Author's Note: I figured shorter was better than nothing since recently writing has been like pulling teeth. No idea why, but hopefully it'll get better soon. Hope you enjoy!
Review shout-out: Thank you to amk41196, WiseGirlDivergence46, Justforloveknows, Scarlet247, and convalla91 for the kind words and feedback!
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 56
Avalynn had to drag herself to breakfast the next day, body sore and aching all over. Moody's warning hadn't prepared her enough for the level of exhaustion she was feeling. She had thought her dueling sessions with Severus and Regulus were hard-core, but she was wrong.
And the tiredness wasn't just in her complaining muscles from dancing all around the classroom, dodging the Auror's spells—no, this was bone deep. Ava had no idea that someone could even use their magic the way Moody had taught her to last night. And though she felt like absolute shit as she sat down at the Gryffindor table and may have let a whimper escape as her leg muscles screamed in protest, she had thoroughly enjoyed herself and intended on taking full advantage of having Moody as a tutor.
Thankfully, she was the first one at the table and didn't have to explain the pained sound she had just emitted, purely from the act of sitting down. Until the seventh-year Gryffindors arrived, Ava ate and kept herself occupied by nonverbally summoning her water glass over and over, something that she didn't even have to lift her sore arm for.
Remus sat beside her and pecked a kiss against her cheek. "Morning, love."
"Hey." She tried to give him a smile, but was sure it came out as a grimace.
He peered at her with a frown beginning to form. "You sound tired, but now that I'm concentrating on it, I can feel how tired you really are. Did you duel with Snape last night?"
"I did duel last night."
His eyes narrowed when she didn't mention Severus. He leaned towards her and whispered, "We can talk about it later."
The rest of the Marauders and Gryffindors joined them, explaining why her werewolf was willing to be patient. Ava was grateful that he understood why she couldn't say anything about training with Moody in front of Sirius and James. They'd go ballistic. Just thinking about dealing with their reactions was increasing her exhaustion exponentially.
As Remus served himself breakfast, he said, "You know, we could spend more time together if you moved into Gryffindor Tower."
She stiffened. It wasn't something she had thought about over the past week or so since returning from Potter Manor. She'd been too busy and if Ava were being honest with herself, she didn't really look forward to telling him that she most likely would be staying with Aunt Minerva.
"Yeah, Ava. That'd be loads of fun," Sirius piped up.
She pressed her lips together. Great. Now everyone else to going to gang up on me to move too. She met Lily's inquisitive gaze.
The other witch tilted her head slightly and an unspoken communication seemed to pass between them.
Ava was going to need someone to talk to about this and Lily seemed like an impartial enough person.
Thankfully, the redhead spoke up, talking over whatever James had been about to say. "I think that's an important decision we should let Ava make on her own."
"But—," Remus began.
Lily shook her head. "I'm sure she doesn't need our opinions on whether or not she should move out of her aunt's quarters."
The boys quieted down after that.
Alice, Mary, and Marlene were whispering to each other further down the table, causing Ava to realize that she hadn't considered how her move might affect them. The three girls and Lily had all grown up together, sharing a room just between the four of them. Granted, they had been polite and welcoming enough to Ava since her arrival, but she couldn't help feeling that she'd be imposing upon the other girls if she were to move into their room.
Just another reason not to leave Aunt Minerva.
As breakfast drew to a close, the group of Gryffindors seemed to become more tense, and it was unmistakable as they all left the Great Hall and headed to Charms together.
Ava bit her lip, assuming that everyone could only be so uncomfortable in anticipation of the class they shared with the Slytherins. Should I say something? Let them know that they don't have to sit next to me? After what happened with Severus, she was at a loss of what to do. She didn't want anyone else to deal with the consequences of her decisions. But will that make things worse? Make me look more like a target to the Slytherins? A tug on her hand drew her attention to Remus.
He lowered his head. "Whatever you're thinking about, love, you don't need to worry. We're not going anywhere and nothing's going to happen."
She sighed. It was too late to do anything anyway as the Charms classroom door was already open and students were filing in.
Turned out that Remus was right. Charms was uneventful, even though everyone took the same seats as last time, with the remainder of the seventh-year Gryffindors adjusting to the Marauders and Lily who had already relocated. Even Frank Longbottom had moved closer. Still a prick, Ava told herself.
The only thing of notice throughout class was that Severus twitched in his seat a few times, but brushed her off whenever she asked what was wrong. And she could've sworn Remus was growling under his breath each time Severus jerked in his chair. But when she'd eye the werewolf, he ignored her.
