Author's Note: Real-life interference was hardcore these past few weeks, so I want to apologize for posting this a couple weeks later than planned. In order to make it up to you, I'll be working double time to post the next chapter quicker than usual ;)
As always, thank you so much for the follows and favorites, as well as the reviews!
Review shout-out: potterrs, amk41196, and convalla91, thanks for your kind words!
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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 52
The lantern-lit gardens of Potter Manor were maintained by house elf magic. So, despite the time of year, it was rather pretty as Avalynn and Remus strolled the grounds even with the frigid evening temperature surrounding the beautiful blossoms that drew their eyes. She would've become an icicle a while ago had it not been for the Warming Charms that Remus kept casting over them. When they returned from their date in Muggle London, the werewolf had been rather insistent they walk through the garden, so that's where Ava found herself, thoughts drifting back to their time together earlier that day.
The date with Remus had been fantastic and only further solidified the fact that they were soulmates. He had taken the lead and decided to plan a mixture of magical and Muggle activities. After grabbing lunch in Diagon Alley, they had spent some time in Flourish and Botts, from which she managed to buy only two books rather than the initial twelve that had gathered in her arms quick enough to raise even Remus's eyebrows.
He hadn't told her what they were doing next ahead of time, and to her surprised delight, he had flagged down the Knight Bus, and they had bounced around, laughing all the while on the short ride to Stonehenge. Unbeknownst to Muggles, there were magical runes carved onto the large stones, and though the wizarding community hadn't placed any significance on the area in the past few centuries, the runes were kept concealed from Muggles nonetheless. Ava had enjoyed walking around the monument with her wizard explaining the markings and a bit of the history—he was the one taking Ancient Runes after all. She had felt a thrilling tingle in her limbs and butterflies in her stomach at the idea of a life outside of Hogwarts with Remus. It hardly felt like a date and more like a typical weekend outing for the two of them.
On the ride back, her mood sobered, reality crashing down on her—they would only have days like that if Voldemort was defeated. Sure, they could have enjoyable moments like that for a time. But eventually, the political situation would worsen and she didn't think Dumbledore would hesitate to ask Remus to infiltrate the werewolf packs. Not to mention, just sitting idly by would allow for Voldemort's following and influence to grow and members of the Order would start dropping like flies along with anyone who stood against the dark wizard. Inevitably, it served as a reminder to Ava that she needed to get back to studying and practicing magic as much as she could.
When Ava had ventured into Muggle London with Lily, the difference in decades had been obvious mostly through the fashion and transportation, but her date with Remus had included going to the movie theater. The technological differences had been jarring. Not just the quality of the film, but the fact that they had needed to pick up a newspaper to see what movies were even playing. Having been primarily secluded in the magical world since her arrival in this reality, Ava had nearly forgotten that she had traveled a few decades into the past.
Not wanting to ruin their first real date, she had used her Occlumency skills to sweep aside the emotions that threatened to surface as she thought about her original home.
She had known that the first Star Wars movie came out sometime in the late '70s, but she couldn't be sure when exactly. While Ava would've much preferred seeing that instead, she settled for Saturday Night Fever as it was the only movie title she recognized. It was pretty cheesy and Remus had continually shushed her as she kept giggling during scenes that weren't meant to be funny, though the werewolf did so with a smile of his own.
Dinner afterwards had been a lovely affair at a fancy Italian restaurant—fancy enough to have actual candles lit at the table. Ava had gotten so stuffed from the pasta that she couldn't even be bothered with dessert.
Their lazy wandering of the garden and her thoughts was brought to a halt when Remus tugged on her arm and gestured to a wooden bench, the space around it lit with a yellow glow from the nearby lanterns.
She raised a brow at him. "Not that I'm really complaining, but what are we stopping for?"
He looked off into the distance as if trying to see something in the darkness near the edge of the forest that covered much of the manor grounds.
Her gaze followed his, but she couldn't see anything.
"What is it?" Why won't he answer me?
Remus checked his watch.
Her eyes narrowed. "Why'd we stop?" She racked her brain for a reason that he would want to perfectly time their stop in a certain location of the garden. Her pulse quickened. "Is it the boys?" she whispered hurriedly, eyes darting around. "Are they going to prank me? Get me back for the bald joke?" Ava hunched over a bit as though she could hide herself.
"What?" he asked with furrowed brows before his expression smoothed out. "No, no, I swear, I wouldn't be a part of that, love." He pat the top of her thigh. "I promise you, if I manage to pick up any details from James or Sirius, I'll let you know."
She let out a relieved breath and straightened her back.
He chuckled. "I might be a Marauder, but I—"
An explosion crashed through the air accompanied by a flash of red that lit up the night sky.
Ava shot to her feet, flicking her wrist. She raised her wand and immediately cast a protective shield around the two of them before spinning around frantically to find the threat. Blood pounded in her ears and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
"Bloody hell, Ava!"
"Stay down. Did you see where it came from?" she hissed at him, bending at the knees and keeping her Blackthorn in the air to maintain the spell. Shit. I hope everyone inside is okay. They better fucking be. Her heart rammed against her ribs.
When he didn't respond quickly enough, she turned to find him staring at her open-mouthed.
"What?" she snapped at him. Why doesn't he have his wand out?
Another boom rang out, with a bright blue light flaring in the darkness. Ava startled again and swiveled. C'mon, where are you?
"It's only fireworks, love," he said in a soothing tone, standing to wrap his arms around her.
