They hadn't even made it to the tent for ten minutes, Aquila taking a much needed shower, when she heard Ginny at the flap of the tent. "Hey, Black?"
"Yeah?" she called, turning the water off and grabbing a towel, rolling her hair up. She slid on a pair of shorts and was careful as she put a sports bra on, not bothering with a shirt. It wasn't as if she had anything to hide, and this was as conservative as she was during practices. If she was going to be drinking, she wanted to make sure nothing was dangling to set her on fire, too.
"We've got a situation," Ginny muttered as Aquila pulled the flap to the side.
"Situation?" Aquila questioned, reaching for her wand in the sink and following Ginny to a congregation of others. They were tense, silent, as they all stood, listening outside. "What's wrong?"
"Shh," Molly shushed the girl and Aquila immediately obeyed, listening as well. Curses. Curses were being thrown outside. "Amos threw up shields," Molly explained in a hushed whispered. "Wards, just in case, but we don't think they're targeting here. They can't possibly know we're all here. We apparated here, so they didn't see us walk in," Molly explained. "But they're attacking Muggleborns, it seems."
Aquila swallowed, panicking a moment when she couldn't find Dudley, until she remembered that he didn't quite look the same. She found him easily after that, sitting beside Maeve, at the table, his parents beside him.
"The wards are strong?" Aquila asked, biting her lip, in obvious anxiety. Great. This was just what the Dursleys needed to understand magic was harmless.
"No one's getting in or out," Amos said firmly. "Not without a lot of struggle, and by then we can all be long gone."
"So..." Lynch said carefully. "Who wants firewhiskey?"
"If I don't bloody get some I might go after Verde," Aquila said first. "Because bloody hell, I really need a drink."
Lynch grinned, passing her a shot glass and she clinked it with him before throwing it back, loving the burn. It felt a hell of a lot better than her shoulder did. She laughed, requesting a refill, and noticing Dudley standing, to join her. "Make it two." Lynch did as requested and the party began. She passed the extra shot to Dudley, and he hesitated a moment, before knocking it back, and she quickly followed.
"Bloody hell, this stuff still burns," Dudley coughed.
"Learn to hold the liquor," she winked. She shook her head, looking him over. "It's still weird to think you're Dudley under there. I feel like I'm cheating on you or something."
"Well, I'm Dudley," he shrugged. She giggled, knowing it to be true. "Is this that firewhiskey?"
"Straight from the dragon itself," she assured him. "We've got a stock of at least three bottles a person, if Quigley had any say in this-"
"Which he did," Quigley assured her, interrupting. "And it's four, Black. I had to make sure, if we lost, we had enough to knock ourselves out."
"Oh, definitely," she said sarcastically. "Because the first two bottles wouldn't have done that." She requested two more and walked over to Vernon and Petunia, who were a little apprehensive. "Best liquor on the planet, I assure you. Stronger than Russia's finest vodka, and burns more than the Sahara desert." Petunia took hers hesitantly. "Also, it's sort of all we've got in the Wizarding world. No beer or anything... well, I suppose we do have whiskey-"
"What is it, exactly?"
"Er..." She hesitated, glancing at Dudley.
"Drink it," Dudley insisted. "You'll like it, dad. It's actually nice."
"This isn't any ruddy owl piss, right?"
"No," Aquila assured him, laughing. Vernon sniffed it before sipping it lightly. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Kicks, doesn't it? Knock it all back, or you won't get the full effect." Merlin, it was like she was corrupting Dudley's parents. "And if you get a hangover in the morning, we've got stuff to make it all go away." He hesitated before knocking it back, coughing harshly once it was down. "Who knew merpeople tears were so awesome with dragon breath, huh?" she grinned.
"What?" he cried.
"It's sort of... mermaid tears that's boiled with dragon fire," Dudley explained. "Who knew?"
"It's completely safe," Aquila promised. "No remnants of a mermaid," she assured the pair of them, Petunia still a little skeptical as she eyed the drink in her hands. "Dudley's had nearly a full bottle and he's fine."
"Er... More like a bottle and a half, collectively," he admitted.
She grinned. "Right, that."
Vernon still didn't look better than green. And it wasn't the paint on his face, which she supposed he could have washed off. Petunia sighed and drank it quickly, almost as if she didn't want to taste it. "Oh, my! That's quite strong!"
"Our strongest," Aquila grinned. "Lynch!" she called, turning towards her captain. "Another round, yeah?"
"Take the whole bottle," Lynch grinned, passing a few bottles to her. She handed one to Dudley, and then offered a single bottle to the couple still sitting.
"In case you change your mind," she told them. Vernon hesitated, but took it. Aquila took Dudley's arm, cracking open her bottle and pulling him a few feet away from his parents. "Oi, Fred! George! A little music, yeah?"
"We do have sound wards," Amos agreed.
The twins grinned at each other, detaching themselves from their respective girlfriends and retreated to their rooms. When they returned, there was a brass gramophone and a few records. "We've got Weird Sisters, Brass Dragons, Muggle Mania, and some Declamation Dragon Nation."
"Weird Sisters, definitely," Ginny said immediately. She grabbed a shot of firewhiskey when her mother wasn't looking and drank it. Molly turned around at that exact moment, shouting shrilly.