As class let out, Remus gently pulled Ava to a stop in the corridor before they went their separate ways. He even made sure to move her away from the curious ears of the Marauders. "Why are you groaning and cursing just about every time you move? Are you hurt?" His eyes flashed amber.
She shook her head and peered at the boys to double-check that they were maintaining their distance. "I had my first training session with Moody last night."
His eyebrows shot up. "Oh."
Ava laughed. "Yeah. I'm just a bit sore. He said I would be."
Remus frowned as his eyes roamed over her face. "So you aren't hurt or anything?"
"Nope," she said, popping the "p." Ava didn't bother to mention that she and the Auror made use of healing potions and spells after each round of dueling.
His features relaxed. "Good." He swooped in for a kiss.
She squeaked in surprise, but melted into his arms. A simultaneous wolf-whistle and fake retching noise had Ava pulling away from her soulmate. She rested her hands on his chest, feeling his heart race. The rapid pulse matched her own.
Remus's golden eyes bore into her and desire flooded their bond. "We need some alone time this weekend."
She nodded, still trying to catch her breath.
He smirked.
Ava smacked his chest. "Don't be so smug. I can reduce you to a puddle of mush too, you know."
His lips stretched into a grin. "I look forward to it." He nuzzled her hair and pressed a kiss against her head. "I'll see you at lunch."
She watched him return to the other Marauders and would've continued staring while they walked down the corridor had a throat not been cleared from just over her shoulder. Startled, she spun around.
Severus was looking at her with an imperious eyebrow raised.
Ava rolled her eyes. "If you don't like what you see, then don't stay for the show."
His lip curled. "Don't be disgusting."
She bursted out laughing, his reaction was so similar to James—not that she would ever tell him that.
Ava accompanied Severus to Transfiguration, but then headed to Potions on her own, lamenting over the fact that she was only in the fifth-year class. And considering she had just started fifth-year Transfiguration as well, her workload had increased from what it was before the holiday break. She couldn't stop her mind from drifting to the fact that she would need all this schooling if she were to be a contributing member of Wizarding society.
She still didn't have a clear idea of what career she would pursue after graduation and since Aunt Minerva knew how much she agonized over the decision, the older witch had left her alone. For now. Earlier in the school year, the seventh years had met with their professors to discuss career goals, and follow-up meetings were coming soon. Aunt Minerva had hinted that Ava would be expected to participate this go-around.
Honestly, she thought, entering the Potions classroom, I have more important things to worry about right now. The Horcruxes and aiding the Order should be her priorities, and everything else would have to take a backseat.
As Ava sat at the same empty table as last class, she released a pained groan, every muscle in her body protesting. Maybe I will go see Pomfrey. Slughorn's monotone lecturing voice rang out. I'm too tired for this today.
At lunch, she risked looking like a lunatic by whispering aloud to the house elves, asking for two shots of espresso. She had nearly fallen asleep in Potions, and she hadn't ever done so in classes before, even History of Magic, so she was desperate for a pick-me-up that was stronger than tea. The appearance of the tiny espresso cup had the Marauders' eyes bulging, and Ava wasn't able to hide her smirk from discovering something before the boys did.
Though she had some time to herself before her Slytherin study group showed up in the library, Ava had too much work to catch up on to do any more research about detecting spells before or as they were cast. But she decided that Moody was a pretty reliable source to learn from, so she might not even need to bother with extra research. Once the Slytherins were there though, Ava realized that two doses of the caffeinated beverage might've been too much.
The little snakes thought her energetic, mile-a-minute way of speaking was funny, and continued to pepper her with questions to see how fast they could complete their homework. Barty, Rabastan, and Regulus appeared to fluctuate between being amused at her behavior and disturbed by her unusually bubbliness and talkative demeanor. Severus was just annoyed and tried to ignore her as much as possible, even going so far as to threaten to cancel their brewing session after dinner if Ava couldn't pull herself together and calm down.
Fortunately, by the time dinner was finished and Ava had joined Severus in the dungeons, the effects of the espressos had diminished.
"Thank Merlin," Severus had said, rolling his eyes, when her speech pattern had been a normal speed as she greeted him.
She laughed and moved beside him to inspect the simmering cauldron that he was bent over. "I'm sorry, I was just so tired earlier, I needed some caffeine."
He quirked a brow.
"I had my first training with Moody last night and the man ran me ragged."
Severus nodded. "Good." He continued to stir the brewing potion.
