Author's Note: FINALLY! I know it's been forever, trust me, I've been dying to get back to writing. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and New Year's!

Thank you for all of the favorites and follows! And feel free to let me know what you think with a review! You can even just leave a smiley face to let me know you enjoyed it :)

Review shout-out: til the end of the line, amk41196, ColdOnePaul, hoekage95, and InsomniacReader1991! Thank you for your thoughts!

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 49

Avalynn pushed up the sleeves of Remus's cardigan and dipped her quill into the bottle of ink ever so carefully. With the werewolf still sound asleep in the bed behind her, she had already penned a response to Aunt Minerva and was about to begin her letter to Lucius.

The Transfiguration professor was only checking in with the young witch to see how her time at the Potters had been thus far, but had managed to include some significant information in a covert manner that made Ava grin when she read the words. According to her aunt, the Headmaster had acquired the piece of jewelry that she had recommended and decided that the enchantments weren't what he was looking for, so he returned the item to its original state. Though a weight lifted from Ava's shoulders at the confirmation that Dumbledore had eliminated another Horcrux, concern roiled in her stomach at the idea of the old coot not listening to her advice about wearing the cursed ring.

Not like I can do anything about it now if he's already put it on, she told herself with a roll of her eyes. Already so far out of her element, Ava hardly wished for Albus Dumbledore to be taken off the chess board at this point in the game. Regardless of how little she trusted him with the entire truth, he was a powerful ally, and would likely be the one to defeat Voldemort in the end.

The other little piece of insight that Aunt Minerva offered regarded her best friend. Apparently, her guardian had noticed Severus's subtle behavior during Christmas as well and took it upon herself to figure out his birthday in an effort to make sure "the bright boy would have an even better final year."

Her eyes narrowed at the blank sheet of parchment in front of her. January 9th. Ava had been livid at first that Severus wouldn't have told her his birthday was only a little over a week away. He probably would've just let the day pass like it was no other. However, knowing her sassy Slytherin as she did, it made sense that he wouldn't want to make a fuss about his birthday, especially with how taken aback he had been by his Christmas presents. But she would need to do something to celebrate. Something low-key that wouldn't alert anyone else to the significance of the day.

She sighed and mentally relegated her birthday plotting to later in the day and got on with penning her advice for Lucius about investing in Muggles companies.

Just a few minutes later, as she was sealing the envelopes for her two letters, the bed sheets rustled from over her shoulder. She swiveled in the chair and took in her soulmate with his mussed hair and five o'clock shadow and let out a noise of dreamy contentment.

Remus smiled though he was still fully waking up. "Good morning," he mumbled before climbing out of the bed and placing a kiss on her forehead.

While he was busy showering, she politely requested that Bucky send out her letters whenever he had the chance and got dressed herself.

The occupants of Potter Manor were all gathered at the breakfast table when Ava was reminded that she had Changing the Future of the Wizarding World business to take care of that day.

"Peter should be here around lunch," James said around a bite of bacon.

Right, she thought with a mental groan. Having taken the time and energy to befriend, and hopefully sway, some of the Slytherins, Ava knew she needed to do the same with Peter though she loathed the idea.

She stabbed her fork into the remnants of the fluffy pancake on her plate. It's for James and Lily, Avalynn. And Harry. She glanced at her mate. And Remus.

He must've sensed her troubling emotions because the corners of his lips turned down and he reached under the table to gently squeeze her thigh and whispered, "You okay?"

As she opened her mouth to respond, Lily interrupted.

"Would you be opposed to having our outing today, Ava?" the redhead asked. "I was just thinking that the boys might like some time to hang out with Peter when he first gets here, so we could get out of their hair for a bit and have our own fun." She flashed a smile.

A large part of Ava was relieved at postponing her interaction with the rat Animagus. "That sounds great. When do you want to leave?"

She knew that she couldn't put it off forever, but she wasn't exactly sure where to start with Peter. She had hardly spoken with him in the few months that she had been in this world. And whose fault is that? she chided herself, absentmindedly listening to Lily discuss what she wanted to do with their girls' day out in Muggle London.


Having set down her shopping bags and changed into more comfy clothes for lounging about the manor, Ava took a deep breath before leaving her bedroom to join the others in the library. She was grateful that the boys had gotten their fill of flying while her and Lily had visited several shops and the British Museum. Part way through the exhibition, the redhead had realized it was Ava's first time being in Muggle London and took it upon herself to make sure they saw all the sights, regardless of how touristy they were and how much Ava protested.

She hadn't wanted to ruin her present to Lily by forcing the poor witch to drag her to places that the Muggleborn had doubtlessly seen already, having grown up in England, but Lily was adamant and declared it an honor to be the one to show Ava around the city. She had only relented for two reasons. Curiosity and the fact that she could tell Lily was getting to the point of considering Ava's gift to be too much after she purchased the tickets for the museum, their lunch, and a couple outfits for the both of them.

Making her way down the corridor towards her friends, Ava subconsciously grazed her hand down the side of her hip and over her butt-cheek. She owed Lily for spotting the jeans through the shop window and couldn't resist once she felt how soft they were. With how pliable the fabric was, she was nearly convinced that they were pre-worn. They were pretty pricey for jeans, but she snagged a deep blue pair for herself and Lily anyhow, claiming it was a Christmas miracle, and thus couldn't be refused, when her friend began to protest.

Though her outing with Lily had been pleasant and she wouldn't hesitate to spend time alone with the witch again, there was a minute where she wasn't sure if that would be the case.

They had been perusing a clothing rack when Lily blurted out, "How'd you know about Vernon?" The way her words rushed out made it seem like she had been attempting to muster up the courage to ask for quite a while.

Ava schooled her features and continued glancing at the outfits on display. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I only found out about Tuney's new boyfriend once I got home for break, so I'm not sure how you know about him." She paused in her pursuit of a maroon sweater to stare at Ava.

She gulped. Well shit. James had even spoken up on her behalf, trying to convince Lily that she had somehow mentioned Vernon while they had still all been at Hogwarts together before Christmas.

As Ava took a moment to think and once again realized how tedious it was to keep track of who exactly knew the truth, and what truths, her eyes roved over Lily's face. The witch didn't appear to be angry or accusatory. No narrowed eyes or pursed lips, just a brow quirked in curiosity. She hesitantly asked, "You aren't mad?"

Lily shrugged and resumed sliding sweaters that didn't gain her interest across the rack. "I'm not mad, just disappointed."