Her mind was suffering from whiplash. "Wait, what—" Eyes scanning the sky, it was only a second before another round of thunderous pops and flares of brightly colored lights appeared for Ava to realize he was right. She had mentioned at breakfast that morning that she was bummed about missing the New Year's fireworks from the night before since she was too busy vomiting and nearly succumbing to Severus's curse.
The tension eased out of her and she leaned back into Remus's chest, letting her wand lower. Fireworks. Good God. Get a hold of yourself, Avalynn, she mentally scolded. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing the adrenaline to drain out of her. Tilting her head and peeking her eyes open, she asked, "Is this because of what I said this morning?"
"Yeah. Do you like it?" His hopeful eyes were lit purple, blue, then gold all in rapid succession as the sparkling explosions went off above them.
On her tip toes, she placed a kiss against his cheek. "That's very sweet and thoughtful of you, Remus. Thank you." Her gaze turned back to the dark sky in anticipation.
"Uh, well, it was actually Sirius's idea," he whispered into her ear over the boom of the fireworks.
Ava's nose scrunched up. The Animagus wasn't allowed to do nice things for her while she was trying to stay angry with him, though it wasn't too hard. Part of her also felt guilty for waiting so long to bring up the whole werewolf-Severus fiasco.
"They're magical ones that he and James went out to get while we were on our date."
The very next firework sailed through the black sky in a gold streak before exploding into the shape of a giant star, but then morphed into the numbers 1978.
She smiled. "That's pretty cool."
"I understand that it might take some time for you to forgive Sirius, but you can't go on ignoring him forever, like you did at breakfast."
Ava huffed and stepped out of his arms, turning to face him. "Have you forgiven him? Has he even apologized to you?" she asked, raising her voice slightly to combat the nosy fireworks.
His eyes tightened. "I've come to terms with what happened, and Sirius's role in it. But—" his shoulders dropped "—I haven't ever told him how terrified I was with the possibility of infecting someone else with lycanthropy."
"Maybe you should," she said, gently bumping her arm into his.
He looked away from her. "Maybe."
She intertwined their fingers before giving him a little squeeze. They watched the remainder of the fireworks show without speaking, the only sounds loud booms and crackling of pretty colors echoing across the grounds.
As the couple made their way back to the manor, Remus blurted, "Does Snape hate me?"
Ava pressed her lips together. "To be honest, I'm pretty sure he used to."
He sighed.
"But I think he's moved past that."
"Really?" he asked, disbelief clear in his tone.
"Yeah. I think he sees how much you actually care about me and can see that you aren't a horrible person. And you've been more civil towards each other."
"I've been trying. I know he's your best friend and I don't want you to feel like you have to choose between us. Especially because, you know—" he lowered his voice "—everything you're working to accomplish. I know you need each other."
Ava made sure to shove all her feelings of appreciation across their bond as she pulled him to a stop and smacked her lips against his.
He pulled back with a chuckle. "Not to mention, Snape's part of your pack."
"How's that work anyway?"
Remus tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if I'm your mate and Severus is my packmate, then what's Severus to you?"
His mouth dropped open.
She laughed at the gobsmacked expression on his face. "Exactly." She tugged on his hand to continue towards the manor as the last Warming Charm was quickly wearing off.
"I haven't the slightest clue. Do you feel a pull, a tether of sorts, to James or Sirius? Or Peter?"
Ava bit back a grimace at the mention of Peter but considered his question. "Nothing's been really noticeable. I mean, my magic settles around them sometimes. Is that what you mean?"
"Sort of. It should be more obvious though. But you've only been friends with everyone for a few months. Maybe it takes time."
An ache of longing filled her chest. "I hope so," she whispered.
Her magic swirled boisterously inside, wanting her to know that it too craved the close companionship of a pack. It was so odd to Ava not having a vocal wolf inside her, but the majority of the accompanying feelings and instincts. She supposed that would just be another thing to document as they collected factual information about werewolves and their mates. Even if they never published it, other werewolves might find it useful.
As they approached the back doors of the manor that opened out into the garden, she spotted the Potters, James, and Sirius standing just inside. Judging by their smiling faces, it seemed they got to enjoy the fireworks as well and hadn't noticed her poor reaction.
Charlus opened the door for her and Remus. "Did you two have fun today?"
Ava tightened the fingers around her werewolf's. "It was wonderful," she told everyone with a smile.
"Did you like the fireworks?" James asked, grinning widely.
Unbidden, her eyes flicked to Sirius, who was wearing a hopeful expression. It was the first time she'd met his eyes since last night. The black haired wizard always wore his heart on his sleeve, and the storm of emotions in his eyes caused a spark of guilt to burn in the back of her throat.
"Thank you," she said, grateful that her voice didn't waver.
Sirius beamed at her, further chipping away at the anger and disappointment that had hardened around her heart towards him.
She knew that he was trying and she shouldn't let him flounder for too much longer, but she didn't want to let up on him quite yet. Not until he acknowledged what he did. Maybe I shouldn't forgive him unless he apologizes to Severus. She mentally rolled her eyes. Fat chance.
"So, what'd you two lovebirds get up to?" Sirius asked.
Ava and Remus took turns regaling them with the account of their day as the group headed to the living room.
"It sounds like you had a lovely time," Dorea told them as they all sat down.
"We did," Remus said, flashing Ava a smile.
