Author's Note: I know this is a tiny chapter, but I wanted to give those of you quarantined/stuck at home in a work or self mandated quarantine something to preoccupy yourselves with :)
After thinking about it some more, I'm going to switch back to posting a longer chapter once a week. I like being able to keep certain scenes together, and that way you'll be reading with a larger sense of progress each time. So, I'll be going back to that after this chapter :)
I appreciate all of the follows and favorites, thank you so much! :D
Review shout-out: haleygur7 and convalla91
Stay smart and healthy everybody! :)
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.
Chapter 34
"Expelliarmus!" James shouted, flinging the spell in Ava's direction.
School robes flapping wildly, she ducked and rolled to the side while casting a shield in case she hadn't been fast enough. She sprang up from the dueling mat and threw a Tripping Jinx back at James. Before his body hit the ground, she cast Incarcerous, successfully binding him in ropes. Panting and gripping the stitch in her side, Ava swiveled to face Sirius and Remus with a grin. "And that's how it's done, boys."
Both of them returned her smile and clapped as she took a dramatic bow. Sirius jogged over to James, who was still wriggling on the floor, cursing under his breath. Once the Animagus was free, he stomped over to her. "I demand a rematch."
Ava rolled her eyes. "It's not about who wins, James. I think I've proven my point, don't you?" She looked at each of the boys with raised brows.
Remus was the first to concede. "She's right."
Sirius nodded while James gave the werewolf a look of betrayal.
"She is though, mate," Sirius said. "Clearly, we need to be practicing with her more if she's gotten this good." His gray eyes flickered to hers before he turned back to his friends. "Not to mention, Ava probably knows more than anyone what we're up against."
She reached out to give his hand a squeeze. "I have a feeling you've got a pretty good idea too, Sirius, considering your family." Ava made sure to keep her tone even, not willing to let him think her animosity towards the assholes of his family was directed at him.
He gazed down at her with affection in his eyes and returned her squeeze before taking his hand back to run it through his black locks. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Ava's right on that account as well. If the Death Eaters are anything like what I've seen from my family and social gatherings with some of the Sacred Twenty-Eight over the years, we need to be as prepared as possible against those zealots."
"What do you suggest?" Remus asked.
Ava glanced between the wizards and gulped when she realized that her soulmate had directed the question to her. "Me?" she squeaked.
He closed the distance between them and cupped her cheek. "Yes, Ava, you. I might still be having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole idea of you being from another reality, but if anything you've told us is even remotely true, then we need to heed your advice. Besides, we trust you. Right, guys?" He didn't look away from her face as Sirius and James mumbled noises of agreement. "I trust you," he whispered.
Her face broke into a wide grin as her magic thrummed in delight. Ava had been so worried that the trust and bond between them had been irreparably damaged when she revealed the truth to Remus. Unable to help herself, she reached up to grab Remus's robes and pulled him towards her, slamming her lips against his. After a moment of hesitation, he moved against her and threaded his fingers through her hair. She was lost in his touch, oblivious to the two throats being loudly cleared beside them until Remus gripped her arms and put some space between them.
The amber in his eyes retreated after a few moments, giving way to their usual green as he gathered himself. Remus gave her a soft smile and trailed his fingers down her arms, linking their hands.
Ava shivered from his touch and could feel her magic and desire stirring once again. She shook her head and turned to Sirius and James to ask their opinion about her taking the lead, but narrowed her eyes at the amused expressions on their faces. The glare she sent them didn't appear to work, as they huffed out laughs just a second later. "Something funny, boys?" she asked with a quirk of her brow and arms crossed. When their laughter didn't cease immediately, she took a threatening step towards them.
Both Animagi startled, backing away from her. Sirius instinctively dove into his robes for his wand, causing Ava to reach for her own with a twitch of her lips. "You do need more practice," she teased.
He scoffed. "Give it your best shot, McGonagall."
The pair got into position on opposite sides of the dueling mat as Remus and James made their way to the sidelines.
"Ready?" Sirius called out.
She took a deep breath and nodded. Without warning, he sent red sparks in her direction, followed by a quick cast of Colloshoo. Knowing the sparks were likely just a distraction, Ava had cast a shield, allowing the spell that would've stuck her shoes to the floor to merely bounce off her. For a few minutes, she and Sirius circled each other, returning fire without landing a single spell. She was trying to give Sirius a chance to launch an offense, but he didn't seem inclined to do so. Huffing in frustration, she decided to up the ante by closing the distance between them. In her duels with Severus and Regulus, she had learned that wizards were most definitely not prepared for a physical attack when engaged in a magical duel.
