Author's Note: I hope everyone had a good holiday season! This story has grown into a monster and I had to go back and reread it to wrap my brain around how to go about writing the rest. And I hope this shorter chapter will hold you over until the next, longer one :)
Review shout-out: A HUGE thank you to amk41196, Justforloveknows, SCE2AUX, convalla91, Guest, and HispanicAlaskan, your kind words keep me going :)
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:
The gang is back at Hogwarts for classes after the Christmas holiday break and Ava is already feeling overwhelmed at how much studying and training she's got on her plate. She's had her first training with Moody and he offered to teach Ava how to detect magic being cast around her. Severus was bullied by his fellow Slytherins and limped his way into the Great Hall, causing Ava's weird elemental magic to flare up, along with her wolfy side. But it's his birthday now! Yay! And Ava managed to convince the Marauders (even Peter) to have a study session together.
Chapter 57
Avalynn had been bouncing with excitement all day, barely able to contain herself in anticipation of Severus's birthday celebration, though small it may be. She planned for just the two of them to enjoy his birthday cake down in the Kitchens, but since she also had training with Moody that night, time was of the essence. Ava scarfed down her food in an attempt to finish dinner early, having told Severus to do the same, and he was to meet her outside the massive doors of the Great Hall in just a minute.
James and Sirius had teased her at first for not pausing to breathe between bites, but they were currently cheering her on as she consumed her meal in record time.
Whether the others were laughing at the boys' antics or her atrocious manners didn't matter at the moment. Ava had waited long enough to tell Severus "Happy Birthday", and she wasn't about to deprive herself any longer than necessary.
When her plate was cleaned, she stood and bowed before her celebrating fans, which was limited to the dark-haired Animagi letting out whoops and proclamations of her fortitude and endurance. "Thank you, thank you." Ava gave her goodbyes, kissed a chuckling Remus on the cheek, and headed towards the exit, having just seen Severus slip through. But she was pulled to a stop with a tug on her elbow. She glanced to see Lily hovering at her side.
The redhead was biting her lip. "Can you tell Severus 'happy birthday' from me?" she whispered.
Ava schooled her features in an effort to hide her surprise. She patted Lily's hand, still clutching onto her arm. "Of course." Sensing an opportunity, Ava added, "Do you want me to tell him anything else?" She gave Lily a pointed look.
The witch pulled away with a frown. "No, no, that's all."
"If you're sure." Maybe there's hope yet.
Lily opened her mouth for a moment, but closed it and shook her head. "No, I'm sure."
Ava would've felt guilty at the hurt and pain in her friend's eyes, but she needed to start somewhere. Otherwise, Lily and Severus really would never speak to each other ever again. And since she planned on both of them surviving the war, that would be an awfully long time.
"I'll see you later," she told Lily before continuing on her path out the dining hall.
Severus was waiting for her with a brow raised. "Care to tell me what we're doing now?"
She beamed and nearly let a "Happy Birthday" slip out, but Severus might've canceled his plans to follow her to the Kitchens. Ava had only mentioned that she wanted to show him something, but refused to give any details the other three times he'd asked since that morning. "Nope, I'm not telling you yet."
"Insufferable witch," he muttered under his breath, but he allowed her to loop an arm through his and pull them down the corridor.
On their walk to the Kitchens, Severus took it upon himself to remind Ava that she needed to be careful and pay attention to detail in her trainings with Moody. Not just so she could improve her skills with detecting magic and hopefully pass on that knowledge to Severus, but so she wouldn't magically exhaust herself.
Deep in her chest, Ava's magic and wolf hummed in delight at his show of concern. "I know, I know. But thank you anyway," she told him with a smile as they stopped in front of the portrait entrance to the Kitchens.
Severus didn't return her smile, but instead had a pout forming on his face. "You know, I recognized our path a while ago, but you gave the impression you wanted to show me something new."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Such sass." Ignoring his grumbling, she snatched up Severus's hand and led him down into the Kitchens. They approached the counter and she politely asked for one of the elves to bring out the dish that she had left in there for safe keeping.