"While you were out, Ava, dear, you received some owls," Dorea said.
James and Sirius groaned dramatically.
"Good Godric, witch," Sirius said. "Those bloody birds were arriving practically every hour."
The Potters laughed at the boys' antics and Charlus said, "Our girl here is popular, don't be jealous Sirius." He turned to Ava and winked.
She ducked her head, cheeks warming from his wording. Our girl. Her chest expanded with affection for the older wizard. The only reason her presence in this alternate world was bearable was because of the people like him, Dorea, Aunt Minerva, and her friends that had been wonderful and caring.
With a quick call to Bucky, the mother procured the letters.
Despite Ava's curiosity at the identities of the senders who owled so many letters, she placed them aside not wanting to open them in front of the others who weren't hiding their own curiosity very well.
James rolled his eyes at her action, but didn't press. Neither did Charlus. The look from Dorea indicated that she'd probably have to give the mother at least a little gossip tomorrow once she read the letters.
Ava smiled knowing the Slytherin witch likely wanted to gather whatever information she could. Though, Dorea probably wanted to offer assistance as well. She'd mentioned at breakfast that Ava would need to keep an eye out for any repercussions following her not-so-gracious exit of Malfoy Manor.
She only spared a quick glance at Sirius, not wanting him to think they were all back to normal before he formally apologized, but caught his subtle pout at not being able to find out who sent her letters.
Remus shared a look with her, pressing his lips together to hide a smile. He leaned towards her. "They're a nosy bunch, aren't they?" he whispered, but they both knew his voice was loud enough for the boys to pick up.
She couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped when both James and Sirius crossed their arms with an indignant huff and Sirius's pout became full-blown, like a child who was told no.
Dorea cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention away from Ava's letters. "When do you think you'll head back to Hogwarts tomorrow, dear?"
She shrugged. "Late afternoon? Sometime before dinner for sure."
For a short while, they all chatted about the teenagers' final term at Hogwarts and the Auror apprenticeships that Sirius and James were striving for.
Ava's heart squeezed at the thought. She steeled herself with the conviction that Voldemort would at least be mortal by the time graduation rolled around. The reminder of the nasty business with the Dark Lord prompted her curiosity about the letters to resurface.
Standing and scooping up the envelopes, she excused herself to respond to the letters before it got too late for people to have owls pecking on their windows. Everyone gave their "goodnights" and Remus promised to come up in a bit.
As she made her way up the stairs and down the corridor to the bedroom that was technically Remus's, Ava fiddled with the envelopes in her hands and hoped dearly that Sirius would apologize sometime tomorrow before she returned to the castle. If he didn't, they'd go a few more days without seeing each other, and knowing herself, Ava was well aware that her anger for him would only grow if she had more time to simmer and stew in it.
With a sigh, she flopped onto the bed and held the six letters above her head. She sorted through them to see whose handwriting she recognized and opened those first. Though each wizard had worded the question in their own way, Severus, Regulus, and Rabastan all asked about her health, wanting to confirm that she had made a full recovery from whatever it was that had ailed her. By the lack of jokes about her ability to tolerate firewhisky, Ava assumed that Severus must've let the other boys in on what caused her to feel so ill. However, Rabastan did make a jab at her for losing control over her stomach at the event of the season even though he didn't witness it firsthand.
Beyond checking on her health, Severus reminded her that once she got back to Hogwarts, they were to resume their usual studying and dueling schedule as soon as possible. She rolled her eyes at the insinuation that she would've forgotten or planned to slack off. Regulus assured Ava that Severus had informed him of the safe arrival of the "package" they had procured and that he was working on finalizing his access to the other "package" they had discussed, causing butterflies to erupt in her stomach. She'd have to check with Regulus to make sure he wasn't putting himself in too much danger to secure the other Horcrux. Rabastan hadn't bothered to mention the dark object he helped her collect, more than likely assuming that she wouldn't share any further details with him, which was correct. Though she liked the Slytherin and wanted to protect him from becoming a Death Eater, she wasn't ready to trust him with that sort of information.
Out of the three remaining letters, the only other sender she knew by the penmanship was Aunt Minerva. Ava bolted upright in the bed after reading the first line, and her gut churned the further she read.
Avalynn McGonagall,
I had half a mind to send you a howler, young lady—you should be grateful I did not.
Not knowing what time Mr. Snape was to return to the castle, I sat in my office working on lessons, anxiously awaiting for his arrival so that I could hear how your time at the Ball went. Imagine my surprise when he returned from Potter Manor last night, seemingly calm and collected, until he noticed my presence. Confused as to why the mere sight of me would cause him such distress, I implored him to tell me what was the matter.
Do you know what had upset Mr. Snape, Avalynn? It was the fact that he had belatedly realized he would have to tell his professor that her own niece didn't have the wherewithal to keep her informed of the wild events that took place at the Ball. I had to hear from Mr. Snape about the state in which you left the Malfoys'. Once again, count yourself lucky because it was only his overwhelming assurance that you were healthy and recovered that kept me from Flooing directly to the Potters' and dragging you back to Hogwarts by the ear.
As your guardian, I have the right to know if anything happens to you. You should have been more responsible and sent me an owl or Floo called to at least tell me you were alright so that I wouldn't have to find out from a third party. We will discuss this matter further once you've returned.
Aunt Minerva
Finishing the letter, she gulped, knowing she deserved to be reprimanded for not letting the older witch know what happened as soon as she felt well enough to do so. It hadn't even occurred to her, and that made Ava feel even more like shit. She would really need to make it up to her aunt and try to be on her best behavior.
