Author's Note: I can NOT believe that this story has almost 700 followers and nearly 550 favorites. This makes me SO happy and that is all thanks to you! Yes, you! Thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart for all of the support and encouragement you lovely readers have given me since the start :D
Review shout-out: A huge thank you to amk41196, Scarlet247, EmeraldGhost11, convalla91, and Justforloveknows
BTW: This picks up right after the last chapter, so we're still on their first day of classes after the holidays.
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 55
Ava slid into her spot at the Gryffindor table with a smile. Despite the initial tension of the morning in Charms with the Slytherins, the day was turning around. Potions had actually been fun since they were able to brew, and because there was an odd number of students, she was without a partner for the class. But that was perfectly fine with her as she preferred working on her own when she wasn't with Severus.
Remus bumped her shoulder gently and grasped her hand under the table. "I take it Potions went well?" he asked before grabbing another bite of his lunch.
"Yeah, it was great. We brewed Draught of Peace, and even just smelling it was calming." She squeezed his fingers and sent a little burst of affection to her werewolf through the bond, then busied herself with piling food onto her plate.
Peter snorted from the other side of Remus. "No wonder you and Sniv—" He was cut off when Remus must've thrown an elbow into his ribs. "What was that for?" Peter snapped.
Sirius cleared his throat, drawing Ava's gaze across the table. "I think what Peter was trying to say, is that Snape clearly enjoys Potions, so it's no surprise that you do too." He eyed Peter as he emphasized her friend's name.
Ava smiled at Sirius, appreciating the effort he was putting forth to be civil where Severus was concerned. "Thanks." The corners of her mouth turned down when she made eye contact with Lily.
The redhead opened her mouth to say something, but shook herself and resumed eating her lunch.
While Ava was determined to have Sirius and Regulus reconcile, she wasn't sure about Severus and Lily. But she knew without a doubt that she would need to speak to Severus about it first if she was going to attempt anything. He would likely never forgive her if she just locked him in a room with Lily, without warning, and forced them to speak to one another. She smiled to herself, considering doing exactly that with the Black brothers.
"I don't like the look on your face, Ava," James said. "It's far too devious."
Sirius chuckled from next to him. "It better not be another prank. We still haven't gotten you back from over break."
She gulped. Shit. She had completely forgotten about making their hair fall out.
Lily burst into giggles and covered her mouth, appearing surprised at herself.
James pouted in her direction. "C'mon, Lils. It wasn't that funny."
Remus and Peter didn't even attempt to conceal their laughter.
Ava smiled. "Yeah, it really was." She glanced at Lily, who was still trying to keep it together. "Remember how smooth and shiny their heads were?"
Lily pressed her lips together, cheeks turning red.
"And their cries of terror when they realized what had happened?" Ava added, now starting to crack up herself.
A loud laugh escaped from Lily and she shook her head. "It was—so—funny," she gasped out. At James's affronted expression, she said, "You would've thought you two were being attacked."
With a frown, Sirius's hand drifted up to his head. "My glorious locks were attacked—viciously assaulted, even." He tossed his long, black hair over his shoulder in a dramatic fashion, prompting more laughter around the table.
Alice piped up from the other side of Lily. "Let me get this straight—Ava pranked you guys?" she asked, pointing a finger at James and Sirius.
The boys nodded.
"And all their hair fell out," Peter said, sounding a tad proud.
Ava leaned forward to catch his eye.
The rat Animagus grinned at her.
Maybe we could be friends. I'll set up a study session with Lily and Remus and maybe he'll tag along.
Alice smiled. "That's too good." She looked to Ava. "Nice job."
James scoffed. "I doubt she'll do it again, not after we get our revenge."
He and Sirius shared a look that made Ava's stomach drop. She hadn't really considered any retaliation on their part when she planned to prank them.
Remus patted the top of her thigh. "Just remember to take it easy on her guys, it was only her first time after all."
She rolled her eyes. Of course, her soulmate wouldn't try to talk them out of pranking her back. Bro code and all that. Ava mentally sighed. She knew she'd want some sort of revenge too if she had been on the receiving end of a prank from James and Sirius. But once they got even, she promised herself to just let it go. She wasn't sure she'd have the magical, prankster creativity that the Marauders did if it came to a prank war.
I just hope whatever they do, it isn't too public—or at least doesn't last too long.
She was pulled from her worries when Remus leaned towards her.
"You know, I didn't get the chance to complain earlier—when you dragged us all over to the Slytherins' side of the Charms classroom."
His tone was light and teasing, but it still made her gut churn, recalling how Severus might be treated now. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down at her lap. "I wasn't thinking, I—"
"Did something happen?" he asked, playfulness absent from his voice as his fingers laced with hers.
She shook her head. "No, but—"
"But nothing," Sirius said from across the table.
Ava's head whipped up.
"It wasn't a big deal," he continued.
Her mouth hung open, unable to form words at his sudden support.
Sirius's eyes darted to her side. "Right, Remus?"
"Of course, love." He squeezed her hand. "It was just surprising is all, but nothing came of it."
"Besides," James said, "it's fun to stir up trouble every now and then with the snakes."
She flashed them a smile, but knew it was weak when Remus repeated his question.
"Did something happen?"
"No." She waved him off, hoping there really wasn't anything to worry about.
Glancing around the library table at all of her Slytherin friends, Avalynn realized how much she had missed them all over the past couple of weeks. Even the little firsties that were more of Benedict's friends than anything. She was glad that Severus was willing to tolerate the others and happiness bubbled up inside her thinking about how their study group had grown, spanning three tables now.
She shook herself and focused on the task at hand. Prank preparation. Ava was brushing up on any spells that would allow her to detect a potential prank—how to identify if a drink had been altered, or if a spell had been placed on her, anything that could help.
Regulus snorted from her side. "Paranoid, are we?"
She huffed. "You would be too."
Severus peeked at the book in front of her and sneered. "You'd better be on your guard." His expression softened minutely. "Though, I can't imagine they'd do anything quite as cruel as they have in the past." To me, was left unsaid.
Ava fumed at the reminder of how the Marauders had treated Severus before she had arrived and magic rose to the surface of her skin, heating it.