"Givevra Weasley! How dare you drink! You aren't even of age-"
"Ireland won, mum!" Ginny whinned. "They're going to the Europeans! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And besides, it's legal in the Muggle world for me to drink at sixteen! With a parent present, at least."
Molly sighed. "Oh, very well. But no hangover potion in the morning."
Ginny grinned. "Thanks, mum!" She glanced at Lynch, her eyes going puppy-dog wide. "Refill?"
"You got it, Weaslette," Lynch smirked. The music kicked in at that exact moment and Aquila giggled. It was "Do the Hippogriff."
"So... how do you dance at Wizarding parties?" Dudley asked her, his hands resting on her hips as they faced each other. She put her hands on her shoulder, the bottle of firewhiskey ducking just slightly behind his back.
"Not like you do at your parties," she admitted. "It's a bit... well, more conservative, I suppose. It is a society built upon numerous traditions. We haven't quite got rid of them yet." She took a sip of the firewhiskey in her hands before backing up a few steps. "Come on, I'll show you. Don't you dare step on my feet."
The song was just screaming, as it was the opening, an electric guitar screaming in the background. "Are you ready?" Aquila echoed, repeating the singer's same words as he tried to pump up the tipsy group of players.
"This is your music?"
She giggled. "Sure is. Weird Sisters are the greatest at the moment. Bloody fantastic band." He seemed a tad skeptical. Merlin, was this the first time he's heard them? But he would listen to her radio sometimes, when he'd come over, and last year at the pitch... Alright, she was going to make this an awesome experience. "Take my hand." She gave him her unoccupied hand and began to sway her hips, giggling. Once the music picked up, proclaiming how to do the hippogriff, she noticed that he was getting the hang of it, just sort of... flailing your arms. And shaking your head about.
The man seemed a little... unsure about her cultures dance moves. "You don't do like... any other dance moves?"
"Not... really. I mean, there's the waltz and other types of ballroom dancing, but... none like what I've seen at your parties." She shrugged apologetically. "And if we played that kind of music, I'm pretty sure Maeve would be scandalized by what she'd see. Not to mention Miranda..." She glanced over at Mrs. Diggory, almost mimicking Aquila's movements as she danced with her husband. It was the Hippogriff afterall. "Our parties aren't nearly as exciting."
"You do drink a bit more, though."
She giggled. "In celebration." The song changed to a much slower one and she put her hands once more on his shoulders, changing her pace from rocking out to slowly rocking side to side. "This must be their old album," Aquila said quietly. "They played this at the Yule ball two years ago."
"Oh?"
She nodded, resting her head down on his shoulder, exhaling slightly as she listened to his heartbeat. "I'm so glad you could come... I didn't really expect for your parents to agree, actually, but I'm really grateful they're trying to experience it-"
"I think you've really made them want to see it. Dad's still a little skeptical about it all, but... well, this far outweighs what I think he even imagined."
"And what did he imagine?"
He chuckled. "Standing over a cauldron, warts, cursing people and burnings at the stake-"
She wrinkled her nose. "The last witch burning was in the 1600s in Wizarding Britain, and it was blood supremists attempting to rid the world of Muggleborns." He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. Ravenclaw. I know things." She sighed softly. "We aren't that barbaric. I know the people fighting outside doesn't really help that argument, but... we aren't that barbaric."
"What that blonde guy said today..." Aquila had almost forgotten. "What did he mean?"
"I have no idea. I'm going to be having a lengthy discussion with my mother to figure out precisely what is going on." She kissed his collarbone lightly. "But let's forget about that for now."
"I can do that." They danced for a while, until the next album had to be put in, and during which they just talked to each other, occassionally taking a drink from their bottles, and by the end of hers, she was right drunk, and a little stumbly. "Where are you going?"
"I think my fine captain deserves a speech," Aquila said pointedly. "Hold on." She walked over to where the Dursley parents were, seeing that they were drinking tenatively from the bottle she had given them. They hadn't drank much, but enough that it wasn't sealed anymore. Aquila climbed up on the table, signalling for the music to be turned down. "Oi! All of you! Listen up!"
"Aquila, go to bed, you're drunk!" Tara called, laughing.
"Shush, you!" Aquila called back, pointing in her direction. She swallowed as everyone eventially faced her. "I just want to say, that our team is amazing. It was a bloody close game, almost a tie, and if Lynch hadn't have caught that snitch, we wouldn't be here right now, laughing, drinking, and dancing. We'd be sitting around, angry, and to be completely honest, Verde would probably be pummeled into the ground if I had anything to say about it."
"Would have let you!" Mullet shouted.
"Damn right," Aquila insisted. "And I don't know about you guys, but this win was bloody awesome and we're bloody awesome and even though there's a war bloody going on outside, it doesn't matter right now, because we won! 680-510!"
There were cheers and everyone raised their glasses as Aquila lifted her own. "To bloody Ireland! Because we're bloody good fuckers on the field!" There were cheers and she teetered down, laughing and slung her arm around Dudley's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. It was much more heated than she anticipated, but she didn't mind. She supposed that was the firewhiskey.
"Let's... go to our room," she murmured to him. He nodded, kissing her once more, and she set her drink on the counter, Dudley doing the same, before she linked hands with his and led him down the corridor towards their flapped room.
It was almost bare, chilly, in the summer air, and she felt a little cold, her bare stomach not as warm as it was in the hotter common area. She fell onto the bed, pulling Dudley with her and they laid there, side by side for a moment.