"Ugh." Ava crossed her arms. "You know that's so much worse."

"I know," she chirped with a smile.

Relief flooded through her. "Lily Evans, you are an absolute angel. I'm lucky to count you as a friend."

The redhead stopped once again to fix an intense look at her. "And don't you forget it. That's why I'm willing to be patient, but only for so long. I know something's going on and that the guys know about it too. I've already asked James and he looked so put-out at the idea of betraying your trust that I couldn't pester him again. You'll need to tell me the truth eventually."

Ava nodded vigorously and gave her friend a quick hug, thinking that James was probably more upset by the fact that the Oath kept him from telling his beloved lily-flower the truth. But she liked the idea of having Lily to confide in. The other Gryffindor witch tended to be level-headed and reasonable, much more so than the Marauders, even Remus, since he had Moony to contend with.

Though, she didn't really think that her soulmate could place the blame on his wolf for all of his alpha male qualities, whether it was his temper or possessiveness. Surely there are werewolves that aren't alphas, she considered and mentally made a note to ask Remus when she got the chance.

Ava refocused her gaze on the corridor of the Potter's Manor as she rounded the corner towards the library. Her fingers clenched and uncurled at her sides as she approached and caught sounds of everyone, including Lily, chatting away.

She hesitated just outside the large wooden door. If you became best friends with Severus Snape, surely you can at least talk to Peter. She took a deep breath through her nose. You're a Gryffindor, are you not? Her eyes narrowed at the thought that sounded awfully like a certain Slytherin and she shoved one of the heavy doors open.

Ava was thankful that the loud bang didn't startle those in the library, and hid a flinch at the idea of calling such attention to her own entrance. The teenagers might've reacted to her arrival had James and Sirius not been up to their usual antics.

"C'mere, Padfoot!" James shouted, sprinting after the transformed Animagus.

The huge, black dog had what appeared to be James's wand in his mouth and was currently leading the poor two-footed wizard in a wild chase around the entire library. Padfoot ran between the stacks, but steered clear of the narrow, wooden staircase that twisted in a spiral up to the second floor.

Not enough room to run around, Ava mused as she admired the Potters' library for the hundredth time. Even though the space was large, the top floor only ran the perimeter of the room and barely had enough floor space for two people standing shoulder to shoulder. The high ceiling allowed for the ground floor's bookshelves to reach a height tall enough to require a sliding ladder on either side of the library.

In essence, the combination of hundreds of books and the deep, rich wood finishings of the room, along with the comfy chairs, sofas, and worktables, created the ultimate study spot for Ava. Her head tilted back as she scanned the shelves in all their glory. There could be thousands of books in here.

The handful of shelves in the middle of the room provided Padfoot with obstacles to place between himself and James as the wizard continued to rage at his transformed friend to return his wand.

Of course, her mate was the first to notice her presence. Remus turned in her direction and smiled before patting the sofa cushion beside him.

Timing it just right, as James finished yelling his latest string of obscenities, she called out, "You know he'd probably give up if you just ignored him and sat down, James."

Everyone else turned to look at her and dished out their greetings with various levels of excitement, even Peter.

See? He's being nice.

Panting and clutching his side, cheeks red with exertion, James shook his head. "That feels too close to accepting defeat."

Ava rolled her eyes and then grinned at the dog playfully. "C'mere, Padfoot," she called, patting the tops of her legs, just as if she were beckoning a regular pet dog.

He wagged his tail and glanced between herself and James before releasing the slobbery wand and trotting on over to her.

She crouched down and rubbed behind his ears. "Shouldn't you be all worn out from flying earlier?"

Remus chuckled. "That git's got more energy than the rest of us combined."

"Is that right, you big, fluffy puppy?" she asked in a high-pitched voice, ruffling up said fluff with her pets.

She laughed when his tail wagged excitedly and he leaned into her touch, so she continued to scratch her fingers through his black fur down his back.

A throat cleared.

Ava popped her head up and felt her face immediately flush. Remus had his arms crossed but his lips twitched, like he couldn't decide if he was amused or jealous that Padfoot was receiving her animal lover affection. Lily couldn't keep in her giggle, but James and Peter looked mildly disturbed.

"You do know that's Sirius, right?" James asked, rather sincerely, eyes flicking between her own and her hand that was still instinctively rubbing one of Padfoot's ears.

She snatched her hand away. "Yes," she snapped, standing and placing her hands on her hips. "Well, excuse me. I happen to love dogs." She glanced at Remus. "And wolves."

He flashed her a wide grin, and his eyes traced down her body. "I like the jeans."

Desire leapt through their bond with a burning heat, causing her to smirk.

"Aren't they cute?" Lily asked, innocently as she glanced down at her own pair.

Happiness lit inside Ava, pleased that she was able to make their girls' day out worthwhile.

James pecked his girlfriend on the cheek and turned to Ava. "If this is the state that Lily returns to me in, you're allowed to take her out whenever you please." He waggled his eyebrows and eyed the form-fitting pants on his witch.

A nudge to her leg prompted Ava to reach down without looking and absentmindedly resume petting the dog at her feet.

Lily smacked her boyfriend and hissed, "James, stop it." She gave Ava an apologetic look.

But she just laughed and waved her free hand through the air. Her eyes drifted towards the shelves behind her friends. I need to ask James if there's a system to how the books are organized. She looked back to the wizard in question, about to vocalize her thought, when she noticed his expression.

His eyes were focused down, near her hip, and his eyebrows were drawn together.

Curious, she glanced down and realized that she was scratching Padfoot's head once again. She dropped her hand with a sigh. "Sirius, can you change back?" She pinched her nose and looked to the ceiling. "I can't help it if I'm a dog person, guys."

Now transformed back, a deep voice next to her said, "It's a very admirable trait, Ava."

She gave him a little smile.

Sirius crossed his arms and pouted. "If only all of my friends could say the same."

James scoffed. "I'll cuddle with you all you want while I'm a deer, mate, but I'm not going to pet you while I'm still a human." He shuddered. "That's just weird."

Lily piped up, "And I play with your hair every time you lay your head in my lap."

"Hmm, that's true," Sirius said, stroking his jaw. He shook his head. "It's just not the same. There's something about being a dog that makes me want scratches all over."

A thought popped into Ava's head, causing her to burst out laughing. "Like your belly."

Remus and Sirius were the only ones who didn't look confused.

The Animagus pointed at her. "Exactly. As Padfoot, I'd love to have a belly rub, but as me—" he gestured down at himself "—that'd probably just tickle."

