Author's Note:
Y'all. I can't even with how life has been over the past few months. Between health issues, a death in my family, getting married, and then more health issues, it's been a bit overwhelming. I've been clawing my way back into writing and I'm going to make it stick this time. I feel pretty depressed and terribly guilty when I'm not writing or updating regularly, so I'm really going to prioritize this little slice of happiness that I've got.
Every single review, follow, and favorite absolutely make my day, so thank you for each one! SERIOUSLY. And once again, I'm super sorry for the absence, but hopefully the universe has decided that I've had enough to deal with recently.
P.S. I updated Chapter 41 to fix a continuity error regarding Ava taking a pain potion post-soulmate bond consummation—now she hasn't taken one and doesn't plan on taking one again because of her tolerance and the side effects from before
Review shout-out:
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to:
A. Himawari, Kathiena, and amk41196! I love hearing what you all think so feel free to share your thoughts!
A. Himawari: Your review made me laugh out loud and you gave me such encouragement, I won't forget it! Thank you SO much! And I'm so happy that you love Ava! :D Old Voldie will certainly be making more appearances, and so will the Death Eaters, graduated and not ;) Things are going to get quite a bit more intense before the end!
Kathiena: I love that I could get you to like Snape! That's amazing! :D Thanks for the Animagus suggestions too :) And the thought of Ava with Sirius did cross my mind, especially around the chapter you mentioned!
amk41196: Thank you so much for sticking this story out until the end! I swear to the heavens and every deity in the 'verse that this story will have regular updates.
I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or anything else resembling what J.K Rowling introduced us all to. Just the plot and OC are mine.
Previously, on Love Knows No Bounds:
We're joining Ava and the gang only about a week after returning to Hogwarts from Christmas break. Ava's experienced training with Moody, which is brutal, but she's learning to detect magic (don't forget that Moody is aware that Ava is Remus's werewolf mate). She met the Weasley boys at her second Order meeting. The only remaining Horcrux is the Cup, and Dumbledore owes Ava a favor for helping him destroy the diary before it revealed his secrets. Ava admitted to Remus that she doesn't want to move into Gryffindor Tower, told Lily the truth of (mostly) everything, and she had a run-in with McNair, Nott, and Avery. Her actions caused McNair to receive a detention and Avery actually apologized for the boorish behavior of his housemates! Ava doesn't know what to think!
Chapter 61
Avalynn's eyes might've been boring a hole into her Charms essay, but her mind was elsewhere, leaving the library far behind. She couldn't help but ruminate over the unpleasant realization that had slapped her across the face the night before in Aunt Minerva's office. She simply had too much to do. Too much to learn.
Between classes, tutoring, training sessions with Moody, and wanting to add in Animagus training, the Apparition course, and every little scrap of dueling practice and studying that Ava could manage to squeeze in, she had to acknowledge that she bit off more than she could chew. With a smidgen of amusement, but mostly desperation, Ava wished Hermione was there to create a color-coded schedule for her. Something's gotta give.
She didn't bother shushing the Marauders seated around her to stop their disruptive conversation, which had broken the calm, studious nature of their get-together thus far. Ava was honestly surprised that the boys had lasted over an hour before getting distracted from their schoolwork. So, she didn't reprimand them, but let her thoughts drift, calculating which of her extracurriculars she was most willing to relinquish to stay on top of her studies while continuing to train with Moody and Aunt Minerva. There was no way she'd let those resources go untapped. Not to mention, Dumbledore had essentially ordered her to train with Moody, so she doubted he would release her from that duty so easily.
Ava's schedule was busy enough that even Aunt Minerva had agreed to meet around her niece's timetable and prior commitments, including study sessions. While Professor McGonagall had agreed to teach the students how to become Animagi, she didn't want it to interfere with their required magical studies.
Feeling vexed, Ava heaved a sigh and frowned down at her parchment. She'd have to cut back on her dueling practice with her friends. She loathed to do so, but it made the most sense. She'd continue learning in sixth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts, and training with Moody would do her skill set wonders, but dueling with her friends only once a week was more than enough extra practice alongside everything else.
