Chapter 46: The Ever After

Cressida lays with her head perched on a dark red cushion, angled by the lounge's arm. Her eyes are settled on the roaring fireplace that filled her home with a comforting warmth against the piercing winter air that had seeped in. A small, black and white cat huddled on its own cushion at the foot of the hearth, his whiskers twitching ever so often.

Her arms loop loosely around the back of James' neck who is lain against her front, face buried into the pit of her naval. If it wasn't for the soft but constant moving of his chest against her hips, she could have believed him dead with how still he was.

"You and Sirius are still going out tomorrow, right?" she asks him, not lifting her voice above a whisper.

James exhales slowly, tilting his head just enough so that his voice can be heard past her skin. "Why?" he grumbles tiredly. Cressida only smiles to herself, raking her fingers through the nape of the hair on his neck. At her silence, James lifts his head entirely. "Why?" he repeats with a teasing narrow of his eyes.

"Just thought I could do some of that redecorating we talked about is all," she sings. "I won't take anything out but I want to add a few things. Thought I might invite Remus over for dinner as well so we could all have a night together. And Elias."

She was excited at the idea of having her own things. Things that she got to go chose and bring home. James lays his cheek on her stomach. "Can you pick up some liquorice wands too?"

"I brought some just a few weeks ago," she frowns. "We had a whole jar full."

"Yes," James mutters. "And Remus ate them all when he visited."

Cressida winces, murmuring something about having an upset stomach after all that liquorice.

Xx

"Remus!" Cressida calls as the doorbell has barely finished its loud dong. They use it purely to alert their arrival as the door itself is almost always unlocked. She brushes past Sirius and James who sit together on the lounge in the open family room.

Remus, as habit awaits him, is already waiting with his arms open.

"Every time!" A voice cries out from the room she just left. "She saw him three days ago! She hadn't even seen me for a week this morning and I get a wave. Didn't even put down her tea!"

"Is your boyfriend jealous of…you?" she chuckled to an eye-rolling Remus. "Understandable though. James was jealous because Kibble likes me more. Maybe it's an animal thing?"

Remus shakes his head with a soft laugh. "Lucky us. But you are a bear and I've heard they're territorial."

Cressida tips her head with an innocent smile. "I am. And if I didn't want you in this house, your head would be ripped from your shoulders."

Remus begin sauntering down the hallway with Cressida on his tail. "Coming from the woman who defeated Voldemort, I'll take the warning." They emerge into the family room and Remus receives a vulgar gesture from his boyfriend.

"Technically," Cressida sighs, slumping down into the single chair, "I didn't defeat him. Elias did and that's all the world knows."

Remus knocks Sirius' hand away and settles down next to him, the pair slipping into a soft embrace. The time after Cressida had destroyed the Horcruxes had been unexpectedly tough. Her mind was faced with now just pure emotion that she could claim entirely as her own and it had felt like someone had ripped a layer of her mind away, leaving it exposed for the world to see. But it was good, in time, she had come to realise. She could mould it at her will and no longer did she feel like a puppet.

"What did you two do today?" she directs to James and Sirius who had only returned home less than an hour ago.

The brothers glance at each other and shrug. "Not much," her fiancé answers.

Cressida chews at her cheek, giving them both a stink eye. "Last time you said not much, you got into a chase on Sirius' motorbike with Muggle police and then Death Eaters."

Sirius raises a single finger. "This was significantly less, not much," he adds. "What did you do today then?"

Shrugging, she answers, "Not much." The three of them chuckle at Sirius elaborate groan and rolling eyes. "I just picked up a few things for around the house. You should have a look later and tell me if you like them."

Sirius' eyes immediately dart around and Cressida smiles softly to herself at his puppy excitement.

At Remus' grumbling stomach and complaint of missing lunch, Cressida takes him to the kitchen to snack as they had a large dinner planned and she didn't want him to spoil it.

"Do you have any idea what those two did today?"

Remus shrugs, glancing over his shoulder at the two men who are wandering around the manor, their conversation hushed. Remus chews on a liquorice wand, the tip of his tongue already turning a dark shade of purple. "No idea. They've been doing that a lot, haven't they? Sneaking off?"

Cressida hums. "A bit," she agrees. They talk quietly amongst themselves for a while until she notices the boys wander into the music room and her grin develops. "Do you want to see what I bought today?"

Remus piques up, nodding with a black wand sticking out of his lips. Cressida laughs to herself and gestures towards the hall with her head. Remus trails behind her and they wander into the music room that James and Sirius had gone into moments before. Cressida stops in the threshold, Remus at her shoulder. Crossing her arms, she leans against the door frame and revels in their reactions.