She quirked a brow. "You're ticklish?"

He tensed. "No. I never said that."

She shared a look with Remus, and the werewolf inclined his head slightly. Filing that information away for later, she gathered the scattered pieces of her courage and turned to a different Animagus. "So, Peter, how was your Christmas?"

For a while, Ava and Lily regaled the fourth Marauder with the major events of their holiday break thus far, with the exception of her "afternoon tea" with Malfoy. No one else brought it up and she most certainly wasn't going to. It was in that moment that Ava realized she needed to tread very carefully with Peter. She had no real idea when he would've joined the Death Eaters, but the other seventh years in Slytherin were already in the process of enlisting in the Dark Lord's ranks.

For a couple minutes, she took a backseat in the conversation and observed Peter interacting with his friends. Well, he certainly acts like he's their friend. Ava just couldn't think of what reward would be so enticing to Peter that he'd turn on his friends. Maybe he didn't know. It could've been too late by the time he realized that Voldemort was going to kill Lily, James, and baby Harry. But that still wouldn't excuse why he joined the Death Eaters in the first place.

She nearly scoffed at herself. It's not like the Slytherins needed much convincing to work for Voldemort. Power. Wealth. Authority to curb the influence of Muggleborns. That was enough to make a lot of wizards—and witches, she reminded herself—enlist as a Death Eater. Even Lucius didn't seem to fully grasp what he was getting himself into. She doubted Peter knew even a sliver of the truth if he was already involved with the Dark Lord.

One thing at a time, she thought within an internal groan. As callous as it might've been, her priority right now was Tom Riddle's diary, not turning Peter from the dark side. Potentially. Maybe she would just need to keep him from leaning that direction. There wasn't any clear evidence either way as of yet.

At a lull in the conversation, she casually asked, "James, how's the library organized? Like if I wanted books on a particular subject?"

"What're you looking for?" the black haired wizard asked, pushing up the round glasses on his nose.

She shrugged. "Just some research." As if I could tell them. Even if Lily and Peter weren't here. She knew the boys didn't agree with her extra curricular interests.

Speaking of—James, Sirius, and Remus all threw her knowing, and not entirely approving, glances.

Lily had her head buried in her novel at this point, but Peter noticed his friends' peculiar expressions.

His eyes narrowed slightly but when he caught Ava watching him, the scrutiny in his look vanished, replaced by a more mild curiosity.

Jumping at the chance to keep Peter from digging too much, she explained, "I truly enjoy learning for fun and doing research for topics that aren't necessarily required." She gestured at the boys. "They don't quite get that."

"Remus would." His tone was nonchalant despite the disbelief that clouded his eyes.

Her lips parted. She hadn't been expecting a rebuttal.

Thankfully, the werewolf spoke up on her behalf. "Yeah, but you know I'm more interested in Ancient Runes and Defense." He put his arm around her. "Ava, on the other hand, likes to learn just about any topic."

The rodent Animagus still had a hint of doubt lingering on his face as his eyes bounced back and forth between herself and Remus.

She couldn't tell if the others sensed the subtle tension passing between herself and Peter, but the mood lightened when Sirius quipped, "Except History of Magic."

Even Peter cracked a smile when she groaned dramatically and said, "Don't get me started."

"Hey," Lily piped up with a slight pout. "History is important."

Ava was able to contain her laugh at first, but not when she made eye contact with James, who was trying ever so politely to hold back a grimace at his girlfriend's statement. Her giggle had a domino affect on everyone else. Eventually, Lily couldn't hide her smile either. Though, she declared that she couldn't explain why she surrounded herself with such heathens.

As the Marauders settled into several rounds of Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap, Lily resumed reading her novel while Ava took the time to scan through the sixth year textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts as that would be one of her new classes after the holiday break. She had consumed the book on becoming an Animagus at break-neck speed and wanted some distance before going back to it again.

Lily must've caught the title of the text since she asked, "Ava, I know we talked about you joining our Charms class once we get back to Hogwarts, but can you remind me what year your other classes will be?"

Such a simple question drew everyone's attention. She swallowed, not enjoying the curious stares.

James's brow furrowed. "Wait a second. What did you get on your Charms O.W.L.?"

With wide eyes, Remus cursed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Lily gasped and sat up from her relaxed position on the sofa. "Are you kidding me? None of you asked Ava about her exams or classes?" She narrowed her eyes at Ava's soulmate. "Remus Lupin," she scolded.

Her cheeks reddened. "It's not like I was really offering up the information, Lily. It's alright, promise." She always felt like it was bragging anyway. Besides, the guilt that she could detect through her bond to Remus was good enough for her.

"Yeah," Sirius said in a defensive tone. "Just because we don't pester her about school doesn't mean we don't care."

With a roll of her eyes, Lily said, "That's not what I meant."

"Ava," Remus said quickly, hopefully ending the bickering before it really began. "You've only taken two O.W.L.s, right? Charms and Defense?" He glanced at her expectantly, eyeing Sirius and Lily who were throwing obnoxious looks at each other.

"You two," she called, pointing at the agitated friends. "Cut it out." She saved her spot in the textbook. "Well, like Lily and Remus said, I've taken my O.W.L. exams for Charms and Defense, but I'll be in seventh year for Charms and sixth year for Defense. I'll be in fifth year for both Potions and Transfiguration, and fourth for Astronomy and History of Magic. But I've got to talk to Aunt Minerva about dropping those because I honestly think they're just a waste of time."

Lily appeared affronted by Ava's opinion.

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Lily, even you've got to admit that the other classes are a lot more practical."

The redhead pressed her lips together. "I suppose it depends on what you're looking to do for a career."

Fortunately, Remus was keenly aware that Ava didn't have a clue about her future job, having broached the subject himself and receiving a testy reply, so he spoke up. "That's exactly right, but what did you get on your Charms and Defense O.W.L.s?" His encouraging smile radiated warmth.

She steeled her nerves and wrapped her fingers tightly around the text in her lap, keeping her eyes trained on her soulmate. "O's."

His grin widened. "That's brilliant!"

James and Sirius both let out whoops of joy on her behalf and Peter gave her a small smile, though his eyebrows had shot up in surprise.

She tried not to feel offended by his shock.

Lily helped Ava in this arena when she said, "That is rather impressive, you know." Gesturing at herself and the Marauders, she added, "We had to study Charms for five years, and some of us still didn't manage an O."