The night before, when Regulus was made aware of her training sessions with Moody, he was understandably disconcerted to say the least, but he had nearly lost his temper with Aunt Minerva for not interfering with Dumbledore's machinations. Ava smiled to herself, recalling how quickly Regulus had jumped to protect her and try to keep her from becoming even more involved with the Order. Though, the Headmaster, and even Moody, had stated that her training sessions were simply that. Training.
Thus far, there hadn't been any mention of her being sent out on Order missions or anything of the sort. Aunt Minerva had been adamant that wasn't the case either, and that she'd have words with Dumbledore if he thought anything different. Though Ava doubted there would be anything that her adopted aunt could say or do to sway the Headmaster from his manipulations should that prove to be the case.
Grumbles of discontent sounded around the study table, but what grabbed Ava's attention fully was the spike of distaste that shot across her bond with Remus. She looked up to find all four Marauders staring at a familiar trio of seventh-year Slytherins that had just sauntered into the space of study tables.
Once again, Ava discovered herself to be at the receiving end of McNair and Nott's baleful glares. Twice in twenty-four hours, lucky me. Avery stood beside them, but his face was completely blank as he returned her gaze.
She was surprised that Madame Pince had let McNair back into the library, but figured he must've slithered his way out of being banned for the time being. Considering how easily he was able to flip the switch between charming schoolboy and violent maniac, it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities.
Another Slytherin joined the edge of their group, and while Ava shared a quick look with Lucius, she made sure not to glance at him for too long. It wouldn't do to raise the suspicions of the other wizards to her budding friendship with Lucius, including the Marauders.
Ava knew it was probably too much to ask for, but she hoped that McNair would take his detention in stride and not cause a scene. She held her breath as the four Slytherins passed their table and settled down nearby.
Remus shifted in his seat, potentially feeling her residual uneasiness at the proximity of the dark wizards, Lucius not withstanding. Regardless of what happened with Avery yesterday, she was determined to keep him at arm's length for the foreseeable future.
Movement across the table drew her attention and Sirius met her gaze. His gray eyes flicked between her and Remus, and then he looked over Ava's shoulder towards the Slytherins.
When his brows scrunched together and he began to push back from his seat, she blurted out, "Why don't we go practice dueling for a bit?"
Sirius paused and narrowed his eyes at her, knowing her suggestion was a distraction to keep him from telling the Slytherins to bugger off, or worse.
Ava continued, "I can tell you guys are tired of sitting here anyway." Her eyes roved over the table to see that all four of the boys had at least finished their Charms essay. I'll count that as a win. "We can use Aunt Minerva's classroom." Ava had no intentions of showing Peter the Room of Requirement quite yet. That place was special and she couldn't go around telling just anyone about it.
"Great idea," James said as he packed up his belongings.
"Yeah, should be fun," Peter added, throwing Ava a smile.
She mentally chastised herself, once again assuming the worst of Peter. Outside of Potter Manor over the holiday break, today was the longest she'd spent in his presence willingly and they had been friendly enough so far.
Ava returned Peter's grin and put her things away in her schoolbag. "Shall we?"
Dueling with the Marauders might just be the thing they all needed. She wanted to let loose a bit and work on her magic, and it could provide her with an opportunity to bond with Peter.
Sure enough, Ava was presented with a chance to chat with Peter when James and Sirius enthusiastically volunteered to duel first while the others watched and gave them feedback. She had learned pretty quickly that the boys needed some structure to their duels, otherwise it would descend into chaos.
Remus took the lead on supervising James and Sirius, so Ava sidled up to Peter, who was observing the other two Animagi intently.
"Hey," she said, trying to act nonchalant, as if she weren't attempting to befriend Peter in an effort to suss out his loyalties and keep him from joining the Death Eaters, eventually betraying his closest friends. No pressure.
"Hey." Peter gave her a questioning side-eye before returning his gaze to the duel.
She pressed her lips together. "How was the rest of your Christmas break?" Ava held back a wince. Small talk was not her forte and the holidays had been discussed at length already since all of the students had returned to the castle a week ago.
Seeming to hide a frown, Peter turned to Ava and gave her his full attention. "It was good. I'm glad I got to spend time with my mom."
