Cynthia practically collapsed onto the couch. Running a hand through her hair, she grabbed a fist full and closed her eyes. The woman released a slow breath as she sunk deeper into the comfort of the couch, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she did. The sweet solace she found behind her eyelids tempted her to sleep. After all, she hadn't slept well for the second night in a row. Yesterday, after lazing about the entire afternoon, her night had been thrown into chaos.
Upon the reeling revelation that she had two guests coming Cynthia panicked, suddenly wishing she had in fact spent the afternoon working on her todo list. Book long forgotten, the girl began stress cleaning.
It didn't take long, her flat was already quite clean. That didn't mean that she didn't cut through the place like a whirlwind. Books thrown onto shelves with no sense of order, projects stuffed into bins and hidden in a closet, kitchen and bathroom scrubbed beyond necessity. Internally, Cynthia knew neither of those boys would notice that she had taken the time to clean out the oven or soak the shower head in vinegar like her aunt had taught her, but knowing that didn't stop her.
It wasn't until her body again demanded a proper meal did she stop. Cynthia couldn't even remember what she had eaten for dinner, but it had evidently been enough to satisfy her. She went to bed soon after, but her dreams were fitful leaving her to once again wake up glaring at the sunlight.
She did however manage to sleep in a bit, only leaving her room after the sun was quite high. Once again, she went through the morning on auto pilot now resting on the couch in her dressing gown with her eyes closed. A steaming cup of herbal tea rested on the now empty table in front of her, all the clutter being swept into her room in a box to be gone through later.
Opening her eyes slowly, Cynthia admired her work. Even though her flat was ready for company, she was not. Different outrageous scenarios popped one after another into her head reminding her of the kind of tall tales children would come up with. Honestly, there was no way these men were going to try and recruit her or something insane like that, how preposterous.
Cynthia let out a small deflated sigh. As much as she didn't want to, she needed food not tea right now. The small sporadic meals she had yesterday were hardly enough. She needed to be on her toes today, and she could hardly do that on an empty stomach.
With every ounce of energy she could muster, the young woman made her way into the kitchen. Like normal she slipped on her apron and flipped on the radio, letting the music bring her back to a sense of normalcy. Luckily she didn't have to worry about the news cast interrupting her again today, they wouldn't be on for another few hours or so.
As the music played she set about making the most nutritional meal she could. A bowl of sliced fruits covered with heavy cream with a sprinkle of sugar, as well as a small plate of eggs and seared ham slices. This was a normal meal, a little kick of sugar to get her going and a bit of protein to keep the momentum. Cynthia couldn't help but smile as she dug in. She closed her eyes, focusing on each bite trying to distract herself. The distraction didn't last too long, but it was long enough.
Glancing at the clock it was long since time for her to get dressed for the day. The girl deposited the dishes in the sink making her way to the washroom to get ready.
Over an hour later Cynthia was done. She took her time in the shower, letting the hot water pelt against her skin. The woman only stepped out right before the heat from it all was almost too much. The steam left lingering in the room was thick and heavy, probably because the exhaust fan meant to air the room out wasn't working again. Instead she just propped the door open to let the room air out on its own. Noting how long she had wasted, the girl quickly towel dried her hair and threw on a simple outfit. A comfortable pair of blue bell bottoms and a nice soft orange sweater, nothing too fancy but nice and warm. It wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone here.
Satisfied that she looked alright, the young woman made her way back to the kitchen to clean up those last stray dishes. She didn't spend most of the night cleaning just to leave them there.
Once finished her eyes fell on a familiar letter laying on the counter beside her.
She picked up the small package, the likes of which she had never come across before. The unique yellow tinted envelope had a certain richness to it, perhaps it was the peculiar scent it carried or the enchanting cursive form of her name. It didn't really matter, the contents of the letter were far more important.
After admiring the little surprise in her hands for a moment she broke the letter open again. Upon unfolding the contents, she let her eyes roam over the neat elegant script much like she had last night.
'Hello Sweetheart,
Did that make your heart flutter? I should hope so.
I suppose you're quite surprised to be reading this. No doubt thought you'd seen the last of us. Sorry to break it to you love, but Prongs and I will need to stop by again rather soon. Hopefully your invitation to have us over is still open. We'll be stopping by Monday afternoon if I had to venture a guess. I know this visit is probably much sooner than you ever could have expected. It is on both our parts, not that seeing you again won't be a pleasure.
Until Later
~Padfoot '
A series of emotions swept over Cynthia as she read the letter again. She had been confused when she read it last night, not expecting such a warm greeting to be written on the yellowish page. But within only a few lines she knew exactly who had written her. It was Sirius, he was the only one who had ever addressed her like that. Cynthia felt heat swell in her cheeks as she looked down at the page. She shook her head, internally swearing to never let the man know he got the desired reaction out of her.
Glancing down further her smile faltered. There was nothing in this letter about why they were coming back. It probably wasn't an emergency or they might have just shown up. Hopefully she'd get a proper explanation this time.
