Author's Note:
I want to apologize profusely for going so long without an update. Long story short: I found out we were moving internationally again and new shit to deal with seemed to drop in my lap every week since then—move related and not
I went back and forth on whether or not to post an update to let everyone know that I hadn't abandoned this story, but I didn't want to disappoint or annoy anyone further when they realized that the update was only an author note and not a new chapter (I did make an assumption with that since that's typically how I feel as a reader)
I know this chapter is shorter than usual but I desperately wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this story while I keep working on a longer chapter. Since we officially relocated back to our home country last week, I should be able to write more regularly. And I sure as shit hope so because it was driving me CRAZY to not keep this story moving forward for you wonderfully amazing readers!
Thank you for being so patient! And many thanks to those of you that reached out just to make sure I was doing alright :)
Review shout-out: This was a long ass time ago, but thank you VERY much to amk41196, ColdOnePaul, Justforloveknows, Rachaelthefangirl, Lilybug1300, and MadHatterWeasley!
Your words and encouragement keep me motivated :) Thanks!
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.
Previously, on Love Knows No Bounds:
Ava attended the Malfoys' New Year's Eve Ball and with the help of Severus, Regulus, and Rabastan (though he doesn't know it), managed to procure Tom Riddle's diary. In her attempt to leave the festivities, Voldemort showed up and Severus had the brilliant idea to curse Ava in an effort to excuse her from the party, which worked, but only after she threw up on the Dark Lord (She was also introduced to Narcissa Black). With the delay in returning to Potter Manor, the curse worsened and things weren't looking good for Ava as she and Severus fell through the Potters' Floo. Severus was only able to perform the counter-curse after Remus and the others had calmed the hell down.
Ava's wolfy side acknowledged Severus as part of her pack! And character growth! Sirius apologized to Ava and admitted/accepted responsibility for the full moon Remus had almost attacked Severus (but he hasn't apologized to Remus or Severus)
Back at Hogwarts, Ava's now training even harder in an attempt to keep up with the seventh years, as well as her upcoming training with Moody and Animagus training with Aunt Minerva, Severus, and Regulus. Upon return from the holiday break, Ava discovered that Barty had been beaten at home and had a fit of accidental magic. Accidental, elemental magic :) Predictably, Frank Longbottom acted like an ass, further solidifying Ava's disdain for the kid. However, Sirius was concerned that it was Regulus who had been given the beating, which only confirmed Ava's strong belief that the two brothers want/need to reconcile!
Chapter 54
While Avalynn enjoyed the holidays, especially the cheerful nature of Christmas and the fireworks of New Year's Eve, she was glad that classes were starting up once again. Hand and hand with Remus, she bounced on her toes as they walked towards their first lesson of the semester, seventh-year Charms. Though she knew there was potential for awkwardness since Gryffindor and Slytherin shared the subject, she couldn't hide her giddiness at attending class with both her soulmate and best friend.
A soft chuckle from Remus drew her attention.
"What?" she asked.
He shook his head with a smile. "Nothing. You're just way more excited for Charms than I would've thought possible."
She rolled her eyes. Whatever.
Sirius barked out a laugh from ahead of them in the corridor. "We told you she was even more of a swot than you are, Moony."
James threw a smile over his shoulder at Ava as he strolled alongside the Animagus.
From James's other side, Lily piped up. "Ignore their teasing, Ava. You should be proud that you've progressed this far. I for one, can't wait until you join all our classes." She winked.
Ava beamed. "Thanks, Lily."
Remus leaned down to whisper, "You know I find your intelligence and drive for learning attractive, love." He nipped her ear playfully as desire trickled across their bond.
Despite her attempt to keep the blush at bay, Ava could feel her cheeks reddening. "Remus," she grounded out, trying to keep the whine from her voice. "Stop it. I can't walk into Charms all hot and bothered."
The werewolf laughed as a groan sounded from James.
"Gross." He looked back at them with his face all scrunched up. "Can you please not do that in front of me?"
Ava laughed. "Sorry, James." Her embarrassment died down, replaced with affection for the messy-haired wizard. She found it rather sweet the way he acted like she was some sort of sibling that he couldn't bear to think of as a sexual being. Though, she did enjoy teasing him about it.
When they walked through the door of the Charms classroom, Sirius, James, and Lily headed to their seats without a second thought. Since the majority of the desks were already occupied, Ava began to follow them. But the way everyone was seated made her stop short. The Slytherins and Gryffindors sat on opposite sides of the room with two rows of empty desks between them—a distinct boundary dividing the houses.
Well then. She had no intention of making a choice between Remus and Severus. A few heads turned her way, but she only met the gaze of one.