"Good?" she repeated. "I can barely move, I'm so sore."
"Hmm, maybe we need to increase the intensity of our own dueling sessions."
Ava shook her head emphatically. "No way, man. Moody's intense enough for me."
He smirked, lifting his head from gazing into the cauldron. "Indeed." His expression sobered. "It reassures me though that your training with the Auror will help you hone your skills. And if you would be so kind, you could pass on that knowledge onto Regulus and myself."
"Definitely." She hadn't thought about it that way, but of course she'd want Severus and Regulus to be as protected as possible. Regardless if that meant she'd have to bust her ass even more so.
"I thought Moody was older for an Auror. How is it that he's more athletic than you?" His tone was teasing, but Ava could detect his curiosity shining through.
She huffed. "Besides the fact that the man moves like lightning, dueling wasn't the only thing we did last night."
Severus stared as he bottled up the potion, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Well, I told him about how James and Sirius were going to prank me and how I wanted to be prepared, so he suggested that I work on being able to detect magic when it's being casted."
Her best friend's eyes lit up. "And he's teaching you that?"
"Yep."
Severus began pacing. "That's incredible. I knew it was possible, but it's difficult to master without guidance. You have to pay attention to every detail, Ava."
"Duh," she said, rolling her eyes and pulling out her Potions textbook and class notes.
"That way, you can teach me," he said with a smile.
"Great." She didn't bother trying to push any false enthusiasm into the word.
He waved her off. "Oh, c'mon. It wouldn't be too bad. You know how studious I am."
She nodded. "That's true." Once again, Ava thought about how she'd prefer all of her friends, especially those close to the Death Eaters, to have as much of an advantage as possible if things were to go sideways. Her eyes drifted back to Severus, whose brows were furrowed as he inspected her. "What?"
He stepped closer. "You really do need to pay attention to detail while practicing with Moody." His frown deepened. "Be very aware of how much you're pushing your magical core. Remember what happened last time you push yourself too far?"
"But that was with the soulmate bond, and that was seriously draining my magic."
Severus pressed his lips together for a long moment, then nodded. "True." He lifted a threatening finger in her direction. "I'll concede that much, but that doesn't mean it won't happen again. Just promise me you'll stop if it becomes too much."
Her heart warmed and she pushed off the stool to wrap her arms around him. "Of course, Severus."
He returned her hug. "Good," he said, voice thick with emotion. He cleared his throat and pulled away. "Now, let's get to work."
Severus might've been a hard-ass when it came to Potions, but Ava knew that his high standards were only going to help her in the end so she threw herself into his instructions without hesitation. While they waited for her Invigoration Draught to simmer, Severus brought up the subject of another Slytherin she was hoping to count as a friend.
"Lucius sends his regards and hopes that you haven't taken offense to him maintaining some distance between the two of you. He thinks it's for the best and I happen to agree."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She hated navigating the political waters of Slytherins and Purebloods. It was mentally exhausting.
"Though, he mentioned that Narcissa might reach out to you soon." He rose a brow. "Apparently, you two have exchanged friendly letters and she'd like to better make your acquaintance."
Ava straightened in her seat. "Yeah, but I wasn't sure how much she really meant it."
"Narcissa wouldn't have sent you a letter in the first place if she didn't mean to follow through."
"Anything I should be worried about?"
Severus shook his head as he pulled out homework supplies. "No more than you're already aware of. If you treat her the same as you do Lucius, you should be safe." He gave her a pointed look. "Just try to quell your Gryffindor tendencies."
Ava huffed but knew he was right. It was rather difficult to keep her emotions—not to mention, knowledge—in check on occasion. When she had been visiting Malfoy Manor for tea, there was a part of her that just wanted to blurt out everything she knew to Lucius. The young wizard had no clue what he was really dealing with when it came to Voldemort, and he didn't seem nearly as bad as the other wannabe Death Eaters when it came to Muggleborns and Muggles. But the risk of everyone else had held her tongue from divulging too much too soon.
A whirlwind of hypothetical thoughts swept through Ava's mind. If she were to let something significant slip in front of someone untrustworthy, what was the worst that could happen? The timeline continues, right on schedule. She clenched her jaw. Over my dead body. Exactly—that was the issue. Granted, she had the charmed notebook detailing every event that she could recall, but then what? Aunt Minerva and Severus carry on in her stead? No one could expect that of them. Besides, if Ava died, then she would assume it was at the hands of a Death Eater, but surely they'd bring her to Voldemort first.
"I want to practice Occlumency more," she said.
