F i v e
Downstairs, July paced the dining area, clearly angry. Remus, James, and Lily sat at the table; each watching her and wondering what she would say when she spoke.
Finally, she did speak though. "I can't believe this. She's alive," not knowing what else she could say she sat down next to Remus, rubbing her temples. A humorless laugh escaped her. "It figures."
James grinned. "I always knew April wouldn't go down early. She's too… Well, she's too April to get herself killed."
"And is that supposed to make it okay for her to bloody take off and leave us all mourning her!" July bellowed, glaring at James. "She up and walked out on all of our lives. She's partially the reason none of stayed in touch! Don't you all remember? The last time we all spoke together was her funeral! And all of a sudden, she comes back, but not quietly. No she has to almost get herself killed 'again'."
Lily paused. "July, we're all surprised that April's back. And yes the last time we spoke was April's funeral but she must have a reason for what she did."
Forgetting about being formal around July, Remus rubbed her shoulder, easing the tense muscles there slightly. "Give her a chance to explain herself, Jules. It was a hard time for you two." He held up a hand when July glared at him. "Now don't get me wrong… I'm not sticking up for or defending her. She should have known she could trust us with her little secret, but she owes us an explanation and I'd like to hear it."
July finally conceded, sitting back once more against her chair, appreciating the miniature backrub Remus was giving her. It felt good to feel that same connection they'd always shared again. She looked up when Sirius came down the stairs, looking more worried than he had before. She immediately stood again.
"What happened, is she okay?" July demanded when he reached the group.
Sirius grinned half heartedly. "She was partially blinded when she first woke up. She thought we'd all been killed, she punched me pretty good in the gut. She had no idea where she was at first," he stopped seeing July's frown increase. He raised an eyebrow to Remus.
Remus pushed July into the chair. "Sit down and let Sirius continue, Jules. Don't go running upstairs just yet."
"Fine," was all she said.
"Well, go on then," James ushered.
"Okay, well as I was saying she didn't know where she was until she hurt herself. She twisted to get out of my grip because of course I had to grab her before she landed another punch. But she got weaker with every try. Anyway, she twisted herself around and pulled something in her ribs. It gave me enough time to spin her around and yell at her to get her head screwed on straight." He took a deep breath himself, straddling a chair. "We need to get Dumbledore and Fudge back here soon though because little miss Merriwether has left out a very important detail."
"She didn't mention how she got here, did she?" Lily asked.
"Actually she realized while we were talking that Remus inadvertently sent the owl addressed to 'Miss Merriwether' therefore sending it to April also."
"Well at least that much makes sense. Now explain why you look like death." Remus requested, noting his friends pale face.
"She's come into a spot of trouble-"
"You don't say…" July interrupted sarcastically.
"Shut up and listen July, she's in a lot of trouble."
"How much trouble are we talking here?" Remus pondered.
"Enough that she's not going alone anywhere for a long time to come. Possibly until Voldemort is killed or captured. You see she explained how she came to the Cauldron and that the man is whom she'd been sent on her mission to spy upon. We all know that much from what Dumbledore told us. What she didn't tell Dumbledore is that this man knows her real name and that there's others who do also."
"Oh bloody Christ," July whispered.
"Now April didn't explain to me her reasons for leaving so abruptly," he said angrily. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "But I going to assume this. And July I want you to listen carefully and pretend your April. I swear she doesn't need you bitching at her about her leaving. Maybe if you put yourself in her shoes you'll see it from her point of view."
July gasped angrily. Remus glared at Sirius now also. "Now wait just a minute, Padfoot," Remus started. "You don't have any right to tell her not to be mad at April. We're all mad at April and July does have a point. It's partially her fault none of us stayed in touch.
"Just hear me out." He waited until all eyes were on him. "Now your parents died in the beginning of our sixth year at school. You toughed out that year better than anyone else I know could. Six months after school got out and you were in France, April is offered a job that could bring down the people who murdered your parents. Now you have to admit July that between the two of you April is more outgoing and therefore more likely to get the job offer."
"Okay, I'm following," July said wearily, finally letting the sympathy for what her sister went through make it's way through her anger and pain at knowing she'd been deceived by her own twin.
"Good. Now we all know April would never turn down a job like that and she gives her word on it. She's told that she needs to do one job and then she can be out. But she doesn't get out because she has to fake her own death and doesn't think she can go back after that, so she doesn't. And then yesterday happens."