Hanging high above the piano on the wall, is a mounted, fake head of a deer with large antlers like tree branches. The two men stand underneath it, James with his head hanging back and arms loose by his side and Sirius with his hands firmly planted on his hips.

Leaning close to James' ear, he mutters just loud enough for her to hear, "Do you think it's some sort of threat?" James slowly turns his head to Sirius, mouth partially open but no response forms. "And at least it's not the balls. You'd have to live with that shame."

Remus stifles a laugh from behind her. "I picked it up from the thrift shop for just a couple of dollars," she whispers to him. "Thought it was perfect. How do you like it darling?"

James turns on his feet with a pale face. Swallowing, he answers overly loud, "Beautiful."

Swinging her arms, Cressida skips forward, throwing them over his neck. "Good." Sirius reaches up onto his toes, poking the plastic black eye. "You can burn it if you want. It cost me less than a pair of shoes."

His hazel eyes find hers and a low, grumbling chuckle forms in his chest. "Thank Merlin. It is honestly very threatening."

Another ding from the doorbell sounds throughout the house. Cressida tips her head to the side, "And that'll be Elias."

As she slips from his hold, James mutters, "Mounted deer head, inviting ex-boyfriends over. I think she's trying to plan a murder somehow. There's a link somewhere."

Sirius clicks his tongue. "It's cliché. Woman marries rich husband just to murder him and take his wealth. I've got my eye on Remus too."

Cressida flips her chin back over her shoulders. "I'm not the one who won't tell you where I've been today," she points out. James only draws his lips into a smirk. She isn't worried about what he's up to. She doesn't even care really if he's not wanting to tell her, but she'll drag it out for her own gain and entertainment.

She meets Elias at the door, the gorgeous man dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants. Not that Cressida ever thinks of people as replacements for those lost, but it was nice to invite Elias closer into their circle after gaining an empty seat. After the twins were killed, Elias was more than happy to source friendship at her offer. They wouldn't call him a Marauder, but he was as close to one as he could get.

"Padfoot," he greets with a grin, enveloping the man in a masculine embrace. Cressida smiles softly as they greet each other and wanders off to the kitchen to set off preparations for dinner.

Standing near the island bench, her wand swishes through the air, food and pots floating about. She spots James entering from the side of her vision but doesn't acknowledge him until his arms slip around her stomach. "I know you said just to bring something home but I wanted to try my hand at this recipe that Mary showed me."

"And I know Sirius said we weren't doing much, but we were."

"What a surprise," she scoffs. "Did you get into trouble?"

"I wouldn't do that," he whispers, air brushing against her ear. "Not now." Cressida closes her eyes, feeling his thumb circle around her bellybutton. The lips that were dusting the shell of her ear presses firmly against it.

"Go keep our guests entertained," she tells him. "But tell Sirius to come in here."

James hums, squeezing with another kiss before letting her go. Cressida sings quietly to herself until the second male walks through the open arch. "Wanted to see me," Sirius muses.

Cressida gives him a small smirk, opening the oven door. "I like your hair." Sirius grins, ruffling his now short locks that has a short scuffle of a beard growing with it. "I was going through my things the other day and realised that when I was at Grimmauld place, I found a letter in your room that hadn't been sent. It wasn't addressed to anybody either. Did you want it?"

Sirius' smile disappears and he bows he his in thought. Eventually, he shakes his head. "No. I left it there for a reason."

Her brows raise in curiosity. "Care to tell me what it was then?" He shakes his head, the smile rising at his tease. "Care to tell me what you did today then?" Again, he shakes his head, now with a full-blown grin.

They take to the dining room for their evening meal, but they don't last sitting in their seats for long, like hyper children. Cressida finds herself perched on James' lap, feet pressed against the rim of Elias' chair. His arms snaked under her shirt, a palm softly resting over her stomach.

"So I have a plan!" she announces over the rambling mess of voices. "A Marauder's plan." It gathers their attentions almost instantly. Cressida lays her hands on the dining table, tapping her fingers obnoxiously. "Bastian, as we all know, is Captain of the Gryffindor team this year and he's graduating. His last match is against Slytherin next Friday and it's the Cup determiner."

Remus lets out a soft laugh. "You want to sneak into Hogwarts, don't you?"

Sirius flares his hands out to the side. "I'm completely down for this."

"Sneaking into Hogwarts?" Elias echoes. "That's game."

"Please, McGonagall would love to see us," James bellows.

Their voices rile up again and Cressida laughs along with them for as long as she can until an overwhelming tire drags her cheeks downwards. Her hands fold into her lap and she bows her head. James' nose brushes against her cheek. "You okay?"

Numbly, she nods. She forces her eyes to lift to his hazel ones, a small, but unwavering smile lifts. "I love you."

Pecking her lips, he folds her closer against his body and murmurs something similar into her ear.