Severus stilled for a moment, quill freezing above his Transfiguration essay. His narrowed gaze lifted to her.
She shrugged. "Just for practice." But not really. It was preparation. At least that way, the lunatic wouldn't be able to glean anything from her mind.
He nodded. "Very well."
Ava thought back to when Dumbledore tried to pry information from her using Legilimency. It had only resulted in a wicked headache and nosebleed, but he also wasn't willing to kill her. Not like Voldemort would be if he ever got his hands on her.
She shook herself. "Anything else going on with Lucius or the other Slytherins that I should know about?"
Severus looked away from her and ducked his head.
Well, that's suspicious.
His eyes flicked to her and then away again. "No, there's nothing."
She crossed her arms. "Severus," she said in a warning tone. Though the wizard before her may have come to be one of the greatest spies in all of history in a different timeline, he hadn't honed his skills quite yet.
Said wizard attempted a sneer to brush her off, but it lacked all the usual attitude.
Trying another tactic, Ava reached out to grasp his hand.
He sucked in a breath.
"Severus, please. Tell me whatever's going on." She locked eyes with him and refused to let go.
His shoulders slumped. "I want you to be on your guard and try not to walk alone."
"Why? What else happened?"
He looked to the floor. "I may have been targeted in Charms today due to some information that came to light."
Ava's magic blazed to life. "And what exactly does that mean?" she ground out through clenched teeth, her fingers squeezing his.
Severus ripped his hand from hers to stand. "They somehow found out about us sitting together during break. At the Slytherin table." His features clouded over and he began to pace, muttering under his breath, "I knew this would happen. I should've distanced myself a long time ago. Stupid. We were so obvious."
She shot to her feet. "Excuse me!? What did you just say?" Ava couldn't keep her voice from pitching higher. She wouldn't allow him to pull away from her. It was much too late for that. A warm pulse from her magic proved it agreed with the sentiment, and the urge to wrap Severus up in a hug and breathe in his scent was strong. Ava shook herself. It didn't seem as though he would appreciate that affection at the moment. Surly bastard.
He continued to strut back and forth across the potions lab, mumbling nonsense about not wanting the situation to get even worse.
She crossed her arms in an effort to contain herself. "Damn it, Severus. Stop freaking out and just talk to me!"
He finally ceased his stomping around the room and faced her, fists clenched at his sides. "Today's taunting was mild." His nostrils flared. "The cowards thought it amusing to send Stinging Jinxes my way."
Blood roared in her ears and heat burst from her chest, racing down her arms. Her vision began to blur.
"Ava," Severus called, sounding worried.
His tone drew her attention and she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"It was just a few Stinging Jinxes, nothing serious."
The need to seek out the ones who hurt him receded minutely. He was correct in that the spells themselves weren't deadly, but they still hurt like a bitch. And of course, Severus hadn't wanted to cause a scene so he had to sit there and take it. She snarled. No wonder he kept twitching in his seat.
Severus held her by the shoulders. "Ava. They were just Stinging Jinxes, nothing more."
Her thirst for revenge seemed a little much when she considered that the jinxes were practically child's play. She met his gaze.
"They didn't cause much harm, and—and I shouldn't have spoken like that before." His fingers flexed around her.
Ava rose a brow at him, expecting him to recant his ridiculous mutterings from before.
"I have no intention of ending our friendship. I shouldn't have said anything along those lines, I didn't mean it." His brow furrowed as his eyes flicked back and forth between hers, seeking a response.
"You better not have meant it." She poked him hard in the chest.
His lips lifted into a small smile. "I didn't, I swear. You believe me?" The slight tremor in his voice gave away his genuine concern.
She rolled her eyes and flung herself at him. "Of course." Ava's words might've been muffled by his robes, but Severus heard them nonetheless as his body relaxed in her embrace.
He heaved a sigh. "I just worry sometimes, you know?"
Laughing, she pulled back. "Oh, yeah, I know what that's like." The reason for their emotional bonding moment popped into the front of her mind again. "As soon as that crazy bastard is gone, those assholes won't feel so high and mighty. And they won't get away with what they've done."
Severus tensed. "What do you mean?"
"McNair pretty much admitted to the premeditated murder of Muggles! I'm gonna turn him in." A grin formed on her lips. "To Moody. Maybe I'll ask to watch the interrogation."
He chuckled. "You're really ruthless sometimes, you know?"
She shrugged. "Some people deserve it."
