I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else resembling what J.K Rowling introduced us all to. Just the plot and OC are mine.
Author's Note: Please let me know what you think in a review! Constructive feedback is always welcome :)
Chapter 6
The Great Hall was filled with loud chatter from the students as they ate their breakfasts. From the Head Table, Professor McGonagall was watching two students in particular, hoping that they would handle the current situation with more grace and sensitivity than they were really known for. Peering over her cup of tea, she saw another Marauder approach James Potter and Sirius Black who were speaking to one another in what looked like heated whispers.
As Peter Pettigrew approached his two friends at the Gryffindor table, Sirius and James separated themselves and tried to appear nonchalant. They knew because of the Wizard's Oath that they had taken in the early hours of the morning, they wouldn't be able to divulge any information to their friend about what happened with the girl. Ava. Her name is Ava, Sirius reminded himself with an internal eyeroll.
"Hey, guys," Peter greeted as he sat down and began to fill his plate with food. "Remus is doing well, according to Madame Pomfrey. Better than usual, actually," he informed Sirius and James.
The two boys looked at each other subtlety, trying to silently communicate how they would skirt around the fact that a mysterious girl had shown up in the middle of Remus' transformation. They also hadn't taken the time to tell Peter about the soulmate spell since it didn't seem to take, so they couldn't even tell him that bit about Ava.
James cleared his throat and lightly said, "Well, that's good to hear." He raised his eyebrows at Sirius, indicating that he should contribute to the conversation.
Sirius nodded quickly and added, "Yeah, mate. That's great news." He fidgeted in his seat before asking in a rush, "So, you ready for that test in Potions next week?" James and Peter immediately froze with their forks halfway to their mouths and looked at Sirius in blatant shock.
Peter had a frown on his face as he stated, "You never talk about schoolwork."
James quickly let out a false laugh, trying to play off Sirius' comment as a joke. "Good one, Padfoot," he said as he patted the Animagus' shoulder and gripped it tight.
Sirius flinched slightly, then shrugged. "I guess I'm still worn out from last night with Moony," he grumbled, trying to explain away his odd question.
"Oh, yeah! It was crazy last night! Whatever happened to that girl?" Peter asked excitedly.
It was a moment before James answered, "Uh, she was actually trying to get into Hogwarts, but, uh, ended up in the Shack." The messy haired boy looked to Sirius for some help.
Sirius quickly finished chewing his bite of food and cleared his throat. "Yeah, she's McGonagall's niece. She's a new student here apparently." Thankfully, Peter accepted that as a reasonable scenario, so he merely said, "Okay," and continued to eat his food quietly. Sirius and James pounced on this chance and immediately started talking about Quidditch, which lasted them until it was time to go to their first class. They waved Peter on, telling him that they would just meet him at History of Magic in a few minutes.
As soon as Peter was out of sight, James rounded on Sirius with a glare and tersely asked, "What the hell was that?"
Sirius pulled back in surprise, then his face became stormy. "What? It may easy for you to lie to your friends, but it's not for me, Prongs," he snapped as he stood from the table.
James sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "C'mon, mate. I don't like it any more than you do, but you know that we can't say much about Ava. Besides, everyone will know about her soon enough. Just keep it together until then," he told Sirius as they headed out of the Great Hall.
Sirius grumbled, "Okay. But you gotta take the lead when we're talking to Wormtail or Moony about this." James nodded, causing Sirius' shoulders and the tight expression on his face to relax a bit.
Avalynn woke with a start, gasping at a strange pressure she could feel in her chest that had disturbed her sleep. Frowning, she sat up on the couch and rubbed her hand against her sternum, trying to soothe the ache. Looking around McGonagall's quarters, Ava could see that she was still alone. After finding a clock on one of the professor's bookshelves, she sighed at seeing that it was only about nine o'clock and realized that she had about three more hours to herself before she could head to Diagon Alley with her "aunt." The unusual feeling in her chest hadn't relented, so she stood up and stretched. When that did nothing, she tried drinking some water. Frowning in confusion once more, Ava headed to the bathroom. After using the toilet, she looked at herself in the mirror and let out a startled gasp. She most definitely was a teenager again. Her long, dirty blonde hair remained mostly the same, but it had more highlights like it did when she was in high school. Her freckles seemed to be more pronounced on her nose and cheeks as well, reminding her of the time she spent on her school's swim team. She was an inch or two shorter than she was in her twenties, but that was no big deal.