Severus stared at her with an expression that anyone else would've described as unreadable, but she could tell by the warning glint in his eyes that she was to sit with her housemates.
She quirked a brow at him. As if.
Only the clench of his jaw revealed his annoyance with her before he returned to unpacking his supplies.
Ava took a step towards Severus, but a hand on her elbow stopped her movement.
Trepidation rippled through their bond before Remus spoke. "Ava," he whispered, hesitation obvious.
She rolled her eyes and tugged on his hand. "Oh, c'mon." She wasn't going to let anyone dictate whether or not she could sit with her best friend. And it wasn't as though she was plopping herself down in the middle of all the Slytherins—just along the edge. They could deal with it.
Ava made her way to Severus, hand still linked with Remus, and took in the reactions of the other snakes as she drew closer. The usual suspects, McNair, Mulciber, and Nott, glared and sneered in her direction. Thankfully, they sat along the far wall—as though they wanted to be as far away from the Gryffindors as possible. Avery sat up straighter in his seat when he noticed her presence, and looked to Lucius, shoulders tense. The others that she hadn't formally met, Rosier, Crabbe, and Goyle seemed to be doing the same, watching Lucius to follow his lead.
Her eyes barely lingered on the Slytherin boys before finding the only two girls in their seventh year. Posy Parkinson was scrutinizing her with calculating eyes, not surprising her in the slightest. But open interest shone in Delilah Greengrass's eyes—until Ava blinked. Then it was gone, much like how Lucius would lock down his true emotions.
As she dropped her schoolbag on top of the desk next to Severus, she caught the blond wizard's eye since he was sitting behind her best friend.
His lips were pressed into a thin line, but she could've sworn it was a toss up between amusement and worry.
Ignoring the murmuring of the Slytherins, she gave him a little shrug and slid into her seat—a movement which seemed to elicit dramatic groans and huffs from the Gryffindor side of the classroom.
Turning towards the commotion, she found that her friends were all amidst moving to desks closer to herself and Remus, thinning the gap between the lions and snakes. Even if Ava hadn't heard their vocal complaints about doing so, she could tell by the varying expressions of annoyance and uncertainty that they weren't happy about the relocation.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end from the palpable hostility the now quiet Slytherins were throwing her way.
Yeah, yeah. It's all my fault. The scary, obnoxious Gryffindors are moving closer.
James placed himself in front Remus and Lily took the desk next to her boyfriend, giving Ava an uneasy smile.
She looked to Sirius and found his stormy eyes daring any one of the Slytherins to even try something sneaky.
His stony expression fell on her and softened. He nodded and settled into his new seat behind Remus.
Even Peter had shifted his seat closer to Ava, sitting on the other side of Remus, though she assumed that was just him falling in line with the other Marauders more than anything.
The two fully empty rows had dwindled down to almost none, as she was the only student sitting in the row separating the Slytherins and Gryffindors. Doing her best to ignore the mounting tension buzzing around the students, she swiveled to face the front of the classroom.
Professor Flitwick stood behind his podium with his mouth hanging open, wide eyes darting between his students. But now that seats were chosen and loyalties silently declared, he recovered quickly and began the lesson.
Fortunately, since they were returning from break, all they did was review the spells learned last semester. Which of course, Ava had been sure to master, saving herself from any humiliation in front of her friends or the seventh year Slytherins. However, every time she performed a spell correctly, discontented grumbles emitted from over her shoulder.
She had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from snapping at the Purebloods disappointed in her apparent skill set.
"Ignore them," Severus whispered.
"He's right, love," Remus muttered under his breath from her other side.
Ava glanced at him, the slight gleam of amber indicating that he was reigning in Moony and his temper.
"I'm just grateful they don't have Defense with us, otherwise they'd really lose their shit," Sirius said in a low voice.
Her head whipped towards the Animagus.
He wore a frown, not joking in the slightest.
Fuck, he's right. Ava's fingers tightened around her wand. I don't want to make myself a target—or, at least, not an even bigger one.
Dorea had already warned her to keep an eye out for any sort of retaliation from the upper echelon of Wizarding society because of her performance at the New Year's Eve Ball, though the older witch had said that it could amount to nothing more than a social snub, like not being invited to another event.
But with how the Slytherins were reacting to her magical ability now, it would not be a good idea for any potential Death Eaters to know how skilled she'd become at dueling.
The furrow on Sirius's brow deepened, his thoughts seemingly along the same lines as hers.
I'll just have to tone it down. She nodded to herself, turning back around to continue practicing the Extension Charm on the coin purse that sat on her desk. Yeah, that's it. I won't show my full strength, in any of my classes.