Glancing at Severus out of the corner of her eye, she found her best friend's gaze had turned into narrowed slits.
"What, exactly, are we doing here, Ava?"
She swallowed, hoping this hadn't been a terrible decision. As she opened her mouth to explain, the cake popped into existence on the counter, appearing in front of Severus, along with two plates, forks, and a serving knife.
His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he took in the decadently frosted chocolate cake. "This is for me?" he whispered, wide eyes darting between her and the birthday dessert.
Ava's heart clenched and she squeezed his hand. For a split second, she considered teasing him a bit, given that the message on the cake said "Happy Birthday Severus!", but the vulnerability lacing his words was too much. "I wanted to do something for you, just a little something, for your birthday."
She bit her lip when his gobsmacked expression didn't change and he had yet to speak again, just staring at the cake in silence.
"Is—is this alright?" she asked hesitantly, moving to pull her hand from his, but his fingers tightened.
Severus turned to her with shiny eyes. "This is perfect."
Ava's jaw nearly fell to the floor, but she quickly recovered, not wanting him to feel self-conscious. She'd had no idea he would've reacted this strongly to a simple cake. "Good. I'm glad." She flashed him a smile. "Happy Birthday."
He returned her grin. "Thanks."
"Do you want a piece?" she asked, though already moving to cut him one anyway. "Any preference?"
"No," he said, a hint of the meek tone still present.
She bumped his shoulder. "C'mon, Severus. It's your birthday. And it's your cake. Now, do you want a corner piece or not?"
He didn't bother hiding his smile. "Yes, please."
"I knew it," Ava muttered as she served him up a slice of cake. She watched him carefully for his reaction as he took his first bite.
"Mmmm, it's chocolate and peanut butter," he said around a mouthful of the dessert.
She laughed, never having seen his table manners slip before. "I'm glad you like it."
He nodded, shoving another bite into his mouth. "It's very tasty."
Though Ava may have just inhaled her dinner not even half an hour ago, she couldn't resist the look and smell of the birthday cake. As the pair ate, her mind wandered back to Severus's response to receiving a cake for his birthday. She knew he was rather private about most things, but she figured that he would've had some sort of celebration with his friends at Hogwarts. Although, then why wasn't anything else planned?
As soon as both of them set down their used forks and empty plates, a house elf immediately appeared in front of them. Even Severus startled in his seat, but not as badly as Ava. She could've sworn the little elves liked to scare people.
"Did Mister Snape like the cake from Missus McGonagall?" the creature asked in a squeaky voice, snapping his fingers to make the dirty dishes disappear.
Severus nodded. "Very much so, and I'd like to thank the elves that baked it for me."
Ava let out a soft, "Oh." She thought it had been obvious that she had made him the cake, but given her best friend's reaction to merely receiving a cake, she wasn't entirely sure how to break it to him that she had baked it as well.
The elf's large eyes widened and his ears flapped as his head swiveled back and forth between Ava and Severus. "Is Missus going to tell him?"
Severus's brows furrowed. "Tell me what, Ava?" he asked, irritation leaking into his words.
She knew he hated being the only one not knowing something. She gulped, hoping he wouldn't be too upset that she made the cake herself since he tended to make a bigger issue out of personal things like that. "Well, I—I made the cake."
He completely froze, eyes locked on hers.
Ava wrung her hands. "I just wanted to do something nice, something special. It's really not that big of a deal."
His eyebrows rose minutely.
She pressed her lips together. This is ridiculous, I shouldn't have to explain myself for wanting to celebrate a friend's birthday. "I mean, c'mon, Severus, you're my best friend. What else am I supposed to do? It's your birthday for crying out loud." She tore away from his gaze to stare at the counter top. "I wasn't going to not do something," she grumbled.
Without warning, Ava found herself engulfed in Severus's arms. As he held her tightly, she inhaled his scent despite the fact that she knew it was a little weird. His familiar smell calmed her nerves and she wasn't about to complain.
"Thank you, Ava," he whispered, still grasping her from an awkward side angle. There was a slight tremor in his voice as he continued, "No one's baked me a cake in years."
