Chapter Twenty-One

December the Twenty-Fifth, Nineteen Seventy-Eight

It had been the height of July when Davie received the owl with her exams results -- James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had all joined Lily and Davie in the Maddux family home about a week prior, and they had all gathered around as Davie broke the seal and received the news that she had achieved sufficient marks to go to Bulgaria -- when she departed in August, they had seen her off warmly. Most of the members of the Order had come to the Maddux home to say farewell, and Davie had consequently been forced at least a dozen times over to promise she would come home in one piece, that she would write whenever she had time, and, especially by Molly Weasley, to eat well while she was away.

When Lily had received the owl from Davie that she was going to be returning to her own home on Christmas Day, that she was completely safe, and that she wasn't sure when she would be able to go see everyone, Lily immediately got to writing James; the pair quickly spread the word to everyone.

It was now Christmas Day and it seemed that everyone except for Davie was in Davie's home -- including most of the Order, yet again. Lily's plan had been to have a small surprise Christmas-slash-welcome-home party, but it had quickly turned into a far bigger event than she'd even planned. The last of the guests to arrive was Sirius Black -- over the course of the past autumn, he had grown his hair a bit longer, taken to riding a Muggle motorcycle, but was very much the same reckless boy he had always been. He had brought as guests, however, his cousin -- the only cousin with whom he was on good terms -- Andromeda and her five-year-old daughter, Nymphadora Tonks.

"I've told her all about Davie and she brought a -- what'd you call that thing again?" Sirius asked, nodding nonchalantly towards the tray in his cousin's hands.

"A pineapple upside-down cake, Sirius," she laughed, placing the dessert on the table with the rest of the food. "Sirius won't stop talking and writing about the girl. Talks about her incessantly as well, I feel like I already know her --"

"I don't talk about her that much --"

"Bollocks!" Dromeda laughed, giving her cousin a playful push -- her demeanor, it would turn out, was very much like Davie's. Though Sirius very rarely vocalized how much he had missed his girlfriend, the fact that he had taken this opportunity to grow so close to his cousin was proof enough. "I think even Dora has the girl's favorite ice cream flavour memorized by now. But anyway, she sounds like a lovely girl, I couldn't miss the opportunity to -- DORA!"

Everyone looked over as the tiny girl's hair turned a very funny shade of green, and her eyes turned rather large and beady; Sirius remarked that she looked a bit like a very pale and hairy frog. She laughed, wrinkling her nose and shaking her head fervently until it returned to normal.

"My niece," Sirius said proudly, scooping the girl up and lifting her onto his shoulders, "is a Metamorphmagus. New hair color every few minutes! Trumps Uncle Sirius by a mile, doesn't it?"

"You look nervous, Padfoot," James laughed, slugging his friend's shoulder once he had put Dora down. "Worried Davie won't like your motorbike?"

"Oy! My bike," Sirius said, jabbing a finger towards his friend's face, "is irresistible to women and you know it --"

"Hush, you two," Lily said, waving her hand fervently. "Davie's going to be here any minute and she'll be able to hear you from a mile away -- the lights," Lily said authoritatively. "Come on, come on!"

Everyone shuffled off to the sides of the room, and Lily extinguished all of the lights with her wand, waving for everyone to be quiet; James smirked and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, tossing it over Sirius -- the room fell silent while the hand of the clock hit six o'clock. James clapped a hand over Sirius' mouth to keep him quiet when the fireplace crackled to life on its own, and a figure stumbled out.

"Ugh, ride's a bit rougher than I remember," Davie muttered to herself in the dark, dusting soot off of her arms and face before pulling out her wand and flicking her wrist toward the chandelier.

"SURPRISE!"

Davie jumped and nearly dropped her wand when she saw everyone in the room -- they were all here for her. The smile on her face was incomparable, she didn't even see Lily coming as she approached from the side, nearly tackling her friend in a hug.