"Hey, now," Sirius said with a warning tone. "Don't you start, witch. I studied my arse off." He sniffed and flipped some of his black locks over his shoulder. "I can't help it if the proctor got distracted by my dashing looks."

Ava giggled and shook her head. Not wanting to keep the center of attention on herself, she held up the Defense book and asked, "Any of you know the Patronus Charm?"


The group had moved into the Potters' ballroom for more space to practice their spells, and after a quick realization on Ava's part, it was confirmed that none of the underaged students had to worry about the Ministry tracing their magic while they performed it inside the Manor. Looking back on it, that also made sense for why her and McNair were able to cast spells without getting caught. Apparently, as long as the magic was practiced within a wizarding home, the Ministry wouldn't check in on them because their records couldn't differentiate between magic cast by an adult or child.

The Marauders and Lily had previously learned the Patronus Charm the year before, but none of them had managed to form a corporeal Patronus as of yet. Having already read through the spell theory, and already knowing a bit of background for performing the spell, Ava was determined to make her charm form the shape of an animal. Besides, she thought with a smile, it's really a charm. And I'm awesome at Charms.

Not only did she want to be successful in just performing the spell, but she also knew that a person's Patronus was often their Animagus form. And she was insanely curious to know about her inner animal. Giddiness rushed through her at the reminder that she'd be working on becoming an Animagus in just a couple weeks with Severus and Regulus. She was still wrapping her head around the idea that Aunt Minerva would be so considerate to invite her Slytherin friends along.

Which is exactly why you're going to tell her about the training sessions with Moody. Trepidation replaced the buoyant happiness.

Having picked up on her emotions, Remus joined her side and laced his fingers with hers. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. Don't give yourself added pressure. It's your first time trying out this spell."

She didn't correct his assumption but smiled. "You're right."

For a couple minutes, she merely watched the others and practiced her wand movements. "Do you think you guys are using the happiest memories you've got? And focusing on only those?"

While Lily and Remus's glowing, blue wisps appeared to be close to creating a solid form, the other boys were producing only a flashy blue glow for a few moments at a time.

Sirius huffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, Professor McGonagall, why don't you show us the proper way to cast a Patronus then?"

The level of snark in his voice caused her to raise a brow and purse her lips, summoning the spirit of her absent aunt. "Very well then, Mr. Black," she snapped back.

Ava was ready to attempt her first try anyhow. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Though she didn't feel the need to construct a fortified mental shield, she could still use her Occlumency skills to center her mind and call forth her happy memories. The only question was, which ones? After a split second of deliberation, she chose the moment that her and Remus came together as soulmates and sealed their bond.

She drew on every detail of that brief moment and focused on the feelings of elation, love, and belonging that accompanied it. Within her mind, she locked away everything else. Nothing else mattered. Not a single thing. Nothing other than the way Remus felt against her bare skin cradled between her legs, the scent of their claiming in the air, her soulmate trying to catch his breath after marking her, and the awe in his tone as he said "I love you."

Ava's eyes flicked open and she waved her Blackthorn. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted. Excitement shot through her as a bright, blue glow emanated from the tip of her wand. It held strong for a long moment and the particles of the wisp swirled. C'mon, she thought, gritting her teeth.

Immediately, the ghostly blue spell disappeared.

"Shit," she hissed under her breath, despite knowing that she just needed to practice. Just like everything else, she groaned internally.

James let out a low whistle. "Bloody hell, Ava. That's better than what a lot of seventh years can do."

She shrugged, not placated by his praise. Though she did glance at Sirius who gave her such lip for offering advice.

The Animagus rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Fine. What do you recommend?"

Now, that, lifted her spirits. She beamed at him before launching into the basic pre-requisites for Occlumency without mentioning that it was the specific branch of magic where she got her methods from. "Meditation," she told them and then quickly moved on.

All of them continued practicing for about ten minutes or so before Peter gave up with a huff of frustration and took a seat on the edge of the room. She needed a break and thought it'd be a good opportunity for some friendly bonding, so she approached him.

"Tired?" she asked before plopping down across from him with a sigh.

"Yeah," he said without looking at her. His attention was out on the others, still trying.

She was sure that Lily and Remus were nearly there, and now James and Sirius both had their wisps out and swirling like hers had. "I'm sure you'll get it with a bit more practice."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Easy for you to say." His tone wasn't quite accusatory, but a hint of it was there.

Ava hesitantly said, "That's easy for me to say because that's how I've been able to learn so much in such a short amount of time."

He merely grunted.

"Seriously, Peter." She leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I'm constantly studying. Sure, I do like learning, but I also have to." She released a self-deprecating laugh. "No one wants to be seventeen in a class of first years."

He let out a surprised chuckle and ruffled his blonde hair. "Yeah, that's true. I hadn't thought about it like that before."

"I also have really great friends that double as tutors." A terrible idea sparked in her mind. She cleared her throat. "You know, you and I could do that."

"Do what?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"We could study together—if you want—and I could help you out in Charms or whatever—whatever you might need an extra look at." Damn, I fumbled through that. She wrung her hands as she waited for a response.

His confused expression slowly turned thoughtful, but she could've sworn there was a glimmer of anger there for a second.

Feeling like she overstepped, Ava quickly added, "It's just an idea, but we don't have to. I just thought—"

"I'd like that very much." His pleasant tone surprised her.

"Oh, alright." She gave him a small smile. Progress. In her mind, she fist-pumped triumphantly.

After sitting with Peter for another couple of minutes, discussing his favorite subjects, Ava decided to give the Patronus Charm another whirl as James and Sirius sat down to join the other Animagus.

Lily had a look of concentration as she watched Remus cast the spell once more. "I feel like I'm this close," the redhead lamented to Ava, holding her pointer finger and thumb millimeters from each other.

She smiled. "I know you'll get it, Lily, don't worry. You honestly might just need a break."

The other witch sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." With that, she spun on her heel and headed to sit down with the others.

Remus turned to her, determination set in stone on his face. "I will get this. I can feel my magic's nearly there."

Ava stepped up on her tip-toes and pressed a firm kiss against his lips, earning a pleased growl from the werewolf. "Would it help if I told you what shape your Patronus takes?"

He gripped her by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. "You know that?" he asked with wide eyes. "Tell me." He shook his head. "Wait—no. Don't tell me."

She laughed and stepped back from him. "The offer's on the table if you change your mind."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Ava organized her mind. All negative thoughts and worries were locked away, in an underground cavern, no where to be seen in the mountainous landscape that was her mind. With the decision to step up her use of Occlumency in order to master the charm, she collected her most favorites memories of being with Remus, knowing that had proved useful before, and sheltered them in a meadow. She then surrounded them by pines in an effort to keep them secure and at the front of her mind.