The more ground she gained, the more panicked Sirius became. His wide eyes took in her darting form as she jumped about on the mat, dodging and casting simultaneously. He quickly shot off multiple spells, each increasing in intensity.
Finally, she thought as she ducked, a Slicing Hex narrowly missing her head. Wanting Sirius to realize that she was done playing nice, she returned his Slicing Hex followed by another immediately, but was knocked off her feet when he cast Flipendo. She struggled to breathe when the wind was knocked out of her and let out a hiss of pain just as she was climbing to her feet. Finding the source of her nerves that were violently protesting, Ava saw a bloody gash down the side of her leg, stretching from mid thigh and wrapping around her calf. Despite the stinging in her limb, she glanced up at Sirius with a feral grin. Now we're talking, she thought as she steadied herself and took another step towards him.
Guilt flickered across his face as he took in her injury, and his wand began to drop.
Growling in annoyance, she cast Stupefy. Thankfully, he managed to deflect her spell, otherwise her temper would've flared once more.
"Ava," Remus hesitantly called.
She ignored him and stalked towards Sirius with a slight limp. Not letting up, she cast another Stupefy, followed by a Stinging Jinx. When a pained yelp came from him, she knew she had hit her mark. "C'mon, Sirius. Is that the best you've got?" she asked, now only fifteen feet or so between them.
He rubbed his arm and glowered. "No. Not by a long shot." He broke into action, firing spells in quick succession. Faster than she anticipated.
Ave knew she couldn't maintain a shield the entire duel, so she chose to accept the Slicing and Stinging Hexes sent her way while protecting herself against the spells that would knock her off her feet. He's pissed, she thought distractedly while grimacing against the pain that erupted in her arm and stomach. Blood pounded in her ears, muffling the shouts of alarm from Remus and James. Her partner didn't show any signs of stopping, so she continued her assault. The stormy expression on Sirius's face morphed into fright when she cast Confringo, sending a fiery blast in his direction. Knowing that in actuality, her friend was a safe distance from the orange heat spewing from her wand, she didn't hesitate before throwing Ventus at him as well. An unnatural swirl of wind shot towards Sirius and knocked him off his feet. Spotting her opening, Ava cast Expelliarmus, snatching Sirius's wand in her open hand.
Sweat dripping down her face and panting, Ava leaned forward with her hands on her knees. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, cataloging her injuries as Regulus had taught her. She concentrated on her magical core and then pushed her magic out, encouraging it to flow through her body and sense any wounds. Just a few bloody slashes and stinging welts. Nothing too bad, she surmised. Opening her eyes, Ava found Sirius now standing with James and Remus. All three wizards were eyeing her with various levels of shock and concern, seeming too hesitant to approach her. Her heart cracked. Are they really that afraid of me? Hurt must've shown across her face because guilt flashed in Remus's eyes before he crept towards her.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you," she snapped, standing upright once more with her hands on her hips. She grunted in pain, momentarily forgetting about the bloody slashes on her arm, torso, and leg that she had just stretched out.
Remus's eyes flashed amber as they roved over her body, inspecting her injuries. Once within arm's reach, he grasped her shoulders. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you stop? Didn't you see that Sirius was ready to stop when his first Slicing Hex hit you?" he asked in rapid fire, shaking her with each question.
Wincing through the sting, Ava reached up to cup his cheek. "I'm fine though. I'm not dying. I'm just a little roughed up and I'll heal."
His eyes alternated between green and amber, both the wizard and wolf frowning at her as he flashed his wand and healed the large cuts and swollen red marks littering her body. "What am I going to do with you, Ava?" he whispered before pulling her against his body.
Wrapped up in his arms, she could feel her soulmate nuzzling and sniffing her hair. Trying to placate him, she leaned away and titled her head, exposing her neck. Not a moment later, Remus's head dipped to her ear and his nose trailed her sensitive skin, down to her shoulder. His mouth paused over the juncture of her neck and shoulder, giving her a nip. She startled in his hold, but the werewolf gripped her arms tightly, refusing to let her move yet. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck and began pressing kisses to her skin. Even knowing that Remus was merely reassuring himself and Moony that she was safe, desire flooded her body, forcing a sigh of pleasure to escape from her lips.