Severus nodded before changing the subject. Regulus had told him that he was still working on gaining access to his cousin's Gringotts vault, but it would take some time. Apparently, Regulus was using a collaboration project between Arithmancy and Astronomy as an excuse to study heirlooms from the Black family. But in the meantime, the diary Horcrux was still sealed in the charmed box.
Neither Ava or Severus were looking forward to destroying the piece of soul that would surely fight back. She shuddered, recalling the experience with the diadem. Maybe I could pass it off to Dumbledore? The Headmaster had taken care of the Gaunt ring on his own after all.
She shook off those thoughts and returned to her Invigoration Draught, needing to stir it precisely. They worked in comfortable silence for a while longer, allowing themselves to be distracted by schoolwork. At the end of their brewing session, Severus offered to duel, but Ava declined, prompting a quirked eyebrow from her best friend.
It wasn't as though she could tell him that she had plans to bake him a birthday cake, so she cited homework as her reason to head back to her quarters for the evening.
Severus had watched her with narrowed eyes, but let it go. However, he was adamant about escorting Ava to her rooms, so she couldn't wiggle out of that. Since he already seemed to be disbelieving of her homework excuse, she was about to make herself wait before sneaking back out to the Kitchens, but Ava recalled that she was in Hogwarts for crying out loud.
A quick call for Flopsy and a snap of the fingers later, she and the house elf were in the Kitchens, but on the opposite side of the counter that Ava was used to.
The clanging of metal pots and pans stopped only for a moment at her arrival. Once the elves seemed to recognize her, they resumed their tasks.
The same grumpy elf from before that appeared to be the head honcho, Mugsy, approached Ava and Flopsy. He eyed her warily and said, "Whatever yous need, you tell us." Mugsy pointed a large serving spoon that was covered in what looked like mashed potatoes in her direction. "Missus is not to wander on her own."
She gulped and nodded. "Yes, sir."
Little gasps sounded from around the Kitchens and Mugsy's large eyes widened.
Good lord. "I mean—" What was she supposed to do? Insult the elf to remind him of his place beneath her? This was ridiculous.
Apparently, she had rendered the gruff house elf speechless as he stood frozen, staring at her in disbelief.
Thankfully, Flopsy started chattering away, removing Ava's need to set the conversation to rights. The ever so helpful elf must've said something to convince Mugsy to look past Ava's remark because he jumped into action and began leading Flopsy away.
When she didn't move to follow, the house elves paused and Flopsy waved her towards them. Ava scrambled to catch up. No need to upset the elves any more than they already were for her invading their space.
The amount of work being done in the Kitchens still managed to blow her mind. Dozens upon dozens of dishes and cookware were being cleaned, all floating on their own. She briefly wondered how many elves were responsible for the wandless magic. But as Ava was led deeper into the bowels of the Kitchens, her eyes were drawn to ingredients slicing and measuring themselves while the house elves bustled about.
She nearly ran over Flopsy and Mugsy when they drew to a halt in front of a clean cooking station that seemed to be set up just for her. The height wasn't made for humans, but she wasn't about to complain.
The grumpy house elf turned towards her. "Missus will bake here."
Ava nodded, prompting Mugsy to disappear with a snap of his fingers.
"What does Missus need?" Flopsy asked.
Since only cooking tools had been laid out already, Ava began to list out ingredients, which garnered the attention of other nearby house elves. Soon enough, eggs, cocoa powder, flour, sugar, peanut butter, and everything began popping into existence on the short counter-top.
Other than Flopsy, a handful of little elves stared at her with wide eyes, seemingly waiting for further instruction.
Knowing that things would go more smoothly if she just asked for their assistance, Ava decided to do just that—even for easy tasks, like measuring out the ingredients or handing her different utensils. The house elves were very eager and they were just so adorable, she couldn't bear to disappoint them. As long as she still had a touch in every step of baking the cake for Severus, she'd be satisfied.
When it came time to taste test the batter and frosting, the younger looking elves were the most excited, nearly bouncing on their tiny feet. Ava could've sworn she saw Flopsy roll her eyes before she stepped out of the way to make room for the others.
Once the cake was transferred to an oven with the snap of Flopsy's fingers, Ava moved to start cleaning up her mess, but was shooed away by the little tyrants of the Kitchens. While she waited for the cake to bake, the need to multitask became too difficult to ignore, so she began to practice some basic spells wordlessly. Once again, her behavior drew the curiosity of the house elves around her. Though she was embarrassed at how much she struggled at first with each new spell, the clapping of tiny hands and cheers of "Well done Missus" were enough to boost her confidence.