That's horrible, not even his mom? She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. "Yes, well, I'm here now, so you can expect more in the future." She leaned away from him to get a good look at his face.
Severus tried to duck his head quickly, but he wasn't fast enough to hide his wet eyes and cheeks.
Ava latched onto his arms before he could completely withdraw. "I'm not afraid of your feelings, Severus. We've seen each other cry multiple times now. Me more so than you, but we're pros at this."
He sniffled and his lips twitched.
A throat cleared, making both of them jump.
The little house elf that came to clear away their mess was still standing there, having witnessed their emotional moment. He tugged on his ears, appearing worried. "Would the Mister and Missus like anything else?"
Ava rolled her eyes. God forbid they not receive impeccable service. "No, thank you." A little privacy would have been more preferable. A glance at Severus told her he felt the same.
"I'm fine as well, thank you," he said.
With a snap of the house elf's fingers, the cake and little crumbs they'd left behind from their dessert disappeared, along with the elf.
Severus and Ava turned to each other, exchanging looks of exasperation.
She watched her best friend curiously as he returned to his seat. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not particularly."
"That's alright. Just know that I'm here if you want to."
Severus sighed. "You must have some inkling, knowing what you know." His voice was quiet, much more timid than she was used to hearing from him.
Ava nodded, magic swirling inside her chest.
"My father despises anything to do with magic, including myself or any owls that my mother could've used to send me gifts, cake or otherwise." He frowned. "It's a wonder that she managed to send me a Christmas present this year."
She clenched her jaw and grasped his hand, not really knowing what to say. "I'm sorry, Severus, that's so unfair."
He made a grunt of acknowledgment.
Her magic prickled along her skin in agitation, but hadn't yet reared its ugly head. Hoping to keep it that way, Ava withdrew a minuscule package from her robes and enlarged it on the counter, revealing a wrapped gift for Severus.
He groaned but shot her a look of fondness.
"I don't care if you think it's too much at this point. It's really not, so you can just deal with it." She slid the package towards him.
"Fine, witch."
"It's from me and Aunt Minerva."
He let out an annoyed sigh as he tore open the paper. "Of course it is."
Ava pointed a finger at him. "You will get used to my affection and those of others, Severus Snape."
"Unfortunately," he drawled.
She huffed out a laugh.
His brows drew together as the present was revealed, prompting Ava to explain.
"It's a journal for a Potions Apprentice."
His head whipped to her.
Ava smiled. "With a privacy spell and everything. We know you aren't apprenticed to anyone yet, but I've seen your Potions textbooks." She gave him a look. Why anyone would write in a book was beyond her.
He nodded as he flipped through the pages of the journal, already laid out with organization and creating potions in mind. "This is really nice, Ava, thank you."
"You're welcome." And there were the warm fuzzies again that she had told the house elves about.
"And McGonagall approved of this gift?"
"Yeah." She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He closed the journal and peered at her for a moment. "I had always assumed that your aunt didn't like me for being a Slytherin, and my issues with the Marauders didn't help either."
Ava tsked. "She sees your potential just as much as I do, Severus. Yeah, she was skeptical of my demand that you tutor me in Potions and I'm sure she was at the beginning of our friendship too, but she's way past that now." A lightbulb went off. "I also sincerely doubt that she knows what happened in your fifth year."
He quirked a brow.
"I'm serious. I guarantee that she doesn't know because she would care if any student was put in that kind of danger, not just Gryffindors." Another reminder for Ava that Sirius wasn't entirely off the hook as far as his apologies went.
His lips pursed together before he nodded. "I actually agree with you."
She smiled. "Aunt Minerva also wouldn't have invited you to the Animagus training sessions if she didn't like you."
Severus's shoulders slumped in visible relief. "That's very true."
"Good. Now, can you get over yourself and be happy with your birthday cake and present?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, you bossy witch. I accept the cake and gift. Thank you very much."
She giggled. "You're welcome."
He gave her a small smile. "Really, Ava. Thank you."
Warmth spread throughout her body at the sign of happiness from Severus. Whether it was her magic or the warm fuzzies of friendship, Ava didn't know, but she didn't particularly care either. Just so long as he was happy and safe and enjoying his birthday.
