Chapter Eighteen

A Demonic Ball of Fur

The world spun in a sickening blur and the colors were everywhere and everything; I felt my feet hit the ground and it all focused, swirling back down into solid figures and elements. My house materialized around me and I released a contained breath.

"Still have all your limbs?"

Sirius's loosened his grip on my hand and shot me a look. "Just because I'm not the best at apparating…" He held up the vase he'd been gripping with his left arm with pride. "And I'm making up for my mistakes!"

"Mum will love it," I told him, and glanced around at the empty living room. "Well, I don't know where they are. I'll give you a tour, let's go."

I ushered him to follow and we walked throughout the house. I showed him the living room and the dining room and the bathrooms and bedrooms and everything else in between, all which were oddly vacant. We got to the back of the house and I peered out through the window.

"Oh, they're on the patio," I said slowly. "Drinking tea or something. Well, leave the vase on the counter. Guess it's time to say hello. You ready?"

He shrugged. "Guess so."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little. I don't really know why," he laughed, shaking his arms in an attempt to ward it off.

"You didn't have to come, you know," I reminded him. "You could still always back out if you want. Just apparate away and no one will ever know you were even here."

He sighed. "I'm not that cowardly. Plus, your parents okay'd it, and I'm doing this for you. No backing out now."

"So noble," I said, and then dragged him to the back door. "Let's just get this over with."

When I opened the door, my parents both looked up immediately, and foreign expressions lit their features. I stopped in the doorway, slightly taken aback by the way they were looking at us, until Sirius gently pushed me forward so he could close the door.

"Grace!" My mother jumped to her feet and walked over to us, enveloping me and then Sirius in a hug. I was perplexed but didn't want to point out her oddity. My dad appeared behind her, wrapping me in his arms briefly and then shaking Sirius's hand. I stared at the two blankly, but neither noticed.

"It's nice to meet you, Sirius," my father said, and Sirius nodded politely, telling him the same.

"Did you two have any trouble getting here?" my mother asked.

I shook my head. "No, it was fine."

They looked so joyful. I didn't get it.

"Did you show him around the house, Grace?"

"Yeah. Oh, he brought you a gift, Mum." I turned to him, grinning slightly.

"Right! I left it in the kitchen. Um, it's just a vase," he said timidly, scratching his head and smiling with a corner of his mouth.

"Let's get inside, it's a bit chilly out here," Mum said, and the four of us trailed back indoors. Mum gasped. "Oh, Sirius, how thoughtful. It's lovely, thank you."

"Well, ah… it's no problem," he said. I knew he wanted to say, 'I owed you after the one I broke,' but he didn't seem to want to bring up buried things.

She took the vase and placed it in on a coffee table in the living room, then returned. "It looks brilliant. Sets the room off nicely. Well, are you two hungry? Your father and I ate already because we weren't sure when to expect you. I'll warm the food."

Sirius and I shared a look, and he raised his eyebrows, asking me how it was going. I returned a look that translated as, 'Surprisingly good,' and Sirius nodded.

Something had definitely happened to my parents.

"Thanks for dinner, Mum," I said, joining her by the sink. She reached to wash a plate and I took it from her. "I got it, don't worry."

"Thank you, Grace. Where did Sirius wander off to?"

"He's just showering," I said simply, moving the plates from under the running faucet to the dishwasher in swift movements.

"Oh, well, your father and I wanted to talk to you about something—maybe we should leave the dishes for a bit and go talk in the living room."

I tensed, staring at the water as it spilled over the plates. I reminded myself that I'd seen this coming and shut it off. "Okay," I said. She walked off to the living room, where my dad already was, and I sat on the couch and faced them. "What is it?"

"Grace, honey," my dad started, and dread filled my insides like poison. "I'm being transferred to America for work. Your mother and I will be moving in a couple of months."

I blinked. Moving? "Um. Why?" Dad worked with electronics. That was all I really knew.

"Why are we being transferred, you mean?"

I only stared.

"Well, there's a higher demand for people of my position there than there is here. And your mother and I wanted to know…" He hesitated and then glanced at her for help.

She readily cut in. "We wanted to know your decision, for your future."

"My future?" I repeated. "My career?"

"No… what do you think of living as a witch?"

"Mum." I looked at her seriously. "I am a witch. I'm not living as a witch. I am one."