The pressure in Ava's chest pulsed, causing her to rip off her shirt and scrutinize her chest in the mirror. There was nothing marring her skin, and nothing strange underneath as far as she could tell. The feeling didn't make any sense. Pulling her shirt back over her head, Ava headed back out to the living room and was near the entrance to McGonagall's quarters when she realized that the odd sensation she was feeling had alleviated slightly. "That's weird," she said aloud to herself. Testing her body, Ava walked around McGonagall's quarters for a few minutes and realized that the uncomfortable pressure was lighter when she was at the door or the front of the professor's rooms. She shrugged and muttered, "What the hell? Why not?" as she opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. Grateful that the corridor was empty, Ava let out a relieved sigh and took a step towards the left. The wrong feeling in her chest flared, causing Ava to quickly jump back and take a few steps to the right.
"Ooookay," she breathed out slowly. "Guess I need to go this way," she whispered to herself in confusion before heading down the hallway. Avalynn continued to walk through various corridors using the pressure in her chest as a compass, feeling it become lighter and lighter as she was reaching what she hoped to be her destination and answers for what the fuck was happening to her. She couldn't reason with herself that she was merely in a dream any longer. This was just simply too strange and everything felt so real. Ava was startled from her thoughts by a sudden increase in the heaviness behind her ribs, causing her to let out a pained gasp and stop dead in her tracks. She slowly took a couple steps backwards and felt the sensation begin to subside. Looking to each side of the corridor, Ava realized that she was standing in front of a set of wide, wooden double doors.
Taking a deep breath, Avalynn cautiously reached for the handle on the doors and slowly pushed them open. Ava was hoping that she wouldn't run into anyone since she didn't know if she was really allowed to be out and about the castle. She assumed since the corridors were empty, then everyone must be in classes. With a sigh of relief as the doors didn't creak, Ava crept into the large room and immediately had an idea of where she was. There were what looked like hospital cots in rows across the room from her and a clean, sterile smell that assaulted her nostrils as she crossed the threshold of the massive doorframe. There were thin, tall windows that stretched to the high ceiling, allowing for some natural light to brighten up the gray Hospital Wing.
Avalynn's eyes quickly roamed over the room to reassure herself that she was alone. The tight sensation in her chest flared again, seemingly telling her to get a move on. Ava frowned in annoyance at her body as she rubbed her sternum, attempting to ease the slight pain. She decided to quietly step further into the room to see how her body would react. After taking a few rapid strides into the Hospital Wing, the feeling decreased minutely. Ava rolled her eyes and chose to appease her ridiculous body and use it as a compass again. Walking across the open space towards the hospital beds caused the majority of the pressure in her chest to diminish. As she neared a bed with privacy curtains drawn around it, the irritating feeling behind her ribs practically vanished. Ava quickly stopped and peeked through the white sheet, her jaw dropping when she saw the occupant of the bed.
It was none other than Remus Lupin, the recovering werewolf who was supposedly her soulmate. Immediately after Ava's realization, the uncomfortable feeling in her chest disappeared and was replaced by a warm sensation. Her eyes darted over his sleeping form, taking in the few, slight bruises on his arms and cheek, causing a little flurry of worry. Ava shook her head and reminded herself that Moony had been playing with the Marauders last night and bruises were nothing serious to fret over. Taking a step closer, she could see the silver strips of old scars that crossed from his temple to chin on the one side of his face that his sandy brown hair wasn't draping over. He appeared to be sleeping soundly and Ava had intended to silently retreat from his bed, allowing him to continue resting, but her body had other ideas. Before she could stop herself, Ava had taken a seat in the chair next to Remus' bed and gently taken one of his hands into hers. A rush of warmth and something that felt like happiness went through her. With wide eyes, Avalynn looked down at their connected hands and whipped her gaze up to his face in a panic. Fortunately, Remus was worn out enough from his transformation that even someone grasping his hand wouldn't rouse him.
What the fuck, Ava? she thought loudly. You can't just grab people, especially when they're sleeping! She continued to stare at Remus' face, expecting him to wake up any second. He doesn't even know who you are! With that thought, Ava released Remus' hand as if she had been burned. She was surprisingly sad and crushed at the idea of Remus not knowing who she was. His soulmate. Ava shook her head, trying to dispel those outlandish thoughts from her head. You don't even know him either, Avalynn. Get it together. McGonagall is going to look over the spell and everything will be fine. I'm sure that Sirius and James would introduce you to Remus anyway. Ava glanced at Remus face once more and couldn't help but look him over, considering this was the person that "magic" or whatever believed she should be with for life. During her mental turmoil, Ava must've subconsciously reached out for Remus again because his hand was once more in hers and their fingers were interlocked this time. She couldn't stop a groan of frustration from leaving her lips at the sight. Well this isn't good, she thought, realizing that there must be more to the spell than just matching someone to their soulmate.