And no getting distracted, she snapped at herself before also ignoring the fact that she probably looked rather silly standing there with her eyes closed for that long.

Speaking of which, Remus whispered, "Ava?"

She shushed him and concentrated on reliving the happy memories, one by one. Slowly filling her up consciousness with delightful feelings, she heard herself let out a contented sigh. She peeked her eyes open to find her soulmate peering at her curiously, but it only made her smile. He had no clue how much he was fueling her good memories.

He instantly returned her grin, boosting her mood even further.

"Expecto Patronum," she said firmly, still locking eyes with Remus. At least, she did until she caught her blue wisp bouncing out of the corner of her vision.

The glowing spell swirled and settled into a solid form. "Huh," she said with a tilt of her head. She vaguely heard a couple gasps and exclamations of surprise, but she ignored them, unable to peel her eyes away from the fox.

The vibrant, blue animal trotted towards her and swished its tail.

I guess I'm a fox. Because of the blue hue of the spell, she couldn't be sure, but her animal just looked like a typical red fox. Not one of the little, bushy arctic ones, and it didn't have those huge ears like a fennec fox. She had no clue how many different types of foxes there were, but a red fox seemed like a good guess.

"She's beautiful, Ava," Remus said breathlessly.

At the sound of his voice, her Patronus perked up and bounced in his direction.

Remus's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. Cautiously, he lifted a hand, reaching out.

Ava's brows furrowed. I don't think you can touch a Patronus. But her soulmate and fox proved her wrong the very next second.

"Holy shit," Remus murmured as the blue fox butted its head against his hand. It wasn't massive by any means, but it still appeared larger than what she had been expecting. The fox's head was about the size of his hand, fingers outstretched.

Reminding her of a dog, her Patronus then rubbed the front of its body along Remus's hand, clearly requesting that he pet her.

Yeah, her, she decided, somehow knowing that her Patronus was female. She took it all in again and let out a loud giggle, causing her fox to glance towards her. "Can you come here, you beautiful girl?"

She and Remus both laughed when the fox nipped at his fingers and pranced back over to her. Ava could hardly believe that she was maintaining the spell, but she wasn't going to question it. Not when she still wanted a good look at her fox.

The animal slowed her approach and padded right up to Ava's face, nudging her cheek.

Unbidden tears sprung to her eyes, and she reached up with a shaky hand to run her fingers through the glowing fur. "So soft," she gushed with a wide smile. Her cheeks were starting to hurt, but she kept on grinning like a loon anyway.

As she ran her hand down the fox's head and spine, she noticed the details of the Patronus were incredible. It was as though she were looking at a real fox up close. She could distinguish the hairs of the fur and the fox's pupils. And though she was entirely blue, Ava could see varying shades blending throughout her coat.

"She really is gorgeous, Ava," Lily said from over her shoulder.

Her fox startled, just like she did, at her friend's voice. But they both settled and Ava glanced behind as she continued to bask in the feel of her Patronus. Sirius and Lily had approached quietly, while James and Peter were still hanging back with shocked expressions.

She turned back to her fox. "Do you want to say hello?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"Ava," Lily said with a trace of worry in her tone.

"Not her," she whispered to the fox.

The glowing Patronus leapt over her shoulder and ran up to Lily, who stood frozen in place, breathing rapidly.

She laughed. "She's not going to give you rabies, Lily Evans," she admonished.

"You sure about that?" Sirius teased, causing a flair of annoyance to rush through Ava.

She wasn't sure if her Patronus could pick up on emotions once cast, but she supposed they'd find out soon enough.

The redhead's shoulders relaxed minutely as the radiant, blue fox laid down in front of her expectantly. The corner of Lily's mouth twitched and she reached out with a gentle touch.

It was obvious the fox enjoyed scratches, once again reminding Ava of a dog or cat, as she stretched further towards Lily, causing everyone to laugh.

"Your fox is a kindred spirit," Sirius said, moving to Lily's side, intending to have his turn interacting with the Patronus.

But her animal quickly stood and pounced on Sirius's head and tugged on his hair before bounding away, easily evading his wildly swinging arms.

"Hey!" he shouted, a pout beginning to form on his face. He looked to Ava. "Tell her to come back."

She just laughed. "Let her come to you when she's ready, Sirius."

Just then, her fox stopped and stared at Sirius, swishing her tail. Looking like a true predator, she slowly crept back towards him and stopped just out of reach.

"What are you playing at, you clever beast?" he asked, arms crossed.

Though Ava took slight offensive at his use of the word "beast", it appeared that her fox didn't care at all.

The glowing creature pounced at Sirius once again, but landed in front of his face.

Her movement was quick enough and had startled the wizard so much so that he wasn't able to uncross his arms in time to prevent her from leaning forward and nipping at the tip of his nose.

Ava burst out laughing, along with the others, and could've sworn that her fox looked smug as she approached James, who had walked up next to Lily.

With a tilt of her adorable, fluffy head, the Patronus observed James, and decided to be a bit playful with him as well. She ran around him in circles, causing the wizard to attempt to follow her with his eyes and make himself dizzy.

Just when he was starting to turn a little green, she stopped and gave him a quick nuzzle against his cheek.

James looked at Ava with an expression full of awe and lifted his fingers to the same cheek her fox had touched, prompting her to chuckle and shake her head.

"I've gotta try again!" James shouted as he pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" Disappointment flashed across his face when only a large blue wisp was produced.

"You can't just cast it," Lily told him gently. "You've got to feel it and concentrate on it, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, before diving back into practicing.

While her bright, glowing fox continued to sprint around the room, Remus and Lily resumed their attempts, but took the time to close their eyes and focus first. Sirius was busy watching James, with Peter standing back, observing the other two Animagi.

So, no one else noticed when Ava's fox flanked Peter's side and slowed to a stop, her gaze settling on him.

A grim worry settled in her bones. She couldn't be sure if anyone else had noticed, but the fur along her fox's spine was beginning to rise as the animal dipped into a predatory crouch.

Fuck. How do I dismiss a Patronus?! She couldn't have her fox singling out Peter. That'd be rather obvious. You can go away now. No Dementors here.

Her panic spiked when the fox's top lip began to curl back, ready to display her canines.

STOP! she screamed in her mind.