Before it could slip her mind, Ava blurted, "Lily wished you a happy birthday too."
His jaw dropped.
She cracked a smile. "I know." The corners of her mouth dropped. "And I know that you two aren't on speaking terms, but maybe just think about talking to her?"
Severus grimaced. "I don't know, Ava."
"Just keep an open mind, alright? I know it won't happen overnight, but I think she might be coming around."
"You really think so?" he asked, voice once again small and vulnerable.
Anger flashed through her. At Lily. His mom. His dad. No one should make him feel this way. She clenched her jaw and sucked a breath through her nose. "I can't be certain of anything, of course, but I'll work on her, I promise. And if she decides that it's too much and she can't handle being your friend again, then it's her loss, Severus, and don't you forget it."
She absolutely loathed being pulled between her Gryffindor and Slytherin friends, but the grateful smile that her best friend gave her made it hurt a little less.
Ava's good mood from celebrating Severus's birthday quickly turned into frustration during her training session with Moody. Much like last time, they began with dueling as a mere warm-up, which wasn't so bad. But it was the nonverbal spell practice that was causing Ava extreme grief at the moment. Last session, she'd been able to disarm the Auror without uttering "Expelliarmus", but it was becoming more and more evident that that had only been the case because Moody hadn't cast a shield at the time.
An aggravated scream ripped from Ava's throat as she threw out her arms and stomped across the dueling mat. "It. Isn't. Working."
"And why do you think that is?" the gruff Auror asked.
This was one of the reasons she loved working with Moody. He made her pause and think, helping her understand why magic works the way it does.
She shrugged. "You're stronger than me." As much as it pains me to admit it.
"Aye, that could be true."
With a huff, Ava plopped herself down on the floor. "If you were casting verbally, I'd say that could be the difference, but you aren't."
Moody nodded. "That could be another reason, but like you said, it's not. What would give me an advantage in a duel against you even if you aren't signaling your next move verbally?"
"I dunno, years of experience," she grumbled under her breath, repeatedly poking a spot in the foam mat in front of her.
"What was that?" he barked.
"Nothing."
"Mhmm. Think, girly."
Ava glared at him. He knew that nickname drove her nuts. "I don't know."
The look of disappointment that skipped across his scarred face nearly crushed her. "You aren't giving yourself away verbally."
She sat up straight. "I have a tell?"
"Aye."
Scrambling up from the mat, she said, "Well, tell me, and I'll fix it."
He smiled. "You'll probably have to work on it for some time, but you get this look of concentration right before you cast. Now, you normally don't do so during a duel, so I'd imagine that's because you're thinking on your feet and have less time to react. Not to mention, casting nonverbally is still relatively new to you."
She frowned, wondering if Occlumency would help shield her intentions.
"Bear in mind, lass, it takes time to improve your skills. I hardly expect your tell to disappear overnight."
"Alright," she said with a nod.
"Speaking of tomorrow night, if you're feeling up for it, we could practice some after the meeting."
"What meeting?" she asked, annoyance bleeding into her tone. I'm already out of the loop.
Moody waved her off. "Dumbledore only just called for the meeting this afternoon, so McGonagall probably hasn't had a chance to tell you yet."
She growled, a bit of her wolf shining through. "Are all of the meetings called so last minute?" How am I supposed to help if I don't even know what's going on?
He rose a brow. "I'm sorry, is it too much of an inconvenience for you? Or are you not as devoted to our cause as you made out before? Don't forget the Oath you swore, girly."
Her whole body flushed in anger. "I'm literally the reason that the Order even has that Oath," she snapped and paced across the floor.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice gruff. "Dumbledore didn't mention that."
She quickly cast Muffliato, knowing this conversation should be private. Hell, all of their training should be private. At a look from Moody, she muttered, "Privacy spell." He merely nodded, so she continued, "And of course, he didn't." She kept pacing. "When I first met with him, I had assumed that the Order already had people taking Oaths once recruited, but when I realized that wasn't happening, I warned him that it was necessary."