James nodded. "Makes sense but there might be more to it."
"Of course there might," Sirius agreed. "But there's a basic outline for you."
July bit her lip. "Where is she now? I need to talk to her," she felt shaky. "I have to see her, I haven't even spoken to her. She's my sister, I should be there for her." Now that she had a different viewpoint on what April had been through, she knew she would have taken the opportunity to avenge her family also.
Sirius held up a hand to pause her from standing. "She fell asleep on me before I could ask her to change," he grinned when James laughed.
"I have to admit, I'm not overly pleased with her choice of clothing," Lily admitted, grinning lightly.
July frowned. "I'll go up now anyways. I just want to be with her for awhile."
"Do you want me to come," Remus offered.
"No, I need to talk to her alone, Remus." She answered but not roughly like before. She answered kindly, smiling in thanks for the offer of being there for her; something she'd missed over the past two years since they'd broken up.
Remus nodded. Since they'd found out April was alive, he'd decided to put his own rather bad news on hold. At least until all of this business with April's newfound danger became less of a threat and shock to them all. But he needed to let them know soon for he was in trouble, and now that the group was whole again, he hoped he could trust them all to help a friend.
July left the group and walked up the stairs. She frowned when the noticed the guard placed outside April's door. The guard moved aside when she approached.
"A Healer is in with Miss Merriwether at the moment."
"It's okay, I'm her sister."
"Clearly," the guard said with a small smile, opening the door for her. As soon as the door opened, she heard shouts, making the guard wince.
July hurried into the room, thanking the guard and rushing to the small bedroom area. "What in bloody hell is going on here?" She paused in the doorway though when she noticed April standing next to the bed, a Healer standing with a shot across the bed from her. Neither noticed July at first. It became apparent to July that a sound proof barrier had been placed on the room for April was yelling loud enough to be heard in Diagon Alley.
April was pointing at the nurse, "You will not give me any more of your medication, and do you understand me? NONE! I've enough of it, I tell you. It's making me go insane; it's making me worse, so back off! I feel fine!"
"Miss Merriwether," the Healer said strictly. "You need these medications to dull you pain and make you more comfortable."
"Do you think I'm a wimp because I'm a female?" She grinned sarcastically. "You do, don't you! Well newsflash, I'm quite strong and I was trained to take in a certain level of pain, and this is not PAIN!" She bellowed. "I will throw this pillow at you if you don't get out of here now!"
The Healer glared. "Throw all the pillows you want. I'll leave Miss Merriwether but don't expect any relief anytime soon."
"Would you just get that needle away from me! Honestly," she motioned towards the doorway and finally noticed July standing there. She stopped her ranting at the healer and waved the portly woman away.
With a final huff, the Healer left the room, promising as she closed the door behind her, that there would be no pain killers any time soon. July frowned after the Healer, thinking the promise a bit rude and harsh. This was April they were talking about… Unless April had changed much since her supposed "death".
"April," July started, rather quietly. She didn't meet her sister's eyes, instead looked past her out the window to the bustling streets of London. She finally sighed deeply and met her other half's eyes. "Are you okay?" She looked her up and down.
April itched at the bandages around her waist. Acting as if all was okay was how she best dealt with uncomfortable situations like the one placed before her now. "Of course I'm okay. Hold on one minute I need to change the bandages."
July grinned slightly. "Shouldn't you let the Healer handle that?"
"Nah, I've changed bandages plenty of times in the past year and a half." She waved a hand at the suggestion of assistance and walked into the adjoining bathroom.
July couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her, knowing it was like April to be independent. But it also made her think about what had been happening with her sister the past year and a half. How many times were "plenty" of times?
In the bathroom, April quickly stripped her clothes and changed into a green sports bra and matching sweat pants. It was her usual workout outfit and, knowing if she didn't do her exercises often, she would get out of shape and not be able to perform her tasks assigned to her as completely as she normally would. She didn't want to waste anymore time not talking with July. She didn't know how long it would be before Dumbledore would send her on another job for the Order. Grabbing the bandages and a small container of cream from her purse, which was on the counter, she walked back into the room and sat on the bed. July had sat down at the couch.
July's eyed widened upon April's entrance. Her face had already been cleared of any of that hideous makeup from the previous day but the outfit had remained until then. She noticed her twin was in perfect shape but not overly muscled as to look like a body builder. Well toned legs, arms, and stomach helped to show she did more active work than simply spying. But the large black and blue bruises on the left side of her ribs, traveling up her side until the rest was hidden by the sports bra, showed the damage she'd taken the other night.
