By: Sweet 16 Movie Buff!
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"Jillian are you sure that you want to stay here for the holidays?" Carly asked for the thousandth time as she packed her trunk.
Jillian sat on her bed, prying the crystal globe of a seeing glass off its base. She shook her head as she continued to work, "I don't want to be a burden to anyone."
"You won't be a burden!" Carly insisted as she tossed another pile of folded cloths into her trunk.
"Aw, come on, Miss Perfect! Mum loves you because you actually do work around the house. You're practically her second daughter," Toby said as she casually flipped through a magazine.
Carly frowned at her, "Are you finished packing all ready?"
"Nope."
"Have you even started?"
"Nope."
"When do you intend to pack?"
"Later."
"Toby," with a dismal shake of her head, Carly returned to packing.
Jillian grinned and set the half-removed crystal ball aside, "I appreciate the offer, truly, but I have detention with McGonagall, remember? And besides," she added as an after thought, "I have a project I have to finish for Professor Flitwick."
"McGonagall I'm sure would let you do your detention after the holiday," Toby tossed the magazine into her trunk and sat up cross-legged on her bed. "And this project . . .no better time than later wouldn't ya say?"
"No better time like the present, Toby," Carly corrected reproachfully. She turned to Jillian, "I still don't think you should be alone on the holidays, I mean with your mum gone and everything else going on, you need family."
"Yes, Dr. Spocker," Jillian rolled her eyes with a lazy smile that Toby laughed at. She smiled a true smile and then said, "I'll be fine, Carly. It's not so bad really, I've never stayed at school before, it should be fun."
"Okay," Carly squinted at Jillian for a moment scrutinizing the sincerity of her statement.
"I'll be fine!" she insisted.
"You're not staying to duel with Malfoy are you?" Toby asked suddenly.
"Of course not, she's not that stupid." Carly answered curtly. "Done!"
Jillian shrugged, "What she said. He's going home for the holidays. And besides that, I think that's grounds for expulsion isn't it?"
"No. Only if you kill him, I think. Speaking of which, I've got a letter to write. I'll see you two down in the common room," and with that, Toby disappeared down the dormitory stairs.
Carly shook her head again, "She's going to wait 'til that last second to pack, I know it."
Jillian eyed the clutter around Toby's bed. With a sigh she pulled out her wand and flourished it at the mess, "Pack!"
Obediently cloths and robes folded themselves neatly, books and magazines stacked nicely at the bottom of the trunk along with Toby's broom, cauldron, and Beater stick. She grinned in satisfaction, "That should help her out a little don't you think?"
Carly smiled, "You're too nice, Jilly. I was going to make her panic for a little and then teach her that spell."
"You're too cruel, Carly Spocker," Jillian laughed as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "You're just too cruel."
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"Have a good Christmas!" Jillian waved after Toby and Carly. "I'll owl your presents to you!"
"You better!" Toby said threateningly, but the severe look on her face soon broke into a smile and laughter. They waved final good-byes before stepping into the warmth of the carriages.
Jillian smiled weakly, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her wool hoodie before turning back into the school.
"Where is he?" James was asking as he stood to the side of the stairs, looking over the heads of the other students in search of a particularly tall and tawny Gryffindor seventh-year.
"I think he was still packing when I left him." Remus said casually.
"Well he better hurry up," James snapped impatiently, "Or the train is going to leave without him."
"Ah, here we are," Remus nodded to Sirius as he pushed his way through a cluster of chattering third years. He wore a sweater and jeans, yet he was coat-less and scarf-less despite the snow on the ground.
"Padfoot, what do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm staying," he explained, "Tell your mum I'm sorry I can't make it this year. I've got a couple things to patch up."
"With Mitra?" James spat bitterly. He had not spent a day in the company of his best friend for a long while thanks very much to that girl and her clique of fanatically obsessed friends.
Sirius shook his head, "She's home for Christmas," when he studied the sullen look on his best friend's face he added, "Just have a good time without me, Prongs, go and shag Evans if you like."
James grinned, "I'm not like you, Padfoot."
"I'd hope so," he snorted, "There's only room for one of us, you know."
