Days in Avalon

Chapter Forty-Four: Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

Nearly a week had gone by since the potion had gone missing. Everyone involved had their ear to the crowds of Hogwarts trying to see if anyone would slip into revealing themselves as the culprits. Sirius especially took an interest in the Slytherins, convinced that they were involved.

There had been numerous times in which the new found pack of friends had to stop Sirius from attacking one of them.

"Would you knock it off Blackie?" Andy barked practically every time. This time, she practically had to knock him to the ground to keep him from attacking Snape and his friends.

"It's not Snape or any of them. If it were, they would have used it by now or would have sent some sort of blackmail to us."

"You give them too much credit! Maybe that's what they want us to think?" said Sirius with a mad glint in his eyes.

"You're paranoid Black," said Kelly as she shook her head. She looked to Remus and Karen for help. Both of them nodded in agreement.

"Come on mate. Don't loose it. You know if the Slytherins stole the…you know what…Dolohov would have said something. You know he can't hold water," said Remus.

Sirius let out a growl in frustration, as he ran his hands through his hair. "I wish you'd just let me handle this my way."

"Black if we let you have your way, then Snape, Dolohov, and whole cast of other Slytherins would be taking residence in the hospital wing. Not to mention the fact that you'd be expelled and possibly thrown into Azkaban," said Andy with her arms crossed.

Sirius glared at her in the dark hallway just as the warning bell sounded.

"Come on, or we'll all be late for Flitwick's class," said Karen as she tugged on Remus's arm.

As the five of them walked down the hall toward their class, a small chuckle could be heard in the darkness as a pair of hazel eyes watched them retreat.

By the time Friday rolled around all was fairly quiet throughout the school. Many of the students had turned in early since tomorrow was a Hogsmeade weekend. But as for the Head Boy and Girl, they were not so fortunate.

James and Lily sat in their common room going over plans that McGonagall and several other professors had suggested for the anniversary ball they were required to plan.

"Geez, you'd think she saw trying to relive her youth or something," said James in disgust as he tossed McGonagall's roll off to the side.

Lily couldn't help but giggle at the face he was currently making or about how she had thought of the exact same thing. "She's just wants the ball to be prefect."

James shot her a wry look. "Formal dancing for the entire ball? Come on Evans, we're not in the Middle Ages."

"You do have a point," Lily replied after a moment of consideration. A second later a vision of the entire student body awkwardly dancing to the music usually found in Victorian period films captured her thoughts. "I could just see some of them trying to waltz their way through the night."

"Yeah the party would be over right after dinner," huffed James as he rubbed his tired eyes causing his glasses to go askew. Lily glanced over and found the simple act enduring but quickly dismissed her thoughts.

"Okay, how about one waltz. This is an anniversary ball, and the waltz was performed in the past dances," Lily compromised. She knew that McGonagall and the rest of the professors would want some formal dancing involved otherwise they might be forced to cancel the whole deal.

"Fine," said James in agreement. He picked up yet another pile of ideas that one of the professors had submitted to them when he suddenly felt as if he were being watched. He glanced up and saw Lily staring at him with a bit of a smirk gracing her pink lips. "What's wrong?"

Lily shook her head second guessing herself. "Nothing."

"Come on Evans. I know there is something on your mind," James said as he tossed the pile of papers back onto the table.

"Well I was just thinking that this is actually kind of fun," she said with a bit of a shrug.

"Fun?"

"Planning the ball I mean…," clarified Lily, "with you."

James was shocked by her statement. But seeing the slight blush grace her brought back old urges he was trying hard to disband. "Oh! Yeah…I guess it has been a little fun."

Lily could feel the air between them turn to awkwardness and tried to play off her comment as nothing. "At least it's a distraction from school and the mysterious clones of Hogwarts."

"Yeah," chuckled James thankful that she was the one to change the subject. "Luckily though, one of those problems doesn't exist anymore."

"Excuse me?" Lily said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah…sorry. I sort of forgot to tell you," James stuttered. "I kind of found out who was behind the polyjuice potion."