"Ava?" Benedict called softly.
Her eyes snapped to him and her anger simmered, thoughts of Severus being bullied receding into the background. "Yes?"
Once she had finished helping Benedict work through his Transfiguration essay, Ava returned to the book that would hopefully help her stop any prank in its tracks before it was too late. She flipped open to the page, ready to dive back in, when Rabastan let out a deep chuckle across the table from her.
Looking to the wizard, who was yet another disruption, she quirked a brow. "Yes?"
He smirked. "Nothing. I just find your choice of bookmark interesting."
Ava frowned and glanced down. She could feel herself blushing when she spotted what he was so amused by. "Oh hush," she hissed, knowing it was a silly, sentimental thing to do, keeping the ribbon from Rabastan's Christmas present to her.
Thankfully, Severus came to her rescue. "Nearly anything makes a decent bookmark if pressed for time," he asserted.
Rabastan winked at her. "Oh, I'm sure."
Ava rolled her eyes, partly at him, but also at herself. She shouldn't let his ridiculous teasing get to her, especially when they were both highly aware that neither had any sort of romantic feelings for the other.
The group settled back into their schoolwork for a while longer before another interruption arrived. Ava nearly groaned aloud at the throat clearing from over her shoulder, but when she turned around and saw it was Remus, her irritation fled.
The werewolf laughed. "No need to look so shocked."
She shook her head. "No, it's just—," she glanced at Severus to find him suppressing amusement, "—well— ," she looked back to Remus and lowered her voice, "—you don't study with us."
Someone at the table snorted, attempting to hide a laugh, no doubt.
Realizing how her words may have come across, she quickly blurted out, "But you can, if—if you want. Study—with us."
The smile Remus flashed her in combination with the adoration and encouragement flooding their bond nearly melted her heart. He stepped closer to the table and leaned down to peck a kiss on the top of her hair.
They both disregarded the fake retching noise in the background.
He whispered, "I didn't mean to make you feel guilty, love. I just wanted to see you—be near you."
And now her heart dissolved into a puddle. She felt utterly precious to have him seek her out, just to spend time with her. She cast her eyes to Severus, but his gaze was on Remus.
"Lupin," he said politely. "You're welcome to join us."
Ava beamed at her best friend, despite the fact that he didn't budge an inch to make room for Remus.
"Of course," Regulus added, shuffling his chair further away from Ava so that Remus could pull up a seat.
Before the werewolf could sit down, she looked around the group at the younger Slytherins. "Boys, is it okay if Remus joins us?"
Benedict nodded vigorously, with his two buddies following suit, but Barty eyed Remus warily.
Her soulmate's fingers gripped her shoulder as he sighed.
Barty locked gazes with her, shoulders tense. "As long as you're okay with it," he said softly.
"I am."
His posture relaxed and he nodded. "Good."
Ava let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. For a second there, she'd been worried that Barty would actually have a problem with Remus. Granted, they hadn't met one another yet, but he knew that she and Remus were together. Oh. Duh.
"Okay, everyone," she announced, clapping her hands together as Remus settled beside her. "This is Remus. Yes, he's a Gryffindor, and yes—he's a Marauder. But he's a good one. You don't need to be all on edge, or whatever, around him."
"Ava—" Remus whispered, sounding embarrassed.
She shushed him with a look. "No." Glancing around at the Slytherins, she added, "Besides, I'm a Gryffindor too. So, relax." With varying looks of acknowledgment and nods from the wizards, she continued with the introductions. "Remus, you know Severus and Regulus, but this is Barty, and he's a third-year." She turned to the first-years with a grin. "And these little ones," she said, ignored their pouts, "are Benedict, Conrad, and Max."
Remus appeared to be holding back laughter at her teasing of the firsties. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
After a moment of silence, she snapped her fingers. "Alright, back to work." She wagged her finger, pointing at the books and parchment scattered in front of the students. After managing to get a small smile out of Barty, Ava felt a little better. She'd forgotten how hesitant he could be around new people in close quarters.
Of course, just as everyone was nearly back into study mode, Rabastan opened his big mouth. "You might want to keep an eye on your witch, Lupin." He waggled his eyebrows at Ava and stared pointedly at the ribbon acting as a bookmark.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. I will not hex him. I will not hex him.
Remus gripped the top of her thigh under the table. "Yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Lestrange?"
Ava's eyes snapped open. He did not just say that! Her gaze bounced between her werewolf and Rabastan, mouth hanging wide.
Remus's lips were pressed together, but his eyes were green.
She narrowed her own and reached for their bond. All she found was amusement and only a flicker of annoyance.
While the Slytherin could usually mask his emotions, he wasn't managing so well at the moment. He looked terrified of Remus, as if the werewolf might reach across the table and pummel the kid for kissing his girlfriend. Rabastan raised his hands. "Look, Lupin—"
"Remus," she hissed, kicking his leg.
He turned to her with a smirk and tilted his head towards Rabastan. "Couldn't let him think he could get away with kissing my witch, could I?"
Regulus let out a genuinely scandalized gasp.
"Oh, good Lord," she said with a groan, rubbing her temples. "All I wanted to do today was study," she muttered under her breath. "But no." Peering around the table, Ava met the curious gazes of the first years, but upon catching her watching them, they sprung into action, driving back into their homework.
She leveled a glare at Rabastan with a pointed, threatening finger. "You—Remus was only teasing. He understands what happened—" she glanced at the little ones to make sure they were still putting their attention elsewhere "—and why it did." Her blazing eyes returned to Rabastan. "And—stop teasing me. Or else."
He gulped and nodded, picking up his quill.
She turned to Remus, still brandishing her finger, but now in his direction. "And you. Don't mess with him like that, it isn't funny."
He wore a remorseful expression, and as soon as his puppy-dog eyes began to make an appearance, she held up a hand.
"Nope, not gonna work." She smirked and leaned a little closer to him, but kept her voice loud enough for the older Slytherins to hear. "Not to mention, I could tease you endlessly about the Potters' throw pillow that didn't survive our conversation when I explained what had happened."
"Ava," Remus whined.