"What is that, April? It doesn't look like anything I've seen before," July asked, looking at the small cream container.
April shrugged, applying the whole container around her bruises, smiling with comfortable satisfaction as she rubbed it in. "Something I've picked up in my traveling. You'd be amazed at what you can find on the side of a street." She laughed at July's horrified expression. "I've used it before, it heals anything in an hour or so. I haven't had one minute to myself since I was put in this hell hole and being drugged up messed around with my senses so I couldn't get it on before.
"And I didn't dare try to take it out with Sirius in here or he would have snatched it and blasted it away and called me stupid. In which case I would be in a considerable amount of pain right now because I still would have refused any medications from those damned healers."
"April! You're lucky I didn't take it away. And I would have if you'd explained before using it all on you already."
The long-haired vixen shrugged and wrapped long bandaged around her waist securely and clipped them together once finished, smiling. "It numbs the pain then goes straight to mending everything up." She checked her watch. "I should be ready to go in a half hour or forty-five minutes or so."
"You're not going anywhere, Apes. There's a price on your head right now and Dumbledore isn't letting anyone, especially you it seems, leave. He won't let any of us leave either. Not that we could walk anywhere anyhow, seeing as there's about a foot and a half of snow on the ground from the blizzard yesterday."
"Yes well that could make traveling hard for a Muggle, but not us, Jules. The fact is, I've got a job I need to do and there will be more jobs after this one. This guy knows my real name you know."
"You said he only knew your alias name…" July said carefully, paling.
April blushed, looking down. "He er does… But he whispered in my ear the night before and he said that um, he knew who I was. So I told a little lie…"
"A little lie!" July exclaimed incredulously. "A little lie that could end up being the death of you, you should have told us sooner!"
"July the security can't get any tighter than it already is. I don't do good being cooped up like this, I may go insane."
July sighed and looked at her sister's earnest expression, knowing what she said was no lie. If growing up with her restless sister had helped her to gain any knowledge of her sister's disposition, then she knew it was one that was rarely content being still and locked up. Which was what April felt she was now; a prisoner of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Apes you need to get completely better and I sincerely doubt that some foreign cream is going to make any different whatsoever. So, I would suggest that you get yourself back in bed so I can convince that healer that you could use the sedatives. I'm telling you April, any minute now you're going to start having pains in your side and by then I won't care one wit and-"
"July! Would you stop rambling and calm down? I'm not a kid anymore, I can take perfect care of myself and I don't need anyone's help. Now let's catch up shall we? It's been a long time." She said this last part forlornly.
July took one last look at her sister's exposed bandages, wincing inwardly, and nodded her consent. April grinned in turn and moved from her seat to sit next to her sister. "So you look good, but something's different about you, I haven't quite placed it yet but I will eventually." She said this aloud, but it sounded as if it were to herself because she was talking as she searched her twin's face rather than looking her in the eyes.
"Don't worry about me April, I've led the same life I've always led, save for the fact that I'm a Ministry Auror now and I'm a member of the Order, which I'm sure you know about."
"That's who I do my work for, Jules." April grinned.
"Really? Well I figured after we found out-"
"You said James wasn't surprised when he found out I wasn't dead?"
"Yes. I believe he said something along the lines of it being unbelievable that he hadn't guessed beforehand. He said you'd outlive us all and it hadn't been your time to go."
April burst out laughing at that. Flicking a tear from one eye, she sighed. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time, too long. It felt good actually. I've had so many near misses…" She paused seeing July frown at her boast. "I'm still alive Jules."
"Luckily, you mean. April what made you do it?"
She didn't need to ask what July meant. She knew and had been expecting it. Turning to her side and taking her wand off the side table, she summoned her pack of cigarettes from the bathroom along with a lighter. She didn't notice July's frown as she pulled a thin cigarette from the pack and lit the tip. She closed her eyes as she took the first puff, inhaling deeply and exhaling the smoke. After flicking the ashes into a nearby ashtray, she turned back to July, a somber expression upon her face.
"It's complicated July. You know I've always been a free spirited, spontaneous type of person. I guess that's what Dumbledore was looking for. Do you remember the day at the end of sixth year when we knew we weren't coming back? We'd just received the owl from Nick telling us we were going to be living with him…