The next letter wasn't too much of a surprise as it was from Lucius.
Miss McGonagall,
I do hope you enjoyed your evening festivities in our home despite the bothersome way in which you were forced to depart. If it isn't too presumptuous, I'd like to inquire as to the current state of your health. I also wrote to you in order to thank you for the investment advice you've offered. I'll consider it deeply before making any decisions. Enjoy the remainder of the holiday break until classes resume. I look forward to meeting with you in the coming weeks.
Your forever gracious and charming host,
Lucius Malfoy
A smile broke out on Ava's face at the sign-off, reminding her that the Pureblood Slytherin did indeed have a sense of humor. Though the little note about meeting up with him in the future made her a tad uneasy. She shook herself. It would only provide another opportunity for her to get closer to Lucius and convince him that becoming a Death Eater was the last thing he'd want to do.
The gracefully written script on the last, unopened envelope wasn't familiar at all. Her eyes dashed down to the end of the short letter to the sender's name and her brows shot up. Narcissa Black. Huh. Didn't see that coming. They had barely spoken to each other and had literally just been introduced minutes before Ava had thrown up right in front of the other witch. She forced her gaze back to the top of the message.
Miss McGonagall,
I hope this letter finds you well and fully recovered. I wanted to be certain that you're indeed feeling alright after not going to St. Mungo's. I can't help but feel as though I should've been more assertive with Severus, but as I'm sure you know, the boy is quite stubborn once his mind is made up. To be honest, I find your friendships with my fellow housemates refreshing, and I would be pleased to make your acquaintance further once we've returned to Hogwarts for the spring term.
Sincerely,
Narcissa Black
She stared at the parchment for a long moment before reading the message again. She had never imagined that Narcissa Black would've reached out to her. To be fair, the witch had been rather polite and nice at the Ball once she realized how sick Ava really was. There hadn't seemed to be an ulterior motive to Narcissa helping her to the Floo. But maybe she missed something with how distracting the symptoms of the curse had been. Why else would the Slytherin send her a letter, indicating that they should become better acquainted?
With a shake of her head, Ava dismissed the idea that Narcissa had some sort of devious plot. It was the same witch who lied to Voldemort about Harry still being alive after all—for her son. She pressed her lips together, wondering how strong Narcissa's maternal instinct to protect her child would be even if her son hadn't been born yet.
She let that thought linger as she responded to the other letters, assuring each person that she was perfectly healthy, along with a heaping apology to Aunt Minerva. In her note to Lucius, she chose to just not acknowledge the fact that he wanted to meet up, likely wanting to discuss her "visions" as a Seer. She wanted to put that off for as long as possible. When it came to her reply for Narcissa, she decided to take a chance on her knowledge of the older Narcissa from the original timeline. She told the Slytherin witch that she'd be delighted to spend more time in her company, allowing them to get to know each other better.
Ava couldn't help the small part of her that longed for another female companion her age. Not counting the older witches in her life, Lily was her only close friend that wasn't a guy. But that couldn't distract her. She still needed to keep her head in the game when around Narcissa, just to make sure that she wasn't a firm believer in the whole Pureblood versus Mudblood nonsense. So far, nothing in this timeline had really been all that different from the original though. Maybe she'll believe I'm a Seer, like Lucius.
As she was already sitting down, penning six letters, she figured that it wouldn't hurt to add two more. Ava wrote out a brief message for Barty and one for Benedict, just to ask how their holidays were going. Barty had even mentioned that he would write to her but she hadn't received anything yet. She wished them well and hoped they enjoyed their Christmas presents, and told them both that she would miss them until they got back to the castle in a few days.
She was nearly finished and just labeling the envelopes as Remus entered the bedroom.
Remus could sense Moony perking up in the back of his mind as he approached the bedroom door, knowing his mate was behind it. His wolf wasn't the only one showing its excitement though. All day his magic had been periodically making its delight known, warmly thrumming beneath his skin, swirling in pleasure each time his chest would instinctively puff out when he sensed from Ava that she was having a great time on the date he had planned.
He entered the room to find his soulmate at the desk, responding to the letters. "Hey." Remus kept his questions at bay, sure that she'd tell him about the messages if and when she wanted to.
"Hey," she said without looking up from the envelopes as she wrote the names of the recipients on them.
The werewolf paused to take in the sight of her, still unable to believe that he was lucky enough to have a mate like Ava.
Moony released a pleased rumble in agreement.
His eyes trailed over her as she ever so carefully looped the quill, biting her lower lip in concentration. Desire sprung up at the image, but he forced himself to look away from her, not wanting to distract her with his current state of arousal through their bond. He'd seen Ava go through five different envelopes before because the person's name didn't turn out the way she wanted.
When he tore his gaze from her, he spotted the stuffed wolf that James and Sirius had gotten her for Christmas, Fluffy, sitting on the end table on Ava's side of the bed. It made him smile as it brought up the memory of teasing her about replacing him with another wolf. But another thought struck him then.
We have our own sides of the bed. While he knew it was odd that they weren't actually living together and had already worked out which side of the bed was theirs, it didn't feel strange to him. It felt right. It'll be difficult going back to the castle and not sharing a bed anymore.
Moony shifted restlessly at the reminder that they wouldn't always be by their soulmate's side.