When a throat was cleared, Ava sat ramrod straight in the chair, but didn't relinquish Remus' hand. She slowly turned to the opening in the privacy curtains to see who had stumbled upon the scene and saw an older woman with a very stern expression on her face, with her eyes flicking between Ava and the recovering werewolf. The woman was wearing what appeared to be some sort of hospital uniform and when Ava opened her mouth to explain herself, she cut the young girl off with a terse, "Can I help you?"
Ava had no idea what to say. "I, uh, well—," she sputtered. The woman's eyebrows raised expectantly, so Ava quickly blurted out, "I'm just checking on my friend."
"Oh, really? And just who might you be? I'm Madame Pomfrey and this is my Hospital Wing. I've never treated you before young lady, and as far as I'm aware, Mr. Lupin only allows those rambunctious friends of his to visit him," the woman firmly informed Ava as she took a few steps closer to the bed.
Ava gulped. "I'm, uh, Ava McGonagall. Professor McGonagall's niece. I just arrived here yesterday ma'am," she replied in a respectful tone. She knew that Madame Pomfrey was a good person, but she could be very strict when it came to her patients.
The witch's eyebrows rose again as she said, "Ah, so you must make friends especially fast."
Ava's eyes widened slightly before she nodded firmly, trying to keep up with her own ridiculous lie.
The matron huffed and her posture seemed to relax. "Calm down, dear girl. I can tell that you mean no harm. However, I won't have you disturbing my patients. Off with you," she told Ava with a shooing motion.
Ava quickly looked down at her hand still wrapped up in Remus'. She felt inexplicably miserable at the thought of leaving him. She looked up at the older woman with pleading eyes, "Can I stay a little longer?" Ava could tell by the frown on the Madame Pomfrey's face that she wasn't going to allow Ava to stay, so she added, "I haven't woken him yet, and I don't intend to ma'am. I know that he needs his rest." After that statement, Ava turned her gaze back towards Remus with concern, realizing that she knew nothing about his recovery after the full moon. She whipped her head back to the healer. "How long does he usually take to recover?" she asked.
Startled by the girl's phrasing, Madame Pomfrey lightly replied, "Recover from what? He's merely feeling under the weather."
Ava's eyes narrowed. "Ma'am, I may be new, but I understand exactly what he's dealing with. So I'll ask again, how long does it usually take for him to recover after a transformation?" she asked tersely.
The woman's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "Well, I never," she huffed in annoyance. When Ava's eyes never left hers, she relented. "I suppose you do understand then. He'll be right as rain in just a couple of days. There's no need to get all in a tizzy, especially since his health and injuries are much better than normal."
She's right, Ava thought. I'm getting all worked up for no reason. He's been through numerous full moons and he's been just fine without me. She frowned at herself. Of course he doesn't need me here to feel better. Don't be conceited, Ava. She couldn't really explain why she felt the need to be near Remus right now and make sure that he was healthy and safe. As Ava shifted her body during her internal monologue, the bedsheet revealed Remus' hand in hers, causing Madame Pomfrey's expression to soften.
"Listen, dear. I understand that you may want to be here for your boyfriend while he recovers, but I can't allow you to stay for too long," the healer told Ava.
Now it was time for Ava's eyes to bug out. "I'm not his girlfriend," she rapidly replied. "I'm just, uh, well—" she paused and lowered her voice, "I'm not sure." She turned to Madame Pomfrey with a frown, considering the odd pain in her chest that seemed to be caused by her proximity to Remus. "Do you know anything about soulmates?" she asked hopefully.
The older witch's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Goodness gracious, my child. Do you mean?" she trailed off as her eyes darted back and forth between Remus and Ava.
The young girl just looked at the healer with a blank expression, not really wanting to give anything away. Instead, Ava merely asked, "Is there some sort of Healer's Oath or something that you've taken Madame Pomfrey? I'd really not like any personal information about myself revealed to anyone without my permission."
The matron looked taken aback, but nodded. "Yes, there is a patient confidentiality bond between myself and the students and staff that I treat," she explained to Ava. "However, you have never been my patient, Miss McGonagall."
Ava looked down to her hand holding Remus' and took a deep breath. Slowly, she pried her fingers from his, losing the warm, pleasant feeling in her body, and stood from her seat. Ava walked past Madame Pomfrey and back out of the privacy curtain, with the ache in her chest returning. She paused, shook her arms out, gathering her courage, and quickly walked a few steps before falling to the ground in an instant as her feet collided. Ava let out a muffled moan of pain as she rolled over. Looking at her skinned elbows and knees, Ava smiled and looked up at the healer. "Oops, I seem to have tripped and I'm in need of medical attention."