Whether the command or sudden onslaught of anxiety-filled doom was what did the trick, Ava didn't know, but the fox's head whipped towards her just before vanishing, collapsing into glowing blue particles of magic.

She tucked her trembling hands into the back pockets of her jeans, along with her wand, despite absentmindedly thinking that Moody would reprimand her for such an action. I think I'm done with the Patronus Charm for today. She sidled up to Remus.

He pecked her cheek and whispered, "I love you, mate," before casting the charm.

A blue wolf burst from his wand, earning whoops and hollers from his friends and a kiss smacking against his lips from Ava.

"Amazing job, Remus," she told him, threading their fingers together.

Of course, his little blue Moony, as Sirius nicknamed the Patronus, greeted Ava lovingly, just as the actual werewolf would during a full moon. But the glowing wolf disappeared as he sprinted towards James next.

Unfortunately, that meant everyone's attention was back on Ava.

"How come yours stayed so long?" Sirius asked.

Thankfully his tone and the others' faces revealed genuine confusion rather than suspicion. What was she supposed to say? Oh, by the way guys, I'm an Occlumens, she thought with a roll of her eyes. Like that would go over well.

"Ava's pretty brilliant at Charms. Hers could've had more power behind it," James said.

Remus shrugged. "Or I might've just lost concentration."

"That's probably it," Lily said with a nod. "No offense, Ava."

She shook her head and held up her hands. "None taken."

Ava was grateful when they let the issue drop and refocused on casting the spell once more. Then she caught Peter's gaze and froze at the intensity with which he was inspecting her.

A feminine squeal of joy drew her attention. An adorable, glowing blue deer stood in front of Lily.

She grinned. "Nice job." Ava looked back to Peter, but the boy was now watching Lily's Patronus. She shook herself, assuming that she must've imagined the borderline possessive glint in his eyes.


The following day was what Avalynn would describe as glorious. After a delicious breakfast, she and Lily settled in the library while the Marauders busied themselves for a few hours to let the girls do as they pleased. Lily was determined to make some progress with her Muggle novels that had piled up since she didn't have enough time to read for leisure at Hogwarts, and as for Ava, she dove into research on spells that could help in any way, shape, or form when it came to locating dark objects or breaking through security wards.

When Lily had noticed the topic of Ava's interest, she merely raised a brow before cracking open Pride and Prejudice.

Only a short while into their quality quiet time, she found a few tracking and location spells that seemed promising. The only issue was that she didn't have a cursed object to practice on. Having fine-tuned her fact-finding methods over the past few months, it wasn't much longer before she gathered all the relevant texts on wards and magical security measures.

Glancing at the grandfather clock, her heart raced. She was desperately hoping that she could finish up before the boys got bored enough and joined them. It was one thing for her mate and friends to know about her doing some questionable digging for magical information, but another entirely for them to catch wind of what she was up to.

Granted, Remus knew about the Horcruxes, but she doubted that he fully understood the risk she was taking by attending the New Year's Eve Ball at the Malfoys' and snooping around for Tom Riddle's diary. Not that she blamed him for not knowing, of course. She didn't want him to be frantic with worry like she was.

For a split second, Ava considered whether or not the constant pumping of adrenaline through her veins was a good thing. She shrugged mentally. It's kept me focused and safe so far. She ignored the little voice inside her head that sounded a lot like Madame Pomfrey that said, It's medically inadvisable to remain in such a state for a prolonged period of time.

It was some time later when Ava let out an aggravated sigh and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes. She had been staring at the same paragraph explaining the spell theory behind dismantling layers of protection wards for several minutes and just needed to let her brain rest for a bit.

"Why don't you take a break?"

She cracked open one eye to peek at Lily. "What I'm researching is important. And it's somewhat time sensitive."

The redhead nodded and sat up in her comfy chair, putting her novel down open-faced on the coffee table in front of her before moving to stand next to Ava at the worktable where several texts were spread out.

"Curious spells you're studying here."

Her stomach churned with guilt at leaving Lily in the dark. She pressed her lips together and went to speak when the other witch held up her hand.

"I know you'll tell me when you're ready. I'm not asking for an explanation now, just commenting on what I'm looking at here," she said calmly, gesturing at the scattered books on the table.

"It's really just a lot to explain and I don't have the time or emotional fortitude to right now. I promise we'll talk once we get back to Hogwarts."

"I know," Lily said, reaching out to gently run her hand over Ava's hair.

She let out a noise of contentment, and her friend giggled.

"I wonder what your Animagus would be. You think it'd match your Patronus?"

"I think so." Ava let herself relax as Lily's ministrations soothed her nerves.

A throat cleared, causing both witches to jump and spin their heads in the direction of the sound.

Remus didn't hide his grin, even as Lily stuck her tongue out at him and kept caressing Ava's hair. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, quirking a brow.

Ava let out a mock gasp and wrapped her arms around Lily's waist. "Oh, no, he's found out about us!"

Playing along, the redhead put her hands on either side of Ava's face and held her at arm's length. "I'll never stop loving you," she declared.

She stared longingly into Lily's eyes and bit the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face as she slowly placed her fingers atop Lily's that were still wrapped around her face. "I swear I'll never forget you."

After a surprised chuckle from Remus, neither girl could hold back their laughter any longer.

Clutching her stomach, Lily took a deep breath and said, "I can see why James and Sirius play up the dramatics like that." She smiled at Ava. "That was fun."

They both seemed to notice at the same time that Remus had moved next to the worktable and was inspecting the texts laid out with worry etched onto his face.

Lily leaned down to peck a kiss on the top of Ava's head and whispered, "Good luck." As the redhead vacated the library, she called out, "I'll miss you, lover."

Ava cracked a grin, but Remus's expression remained concerned. She stood, moving next to him and taking his hand.

"This is for the Horcrux at Malfoy Manor?" he whispered, squeezing her fingers.

"Yeah."

"And you're sure that you have to do this?"

"Yeah."

He nodded. "I know. I just had to ask."

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You'll be careful?"

"Of course. And Severus and Regulus will be there too."

"Good," he growled. "I hate that I can't go with you." He pulled away and looked down at her with amber flashing in his eyes.

She tugged him close, resting her cheek against his chest and wrapping him up in a hug. "I know, but it's easier and safer this way."

He grunted. "How is it safer?"

"Even if you had an invitation, you simply being there would probably distract me. It's such a precarious situation as it is, I don't need anything or anyone else to worry about."