A low rumble emanated from his chest. "Ava," he said in a breathless voice.
Just as she opened her mouth to whisper something naughty, Sirius shouted, "Oi! Cut that cutesy shit out you two! I'm an injured man over here. Does anyone care if I'm okay?"
Ava let out a small laugh before she peeled herself away from Remus. She stepped to the side, eyeing James and Sirius. "You look just fine to me, Padfoot."
He scoffed. "Maybe on the outside, but I'm internally scarred by our duel, Ava."
Though he tried to veil it with humor, she could detect the worry lacing his tone. Taking Remus's hand in hers, she joined the boys and quickly scanned Sirius for any damage her spells might've caused. "I would never have actually hurt you, you know." She paused. "You did well, Sirius." Ignoring the scrutinizing looks from Remus and James, she pushed on. "I think we should start with you guys practicing spells you might not normally use in a duel. Or, at least ones that don't jump to the front of your mind. We need you to be able to think quickly in the heat of the moment."
"Is that why you attacked me so ruthlessly?" Sirius asked with a brow raised.
She nodded. "Like we were talking about before, we need to be prepared for the worst. That means that we need to be ruthless."
"But then we're just as bad as the Death Eaters, aren't we?" James asked.
Ava shrugged. "It depends on how you look at it. From our conversation at dinner last night, it's obvious not everyone sees eye to eye with me on this, but that's fine." She made sure to look each of the wizards while adding, "But don't expect me to use only light magic. If push comes to shove, I'll do whatever it takes." Her hands had clenched into fists as she spoke.
"You seem to be taking this mission of yours personally, Ava," Remus said with a curious expression.
She shared a glance with Sirius. He was the only one other than Severus that knew the details of the prophecy, but even then, she hadn't told them the entire truth. Yes, Voldemort had chosen to target Lily and James Potter, but he could also go after the Longbottoms. Besides the threat of the prophecy, the maniac was determined to eradicate any opposition, which happened to include the majority of her friends. Of course she was taking this personally. Not to mention, even if the Marauders and everyone else had hated her, forcing her to work alone, she still would've taken action against Voldemort to change the time line anyhow. Harry Potter will not be living in a cupboard under the stairs if I've got anything to say about it, she thought, flicking her gaze back to Remus.
"That's because it is personal, guys. If Voldemort isn't stopped, over the next twenty years or so, lots of people will die if I don't help to change things. People we know! And let's just play pretend for a second, let's say that Voldemort isn't a murderous asshole. Even without the death toll, he's prejudiced against Muggleborns and Muggles. We can't allow him to influence the Wizarding World and keep society from progressing and becoming more accepting of others," she said, voice raising the more she explained. "For crying out loud! Wizards are already prejudiced against magical creatures and werewolves, and that's a load of bullshit! We can't let it get any worse." She crossed her arms and glared, daring one of them to challenge her.
After a few moments of silence, Sirius said, "You're right, per usual."
She gave him a small smile and turned her gaze to James and Remus. Both wizards gave her sharp nods, causing Ava to release a relieved breath. "Thank you," she whispered.
Remus gently pulled her hand into his. "We're with you, Ava. Just tell us what you need and we'll listen."
She beamed at him and looked to the boys, seeing their confidence and dedication in their expressions. Ava led them over to the sitting area the Room had procured for them and gave her soulmate and two Animagi friends a basic rundown of how and when she expected them to train. She patiently answered all of their questions while reminding them that she intended to join the Order sooner rather than later, but they most likely wouldn't be able to do so until after graduation. After that brief argument had been settled with Ava's promise of staying in the background of the Order's operation, the group departed from the Room. James and Sirius made their way towards Gryffindor Tower as Remus escorted Ava to her quarters.
Standing outside her door, she made a quick decision and kissed her soulmate deeply. She pressed against his hard chest, dragged her fingers down his back, and nibbled on his bottom lip, earning a moan of pleasure from him. With a wide grin, she stepped back from Remus and took in his flushed face and dilated eyes with pride. "Goodnight," she said cheerily before spinning towards the entrance to her rooms and rushing inside.
Leaning against the inside of the door, she heard Remus say, "That minx," surprise and frustration tinting his voice.
She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. "Serves him right," she muttered to herself as she headed towards her room to shower and get ready for bed. Enjoying the effect she had on Remus and the resulting powerful high from being so close to him and his magic, Ava vowed to rile up her soulmate as much as possible until he finally broke and claimed her.