She and my father shared a look, and then she collected a breath, searching for patience. "I know, Grace. But it's your lifestyle I'm asking about. We need to know how you'll choose to live after you've graduated."

"As a witch," I told her directly, "because that's what I am."

My father's expression fell. "I'm sure you're aware that there is a wizarding war currently going on."

"Of course," I said, straightening my back. "I'm the one that lives in the wizarding world for most of the year."

"You being on your own in the midst of a war…" My mother trailed off, looking at the floor.

It surprised me that my parents knew anything about the war, and I wondered just how much they did really know. I'd always figured they'd cut themselves off completely, but there was plenty I didn't know about my parents. I guess they did still have some sort of communication with the wizarding world. They still received owls, after all.

"So, what… what are my options, if I am living as a witch?" I asked. The whole idea of living as a muggle was incredibly ridiculous; of course I had nothing against muggles, but I wasn't one, and I wasn't about to pretend.

"I don't know," Mum admitted quietly. "Your father and I will be living in America and as far as your own living situations…"

"If you had considered living normally, we would have suggested you come along after you'd graduated." I cringed at his idea of 'living normally.' "But if you're choosing to be a witch, I suppose you wouldn't want to move away from the people you already have here."

"And so what then?"

The two of them shared another long look, until my mother finally spoke up again.

"Your father and I have been discussing this for a while now, and we still do not approve of a… magical lifestyle. However, we've allowed you to develop in that community and seeing as you are an adult, it is your choice how you live. Your father and I, however, will not pretend to approve." She paused with difficulty. "But, whatever you do choose, we will eventually accept, because you are our daughter and we have to trust your own judgment."

My father stirred. "We can send you money for a while until you are able to support yourself so you can afford a flat and bills and groceries and such. You'll need to get a job, though, because we won't be paying for you forever. Understood?"

My eyes were wide with disbelief, and I nodded quickly.

"What are you interested in pursuing as far as a career?" he asked.

"A…writer. For the Daily Prophet," I answered. "They make fairly good money, depending on how popular the column is."

"Well, that sounds like an idea," Mum said, folding her hands in her lap. "Grace, this war, though, it worries me… What will you do when you graduate?"

"I don't know," I said. "I haven't really… thought it all through."

"Don't do anything reckless. This war is serious business, and I know how you are." Did she? I wanted to argue it, but she continued. "My sister was murdered by a dark wizard, Grace, and I don't want you to end up… with that fate."

My heart was suddenly very loud in my chest. "Your sister? I had an aunt?" What the hell? How could she just say it now, like this?

"You have several," my father said. "We do not associate with many members of our families."

Well, I knew that. "Why didn't you ever tell me about her?"

"The subject divided my family before you were ever born," she said, looking torn. "Several family members were involved in her death. They were involved in the Dark Arts. And when I spoke against them, I was accused of being disloyal to my family." She looked about ready to choke.

Everything suddenly felt as if it had been flipped upside down. I felt almost as if I would fall off of my chair. My family had been involved in the Dark Arts...

"Similar events occurred within my own family," my father said, but his expression was much stronger. "Your mother and I decided when we were married that we did not need anything to do with magic. The darkness… it tainted our families. They were blinded against their own evil. They didn't understand what atrocities they had done to their own flesh and blood."

"But… they're…" I shook my head frantically. "Sure, there are dark witches and wizards. But not all of them are like that."

My father said, "It's not always so easy to tell."

"I know plenty of good magical folk," I said adamantly. "Only a few really rotten ones."

"All we want you to remember, Grace, is that everyone is not always who they appear to be." She looked at me, long and hard, drilling the sentence into my mind. "I've told you, we'll grow to accept whatever you choose. It will be difficult for us, but it's your life and your choice. And we trust that you will be the kind of person we can be proud of."

I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at my foot. "Okay," I said after the silence had stretched out for some time. "I won't be changing my mind, though. So you can't either."

Mum nodded, and I wanted so badly to know why things had been the way they were for so long. Why they hadn't told me this before, why they'd isolated me and made me so miserable. Because a dark wizard had killed my aunt, and I was magical, too, and didn't know any better? It didn't seem fair.

I didn't say anything, though, and neither did they.

The sentence drifted through my mind subconciously, again and again, and again, and again...