His arms tightened around her and he dipped his head, taking a whiff of her scent. He let out a deep sigh. Leaning away, his tone was reluctant when he said, "A letter came for you." He pulled an envelope out from his back pocket. "Sirius reckons it's from one of your, uh, Pureblood friends based on the 'pompous git' of an owl that delivered it."

"Oh," she said, taking the letter from him and moving to open it. "Could be Malfoy. I did owl him a couple days ago."

Remus's brow furrowed. "What about?"

Ava grinned and bounced on her toes. "Muggle companies to invest in."

His mouth dropped open as his eyes widened.

"Right?" She pulled out the folded piece of parchment and opened it, vaguely recognizing the handwriting before skimming to the bottom to see who signed it. She sucked in a breath.

"What? Who's it from?"

"Rabastan," she murmured, eyes darting back to the top. When Remus continued to speak, she waved him off and ignored his scoff.

Dear Miss McGonagall,

I hope my letter finds you well and enjoying your holiday break. Since our delightful time at Malfoy Manor, I've been deliberating if I should pen this message at all. Apologies if you determine my actions to be too forward, but as you are my self-proclaimed friend, I thought some casual correspondence wouldn't be out of line.

On behalf of gentlemen everywhere, I beg your forgiveness for the manner in which you were treated by my housemates. It's one thing to antagonize each other in the halls of Hogwarts and another to do so under the invitation into someone's home. If I may say so, I thought you handled yourself admirably. I regret to say that I may have doubted your abilities to weather the storm, but you surprised me once again.

You may be a Gryffindor, and for that, I pity you, but you have added a certain—something to our dull, proper lives. Though I've grown accustomed to your close relationships with Severus and Regulus, it was curious to see how you interacted with Lucius. Pray tell, how well do you know the wizard?

Once again, thank you for the Christmas gift. I've already put it to good use and it's rather cozy. I hope you enjoy yours as well.

I look forward to seeing you New Year's Eve.

Sincerely,

Rabastan Lestrange

"Shit," she said under her breath, realizing that she never sent him or Regulus thank-you letters for the presents from them.

She shook herself, mind racing to more significant thoughts. I can't believe he wrote me. Why would he care how I was treated at Malfoy's? He thought my behavior 'admirable'? What? What does that even mean? And that bit about Severus and Regulus. We've never talked about the Death Eaters in front of him before. Why would he mention that and then Lucius?

"He's just trying to dig up information," she whispered. Her eyes narrowed at the parchment still clutched in her hands. "Or is he?" It was possible that Rabastan was just trying to be friendly. But it was also incredibly likely that he was attempting to snoop through his "casual correspondence".

She shrugged and glanced up at Remus. "It could be both."

His expression was the epitome of bewilderment. "I'm sorry, but what the hell are you on about?"

"Sorry. Thinking aloud."

With his hands on his hips, he asked, "Care to explain?", gesturing at the letter.

She frowned. "Well, he—uh—" Her voice drifted off.

Remus watched her expectantly.

"He was sorta just saying hi." Still not sure how she felt about the message from Rabastan, she handed it over to Remus.

The werewolf's brows scrunched up further and further the more he read. "This does just seem like a friendly letter."

"Yeah," she said absentmindedly, still trying to puzzle out the Slytherin's intent behind the letter. She couldn't decide if he really was just trying to reach out to a potential friend outside of his Pureblood (plus Severus) circle, or if there was an ulterior motive lurking beneath the surface.

"We could let Sirius take a look at it. He's more familiar with the way those kinds of people talk and think," Remus said.

That got her attention. "What? No." She grabbed back the letter, tucking it away inside the book on wards she was still perusing.

Annoyance flickered across his face.

"No one else is reading this. The only reason I let you is because you're my soulmate. I don't want to hide anything from you."

His features softened.

"And I've already violated Rabastan's privacy by letting you read it, I'm not going to do it again." She crossed her arms and raised her chin, daring him to argue.

Remus raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."

She nodded. "Good."

He sighed. "But are you sure you can trust him?"

"How am I supposed to know if I don't try?"

He looked at her for a moment. "Good point." He pressed closer and leaned down to nuzzle the silvery bite mark on her neck. "I just want my mate to be safe." He took a big whiff and placed a few kisses along her neck and shoulder. "Moony wants you safe too, by the way. He wants me to make sure you know that."

She smiled. "Of course, I know that. And I just want you and everyone else to be safe too, and that's why I have to take calculated risks like this. A friendship with Rabastan."

He pulled back from her, jaw set. "You won't try to recruit, or whatever you want to call it, every Slytherin, will you? I can barely tolerate you getting close to Lestrange and Malfoy, I don't think I could handle it if it were someone like McNair or Avery."

Nausea rolled through her stomach at the thought.

"I don't like the way those two eye the girls like they're piece of meat. And you've already had a couple run-ins with them." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's hard to wrap my head around, but I'm sort of grateful for Malfoy finding you like he did when McNair cornered you."

The hairs on Ava's arms stood on end and she swallowed. "Yeah." She had been fairly confident in the heat of the moment, but she wanted to avoid a repeat of that particular experience if at all possible.

"You'll need to keep your head down once we're back at Hogwarts."

She tossed him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding me?"

He put out his hands in placation. "Just try not to provoke them, okay?"

With a roll of her eyes, she said, "I'll try. No promises."

Remus let out a low growl.

Her brows shot up. "Seriously?"

The werewolf pressed his face close to hers, eyes blazing amber. "You will take your safety seriously."

The timbre of his voice sent a shiver down her spine, but simultaneously, butterflies erupted in her stomach. Across the bond, Ava could mostly feel his frustration, but also the adoration directed towards her and the desperate need he felt to protect her. Occasionally, it still took her by surprise at the depth of his feelings for her.

Without breaking eye contact, she reached out and laced their fingers, giving his hand a squeeze. "I appreciate that you aren't barking orders at me, like keeping a curfew or having bodyguards while I walk the halls, but—"

His eyes flickered back to green and unfocused as he looked off behind her shoulder, contemplation taking hold. "Bodyguards? That's a decent—"

"No, Remus Lupin," she snapped, tugging on his hand and drawing back his attention. "That's what I'm saying. I'm glad that you didn't suggest that."

He frowned. "Oh."

"That's too much, honestly. No one's going to attack me at Hogwarts, for crying out loud."

He grumbled, but nodded.

She left out a breath of relief. "Like I was saying, I appreciate that you haven't gone all caveman on me, but do you and Moony honestly think that I can't take care of myself?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously before leaning forward to nuzzle the side of her face. "No. Our mate is strong," he whispered, then began to trail his nose down her neck. "Intelligent." He pressed a light kiss to her skin.