"You have some green paint on your face," he murmured, turning his head to look at her. She wiped at her face, seeing the paint that had smeared off of his when they had kissed. She supposed she shouldn't have let them use the paint that was oil based and would still be runny and glossy even after hours upon hours of use.
She giggled at it. "I must look like a green monster."
"I think you look sort of like you're turning into the Hulk."
"The Hulk?" she questioned.
"Uh, we'll get to that. Movie and a few comics."
"Comics?"
He smiled at her gently, and she stopped questioning, simply understanding that he'd tell her in time what it was all about. "God, you're beautiful. And fierce. I've never been so attracted to a woman when she was angry, but I'll tell ya, you screaming at the ref today was pretty... it was pretty something."
She rolled her eyes, flushing. "Embarrassing. Pretty embarrassing, now that I look back. I have a slight temper problem, and she pushed me a little far."
"Well it was hot."
She smiled, sighing. "I aim to please." Her fingers found his, lying beside her, and she glanced at him, listening to his quiet breathing as he watched her. She kissed him suddenly, the angle weird, but she quickly fixed it by turning her body, and his arms found their way to her hips, holding her tightly, pulling her closer to him. They didn't resurface for air, instead his hands holding onto the warm flesh around her waist and guiding her body so that it was straddling him, and she was leaning over him as she kissed him.
Merlin did she love this man. The thoughts were a bit fuzzy, as she was still in a firewhiskey enduced haze, but they weren't any less true. She did love him, a bloody lot. And he was... he was everything to her. His hands slowly began to raise themselves up her sides, and her own tangled in his hair, though it was a bit difficult as his hair was short.
She pulled away suddenly, panting. "Wait... I have something to tell you."
"Okay?" he asked, blinking, confused by her sudden shift in demeaner. She shifting, sitting up slightly, and he stiffened, flushing slightly. She was about to ask why, when she thought better of it. She had a feeling why he was blushing.
"I'm... I'm trying out for Ireland, right? This summer?" He nodded, knowing that. "Well... I sort of have to go alone. I'll be in a tent with the other 'Claws, because I can't stay with Ireland during trials, and it would be dangerous with you there. Because the team can't watch you, and my friends don't know much about you - and Death Eaters will patrol it and-"
"Aquila," he said softly. "I understand. It's okay."
"But I'm going to miss our year anniversary together," she said quietly. "And that's not fair to you."
"I'd rather you miss it than put yourself in danger by having me there," he told her simply. "Don't worry about it. We can celebrate early, to make up for it. And maybe celebrate after, too."
She smiled, liking that idea, but it disappeared as she bit her lip, her eyes meeting his. The darkness around them making the whites glow slightly. "We probably won't see each other for a year... not with training as soon as trials end. So... we won't see each other after. I'm already pretty much guaranteed a spot, but I've got to go through the formal process, get a trainer... I move into the field the night after announcement is made, and... I won't be back to Little Whinging until the trials next year."
"Oh," he said quietly. "That's a long time."
"I-I know," she said quietly. "I'm sorry... I didn't even think about it, until now and... and I needed to tell you before I forgot again..." She swallowed, tears in her eyes as she dropped her head, her hair loose and dry now, resting on his chest. "And it's not fair. If I get a few days off or something, I'll stop by...but that's not guaranteed. I won't even be training with the team. I'll be with a professional trainer for a long time until I'm up to par-"
"You already are up to par," Dudley said quietly. She smiled gently, lifting her gaze. "Let's not get all mopey... If this is the last bit of the summer we'll see each other, we should at least talk about something else."
"But you'll see me until I leave for trials," she said, confused. "Right?"
"Well, yeah, but that's only a month. That's not fair," he insisted. "I was fully convinced I'd see you this Christmas."
She sighed, pressing her head to his chest, her eyes closing. "I'm sorry. I won't be able to write you, but I'll leave my owl with you so you can write me. It's a conditioning thing... you're supposed to keep focus on the game. And when you can condition yourself for a whole year, then you can write others."
"That sucks."
"I know... I didn't really think about it at the time."
In the silence of the tent, she could hear outside. The spells being cast by Death Eaters versus others. It was too dangerous here with him, but the team would keep him safe if it came down to anything. Her hands were suddenly around his neck, hugging him to her, though they were both laying down, her hovering over him. "Nothing can tear us apart unless we let it," she told him quietly.
"I love you too much for that."
She pulled back, surprised. He didn't seem to flush or anything, but his eyes did hesitantly meet hers, as he realized what he had said. "Do you?" she asked quietly. He nodded slowly. She smiled lightly, kissing him for only a few seconds, before she pulled away. "I love you too much for that too."
She felt his shoulders relax from under her grip and he leaned up to kiss her. She pulled back slightly, and he stopped immediately. "My mother will hover over us when we get back," Aquila told him quietly. "It's our last night here... and..." She hesitated. Feeling particularly bold, she pressed against him slightly, giving him time to move away if he wished. "I really want to be with you."
"God," he muttered. He let out a breath, as he seemed to hesitate. "I really want that too." Aquila heard the clause. She regarded him curiously as his eyes opened. "But, this isn't the right place. It's a tent, in the middle of a field, with all of your teammates around us... And you can hear the bad guys just like I can. It's a mood killer. And I think we've had a bit too much firewhiskey." He did have a point. She sighed and fell next to him, her arms untangling from his neck. "I'm sorry, I just... I don't want to do this here. Not like this."