...Everyone is not always who they appear to be...

"Come on!" I yanked on Sirius's hand, pulling him up from the couch.

He groaned loudly, eyes only half open. "Ughh… I just want to sleeeep…" He seemed to grow heavier with drowsiness, like a dead weight on my arm.

"It's only two. You shouldn't be this tired." After an evening of my parents making idle chit-chat with the two of us, they'd grown tired and dismissed themselves to bed. Sirius had crashed on the couch and I'd run around the house restlessly, reading books or drawing or tasting random things from the fridge.

"Two in the morning!" He groaned again, hands shooting up to cover his face, and I just laughed.

"All right... but, hey, I couldn't sleep, and I figured we could use some brownies."

"Brownies." He said it flatly, as if the word was unfamiliar to him. Either that or the sleep had yanked away the connection in his mind.

"Yes. Warm, yummy, chocolaty goodness. It will wake you up," I assured him, nodding with emphasis. Somewhere in my mind, it occurred to me that I should mention what my parents had told me to Sirius. After all, he had come all this way just to support me so that I wouldn't be so damn afraid of my own parents. It'd been incredibly thoughtful, and his own suggestion completely. Plus, I hadn't wanted to be alone, even if it was just for a day. Sirius always seemed to make things brighter. And when I thought about it, what my parents and I had discussed, it was good, wasn't it? I wasn't being abandoned when they left.

But, then again, I didn't want to think about it. What my parents had said about my aunt. I didn't want to think about their expressions when they talked about magic or how they'd been proclaimed disloyal. I didn't want to think about how divided it all was.

Sirius mumbled sleepily, eyes refusing to open all the way, and I dragged him into the kitchen. I decided I wouldn't tell him, not now. I wouldn't even really think about it unless I had to. Sirius lulled along, unconsciously complying.

I dropped his hand and he collapsed on a stool by the kitchen counter, dropping his head lazily on the surface. I left him there and went to gather the materials, reading the list aloud. "So, I need flour, and two eggs, and baking soda, and… oh, there's a mix in the cabinet. Where did I put the chocolate? I need to put that on the double boiler and melt it…"

I shot Sirius a glance, but he didn't reciprocate; he was already snoring softly.

"Sirius!"

He jolted upright suddenly, eyes wide. "Ah! Gracie! What?"

I laughed and leaned onto the counter. "Sorry. But you have to help me. Here, crack the eggs." I pushed a bowl towards him and moved to collect two eggs from the kitchen. I slid it across the counter to him.

He stared blankly. "Crack the eggs? With what?"

"Crack it on the side of the bowl."

"Can I use my wand?"

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. "We are in a muggle community and therefore magic is prohibited."

"Why," he moaned, grudgingly taking an egg and holding it up before his eyes, like he was inspecting it. "What kind of egg is this? A dragon? Or a hippogriff?"

"I don't think hippogriffs are born in eggs. It's a chicken."

"Hippogriffs are born in eggs. I learned it in Care of Magical Creatures."

"No, they're not. They're part horse. It's a live birth."

"Just because you didn't listen in class…"

I smacked him on top of his head. "Crack the egg, will you?"

He swore loudly but took the egg and held it up against the bowl anyway. "What do I do?"

"Just…Merlin, hit it against the side so it cracks."

And, so, as told, he did.

But he'd obviously never cracked an egg before. It splattered all over the side of the bowl and onto the counter top, an instant mess of shattered shell and egg white and yolk. He raised his head slowly to gauge my expression and see if he'd done it right.

I stared at the catastrophe, unblinking. "Maybe I should have shown you how first."

"Oops."

I took my wand from my pocket and raised the remnants from the counter. Sirius gasped with horror.

"Magic! Magic is prohibited in this muggle community, Grace Hachette—"

I flicked my wrist and the egg hit him in the face with a splat.

He ceased his speaking, and just blinked, a mass of egg white dripping down his face.

"There are exceptions to every rule," I said coolly.

I turned away briefly to gather the rest of the materials. Slowly, ever so slowly, Sirius stood, the shells and yolk spilling over his shoulders and onto the floor, and walked over to me.

"What are you doing?" I interrogated at once.

He didn't answer, just kept walking until I had backed myself up into the corner. I threw my hands out and tried keeping him back, but he just latched his hands around my wrists and pulled my arms to my side.

