:: Here we go the next chapter in our saga. I was so glad to see them make up. And Remus was so cute about it, Bertie Botts!! So I think Sirius has something he wants to tell her…
Meeting at the Red Lion per usual, Sirius had something unrelenting on his mind. It had to be the right time; he couldn't hold this secret back from Ava anymore. She needed, deserved, to know the truth. While the marauders sat around in the beer garden enjoying the one of the last few chances to be out, Sirius bided his time. Waiting for the right moment.
"It's time." He said carefully eyes more on Remus than anyone else. Remus knew what he meant, a look of knowing in his eyes.
"Time for another round?" Peter and James joked around as they leaned back in their chairs. "Your turn."
"Sure." Sirius volunteeringly got up to go get the next lot, not wanting to see him make up his mind. He would let Remus consider the matter, giving him space. Surprisingly, Remus got up as well, saying to help him. James and Peter seemed unaware as the finished their mugs.
Setting two frosty glasses down, Sirius gave one to James before sitting down himself. James brought his chair back down and stretched for the drink, which Sirius pulled out of his reach. James looked up at him.
"Prongs," he said it in a way that let his friend know what was on his mind.
"Padfoot," he said uncertainly. Taking his drink he set it down, not sipping from it. "I don't know."
"Well," Sirius drawled, "Moony's given me the go-ahead."
"Oh." James knew he was overruled then. "Okay."
James was slightly wary of letting someone else in on their secret. Lily knew yes, but he knew he could trust her. She would love him just the same. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ava, but he had never had to tell anyone else before. Would her opinion of them change? He felt not in control by letting them tell her. He was used to being the leader of this group and protecting them all. Along with that came reservations about some of the things one of them thought, might not be best for the group.
"I'll tell her." Remus finally spoke up. "I think it should."
"I'll be right there too." Seeing Remus stare at him, he amended it. "After you're done that is."
James couldn't say no. If Sirius and Remus felt it was okay, than he had no ammunition why not. Peter didn't mater and neither did James. It was Remus story to tell. He sighed as he resigned himself to the cloudy future.
"You can tell her next week." James remembered what Lily had told him. "At the Lily's dinner party I was supposed to tell you about." He laughed at his mistake.
-
Lily had James come over early to help her, Ava home as well. Currently, James and Ava just sat in the sitting room talking until they were needed. Ava's job was to make sure nothing burned while took a shower and changed. James was to take care of the guests when they arrived alter. Lily needed to clean and doll herself up.
"Not going to dress up?" James asked after Ava.
"Are you?" she mirrored the look he sent her. They both laughed at the idea of the other dressed to the nines for Lily and both were suckers for Lily's whims.
Lily came back out much later, only a few minutes before the others arrived. The phone rang as her chance to be hostess arrived. Instead, James let the their friends in, while Lily's other couple had to cancel at the last possible minute. It appeared to be just the usual group, but lily was determined to have a nice dinner. She allocated James in charge of entertaining his friends in the sitting room, while she and Ava took care of the rest. Sticking Ava in charge of the watch on cooking, Lily went to set the table.
Ava looked around the kitchen, unsure of what she was really supposed to be doing. When Lily came back in she found Ava 'inspecting' the dessert. With a none too gentle push, Lily shoved Ava out to help James. Ava flushed a subtle rose hearing the foul story James was telling, but quickly recovered by telling one of her own odd encounters. Ava quickly covered up, when Lily came out with hors d'oeuvres.
"Then he-" She coughed, making something up off the top of her head, seeing Lily. "I, uh, picked up the him and set him free in the park." She improvised.
"What?" Lily looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?"
They guys chuckled at Ava getting caught and waited for her to add more to her minute story. "Eh, the mouse?"
"A what?!" Lily shrieked when she heard the word mouse. Looking around, she jumped up and down slightly anxious.
"Not here," Ava tried to assure her, but Lily was back in the kitchen. She called to her. "At Eathan's!"
"I better go fix that." She gave a sheepish grin when the guys laughed at her. She went to see after Lily. Lily was sitting at the small kitchen looking fairly stressed. Ava sat down across from her.
"Evans," She sternly called her trying to get her attention. Lily looked up, very apprehensively. "What's amiss?"
"I'm worried." She started, wringing the towel in her hands. "I'm worried James wont like my meal. It's supposed to be his favorite."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," she reassured her. "It's smells, right-Good."
"Thanks." Lily gave an unappreciative moan.
"Tell you what," Ava walked over to her pulling her up. She put her hands on her shoulders and ushered her to the door out to her guests. "I'll take care of the rest, you relax."
Lily looked over her shoulder at her enigmatic friend, skepticism danced around Lily's face. Ava gave her a crooked grin a slight push into the room. Lily sat down with James and the rest, picking up her hostessing duties.