"Look at you!" Lily laughed, batting at a tendril of Davie's hair, which was now tied back in a ponytail and longer than she'd ever seen it; it was a bit lighter, no doubt from having been in the sun, the rain, and whatever elements one faced in Bulgaria for so long. "I have so much to tell you -- did you know Petunia has a boyfriend now? I've only just met him at Christmas dinner, here! I have a photograph!"

Lily pulled a photo from the pocket of her sweater -- it was obviously a Muggle photo, because it wasn't moving, and she held it out to Davie, who looked at it with scrutiny, trying not to laugh. "His name's Vernon. Vernon Dursley --"

"Sounds like a sort of vegetable," Davie pointed out with a tiny, snide smile. "And looks like a sort of livestock. So - farm boy, all around?" Davie laughed casually -- but when Lily pulled out a leather notebook into which she tucked the photograph, Davie suddenly, briefly remembered that she had been given something she had promised to give to Lily. She had forgotten all summer --

Just then, James strode over, clapping a hand on Davie's arm, giving it a playful pinch.

"Is that a muscle, Davina," he laughed, earning a playful sock in the shoulder which he found was much stronger than the punches she used to give in school. "Look at you," he laughed, giving the girl a one-armed hug. Remus was rushing over to greet her as well, and Peter was -- well, being Peter, he was standing at the food table picking at things in a very rat-like manner. Professor Dumbledore walked over, bringing Alastor Moody with him -- Mad-Eye had worked a bit with Davie in Bulgaria, but didn't spend much time in the country, citing that it drove his magical eye completely barmy, as it was 'teeming with Dark Magic'. He did, however, seem impressed with Davie's performance from his limited exposure, and regardless of the fact that he seemed rather out-of-place at such a gathering, he had briefly made an appearance nonetheless.

"Alastor tells me wonderful things about you -- never would have expected!" Dumbledore said warmly, placing a hand on Davie's shoulder. He quickly noted her eyes scanning the room and smiled knowingly, sparing a wink towards James.

"Uh oh!"

Davie turned around and saw an unfamiliar little girl who seemed to have spilled something on herself -- her hair, it turned out, was bright candy floss pink. The girl looked at Davie for a moment, then at another unfamiliar woman, and point at Davie.

"Mummy, is she the Roarer --"

"Auror, dearie," Dromeda said, walking over with a napkin and wiping at her daughter's jumper, clucking her tongue disapprovingly before holding her hand out towards Davie, who was smiling but also looking duly confused as to who this was. "Andromeda Tonks, and this is my daughter, Nymphadora -- you must be Davie, I've heard all about you, wonderful to meet you!"

"Oh," Davie said with a slightly nervous laugh, reaching out and shaking the woman's hand. "Are you -- you must be -- ah --"

"Sirius is my cousin --"

"And you're Uncle Siri's girlfriend! " Dora giggled knowingly, walking over and tugging on Davie's arm insistently. "Are you really a Roarer --"

"Auror, Dora --"

"-- and you hunt for Dark Wizards?"

"Right I do," Davie laughed, putting down her traveling bag on the ground and sitting cross-legged in front of the little girl, with whom she felt immediately affectionate towards. "That's some lovely hair you've got there --"

"Yeah!" Dora replied brightly. "I like it this way -- but I like it blue as well."

Davie's eyes widened as, just as promised, the little girl's hair changed color right in front of her eyes; she looked up at Andromeda who simply laughed, giving her daughter a light bit of applause at the show.

"She enjoys showing off -- loves attention from anyone who'll give it," she explained, kneeling down next to her daughter. "Just loves --"

"I'm not showing off! I only wanted to show Auntie Davie --"

Davie gave a shocked grin at the moniker -- Auntie Davie! Little Nymphadora had completely won Davie over now, and at being referred to as an auntie, one thing returned to Davie's mind as well…

"Do you know if your Uncle Siri's coming?" Davie asked gently, still looking around the room nervously. Why wasn't he here? Had he changed his mind over the course of a few months? Davie's head seemed filled with the unpleasant buzz of possibilities why Sirius would not even want to come. "Or is he busy? I'm sure he --"

But before she could finish her statement, Davie yelped as an unseen pair of arms scooped her up around the waist -- the cloak fell off to reveal Sirius Black -- long hair and all, slinging his girlfriend playfully over his shoulder.