"Sirius!" I shrieked, but my authority subsided in a fit of laughter.

He tried to keep his face slack, but there was a smile twitching at his lips, and before I could muster anymore strength to push him away, he brushed his slimy egg white cheek against my face.

"No! Get off! Ew!" But I was laughing too hard, and the only thing I managed to do was flail my arms pitifully while he took advantage of my immobility and tickled my sides.

"Ahem," he said, clearing his throat, and my laughter and arm flailing had increased by ten at that point, "were you saying something?"

I was a giggling mess, thrashing in his hold violently, gasping for breath between laughing fits. "Sirius, stop! Stop!"

"No? You didn't say anything?"

"Sirius!"

"Fine." He smirked and stopped, throwing his hands up. "We're even."

I took a desperate breath for air, refilling my exhausted lungs. "Yeah, sure," I said, waving him off. Then I reached back for my wand, "Here, let me just clean up that face for you," and sprayed him in the face with water.

"Gracie!" he gasped melodramatically, "All right, now you are really asking for it…"

"No! Stop! Stay back! Aguamenti!"

"Fine, fine, two can play this game," he said, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, and he grabbed for his wand. I was about to disarm him when he shot a splash of water at me and my words became a gurgle.

I choked and laughed, sounding more like an obscene guffaw, and retaliated with another jet of water at his face.

"Gracie, you do not know when to stop!"

"I don't?" Another jet of water. "Do I?" And another. "Nope." Another. "I don't." And a last.

He sputtered up the water, wiping his face frantically and shooting water back my way. We were both sending gushing streams of water at each other and he squirmed to run away, but the floor had slicked over in the midst of the battle, and he slipped and pulled me down after him.

"Sirius!" I screeched, falling in a heap beside him.

He laughed hysterically, sprawled out on the floor in defeat and staring up at the ceiling. A long moment lapsed, the two of us heaving for breath, completely still. And then Sirius asked, "Weren't we supposed to be making brownies?"

James tackled Sirius, screaming uncontrollably and shaking him like a salt shaker. "WAKE UP, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING TOS—"

Lily slapped his arm before he could finish his sentence, and he shot her a sheepish smile before returning to scream in Sirius's ear. Sirius and I had returned the night before on Christmas Eve. It was well into morning now, and James looked like he'd had too much energy contained all week and was only expelling it now.

"Sirius, wake up, mate! We've been waiting for you to wake up for hours! Hours I tell you! Hours!"

Sirius rolled over, aiming a kick at James in the stomach.

"Hell, Padfoot, how long are you going to sleep for? Till next Christmas?"

"I'm awake! Bloody bright awake! Get off of me, Prongs, before I hex your eyes out!"

I sighed and moved James aside, kneeling by the couch in front of Sirius's face. "Look, James, I'll show you how it's done." I planted one of the many gifts Lily and I had spent the night before wrapping in front of his face. "Wake up, Sirius! I've got a present for you."

He peeked an eye open, then spotted the gift and sat upright at once. "I'm up, didn't I tell you? I'm up. Perfectly awake."

I rolled my eyes, smiling knowingly. "You're too predictable, honestly."

James proceeded to be much too excitable, tossing around a few of the gifts under the Christmas tree that Lily and I had also skillfully assembled the night before. While James dragged Lily along to show her which one was for her, I nudged Sirius to open his.

"From you?" he asked, slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

I nodded.

He tore at the paper in a daze, throwing it aside. He peered at the label on the box, stared, processed, and then snapped his head back up.

"No! You didn't! It's not?"

I shrugged, smiling only the slightest.

He tore it open, wrenching a piece of fudge from inside the box and stuffing it in his mouth. He exhaled emphatically with content and swallowed. "I love you. I definitely love you." He set the oversized box of fudge beside him and opened his arms. "Come here, you. You need a proper hug for your saintliness."

I accepted his hug, snuggling into his warm arms, and laughed. "You're so simple. How did I know you'd be happy with just fudge, of all things?"

"I'm wondering the same thing. You're a genius. A saintly genius."

Suddenly Sirius stood and pulled me to my feet, dragging me out of the room. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"To get your present," he answered simply. "Now, I'll warn you ahead of time, um… watch your fingers."