Melancholy struck suddenly at the reminder that Ava wouldn't see her mom ever again, but she nodded. "Yeah, that's nice."
His eyes shot wide. "Shit, I'm sorry. I know your mom died recently."
Surprisingly, Peter sounded genuine. Ava bit her lip. There she went again, assuming the worst of him. "It's okay, really."
He still looked stricken at the mention of her dead parent and shifted on his feet. "So, uh, how are classes?"
"So far, so good." Ava was going to jump on the opening like a lifeline. "What's your favorite class?"
Peter's expression turned excited. "Potions." He tapped his nose with a little smile. "It's a lot easier being an Animagus. I can pick out the freshest ingredients and add more precise amounts."
Ava's brows went up. "Huh. I hadn't thought about it like that before. My sense of smell is pretty normal, other than around the full moon, but then it's too sensitive and more of a hindrance than anything."
He nodded. "Moony's like that too, but with me, James, and Sirius becoming Animagi, it helped our Potions marks improve overnight." His mouth curved into a mischievous smirk.
A yelp of surprise echoed throughout the classroom, and they both glanced over at the duel between the boys.
James was grimacing and rubbing his backside while Sirius snickered.
"Stinging Hexes aren't difficult to deflect," Remus told the Potter heir, "but you've got to be quicker with your shield. And you seemed too caught up in your own offensive spells to bother with shielding."
Ava nodded, knowing James had a tendency to do exactly that, as had she in the past, and spoke up. "Even if you see an opening to fire off a couple offensive spells in succession, you should learn to automatically revert to a defensive option after each spell because not every one will land on your target."
The four Marauders all looked at her with varying degrees of surprise and confusion.
She frowned. "What? I'm not wrong."
Eyebrows high on his forehead, Sirius said, "That actually sounded like you know what you're talking about."
Ava's eyes bounced around the room, and on each of the boys briefly, as she crossed her arms in an effort to keep from fidgeting under their stares. "Yes, well, I have been practicing a lot."
Remus's eyes seemed to light up in understanding, probably realizing that her training with Moody was what gave her such insight.
"You make it sound so easy," James grumbled as he walked to her side, indicating that he was finished with dueling for now.
"Need to give your bum time to recover?" Remus teased.
James sent him a half-hearted glare. "You go on then, see if you can get Sirius's wand from him."
The werewolf flashed a predatory smile. "My pleasure."
Remus prowled out into the center of the classroom and bowed to Sirius, making Ava smile at the theatrical flourish they usually disregarded. She would forget sometimes that Remus was just as much of a jokester as the rest of the Marauders.
The boys leapt into action, appearing even-footed in their abilities.
From beside Ava, James heaved a dramatic sigh. "He's right you know. My bum is actually quite sore." His forlorn expression brightened. "Maybe I could get Lily to help." He waggled his eyebrows. "Play Healer and patient."
Peter chuckled, but Ava's face scrunched up in disgust. "Gross, James. I don't want to hear that."
"Ah, don't be such a prude," James said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
She quirked a brow. "Oh, really? You want to hear all about how Remus and I play Auror and dark witch? He ties me up and—"
"Enough!" James shouted, covering his ears.
Ava laughed. "See? So keep your mouth shut about what you and Lily get up to."
James narrowed his eyes. "I will. Never speak of such depraved things again, Avalynn."
"Of course not," she said with a smile.
He huffed out a laugh and ruffled Ava's hair before squeezing her in a hug.
"Stop that," she snapped and with what little movement she had of her arms, tried to fix the mess he created. Ava glanced at Peter, wanting to commiserate in the nonsense that was involved in being friends with James Potter, and found the Animagus watching her and James with an odd expression on his face.
Peter caught her gaze and attempted a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
James didn't notice Peter's discomfort, but released her to watch Remus and Sirius go at each other with determination to see a clear victor. James stepped towards the edge of the dueling mat that Ava had conjured, taking the light-hearted atmosphere with him as he called out something about foot placement to Sirius.