"Look at you!" he laughed, giving Davie a spin in the air -- no matter how different she looked, she was still as light and easy to pick up and carry around as she'd been months ago, before she left. "I see you've met Dromeda and Dora --"

"They're darling," Davie laughed breathlessly as Sirius placed her down on the ground again, a few feet from where he had picked her up. "And you were hiding from me, you prat!" she said, slapping his shoulder in mock-anger before she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him soundly, to which the other guests responded with applause and laughter. The sight of Lily and James planning the entire soiree together and now Sirius and Davie being reunited was one of the lighthearted events that many of them had not seen in a good while - it was a happy sight, and a hopeful one.

Most of the guests noted that Davie had come into herself quite a bit in the months of her absence -- she was still the same awkward, loud, slightly raucous girl she had always been, and she still found herself hovering around Lily and Sirius for a sense of security, but now she was able to move with a sort of ease she hadn't possessed since before her parents' death.

It was, however, still Christmas Day, and eventually, most everyone present had to return to their families -- soon, after a short round of goodbyes, only Lily, James, Sirius, and Davie remained in the Maddux house. Though Lily was reluctant to agree, James had pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey to accompany their mulled mead that evening.

"Only a bit, James, or you'll be splinched heading home for sure --"

"Oh, come on -- we can kip on Davie's sofa, worst case scenario," James laughed. "Besides, we're only young once --"

"Yeah, and I'd like to live to be old once too," Lily laughed, giving James a playful shove. He opened a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and took a swig, passing it to Sirius, who in turn passed it to the girls. Lily and Davie both made comical gagging faces at the sensation of the liquid in their throats, a feeling with which they were obviously rather unfamiliar.

***

"And then -- BOOM!" Davie giggled loudly, making an exaggerated flying motion with her hand and nearly falling down against Sirius. The teenagers were sitting on the floor, the bottle of firewhiskey laying almost empty on its side. "Fell right off his broom --"

"Oy," James interrupted, laughing and rubbing his eyes, glancing at the clock. "I ought to bring Lily back home -- look at her," he laughed, pointing a wobbling hand towards the sofa, where Lily had fallen asleep. James raised an eyebrow at Sirius giving him a pointed glance. "You coming along?"

"Nah," Sirius drawled, his forehead wrinkling as he shook his head. "I think -- think I'll --"

"Padfoot," James chided, obviously the one out of the four of them with the best stomach for the firewhiskey. He was, in any case, lucid enough to have some misgivings about leaving a pair of inebriated, very much in-love teenagers alone in a house together after having been separated for a third of a year. "Lily will kill me if you do anything stupid and she knows I let you --"

"My best behavior, on my honor," Sirius chuckled, giving James a limp, clumsy salute. "Bring the lady home -- I can't very well leave mine here like that --"

As though to prove his point, Davie had reached for her cup of mulled mead on the table, but had missed and instead hit a vase of flowers which, though it did not break, spilled its contents on the table and rolled onto the floor with a clatter. She reached to turn it right-side up again, and nearly tumbled over before just barely bracing herself against the edge of the sofa.

"Look at her. She'll break her skull at this rate," Sirius muttered to James, nodding at Davie. James still hesitated, but prioritized bringing Lily home more than anything. He conceded, scooping his girlfriend up and heading out the door, reminding his best friend not to try anything funny.

Sirius shut the front door behind James and Lily, and turned around to see a still very inebriated Davie standing precariously on the edge of couch, arms outstretched, her face looking intensely focused.

"Davie," Sirius drawled, stumbling over and attempting to tug her down from the sofa. "Alright, you're really out of it, time to --"

"Moody said I had great balance -- impeccable balance! Just look'it!" she rambled, waving away his concern with a loud, dismissive drawl. "And no bloody firewhiskey is going to change -- ouch!"

