CHAPTER 9 – Connections
By: Sweet 16 Movie Buff!
----------------------------------------------------
"You should have let me hex him when I had the chance, Jillian!"
They were sitting out in the hall, Andromeda with them. Lady Malfoy had not seemed quite swayed by Sirius's apology and had insisted that Lady Black have him removed from the reunion. Sirius hadn't had a problem with that, though any potential excitement had been left in the ballroom and had left the three of them extremely bored.
"And I told you, he wasn't worth it," she reminded him gently, "Besides I took care of it."
"That you did," Andromeda gave a small laugh, "Sirius you really ought to bring more of your friends to these reunions. Between them, Lucius will be six feet under by the end of the night!"
"He shouldn't have called you that," he remarked darkly, leaning heavily back on the wall.
"Lucius Malfoy calls me a . . . you-know-what . . . all the time. You shouldn't have let it bother you, then we wouldn't have been thrown out here."
Sirius bobbed his head in a sort of begrudged agreement.
Andromeda sighed, "I'm bored."
"Then let's get out of here," Jillian said abruptly. She stood and cocked her head towards the door, "No one's watching, let's go."
"Go where?" Andromeda asked. "There's nothing to do in Maidstone this time of night."
"I wasn't suggesting we stay in Maidstone."
Sirius's eyebrows rose several degrees at this, "Is Miss Perfect suggesting we break the rules?"
"I'm only Miss Perfect to Toby," she reminded him, "And yes. I know this place in London we could most certainly have some fun."
Andromeda leapt to her feet and was dragging Jillian towards the door, "Then I'm in!"
----------------------------------------------------
BANG!
The Knight Bus halted abruptly in a dingy street. Blinking neon signs lined the street, their lights illuminating vile graffiti sprayed on the walls in large grand designs.
"Thanks, Ernie!" Jillian shouted over her shoulder to the Knight Bus driver. He tipped his hat to them and when they had all emptied into the street, the purple omnibus whisked out of sight.
"Here we are," Jillian smiled at the large blue and pink sign above a rather ratty, poster-strewn building. "Connections. I come here on Saturdays with Toby and Carly just before school starts."
"What is Connections?" Andromeda eyed the street warily and the blinking 'open' arrow pointing to the basement.
"It's a dance club. Come on!"
She yanked Sirius and Andromeda down the stairs and into a dimly lit hall. The floor thrummed with music, lights from the club within flashed through the thin window in the door. Standing in front of the door, silhouetted by the strobe lights was a muscular man in black.
The sight of him intimidated Sirius and his cousin but Jillian bounced right up to him, "Hi ya, Charlie!"
"Jilly!" he said with a rare smile. "Been a while hasn't it, luv?"
"Aye, not since last summer, me boyo," she flashed him a flirtatious smile, producing a twenty-pound note from her clutch and slapped it in his hand. "That ought to cover charges."
"Enjoy yer night."
"Thanks, Charlie." Jillian flashed him a last smile before yanking Sirius and Andromeda through the door and into the pack of bodies jamming and thrumming to the music. Strobe lights flashed over the crowds, blinking green, blue, red, yellow, pink, orange, white . . .
Sirius was mesmerized and nearly stumbled on the steps as Jillian dragged them up to the second level looking out on the dance floor.
"Ted! Tonks, over here!"
Jillian waved to a short, tawny young man with bleached blond spikes. He wore a tight blue shirt and a pair of black jeans. On either side of him was a brunette wearing identical outfits: the twins Amber and Autumn. A lanky young man sat next to them and a young woman with blaring lime green hair wearing a shimmering silver halter sat as well on the couch.
"Jilly!" cried the young woman with short green hair. "Where's ya, been luv? Who's the hottie!"
Jillian laughed, "Wuz up, Whitney."
The young man looked up, "Jillybean! Little early this year aren't you?"
She drew off her plum robes and tossed them on the seat next to the lanky young man, "We ditched out of a absolutely dreadful reunion just to come and see you, Ted."
"I'm sure you did," he said wryly. Then he noticed Sirius and Andromeda standing before them, or, more so, he noticed Andromeda. An awestruck look came over his face, "Oy."
"Ted, I'd like to introduce to you Sirius and Andromeda Black. They're friends of mine. Sirius, Andy, this is Ted Tonks. The twins are Amber and Autumn, respectively. Green hair is Whitney. And that's Mel."
Hellos and nods of greeting were exchanged and Ted stood, sauntering over to them.
"It's a pleasure, Andromeda." Ted stood and lightly kissed her fingers.
"It's just Andy," Andromeda said, sliding onto the horseshoe couch. There was a new slyness to her smile, a new way she sat and slipped out of her robes.
Ted collapsed next to her, helping her out of her over-robes, "So you from around here?"
"Cool it, Ted. Sirius is her cousin, you may want to watch the charm." Jillian warned. "Move your arse over Mel, give us some room."