The matron's eyes were comically wide, causing Ava to grin even wider as she stood up and chose the closest bed to sit on. "Well, I never," the healer stated in an exasperated voice. She quickly stepped over to Ava and waved her wand a couple of times, muttering basic healing spells under her breath, making the young girl's scrapes disappear.
"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," Ava chirped. She couldn't help but rub over the spots on her elbows and knees where her stinging wounds just were. It was insanely cool that magic could heal someone so quickly.
With an eye roll, the matron tutted at Ava. "I understand the need to harm yourself in this instance young lady, but I do not ever want to see you behave that recklessly again." Ava opened her mouth to ask her burning question, but Madame Pomfrey clicked her tongue and quickly interrupted, "Yes, Miss McGonagall, you are considered my patient now, and I am bound by my oath to not reveal any information about your health, magical or otherwise, to anyone else without your consent."
Ava smiled, but then her expression turned serious when she stated, "That includes Remus. He doesn't know anything about me or the uh, connection, that we have."
The matron considered what Ava said for a long moment, then nodded. She stepped back and sighed before she told Ava, "You may stay with Mr. Lupin so long as you are silent and do not disturb his sleep. He will heal faster if he has plenty of rest. I will inform your aunt as to your whereabouts."
Avalynn flashed Madame Pomfrey a genuine smile. "Thank you very much, ma'am," she replied as she stood from the bed and crept back over to the opening in the curtain surrounding Remus. Slowly approaching Remus' bed, Ava considered the strange pressure in her chest once more. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable around Remus, and she realized that it disappeared all together when she made skin on skin contact with him. Just to test her theory, Ava placed a finger softly on Remus' arm. The small touch caused a slightly warm feeling behind her ribs, which increased with each finger that she added to the werewolf's arm. When Ava's entire hand was wrapped around Remus' arm, she grasped his hand with her free one. She sat down with a sigh of happiness that was caused by the touch providing a warm, pleasant sensation to radiate throughout her body. Ava continued to sit by his bedside in silence, contemplating everything that she discovered that morning. She just couldn't fully wrap her head around the idea of being someone's soulmate, let alone to Remus freakin' Lupin. It was insane enough to realize that magic and the Wizarding World were real. Eventually, she leaned forward and rested her head on the edge of Remus' bed while maintaining a hold on the werewolf. Trying to shut down her mind, which was currently in overdrive, Ava closed her eyes and let herself bask in the comforting warmth she felt while touching Remus, knowing that it wouldn't last forever.
Ava's eyes may have been closed, but she wasn't asleep. She had been too afraid that Remus would wake up and freak out, finding some strange girl attached to him. She could hear a hushed conversation outside of the privacy curtain, so she perked up, trying to listen in. After a moment, she realized it was Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. Ava let out a sigh, assuming that it was time for her to leave and visit Diagon Alley with her new guardian. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the curtain move and turned to see her aunt peering in with a curious look on her face. When the professor's eyes met Ava's, her look became concerned for a brief moment before she motioned for Ava to join her. Once again, Ava slowly peeled her fingers from Remus'. She quietly stood and softly muttered, "See you later, Remus."
Ava glanced at the sleeping werewolf over her shoulder, feeling the unpleasant pressure in her chest already increasing. Stepping through the white curtains, she braced herself for the sensation to intensify. And indeed it did. By the time she reached Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey standing in front of the entrance to the Hospital Wing, Ava had her arms wrapped around herself and was taking shallow, pained breaths. It wasn't this bad before, she complained internally. The professor and matron had been quietly watching Avalynn cross the Hospital Wing, their attention grabbed by her irregular breathing.
Professor McGonagall reached out a hand and gently placed it on Ava's shoulder with a slight look of panic in her eyes. "Ava? What's wrong dear?" she asked.
"Are you in pain, Miss McGonagall?" Madame Pomfrey questioned.
Ava nodded frantically. "I have a weird feeling in my chest. It gets worse when I'm away from Remus," she said around gritted teeth, then looked back at the bed surrounded by curtains. "It wasn't this bad when I woke up though."
McGonagall softly pulled Ava aside, took a deep breath and explained, "Ava, I think the feeling you are experiencing might be a side effect of the soulmate spell. I would like to discuss your situation with Madame Pomfrey since I believe that you have a physical aspect to your connection with Remus. Especially after what you've just said," and she paused and frowned slightly. "Do you give me permission to inform Poppy of the spell, and just the spell?" Ava nodded quickly, hoping that the matron may be able to help the incredibly uncomfortable sensation subside.