"Sod off, I could take you down any day."
With a laugh, Sirius clapped James on the shoulder and waved good-bye to Remus before trotting back into the school. He slipped into an alcove and pulled out a slip of parchment and his wand.
He touched his wand to the parchment, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Just as always Remus's tidy scrawl appeared upon the parchment with their nicknames and a map of the school. Filch was prowling the third floor corridor, Ms. Norris (now sporting bright green stripes no one could seem to remove as retribution for ratting out he and James after a venture to the kitchens) was on the fifth floor. Teachers were in their offices or classrooms; a couple of students were in their dormitories packing frantically before the train left without them on it. He scanned it all quickly and saw the mark he was looking for. Surprisingly it was in the kitchens, seated by the fireplace.
"Mischief managed," he murmured and the parchment swiped blank.
Intrigued, Sirius strode briskly out of the Entrance Hall and hurried down to the ground floor.
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"Master Sirius! What can we gets for you?"
"Would Master Sirius like a cup of chocolate?"
Jillian looked up from the Charms textbook in her lap, the cup of tea beside her forgotten. Sirius stood on the threshold of the kitchen door; a dozen house elves had come to gather around his knees, eager to fetch him anything he desired. Swiftly she tucked away a clay figurine and her wand into her pocket.
"Yeah, two mugs, if you would," he said dismissively, his eyes resting on Jillian. She quickly glanced back down at the page she was reading, quite intent on ignoring him.
Quickly the house elves scurried away to do his bidding and, much to Jillian's displeasure, Sirius came to sit himself beside her near the flames of the fire. But despite a great deal of effort Jillian couldn't seem to summon the anger that she had once felt towards him.
I must getting soft, a part of her mind warranted, I must be really getting soft.
Just as Jillian opened her mouth to tell him to go away, a rather small, gangly-armed elf approached the two of them with a tray of two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, topped with cinnamon and whipped cream, along with a plate of assorted biscuits and stuffed pastries.
"Thank you," Sirius said, selecting a cream tart and taking a bite.
"Would Mistress Jillian like anything?"
"No thank you," she smiled at the elf, snapping the book closed, "I was just leaving."
"Come on, Jillian! It's an insult if you don't eat something."
All ready on her feet and glaring, Jillian darted a glance at the house elf still waiting patiently, he nodded fervently, "Yes, yes, elves live to serve. We like to serve."
"Fine," with a harrumph she collapsed back down on the hearth and took a clotted chocolate cream from the plate. The elf beamed at her before scurrying away. "You made him say that, didn't you?"
"No, but apparently this is your first time down to the kitchens," Sirius grinned at her before taking a sip from his mug of hot chocolate.
"Don't get cocky with me, Black," she snapped quietly.
"Here, eat. You look like you could do with something." He tossed two of the buttery biscuits into her lap.
"Why the sudden concern?" she asked, nibbling on one.
"We're still friends aren't we?"
"Are we?" she returned, flipping back to her page. When he did not answer straight away, she turned her attention to the book in her lap.
He watched her carefully as she scanned a page. Her hair hung lank and lifeless across her face, her cheekbones were rather more pronounced than before. She was looking rather paler than usual. There were blotchy, dark circles under her eyes, like she had been getting little sleep.
"I bent so she'd stop those lies," he said at last, "It was nothing against you."
"I know," she murmured, "But it still hurt."
She gnawed at the corner of her mouth. She did not just mean Sirius's abandonment and he knew it. She also meant the abandonment of her mother.
Stuffing some biscuits into his pockets, Sirius stood. "Let's get out of here."
"And go where? Do what? Unlike you, I have work to do."
He toed the book closed, spawning a little cry of indignation from Jillian, and yanked her onto her feet. "Forget work for two seconds, Miss Perfect, and hear me out."
"Fine!" though she tried desperately to sound vexed, Sirius could see the interest dancing in her eyes.
"There's a frozen lake out there, that's just dying to be skated."
"And?"
"Snowball fights after that."
"And?"
"I believe there's a game of wizard's chess in the evening some time."
She smiled, "You've got this all planned out don't you?"
Sirius laughed, "I'd like you to think so."