"I suggested the same thing myself at the beginning," Moody said. "Dumbledore thought of it as overkill."
She shook her head, coming to a stop before him. "No such thing." She gave the Auror a small smile. "Constant vigilance."
Moody returned the grin then frowned, rubbing his jaw. "How's it sit with you that he played off the idea for the Oaths as his own?"
Ava shrugged. "I don't really care about credit, I just want everyone to be safe. And don't worry, part of my requirement for cooperating with the Order was that Dumbledore's not allowed to keep information to himself. So you and the other higher-ups will always be informed, even if it has to come directly from me."
His eyes narrowed. "That was a stipulation that you found necessary? Like the Oaths?"
"Yep." She sighed. "Now, enough doom and gloom. Can I practice detecting magic?" She may have bounced on her toes a little, causing Moody to chuckle.
"Why not?" He gestured for her to step to the middle of the dueling mat.
"Could you cast a ward on the door, just so on one can come barging in or spy on us?"
Without hesitation, he did as she asked, then shooed her towards the center of the mat. "Just like last time."
Ava drew a steadying breath and closed her eyes, focusing every bit of her mind on her magic. It tingled as it raced to her fingertips, but she wanted to try something new. She gently pushed her magic outwards, picturing herself like a sun, radiating power from her chest, where her magic always seemed to reside. The stretching sensation from before returned, but it wasn't as difficult to hold.
Even though Ava's eyes were shut, she could sense her magic expanding from her body. She pushed and reach out, looking for any sign of Moody. She felt a tiny flicker of another's magic brushing up against hers, but then her tether snapped, magic rushing back into her body. She gasped and opened her eyes, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Moody was giving her a strange look.
"What?" she asked hesitantly.
He stepped closer. "That's the fastest I've ever seen someone learn that skill."
Ava shifted on her feet. "Yes, well—"
"There's something else, isn't there?" He cocked his head. "With your magic."
For a brief moment, white hot panic swept through her, not feeling ready to divulge a bunch of her secrets. But this was Moody. Alastor Moody. Who already swore an Oath to protect her biggest secret. And he might be able to help me figure out the elemental magic. If he doesn't freak out, that is. Everyone else that had witnessed her display of fire, or heard about it secondhand, eyed her warily and then brushed it off as a fluke. Even Aunt Minerva.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "But I want you to swear another Oath."
He nodded. "Done."
Ava's brows shot up. "Just like that?"
Moody nodded again. "Just like that. I trust you, Avalynn."
The admission blew her away. "Wha—what?"
The Auror chuckled and joined her in the center of the mat. "Do you not recall what you just told me, lass?"
Her mouth was still opening and closing dumbly, no words coming out.
Moody stood toe to toe with Ava, his intense stare boring into her. "You took the same precaution I would've when it came to protecting the Order. You aren't looking for praise either. Your main focus is that our members are safe and well-informed, and you have a healthy skepticism of Dumbledore. Also, the Headmaster may have let me see his memory of you under Veritaserum."
She swallowed. It was still beyond surreal that Mad-Eye Moody was placing his trust in her. "Well, that's rude. He didn't even ask my permission."
He let out a bark of laughter. "I particularly remember you saying that you wouldn't blindly obey Dumbledore."
"Of course not," she said, nose wrinkling at the mere thought.
"See?" he yelled, spinning away from her. "That's what I mean, right there." He turned and pointed at her. "I trust you to think for yourself and put the needs of the Wizarding World first."
"I suppose that's true." She frowned. "If you saw Dumbledore's memory of my questioning, then you should've seen that I defended the Slytherins—well, those I'm friends with anyway."
"Aye, I did."
Ava crossed her arms and popped out a hip. "And that doesn't bother you?"
A serious expression came over Moody's face. "Being a dark wizard chaser, I know how the dark arts can seduce and corrupt people's minds. For some, there's no turning back, they're too far gone. If there are wizards, or witches, in this school that you think you can save from the pull of the dark arts, then be all means, do so. Less work for me. Let me ask you this, knowing what you know, if any of those boys that you mentioned begin to travel down the path of no return, would you write them off to protect others?"