Remus's brows furrowed. Maybe I could convince her to move into Gryffindor Tower. He knew that had been her plan once she'd settled in more. He nodded to himself and his wolf, thinking it was a great idea and that Ava would surely be onboard with it.
Polite as ever, the witch called for Bucky and asked that he owl the letters as soon as possible.
With his attention turned back on Ava, he smirked at the fact that she was still wearing his cardigan.
She must've noticed the direction of his gaze. "Ever since I got back from London with Lily, it hasn't smelled right," she said with an adorable pout. After lifting a pinch of the fabric to her nose, she added, "It's even worse after today."
"How about this? I'll wear it all day tomorrow and then you can take it to Hogwarts smelling just like your wolf—"
A grin broke out on her face.
"—if you let me mark you with my scent too." Never in a million years would Remus Lupin have thought he'd say something like that aloud to a girl.
Her eyes flashed as she slowly stood from her chair. "And what exactly would that entail?" she asked, seemingly innocent.
But he knew from experience that his soulmate was nothing of the sort.
The manner in which Ava prowled toward him, delicately removing one piece of clothing at a time, made his mouth run dry.
He swallowed and backed into the bed, dropping to the mattress and adjusting the front of his pants. He fisted the sheets to keep from reaching out to her delectable body.
A torrent of lust and need whipped through their bond, letting Remus know that it wasn't just himself that desired the other's touch.
She stood before him, only in her bra and underwear now, and began to carefully remove his own clothing.
His heart raced and he growled, fingers twisting in the sheets, ignoring his throbbing cock.
Ava mock pouted. "Aw, is the werewolf having a difficult time keeping his hands to himself?"
Eyes narrowed, he let out another growl, low and a clear warning.
She giggled.
That's it. He snatched her wrists and spun them around, pressing her into the mattress.
Her eyes were comically wide. "Oh no, is the big, bad wolf going to eat me?" she asked, spreading her legs for him.
His witch just didn't know when to stop. He smirked, causing the amusement in her gaze to waver. "I won't be eating anything until you beg."
And then he proceeded to do exactly that. He tormented Ava with his tongue, teeth, and fingers until she was frantically pleading with him to touch her clit and pussy. To "just fuck her already." His mate had quite the mouth.
They lost themselves in each other, riding the waves of physical pleasure together, along with the raw desire and love that crashed through their connection. They moved in unison, relentlessly giving and taking intimate ecstasy until they both reached their release—Ava for the third time that night.
Remus laid in the bed with his arm wrapped snuggly around his soulmate, softly running his fingers over her hair that had come loose. He and Moony relished this closeness while it lasted, even though they'd only be apart for four days. He drifted off to sleep once again thinking of how lucky he was.
Though the next day was Ava's last at the Potters', she just wanted to hang out in the library and read. Thankfully, Remus actually wanted to do the same, but with a novel and not the seventh-year Charms textbook like she did. Though James and Sirius groaned about the prospect, they ended up joining the couple, but played Wizard's Chess.
At least, that's what the boys had been preoccupied by until an idea sparked in James's head for a romantic gesture in celebration of Valentine's Day for Lily.
She may have rolled her eyes at him, but she thought his idea was sweet. For a moment, she wondered if Remus would do some grand, sweeping gesture like his friend, but tossed the thought from her head. It wasn't his style. Thank God. Being the center of attention was not her favorite past-time.
Since James needed to do some research, it left Sirius to his own devices. After a few minutes of begging, Remus put down his book and played chess with the Animagus. Eventually, the werewolf tired of the game and returned to his novel and over-sized chair.
Ava was settled on the couch, absorbed in the Charms textbook and intent on learning at least the magical theory of most spells before joining the seventh year class the following week. So, when a soft body cuddled up to her side, out of habit, she reached out and began petting the fluffy thing.
When her hand grew tired, she stopped, but a wet nose pushed itself under her fingers, insistent on more pets.
Wait, what? She glanced down to find Padfoot next to her. Ava knew that his boredom would've gotten the better of him at some point, but that didn't mean he could get away with that. He still hadn't apologized. With an aggravated huff, she pushed him away from her. "Just because I pet you doesn't mean I forgive you. You took advantage of my love for dogs."
The black dog whined, but shifted down the couch.
Ignoring the sound, she pointed at him. "You outta be ashamed of yourself for using that against me. Also, you might want to try using words to apologize if that's what you're going for."
He released a pitiful, high-pitched whine.
Her heart clenched, hating that noise. But she wasn't willing to let her self-imposed distance from Sirius go until he acknowledged that when he tricked Severus it was stupid and dangerous, for both the Slytherin and Remus. "If you aren't going to say sorry, then get out of here." She gestured away from her and returned her gaze to the pages of her book, pretending to read when in reality she was waiting tensely for him to either leave or transform and apologize.
When the weight on the sofa disappeared, she peeked over the top of the book to see the black dog slinking away with his tail between his legs.
Good grief, she thought with a roll of her eyes. That's a bit over the top. She shared a look with Remus.
He merely gave her a shrug.
She knew the werewolf didn't want to get in the middle of things, but she received a gentle brush of encouragement from him. However, Ava could still sense a trickle of disappointment. Whether it was directed at her or Sirius, she couldn't tell for sure.