The tense silence that descended upon Ava and Peter wasn't exactly what she'd been hoping for. She peered at him. He was once again watching his friends duel, but his jaw was clenched. Ava resisted the urge to wring her hands and cleared her throat.
It occurred to her that Peter might not like her encroaching on his friends, taking up their time, and perhaps that was why he was seemingly uncomfortable at the sight of James being so familiar with her. "I'm very grateful to have found friends like James and Sirius. So, thank you for sharing them," she said with a small smile.
Without taking his eyes off of the duel, Peter said in a low voice, "You, James, and Sirius all became close friends rather quickly."
His tone was borderline accusatory and Ava had to check her temper. "The boys just happened to be there when I needed them. They offered their friendship when I found myself in a new place, trying to find my way." Not completely untrue.
Peter still refused to look at her.
She sighed. "I'm not going to steal them away, you know."
His head whipped to her, eyes wide and startled.
Ava blustered on ahead. "I know I might've been monopolizing them recently, but I can pull back some. Let them spend more time with their other friends. They were just the first friends I made at Hogwarts."
Peter's shoulders slumped and his expression softened. "I suppose I see them plenty." He coughed and glanced at the floor. "I mean, I'm sure they see all of their friends plenty."
He returned to watching Remus and Sirius continue to battle it out, the winner of each round alternating between the two. Peter whispered, "Besides, they're great. I understand why you'd want to hang around them. And—and I can sympathize with sticking close to your first friends somewhere new."
And just like that, the slowly creeping animosity that had been growing between them disappeared. Ava realized that he must've just been protective of his friends, not grasping why she, as a newcomer, had such an immediate connection with his long-term buddies.
But who exactly was Peter Pettigrew? The Animagus in front of Ava didn't appear to be the traitorous bastard that became Scabbers. So what changed? Why would he betray friends that he cares about so much? What happened to make him break their trust as Secret Keeper? She couldn't reconcile the Peter standing before her with the one from the stories.
A grunt of pain tore Ava from her thoughts.
Remus shook out his wand arm and said, "Again."
She frowned to herself, realizing that her magic didn't seem to take issue with her soulmate being hurt. Maybe it's because I'm aware it's just for fun? If the situation been more serious and Remus's life was actually threatened, there was no doubt in Ava's mind that her fiery magic would've made an appearance.
Sirius danced away from Remus's jinx, but shielded himself nonetheless.
She smiled. "Your wand movement is spot on," she called out to Sirius. "And good job shielding as a precaution. Keep it up."
"You hear that, Moony?" Sirius teased.
Remus narrowed his eyes at her from just a few feet away.
Ava shrugged. "Sorry."
"And you say you don't want to be a professor," he muttered before spinning around to face Sirius again.
Lowering her voice, Ava spoke to Peter, and James, who had stepped back from the dueling mat, "Did you see how Sirius kept his arm steady and only flicked his wrist? That's what you want to do."
James nodded and then headed towards a target dummy set up in the corner, clearly taking her advice to heart as he proceeded to practice the wand movement.
Peter scoffed. "I'm not sure I'd manage to cast and move around like James and Sirius even if I practiced for hours every day. They just have natural talent."
Ava's brows inched upward at the bitterness lacing his words.
He continued, "I'll never get accepted into the Auror program if I don't get any better at Defense."
Ava couldn't remember for the life of her what career path Peter Pettigrew had chosen in the original time line. "I didn't know you wanted to be an Auror."
Peter shrugged. "Sirius and James are applying, so I thought 'why not?'"
"Is that what you want to do?"
He merely lifted a shoulder again and let out a noncommittal grunt.
Maybe like Ava, Peter was just at a loss for what to do with the rest of his life. But he's interested in potions. And apparently good at it. Why wouldn't he do something in that field? A light bulb went off in Ava's head. "You know you don't have to become an Auror just because that's what they're doing, right?"
Peter shifted on his feet, staring resolutely at the duel between Remus and Sirius.
Ava was quickly realizing that the boy next to her had some insecurities that she hadn't considered. "I know you've grown up with them, sticking by each other's side for years, but you don't have to follow them around forever if you don't want to." His transition to Death Eater popped into her mind. "You don't have to follow anyone."