A snarl slipped loose at the idea of giving up on any of her Slytherin friends.
Moody jumped back, eyes wide.
Ava's lip curled. "If any of the wizards that I'm keeping an eye on know what's good for them, they'll listen to common sense. But if they move towards a point of no return with the Death Eaters and Voldemort, I'll stop them myself. I won't let it go that far. I won't let them be a danger to themselves or others." Her chest heaved from her rant, and quite possibly the notion that her Slytherin friends might need more saving than she originally thought. It hadn't crossed Ava's mind that they might not listen to her. Moody's voice drew her attention.
"Now, any particular choice of wording for my Oath?" The smidgen of fright he showed just a moment ago had disappeared.
She waved a hand through the air. "Just that you won't reveal any details about me that I share with you to anyone else, especially Dumbledore."
He grinned, held his wand, and made his Oath, word for word. "So, lass, what's going on with your magic?"
Ava sighed and gestured to a couple chairs off to the side of the dueling mat. Once sat, she began, "I never explained why I appeared in this reality. It just so happens that soulmate spells are powerful enough to pull you across worlds." She smiled, thinking of Remus.
"But your world didn't have magic, correct? So, someone here must've cast the spell."
Ava nodded her head with a mix of exasperation and adoration for the troublesome boys that brought her to the Wizarding World. "Sirius Black and James Potter."
The Auror's brow furrowed. "Which one of them is it?"
She let out a startled laugh. "Neither. My soulmate is Remus Lupin."
Moody nodded. "Lyall Lupin's son?"
Ava flexed her jaw. "Yes."
"Well, I suppose having an established connection with a soulmate might boost your magic a bit. You've sealed the bond, correct?"
She blushed and nodded. "That's not all." She fidgeted in her seat.
"Get on with it," he barked.
"Remus is a werewolf," she blurted, watching his face for any sign of hostility.
A deep frown wrinkled the wizard's scarred face. "Since when?"
"Since he was four." Tears pricked at her eyes. Talking about this is harder than I thought.
"Fucking hell!" Moody yelled, shooting to his feet so fast his chair fell backwards. "Do you know who turned him?"
"Fenrir Greyback," she whispered, not having seen the Auror so heated before.
"Fuck," he growled. "Of course it fucking was."
Ava swiped at the wetness that spilled over, rolling down her cheeks.
"Oh, lass," Moody said, in a voice softer than she thought could possibly come from the gruff wizard. He crouched down in front of her and took one of her hands in his. "I'm not angry with you. Or your soulmate. It's my job to stop bastards like Greyback, and he's managed to evade us for too long." He squeezed her fingers. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "It's fine, the whole topic is upsetting."
Moody went to stand, but she gripped his hand.
"You don't care that I'm mated to a werewolf? A dark creature?"
"It explains why you can be so growly sometimes," he muttered, not entirely to himself.
Ava was sure her face showed the incredulity of Alastor Moody calling someone "growly."
But he continued, "Has Lupin bit or mauled anyone?"
She shook her head emphatically.
"Good. Then, no, I don't care." He pulled away once more and this time she let go. "Can I assume that since he's your soulmate, then your his werewolf mate as well?"
"Yeah."
"And that he hasn't acted aggressive towards you?"
"No, not at all. Moony—his wolf—actually really likes me." She couldn't help but grin.
Moody's brows shot up. "His wolf has a name? And you've met him?"
Here we go. "So, it's a bit more than us just being soulmates."
He sighed and sat back down. "Of course it is."
Ava took a deep breath. "During the full moon, I transform as well, but we both keep our minds now. So, we're both fully conscious and aware of our surroundings and in total control of our actions, so we're not a threat to anyone."
Moody's jaw dropped. "I didn't know that could happen."
She laughed. "Neither did we. But it only happened after—after we…you know."
His eyes sparked with amusement.
Cheeks flushing, she continued on. "There was a lot of stuff none of us knew about the soulmate spell or werewolf mates."
"Who's 'us'?"
"Remus, obviously, but then Aunt Minerva, Madame Pomfrey, the boys, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter." She bit her lip. "And Severus, Regulus, and Phineas, if we're being totally honest here."