She nodded. "I can accept that. Your reasons are something I wasn't really paying attention to, but you're right." She shifted so that she was more comfortable. "I just don't want to go away for a while, and you're already with some other girl."
"Sex isn't going to change anything, you know," he said after a moment. "I don't mean it like I'll leave you anyway, but I mean it as a not important thing to have a relationship-" He stopped. "I'm not saying this right..." She giggled. No he wasn't. "Am I physically attracted to you, bloody hell yes. Do we need to act on the attraction to keep us together? No. We haven't for an entire year."
"You're awfully wise," she informed him. He snorted. "It's true. Most guys your age don't think much when it comes to things like that." She regarded him silently a moment as he seemed to be a tad embarrassed. "How's your Slavic accent?"
"Vhat accent?" he muttered. She giggled, burying her face into his arm.
"Go to sleep, Russian boy."
He sighed, almost in a content way, and turned, tucking her head into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Aquila."
"And I love you," she responded, her fingers clasping the dog tags he wore, and her other hand resting just over his heart, feeling the heartbeat as she drifted off.
The morning came almost too quickly, and she awoke to find that he was half hanging off the bed, and she was half hanging on him. She groaned as she tried to move, her limbs aching and her muscles sore. Bloody hell, she was so exhausted.
"What's wrong?" Dudley muttered.
"My whole body hurts," she complained quietly. She pushed herself off the bed, climbing over him, and wincing as she stood, reaching for the bag with a change of clothes. She grabbed a green jersey, pulling it on, not bothering to change. It was slightly see through, showing off her stomach, yet again. Adjusting her shorts, she cracked her back, and her neck. "Ugh... I might ask Maeve for a nice massage."
"I could give you a massage."
"But it would lead to things other than a message, and we agreed here wasn't the place," she grinned. She tossed him some clothes. "I'm going to get some breakfast. Join me when you're ready." He groaned, falling back on the bed. Aquila giggled, darting out of the space, intent on some of Maeve, Molly, and Miranda's excellent cooking.
"I smell Irish potatoes, pancakes, sausage, and bacon," Aquila declared. She wasn't disappointed when she saw the many plates in front of the table.
Maeve smiled, turning around from the stove, but frown almost immediately. "Oh, my, you look horrible!"
"Um, thank you?" Aquila questioned, tucking her wand into her shorts as she looked down at her body. She saw what they did immediately. Dark bruises littered her thighs, her arms, her chest. "Oh, bloody hell, no wonder I hurt so much."
"Also a few bruises on your face," Molly said gently.
She sighed, glancing down into a bottle of firewhiskey still on the table, seeing the dark bruises on her cheekbones. And her jaw. "Wonderful. Mum will have a fit." She set the bottle down and glanced around. "No one else's up yet."
"A lot of them drank a lot longer than you did," Miranda laughed. "Amos will be out until noon, I suspect." A long time then, since Aquila suspected it to be around eight or nine. Aquila glanced up at approaching footsteps, spotting Lynch clutching his head and squinting. Aquila flicked her wand at him, the sobering spell doing wonders to help him out.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"So," she said casually. "I need to loosen some muscles. And I'd prefer not to fall back asleep again, which I'm almost certain a massage will do," Aquila stated, watching as Lynch's eyebrow flew up at an insinuation he seemed to be thinking she was making, which she wasn't. "And I'd rather help the muscles rather than just relax them so..." She took a few steps away from the table and food. "Up for a good bit of exercise."
"You realize it sounds like you're trying to get me to sleep with you." She blinked at him, her expression telling him she wasn't amused. "Fine, fine. Combat?"
"We are in a war," she agreed. She winced when he threw the first punch and her muscles ached. It was something that would change the more effort she put into it.
"So, since when were you into fighting?" she heard Dudley ask.
She laughed, twisting out of Lynch's hands as he made a grab at her shoulders, folding his arms as she dodged and landed her own hit on his stomach. "Trying to loosen up the muscles." She ducked as a blow came close to her face and she grabbed Lynch's hands, crossing his arms and pulling them behind his back. "Worked marvelously, I'll tell you."
She let go of Lynch and he rightened, rubbing his shoulder. She turned to face Dudley, smiling brightly at the normal appearance he had. "Looking like yourself again," she stated, approaching. "I like it."
"What happened to your face?"
"Yesterday," she said with a wave of her hand. "Bruises. They'll fade in a few days." Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him down for a kiss, savoring the minty flavour of his mouth. "You didn't look like that when I woke up."
"Mr. Johnson came by." His hands carressed her hips, and he bit his lip, his face still close to her own. "Don't they hurt?"
"Not anymore," she admitted. "Needed a kick of adrenaline. There's loads of breakfast, if you want some. We probably won't be leaving here until a little after one or so. Wait until the crowds start to leave so that our departure isn't too watched." He lifted up his hand and she was confused, placing her own underneath it as he gave her something. Pills. "I figure you probably have a wicked headache."
She grinned, kissing him for a second, before throwing the pills back and swallowing them, the water a little out of the way at the moment. Besides, she didn't want to move out of his grasp.
"So, uh, just how well known are you guys, lass?" Vernon questioned, walking up to his son and her.