"What?" Lily cried as she too dropped her paper work and gave him her full attention. "When and Who?"

"I discovered about a week or so ago," he said with a shrug as he scratched the back of his head. Lily could tell that he was stalling, but was unsure as to why. What wasn't he telling her?

"Who was it Potter?" she asked in a low voice.

James let out a deep breath as he contemplated on his answer. He wasn't sure how she would react to the truth, but knew if he lied to her she'd know right then and there.

"Your best friend," he said as he braced himself for her reaction.

Lily shook her head as his words sunk in. "Andy?"

She watched him nod slowly before continuing on. "And Sirius. Along with Remus, Karen, and Kelly."

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why would they make a polyjuice potion and go around school impersonating others?"

"I'm not sure you'd want to know why," James said as he scratched the back of his head nervously causing his hair to stick out even more.

"If I didn't ask then I wouldn't want to know," huffed Lily wondering why he was being so secretive all of a sudden.

"Well…" James started as he got up from his seat "have you noticed some strange behavior among our two best friends?"

"Sirius and Andy? Sort of," Lily answered as she thought about the two of them "They haven't been as hostile toward each other as of late. They've become more civil."

"Almost as if they were friends?" questioned James, hoping this would spark some idea.

Lily thought for a moment and knew he was right. Andy and Sirius had grown close to one another. Almost too close, when they vowed to be sworn enemies until the end of their days. Close enough that could only mean one thing to those that knew them as well as Lily and James did…they were up to something sinister. "What are you getting at Potter?"

Lily watched as James let out another deep breath as he tried to find the right words to say. "The two of them have been exploring the field of matchmaking and have been experimenting on two people."

"Who?" she asked out of curiosity.

James was really hoping she wouldn't have asked that question. But he knew the truth would come out eventually. "Us."

Lily blinked for a few moments as she digested his words. "Excuse me?"

"Andy and Padfoot have been trying to get us together and they've enlisted the others for help," James said with a bit a chuckle. He found humor in hearing himself say it out loud to Lily. He knew the idea was preposterous after everything that had happened between them, but still it was comical.

"How long has this been going on?" Lily inquired

"I don't know," James shrugged. "Probably since sometime last year. That's when I first noticed the two of them getting 'cozy'."

"Are you sure?" Lily knew the idea was possible, but she didn't want to believe her best friend could be so…manipulative.

James nodded at her question before continuing on. "I over heard Karen and Kelly talking one night when I was sneaking down to the kitchens. They even mentioned where the potion was."

"Where?"

"In a girl's bathroom that's out of order. Ummm…" James said as he tried to remember the name of the ghost Andy had mentioned.

"Moaning Myrtles' bathroom?" Lily stated.

"That's it! I went there the next day and sure enough there was a cauldron full in one of the stales," James said as he walked back toward Lily. He watched her as she stood up suddenly with a bewildered look upon her face. She walked around the room a bit thinking about how Andy had been acting in recent events and how her other two friends had seemed to be acting odd as well.

"I can't believe they would do such a thing!" She exclaimed trying to wrap her brain around the idea.

"Evans we're talking about two of the most conniving minds this school has seen in years," James chuckled as he thought the idea wasn't too farfetched.

"Oh when I get my hands on them…" Lily growled as her temper flared slightly.

"You'll do nothing," James said in a matter a fact tone. He placed his hands on Lily's shoulders to stop her from moving and so she would have his attention as he continued. "They didn't harm anyone or anything. There is no need to go all mental on them."

"I would not go 'mental' on them," Lily responded under her breath.

"Really? Is that so?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lily looked up into his hazel eyes that she didn't realize how close they actually were and answered him definitely. "Absolutely."

"Oh come on!" James laughed at her actions. "If you were in her shoes wouldn't want your two friends to get along?" He asked as if the answer were obvious.

Lily knew that there was some truth to his words but was still upset over her friends' actions. "That doesn't give them the right to manipulate people's lives."