"Nope," she said, popping the "p." In the heat of the moment, she could understand why he decimated the pillow, which happened to be the closest object, upon hearing that she'd had to kiss another male, but that didn't mean that she couldn't poke fun at him for it. Fortunately, he and Moony had both been understanding enough due to the circumstances of the kiss and were both soothed by the fact that she found the kiss as revolting as she did. It also helped that Rabastan wasn't interested in her that way.
She looked to Regulus, lowering her threatening finger. "You, get a hold of yourself. It's 1978, not the 1800s."
He huffed.
She turned to Severus last, with a smidge of guilt making its presence known. With everything going on, it hadn't occurred to Ava that she should probably tell her best friend what had transpired between herself and Rabastan when they were sneaking around for the Horcrux. She'd pushed it aside as not really that important, but from the slight pinch of his lips and raised brow, Severus wasn't impressed with her choice.
Before she could defend herself, he spoke. "It's fine." He dipped his quill in ink and continued with his schoolwork once again.
She bit her lip in worry, but resolved to discuss it with him later.
Affection and support blossomed in her chest and she looked to Remus knowingly.
The group settled into their typical routine with the new addition fitting in seamlessly. Remus assisted the first years along with Ava, and he even jumped into a discussion between Barty and Regulus about Defense. He offered an explanation that Ava was about to give herself, so it allowed her to refocus on the same book she had started with.
She closed her eyes with a sigh, knowing she wouldn't be getting any further into her anti-prank research for the day. She only hoped that James and Sirius would take some time to plan their retaliation.
Ava strode down the empty corridor with a little pep in her step. As far as she was concerned, the first day of classes was a success. The cherry on top was the gobsmacked reactions of the other seventh year Gryffindors when Remus revealed where he had been just before dinner. Even James, Lily, and Sirius were surprised that the werewolf had affixed himself to Ava's Slytherin study group and then proceeded to defend how easy the snakes were to get along with.
It also didn't hurt that she was able to finish off the day dueling with Severus and they were able to clear the air between them. He seemed hesitant to admit what was bothering him so much, but he finally did. As best friends, he was under the assumption that they would tell each other things like what happened between her and Rabastan and Severus questioned whether she was losing faith in his ability to keep information to himself—which threw her for a loop.
After a bit of needling, she realized that he was only worried that she was pulling away from him, having found other friendships. Though it required a bit of tough love on her part, she had made it explicitly clear to Severus that she wasn't going anywhere and he'd never be rid of her at this point. To illustrate this fact, she'd "manhandled" him once again in a bear hug that "lasted an eternity" in his opinion, but the wizard was smiling by the end of the conversation and that's all she'd wanted.
It was a bit creepy in the dark castle hallway by herself, but considering how close to curfew it was, she and Severus had needed to part ways back at the Room of Requirement. On the bright side, that meant Ava could stop in the Kitchens and figure out how to go about baking a cake for her best friend's birthday.
As she stood on her tiptoes to reach the pear, a slight twinge of pain shot through her calf muscle.
She'd been lucky that Severus had potions on hand and that he'd been studying healing spells because if they hadn't been quick enough to heal the Slicing Hex that hit her calf, it would've left a scar. She knew without a doubt that Remus would've noticed the blemish at some point, and Moony wouldn't have let him back down until she explained where the injury had come from. While her soulmate knew she was pushing herself hard and that Severus would never actually hurt her, he wasn't aware of how seriously they took their duels together.
Though, he has to have some idea, considering I'm going to train with Moody, she thought, descending into the Kitchens. The sight that met Ava was the same as always and continued to impress her. So many actions taking place at once, elves cleaning, cooking, prepping ingredients, and most by magic.
"Hello," she called out, feeling a bit bad for interrupting the working house elves.
In a blink, one had popped over, directly in front of her.
She startled, but tried to hide it.
"Yes Missus?" the elf asked in a squeaky voice.
"I wanted to see if I would be allowed to use the kitchen."
All movement behind the house elf screeched to a halt, the silence deafening.
Oh boy. She swallowed. "Uh—um," her words died off.
Another elf, seeming older with his wrinkling skin, appeared next to the first one. He donned an apron with food stains and held a large metal spoon in a hand. "Missus wants to use the kitchens?"
She nodded and forced herself to maintain eye contact with the house elf though his tone made her feel like she was being chastised.
And it appeared she was. The little elf raised the spoon, pointing it at her. "If Missus has complaints, take them to the Headmaster."
Her eyes widened and she waved her hands frantically. "No, no, no, no. That's not it at all."
The older elf glared at her with his hands on his hips.
Murmurs and grumbling broke out amongst the dozens of house elves still gawking at her.
"Um, Flopsy?" she called out. A second later, Ava breathed out a sigh of relief with the elf's appearance.
"Missus?" Flopsy asked, eyes darting back and forth between herself and the group of elves now gathering just behind the counter-top separating the dining area and kitchens.
"She wants to use the kitchens!" the first elf that spoke to Ava explained.
Flopsy's eyes seemed to grow even larger than they already were. "Is Missus not satisfied?"
She couldn't hold back her groan of frustration. "No!" she shouted to all the elves listening. "I love the food you cook. It's delicious! I'm completely satisfied with everything you guys do." She returned the smiles now breaking out among the house elves.
Turning to the grumpy house elf and Flopsy, she said, "I'd like to bake a cake for my friend's birthday. That's all I want to use the kitchen for."
"Tell us what yous want, and we bake it," the elf with the spoon said.
"But I'd like to do it myself."
Flopsy stared at her a long moment, then launched into an animated conversation with the elves standing closest to her.
Ava's brows shot up when she realized she couldn't understand the language they were speaking. She had no idea that house elves had their own language. But since Flopsy seemed to be negotiating on her behalf, she knew now wasn't the time to ask about it.
The air in the Kitchens grew tense as Flopsy raised her voice and stomped her little foot. With crossed arms, she turned back to Ava. "I tried to explain that Missus is strange, not like other wizards and witches, but Mugsy won't listen. Can yous explain why yous must make the cake?"
Ava brushed aside her offense at being called strange and tried to think of the best way to get the house elves to understand. "How does it make you feel when you provide food and care to everyone in Hogwarts?"