Moody gave her a look then asked, "So, is that it? You're soulmates with a werewolf?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Like I said, that magical connection could give you some sort of a boost in your powers."
He must've noticed Ava wringing her hands together again. "What?" he barked. "What else is there?"
She frowned. "I don't really know. Professor Fell called it protective elemental magic."
Moody's eyes widened.
"But I didn't even mean to do it," she whispered.
"Explain."
So she did. All of it. Everything from greeting Barty at the carriages and spotting the Glamour Charms, to the circle of flames, to her hands heating up in the Great Hall after seeing Severus limping, and how her magic felt hot and wrathful.
At every mention of another development, Moody's mouth dropped further open. When Ava finished explaining, the Auror stood and paced.
"Is something wrong with me?" she asked, unable to hide the shake in her voice. Since the fiery magic first showed up, Ava had brushed it off as just another weird thing to happen to her since appearing in the magical world, like everyone else did, but seeing Moody's reaction freaked her out. Maybe everything wasn't okay like she thought.
"The situations you just mentioned, those are the only times this fire magic has made an appearance?" he asked, moving swiftly across the dueling mat.
"Yes."
"And none of them got out of hand, something or someone was always able to pull you back, right?"
She swallowed, not having looked at it that way before. "Yes. Either Severus, Remus, or Benedict have been able to snap me back to reality, and then my magic's cooled off."
"Who's Benedict?"
"He's a first year. Slytherin."
Moody quirked a brow, his worried expression dropping for a moment.
Ava rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. I'm collecting all of Slytherin as my friends. Big whoop."
His lips twitched for a second, but then he resumed his pacing. "Each time that the elemental magic showed itself, you've been emotionally distraught?"
She huffed. "That makes me sound like some sort of damsel in distress."
He shot her a look.
Thinking back on it now, each time the fire magic flared up, it was for a very specific reason. "It's always been when one of my friends is hurt."
Moody grunted.
"What's that mean?" she asked, desperation bleeding into her voice.
The Auror came to a stop in front of Ava. "It means that you have access to a volatile, temperamental magic that's likely to lash out with fire whenever your emotions get the better of you. It means you need to practice control. Have you heard of Occlumency?"
She grimaced.
"Aye, it's not easy to learn, but it'll be dead useful."
Shaking her head, Ava said, "It's not that. I've already been studying Occlumency."
For the umpteenth time that night, Moody's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Sweet Merlin, Avalynn McGonagall. Anything else you need to tell me?"
The words of the prophecy floated through her mind. She clenched her jaw. "Nope." Not yet at least. The very magic they were discussing seemed to come to life, heating Ava from the inside out, willing to do whatever it took to keep the prophecy from coming to fruition.
He rubbed his jaw. "If you've been studying Occlumency, how are you using it?"
"As a mental defense. In case anyone tries to use Legilimency on me."
He grunted. "Has it worked?"
"So far, yeah," she told him with a smile.
"Good. Now, you can also use Occlumency skills to regulate or compartmentalize your emotions. Have you worked on that at all?"
Ava considered that could have been what she'd done before when blocking her emotions from Remus. Speaking of which, he probably felt her emotions all over the place during her session with Moody and might even be waiting outside the classroom for her beneath James's Invisibility Cloak. She shook herself and focused on the Auror. "Not really."
"Can I trust that whoever you've trained with thus far can keep working with you on controlling your emotions?"
She nodded, knowing Severus would agree with Moody that she needed to rein in her Gryffindor tendencies, i.e. feelings.
"Whatever amount of time you devoted to Occlumency before, double it," the gruff wizard said.
Ava groaned loudly. "I have so much shit to worry about right now, it's insane." She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on, induced by the mere thought of her workload.
Moody neglected to comment on her language, but instead said, "Do you believe that everything you're doing, all the preparations, are necessary?"
She nodded, unable to keep her lip from curling and baring her teeth. "Most definitely. I'm not letting anything get in my way of stopping Voldemort."
"That's a good lass," Moody said, flashing her a feral grin in return.