"You mean the team and I?" she questioned, shrugging. "Pretty well known. I mean, we're in the papers at least once a week. We have a match every three weeks. And so far we're undefeated." She looked them over. They both were back as well, to their normal forms. "So, pretty famous. I mean, Lynch is an international playboy and millionaire. I'm the Black heiress, millionaire in my own right and making big bucks off of the matches." She shrugged. "Mullet, Morgan, Finnegan all lead some philanthropist activities to help children in underdeveloped magical countries, and some even in Muggle. If there's anything the public loves, it's famous people that do good things."
"So... you're like Gary Neville?" Vernon asked.
Aquila frowned. "Who?"
"He plays on England's national football team," Dudley told her. "Uh, yeah, dad, they're all a bit like him." His eyebrows rose a bit. "So, she says we're not leaving here until about one."
"We'll probably walk around, sign autographs for a little while. And then we've got to have lunch, pack up the tent, and leave... Maybe a little differently, since Vernon didn't seem too fond of the portkey."
"Understatement," he muttered.
Aquila giggled, shaking her head. "I don't know about you guys but I'm starving. And before you even ask, all of the food is perfectly normal, made out of the same stuff as your own food."
"Do you always have a large feast the morning after?" Dudley asked, sitting down beside her. Lynch was at the far end of the table, eating rather... hurriedly. She rolled her eyes, not stopping from giggling when Maeve tapped him outside of the head, sitting down beside him. "Or no?"
"Usually not. We all head home, or in my case, school after trainings," she answered. "Or matches. If it's too late and I don't feel like waking the Headmaster when I get back, I usually stay the night and leave in time for the breakfast feast at school."
"How, uh, big is your school?" Vernon asked.
"Well there are only about three hundred students," Aquila admitted. "But the school is built to handle at least four thousand. There's been a steady decline in our population for centuries now." She poured herself some pumpkin juice and Dudley raised an eyebrow to it. She held it out for him, to try. "It's called pumpkin juice. Sort of our breakfast juice, I suppose. A little bitter, but good." He took it cautiously, sniffing it, before tasting it. "See? Not that bad." He handed it back to her before pouring some for himself. "But it's a castle, if that helps with picturing it. I'm sure there's a picture of it on one of my textbooks at home-"
"Good morning," the twins chimed, pulling their girlfriends with them as they approached the table. Each twin seated themselves on opposite sides of Dudley and Aquila, peering into their plates and cups.
"Don't you even think about it," Aquila warned pointedly.
"Er, how's your shop?" Dudley asked. "Aquila mentioned you sort of left your school, and stuff."
"She didn't tell you the whole story?" Fred gasped. "Ella!"
"Aquila, to you," Aquila corrected, rolling her eyes. "And no, I didn't. I felt like some of the details were a bit... over the top, even for you two."
"It all started on a crisp May evening," Fred and George began together, winking at Petunia, who choked slightly on the water she was drinking. Aquila didn't want to be the one to break to her it was gillywater. "Potter and his band of idiots were trapped by Professor Umbridge's horrifying powers."
"Professor Umbridge was a horrible woman, dressed up in pink, and we called her the toad. Her unhealthy obsession with cats," Fred explained on the side to the parents and Dudley, "made her as crazy as bats."
"Bat shit crazy," George agreed sadly.
"Her form of detention was blood quills-" They held out their hands and George grabbed Aquila's holding it out as well. "Nasty things."
"Anyway, so Potter and his friends had gone to her office in search of a Floo connection to ring dear Sirius." Aquila swallowed, frowning as she glanced down at her cup. She wasn't particularly close to the man, but his death had horrified her when she heard. "But she caught them. See, our job was to distract her so that they could. And it worked for a while-"
"Worked it did!" George agreed with himself, and his twin. "It all started by stealing our brooms back from the cupboard Umbridge had locked them in-"
"We had a bit of a scuffle with a few rival Slytherins," Fred explained off handedly.
"And we set ourselves up at the stairs of the seventh floor, fire crackers at the ready. And we flew, setting off one after the other as we slowly made our way to the Great Hall - OWLs testing and whatnot." She rolled her eyes. They were horrible at telling stories.
"Umbridge was furious, and we unleashed the biggest firework we had, the dragon. Everyone taking their tests piled into the courtyard, and Potter and his friends slipped away, to her office, calling up Sirius - but Sirius didn't answer."
"Potter has this connection to the Dark Lord, in which he can see visions of anger and stuff. And he saw Sirius being tortured in the middle of the Ministry. And Sirius being his godfather, you can understand he was a bit shaken."
"They were idiots," Aquila muttered.
"So, when Sirius didn't answer they were sure he was gone, hurt, tortured, maybe even dying!" Petunia's hand flew to her mouth, to keep in her gasp of shock.
"So we flew off into the sunset, Umbridge furious as she tried to deal with the kids that had to retake their tests, and she noticed Potter wasn't there, so... she went looking for them, listening to the portraits that told her her office, see?" they said together. "And when she found them, she started to torture them for information, demanding to know who they called - thinking it was our dear old Headmaster-"
"And then Snape came by, and she wanted some veritiserum, I believe."
"Nasty potion," Fred sighed. "Makes you tell your deepest darkest secrets with just a few drops."
"But it was all out, see? And so she was going to use the Cruciatus curse," George shuddered. "Horrible. And then Potter opened his bloody brilliant mouth, telling her that there was a weapon in the Forbidden Forest."