"Good, Missus," said another elf, standing behind Flopsy. "Like warm fuzzies."
She could see the other elves nodding. "Do you feel proud? Knowing that your work makes us comfortable and happy?"
Even Mugsy nodded along this time.
"Well, that's how it'll make me feel to bake the cake myself. It's for my best friend, for his birthday. I want it to be special for him."
Flopsy glanced at Mugsy out of the corner of her eye, but then looked back to Ava and made a little gesture with her head like Ava needed to keep going.
"I—uh—you'd really be helping me out if you allow me access to the Kitchens, but I'll still need some help with the ingredients and decorating the cake."
Mugsy stared her down.
She gave him a smile. "Please?"
The elf's little shoulders slumped and his glare softened. "Fine." He snapped and vanished before Ava could even say thank you.
But she still thanked Flopsy and all the other elves who were close enough to hear. After being instructed to come back whenever she had time to work on the cake, and that the elves would keep it safe in the Kitchens for her, Ava headed to her quarters.
Lamenting that she still needed to finish the book about detecting spells, she stepped through the door to her rooms and was greeted by Aunt Minerva sitting at the dining room table.
"Hello, dear. Cutting it a little close, aren't you?"
She huffed and flung herself onto the couch. "I know. I wanted to stop by the Kitchens though and it seemed like a good time."
"Whatever for?" the professor asked, her voice coming closer.
Ava sat up. "I want to bake Severus a cake for his birthday, but I need an oven for that."
Her aunt smiled as she took a seat in the armchair. "I think that's a lovely idea. Are the elves amenable to it?"
"It took some convincing, but yes." Ava pulled her knees up to her chest and lowered her head, closing her eyes, just wanting to rest them for a moment. She hadn't known the first day back in classes would be so tiring.
"Dear, a letter came for you."
Opening her eyes, she found it resting on the coffee table in front of her. The small piece of beige parchment was folded in on itself to resemble an envelope.
"Based on the chicken-scratch handwriting, I'd say it's from Alastor."
Her hand shot forward of its own accord and gripped the letter tightly. She unfurled the paper carefully.
McGonagall,
Send me your class schedule so I can plan a day and time for your training sessions.
Moody
She laughed and shook her head, realizing that she shouldn't have been so surprised at his short message.
"What is it?"
Ava handed the letter over.
Her aunt tsked. "That's Alastor, alright."
A thrill of excitement ran through her body, and her magic perked up, buzzing in anticipation of the challenge she would surely face against Moody. She hastily collected a parchment and quill to scribble out her schedule, just giving him the bare bones as he asked. She'd have to figure out a way to squeeze in the study sessions, Animagus training, and the upcoming Apparition course as well, but only once Moody selected a time for her training.
I can't believe I'm going to be training with Moody. Alastor Moody. Mad-Eye. This is insane. Her enthusiasm dimmed. I'm going to train with an Auror, an actual Auror. I'm not ready for this. But knowing that the training was set up by Dumbledore, even when she protested, Ava felt as though she had to follow through. Not to mention, it was probably a good idea to test her abilities against a skilled wizard like Moody more regularly.
Once she'd asked Flopsy to owl the response, Ava dove into Charms and Potions to take her anxious mind off of waiting for Moody's reply. Just as she was getting ready for bed, an owl pecked on the kitchen window. As she hadn't mastered her fright around owls being in such close proximity, Aunt Minerva was the one to retrieve the parchment tied to the bird's leg while she remained at the dining table. After dismissing the owl, the older witch handed Ava an even smaller piece of paper.
Tuesday/Thursday 8:30-10:30pm. We start tomorrow.
She swallowed thickly and read the message again. Tomorrow.
"When shall you be training, dear?"
Ava tore her eyes away from the parchment to her aunt. "Tomorrow," she muttered, before throwing down the paper and stomping to the living area where there was enough room to pace. "Tomorrow!" She flung her hands in the air.
"What's tomorrow?" masculine voice asked from behind her.
With a shriek, she whirled to face the portrait above the fireplace. "Phineas! I swear to God, if you do that to me ever again, and I'll—I'll…" Her words drifted off with a frown. What can I even do to him?
The old wizard smirked.
She stomped her foot with a frustrated huff. "I'll—I'll turn that painting around!" Ava ignored the snort of laughter from her aunt and stuck her nose in the air. So there.
Phineas merely shrugged. "There are plenty of other portraits to occupy, Miss McGonagall." He approached the foreground of the painting, his image becoming slightly larger.
"I never said it was a perfect solution," she grumbled, falling into the arm chair with an exaggerated groan and sprawling herself all over the large seat.
He clicked his tongue. "Such unlady-like behavior."
She laughed. "You of all people, Phineas, should know that I'm no lady."
He quirked a brow. "Unfortunately, I have first-hand experience to know that is indeed the case."
A bark of laughter sounded from her aunt's bedroom.
She smiled and called out, "Something to say, Aunt Minerva?"
"No, dear. Nothing at all," the professor said, amusement clear in her tone.
Phineas's lips twitched.
Aunt Minerva raised her voice once again from the other room. "I'm going to bed now. Don't stay up too late, Avalynn."
"Yes, ma'am," she replied dutifully.
"Now, what was the cause of your monstrous display just a minute ago?" Phineas asked.
She hid a grin, finding the old wizard adorable when he'd lend a listening ear. "I just have a lot of work that's starting to pile up already, and it's only the first day back from break." She was also dreading the fact that she now would have to inform Severus that they would need to change around their own dueling practice and brewing schedule.
He frowned. "Be careful not to run yourself ragged."
Waving him off, she said, "I know, I know. I already learned my lesson with that before." Though, Ava supposed that when she magically exhausted herself before, that was back when the bond between her and Remus was still negatively affecting her. Shouldn't be a problem this time around.
"Is it more than just schoolwork you're concerned about, Avalynn?"
She nodded. "You remember how Dumbledore wanted me to start training with Moody, right? Well, we're starting tomorrow. And it's two nights a week. And we're even going until after curfew."
His brows shot up. "Well, I never." He stood. "Requesting that a student stay out that late at night? For what? Honing skills that are already above average?" he ranted, pacing across the portrait.