I'll just be the weak—she clenched her jaw—mediocre—she flicked her wand with more force than necessary—newbie. Ava squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to keep her frustration from turning into tears. Why does this have to be so fucking hard? Watching her every step was becoming tedious as all hell.
A concoction of positive feelings wafted across her bond with Remus. Comfort. Encouragement. Love. Support.
She flashed him a smile and murmured, "I love you too."
James released a groan and looked to the ceiling. "Why me?"
"As if your lovey-dovey behavior hasn't been nauseating over the years, Prongs," Sirius whispered, eye-roll evident in his voice.
Ava covered her laughter with a cough, but Remus and Peter didn't bother, drawing attention from Professor Flitwick.
The wizard fixed them with a dead stare and raised an inquisitive brow, as if to say, Care to share with the class?
She immediately set about performing the next spell on the review list and ignored Sirius's muttering of "swot" from over her shoulder.
Though, when Flitwick turned his back, she may have sent a Stinging Hex back at the Animagus, triggering a yelp from him and chuckles from the other Marauders.
Ava grinned as she looked down at her notes before peeking at Severus.
"I don't know what that was about, but would it kill you to focus, McGonagall?" he whispered in an irritated tone.
She huffed, but did as he asked, knowing he was right. Those Marauders were certainly a distraction, but she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
At the end of the lesson, Professor Flitwick requested that Ava stay back for a moment. She waved on Remus and her Gryffindor friends, knowing they had to trek out to the greenhouses next. She even shooed a reluctant looking Severus. "I know how to get to Potions," she said before turning to join the professor at his desk.
"Yes, sir?"
"I only wanted to check in with you, Miss McGonagall," Flitwick told her with a smile. "You seemed quite comfortable during the lesson and I'd say that based on your skill level, you're exactly right where you belong." His brows furrowed. "Though, I found myself surprised by your choice of seat."
Her smile from his praise faltered. "Yes, well—I find myself with friends in both houses, sir."
He nodded. "I understand. I'd just like to remind you to be careful."
For a moment, she was taken aback by his words, but then recalled that he was just as aware of the political climate as she was, being a member of the Order and all.
"Of course."
With a polite dismissal from Flitwick, Ava headed out into the hallway, finding Severus waiting for her.
"Finally," he grumbled, pushing off the stone wall.
Her brows shot up. "What are you doing here?"
"As class was letting out, there were some mutterings among my housemates and yours thought it would be a good idea to stick around." He frowned. "Your precious boys actually seemed to trust me to wait for you."
The words lacked the usual venom, surprising Ava. Maybe they'll actually manage to be civil to each other.
"And besides, I've got Transfiguration." He shrugged. "It's on the way to the dungeons anyhow, and I thought it best to accompany you."
The reminder of fifth year Potions had her nearly groaning aloud. Slughorn was a slow and hands-off teacher, and Ava always learned way more in a single study session with Severus than she did in a week's worth of Potions classes.
But her nose wrinkled at the implication of her best friend's words once they registered. "I don't need protection, Severus."
He raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
With a huff, she crossed her arms. "I really don't think that's necessary."
"And I do."
Ava rolled her eyes at the familiar edge to his voice. He firmly believed he was right and she was wrong, and that was that. She spun on her heel, heading in the directions of both the dungeons and Transfiguration classroom.
Severus caught up to her. He sighed, and though he muttered under his breath, she heard him clear enough. "Must you always find ways to provoke others?"
"It's not my fault they can't handle a little bit of change."
He gripped her arm. "For fuck's sake, Ava," he growled, "please just think through your actions for once."
She yanked him to a stop in the middle of the corridor, drawing looks from students passing by. "Excuse me?" she asked through clenched teeth, leaning close to him.
He let out a sharp breath. "Fine. For the most part, you're not a complete idiot, but—"
"What?" she snapped.
"—sometimes you rush into things without considering the consequences."
She scoffed. "Like what?" But before he could speak, she blurted out, "Besides Firewhisky. That doesn't count."
He nearly smiled, but continued with his reprimand, frown deepening as he spoke. "Like today. You singled out our friendship for everyone to see."
"So?" She crossed her arms. "We study together all the time."
Severus nodded. "Yes, but it's one thing when it's behind closed doors, so to speak, and another to put it on display in front of everyone. Especially, when other Gryffindors rally to your side."
The worry lacing his tone gave her pause. "What do you mean?" she whispered.
"You're shifting the power dynamics between our houses and between myself and the other Slytherins," he explained, sounding tired. "I've managed to keep them off my back for a few years now, but I'm afraid your little stunt today is going to start them up again."