"Of course, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, but she took him and Hermione bloody-brilliant Granger out there and they came across some Half-giant-"
"You're telling this story again?" Hermione's voice stated suddenly. She sat beside Petunia, sighing. "Don't let Harry hear you say it, please. You know how he gets."
They all knew.
"Anyway, some centaurs sent the Umbridge away, and Potter and his friends all went back to the castle, where they found some threstrals... winged horses. And they flew from Scotland to London, which was the fastest way apparently. Which it wasn't. If I was them, I would have-"
Aquila elbowed George sharply.
"Right, so they got to the Ministry, and they started to search for Sirius Black. Don't know how they did it, with no security clearance, but they did. Go on down, to the deepest floor, the Department of Mysteries. And they're searching and searching until they find the spot he saw Sirius - but no one was there."
"It was a trap," Fred explained.
"And as they're getting ready to leave, Lucius Malfoy appears."
"The blonde guy we ran into last night," Aquila explained by their looks. "One of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers."
"And behind him, Bellatrix Lestrange."
"The craziest follower the Dark Lord has," Aquila explained again, as they glanced at her for an explanation. "She tortured one of my friend's parents to insanity because she thought that their child would become what Potter is now. They were the other people affected by the prophecy that killed Lily and James Potter."
"But they weren't alone. Death Eaters started to surround them," the twins said, their tone building suspense. "And it was a miracle they even managed to run away. They made it to this hallway and Hermione here got hurt, knocking herself out-"
"George," Hermione ground out.
"Neville Longbottom, the kid that almost was the Choosen One, he broke his nose. Ron, Ginny, and Harry and Luna all made it to the Veiled Room, where there's a portal between the dead and the living..."
"And the Death Eaters cornered them," Hermione took over. She knew this part better than the twins, at least. "Demanded Harry give them the prophecy, the same prophecy that killed his parents. And he refused, dropping it, shattering it to a thousand pieces... He's incredibly brave," Hermione admitted. "The Death Eaters attacked and just then the Order appeared-"
"Remember Snape refusing to give the potion?" Fred input. "Well, he called the Order for backup, because he knew Potter would be an idiot and go there anyway."
"And then," Hermione said forcefully. "Sirius started to shield Harry, fighting Lucius and Bellatrix at the same time - which is an incredible feat in its own regard... And then Bellatrix kit him with the Killing Curse..." Aquila glanced down at her drink, frowning. "Sirius fell into the Veil, dying instantly. No body to bury, no closure... He was gone. Harry was, understandably a wreck. He almost tried to go after Sirius, to bring him back..."
"Remus held Harry back, but Harry escaped and went after Bellatrix, chasing her down and he cast a crucio, in anger, but... it wasn't that strong, obviously. Harry's too good for that." Aquila swallowed, glancing up. She continued, "Bellatrix was down, as the crucius is excruciating and anyone would be, no matter how insane. And then the Dark Lord arrived, possessing Harry, trying to ... to get him to surrender, to submit - but Harry didn't."
"Then good old Dumbledore arrived and got Harry out, banishing the Dark Lord for a while... But Harry was furious, a wreck, and... destroyed Dumbledore's own office," Hermione said quietly. "He wouldn't talk to anyone for a whole week, wouldn't eat... He wouldn't sleep, according to Ron... Sirius was everything to him."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Dudley said quietly.
She sighed softly. "Sirius was... he was something else. An ass, but he was still family."
"He won't talk about it," Hermione stated, frustrated. "Ron and I are trying everything, to make him express something, but the most we've seen him talk in weeks was at the game last night."
"He's going to have to get used to the feeling," Aquila said sadly. "It's war. And a lot more people we care about are going to die." It was true. The war had only just begun. The Dark Lord only just declaring himself alive. It was going to get worse.
"And of course, Harry being Harry, he blames himself for Sirius's-" Hermione cut herself off, clearing her throat as she glanced up. "Harry! You're up. Is Ron still asleep, because Ginny's not waking up anytime soon-"
"Er, yeah," Harry said awkwardly. "You guys seem cozy."
"You didn't hear?" Aquila said good naturedly, as though they hadn't been discussing him. "Fred and George are planning on having a triad with Granger and their girlfriends-"
"Oi!" Fred and George cried. "We are not!"
Aquila giggled at the confused expression on Potter's face. "You don't want to know." She sipped her pumpking juice and watched as Potter sat across from Granger. "So, what'd you think of the game, Scar-face?"
"Pretty wicked," Harry grinned. "You look like hell."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Aquila demanded. "They're bruises. Surely you've all seen bruises before. Honestly, with how many hits I took, I'm surprised they're this good looking."
"Well, I say it was badass," Fred winked. "You've got yourself a lot of admirers. You should have heard how many blokes were chanting your name."
Aquila rolled her eyes. "And you ought to know how many girls at school couldn't stop gushing about your little fireworks stint." She refilled her pumpkin juice, stabbing her eggs with her fork. "You still didn't tell Dudley about your shop."
"Absolutely wicked," the twins grinned identically. "Opened right up in the middle of Diagon Alley. Have had great business so far, but we're closed right now to restock, we had so many people buying things. And the Cup. We didn't want to miss that."
"Anyway, we've got the support of all of Diagon Alley. They're absolutely thrilled to be getting the business, too."
"They started their own joke shop," Aquila explained to Vernon and Petunia. "Their life's work has been pranking."