She smiled at his inner Headmaster emerging. 10:30 p.m. wasn't really that late. "I'm more worried about trying to do Animagus and Apparition training at the same time." Wait. "Did you just say that my skills are above average?"
Phineas huffed, coming to a stop. "You must know that, child." He made a shooing gesture. "No fishing for compliments."
Ava let the comment slide, but her heart warmed with the old wizard's approval. Changing the topic, she asked, "Did Aunt Minerva fill you in about what happened at Malfoy Manor?"
From the resulting glare Phineas pierced her with, the answer was a resounding "yes."
She ducked down sheepishly into the chair. "Well, you see…" she started and launched into a retelling of the night of when she and Severus had managed to sneak one of Voldemort's Horcruxes right past him.
The next morning in the Great Hall, Ava rolled her eyes at the Marauders' antics, mainly Sirius and James, as they sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. She raised her toast to take another bite when she spotted Severus walking through the massive doors.
Not walking. Limping.
All air vanished from her lungs as the toast clattered to her plate. Her magic roared to life and heat shot down her arms to her fingertips. She couldn't take her eyes off of Severus, slowly making his way to the Slytherin table.
Movement across from her indicated that Sirius had turned in his seat, but she refused to look, needing her best friend in sight.
"What happened to him?" she growled, fingers digging into the wooden table in an effort to quell the urge to go to Severus. The action wouldn't be welcome. Not just by him, but the entire table of Slytherins.
"We didn't do it," Sirius blurted out. "We haven't gone after him in ages."
Severus stopped between Lucius and Regulus. At least with those two wizards close by, she knew they wouldn't let anything too terrible happen to him.
Jaw clenched, her eyes flicked to Sirius. "I know it wasn't you."
Ava's gaze returned to Severus, who was now attempting to sit down and appearing to hold back a grimace of pain.
A wave of hot anger swept through her. Voice low and hard as stone, she said, "Whoever it was will wish they'd never been born." Her magic tingled in twisted delight, and she had the oddest urge to bare her teeth. Her lip curled.
Remus gripped one of her hands and threaded their fingers together.
Not a second later, uneasiness and worry cascaded through her bond, prompting Ava to look at him.
A deep frown marred his face as he peered at their laced fingers. "Uh, love, I think you need to calm down."
She snarled in response. Actually snarled. She returned her watchful gaze to Severus.
"Look at me," Remus whispered in a firm tone.
Continuing to watch her best friend, Ava's lip rose to let out a low growl.
"Look at me," he snapped.
Tearing her eyes from Severus, she turned her head slightly to Remus. Amber eyes met hers.
"Don't sass me, my mate," he said firmly, his fingers intertwining with one of her hands. "I'm sure he's fine."
She nearly growled at Remus again, but bit her lip instead. Part of her wanted to push back against the werewolf and storm over to the Slytherin table, but the other part of her knew that would only make things worse. And in the far recesses of her mind, Ava knew she wasn't acting normal at the moment.
"Close your eyes," Remus said. "Take a deep breath."
She did as he instructed. Though it took several breaths, her magic and whatever wolfy side of her she had, calmed down. Remus's scent, mixed with James, Lily, and Sirius's wafting over settled her anger and her need to check on Severus.
Remus wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I'm sure he's alright, love."
A pathetic whine slipped from her lips and she buried her face into his shoulder.
Her werewolf whispered, "I needed you to calm down because your hand was heating up. Like really fucking hot. Like fire."
"Merlin, Ava," Sirius breathed out.
She cracked an eye open and peeked at him.
"You alright now?"
She took another long, deep inhale of her soulmate's scent before lifting her head and nodding. "I think so," she whispered.
James was staring at her with wide eyes, and Peter let out a weak laugh, expression wary.
Sirius chuckled. "And you all say I have a flair for the dramatics."
His little joke managed to break the tension that had fallen upon them since Ava had uttered her murderous intent aloud. Glancing around the table, it didn't seem that anyone other than the Marauders had witnessed her melt down.
Thank God. I really need to find out what's going on with that fire bullshit. I could ask Professor Fell, he seemed to know what it was. Or Moody. Yeah, I'll ask Moody.
For the remainder of the meal, Ava pushed her food around with her fork, but couldn't manage another bite. Every minute or so, Remus would soothingly whisper reassurances about her packmate being fine. It had completely slipped her mind that whatever little bit of wolf she inherited from the soulmate bond with Remus recognized Severus as pack. It was no wonder she was acting so much like Moony since her friend had limped his way into the Great Hall.
As soon as Severus left the Slytherin table, Ava gathered up her bag and dashed to the exit, muttering quick goodbyes to Remus and the others.
"Severus!" she called out once she managed to slip through the doors, but Ava hadn't needed to yell so loudly as he hadn't made it very far down the corridor.
His lips were pressed into a thin line. "Come, if you must." Without waiting for a response, he spun and continued walking, robes billowing behind him.
She huffed and caught up to him. "What happened? What happened to you? Why are you limping? Who did it?"
"Enough, witch. Too many questions." He didn't even look at her, just kept trudging down the hall.
"Too many questions?" she repeated, her voice raising in pitch and volume.
His head snapped to her. "Yes," he hissed, eyes darting over their shoulders. "Just let it go. I'll be fine."
"Oh, no you fucking don't," she said, snatching his arm and pulling him into a darkened alcove behind a tapestry. "Lumos."
The blue light revealed Severus's extremely pissed off expression.
"Tell. Me. What. Happened," she growled, fingers tightly gripping her wand.
Severus's features morphed into confusion and she knew her wolfy attitude had slipped through her words.
Ava shook herself, trying to keep the angry canine and magic at bay. Now that she knew what signs to look for, it was worrisome when her skin began to heat and she felt flushed.
"What's happening with you?" Severus asked curiously.
She stomped her foot. "Nothing. I want to know who went after you." Her magic swirled in a torrent behind her ribs.
His mask dropped into place. "No one. I tripped, but I wasn't able to heal it properly, so I'm going to the Hospital Wing."