"I knew I should have kept my mouth shut," James said as he looked up to the ceiling for some sort of help. He then took a deep breath, trying to keep his frustration in check. "Don't worry about it Evans. I got rid of the potion anyway, so they know someone knows of their little scheme. I figured I'd let them sweat it out a bit over who could have done it, and better yet what could happen."

Lily gaped at his words as they began to sink in. She watched him reclaim his seat on the sofa they had been at when this whole conversation started. After a moment she found her voice once again. "That…actually…is not a bad idea."

James looked up at her as she caught on to his idea of punishment. If their greatest weapon had suddenly gone missing in a place like Hogwarts where anyone could have found it, the possibilities were endless. James knew that the lot of them were about ready to crack with worry after witnessing their actions over the past week. "I figured that would be the best form of punishment."

He knew that he'd have to put an end to his little form of torture soon; Especially after what almost happened the other day with Sirius. It took him a moment to notice that Lily had gone quiet and looked up at her angelic face. He saw look of admiration along with something else shinning through the bright emerald eyes he was so fond of. "What now?" he asked.

"I was wrong," she said after a moment.

James gave her a puzzled look upon hearing her statement. "Sorry?"

"I was wrong…about you. The headmaster was right. You do make a fine Head Boy," Lily said softly as a small smile graced her face.

James couldn't help the all too familiar fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he saw Lily smile. He knew deep down there could never be anything between them like he had once dreamed about. But maybe this was the beginning of mending some of those bridges or fences that muggles are so fond of mentioning.

"Don't worry. I won't let it go to my head," he said with a chuckle before picking up the notes Lily had been looking at before.

"So…about this whole menu thing…" he said after a moment eager to change the subject.

**

The rest of the week passed on with uneventful drama. This of course was not helpful for those on edge already. The fact that there was no talk or better yet, no other imposters running around the school was racking on everyone's nerves. For the rest of the weekend Remus, Andy, Kelly, Sirius, and Karen decided to spend some time apart from one another since they were beginning to drive each other crazy. Remus continued to keep an eye on Sirius to make sure he didn't seek revenge on anyone, which now seemed to become his least favorite pastime.

As for James, he never found anything more hilarious in all his life. However once Lily had found out and saw what this was actually doing to her best friends, she asked James to put a stop to this. Eventually James caved and told her that he'd inform them all on Monday, but for now at least let them fret over the weekend just a bit more.

On Sunday, Andy was eager to get away from the castle and her friends and enjoy a day of shopping in Hogsmeade. Though she did love her friends, time away from them was sometimes a necessity to keep her from going insane.

After a few hours of shopping and grabbing a quick bite to eat from The Three Broomsticks, Andy still wasn't ready to head back to Hogwarts just yet. She wandered aimlessly around the village until she ended up on the path leading toward the Shrieking Shack. She was a bit surprised to find the path a bit deserted for it being so close to Halloween. Usually the third years crowd the road trying to catch a glimpse of the most haunted building in all of Europe.

As she walked the dirt road thinking about who could possibly know about the potion, she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of voices up ahead.

'Hmm…knew I'd run into someone soon enough', she thought. She really didn't want to deal with any of her fellow school mates just yet, so she began to head back the way she came. That is, until she heard the hollow of pain coming from around the bend.

"Thought you could get the upper hand huh? You filthy blood traitor!" yelled a deep voice.

Andy then heard something like a whip cracking followed by another howl of pain coming from its victim. Curiosity getting the better of her, she inched toward the bend with her guard up. As she looked around the large tree at the edge of the bend, she found four figures in dark cloaks surrounding something. When she looked to the ground, all she could see was a pair of legs belonging to their victim curled up.

One of the larger figures took his right foot and kicked the person hard in the stomach.

"This will teach you for messing with the likes of us," said another voice. Andy saw him raise his wand toward the victim, and that was all she needed to see. She quickly drew out her wand and disarmed the wizard causing the four of them to turn in her direction.

"What the devil is going on?" said Andy, as she raised her wand at the attackers. She saw that the four of them were wearing masks.