The breakfast was filled with talking with mouths full, tossing biscuits to those that asked for them, and avoiding a withering glare from Molly, Miranda, Maeve, and even Mrs. Johnson if you said something wrong. . . which was often. Aquila did her best to tell the Dursleys about things they might not have known, but eventually it just became too much and she just promised to explain later.
"No, you didn't know Aquila when she was a small thing," Mr. Johnson laughed. "She would always be covered in mud. And I'm not talking about just a few smudges here or there, but it was like she'd roll in it everytime she went outside in the rain-"
"I was not!" Aquila insisted. She didn't know why the man had insisted of talking about when she was little. "If anything, it was you who would throw me in the mud!" She laughed when he raised his fork at her, making her argument invalid.
"No, you and Angelina would play all day in the pitch until you were covered. And then you'd come in the manor and destroy every piece of furniture you two would touch."
"Dad!" Angelina whined. "We were four years old... it's not like we knew any better. And it was only three times."
"Exactly," Aquila said strongly. "And if I remember correctly, you did charm the mud to stick to our skin whenever we did fall in it, so that even if we were careful, there wasn't much hope."
He grinned, "I did, didn't I?"
They laughed and Aquila glanced at Dudley. "What about you? Any particular stories from when you were a kid?" She glanced towards Petunia. "Embarrassing ones?"
"When he was three-"
"Mum!" Dudley cried.
Aquila covered his mouth with her hand, giggling as Petunia continued. Dudley didn't even try to fight the hand. "He would run around the house with his long sleeves tied around his neck, proclaiming he was a super hero."
She dropped her hand, glancing at Dudley. "No way."
"He called himself Sir Duds-a-lot."
Aquila laughed, leaning into Dudley's side as he groaned in mortification. "I'm going to remember this forever." She glanced at Petunia. "And how old was he when he stopped doing it?"
"Oh, about seven, I believe." Aquila giggled again, sipping from the pumpkin juice.
"That's adorable."
"Don't you dare," Dudley warned.
She still found it funny. But she let it drop. Everyone dispursed to go do their own thing, and Aquila pulled Dudley to the middle of the floor, where the twins were dealing Exploding Snaps. "Do you want to play?" she asked.
He seemed to remember the game, and agreed. Aquila noticed that his parents were in a conversation with Molly and Arthur, Miranda and the Johnsons joining them. Parents, it seemed. No teens or young adults allowed.
She was singed a few times, jerking her hand back from the cards and laughing as the twins made bets on who would win. Surprisingly Dudley won, and Fred made a galleon off of it. "You two," Aquila requested the twins to face each other. "A galleon on George, since Fred has rebelled against me."
"Oh, your faith in my skill is wounding," George sighed. But they played.
"So, is this how Ireland makes money, these days?" a voice inquired. She glanced up, grinning. "Hey."
"Gavin! Join us. Dudley, this is Gavin Diggory, Amos and Miranda's son. Gavin, this is my boyfriend Dudley, Harry Potter's cousin."
"Heard about you a lot," Gavin admitted, shaking Dudley's hand as he sat on the floor. "She doesn't shut up about you."
Aquila flushed. "Yes, well... Hard not to."
But she saw when Gavin was looking towards the cards, that Dudley was scrutinizing him, sizing up... Merlin, was he jealous?
"I thought you were on a project for the Ministry," Aquila said suddenly, causing him to glance at her.
"Was, but Sundays are my days off," he shrugged. "Thought I'd visit, since Mum and Dad weren't home yet. Where's dad?"
"Probably sleeping," Aquila admitted, glancing around. "Miranda said that he drank a lot last night. I wouldn't be up until noon if I were him." He listened and only nodded.
"He drinks a lot more now. Goes to practice a lot more," Gavin stated quietly. "He's sort of a bit lost. Still him, but... not the same."
"I've noticed," Aquila said quietly. The father of the Diggory family had spent all eighteen hours at her practices on Saturdays. And in her week of practice just the last few weeks, he had been to every one as well. "I think he's gone to more practices than the team does."
"He's not right," Gavin sighed. George won, earning her a crisp five pound note from Dudley. It was the equivalent of a galleon. "Hasn't been since Ced died, and..."
"I know, we've all seen it." She was dealt a set of cards and her and Dudley began to play. "At home, how is he? I'd imagine you don't see him often, but... how is he when you do?"
"He looks normal. Talks normally. He seems happy, as if nothing happened. And then sometimes he'll just get quiet and... It's been a year, and I know it's hard for him, but... it's almost like he's denying it happened."
"I don't blame him," Aquila agreed. "I mean, if I was in his place, I would refuse to believe my youngest son died, as well. I just probably wouldn't go about it in that way..." She made her last play and grinned. "I win!"
Fred grumbled, passing George the galleon back. "Speaking of winning, how was the wager last night?"
"Right, as always," the twins chimed. "A tie in scored points, but Ireland would get the snitch."
They were almost too good at this stuff. Perhaps they were seers? She was pulled out of her musings by Amos's waking, and his slow walk from his room to the common area. He looked like hell. Aquila glanced at Gavin, and the boy seemed to notice his father's arrival as well, sighing. He ate a few left over breakfast items quietly, but brightly clapping his hands. "Right, who's ready to sign autographs and take pictures."