Her nostrils flared and eyes narrowed. "Fine. Then you won't mind me checking you over for other injuries." Not giving Severus time to protest, Ava reached out with her unoccupied hand to poke and prod at him.
He hissed in pain when her fingers jabbed at his ribs.
"I fucking knew it," she grounded out around clenched teeth. Her fingers flexed around her wand. "Tell me who did this and I'll take care of it."
Severus appeared taken aback for a moment, but then his expression turned stormy. He drew close and even the dim blue light from her wand was enough to see that his dark eyes were cold. "Don't you think you've done enough?"
Ava rocked back from him, the venom in his tone slapping her across the face. Her heart stopped. He hadn't spoken to her like that since the night he found out that the werewolf that nearly killed him was her soulmate. Eyes filling with tears, she ducked her head. "I'm sorry. I told you yesterday I was sorry." Ava clenched her jaw, taking a moment to collect herself. Though it didn't work—her voice cracked as she said, "I don't have to sit next to you in Charms, if you don't want me to. And we don't have to spend as much time together anymore if you don't want to."
Severus released a heavy sigh and muttered under his breath, "Fuck." His arms wrapped around her, pressing her face to his chest. "Of course I want to. Don't think that—never think that." His grip tightened. "I'm sorry too."
She inhaled his scent deeply and couldn't help but notice it soothed her magic and the restless need to see him protected. He was safe as long as she was with him.
He continued, still holding her close. "I do sincerely apologize, Ava. I'm a part of our friendship just as much as you are."
She sniffled, pulling away from his chest. "But—"
"Don't worry about me," he breathed out quickly. "There's no point in changing our behavior now anyhow. The others know that we're friends and unless we bring an end to our friendship, publicly, they'll continue to taunt me. But that's all it is. The dunderheads are hardly going to severely hurt me."
She bit her lip, wondering if that was the best way to handle the situation.
"Come now, get a hold of yourself, McGonagall," he said with a teasing lilt.
Ava took a deep breath and wiped any remnant tears away.
Severus's tone was more serious when he said, "I think we need to work on your Occlumency shields more."
"Why?"
"You need to get your emotions under control."
She didn't bother protesting. He was right.
"Why don't we meet up later in the Room of Requirement?" he asked.
"I actually have training with Moody tonight."
He sucked in a breath. "Oh."
"We're supposed to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-10:30."
"My, my. Special privileges for the niece of a professor, eh?"
Neither of them laughed at his half-hearted attempt at a joke.
Ava was surprised when he reached out to hold her hand.
"Please be careful. I don't like that Dumbledore's having you trained by the Head Auror."
She shuddered. "Me neither."
He squeezed her hand. "You'll tell me if you need anything, right?"
Quirking a brow, she said, "Only if you do the same."
Severus let out a sigh of exasperation, dropping her hand. "Fine. I will." He thrust a menacing finger in her face. "But no retaliation unless I say so, got it?"
She stood to attention and saluted. "Sir, yes, sir."
He rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous witch." He crept to the edge of the tapestry and took a peek out into the corridor. "Let's move quickly, before breakfast finishes."
Her heart clenched. "Wait," Ava blurted before launching herself at him and taking a giant whiff of his scent. The immediate panic that had risen at the notion of him leaving her presence receded.
He chuckled, chest vibrating.
"Don't laugh, it's so embarrassing."
Severus gave her a little hug and held her at arm's length. His expression was thoughtful as he whispered, "I don't mind it." His gaze dropped to the floor. "Even your magic finds me worthy of being a friend."
She couldn't stop the tears that gathered in her eyes. "Of course it does," she said firmly.
He lifted his head and looked pained. "Don't cry again, please don't."
Ava gave a watery laugh and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine. We should go."
He nodded and glanced outside the tapestry once more. "It's clear." He pulled the fabric to the side, allowing her to exit into the empty corridor.
"Can I walk with you to the Hospital Wing?" she asked, still reluctant to let him leave her sight.
Severus shook his head. "You'll be late for Transfiguration."
She fiddled with her fingers. "I'm sure Aunt Minerva would understand."
His eyes narrowed at her. "I'll be fine, Ava."
Though she loathed the situation, she nodded once. It was doubtful the older Slytherins would try anything during school hours. And she really wasn't sure if her aunt would excuse her tardiness.
"I'll see you later, in the library?" he asked, eyes scanning her face.
Worried that her voice would give her away, she merely nodded again, fisting her robes to keep from reaching out to him.
Severus pressed his lips together and she caught his fingers twitch towards her, but he shook himself and spun in the opposite direction, heading to the Hospital Wing.
Ava watched him round the corner and swallowed, throat tight. I am not going to break down in the middle of the corridor just because I won't see him until later. Severus was right. She really did need to get a rein on her emotions.
She spent the remainder of the day just going through the motions, her mind flitting between worry for Severus and nervousness for her training with Moody later that night. Being able to see her best friend at lunch helped minutely, but it didn't erase all of her concern since she couldn't help but wonder if he'd make an appearance tomorrow morning worse for wear once again.
During the meal, she kept to herself, which wasn't entirely out of character but mercifully, the boys and Lily left Ava to her thoughts. Whether that was because of her temper this morning or because they could tell she was mentally withdrawn, she didn't particularly care so long as they left her alone. Even Remus gently rubbing circles with his thumb on the back on her hand wasn't doing much to calm her nerves about her training with Moody, but she couldn't exactly tell him what was wrong at the lunch table, considering the other Marauders would overhear with their heightened senses.
Her study session with the Slytherins put Ava at ease for a short time, but worry rushed to the surface when Severus repeated that she shouldn't do anything in response to those who hurt him. It was killing her that she wasn't in a position to help. He said it would only make things worse if she got Aunt Minerva involved, and when she suggested Slughorn, Severus merely scoffed and changed the subject.
By the time 8:30 rolled around, her stomach was in knots. All day Ava struggled to quiet the voice in the back of her head telling her she wasn't ready to face Moody, regardless of how she faired before. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She rose a shaky hand to knock on the door of the abandoned classroom Dumbledore had instructed her to go to in a short missive she received during History of Magic.
A gruff bark of, "Enter!" sounded from the other side.
