Chapter 42: Into Action
The steam of the shower worked wonders in enveloping her completely. It was a shame to have to leave it. They are lucky that the house isn't connected to the town plumbing and worked on collected rainwater, though she did try to avoid thinking about the systems lack of maintenance. The house doesn't have electricity either, but magic filled in where they needed it.
Wrapped in a warm towel, Cressida emerges into her parents' room. She would have offered the larger bed to Sirius, but it felt right to let him have a bed that was her own rather than something that belonged to people she despises.
"James?" she perks. He lays against the bed, looking to be daydreaming as he stares out the window which was almost black from the nigh moon. "You know you can go home, right?"
His head lops in a semi-circle, a flirtatious smile appearing as his eyes wander over the towel. "It's lonely there." Cressida crawls onto the bed, laying almost horizontal but angles her shoulders and head towards his. His hand smooths over her back, delving underneath the protection of her cover. "You smell nice."
"Lavender conditioner," she grins tiredly, laying her head against his chest. "Just in case you want to buy me a perfume that's similar."
His chest rumbles with an airy chuckle. "I will do that." Cressida watches him silently as James nudges her towel away to give his hand more freedom. Fortunately, there are no neighbours around to peek through their windows.
"You seem down," she notes after a while. She brushes his fringe back out of his face then curves her hand down to his neck. "Which sort of ironic considering that you're usually acting like a schoolboy when your hands are that explorative."
Her tease brings another short chuckle and one of his hands pulls her head closer to his so he can lay a kiss on it. "I just… feel like I'm not doing anything."
Cressida pushes her brows together, using her elbows to heave herself into an inclined position. "Uh, well you are doing a lot right now. And if you want to have a conversation this probably isn't the way to go."
His hands suddenly smoothen out, circling around to her back and she is pushed to the bed, laying on her back with James tucked in at her side. Though the position hasn't changed anything other than no longer having to hold herself up. "I mean with the Horcruxes," he confesses. "I feel like I don't really have a point."
She lets her head fall to the side, caressing the side of his face. "I don't think any of us do. We have four and I don't know how to destroy them. What's anybody's point in this other than to try?"
He sighs heavily, the air brushing over the curve of her shoulder. "Well, I want to be important. I want to do something. I-" He breaks off, furrowing his brows. "I'll be the one to drink the potion."
She watches him carefully first. They hadn't discussed who would be the one. She figured it would be something they could figure out once they were there. Cressida was anticipating that it would be her.
She wants to tell him no, but… someone does have to do it. it would be painful but temporary. "Are you sure?" she whispers. James nods. Cressida turns back onto her side and digs her face between his and the pillow. She can't take that choice away from him; not when she fought for her own.
Xx
Cressida blesses the cool weather as she pulls the hood of her oversized jacket further over her head. The street is unfamiliar to her, and she only knows where she is going by address. It reminds her of the street in Oxford but with more life.
Near the end of the street, there is a green door with a golden '14' nailed into the front exterior wall. Cressida takes a long breath in, raising a fist to knock. At first there is no noise but the shuffling of feet across the floor.
Before she fully prepares, the door swings open. Elias stands on the other side, dressed in sweats and a loose shirt. His face morphs from nonchalance to shock to fright.
"It's me," she spits out. Think of something that only he would know. Elias steps back from the door, and she can see his hand reaching towards his pocket. "It's a group secret that Sirius' stuffs his shirt with socks to make his shoulders look bigger!"
Her breathing suspends as he registers her words. She can see the cogs working.
"Fuck me," he hisses. He leans forward, hastily looking down the length of his street then his hand furls around her jacket and yanks her inside. The door shuts loudly behind her. "You're alive."
Cressida nods once. "My current main accomplishment in life. Everything turned into a big mess-"
"Peter was a Death Eater," Elia cuts in.
She nods, running her fingers through her hair and pushing the hood down. "I killed him. And Rosier. They were the only two that showed up."
"You cast the Dark Mark," he fills in.
"Yep."
"Smart. But I have to ask why. The Order might think you're dead, but the Death Eaters will know that you're not."
"It's not them I needed to stay away from."
She lets the meaning sink in, but it does not take him long. "This is about the ring, isn't it? Or something about it."
"The ring is only part of it."
