly, "I see your point". James snorted. Mercuria ran to the shore and jumped into the water, shrieking excitedly. James muttered, "I admit, the Muggle world has a lot to offer that I never expected". They watched as she swam to the opposite shore. James asked, "Why didn't you go with her?". Sirius looked at him surprised. "Because I cannot swim? Now don't tell me that you can". James shook his head. "Of course, I can't. How could I?". Suddenly he jumped up. Sirius looked at him confused for a moment as three wizards on brooms landed in front of them. With one hand James pulled Lily to her feet, with the other he fetched his wand out of his pocket. Lily and Sirius followed his example.
In front of them stood Lucius Malfoy, accompanied by Philippe and Ewan Rosier. "Well, well. A picnic to celebrate graduation. How touching. There's even champagne. We're sorry to interrupt your little party. But now that we've met you, I guess we'll have to put an end to this nice get-together". The Rosier cousins snorted. Lucius waved his wand up and down menacingly. Sirius was horrified when he saw Mercuria emerge from the water at that very moment and run towards them. While he thought "Oh no, please don't", Lucius wheeled around. Mercuria stood right in front of him and beamed up at his face. Just when he looked down at her disdainfully, she grabbed his hand which held the wand and shook it violently. "Hello, I'm Mercuria". His gaze wandered over the body of the bikini-clad woman facing him. The two Rosier cousins gawked open-mouthed at Mercuria, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads. Their wands sank down. "And who are you?". Malfoy muttered, "Lucin, er Lucius". Startled, James and Sirius looked at each other. Mercuria continued, "Nice to meet you guys. Are you friends of Lily's? You won't believe what just happened? When I swam back to shore suddenly a big fish popped up next to me. I was frightened, I tell you". She giggled. "My heart is beating like a drum". She pressed Malfoy's hand against her bosom. "Do you feel that?". Malfoy nodded, bewildered, and dropped his wand. With a wave of his own, James summoned it and caught it in his hand. Lucius looked around in confusion at his two companions, who were staring dumbly at the young woman's buttock with mouths agape.
Mercuria now addressed the Rosier boys. "Did you come here to go swimming? Guys I tell you, the water is awesome". Sirius was simmering with rage, when Ewan Rosier suddenly attempted to take Mercuria into his arm, who tried to fend him off. He nodded at James and under their breath they murmured "Expelliarmus". James caught the Rosier's wands, while Sirius knocked Ewan aside with his shoulder, picked up a towel, wrapped Mercuria into it and send her off to Lily with a pat on her butt. Then he faced Lucius. "Isn't it time you left?", he asked, smacking his wand menacingly against his leg. Lucius frowned in disbelief while Sirius grinned at him with an air of superiority. Malfoy shook his head and gave Sirius a last gaze full of hatred, jealousy and envy before he and his companions jumped on their brooms and disappeared as fast as they could.
"Who were they? Friends of yours?", asked Mercuria while she dried herself with the towel. "Not really. Anyway, they were highly impressed. Apparently the first time they'd ever seen a Muggle girl in a bikini". James and Sirius giggled. While Mercuria dressed, Lily cleaned up the remains of their picnic. Meanwhile, James and Sirius took care of the two mopeds. Before they had left the Evans' home, they had already planned a race with the mopeds on the way back. Therefore they each applied some magical improvements to their vehicles and mounted up. When Mercuria joined Sirius, she asked surprised, "Do you actually know how to ride a moped? That's different from a broom". Sirius frowned. "Well, it can't be that difficult. Hop on. We must get home faster than James. Hold on tight, it might get a bit rough". James and Sirius started their engines and slowly rolled through the grove out onto the dirt track. There they stopped side by side, revved their motors and shot off. Both mopeds rose into the air. Mercuria hooted, "This is awesome. My moped can fly". James and Sirius crouched low over the handlebars, both trying to gain an advantage over the other. At first, they flew side by side. Sometimes one was in front, sometimes the other. Suddenly Sirius saw the river. He pulled the moped down, headed for the river and followed its course. More and more buildings appeared on the banks and a short time later they chased through the town. Still, he couldn't outrun James. When they reached the crossing into the canal, Sirius veered so sharply that the moped turned sideways, and they almost landed in the water. This gave them a small head start. While James zoomed over the two bridges, Sirius shot under them so low that the wheels dipped, and the water splashed up high. Pedestrians on the embankment wondered, where the water-splashes came from. Suddenly Mercuria shouted, "To the right". Sirius jerked the moped around and up. They rocketed by a hair's breadth over the roof of a house on the embankment, while James did not react quickly enough, and therefore had to fly around the block. It was Sirius who first reached the front of the Evans' house. When James landed next to him, Sirius laughed heartily. "You might be better on a broom, but you won't beat me on a moped". James nodded. "Well, a moped reacts more sluggishly than a broom. The turn at the canal has cost us the victory. I couldn't pull the moped up fast enough to fly over the rooftops". Lily said, "Anyway, that was a very nice day. We should do this more often in the future". Mercuria looked sad and Sirius remembered that this day was the last one the four of them had spent together for a long time. On Saturday, Mercuria would leave for Antwerp and start a new life. Without the Evans. "But not without me," he thought secretly.
James and Sirius sat down on the terrace. "Who would have guessed that the most powerful weapon we have against Malfoy and his kind is a Muggle girl in a Brazilian bikini? For a moment I thought Malfoy was going to suffer a heart attack when she made him feel her heartbeat. Did you notice the way he looked at you before they disappeared?". James chuckled. "And these Rosier boys. They nearly dropped dead when Mercuria spoke to them". They burst out laughing. "And you were so pissed, I was afraid you might break Rosier's neck". Sirius shook his head. "I didn't want Mercuria to feel embarrassed". "Embarrassed? To hell with embarrassed. Old man, a girl wearing that thing on the beach will not feel embarrassed". Sirius snapped at him, "That bloody Rosier runt tried to touch her. That's when I had to step in". James collapsed laughing. His glasses slipped off. "Of course, you had to intervene. How the heck can we ever tolerate that these scumbags start preying on our women?". "You're exaggerating. I was just being gallant". James adjusted his glasses and snorted. "Gallant. Oh, yes. All you had on your mind was being gallant. What rot. You were jealous. So bloody jealous, you nearly cracked. It's the first time you've really got the bug. But I admit that she's just lovely. Almost as sweet as Lily. But a little devil. You'd better be careful. She's got a few more things in store, I'm sure of that". They quickly changed the subject when the women joined them.
Lily's parents had prepared a barbecue for the evening and once again presented their best side to their guests. Before everyone went to bed, they invited them to visit again as soon as possible. Friday had come far too early for them but then it was time to leave. When the moment had come to say goodbye, they stood in front of the house and hugged each other. Sirius said farewell to Mercuria and saw that her eyes were wet with tears. He also felt sad to be leaving. He hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I'll be seeing you soon. Take care and good luck for your travel to Antwerp".