Ava stepped into the classroom, closing the door behind her, and wiped her sweaty palms on her robes. "Hello, sir." Though the space wasn't quite as large as the Room of Requirement, the same sort of dueling mat and practice dummies were set up. Relief swept through her at the familiarity.
"Miss McGonagall." The Auror stood off to the side of the mat, hands clasped behind his back. Like their last encounter, his piercing gaze was unnerving. Though it helped that Ava at least knew the identity of the wizard inspecting her this time, despite the lack of a wooden leg and roving, magical eye. He gestured to a small table and pair of chairs, moving to take a seat. On the table was an array of potions, the colors of which she recognized from her dueling with Severus.
She grinned at the sight. Maybe this will be fun. Ava wondered if there was something wrong with her when the presence of healing potions at a duel made her skin and magic tingle with excitement.
Moody cleared his throat.
Her attention turned to the Auror and she sat up straight in the chair.
A thick eyebrow was raised as he glanced between her face and the collection of potions sitting on the table, but he didn't ask her about it.
Not that I'd know what to say without sounding like a lunatic.
His voice was gravelly as he said, "I'm not sure what exactly the Headmaster has told you about our training sessions, but the goal if for you to learn how to protect yourself." He paused and eyed her as though to make sure she was listening.
She nodded.
He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "As such, we'll be going over defensive and offensive spells that you can use in practical scenarios, whether for self-protection or for those around you."
Her brows furrowed and she opened her mouth to ask a question, but he continued.
"You'll not be participating in missions for the Order or anything of the sort. This training is strictly for self-defense."
Ava's shoulders dropped and she let out a sigh. Thank God. She didn't trust Dumbledore after the look in his eyes when he saw her duel Moody, but it seemed like all her worry was for nothing.
Moody chuckled at her reaction. "That doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you, lass."
She sniffed and crossed her arms. "I don't expect you to."
His eyes narrowed at the hint of sass in her tone, but he seemed willing to ignore it. "Any questions before we start?"
Ava tilted her head. "How long are we going to train for? What kind of time-frame are we looking at here?"
Moody gave her a wicked smile and stood. "That all depends on you, Miss McGonagall." He drew his wand.
She shot to her feet and flicked her wrist. She clutched her Blackthorn tight, worried he might hex her before she even made it to the mat.
"Let's see your skills, shall we?"
The Auror instructed her to first practice defensive spells as that was the weakness he had observed in her abilities during their duel after the Order meeting. Ava had never been more grateful for her urge to study and improve. She ended up being ahead of where Moody had anticipated and he even appeared to be pleased at her efforts. For about half an hour, they dueled repeatedly without stopping, and Ava managed to land a few spells on the wizard despite how quick he was on his feet.
But she wasn't able to get Moody's wand from him, which he succeeded in doing to her several times over, each time resulting in a groan or quiet scream of frustration. At the end of each round, he'd dish out a potion or healing spell to counter whatever they had hit each other with. Slowly, Ava became more comfortable and settled into her magic and muscle memory.
Sweating and huffing from exertion, Ava nearly dropped to the floor in defeat when Moody commented that all that spell-casting and dueling had just been a warm-up.
He threw back his head and laughed at her wide-eyed expression.
Her glare only made him laugh harder.
Thankfully, Moody only demanded that she work on nonverbal spells next, which wasn't too difficult since she'd had a bit of practice in sixth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts. Without the wizard casting a shield, she was able to master disarming him after a while and Ava couldn't hold in her whoop of delight.
"Do I need to remind you that I wasn't shielding?" he asked in a gruff voice.
"Nope!" she told him with a wide grin. "But I just did magic without talking!" She bounced on her toes. "I don't even care if you weren't shielding! I just cast a spell without saying a word!" She spun on her heel and flicked her wand in the direction of the practice dummies. Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus! Each dummy flew back into the stone wall, and she turned back to Moody with a triumphant cheer.
The Auror seemed torn between reprimanding her and smiling as the corners of his mouth twitched. He headed to the table for a glass of water.
"C'mon, you've got to admit it's pretty cool to do magic without even speaking." She quickly added, "Sir."
"Aye." He nodded. "I'll admit that it can be dead useful in a fight."
She rolled her eyes, joining him for a water break and slumped into a chair.
Moody rubbed his jaw and peered at her from his seat across the table. "I suppose nonverbal magic is…cool, as you say."
Ava choked back a laugh at how uncomfortable the Auror seemed with the slang tumbling from his mouth. She merely smiled instead. "It definitely is, sir." She frowned at the table before she focused on his face once more. "Uh, sir?"
He gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
She twisted her hands in her lap. "I just wanted to thank you for tutoring me. I know that you probably don't have a lot of free time, being an Auror and all, especially right now—" his intense stare caused her to glance away for a moment "—and I know you usually train adults, not silly teenagers who don't have a ton of experience with magic—"
Moody opened his mouth, but Ava plowed on through, not wanting to hear him confirm that her celebration of casting a nonverbal Expelliarmus was indeed ridiculous.
"—so I just wanted to let you know that I really do appreciate the training I'm getting from you, sir. And I'm going to try my best, I promise."
Though her churning stomach was pleading with her to look away from his deep gaze, Ava was determined to show Moody that she wasn't completely intimidated by him.
His dark eyes scrutinized her for several seconds before he nodded. "What are you interested in learning, Ava?"
She perked up in her seat, not only at the question, but at the use of her first name. "Well," she scrunched up her nose, "would you know anything about detecting magic? I only started researching yesterday, but I know I'm going to get pranked soon."
The corner of his mouth turned up.
She grimaced. "I'd like to avoid that if possible." Ava started to list all the different spells she had found thus far, but a bark of laughter from Moody cut her off.
"That's a waste of your time, lass." He leaned forward with a spark in his eyes. "You should learn how to detect magic itself."
Her mouth dropped open. "You can do that?" She couldn't hide how intrigued she was at the notion. "Seriously?" He nodded with a grin, which she returned. "So I'll be able to know if James and Sirius are going to cast magic on me—or something of mine?"
Moody chuckled. "Oh, yes. If you learn how to feel magic, those boys won't get the drop on you."