Despite both their flustered states, Elias gathers himself enough to offer her a cup of tea and she happily accepts the soothing drink. She withholds nothing from him – not what had happened, not what she plans and not what she feared. And then she tells him why she came. What she wants him to do.
"Okay."
Okay.
Elias nods to himself, eyes glazing around before settling on her. "Okay," he repeats with more confidence. "If you think you can do this then I'm behind you. I'll take a few people with me, but I won't tell them everything, just that we need to be on his tail. I'll tell Moody we got a lead on something big."
Another piece of her plan falls into place and she can't hide that relief at his acceptance of her idea. "Thank you. I can't tell you exactly when it will happen – I still need to figure out how but I'm going to be pouring my every effort into it."
"You will." Elias smiles broadly. "If you found them, then I think you're meant to destroy them. The world works in strange ways and not that I believe in fate but… well, I took divination into seventh year." She chuckles into the rim of her cup, letting her spine curve more comfortably.
Xx
Cressida waited a lot longer at the second house. For two reasons. One – she didn't want to face his mother. It was a horrible thing to do on her part, but she is desperate. Two – she really doesn't want to involve Bastian. Still underage and enjoying his summer holidays. She feels a bit like a monster coming to kidnap him. The only consolation she can give herself is that she makes sure he knows it is completely his choice. She would have to be careful with her words, making sure that he understands how dangerous and important it might be, but at the same time, that if he chose not to, that she wouldn't think little of him.
Her chance comes to pass, waiting in the alleyway between her old building and the neighbours when Bastian comes along on his bike. He rides slow and quietly with no friends around this time.
"Are you Quidditch captain yet?" she calls.
Bastian's head snaps to her, his feet flying from the peddles to the path. Her hood is down this time. "Cressida?" he calls back, unsure and hesitant. She nods. He wouldn't have the same caution as Elias. He hasn't faced enough to have it. He drops his bike to the ground and races towards her. She opens her arms just in time to engulf him. She smiles to herself, realising how much she might have meant to him.
"How are you, bud?"
Bastian leans back, swallowing and nodding vigorously. "I'm fine. Mum's fine too. We saw the Dark Mark though. Over your house. We thought you were dead!" His eyes widen, a hand darting to his mouth. "It's not Sirius, is it? Merlin, I'm so sorry-"
"Bastian," she smiles, gripping his forearms. "We're both okay. No one was hurt but the people that came for us. But I am in hiding at the moment so you can't tell anyone that Sirius and I are alive, alright? Not even your mother."
He nods without hesitation. He's grown, even if only a little. An inch or so taller and his hair longer. A bit more of a man and less of the scrawny boy. "What are you doing here then?"
Her lips tighten. "I've come to see you. To ask something of you." She can't cloak her reason. It would be wrong. He needs to understand her intentions from the beginning, so he didn't let himself be drawn in by false comforts. No coercion.
"Whatever you need."
This time, she doesn't tell him everything. Only what he needs to know to understand what she is asking. But she doesn't withhold the threats that they would face. That there was a chance of being seriously hurt and even death.
"…I need you to understand that you can say no. That asking you is only my first choice because it's the easiest to overcome getting across this lake. If you say no, then we can figure out something else but it might take us longer."
Bastian is clearly rattled by her proposal, but he holds himself steady. "If I say no, does that mean it puts you…James and Sirius - in more danger?"
Cressida grips his shoulder, gulping. "It would make it more difficult," she confesses, "and that might mean more dangerous, but I would rather take that path than make you come."
"I'll do it."
Xx
Cressida pinches her nose, her legs working tirelessly to get her to the house sitting in the field. A few lights are on, prepared to fight the darkness from the sun that set only minutes ago. She opens the unlocked front door, finding the house unusually quiet.
Sirius saunters out from the living room. "Hey. James left to get our brooms and a few other things. How'd it go with…?" Cressida nods to tell him that they both agreed but the movement brings an opening of sound in her throat akin to a whimper. "Cress? What's wrong?"
Her arms stay folded over herself at Sirius' embrace. "I feel terrible. I-I feel like I've abused his trust." She lets herself cry, no longer feeling like she has to hold it in. "I don't want him to get hurt."
Sirius simply holds her for a while.
"We'll keep him safe. No matter what happens, we'll make sure that he's safe first."