Her stomach dropped and her magic rose to the surface, buzzing in agitation. Because he's a Half-blood, who used to be friends with a Muggleborn, and is now friends with a Half-blood—who's in Gryffindor—who, in their eyes, is practically a blood-traitor. But Aunt Minerva adopted me. I'm seen as Pureblood now. Still a blood-traitor.
Ava shook herself, mind darting back to the fact that the Slytherins might go after Severus. She took a deep breath, attempting to settle her temper and magic, and placed her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry Severus, I wasn't thinking about it that way."
"I know," he said softly, pulling on her to continue their path down the hallway. "I know you didn't mean to cause any harm."
Guilt picked at Ava, warring with concern over if the wannabe Death Eaters were to start bullying him again. She didn't know how bad it used to be. Her fists clenched at her sides, magic swirling in an angry heat, ready to defend her friend.
"What do you think they'll do?" she asked, knowing they'd part ways for their separate classes just a bit further down the hall. "What will they do to retaliate against me flaunting our friendship?" She couldn't help the sneer that formed on her lips, thinking of the closed-minded assholes that they had to contend with.
Though it wouldn't be just her and Severus that would have to deal with them. She couldn't forget. The seventh year Slytherins would all have a role in the upcoming war, but only if she couldn't manage to keep her head on straight and take care of shit as planned.
Her magic pulsed in her chest, startling Ava from her thoughts.
Severus had slowed to a stop near Transfiguration, but was staring at the floor. "I don't know," he murmured. He met her eyes briefly before looking away with a sigh. "It doesn't matter. I'll be fine." He headed towards the classroom.
She reached out, desperately wanting to wrap him up in a hug, but settled for squeezing his arm. "Let me know what I can do."
He nodded and walked into Transfiguration.
For the first time, Ava considered ditching class. Her nerves were all jumbled while her magic was riled up and she dreaded being stuck in the dungeons, unable to stand by Severus in case anything happened.
She bit her lip. It wasn't like she could just waltz into her aunt's classroom and hang out with the seventh year Slytherins all day. But maybe—she stepped towards the room, then paused. No. Yeah, I could.
She straightened her back and lifted her nose, mustering up as much sophisticated, Pureblood air as she could before gliding right through the door as if she belonged there. Though, she was beyond grateful that the lesson hadn't started yet. That would've been embarrassing.
Ignoring the looks and whispers from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff alike, Ava kept her gaze locked on her guardian and approached her desk. "Aunt Minerva?" she asked politely, but loud enough to make sure her voice carried.
The professor turned to her, brows raised, but managed to keep the surprise from her tone. "Avalynn, can I help you, dear?"
Ava lowered her voice and leaned closer before saying, "Can you keep an eye on my friend?" She was too nervous to say his name aloud in case others overheard. "It seems our friendship isn't being taken kindly to by his peers."
McGonagall's face hardened. "Of course. Nothing will happen in my class."
She beamed, knowing her aunt would take care of Severus as if he were one of the professor's own lions. "Just don't be too obvious please," she added with a whisper.
Aunt Minerva nodded and then waved her wand, summoning a small piece of parchment. She handed it to Ava. "You'll likely need this as you'll be late for Potions."
Taking the note for Slughorn in case he gave her a hard time, she began to back away towards the door and overheard two of the Hufflepuffs gossiping.
"I heard that McGonagall adopted her."
"Yeah, that's what Marlene told me."
Good, she thought with a smirk.
"That'd make her a Pureblood now, wouldn't it?"
Her smirk widened, but Ava made sure to wipe it off her face before spinning back around to the class at the threshold of the door. "Thanks again, Aunt Minerva," she called out over the din of chitchat from the students.
Before leaving, she allowed her eyes to briefly sweep over the Slytherins. Nott and McNair looked disgruntled, which was good enough for her. Ava practically skipped to Potions, content in the fact that at least the Pureblood douchebags would now have to recognize her "status" within their society. It also didn't hurt to remind them that she was related to one of the most formidable professors at Hogwarts and she wasn't afraid to use that connection if necessary.
Knowing Severus was in good hands, at least while in Transfiguration, her worry dissipated and magic cooled and settled down.
Ava's spirits lifted even further when an idea sparked for Severus's birthday—she remembered that Charlus and Sirius had mentioned over the break that the house elves would take requests. I'll have to stop by the Kitchens later. She couldn't wait for the rest of the week to hurry up. Severus's birthday—Benedict's surprise flying lesson—Animagus training with Severus and Regulus. She grinned. Despite the rough start in Charms, things were actually starting to look up.
Once again, I'm sorry for taking so long between updates! But now it should be about every two-three weeks :)
Who's ready for some fun now that they're back at Hogwarts? ;D