Mel made room for Jillian and Sirius at the last minute pulling her into his lap.
She smacked him on the arm, "Oy, get off!"
"Aw, but I've missed my girl."
"You've had too much to drink and I'm not your girl, so get your paws off." She snapped and slid out of Mel's lap to cram herself between Sirius and him.
"You may want to watch yourself, mate," Sirius said over Jillian's head, "She's already walloped a bloke tonight."
"Lucius hardly counts."
"Ladies, why don't you grab us some drinks?" Ted said coolly to the two brunettes.
"But, Teddy . . ." whined Autumn.
"We've got guests," he said pointedly.
The two brunettes, leggy and curvy, swayed past. Amber stooping low to whisper in Sirius's ear huskily, "See ya round, handsome."
She kissed him gently on the lips before parting, Jillian glaring daggers as she disappeared into the crowd.
Whitney was grinning wickedly at Sirius; "You may want to watch Amber there. She moves real fast."
"And who said I didn't?" Sirius asked with his own wicked grin as he shrugged out of his own robes.
"And who said since when?" Jillian asked sharply.
"I don't always tell you everything, Miss Perfect."
Jillian's eyes widened indignantly and rewarded Sirius with a smack on the chest. Whitney laughed and took another sip from the bottle in her hand. There was a pause and a new song came up on the speakers and the crowd continued to jam.
Jillian yanked Sirius to his feet, "Come on."
"Why?"
"This is a dance club isn't it? So let's dance!"
"See you around, cousin!" Andromeda laughed before returning to her conversation with Ted.
Jillian led Sirius down the stairs into the midst of the bodies, swaying her hips, her hands in the air. She stopped abruptly and turned to face Sirius.
"Just relax," she said. "Dance. Let you're body move for you."
As Sirius asked what she meant Jillian swirled away and began to move to the beat, her body slithering and slinking in a way he'd never seen her move. He watched her hypnotized as she danced.
When she came back to him, her arms above her head, he asked, "Where'd you learn to move like that?"
"What?" she shouted over the bass. She shook her head and nudged him with her hip, "DANCE!"
Sirius grinned and followed her example, letting loose and cavorting to the music. Jillian smiled as she watched him dance. He was a sexy bloke, a part of her mind admitted. Quickly she dashed the thought away and leaned back against him, sinking lower to the floor before spinning up abruptly.
"WHERE'D YOU LEARN TO MOVE LIKE THAT?" he shouted, but the music had stopped again and the people around him laughed.
Jillian grinned, "Ted taught me actually. He taught Toby and Carly too, all of us."
Sirius caught himself wondering darkly what else Ted Tonks had taught Jillian when another song started up. Jillian nudged him with her hip and they danced some more, the long hours of the night waning away.
----------------------------------------------------
"You'll make sure, Andy gets home all right, Ted?" Jillian asked for the hundredth time as Ted led them out into the street.
"Of course, don't fret," he groaned. "How are you and Sirius gonna get home?"
"We'll manage," she interrupted as Sirius opened his mouth. She knew what he was going to say: 'the Knight Bus.'
"Be careful," Ted told them again as he backed away towards the entrance of the club. "And I promise not to violate your cousin, Sirius!"
"I'm sure my aunt will appreciate it!" he shouted back with a smile as Ted Tonks disappeared back down the stairs of Connections.
He spun back to face Jillian and grinned. She smiled in reply and raised her wand hand.
BANG!
For the third time that night the purple triple-decker omnibus rolled down the street and stopping with a screech before Jillian and Sirius.
"Jillian!" cried the conductor in exasperation, "Third bloody time tonight . . ."
"And I promise it's the last," she said as she rummaged in her clutch for the proper amount of sickles.
"Here," Sirius handed the conductor the fee and helped Jillian onto the bus.
Rows of beds lined the sides of the bus, none of them occupied but two. They found two beds beside one another and collapsed into them.
"Kensington, Ernie," said the conductor tiredly, sitting heavily in his armchair next to the driver.
"How long have you been going there?" Sirius asked at last, propping his head on his hand. She was rather tousled, her hair mused and her cheeks flushed from the heat.
"Since my fourth year," she said with a shrug. "Toby had heard about it and wanted to check it out. Ted got us in the door the first time. That's how we met him. He's a real sweet bloke, takes just about anyone under his wing so they don't get caught up in the drug scene. Can you believe that he's a student?"
"You're joking."
"No, I'm ruddy serious!" she said, falling back on her pillow, laughing. "Doesn't strike you as the type, does he?"
"Not at all," Sirius agreed.
BANG!
"Kensington!" shouted the conductor.
"This is us," she said. Sirius and Jillian tumbled down the stairs on unsteady legs and stopped at a polite, proper looking tenement. Jillian unlocked the front door and slipped in, motioning for Sirius to keep quite.
"We're on the third floor," she whispered as they climbed the stairs. "The elevators rattle so I don't use them when I come in late."