Cynthia's thoughts halted with the unmistakable sound of knocking echoed through the room. Furrowing her brows she glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn't even noon yet, they were quite early for a 'afternoon' visit.
Setting the note back on the counter, she rolled her eyes and made her way quickly to the door. Without hesitation she unlocked it and pulled the door open.
"You're much earlier than I…" The words died on her tongue. Standing before her was the exact opposite of two handsome young men. It was an old woman, but not just any old woman. It was Martha Bingams.
The thin wrinkled old woman stood with a polite smile on her face, though her eyes were openly examining Cynthia. Her white hair had been done in practiced curls that suited her old dress. In her hands she carried a small plate of biscuits, no doubt the sneaky treat she used to ease the latest gossip from beyond unsuspecting lips.
"Cynthia," The woman began, "you look quite nice this morning."
"Thank you Martha.'' The girl couldn't help the genuine smile on her face as she took in the familiar appearance of her neighbor. "You look lovely as always."
The old woman chuckled softly.
"Such flattery won't get you out of trouble now my dear."
"Worth a try, though." Cynthia shrugged lightly as she opened the door wide. "Would you like to step in for a moment?"
"Thank you Dear." Martha slowly shuffled through the doorway and past the girl. "I see you've been busy, this place looks much better than it did last time I was in."
Cynthia remembered the day quite well. It was in the middle of studying so the entire apartment was a mess. Books and papers littered the floor in piles, dishes piled high in the sink, the air itself felt dead at the time. Yes, things were a lot different now.
"Well I wanted to get the spring cleaning done and out of the way." Cynthia guided the old woman over to the sofa, while grabbing a chair from the small kitchen table to seat herself. She always preferred to look directly at the person she was speaking with. "It is Easter Holiday, as you know. I'll probably head out to visit my family at some point."
"Oh, yes. In that case it seems I've caught you at a bad time." Martha spoke as she set the plate of treats down on the coffee table. Cynthia sat down on the backwards chair, draping her arms over the back of the seat and straddling it with her legs. Martha sighed as she watched the girl sit so unladylike, but sat down across from her in a much more polite manner.
"No, it's alright." Cynthia spoke up cheerfully. "I'm more surprised you didn't stop in yesterday."
It really was so nice to see Martha, if not for the woman Cynthia might have been forced to sit here aimlessly for hours waiting for those boys to show up. The term 'Afternoon' wasn't the most specific after all.
"Well," Martha poised herself on the edge of the couch, as if she were about to tell one of her biggest secrets. "I did intend to stop in, but something came up."
"Oh?" Cynthia smiled widely. If Martha was sitting like that then this was going to be good. "It must have been very important then."
"Yes, well I suppose you haven't heard yet." The old woman checked her hair with a single hand as if doing a final check before beginning her story. "There have been some odd men going door to door since the incident on Saturday."
Cynthia's eyes went wide, her eyebrows flew as high as they could. Could it be James and Sirius?
"Some sort of investigation." Martha continued on, smiling at the reaction she saw. "Terrible manners apparently, and the oddest sense of dress. They stopped by to speak to Neilina Coburn, that young woman I told you about who just delivered twins last month, but they showed up when her husband was out. The nerve, honestly. The poor little dear was a bit shaken up after that."
"That's terrible! They didn't do anything to her, did they?" Cynthia furrowed her eyebrows as she spoke.
What were those boys thinking? If Sirius had even been half as accusatory as he was Saturday night then things could get really out of hand. She would need to bring that up later today, it wouldn't do for them to go around terrorizing the locals. Hopefully they didn't do anything too rude.
As for their outfits, they didn't look terribly dressed when she had seen them last, at least no worse than some of the things she'd seen other people wear.
"No, I spoke to her myself." The old woman continued in her usual shaky voice. "She's just such a shy little thing, not the kind to argue, unlike someone else I know." The woman looked pointedly towards Cynthia, but the girl only smiled unashamedly in response. "Apparently they were asking her several weird questions she didn't know how to answer. But when I spoke to her, she couldn't remember the questions. Poor thing must have been too upset from the interaction."
"How did her husband handle it?" Cynthia dropped her chin down onto her folded arms as she spoke.
"He was enraged, and rightly so if you ask me. When he came back home he told them off, much like any man should have. For those bruits to impose on a young woman, a new mother at that." The old woman huffed. "They certainly don't make men like they used to."
Cynthia frowned deeply. Could this really have been James and Sirius. She hadn't heard any specifics of what these investigators had said or done, but surely the men she had met wouldn't act like this.
"Now don't you worry dear," Martha's voice once again drew Cynthia from her thoughts. "I'm sure you would handle those men much better than she had. You're quite spirited, much like myself." Having mistaken the young girl's expression for one of worry, the old woman tried to comfort her.
Cynthia smiled back at the sweet old woman in front of her.
"Thank you Martha."
"Oh ho, nothing to be thanking me for." The woman smirked slightly. "Though, I expect you to give me all the details after they've visited you, should be sometime soon at the rate they are going."