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The next several days took a pleasant turn for Jillian. Sirius kept her company much of the day and the evening except when she went to complete her detention. They spent most of their afternoons outdoors, skating or having snowball wars, or just walking along the lake. They visited with Hagrid, and spent tea time with him in his hut before returning to the castle for dinner. Evenings were spent in the Gryffindor common room (the Fat Lady had been kind enough to have a new password for the holidays so Jillian might be able to visit) playing cards or wizard's chess or simply talking while Jillian worked on varied crafts.
There was a great deal of that, talking. With no Mitra to threaten Sirius with rumors about Jillian, it was rare to see the two apart. Once or twice a teacher would catch the two in the hallways innocently wandering and chatting, both keeping a respectful yet discreet distance between each other.
Jillian's health took a turn for the better under Sirius's watchful eye, and though she would never admit it to him, his distractions were exactly what she had needed over the holiday. It became easier to talk of her mother in passing, and the mention of family did not flare as painfully in her chest.
On Christmas Eve Day, Sirius and Jillian had retreated to the Great Hall for a game of cards. Each was seated cross-legged on top of the Ravenclaw table, with half the deck in hand. In a blur of red and white, they were quickly flipping their cards over, desperately trying to slap their hand on the first matching pair.
"So," Jillian asked, her eyes never leaving the cards, "What'd you get James for Christmas?"
"You're trying to distract me. It's not going to work."
She smiled, "Damn."
"What about you?"
"I made my presents this year."
"Oh," he stopped flipping his cards, signaling a time out in the game, "so that's what you were doing."
"Yeah. I have to save what I can, if I'm going to buy a flat this summer. Mum's life insurance will cover first expenses, but if I want to pay for the rent and upkeep I'll need every penny."
"What'd you make for Toby and Carly?"
Jillian laughed slightly at the memory, "For Toby, it was . . . well, sort of an inside joke." When this did not seem to sway Sirius's interest, she sighed and leaned closer. "Okay, Toby, Carly, and I always spend August together before school starts. Before mum died, they were sleeping over at my place and Toby woke us up, laughing in her sleep."
"All right."
"Well, it just so turned out that she was having this real weird dream about a bunch of house elves in Elvis costumes dancing to her favorite song. So for Christmas I made her this snow globe with dancing house-elves in it, that plays 'Cruel to Be Kind' when you tap it."
Sirius laughed, "I am going to have to see that."
Jillian smiled, pleased by his reaction, "I'll make sure she lets you. That gift took me the bloody longest."
"And Carly?"
"A skirt made out of a pillow shame and then a shirt that I made out of two Mum's scarves. They have four different patterns, though, when you touch your wand to them the pattern changes."
"You did all that?" his brow rose several degrees at this and Jillian nodded. Bloody hell, he thought that the Marauders Map was a feat in itself, which it was, but to have a permanent transfiguration charm on a piece of clothing or a continuous mobility spell? That was impressive.
"And what about my gift?" he asked after a moment, with a sly smile.
With a dramatic sigh, Jillian pulled a package from behind her, "I suppose since you've been such a good boy for once, I can let you have this early."
"You're serious?" he said, taking the present.
She smiled, "Go ahead and open it."
He tore away the green paper and opened the box. Inside was a tumult of candies and sweets (apparently from Honeydukes at the courtesy of Toby and Carly) but buried at the bottom were two scarlet quills with gold spines, two bottles of red ink, and two rolls of parchment with ornate markings along the edges of the paper. His face fell a bit.
"Oh, don't worry, it isn't school supplies," Jillian hastily mollified. She took a roll of the parchment along with a bottle of ink and a quill, "Here, let me show you how it works."
She dipped the tip of the quill into the ink and wrote something on the parchment. She hid it from sight and motioned to the second roll. "Open that one up."
Sirius did as she asked him. Written in Jillian's tidy hand in red were the words 'Hello, Sirius.' He looked up at her, confused, to see her scribbling something more. When he glanced down at the parchment in his hand, he saw words forming, 'Do you believe me now?'
"How did you do that?" he demanded.
