Days in Avalon

Chapter Forty-Eight: Confessions

Once Lily was done with her class she bolted out of the greenhouse, while a perplexed James watched and wondered what was going on. Lily ran toward the library but could not find Andy. Taking a moment she realized that the only place Andy would go to get away from anyone would be back to Gryffindor tower.

When she entered the common room she found only a few first and second years around quickly leaving to get to their next classes. Lily tried to keep her anger in check as she climbed the steps of the girls' dormitory, but found it difficult to keep out a few soft grunts.

'She had better be in there', she thought before opening the door marked 'Seventh Year'.

As Lily opened the door she caught the sight of Andy's blond hair as she sat in the window staring out into the overcast sky. Noticing that she didn't move, Lily did a quick sweep of the room to find that they were indeed alone. It wasn't until Lily closed and locked the door that Andy finally became aware of Lily's presence.

"Oh! Hey Lily," Andy said, trying to sound normal. One look into her best friend's eyes and Andy knew that something was wrong.

"Hello Miranda," Lily said ominously.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked cautiously. She took in Lily's stance and recognized it as the one she normally took when she was about to verbally attack someone, mainly one James Potter.

Lily took in Andy's appearance but didn't really see her. All she could see was betrayal and distrust in that her own best friend, someone she saw as her own sister, had been lying to her for months.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," Lily said haughty. "Jason's been looking for you. He tracked me down outside of Herbology. You remember Herbology right?"

"Jason? Is there something wrong with him?" Andy asked quickly.

"No. He just hasn't seen you in a while and he wanted to talk to you about some things going on," Lily said as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"All right. I'll go and talk to him at dinner," Andy said as she watched her friend move around the room. "Is there something going on with you Lil? Because right now you are kind of scaring me, and normally I have a clue as to why you are going all interrogator on me right now. But frankly I can't think of anything."

Lily stopped moving and turned directly at her friend sitting in the window. "Jason and I had a little chat before I went to the class you skipped today."

"Yeah I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was skipping. Something came up and I had to deal with it," Andy said tiredly as she looked toward the floor, remembering what had happened a few hours prior to now. "What did you two talk about?"

"Your father's birthday party actually," Lily said with a shrug.

"His birthday party? Why would you be talking about my dad's birthday party when he didn't even…" Andy started before she caught on as to why her friend was now mad.

"Aw crap," Andy muttered quietly.

"I'm not mad, Andy," Lily said a bit more calmly.

"No but you're pissed off right now, and frankly I don't see why as it's none of your business," Andy said warily.

"Andy I just want to know where you were for all those weeks. Do you have any idea what is going on in the world now? How many people have gone missing?" Lily said in a raised tone.

Andy laughed sinisterly at Lily's line of thought. "Oh please. I highly doubt that someone like You Know Who is going to come after little old me. A mudblood with a bad attitude."

"Miranda, please. Since the moment you came to my house this summer you've been a bit off. You're not yourself. Yes, I know you are in a disagreement with your father over your magic, but it's more than that," Lily said with unease. "What happened to you? Where were you?"

"I was at the Leaky Cauldron," Andy said quickly.

Lily snorted at her statement. "For someone who prides themselves on being able to lie to anyone, you really suck at it right now. You weren't at the Leaky Cauldron because that is the first place your father would have gone looking for you."

"Fine, then I was at my gran's house," Andy replied.

"That's an even lousier lie then you staying at the Leaky Cauldron," Lily stated.

"And why is that Evan?" Andy said darkly.

"Because you've said so yourself several times that you would never go there until you were done with school. Besides you can't get in there anyway until you graduate, because until then the house does not belong to you. Or have you forgotten that you had me read your grandmother's will as well?" Lily stated.

The two young women stared at each other for what felt like eternity before Andy was the one to turn away. She walked back over toward the window and stared out the window that was now covered in icy rain drops.