He glanced at her, eyes full of doubt.
"When we graduate, we're allowed to become our own person. Do what makes you happy, not what you think others want you to do." Ava desperately wanted Peter to know that he could stand on his own two feet.
It was so obvious to her now. Things could spiral out of control rapidly if Peter couldn't follow in the footsteps of James and Sirius, and he lost his sense of belonging. This must be it, she thought. Peter would turn to the Death Eaters to find a new place in the world, forced from living in the shadow of his friends when he doesn't get accepted into the Auror program. Ava would just have to make sure Peter had enough confidence to make life decisions independent of what the other Marauders would do. Though, some tutoring in Defense wouldn't go amiss either.
"I'm a little scared of graduating, to be honest," she told Peter in a gentle tone, trying to convey that he wasn't alone in the uncertainty of the future. "I haven't decided what to do for a career, so everything's a bit up in the air at the moment." Though, Ava knew there was more than just her career choice hanging in the balance. "But we don't have to have everything figured out right now. You can take your time. Follow your interests. Maybe do something with potions if that's what you like."
His gaze flicked to James launching an attack on the practice dummy and back to her. "Maybe."
She opened her mouth to continue bolstering Peter's confidence about making his own choices, but a loud snarl drew her attention to the dueling mat.
Remus was practically seething with frustration as he stalked towards Sirius.
The canine Animagus had clearly found his stride and was leaping all around the dueling mat. In fact, he was feeling extremely confident in his abilities if all the teasing comments towards Remus were anything to go by.
But he's a little too confident, Ava thought, watching Sirius strut around the classroom, smirking at Remus as he tauntingly dangled the werewolf's wand between his fingers.
Remus growled.
"Ah, ah, ah, Remus," Sirius chided. "Don't be a sore loser."
"Oh, like you're any better?" her soulmate snarked back.
"Clearly, I am, Moony," Sirius said with a wide grin before tossing Remus's wand back to the owner. "You were hardly a challenge at all."
Ava rolled her eyes just as someone nudged her shoulder.
James grinned at her. "Put him in his place, Ava."
She chuckled. "Maybe he does need a bit of humbling."
Peter spoke up from beside her. "Are you really better than Sirius?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated. Should she let Peter know how skilled she was? What if she couldn't stop him from joining the Death Eaters? Ava needed to stay clear away from anything that would increase the target on her back. But she and Peter had just seemed to come to an understanding of each other. Maybe he can be trusted. The mental gymnastics involved with determining this wizard's loyalty were starting to wear down on her.
Before Ava could brush off Peter's question and downplay her abilities, James said, "Ava's the best in our year. Hand's down."
Peter looked at her inquisitively.
Thanks James. "I'm not that good," she muttered, stepping forward to swap places with Remus.
The werewolf pecked a kiss on her cheek. "Good luck, love."
With a flick of Ava's wrist, her Blackthorn wand descended into her hand. "Ready, Sirius?" she asked, coming to a stop on the opposite side of the dueling mat from him.
He smiled and gave a slow bow, sweeping his arm out. "Whenever you're ready, McGonagall."
She ignored the low whistle and snort of laughter from the sideline and quirked a brow. Oh boy, he's feeling quite sure of himself.
"Give him hell, Ava," James cheered.
"You can try," Sirius said with a smug grin still plastered on his face.
She bit back a bark of laughter.
Sirius had no idea who he was dealing with anymore. But Ava wasn't about to play her hand in front of Peter. Not just yet. Besides, Ava acknowledged that Sirius wasn't quite up to her speed and efficiency after all of the practicing she'd done with Severus, Regulus, and Moody. Even though she'd only trained with the Auror twice, he'd pushed her magic and skills far beyond what she thought was possible at this stage in her education.
For the first round of their duel, she and Sirius sent spells back and forth at a moderate pace, but after a couple of minutes, Ava became aware that she was losing interest and disarmed Sirius immediately. Talk about needing a challenge, she mused internally.
Reminding herself that this dueling practice was just as much for the boys as it was for her, Ava kept her attacks on a level playing field and gave Sirius opportunities to disarm her. He just wasn't quick enough. I can only slow myself down so much. He needs to move faster.