She smiled, setting the parchment aside, "Magic. It's two way communication. Whatever one person writes on their parchment, it appears on the others and vice versa. I thought that maybe you and James could use them during class. The ink is only visible to those who write in it, so teachers will think you're copying notes down. But don't think to use them for cheating, because I put anti-cheating spells on the quills and on the paper.
"To get rid of what you've written, swipe the plume of the quill up like this," she swept the feathered end of the quill upward across the page and the words promptly disappeared. "And that's it, really."
He was looking at her so oddly. He shook his head, looking down at the parchment with renewed respect. He looked back up at her, "This is bloody brilliant, you know."
Surprised by the compliment, she blushed, "Thanks."
"Now I understand why you're in Ravenclaw"
"What, did you think I should have been in Hufflepuff?" she teased and Sirius shuddered.
"No! Bloody hell no," he shook his head, "I thought maybe Gryffindor. You know 'Where dwell the brave at heart; their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.'"
Jillian roared with laughter, falling back on the table, much to Sirius's confusion. When she sat back up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, she apologized, "Sorry, I'm sorry, it's just . . . you remembered that?"
"Well," he said stiffly; "It was this year's song."
"Oh," Jillian shook her head, "Nah, I'm a Ravenclaw, through and through. I listen to my brain more than my heart. I'm hardly brave, anyway."
Sirius decided not to argue with her on the issue, though many instances proved her wrong. "But thank you. It's great."
"What's the matter?" she asked when he raked his fingers through his hair.
"Now you've got me worried about my gift," he chuckled, picking up his cards, ready to continue when Jillian slapped the pile.
"Well, I think you can rest at ease, because you just gave me an early Christmas gift. I just won," she stuck her tongue out at him, and began to move her other hand towards the box of candy, "And as a reward I get your Chocoballs."
"Like bloody hell you do!" he said tackling her to the table, his hands reaching for the crook of her knees, a particularly ticklish spot of hers, and her unprotected sides.
Jillian went into whoops of mirth, smacking him on the back, trying to peel him off, all the while laughing, "I WON! HEY, HEY I WON, BLACK! FAIR AND SQUARE! OH!"
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Jillian slept that night in the Gryffindor common room, curled up on a velvety soft couch, one of Sirius's many throw rugs wrapped around her (apparently he got dreadfully cold in the winter and kept a healthy supply to keep him warm). When she awoke, it was to bright yellow sunlight pouring through the windows and a mountain of presents billowing out from under the Christmas tree.
She smiled as she recognized her name on several of the gifts.
Feeling giddy and tingling, she bounced up the stairs of the boy's dormitory to find Sirius still asleep, still abed, and curled up under several layers of blankets. She leapt onto the pile of blankets with a joyful whoop.
"BLOODY HELL!"
Jillian straddled his stomach, and when he tried to pull the coverlets over his head, she yanked them down, grinning down at his scowling face.
"You look rather cute with your hair like that," she remarked playfully, showing him the piece of his black hair that was standing straight up. "You just may be able to single-handedly make Mohawks come back."
"Sod off, Jilly."
"Aw," she frowned comically, "Be nice now, Sirius, it's Christmas! Presents! Turkey dinner and chicken dumplings!"
"I hate turkey," he reminded her, and rolled over to go back to sleep.
She punched him solidly on the shoulder, much to Sirius's bereavement and pain, "Come on, you old miser. We've got gifts to open. Well, I do at least . . ."
"All right!" he groaned, shoving Jillian to the foot of the bed and sat up, legs dangling over the side of the bed. "Now don't look."
Jillian adverted her eyes as Sirius slipped on a pair of flannel bottoms and a baggy gray sweatshirt. They then made their way down the stairs to see they were the last to arrive at the tree, and the remaining mountain was for the two of them.
"I guess we made out pretty well this year. This one's for you," Sirius tossed her a package from Carly. Jillian smiled down at the package, and just as she began to work loose the ribbons, Sirius let out a yell of surprise.
"James you bleeding cocker!" he exploded suddenly, staring down at a record, "He didn't!"
"What?"
"Do you know how hard it is to find this album?" Sirius demanded of her, showing her a moving album cover of a wizarding group, Alder Cauldrons. "I've been looking for this for ages!"