"For Merlin's sake, Andy," Lily said with a deep sigh. "I'm your best friend. I won't judge you, if that is what you are thinking. I just want to know because I care about you, and where ever you were or whatever happened to you is tearing you up inside."

Lily waited for a moment for Andy's response but got none. All she could hear was her friend's deep breaths as she continued to stare out into empty space.

Andy knew her best friend was worried about her. It wasn't that Andy was afraid of telling Lily what really happened. She knew that Lily would not judge her, no matter what happened. It was that Andy was more afraid of what it would all mean if she actually said it out load. She was afraid of finally having to face something that she had tried putting off for nearly over a year now.

"Andy please just…" Lily started.

"I was with Sirius," Andy said heavily.

Lily took in those four little words and still couldn't get a grasp of what she had said. For a moment she thought that Andy was just telling her another story. That is until she saw the look and silent tears on her best friend's face and knew then that she was telling the truth.

It took Lily a moment before she could respond. "Sirius…Black?"

"How many other guys named Sirius do we know?" Andy laughed before she took a seat on her trunk at the foot of her bed.

Lily blinked for a few moments as she tried to get over the initial shock of what she had just been told. "You were with Black," she said slowly. "But…you hate him."

"I don't hate him," Andy said softly. "I mean…I did…but now…I just…I mean we're…ah hell I don't even know anymore."

Lily stared at Andy for a long moment before taking a seat next to her. She tried to take it all in, but found it impossible. But yet deep down, it wasn't that much of a shock at all.

Andy watched Lily out of the corner of her eye, waiting to her what she had to say next. However to her, Lily's silence was maddening to the point of insanity.

"Would you say something please?" Andy pleaded.

Lily shook her head as she tried to picture her best friend living with Sirius Black in a small London flat. There was only one word she could think of at that moment to utter. "Wow."

For a second Andy glared at her best friend. "I just told you that I basically spent the summer living with a guy that has been my enemy for years, and all you can say is "Wow"? Geez, I'd hate to think what you'd say if I said I was with your old buddy Severus."

"Oh come on now Miranda," laughed Lily. "But I do have to ask you one thing right off."

"And that would be?" Andy asked.

"Well…you were with Sirius," Lily started. "A notorious cad."

"Right…where are you going with this Lil?"

"Did you two…were you two…did the two of you…"

"What? Oh. Oh! Oh god no! No! We didn't do that."

"Okay. Just checking to see what page we were on," Lily said with relief. But when she noticed the look in Andy's eyes, she knew there was something else. "But something happened."

"You could say that," Andy said with a sigh.

"So…what happened?"

"Well…"

The rush of wind coming off the Thames would normally feel welcomed to all as they walked alongside the river bed, especially after an oddly warm summer day. But for Andy the breeze went unnoticed. Night was slowly creeping up on the world but that too went unnoticed by the young witch. She was still trapped in her mind replaying the events that occurred only an hour ago.

The words she said to her father. The words he said to her. The fact that she had used magic against him when he tried to argue his point that a life with magic was dangerous and would be her downfall replayed in her mind on a constant loop. Finally after a while her anger began to subside and she regained her bearings. A slight fear began to grow in her as she began to realize that she had no place to go. The majority of her friends were off on holiday with their families, and those that were still around were too far away to journey in one night. She thought about heading over to the Leaky Cauldron, but if she knew her father that would be one of the first places he would look for her. Even though technically she was of age in the wizarding world, in the muggle world she was still a minor and her father could call the local authorities to track her down.

She needed to find a place where no one would find her, but close enough in case her brother needed her in an emergency. Suddenly only one name popped in her head. She just hoped that its owner would understand why she left her home.

Andy blinked rapidly as she walked up the flight of stairs of the modern apartment flats in the area of London known as the Isle of Dogs, a moderate amount away from her home near Kensington Garden. To some people they saw this part of London as a bit of a rough end, but to her it seemed to suit its one occupant perfectly. By the time she reached the top floor she began to look for the number that she had memorized since had gotten Sirius's letter.