Some time later, she relocated to the other end of the library as James and Remus began playing Exploding Snap. The raucous caused by the game was startling her too much and she could hardly concentrate. But at the moment, she was reading over the theory behind the Extension Charm and its possible applications. Though she kept her eyes on the page and pretended not to notice, Ava immediately caught on when Sirius tried to sidle up to her as Padfoot again.
Before he could get close enough, she leapt up from the couch, textbook crashing to the floor. "No! You can't do that! I'm not going to pretend nothing happened, Sirius! And you can't just gloss over what you did!"
The Animagus ducked low, pulling his ears back and tucking his tail.
She shook her head, reminding herself that it wasn't an actual dog that she was ripping into, but a human. "It was atrocious and awful and you're just trying to get out of it!" She crossed her arms. "Your actions hurt people and you're refusing to apologize for it."
As the dog kept his head down in silence, her frustration grew. The idea of Sirius never owning up to his behavior flashed into Ava's mind and a wave of nausea rolled through her. She could barely stomach just the thought of what Sirius put Remus and Severus through. She didn't think see could ever look at him again if he didn't even feel remorse for what he did.
Wetness gathered in her eyes, not knowing if she'd be able to forgive Sirius for what could've happened to Remus and Severus if he wouldn't even acknowledge it. When the tears began to fall, she snatched up her book from the floor and dropped onto the corner cushion of the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest. She lifted up the book to hide her face when she realized the tears weren't stopping.
A canine whine sounded from the other side of her makeshift barrier, but she didn't bother looking.
Letting the salty drops fall to the page, she tried to keep her voice steady. "Go a—away, Sirius."
A long moment passed and human arms wrapped around her. "Please don't cry, Ava. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Her tears only intensified into sobs, though she couldn't tell if it was in relief that he apologized or out of frustration that she felt the need to hear him say what he did aloud. She needed him to admit what he did. It was a pretty traumatic thing to put Remus and Severus through and Ava knew it likely affected their relationship as adults, so it wasn't something they just got over as though it were nothing.
His grip tightened. "I'm sorry," he whispered, pleading.
Despite James and Remus sitting across the library, she knew they were aware of what was happening. She could sense Remus's mounting annoyance, but the werewolf kept his distance, no doubt picking up on her desire to take care of Sirius herself.
She sniffled and lifted her head.
His expression was stricken, his own eyes watery.
What little air got through her tear clogged nose brought her his scent. Luckily for him, that helped level out her temper even though she was still upset with him.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Please forgive me. I'm sorry." He pulled her close, pressing his cheek against the top of her head.
Her heart nearly shattered, but Ava squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to keep the sobbing at bay.
"I don't want to make you cry and I hate that you're angry with me. I can't stand it," he whispered. "I'm sorry."
She let out a shuddered breath. "What are you sorry for, Sirius?"
He tensed. "I'm—I'm sorry that I upset you."
Ava almost groaned aloud. Boys. "And why am I upset with you?"
"Because I was an asshole."
She nodded as much as she could in the space between his arms and her knees, still pulled up to her chest. "And what was it you did that made you an inconsiderate asshole?"
He sighed.
The silence dragged on long enough that her waterworks were on the brink of starting up again, but then he spoke.
"I put Moony in a bad spot. He could've hurt Snape and been expelled." He paused, his fingers flexing around her shoulders. "He could've been thrown in Azkaban."
"And?"
"And?" he repeated, sounding genuinely confused.
Her anger flared to life and she moved to untangle herself from him. When he didn't budge, she growled out, "Let me go, Sirius."
"No." He lifted his head from hers, but his arms held her in place. "Not until you tell me what else I need to apologize for."
"You should know already, dumbass," she said between clenched teeth, still trying to wiggle free.
"Hey," he grumbled. "That was uncalled for."
She stilled and looked at him. "Oh, was it?" she asked slowly.
They stared at each other.
He swallowed. "Is it—is it because Snape could've been hurt?"
"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner," she said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry that what I did could've ended up with Snape getting hurt, Ava. I mean it," he said, giving her one of the most genuinely serious expressions she'd ever seen on his face.
"What if Moony had gotten to him, Sirius?" she asked in a whisper. "He could've died. Remus would've been responsible for killing someone."
He blinked rapidly. "I know," he said. "But I would've been the one responsible, not Remus."
She relaxed in his grip. That's what I needed to hear. Taking the Animagus by surprise, she threw her weight against his torso and let out a desperate noise of relief that was pretty embarrassing for someone who was trying to keep their composure.
A forced breath left Sirius's chest as he toppled backwards on the couch.
Ava squeezed her friend with all her might and then pulled away, standing over him. "Thank you for apologizing." Her eyes narrowed and she began smacking him anywhere she could—his shoulder, gut, head, arm.
"Fuck! What the hell, witch!" He tried to scramble away from her, but she followed and continued her assault.
"If you ever do something like that ever again, Sirius Orion Black, I swear to everything you hold dear in life that I will eviscerate you." She paused her hitting. "You hear me?"
With wide eyes, he nodded vigorously. "Loud and clear."
She smirked. "Good." She offered him a hand to help him off the couch.
He inspected it warily, but reached for her.
Yanking him up, Ava wrapped her arms around him. "Please don't make me eviscerate you."
He let out chuckle, though it sounded tired. "Trust me, I don't want to be eviscerated. You've got nothing to worry about."
She let go and stepped back. "We'll see."
Sirius held up his hands in supplication. "I solemnly swear."
"Mhmm." She could sense eyes watching them and glanced to the side, spotting James and Remus standing just behind a bookshelf. She shook her head and waved them over. "C'mon on out, guys."