In the kitchen, Ava leaned against the counter, wine glass in one hand, and a cookbook in the other. Although everything was already cooked, she was merely looking for a way to jazz it up. Closing the book she set it down on the counter with a sneer, boring displays. She looked at what Lily had, and risking her head, started chopping and cutting, slicing and dicing. Giving it an artistic flair she went into the dinning room to see what Lily had done there.
Taking apart the network/system/organization Lily had set up. She tossed plates and stemware about trying to give it a different look. When she was finally satisfied, she sat down in one of the chairs and contemplated just sitting there and waiting until they got hungry enough to come look and see it was ready. With a smile, she sadly discarded the idea. Instead she pulled out her wand. "Accio glasses."
She made a face when she heard a thump against the door and James' glasses came through the small crack it had opened. Well, it worked she shrugged. Before the others came in, she gave a quick Occulus Reparo to fix her damage. She managed a sly smile when they wandered in. She handed James back his glasses. "Bon appetit."
"You could have just called." Sirius bent down and kissed her on the top of her head. He stopped playing with her hair when he saw her display. So did everyone else.
"Did you do this?" Peter was the first to ask.
"Lily did." She lied. "I just set the table. Plates and silverware." Why not just switch it around she figured. A weak smile crept up. "Oh, and glasses."
"Looks good," He said while sitting down and looking up at Lily, "smells wonderful too."
Lily gave a smile and sat down, too nervous to notice that there was a difference to her scheme. Sirius took Ava's wine glass, refilling it then everyone else's as well. The course went rather smoothly, the food was quite good and the conversation entertaining. Peter, feeling his wine, spoke before he realized what he had said.
"So, Remus, Don't you have something to discuss with our dear Ava?" he half giggled with a tipsy manner.
Remus played it off very well, holding back the glare he felt creeping to his eyes for Peter. "Later, business isn't for the table."
Ava looked at him confused. He felt the need to ward off her worry. "Muggle plug in thing. I need help with the confounded contraption. Mechanics." He shrugged.
"Ah." She smiled back at him.
Much later, the group sat around the empty plates, sipping wine and carousing about. Lily and Ava both cleared the table, but decided to wash their dishes later, when the rest had left. Remembering the Brandy that she had set aside, Lily stood up to adjourn to sitting room. Slowly the rest stood up as well, careful not to disturb their digestion. Remus waited until the rest were nearly gone and held Ava back as she was the last to steer for the door. He walked back over to the table. Filling their glasses with the rest of the drops in the bottle. Ava sat down beside him with a smile, waiting to see what he said. He took a deep breath.
In the living room, the others noticed a decrease in their number, and managed to make small talk to fill the curiosity they all felt, avoiding the subject. Only putting it off for so long, someone finally mentioned. Curious enough, they all couldn't help but wonder how it was going.
"Eh," Peter shrugged, very relaxed from all his influences. "Altair'll be fine. Have faith."
"I know," Lily grinned somewhat embarrassedly, "but that doesn't stop me from being curious, now does it?"
"Bide, pet." Sirius laughed at her.
"Easy for you to say." James snorted. Sirius knew Ava probably best of all, and could more than likely predict what she would say down to the very words, but the rest still couldn't help but be nervous. James, most of all, felt himself very vulnerable.
"He's lying," Lily's slit eyes glaring at him. "He's just as uneasy as the rest of us. He's just has a poker face." Sirius smiled and made another face at her.
Within a few more minutes, Remus came quietly out and sat in the only remaining free chair. Silently, he snickered at their curious faces. In reality, he didn't mind telling Ava at all. He thought it kind that the others left the decision up to him, but it wasn't really. The truth was that other people, people he abhorred, would find out and he couldn't stop it. Anyone could really figure it out if they wanted to, they just had to be patient, look and see the signs. He had only really waited because he knew James felt insecure about. So what was it to tell his best friend's girlfriend? He adored Ava anyhow. She would be just one more person on his side.
"Well?" Peter finally asked, feeling no inhibitions whatsoever now that he had enough brandy to skunk an ox.
Remus just looked over to him, and then to the rest with an eyebrow slightly raised. "She needed a few minutes to think by herself, I believe."
Ava was in fact in the kitchen cleaning dishes as she thought. It gave her hands something to do, while letting her mind wander. After what Remus had told her, a thought kept running through her head that she couldn't shake. Drying off the plate in her hand, she set down the towel and went to interrogate. Their faces looked up, surprised to see her coming the way through the kitchen, and wondering what she was going to say. A lack of seats left her little options as she sat on the floor in front of Sirius looking up at him, her eyes trained on him.
"Show me how?"
:: Very interesting….we shall see what she becomes in the next installment, er I mean chapter. Any guesses?