"309, 311," she counted off softly until she stood before a door marked 313. But as soon as she raised her hand to the door, she froze.

'What the hell am I doing here? Why did I even think that I could come here?' Andy second guest herself. She wasn't sure if Sirius would be helpful at all or what he would think of her coming to his flat this late at night. Thinking that she would be able to find a cheap hotel with the amount cash she had on her, Andy quickly turned to leave. However as she turned she ended up tripping over her own feet and fall face first into the rough carpet. As she fell she also ended up taking out a fire extinguisher that was attached to the wall.

"OW! SON OF A BITC…"Andy groaned loudly as she tried to regain her bearings only to hear someone behind her.

"Sparky?"

Andy inwardly groaned upon hearing that name. She turned over and found Sirius staring down at her from his doorway.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he reached her side on the ground.

"Not really, but I'll live," Andy replied as she tried to get up with his aid.

She looked up and saw the puzzled look upon his face. "What are you doing here Andy?"

Andy bit her lower as she tried to form the right words in her head, before answering him honestly. "I didn't know where else to go."

Sirius watched her for a moment allowing her words to sink in. A second later he was helping her off the floor and brought her into his flat. Andy took in the modest flat and was surprised to see it fully furnished.

"Have a seat," Sirius said as he gestured toward the comfy looking dark blue couch. Andy quietly sat down as she tried to come to terms with everything that happened. She looked up and found Sirius staring at her once again. She could see the confusion going through his mind as he tried to make sense of what could bring her to his flat.

"Do you want anything? Tea? Water?" he asked.

Even Andy was surprised at her reply. "Got anything a little stronger?"

"Sure," he said. A second later he headed toward the open kitchen next to the spacious living room. Andy looked around saw a few pictures along the mantel of the fireplace. Most of them were of Sirius and James, but a few were of his cousin Andromeda and her muggle husband, along with their newborn baby girl.

"Here you go," said a voice to her right. Andy jumped a bit but took the glass of a dark amber liquid. For a moment she hoped it was firewhiskey. As she let the liquid run down her throat, she didn't feel the normal burning affects. Instead she tasted honey and cloves that were slightly more potent to her.

"What is this?" chocked Andy.

"Vintage Port Wine" Sirius answered. He took a seat in the chair next to where Andy sat on the couch. "It was part of my great-uncle's wine collection that he left to me in his will."

"It's good," Andy commented as she took another slow sip.

The silence between them felt like ages for Andy. She didn't know what to say or what to do anymore. Thankfully it was Sirius who finally broke the silence.

"I know I'm repeating myself but, you never really answered my question before. Why are you here Andy?" Sirius asked.

Andy took a moment to collect her thoughts before answering. "I needed to get away."

"Away from what?" he asked. She said nothing. She could see that he was starting to become frustrated with her. "Do need me to owl someone for you? Your dad?"

The mention of Andy's father nearly caused her to explode out of her seat. "Don't you dare contact that man," she growled.

Sirius nodded in understanding but still wasn't sure why she didn't want her father knowing where she was. "Miranda did something happen tonight with your father?"

Andy snorted at Sirius's question. She took another swig of her drink and began to pace back and forth in front of Sirius. "If you count me getting into a row with that man and nearly hexing him as "something", then yes. Something did happen tonight."

Sirius nearly choked on his drink. "You almost hexed your father? Why? I thought you two were close," he coughed.

"Not anymore," Andy replied darkly. She gave a hard sigh before continuing on. "My…father, informed me tonight that after my last year at Hogwarts, he wants me to go to a muggle university and stop practicing magic."

"What?" asked a gob smacked Sirius.

"He wants me to stop being a witch and become a prominent lawyer like him," Andy replied. At that moment she felt completely drained. She took a seat once more on Sirius's couch as she finished off her drink.

Sirius stared at her for a moment taking in her words. "But you can't just stop being a witch. It's who you are! Besides what about the Marshall name?"