After being given a quick briefing by McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey turned to Ava and inquired, "How exactly did you find your way here?"
Ava grimaced as she rubbed her sternum in vain. "I just followed the feeling in my chest. It felt better the closer I got to Remus, but I feel best when I'm touching him," she muttered the last part and felt her cheeks redden. The two older witches shared an anxious look. This was only something they had heard and read about, but not dealt with themselves.
Her aunt let out quick breath of air at the expectation of diligent research in her near future and said, "Ava, I cannot be absolutely certain without consulting the Potter's grimoire, but based on your symptoms and cases that myself and Madame Pomfrey have heard about, it seems that your body, and dare I say, magic, are responding to the soulmate connection that you have with Mr. Lupin."
Ava nodded grimly. "I figured as much," she mumbled as she shifted her feet and crossed her arms once more, trying to find a more comfortable position to stand in.
Madame Pomfrey hastened to a cabinet against the wall and pulled out a small, glass vial. As she briskly walked back to Avalynn, she uncorked the bottle, then held it out for the young girl to take. "It's a mild pain potion. It should help keep the feeling you are experiencing to a minimum," she informed Ava.
Reaching out and quickly taking hold of the red potion, Ava muttered a brief, "Thanks," before downing the liquid. It wasn't as nasty as she thought that it could've been, but she could use a glass of water to chase it down. She likened the consistency and flavor to liquid Tylenol mixed with cold medicine. After running her tongue along her teeth to keep the potion from coating her pearly whites, Ava stood up a bit straighter and dropped her arms. She took a few slow deep breaths and flashed the older women a relieved smile. "I already feel better. It doesn't hurt or anything anymore," she told them.
Professor McGonagall let out a bated breath. "Well, thank goodness for that, lass," she said with a slight smile.
"I'm sorry, professor. I didn't mean to worry you," Ava said sheepishly.
The matron gave the couple of women a warm smile, acknowledging the quick bond that the young girl and her aunt seemed to have already formed. "Just come and see me if you feel the need for another pain potion, Miss McGonagall."
"Yes ma'am," Ava politely replied with a nod.
Her aunt gave her a once-over, seeming to double check that the girl was truly healthy and asked, "Are you sure that you're up for going to Diagon Alley, Ava?"
"Yes!" Ava said vehemently with a fierce expression on her face. "I want to get a wand and start learning magic. Please, please, please, can we go? I feel fine," she begged as she jumped up and down in place.
"Quiet down, young lady," Madame Pomfrey admonished, gesturing towards the bed where Remus was residing.
Ava tucked her head into her shoulders and covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm just excited," she explained in a whisper.
Her aunt smiled. "Yes, I think that is rather evident, Ava," she said with amusement. "I suppose we had better leave for our errands before you wake up your beau."
Ava made a face. "Don't tease like that Aunt Minerva," she pouted. "He might not want anything to do with me," she said softly, looking down at the floor.
The matron tutted. "I don't want to hear any of that nonsense young lady. You seem perfectly lovely to me, and I just met you." She shooed Ava and Professor McGonagall towards the Floo and added, "Now go about your errands and enjoy the day with your aunt."
The newly acquainted family members smiled at the healer and relented, walking towards the Floo on their own now as Madame Pomfrey headed back to her office. Professor McGonagall stopped in front of the Floo and quietly asked, "Are you aware of how to use the Floo Network?"
Ava nodded and said, "I grab a handful of Floo powder, step in, and throw down the powder as I say the destination, right?"
The older witch's eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise for the umpteenth time. "That is exactly what you'll need to do. You can watch me go first if you'd like." Ava nodded and proceeded to watch her aunt take small handful of a fine, greenish-gray powder that was in a small pot hanging next to the fireplace. The witch then ducked and stepped onto the hearth itself, and tossed down the Floo powder as she firmly spoke, "Diagon Alley." Suddenly, bright green flames erupted and Professor McGonagall had disappeared. Shaking herself into action, Ava scooped up a handful of the powder herself and took a step into the fireplace with a deep breath. She could feel herself break out into a sweat. This was some serious shit. She was about to Floo travel to a main location in the Wizarding world. And she was traveling by green flames. Ava nodded to herself thinking, Alright. Floo powder. Nothing to be afraid of. Just some flames that are essentially green light. Not real fire. Not. Real. Fire. Before she lost her nerve, Ava threw down the powder and shouted, "Diagon Alley!" being sure to enunciate every syllable correctly.