I raised my brows. "Are you hiding a dragon somewhere?"

"No, but pretty close," said Sirius as he pushed open James's bedroom door. I'd never been inside, and I took a moment while Sirius scurried away to get the present to observe it. The walls were a plain white, like the snow outside, adorned by various Gryffindor stripes and emblems. There was a single Chudley Cannons poster, along with the scrawled script 'We Shall Conquer' beneath it.

I snorted. "Doesn't James know the Cannons never win? Their seeker's terrible. I heard they changed their motto to, 'Let's all just keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.'"

"He has a dream of getting picked for the team and resurrecting its glory," Sirius answered absently, occupied in the corner with a heap of blankets. "Here, come here, Gracie."

I walked to him and glanced over his shoulder to see what had been hiding in the blankets.

Sirius turned, holding out his hands to me, and I shrieked with surprise. There was a kitten curled up under his fingers, pawing at him playfully. It's coat was golden yellow with streaks of white, the fur all fluffed and standing on end. It stared up at me with large blue crystal eyes, mesmerized.

"Sirius! It's—oh good Merlin, it's so adorable! How—what—can I hold him?"

"Yeah. But, watch out, it's a demon—" He stopped as it ran into my hands and relaxed on my lap. "Wait, I swear it's evil. It's just tricking you now."

"Shh," I said, waving him away. "Don't listen to the mean boy, I know you're a sweetheart."

"It bit me only this morning! And it hid in James's blankets for hours…"

It nipped at my finger, and I giggled, stroking the kitten's back. "It's only playing. He's sweet! And so cute. Look at him!"

Sirius smiled in spite of himself. "I saw him at the store and for some reason it wouldn't leave me alone. Me and James were just looking for owl treats and the thing chased me around the store. I wanted to shoo it away, but it was…well. Annoying, but kind of like you."

"Wow, Sirius, how absolutely touching."

"Well, you know I don't like cats. But this was different." He stared at it, poking it with his finger. It pawed at him again, and he glanced up at me.

I placed the kitten on the floor and threw my arms around Sirius. "Thank you! So much! It's so cute! You're so sweet! I can't believe you bought me a kitten!"

"Ow, you're shouting in my ear," Sirius said, trying to squirm out of my grip teasingly.

"I love you, stupid dudder brain!" I kissed him on the cheek and darted away quickly, taking the kitten back in my hands. I raised it up to my face and kissed it, too, on the nose.

Sirius just laughed beside me, sounding a bit sleepy again. "Happy Christmas, Gracie."

A/N: Okay, so do people in England say Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas? I did a search once and it said that most English people say 'Merry Christmas,' and that 'Happy Christmas' is more of an older-time thing, but in Harry Potter that's what they all say, and I did another search just now, and I got happy instead of merry. SO, if you live in England or the surrounding area, I would love to know! I just stuck with happy because that's what JKR did.

ANYWAYS, thanks the kitten idea was completely suggested and so I decided to use the idea. Thanks to CrackHeadBlonde for suggesting it ;)

Alsoooo, just a little notice, I'm leaving to go see my nana soon. (I'm getting on a plane at one in the morning on Wednesday… what? Why mom whyyy) I'll be gone for three weeks, and I won't be bringing my laptop. However, my nana has one, so I should be able to write, and I'll bring my handy-dandy notebook for all of my planning as well, but if I'm able to update they will be considerably slower. :/ Sorry. Not much I can do about that. I'll be at the beach a lot, though, so maybe I'll write a chapter about the beach… teehee. I sooo need to get away from my house though.

Anyway, that's all, hope you enjoyed the chapter and Happy Christmas to you all ;) Just kidding, it's summer here for goodness sakes! Thanks for reading and leave a review all of you lovely people! :D

Sirius: *glances at fudge* …Um. You want some?

Gracie: YES PLEASE! *tackles*

Sirius: Arggh, Gracie, not you, get off! You have a kitten, what do you need fudge for?

Gracie: I can't eat the kitten!

Sirius: Well… you could…

Gracie: *gasp* Sirius!

Sirius: Just kidding. Here, readers, take the fudge, quickly, while she's distracted. Go! Before Gracie catches up with you! RUUUNNNN!

Gracie: NOOOOO! NOT THE FUDGE!