They threw her sheepish looks.
Sirius rubbed the back of his neck. "You both hear all that?"
Remus met Ava's gaze. Tone soft, he said, "Yeah, we did."
With furrowed brows, James hesitantly asked, "Does that mean we can all be friends again?"
Sirius turned to her, his face echoing the question.
She tried to hide her surprise at his lack of confidence. Though she supposed it was a good thing that he didn't brush off the incident so easily. "Friends," she said to James before bumping shoulders with Sirius.
The Animagus grinned.
"Thank Merlin!" James breathed out, voice full of exasperation. "That was absolute torture." He flopped onto the couch and placed his hands behind his head. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could've taken it."
Sirius rolled his eyes and shared a look with her, forcing a small laugh from her lips.
"As if he's any more dramatic than you, Padfoot," Remus said, lacing his fingers with Ava's.
She thought about requesting that Sirius give Remus a heart-felt apology as well, but that wasn't something she wanted to force. If her werewolf wanted an apology, then he needed to step up and talk to his friend about it.
Taking the Marauders' needs into consideration, she said, "Why don't we go outside and you guys can fly for a bit while I keep reading?"
"Yes!" James shouted, jumping from the couch.
"Really?" Sirius asked.
"Yeah," Remus said. "You sure?"
He knew she found it annoying to repeatedly cast Warming Charms, but she wanted to lighten the mood, and it wouldn't be the worst idea to get outside for a bit. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise."
James let out a whoop and ran from the room, Sirius following closely behind.
Ava picked up her book and pulled on Remus's hand towards the library door. "We better go make sure those boys aren't up to any trouble."
"Do you want to go get your wand? I don't mind casting Warming Charms for you, love."
She leaned into him as they walked over the threshold into the corridor. "That's sweet, but I've already got my wand on me." She let go of his hand briefly to pat the inside of her forearm where her wand holster sat.
When silence greeted her gesture, she looked up at him.
A deep frown sat on his face and his gaze was still drawn to where her Blackthorn was hidden.
"What?" she asked, her stomach dropping.
Her worry must've been obvious because he gently squeezed her hand and said, "It's nothing," before shaking his head.
She scoffed. "It's most certainly not nothing."
"Well, I—uh—do you think it's necessary to keep your wand with you at all times? Even inside the manor? And there was last night, you know—" his words died off and he seemed to hide a flinch, as if he knew he shouldn't be questioning her judgment.
But she didn't hold it against him. Sometimes she wondered herself if her paranoia was too much, but the fireworks had scared the shit out of her. She wouldn't be apologizing for having a quick reaction time. "Let's put it this way. It's like studying for an exam. I'd rather overprepare than be caught unprepared for even a second if it means failing."
The werewolf huffed. "Even good students have their limits though, Ava. Too much studying and they'll drive themselves into the ground."
She pressed her lips together, knowing he was right but not wanting to agree aloud. She would be careful. More careful than she had been at the beginning. She reasoned with herself that the circumstances had been different then though because the soulmate bond was bearing down on her magical core, draining her energy.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said before separating their fingers and opening the back door.
He sighed and followed her into the garden. "I just want you to be safe and healthy, love."
She tried to smile. "And I just want you all to be safe and live happy and long lives."
Turning away, Ava didn't give him a chance to respond and strode to the open grass where Sirius and James were already swooping around on their brooms. She cast a Warming Charm over herself and then tossed one back at Remus.
The two wizards were tossing a Quaffle and that sparked an idea. "Hey, boys!"
They flew down and hovered several feet above the ground.
"How about we make a real game out of this?" she asked with a grin, flourishing her wand.
They spent the next hour or so with James and Sirius playing "keep-away" with the Quaffle. Ava tried to capture it with an Accio but if the ball was sailing through the air between the boys, she'd attempt to hit it with an Engorgio or Glacius. But only if she knew that no one would be caught in the cross-fire. She quickly realized it was decent practice for fast decision making when it came to whether or not she could use more lethal force with an opponent.
Remus alternated between helping out his friends and joining Ava on the ground to make the boys work twice as hard. Once the initial fun wore out, James and Sirius were keen to have their chance at obtaining the Quaffle. Since Ava's flying skills were nowhere near enough for her to actually evade spells, they would switch out with Remus every now and then. She offered her own advice and suggestions and couldn't help but smile when Remus piped up as well. It reminded her that he had been a great teacher even though it had only been for a single year. While there was no way he knew why she was grinning at him, he'd returned it just the same.
As they all went back to the warm and toasty indoors and climbed up to their rooms to shower and change, Ava stopped James and Sirius in the hallway before parting ways.
"Hey, guys? Don't forget about the present for Benedict you promised to help me with." Ignoring their put-upon sighs, she continued, "Since everyone doesn't get back until the day right before classes start back up, it's alright if we wait until you're both free. I'll just tell him that he's got a late Christmas surprise coming." She grinned in anticipation.
"The things we do for you, witch," Sirius said before heading into his room.
"And you'll be there, right?" James asked, suddenly looking nervous.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes." She'd seen both of the boys with the younger students and they were naturals at entertaining the masses. She couldn't think of why James would be so worked up about it other than the fact that Benedict was a Slytherin. But he was just a little firstie, nothing to be afraid of.
He nodded. "Alright." He disappeared into the bedroom.