"Can I get glamours first?" Aquila muttered. She flicked her wand towards her face, and it turned into the smooth pale skin that she usually sported. Dudley seemed surprised. "I'll be right back, I promise."
"Be careful out there."
She kissed him on the cheek, before flitting over to Amos's side, conjuring a self-inking quill. She was ready.
It was insane, out there. People that didn't stay the night, for obvious reasons, had already dispursed and Aquila was surprised by the sheer amount of people that had left. The war was changing things... Soon people wouldn't stay at all. Maybe not even go. The thought saddened her, but she wanted them to stay safe. That was the most important thing here. A few tents were nothing but charred remains, the occupants... she didn't want to know what happened to them.
She signed her name and number until she couldn't sign any more. And the men that had come out had winked as they offered a Floo contact for her. Asking for her to call. She took them graciously, but knew she'd burn them as soon as she got back inside the tent.
Her eyes immediately fell upon Dudley, and she smiled at him, as she entered the tent. She held up the pieces of parchment. "In case you ever get lonely, these guys would love anything you have to offer."
Dudley snorted. "Sorry?"
"I'm about to burn them, but I thought I'd tease for a while," she shrugged, kissing his cheek. "Do you happen to have a match?"
"Can't say I do," he admitted.
"No matter," she smiled. A flick of her wand and the pile of parchment flew into a plume of smoke and flames. She eyed the burning pile a moment before dusting off her hands. "Do you want to fly home or portkey?" she asked suddenly. "I'm not quite sure what your parents would be more comfortable with."
"I mean we could give dad a heart attack with flying," he offered. "But I think Portkey might do that too."
She giggled, shaking her head. "You breach the topic with them. I don't want to bother them too much..." She glanced towards the Muggle couple still talking with the other adults. "They're getting along well, though."
"It's good dad's seeing that they're people too, ya know? He's got to understand that you lot aren't..."
"Freaks?" she supplied with a wink. "I don't know. Have you see what some full Veelas can do? Now that is freaky."
"Well, what can quarter Veelas do?" he asked.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. Syrup stuck to the corner of his mouth, making the kiss sweet. And his hands gripped her hips, pulling her closer. Perhaps this was a tad inappropriate, in front of his parents, and people she had looked up to, but she didn't care. Who was going to scold her? Potter? She wanted to see him try.
His grip had effectively made their bodies flush and when he shifted slightly, changing the angle at which he kissed her, she felt a bit of his excitement. She giggled, pulling away and pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "For not the right place," she said under her breath, knowing he could hear, "you're awfully liking the idea."
"Bloody hell," he muttered, burying his face in her hair. "Distract me... Tell me something."
"Hmmm," she thought. "There are five hundred fouls in Quidditch-"
"But you talking all smart isn't going to help."
She giggled once more, turning her head slightly so that she was slightly facing him. "Why? Is that a turn on?"
"Yes, but Aquila please stop..." He exhaled with his eyes squeezed shut. "Tell me something, please."
"Forty six people have died in the last month," she said after a moment. "Including Sirius. There have been a number of reported persons that have gone missing, including two class mates, since the summer started. The media is spreading lies, insisting that the Dark Lord isn't back - and those lies are going to bite Potter in the arse, because he believes it and he's too stubborn to stay quiet." He breathed evenly, and she smiled softly, her hands dropping to his shoulders. "Remember that Christmas present my uncle sent me?"
"Evan?'
She nodded against his chest and his breath hitched. She stopped immediately. "Sorry... Yeah, so I went to the Order, and they opened it... turns out Evan likes sending me people's fingers. It was the finger of Dorcas Meadowes, with her ring... She's been in captivity, shut off from the outside world... The Order's trying to find her, but we don't even know if she's alive... But she's three fingers down. Evan sent me an easter egg with the finger, and apparently before he died, Sirius received one as well... We think that's why he was so eager to go to the Ministry, to save Harry, because he wanted to see if anyone knew anything about her..." His breathing was turning to normal. "I got another package yesterday, before we left for the Johnsons..." She swallowed. "I gave it to Mr. Johnson, and he gave it to the Order to look at for me... I think it was another finger though."
"That's sick."
"I know," she said quietly. "They're doing everything they can to find her. But it's hard to do when she's been supposedly dead for thirteen years."
"That must have been thirteen years of hell."
She agreed, her hands falling from his shoulders to wrap around his waist. "Better?"
"Yeah, thanks." She grinned when he pulled away and he flushed.
"Anytime," she winked. She glanced towards the group of elder adults. "I'd try to break the news about which way we're traveling, so that they have plenty of time to prepare themselves..." She smirked. "I'm going to remove the glamours and then get to actually brushing my hair, instead of throwing it into a ponytail."
"If mum and dad throw a fit, I'm blaming it on you."
"It's the only option they have," Aquila shrugged. "We can't apprate. Their minds would be a jumbled mess and it wouldn't be pretty in the slightest." Dudley grimmaced. He knew how apparation felt. "So... ease, yeah?"
"I'll try my best for the flying option. Dad's not fond of roller coasters."
"Roller coast-" she cut herself off, remembering what it was. "Oh, that might be a problem."
"I'll work on it," Dudley promised. She let him go, and then moved towards the bathroom, where she hoped she'd have a few minutes to actually make herself decent. But the entire walk, all she could concentrate on was the words Lucius Malfoy had spat at her. Simon Otterburn. What the hell did he mean by that?