"We've got company!" said another one of the attackers. This time, Andy recognized the voice belonging to one of Snape's friends, Yaxley. She then heard the victim groan loudly and saw that the larger one was about to kick him again.

"Get away from him!" she growled pointing her wand directly at the large one.

"And just who do you think you are?" said Yaxley with an air of coolness.

"Someone you don't want to mess with," said Andy in the same tone. She was ready for them to make the first move and knew that Yaxley or the large one out of the lot would strike first. However the fourth one, who was a bit on the slim side, stepped in and put a hand on Yaxley's shoulder.

"Come on. The master told us to leave if more showed up," he said in low voice. But Andy again recognized the voice again; this time belonging to Severus Snape. Yaxley looked to Snape and then back at Andy. She could tell he was weighing his options and after a few moments accepted Snape's advice.

"This is not over yet," growled Yaxley. With that, the four of them quickly disapparated with a loud crack before Andy could attack.

"Stupid jackasses," she muttered to herself as she pocketed her wand. She ran over toward the victim and gently rolled him over to see how badly he was hurt. As she turned him over, he let out a brutal cry as his dark hair fell into his face.

Once she brushed his hair away, she found him to be the last person she expected. "Blackie?! Mother of Merlin!"

"Sparky, leave me…" groaned Sirius as he grabbed his side while trying to get up. Andy saw blood trickling down from his face and along his arm. His lip was split and swollen, while a fresh bruise was forming over his left eye.

Sirius attempted to get up and fend off Andy but to no avail. He tried to protest her help.

"Oh shut up!" yelled Andy, seeing him about to speak. "Here." She held out her arm and helped him to his feet slowly. Sirius felt himself loose his balance, but didn't fall. Instead, Andy had quickly gotten under him and placed some of his weight on her shoulders. Once she knew he was a bit more steady, she began to slowly lead him back toward town.

"No…the shack…please…" he whimpered as the pain washed through him.

Andy knew that they should head back to where there were professionals to tend to him. But she also saw what he was getting at. If they had returned to Hogsmeade in his current state, there would be an investigation that could do more harm then good. Reluctantly she agreed to his request.

Once they had gotten into the shack, Andy took notice as to how most of the furniture had been broken into pieces, while long scratches resembling claw marks were driven into the hardwood floors and on some of the walls as well. Sirius directed her toward a parlor room that had somewhat undamaged couch shoved along side the far wall. Once she got him over to it, he then told her about a kit with supplies tucked away in the closet next to the stairs.

Within minutes, she had found the kit and gave him a potion for the pain, while she tended to his wounds. The two of them were silent while she went over all his injuries: a few broken ribs, a few deep cuts on his arms, upper torso, and face. Sirius watched her work and knew deep down that if it weren't for her, he'd probably be a lot worse off then in his current state. He was dying to know what was going through her mind. Why she was there on that road. But instead all he was met with was silence.

It wasn't until she was finishing up the last of his cuts that she finally spoke.

"You know you're lucky. They could have killed you."

Sirius chuckled lightly at her tone. "No such luck. Death has no hold over me."

"Oh quit being a dramatic Black," she said in annoyance. "You don't have to impress me with heroic fanfare; especially when dealing with pricks like them."

"What does impress you then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She knew what he was hinting at, and quickly put an end to his little game. "Well not being a target on a wizard's gang hit list ranks right up there."

"Ha ha…ouch!" he hissed as she continued to bend his wounds.

"Sorry," she replied with apologetic eyes. After a few moments of silence between them she asked a question that had been nagging her. "How did you know these supplies would be here?"

"I put them here," he said simply.

"You put them here?" Andy said with raised eyebrows. It was then that the realization of where they were caught up to her. "This is where…"

"Yeah, this is where Moony stays during his monthly disappearances," he said a little darkly. Deep down, he never wanted anyone let alone Andy to see their secret club house so to speak. It was bad enough that she knew the lot of him and his friends were illegal animagi.

"I see," she said softly knowing he didn't want to go into any further details. She continued to wave her wand over the bruises over his torso and heard the distinctive crack to let her know his ribs had been healed. "There."