"You like them?"
"Love them. James and I . . . we have a weakness for hard core," Sirius was still staring in amazement at the album, but at last set it aside and dove into the rest of his gifts.
Jillian was surprised by how many people had sent her condolences in the form of brightly wrapped boxes and bags. Carly had bought Jillian a book on helpfully advanced hexes and curses. Toby had sent her a new wool hoodie, a forest green one to replace her navy blue one, and several blouses that went rather well with the jeans her father had given her. The Williams family had also sent her two boxes of fudge and a fondue kit to go along with it (apparently this also compensated for a flat welcoming gift as well). The Spocker family had mutually pitched in a Pensieve box with memories of Jillian's mother. Remus had sent her a rather interesting model of a Quidditch pitch that showed different plays and maneuvers, most likely at James's suggestion for Jillian had showed little interest in Quidditch. James, much to her surprise, had even been kind enough to indulge her in a bag of Zonko's pranks, with a simple note hoping she might use them on Mitra as retribution.
"Where's your gift?" Jillian asked when all the wrappings had been cleared away. She felt rather rude asking, but he had mentioned something about it earlier the other day.
"Ah, yes, hold on for one moment," he bounded up the stairs to the boy's dormitory and soon returned with a rather large, shaking box. "Be careful, he doesn't like it when you rattle him too bad."
"Him?" Jillian echoed as Sirius set the box before her and collapsed into an armchair to watch.
"Open it," he encouraged, waving a hand at the box again.
Hesitantly, Jillian did, careful not to jostle the box too badly as she stripped away wrapping paper. The box tumbled to the side and a small chocolate kitten, no more than two months old, sauntered out into the light.
"My giddy aunt! Sirius you didn't!"
She held out her hand to the cat, and tentatively he sniffed her fingers. Then much to Jillian's immense pleasure and excitement, the kitten rubbed against her hand. With the first introductions (of a sort), he brushed all along Jillian's knees, before falling into her lap, purring his approval.
As she gently scratched his white underbelly, she looked up at Sirius. He was smiling.
"How . . . how did you know?"
"That you always wanted a cat?" Sirius shrugged nonchalantly; "Toby and Carly mentioned it once, when they were planning your eviction party. They thought maybe to get you one before you left for Hogwarts, but - "
"Toby's dad is allergic," Jillian finished with him. They smiled at one another, when Jillian suddenly felt sharp teeth pricking her fingers.
"Ouch! You've got a set of teeth on you, don't you?" she addressed the kitten in her lap, playfully shaking him. He grasped her hand firmly in his paws as he nibbled on her fingers, then after a moment he licked them. "He must be hungry."
As Jillian rose with the kitten in the cradle of her arms, Sirius asked, "What are you gonna name him?"
"I was thinking Chocoball."
"Chocoball?"
"Yeah. He looks like one, doesn't he?" Jillian smiled down at the ball of brown fur in her arms.
Sirius laughed, "Whatever you say, Miss Perfect, he's yours now. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Sirius."
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HOW'S THE CHARACTERIZATION?
I have this certain dread in my gut that my characterization is shaky. Would someone please tell me if I'm right or not? If Jillian seems a little out of character it could possibly be attributed to stress and grief, but I'd still like to know what you (my readers) think.
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THANK YOU TO MY REVIEWERS!
Kirie Himuro – It's funny, I've never seen Mean Girls either (I know, I'm a shame to my own pen name!), but I'm so glad you liked Lucius's second bloody nose; I didn't know if it sounded right. Thank you for being such a loyal reviewer though.
kat-firefly – You read the whole first fic?! Wow, I didn't know anyone would want to do that for my fic ::scratches head, still obviously impressed:: All I can really say is thank you SOOOOO much.
Nicky Black – I love it when I get reviews from you! You always make me want to continue to write and post and come up with stories, thank you. And about Jillian and Sirius getting back together . . .
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TO ALL MY READERS AND REVIEWERS . . .
The whole story is now complete, but is still in need of some work.
To be honest, I think I'm due for a writer's block here soon, because I can't seem to get into the swing of this one as much as I did the first.