Andy laughed darkly at his question. "That's why he wants me to stop being a witch. He doesn't want me to 'run the family business'."

"What do you mean by that?" Sirius asked.

"He found out what Marshall's are notorious for in the wizarding world," Andy said as she took another swig of her drink.

"Wizarding politics?" Sirius guessed.

"Getting involved in wars and not seeing them all the way to the end of them." Andy said darkly.

Sirius gazed upon her for a moment as he took in her words. "He found out about "You-Know-Who". Didn't he?"

"Bingo! He thinks I will get involved somehow. And from there our argument got very ugly."

"Will you?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Andy was silent for a moment as she thought about his question and the gravity of what he was asking. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "For now, no. But if for some reason I do happen to cross paths with him or his Death Eaters…then what choice do I have? I have to protect my family. There aren't very much of us left if you hadn't noticed."

She felt Sirius's gaze on her as she let her mind wander off into a land of endless dark possibilities. "Why can't he see that?" she asked softly.

"He just wants to protect you the only way he knows how," Sirius answered honestly.

Andy chuckled at his response. "Gods….the things he said. The things I said to him…I'd never seen him like that before. Not even when he was still married to my mother."

At that moment, Andy let the reality of what had transpired between her and her father hit her. It soon became too much to deal with as she felt the first tear drops begin to fall. As she sat there for a moment she suddenly felt the cushion sink a bit more along with a pair of strong arms wrapping around her.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Shhh….it's alright Andy. It will be all right," Sirius said softly as he rubbed her back softly.

"I can't go back there. I just can't go back there now," Andy choked out as she tried to calm herself down.

"You don't have to," Sirius said softly. His words took Andy by surprise as she pulled away for a moment to look him in the eye.

Sirius took one look into her sad eyes and felt his heart break. He gently tucked a strand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. "You can stay here as long as you need to. I won't tell anyone you're here. You're safe here Miranda. I won't let anything happen to you."

"And that's it?" Lily asked. "He just let you hang out at his place?"

"Well we did go out a few times. Showed him some of muggle London, took him to picture show. That sort of thing," said Andy.

Lily stared at her friend as she sat on her bed while Andy paced back and forth in the center of the room. "You went on dates with him?"

"They weren't dates," Andy said sternly. "Just…two friends hanging out."

"Are you sure about that Andy?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.

Andy stopped her movements and thought about what Lily had just said. The truth was, after everything that has happened, she just wasn't sure about anything anymore. Sure deep down she thought things were just as platonic as Andy and Sirius had tried to display to the rest of the world. But in reality was she subconsciously hoping that something would develop more with Sirius? A thousand thoughts and questions ran threw her mind as she replayed the events of the summer once again.

Lily watched her for a moment wondering what her best friend was thinking. "Andy?" The moment she turned toward her, Lily knew something had happen. "What happened between the two of you?"

"It happened the day I got your letter that you were back home," Andy started.

Andy left her room and walked toward the kitchen wondering what Sirius was doing with all the pots and pans clanking around. It was only nine in the morning, but she could already tell that it was going to be another hot summer day. She was silently thanking the witch or wizard that created cooling charms.

"What are you doing?" she asked her roommate of nearly three weeks.

Sirius turned around while still mixing the contents in his bowl. "Making pancakes. Want some?"

Andy laughed a little upon taking in the destruction he was causing in his own kitchen. She also saw how much flour he was using and cringed. ""Since when do you know how to cook?"

"Well I know how to cook some things," he said. He looked down at his bowl and saw that his batter mix looked more like a hard rock, then the loose liquid he was used to seeing Mrs. Potter create.

"Have you ever made pancakes before?" Andy asked.

"No. But it can't be that hard?" he said with a grin. Andy watched as he cracked open another egg and dumped it into the bowl.

"Umm...Blackie? You don't put the egg shells in along with the batter," Andy said as tried not to cringe at the mess he was creating.

Sirius looked down at the bowl and began to quickly pick out the shells in the batter. "Oh. I knew that."