Sirius gasped a bit in pain but when he saw her face, he was over come with emotion. "Andy. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said softly as she looked up into his grey eyes. The look that she saw caused a chill to run down her spine and for her to turn back to her work at hand. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to make a habit of this."

"Sorry?"

"Getting hurt and having me stitch you back up," she said with a chuckle. She ripped off another piece of gauze to clean the wound on his arm.

"Well…you are an excellent healer," he said in a matter of fact tone. He watched her shake her head and continue to avoid his gaze.

"Right."

"I mean it."

"Okay. Let me just put this salve on that cut to help keep it closed. I may be good, but I'm no Madam Pomfrey." Andy then opened the jar of ointment to help keep his wound close and heal correctly. The moment the icy cold concoction hit his wound it felt like a thousand flames had formed on his arm.

"Ah!"

"Sorry," said Andy with gritted teeth. She knew how painful this stuff could be and didn't want to cause him anymore pain.

"It's okay."

As Andy continued to place the salve on Sirius's arm, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The concentration her eyes held on the task at hand. The way her brow got that small crinkle across it when she was trying not to cause him pain, simply mesmerized him. He watched as a strand of her hair fell out of place and framed her face gently as she finished with the dressing.

"There. All set."

Before Andy could react, she felt Sirius's gentle touch on her cheek as he placed the fallen hair back behind her ear. She tried her best to keep her breathing at its normal rate as she felt his finger tips caress her jaw line slowly.

"Andy…"

"We should get back to the castle. Wouldn't want to keep our friends waiting."

"Right. There's a tunnel by the fireplace that leads back to Hogwarts. Sorry to say it ends at the Whomping Willow."

"Wonderful," said Andy sarcastically as she finished up getting rid of the used supplies. Sirius gave her a look before placing his shirt back on.

Once she had finished getting rid of the evidence of an injury, she brushed off her hands on her jeans and began to stand up. Sirius was right there to help her up and relished the warmth that emitted from her body.

"Thanks," said Andy quickly as she took a step away from Sirius and tried to calm her nerves. She walked over to where she left her bag and placed it back across her shoulder. "You know if we hurry, we'll be able to get back before dinner so it will be less of a hassle…"

But she never got to finish her thought. Sirius had quickly grabbed her elbow and spun her around into his arms while his lips captured hers.

Andy made a soft noise of protest but was quickly becoming lost by how soft and gentle this kiss was. Sirius didn't press her on at all. He just firmly left his lips on hers and enjoyed the feeling of them before pulling away. Andy slowly opened her eyes and wished that she hadn't. She stared into his grey eyes and for a few moments was speechless.

"Wh-what was that?" she whispered.

"A thank you," he said in a low voice.

"Oh."

"Do you have any comprehension of how beautiful you are…Miranda?"

"Sirius…please…d…"

But again she didn't have the strength or will power to stop him. This time Sirius was a bit more animated. The hand that had been holding her elbow, had slid down to her waist, while the other laced into her soft hair as the tip of his tongue traced her bottom lip.

Andy didn't know why she was opening up to him when she knew she should have pulled away. But she felt helpless under his presence. The feel of his hand slowly grabbing at her waist. The way his fingers gently massaged her scalp. The mere taste of him was intoxicating and becoming too much for her.

"Sirius…stop…" she breathed out as his lips broke from hers.

But he didn't hear her. His lips were now making a bee line down her jaw line to the base of her throat.

"Sirius, stop! Stop it!!" she said as she pushed him away from her.

Sirius stared at her puzzled and out of breath as his mind caught up with what had just happened. Andy watched as the reality of his actions weighed in on his conscience.

"Oh geez…Andy…I'm s…"he started to say as he walked toward her causing her to jump away from his grasp.

"Just…stay away…please. Just stay away from me," she begged.

He didn't protest. He simply stood there and watched as she climbed down into the tunnel and listened to the echoes of her running down the tunnel away from his presence. Sirius walked back toward the beat up couch and held his head in his hands as he replayed what just happened.

"What have I done? What have I done!"