He nodded and followed her up the stairs to the third floor, which, unlike the lobby and first floor, was carpeted in green, not tiled with black diamonds.
"This is our flat." She whispered, raising her fist to knock. She hesitated, "Sirius . . . I'd appreciate it if . . . if you didn't mention that we went to Connections. Mum hates it when I go there."
"I won't mention it if you don't."
"Thanks," she smiled weakly and rapped quietly on the door. "Now just to warn you, Mum is a bit . . . enthusiastic, when it comes to - "
At that moment the door swung wide open and a comely, middle-aged woman flung her arms around Jillian in a warm hug, "Jillian! Dear, how was it? Did you have a good time? Oh, it was so dreadful without you here. I went to bed early it was that dull."
"Aw, Mum, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to wake you," Jillian whispered, withdrawing from her embrace. "Mum, this is Sirius, my friend I was telling you about."
"Sirius . . . Oh, yes I remember!" and much to Sirius's great surprise, Mrs. McKee pecked him on each cheek and then hugged him warmly around the shoulders, "It's so grand to finally meet you. Jillian was nothing but Sirius this and Sirius that all summer - "
"Mum!" she groaned, her cheeks glowing a little bit to Sirius's immense amusement. "Mum, is it all right if he sleeps over tonight? His mum seemed to want to stay a little longer and he wanted to make sure I got home all right . . ."
"Of course, Jillian dear! I'd hate to think of him going back home and being all on his own. I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch, Sirius dear, but we don't have any other rooms . . ."
"The couch is fine, Mrs. McKee."
"Lovely."
They followed Mrs. McKee into the flat. There were only three other doors in the flat, one apparently leading to the bathroom, the two others susceptibly bedrooms.
"Just make yourself at home, Sirius," said Mrs. McKee as she came back with a spare blanket in her arms. "Jillian, see he gets settled, I'm going back to bed. I've got to meet a new intern for the cook's position at eight tomorrow."
Jillian pecked her on the cheek, "Sleep tight, Mum. We'll keep it down."
"Night, sweetie."
Sirius watched as Mrs. McKee slipped back into her bedroom and shut the door behind her. He turned to see Jillian, gathering pillows at one end of the couch. She sensed him watching her and looked up to smile.
He smiled, "You fancy me, heh?"
She snorted, "Stop being such a git, Black. I claim the shower first."
"Fair enough. But you'll have to race me for it."
"What? No!" She came to an abrupt halt in front of the door as Sirius dashed in and closed it in her face. "Blighter!"
"Jillybean smells. Reeks of rotten eggs and Mel!" he hummed, but the rest of his song was drowned out by the thunder of water in the pipes.
"You're horrible, Black. You're a bloody horrible singer too. Save me some hot water!" she banged her fist lightly on the door in a last defiant gesture. With a sigh she went to the fridge and pulled out half of a leftover sandwich and a tin of sardines.
"What are you eating?" he asked, emerging from the bathroom fifteen minutes later.
With a grin she flourished her fork, "Sardines and a BLT sandwich."
Sirius gagged, "That's disgusting."
"It's good though," Jillian stuffed the last sardine in her mouth and hoped off the kitchen stool. "There's an extra piece of cake in the fridge if you want some."
The bathroom door shut behind her and the chorus of water through the pipes rang through the flat. Sirius dug into the fridge and pulled out the piece of chocolate cake Jillian had referred him to.
It was a pleasant little room, he noticed as he surveyed the flat. The rosy carpet and a creamy-tiled kitchenette were warming, welcoming. The walls were painted a cheery butter yellow and the trim was whitewashed and aged. A small balcony held an assortment of many luscious plants, all in bloom. The furnishings very much reminded Sirius of a French country collection he had glimpsed in a catalog. He wandered around the flat with his piece of cake, snacking as he slipped into what he assumed to be Jillian's room.
The walls were painted misty lilac and scattered with posters of exotic ports and locations. A map above the desk was littered with pushpins and in the corner was taped a picture of a four-year-old girl with golden chestnut hair sitting on the shoulders of a sailor. The wrought iron bed was unmade, a patched stuffed dog sat propped carefully against the pillow and a large quilt was flipped over the end and cascading onto her trunk.
"What're you doing?"
Sirius looked up to see Jillian standing in the doorway, wearing her towel as a turban around her head.
"Nothing."
She gave him a reproving look, "Nothing? Looked like you were snooping to me."
"Who's he? In that picture?" Sirius pointed to the picture taped next to the map.
"Dad." She gazed at the picture; "He's in Australia right now. Sydney, I think. He says he'll send me a poster before he leaves."
"He's an American?"
"Yeah." She tossed her gown and robes into the wicker basket by the door. "Now, come on, enough with fifty question. I'm tired."
As Sirius exited, he paused in the doorway; "I had a good time tonight, Jillian."
She smiled sleepily as she snuggled under her quilt; "I did too. I wish it hadn't had to end."
"Me, too."