Shaking her head, Ava turned to do the same but purposefully waited until Remus got out of the shower. She didn't want to be late meeting up with Aunt Minerva.
Having been admonished and held at arm's length by the Transfiguration Professor, Ava was enjoying the comfortable silence that had fallen between herself and the older witch. Though, as she wasn't yet "allowed" to leave Aunt Minerva's sight, at least until after dinner, she settled down in their quarters to study for the time being. Guilt still coursed through her so she didn't push against the prolonged wait to see Severus. She knew her guardian was only feeling a little clingy because of what happened at Malfoy Manor.
She pressed her lips together and halted her reading, remembering that she needed to tell the professor about her upcoming training sessions with Moody. The older witch would hardly be the only person to not feel totally comfortable with the idea, but the others who knew, Remus, Dorea, and Severus, all understood the necessity. Ava wasn't sure that her aunt would.
Even though she had only left Potter Manor a short while ago, she already missed Remus and the boys. She thought she might even miss the Potters too. While it was only a sliver of the amount, Charlus had the same mischievous nature as James, and Dorea was someone she felt that she could lean on.
She shook herself. You can lean on Aunt Minerva too. That was part of why she was struggling with what Remus asked of her.
Just before she Flooed back to Hogwarts, the werewolf brought up the idea that she could move into Gryffindor Tower. She'd had to swallow the guilt that bubbled up at the disappointment on his face when she said that she would have to think about it. Ava really loved the nights they spent together, but that didn't necessarily mean she didn't want to live with Aunt Minerva anymore. And what if one of her Slytherin friends wanted to walk her back to the dorm after a night of studying? She couldn't imagine that going over very well, not with just the Gryffindors she knew, but students from all years wouldn't be happy with rival house members showing up at their doorstep on a regular basis.
She'd run the idea past Severus and see what he thought. She wrinkled her nose. He might not be the best person to ask.
It wasn't something she needed to decide in that very moment, so Ava pushed it aside. Instead, she considered what the new term would be like. New classes all around. Dueling practice with her friends. Animagus training with Aunt Minerva. More dueling and training with Moody. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. Even I have to admit that's a lot to handle. Maybe I can drop some classes. Ava glanced up to the older witch and found her staring back expectantly.
"You have that look about you, dear."
Sighing, she put the book aside after marking her place. "Well, I would like to talk to you about my classes."
The older witch gestured for her to continue.
"I know that I don't have the typical workload of a seventh-year, but—" she drifted off.
Aunt Minerva nodded. "But it's still a lot."
"Yes, especially with…the other stuff." She raised her brows.
"Would what you like to change then, dear?"
A breath of relief poured out of her. "I'd like to drop Astronomy and History of Magic." She wrung her hands together.
The professor's lips formed a thin line. "Most seventh-years only take the N.E.W.T.S. for the core subjects anyhow. So, I'll accept on two conditions." She held up a finger. "One, I expect you to take your O.W.L. for History of Magic, but you needn't sit your N.E.W.T. for that class if you chose not to."
That wasn't terrible. Annoying, but not too bad as she was already starting the fourth-year material. "Okay, and two?"
Aunt Minerva held up a second finger. "Two—," she began before leaning forward, gaze as hard as steel, "—you will keep me informed of your extracurricular activities and training. I know you trust me, dear, and I promise I can handle whatever truths you need to tell me. Don't keep anything from me just because you're afraid of my reaction or some such nonsense."
She gulped and nodded. "In that case, I have something to tell you about training."
The professor quirked a brow.
"Dumbledore asked me not to tell you."
She clicked her tongue. "Don't tell me he's going to select you for Order missions."
Ava flinched. "Well, to be honest, he hasn't mentioned that, but I don't really know why else he'd have me train with Moody."
Aunt Minerva straightened in her seat. "He wants you to train with Alastor?"
She nodded.
A thoughtful expression overtook the older witch's face. "While I most certainly don't like the idea of you participating in missions for the Order, I can't argue that training with an excellent Auror would do you some good."
Her mouth dropped open.
McGonagall let out a little laugh. "What, dear? Did you expect me to have a temper tantrum?" She sobered. "Though it pains me to admit it, I understand that you need practice and training as a precaution and, though it's difficult to accept, I understand that I won't always be able to protect you."
Ava crossed the living room and sat on the arm of her aunt's chair, leaning down sideways to give her a hug. "Thank you."
"Whatever for, child?"
She shrugged. "Everything."
Aunt Minerva let out a soft, "Oh."
It made her feel a lot better knowing that she didn't need to keep the truth from the older witch if she didn't want to. There were certain pieces of information that she might not divulge, but she'd try to be honest about her plans, whether it was for training, or the Order, or the Horcruxes.
Speaking of Horcruxes, she and Severus needed to decide when they were going to destroy the diary. Just another topic for them to discuss after dinner. Though, she was hoping he'd spend some time helping her catch up to where the seventh-years were in Charms. Ava was a little giddy about being in classes alongside Remus and her Gryffindor friends.
She frowned, realizing she didn't know which house they shared the Charms class with. I'll see if Severus knows. Resolved to asking her best friend about it later, she retrieved the Charms textbook and got back to studying.
Author's Note:
I hope Sirius's apology seemed genuine. I thought using Padfoot to his advantage in an attempt to charm Ava instead of admit he was in the wrong was a rather Sirius thing to do.
Also, is anybody dying for more sexy times between our soulmates, or is the steaminess level good where it's at?