When it came time to decorate the cake, Ava was adamant that she wanted to do it on her own, explaining to the house elves that it would make it more special for her friend. Fortunately, they left her to her own devices, but only after Flopsy handed her a fancy piping bag. The words "Happy Birthday Severus!" came out a little wobbly, but it got the message across and the textured frosting looked delicious.
Ava hadn't realized how wide she was smiling until the elves surrounding her returned the gesture. She couldn't deny that she was rather proud of herself.
One of the younger looking house elves asked, "Is Missus feeling the warm fuzzies inside?"
She nodded with a laugh.
The group around her let out little whoops of celebration.
Still giggling at their antics, Ava said, "Thank you very much to everyone that helped, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."
The house elves' demeanor changed, sobering, and they stood tall before bowing.
Ava shifted on her feet. I wish they weren't so subservient.
"We are honored to have helped you, Missus," one of the elves said, and the others nodded along or made noises of agreement.
It was hard for Ava to remember that the elves truly enjoyed this kind of work, but she had yet to meet a house elf that was being mistreated. She made a mental note to ask Lucius about Dobby.
She shook herself and cast Tempus. "Shit." It was nearly curfew. She glanced at Flopsy and the other house elves. "Will you keep the cake safe until tomorrow night?"
The vigorous nodding all around made her smile before she doled out more thanks as she headed back to the front of the Kitchens.
With a large sense of accomplishment, Ava climbed out of the portrait entrance, and was too caught up in her anticipation of giving Severus the cake that she didn't register the wizards she collided with until it was too late. She bounced off a strong, familiar chest. "Oof."
"Ava! What are you doing here?" Remus breathed out, grasping her shoulders.
All four of the Maruaders were staring at her curiously. Before she could speak, she was assaulted by Remus and Sirius's noses, intensely scenting her neck, arms, and hands. She jerked away, giggling. "Stop it, you weirdos!"
"But love," Remus said, voice a little husky, "you smell like chocolate."
"And peanut butter," Sirius added, holding her hand up to his face.
She laughed and didn't bother tugging away this time. "It's ridiculous how much your animals affect you, you know. I made a chocolate peanut butter cake."
James and Peter joined in with the other two, letting out sounds of appreciation for the dessert.
"Nope. It's not for you guys," she told them in a firm tone.
Sirius and James sported some hard-core pouts, only making her laugh harder.
She shook her head. "No, sorry. It's for someone's birthday, so you really can't have any."
Sirius took a long whiff of her fingers before dropping them. "But—"
"No."
Remus chuckled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Let it go, Pads." He laced his fingers with Ava's. "I'll walk you back to your quarters. It's almost curfew."
She quirked an eyebrow at the Marauders. "So then why exactly are you boys out and about?"
Peter looked at her sheepishly, but admitted, "I was hungry."
Ava nodded. "I almost always have a snack after dinner," she said, not wanting him to feel embarrassed. I'm supposed to be making friends with him anyhow.
"C'mon," Remus said, tugging her down the corridor, the other three wizards tagging along.
During the brisk walk to her quarters, Ava brought up the idea of meeting for a study session together, knowing she hadn't done so with the Marauders in quite some time.
James and Sirius groaned, but Peter was silent, so she turned to him.
Baby steps, she told herself. "Peter? Do you want to come?"
He looked surprised, but a little smile graced his face. He nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."
"Wormtail!" Sirius exclaimed in a scandalized tone.
"Oh no, not you too, mate," James lamented.
Ava punched them both in the arm. "Leave him alone, jackasses." She stuck her nose in the air. "You don't get to drag us down just because we want to improve our skills and do well in classes." She winked at Remus and Peter. "Right, boys?"
Peter swallowed thickly and side-eyed his friends, but nodded. "Ri—right."
"Right," her werewolf repeated before kissing the side of her head.
Ava desperately wished she knew more about what made Peter turn to the Death Eaters. She just couldn't reconcile the sniveling coward she knew he could be to the boy in front of her who tried his hardest to not go against his friends' wishes. Huh. Maybe that's it though. Maybe he got tired of following them around, trying to stay in their good graces. She peeked at Peter once more. Maybe he just needs to know that it's okay to do his own thing. He doesn't need to follow anyone.
When the boys dropped Ava off outside her quarters, thoughts of Peter and his potential deception vanished, replaced with excitement for the following day. Severus's birthday. She fell into bed exhausted, hoping that the cake would go over well and her best friend wouldn't get all snarky as he was prone to do.