Clearly, the Marauders' reputation had even made its way to the Auror. "Awesome," she declared, standing from her seat. "How do I detect magic?"
He stood and gestured to the dueling mat. "This isn't a skill you can learn overnight, and it'll sap your energy and push your body like nothing else you've experienced before."
Ava laughed internally. He didn't know about the soulmate bond and how much of a bitch that little piece of magic was before she and Remus officially sealed it. She planted herself in the middle of the mat and stared at Moody resolutely. "I'll be fine."
The wizard gave her a hard look but grunted and proceeded to instruct Ava on how to reach out with her magical core. If her magic was aware enough of its surroundings, it could sense when magic was being cast. At first, Moody told her to close her eyes and focus her mind, only thinking of her magic and where it emanated from inside her.
"If you can, grab a hold of your magic and coax it to your fingertips."
She took a deep breath and drew up the mountainous landscape of her mind, hiding away any thoughts that might distract her. "Why am I trying to push my magic to my fingers?"
"After enough practice, you won't need to. It's just a technique to get your core used to expanding and reaching out beyond your body."
Okay, fair enough. Ava did as he asked. She concentrated on the slowly swirling magic in her chest. C'mon, down to the fingers you go. A tingling sensation ran down the length of her arms and power sparked in her fingertips. Her eyes popped open. "What's next?"
Moody wasn't able to mask his shock. His thick eyebrows shot up and his scarred jaw hung open. "What do you mean 'what's next'?" he asked gruffly, storming towards her. He reached out to grab her hand.
A jolt of electricity zapped where he touched her skin.
She jumped back with a yelp. It didn't hurt but had scared the shit out of her.
Moody grunted, but there was a hint of pain in the noise. "Interesting," he said, inspecting her with narrowed eyes.
"What?" she snapped defensively.
He took hold of her hand without asking. Apparently since he knew what to expect, Moody held on despite the hot spark of magic released from her fingers.
She sucked in a breath. It was a super strange feeling to have her magic brushing up against someone other than Remus for the first time. It wasn't the same as the soulmate bond reacting to the romantic touch of another though. Her magic wasn't lashing out—it was curious.
It seemed to be investigating Moody's hand, and Ava could feel her magic extending itself beyond her skin, practically sniffing at the wizard like a dog. Or a wolf, she supposed. Or even a fox. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. Too much weird magic in my body. She was pulled from her thoughts when Moody released her hand.
He paced in front of her on the mat, hands behind his back. "You have quite the control over your magic for someone your age, Miss McGonagall."
She shifted on her feet and looked away. "Yes—uh—," she met his gaze, "I'm sure it's not that unusual."
Moody raised a brow. "Indeed, it is." He came to a stop in front of her and seemed to come to some sort of conclusion when he nodded to himself. "It's something we can discuss some other time."
"You aren't going to interrogate me?"
He grinned and leaned closer. "Would you like me to?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"Then let's get on with the exercise, shall we?"
Ava swallowed, not understanding the Auror's willingness to let the subject drop for now, but she wasn't about to question him on it any further.
"Now, since you're already capable of encouraging your magic to move at will, you need to practice allowing it to reach out to the environment around you. When your magic is able to be aware of your surroundings, it will alert you to magic being cast. However, it's more prudent to teach your magic to identify spells with malicious or nefarious intent, rather than all magic. Otherwise, you'll drain yourself dry."
She nodded. "Got it. What should I do now?"
Moody smiled and there was a gleaming in his eyes that she didn't like. "Close your eyes."
With a huff, she did as he asked.
"Now, find me," his voice echoed, bouncing around the room and making it difficult to pinpoint. "But keep your eyes shut!" he barked.
"No shit," she muttered.
The bite of a Stinging Hex to the side of her leg told her that Moody had heard her. "Hey!" she yelled, rubbing the sore spot.
"Find me, and I'll stop."
Another spell stung her other leg.
She released a squeal of fright and pain. Bastard. But she followed the Auror's instructions. Ava focused her mind, summoned her magic to her fingertips, and nudged it outwards. There was a stretching sort of sensation in her chest, almost as if she was doing a push-up. And much like an actual push-up, she couldn't hold it for very long. Her magic snapped back, recoiling inside her torso.
"That was a good first try."
She opened her eyes at Moody's words.
"Eyes shut!" he barked.
Ava jumped in place and closed her eyes, cursing him for startling her. "Can you sense my magic?"
His scoff echoed. "Of course."
"So it really worked? At least a little bit?" she asked, giddiness spreading warmly through her body. Her magic even pleasantly tingled in response.
"Aye, lass. But you've got a long way to go."
For the remainder of the session, Ava continued much in the same fashion. Eyes closed. Gather up her magic. Push it out, ever so slowly. Ignore the uncomfortable tugging in her chest. Thankfully, Moody only sent one more Stinging Hex at her, but it was more because of her sass than failure. When her frustration mounted, he admitted that she wasn't likely to be able to detect him quite yet. But with that clarification, Ava was able to focus on just expanding the area her magic would occupy. According to Moody, once her magic became used to investigating her environment of its own accord, she wouldn't need to focus so much on pushing it outwards.
Though she had hardly moved, at least physically, Ava was drenched in sweat once again by the end of their training and was ready to collapse in her bed for all eternity. After exchanging goodbyes, Ava was about to leave the classroom when Moody spoke up.
"You'll be sore tomorrow. You should stop by the Hospital Wing and get a bottle of Pain Relief from Pomfrey."
She froze and turned to give him a tight smile. She hadn't taken a pain potion since the bond with Remus had been consummated. With the way that had turned out, Ava wasn't sure Pain Relief would even do anything for her. "It's already after curfew, so I'll stop by in the morning if it's that bad."
He tossed his head back and released a deep chuckle. "Oh, lass." He looked to her with amusement clear in his eyes. "You were stretching out your magical core, you'll hardly be able to move tomorrow."
She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at the old wizard. "Goodnight, Mr. Moody."
A gravelly, "Goodnight," reached her ears as she left the classroom.
It was only when Ava was already back in her quarters and getting ready for bed that she realized she'd forgotten to ask the Auror about her odd, sporadic elemental magic.