Cynthia laughed right out loud. Martha never changed, always after the latest news. Before either woman could say anything there was another knock at the door.
"Could that be them?" Martha sounded downright excited at the prospect. Cynthia, on the other hand, hoped otherwise. Three visits in one day was far too many in her opinion.
Standing up she approached the door, like she should have earlier, carefully and cautiously.
"Who is it?" She called out, trying to sound casual.
"Guess who?"
Cynthia felt the worry leave her as she recognized the snarky voice through the door. With no hesitation she pulled the door open, smiling broadly as she examined her visitors.
"Sirius! James!" The girl exclaimed as she took in their appearance. They looked much better than they had last time, neater at least. James looked rather normal, simple jeans and a warm looking jumper. Sirius was now sporting a heavy looking leather jacket, but otherwise nothing too odd. Perhaps it was just the difference in style that made Martha describe their fashion sense as 'odd'.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were happy to see us." Sirius smirked, a playful look practically glowing in his eyes.
"Something like that." Cynthia merely chuckled in response.
"Sorry for the intrusion Cynthia." James spoke up, hands handing out of his jeans pockets much like a model might do when posing in a magazine.
"Not at all!" The girl stepped out of the way as she spoke. "Please come in."
The boys did so, moving into the flat as Cynthia closed the door behind them. It was the sound of her previous guest that halted the two boys in their tracks.
"Oh my…" The older woman's eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity. Martha was now standing eyeing the boys without reservation.
Oh no.
"Martha, these are some new friends of mine…" Cynthia began, allowing her 'friends' to cut in and greet the woman. James caught his smile before it could falter, beaming at the elderly woman before him. Sirius looked back towards Cynthia, a familiar tormentative glint in his eyes.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." James spoke up, stepping forward he bowed slightly towards the older woman, his lion's mane bouncing lively as he moved. "I'm James and this is my friend, Sirius. Please pardon the interruption."
"O-Ofcourse my dear…" Martha was taken aback by the cordial introduction but couldn't withhold the smile blooming on her face.
"You must be Martha Bingams." The leather clad man stepped forward, bowing even deeper than his friend had, an odd sight, but he did so with practiced precision. "Cynthia has mentioned you." He then took the elder woman's hand giving it a gentle kiss.
"Has she now?" The older woman blushed, despite her age. "All good things I hope."
"Oh yes," He continued, letting the woman's hand return to her. "Though I must say you are even more lovely in person."
Martha burst into a pile of giggles. GIGGLES! The old woman was acting like a young teenager. Cynthia's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes were wide in pure shock at what she had just seen. Where on earth did these boys learn their manners? What was this, the dark ages? This was like watching two Knights greet a Royal Lady or something.
"Such a charmer," The older woman continued, color still dusting her wrinkled cheeks.
"Why thank you." Sirius smiled broadly and winked. "I aim to please."
James rolled his eyes, pulling his friend away from the old woman as she let even more giggles fill the room. Sirius pouted slightly as he stumbled backwards.
"Sorry 'bout him." The shorter man apologized, pushing his glasses up higher onto his nose.
"That's quite alright young man." Martha smiled at the two men proudly, as if they were her own sons. "It's been a long while since someone made me feel so young, quite refreshing."
With small steps she made her way past the two men and towards Cynthia who was standing by the door still.
"I suppose I'll entrust Cynthia into your care then gentlemen."
"Really?" Cynthia questioned the woman's unusual behavior. "Just like that?"
"Yes, I have a good eye for these things, you know." The old woman continued to smile as she approached the door. "That young man there already has a woman in his heart, I can tell from the look in his eyes. No doubt he'll keep that flirtatious friend of his from sweeping you off your feet," The old woman gave Cynthia a knowing look before whispering "...at least for a little while."
Cynthia felt heat rise in her cheeks. There was no way.
The old woman chuckled seeing the young woman's response. Clearing her old throat she gestured for Cynthia to open the door for her. Cynthia did so quickly, allowing the thin old woman to step out.
"I expect the full details later, dear." The old woman whispered once more before turning back to address the men still waiting inside. "I'm trusting you young men. Don't make me regret that."
Cynthia was a little taken aback by the tone Martha had used, but she was grateful for her concern. A chorus response of 'Yes mam' came from inside the flat, prompting Cynthia to speak.
"We'll be fine Martha. Thank you for worrying about me." Cynthia drew the old woman into a quick hug, before letting her go.
The old woman smiled sweetly up at Cynthia, before throwing her a wink. The young girl couldn't help but laugh a little at the women's shenanigans. Once the woman stepped away she closed and locked the door, leaning her back against it much like she had nights before.
Looking over at her two guests she couldn't help but smile, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. The two men stood in her front room, much more in place than they had before.
Cynthia let out a small sigh.
Here we go again.
There we go!
Chapter 12 Done and Dusted!
I hope you had a good read! I had fun writing it!
I'll see you guys next week!
((All rights to Harry Potter Belong to J. K. Rowling))