Davie gave a loud yelp as, while she was taking a step, one foot crossed awkwardly over the other and she was sent practically tumbling off of the couch, knocking Sirius over in the process and landing both of them on the soft, shaggy hearth rug.

"Sorry," Davie said, squinting slightly in the gentle glowing coming from the fireplace - she had landed awkwardly on top of Sirius. "I'll just --" Davie braced herself on the ground and intending to push herself off of him when she realized that he had gently grabbed a hold of her forearms, keeping her from moving.

Perhaps it was the fact that they'd both had a bit more firewhiskey than they'd intended, or perhaps it was because she looked terribly pretty in the amber-orange tinge of the firelight. Perhaps it was because Sirius was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of clean linens and cinnamon sugar permeating the air with the way her hair draped over them. Perhaps it was the fact that he had spent the better part of the past four months refraining from vocalizing how much he'd missed her. Whatever the case, Sirius suddenly found the promise he had made to James to remain on his best behavior not quite as binding as it had been when he had made it.

Sirius pulled her down, kissing her hungrily - he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close against him. The pressure of her weight bearing down on his chest was more than welcome and familiar -- but even Sirius was caught by surprise when Davie's lips parted from his and moved down to his neck, her fingers clumsily undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"Davie--"

He groaned slightly, stopping her with extreme reluctance -- despite the very evident fact that he wanted this badly, he'd sworn to his best friend that he wouldn't do this. He stood up, looking down at himself -- his shirt was completely undone. At this point, had this been anyone other girl at any other time, he wouldn't have stopped. Davie knew full well that he'd been around a bit when they'd been in school, and though Sirius very rarely expressed many sentimental sorts of intimations towards her, he had made it explicitly clear that he wanted the circumstances under which this happened between him and Davie to be very different.

"You don't want to?" Davie asked, a lilt of vulnerability evident in her voice even when it was still a bit slurred. Sirius had every intention of saying he didn't. But she looked so sad, so dejected -- James would forgive him. He had to forgive him.

"Oh, hell." Sirius said in a throaty voice, pulling Davie back to him and resuming the kiss. Davie's hands grazed over his chest, pushing his shirt off of his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. Sirius hooked this thumbs under the hem of her shirt, pulling it cleanly up over her head and tossing it to the side. Wrapping his arms around her again, he picked her up -- she was so petite that her feet no longer even touched the floor and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Sirius was completely sure he couldn't stop now, even if he wanted to. Neither of them wanted to. In what felt like only a few heated moments, Sirius had placed Davie down on the nearest sofa, kissing her neck. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled back momentarily to look at her. Her lips were crimson from kissing so fiercely, her faced flushed down to her collarbones, her breathing ragged.

"Sirius --"

"PADFOOT!"

Sirius and Davie both jumped, turning to face the fireplace as suddenly, the voice of James Potter came so loudly that it nearly echoed in the room; his face soon appeared in the embers, and he seemed taken aback by the fact that Sirius and Davie were in a rather incriminating state of undress.

"Oy, Prongs --"

"I'm not even going to ask. This is important, Padfoot," James interrupted urgently. "Dumbledore's calling for the Order, there's been an attack and we need to get there right away."

Davie was completely awestruck -- and feeling quite sober all of a sudden -- while the boys discussed the situation. After James had told Sirius their exact destination, Davie moved around the room scrambling to find her shirt -- having no luck, Sirius tossed her his and grabbed his leather coat that was slung over the back of an armchair.

"Come on, we've got to hurry," Sirius said, grabbing Davie by the arm and pulling her towards the door. "We're taking the bike."

***

A/N's

Phew. That looked like it was about to go all the way, didn't it? The next chapter will be posted tout de suite hopefully one I give it the once over, and it will pick up right where this one leaves off, so stay tuned! I will put off review responses until the next chapter, so until then, cheers!