Seeing him trying to be creative in the kitchen was very endearing to her, but she knew at this rate he was likely to blow the kitchen up. "Would you like some help?"

"Sure."

Within a few minutes, Andy had taught Sirius how to make the batter properly and were about to start on another stack of pancakes. "So where did you learn how to cook?" he asked with a smile.

"My parents," Andy replied. "My mom usually made breakfast for us and was pretty good at bake goods as well; and my dad usually cooked dinner. I'd always helped them out."

"I see," said Sirius as he began to spill some more batter into the frying pan. But instead he end up getting some on Andy's shoes and shorts.

"Sirius!"

"Oh I'm so sorry," laughed Sirius.

"Oh you think this is funny, huh?" said Andy. Sirius tried hard not to laugh but was fighting a losing battle. "Well if you think that's funny how about this?"

Sirius continued to laugh uncontrollably until he was suddenly met with a face full of flour.

"Now that's funny," giggled Andy.

"Oh yeah?" said Sirius as a sly grin graced his face. Andy didn't like the look in his eyes and began to back away as Sirius reached into the bowl of flour.

"Don't even think about it, Blackie," laughed Andy.

"Too late!" he said before he threw a hand full of flour at Andy. She squealed and ducked out of the way of his attack. Instead of getting the flour in her face, she got a bit in her hair and on the back of her shirt. Sirius chased her around the tiny island in his kitchen as she tried to escape. Andy started to head down the hallway toward her room in order to escape from him, but he was too quick for her. He grabbed a hold of her and began to tickle her sides as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Sirius...stop," giggled Andy as she gasped for air.

"No I don't think so," he chuckled as he continued his assault. Somehow, Andy had managed to get a hold of his one side and began to tickle him back. Sirius let up on her for a bit and turned her more towards the wall so he could pin her. Within a matter of moments, Sirius had successfully pinned Andy's arms over her head.

"You prat," giggled Andy. "Let me go."

"No. You'll just throw something else at me, and I can't really have that now." said Sirius with a smile.

"Sirius, come on," said Andy as she playfully pouted at him in hopes he would let her go.

Sirius stared down at her as she tried to seduce her way out of his hold. He enjoyed seeing her happy. The bright smile that graced her face suited her more than the tears he saw the night she arrived at his front door. To him the entire room seemed to light up every time that infectious grin graced her face. He treasured the fact that she was happy here with him. He relished in the fact that he knew that she was only a moment away from him. He reveled in the fact that she was the last person he saw every night, and the first when he woke up in the morning. He also delighted in the fact that he could get so close to her like he was now without having to sneak around in the dark.

Not thinking at all Sirius leaned in and kissed her softly. The moment his lips brushed hers, there was an electric charge that surprised them both.

Andy watched as his eyes began to turn from laughter into something almost indescribable. She had seen this look before so many times before, but it usually only lasted for a moment. She suddenly became aware of her heart pounding in her chest and her labored breathing. When she looked back up at his face her sight landed on his slightly full pink lips that she was suddenly hungry for.

Sirius once again became lost in the bright blue pools before him. He began to search her face, as if trying to commit the image of her in this moment to memory. He scanned her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, until his eyes finally came to rest on her very pink lips. He watched as she unconsciously licked her bottom lip that was driving him mad.

"Sirius I..." whispered Andy. But whatever she was going to say was lost the moment Sirius pressed his lips against her own once again. He kissed her with such passion that Andy thought she would lose consciousness. It wasn't until this moment that she understood why young women tend to swoon over a kiss. As quickly as it happened it was over. Andy slowly opened her eyes to find Sirius's face only centimeters away. Although her arms were beginning to feel heavy since he still had her pinned to the wall, Andy didn't feel anything except the intense gaze of Sirius's grey eyes staring right back at her.

"Sirius," she whispered again in an almost wanton tone as she rose up, as he once again captured her soft sweet lips once again. This time, Sirius lightly nipped and then ran this tongue along her bottom lip begging for entrance to which Andy was more than eager to oblige.