She sucked in a breath.

"Resourceful," he added, moving down to nip at her mating mark.

Heat pooled in her abdomen and she purposefully sent a crashing wave of desire through their bond.

Remus's breath became ragged.

Just as he bent down and leaned his lips towards hers, thoughts of loving his bold, dominant actions conjured up her recent curiosity about alpha traits.

She put some distance between them, forcing a little whine from Remus. She laughed lightly and asked, "Do you know if different werewolves have different distinctions, like alpha, beta, and whatnot?"

He frowned. "I don't know." With a shake of his head, he resumed his path from before, leaning back towards her mouth.

Dodging his kiss, she asked, "Don't you think you should know?"

He retreated once again and let out an exasperated sigh before saying, "I don't know." After a beat, he added, "Yeah, probably."

"What do you know?" Ava made sure to keep her tone curious and not judgmental. She couldn't imagine it was easy for Remus to learn about werewolves when he didn't have a mentor and all the literature was biased.

"Not much."

The mix of emotions she felt through their bond hinted at Remus's inner turmoil. Frustration laced with guilt. A dash of hopelessness and curiosity.

An idea struck her. "Why don't we document it?"

He tilted his head. "How do you mean? Like a journal or something?"

"Yeah."

A hint of a smile appeared and he ducked his head towards hers, placing his hands on her hips to hold her in place. "Are you saying you want to experiment with me, mate?" He ground his crotch into hers for emphasis.

Her cheeks flushed.

"We'd have to record our results, of course," he added breathlessly, lips within reach.

Just as Ava was raising her hands to link around his neck for balance, the library doors burst open, allowing the remaining Marauders and Lily to spill into the room.

Despite the audience, she closed the distance between them and gave him a good, long snog for the seductive effort on his part. "If it was just the two of us, you'd have me naked beneath you right now," she whispered into his ear.

His fingers tightened around her hips. "Later," he growled before nipping her mating mark once again.


Ava and Peter darted down the stairs, studiously ignoring James and Sirius as they climbed up, ready to take showers after doing some more flying practice. Lily trailed up after them, wanting to get changed herself, but Ava had no trouble meeting her eyes.

It's not her that's about to be bald, she thought, containing her grin until James and Sirius were out of sight.

She and Peter quickly walked to the living room and joined the Potters and Remus. The werewolf had acted as the lookout and had been told to intervene if necessary to give her and Peter plenty of time to switch out the boys' shampoo bottles.

At the last minute, she decided to include the fourth Marauder in the prank, thinking that it'd be a good chance for them to connect over something that wasn't just school. Once she explained the idea to Peter, he laughed and appeared all in. Everything went just fine too. They moved stealthily into James and Sirius's showers, replaced their hair products, and retreated.

Out in the hallway, after the deed was done, she turned to him and asked, "If we manage to pull this off, can I be an honorary Marauder?"

She had been joking of course—a single prank does not make one a Marauder—but the fact that Peter's smile didn't reach his eyes signaled that he didn't understand that she was just screwing around.

When she opened her mouth to let him know she was only kidding, sounds of their friends returning indoors drifted up the stairs, startling them into motion.

Now, they sat quietly, calmly listening for any sort of reaction from the boys. She kept glancing at Remus and Peter, biting back a smile, as they did the same.

Guess we're all good, she thought, considering the rodent Animagus was back to being friendly.

She couldn't help but jump in her seat a few minutes later when masculine screams of bloody murder came from upstairs.

Unable to keep in it any longer, her, Remus, and Peter all laughed but then shushed each other in order to hear the results of their joke. The following yells and shouted curses were intermittent, and she assumed that James and Sirius were trying out different spells, attempting to regrow their hair.

She met Dorea's gaze and just kept smiling, so much so that her cheeks were actually starting to hurt.

Without lifting his gaze from the Daily Prophet, Charlus asked, "Prank?"

Murmurs of agreement sounded from the three teenagers amongst their laughter as another round of yells rang out.

"And which of you is responsible?"

When the Gryffindors stayed silent, he and Dorea peered at them.

"Oh, come now. He isn't asking you to tattle," the mother said with a quirk of her lips. "We'd just like to know who to congratulate."

Charlus chuckled. "It isn't often that those two are on the receiving end of mischief."

Ava exchanged glances with Remus and Peter, who looked at her expectantly. She shrugged and turned to the Potters. "It was my idea, but Remus and Peter helped me carry it out."

Charlus's eyebrows shot up, but Dorea just gave her a knowing smile. "I suppose you thought of a well-deserved trick?"

She flashed a wide grin. "Oh yes."

Wood slamming and banging against the wall alerted the group that the boys had likely thrown their bedroom doors open. There was some murmuring of conversation and then silence.

A feminine giggle sounded, starting out slow and then it exploded, echoing all the way downstairs.

Ava beamed, smug that even Lily found enjoyment out of the prank.

The redhead's laughter followed James and Sirius as they stormed down, into the living room.

She gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God!"

Both boys' heads were spotless. Absolutely no hair at all—not a single one—was left on their heads. All of the light in the room reflected off their balds domes and it glimmered every time they shifted, which sent her into another fit of giggles.

A tiny part of her felt bad when everyone else vocalized their amusement and James and Sirius stayed with their angry pouts in place, cheeks reddened, but then she'd get another look at their cue ball heads, and lose it all over again.

"It's amazing," she gasped out between laughs as she wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Even better than I imagined."

"You!" Sirius roared, pointing a finger at her. "You did this?!"

She nodded, unable to speak since her laughter stole all her air.

"And you two?" Sirius asked, hands on hips, to Remus and Peter.

She waved him off. "Just me." It was her idea in the first place, she didn't want the others to suffer the consequences just for lending her a hand.

James rubbed his hands together menacingly. "You'll pay for this Avalynn McGonagall."

Remus chuckled and threw his arm around her shoulder. "Okay, okay. I helped too." He looked at Ava, but spoke to the boys. "I won't let my mate carry the burden of prankster alone."

She smiled at him as he squeezed her in a show of solidarity. Not really surprised by Remus owning up to the joke, she peeked at Peter out of the corner of her eye.

He immediately looked away from her, obviously not about to offer himself up on a silver platter to the pranking masters of Hogwarts, even if they were his best friends.

She nearly rolled her eyes at him. Coward.


Author's Note: The Ball is up next! :D