Sirius's entire mind began to shut down completely as he explored the sweet cavern of her mouth. Andy let out a stifled moan as his tongue raked across the roof of her mouth. It was an electrifying moment for the both of them. Sirius began to let go of his grip on Andy's wrist and slowly moved his hands down her sides until one hand came to rest on her waist, while the other entwined it's self in Andy's hair. His fingers began to rub her scalp as he pulled her closer.

Andy finally lowered her arms as well as one came to rest on his chest, while the other grabbed a hold of his long black hair; trying to get closer to him. Sirius let up on his attack and heard her gasp for air. He then tilted his head while slightly lifting her for a moment against the wall as his lips grazed her neck. Slowly did his hands progress down to her hips, tugging at her shirt. Andy tried to suppress the moan that began to rise in her throat as she clung to him urging him to go on. Sirius moved up from her neck to her jawline until he once again claimed her lips.

In the back of her mind, Andy knew this was wrong. But his kisses were amazing; so amazing in fact that she felt as if she had taken some sort of drug that was putting her in this incredible haze. She could not control her own body for a few seconds. Her hands would keep pulling him closer to her instead of pushing him away. Her lips would respond to him instead of closing off his advances.

Sirius continued to tug at her shirt as his one hand began to run up her back, touching her bare skin sending white hot sparks throughout her body. Andy began to unbutton his shirt and run her hands along his bare chest and abs. The rumors were right for once, all those years of Quidditch training had paid off very well.

Sirius had enough of this little game. He pulled her even closer as she began to explore his mouth. He was about to pick her up and carry her into his room, when suddenly both of them heard a knock at the door.

Both of them broke away the moment they heard it. Andy gasped for air as did Sirius while they looked at each other.

"Were you expecting somebody?" whispered Andy.

"No." said Sirius in a low voice. "It's probably some sales man or something," he whispered as he once again began to kiss Andy's lips.

Andy was about to dismiss the interruption until she heard the knocking again follow by a voice.

"Hey Sirius? You home? Come on man, it's James. Open up!" said James from the other side of the door.

Sirius swore under his breath as he silently cursed his best mate for his poor timing.

"You should answer it. He's not going to leave," said Andy as the realization of what they were doing and what they were about to do came crashing down on her.

Sirius saw the state they were in, and upon seeing her face he could see the regret and guilt of what they had done begin to show. "Miranda," said Sirius.

"Go. I'll hide out in my room," said Andy as she looked toward the ground. She quickly pulled out her wand and muttered a cleaning spell that took care of the flour they hand thrown around as she headed down the hall to her room. Sirius watched her silently as she walked away. He heard James knock again as he groaned at the noise.

"Alright! I'm coming. Just hold on!" Sirius yelled as he brushed some of the flour off him and made his way to the door while quickly buttoning up his shirt.

"Once I got back to my room, I saw your owl there," Andy said as she watched her best friend take everything in.

"And James never saw you there?" Lily asked.

Andy shook her head in response. "I stayed quiet in there while I waited for your response. Once I got word from you, I quickly packed my things and snuck out the fire escape. As soon as I got a few blocks away I apperated to your house."

Lily paced where Andy had been moments before as she tried to assimilate this bombshell that her best friend has just dropped on her. "And since this whole thing started…I mean you spending time with Black and all…how many times has he kissed you?"

"Twice. The first was at his flat over the summer. The second happened in the shrieking shack."

"The Shrieking Shack? Wait on second thought…I don't want to know," Lily said as she shook her head to rid her of her thoughts. "But that's it right?"

"Not really," Andy said with a scrunched face.

Lily stopped in her tracks to stare at her. "What do you mean?"

"I kissed him," she answered softly

Lily blinked once…twice…"When?" she asked half shouting.

Andy glanced over at a nearby alarm clock before answering. "Oh…about two hours ago?"

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.