Over the next few rounds, Ava steadily increased the speed and accuracy of her spells, trying to encourage Sirius to be quicker and concentrate harder, but she continued to best him at every turn.
Sirius let out a growl of irritation after the fourth time Ava confiscated his wand from him. The teasing from his fellow Marauders probably wasn't helping his mood either.
Ooookay, maybe that's not the best method to help him learn. During the fifth round, Ava purposefully hesitated in shielding herself, allowing Sirius to disarm her, wanting to boost his confidence a bit.
"Ha! Finally!" Sirius shouted, before throwing a smirk her way along with her wand. "I know your tell, Ava. You won't be able to stop me now."
Ava's fingers tightened around her Blackthorn. What an annoying little turd. The only reason she must've appeared to have "a tell" was because she was so focused on playing down her skills.
His cockiness continued to make an appearance as he told the Marauders, "I can admit that Ava's pretty skilled in a duel, but what you just witnessed was the end of her reign. I'm the champion now!" He chuckled at his own joke.
Clearly, a soft-handed approach wasn't the right way to teach Sirius.
James and Peter were smiling right along with Sirius, but Remus was watching her with a knowing look in his green eyes.
Ava pressed her lips together. "Again, Sirius." Her tone brokered no room for argument.
His brows shot up as he grinned. "My, my, someone's a little touchy after her defeat."
She rolled her eyes. I beat him four times in a row—he gets one win and thinks he's an almighty and powerful wizard? As if.
Sirius's false confidence would not help him in the long-run. If he truly wanted to be an Auror, he needed considerable work on his skills given how hard Moody had been pushing her in their training sessions.
Ava released a slow breath as she settled into position across from the Animagus. "Ready?"
With a ridiculous flourish of his wrist, Sirius bowed, keeping his eyes trained on her. "Whenever you are."
For the love of God, Ava groaned to herself. She fired off a Stinging Hex quickly his way before he had fully stood from his theatrical bow.
"Whoa!" Sirius shouted, jumping out of the way and shielding himself.
She grinned. That's more like it. Ava continued to bombard Sirius with rapid-fire spells and hopped quickly around the mat to keep him from getting too comfortable in one place.
Their exchange of spells continued for a minute or so before Ava let out a hiss of pain. Sirius had actually managed to land a Stinging Hex to her calf. "Nice job," she grumbled, put out that she hadn't intentionally let him hit her with that spell.
Sirius took advantage of Ava's pause in the duel and lifted his arms in the air as if he was being crowned the winner of a boxing match and strut around the edge of the mat. "What a compliment! From the former champion herself!"
Ava sent harmless red sparks at the cocksure Animagus.
Sirius yelped and spun around to face her, wand extended. "I'm gonna get you for that, McGonagall."
"Sure, sure," she told him with a mild sneer.
He shivered. "You really do look just like Snape when you do that."
Instead of verbally retorting, Ava shot Petrificus Totalus towards Sirius, reminding him why they were all standing around in Aunt Minerva's classroom.
He leapt into action and their duel was back on.
Ava carefully alternated the intensity of her spells and frequency of her movement to keep Sirius on his toes and squash some of that arrogance he seemed to have developed, but not so much so that she'd push him to the point of pitching a fit about losing.
But apparently she wasn't challenging Sirius enough because he spoke to James, Remus, and Peter on the sidelines as he continued to duel Ava. "Being an Auror is going to be top notch, boys. You'll see."
She sent back-to-back Stupefy spells his way and he surprisingly blocked them both, which only further fueled his confidence.
Sirius danced around the dueling mat, continuing to battle Ava as he laughed and said, "I can't wait to be an Auror. Tracking down all the baddies and putting them in their place."
She nearly scoffed aloud at his nonchalant attitude about dueling real criminals who probably weren't afraid to use lethal force to prevent being arrested.
But he continued, an angry expression overtaking his smile. "Especially those Death Eaters."
Without thought, Ava's gaze drifted to Peter, trying to gauge his reaction to Sirius mentioning the group of dark wizards. She had barely glanced at the rat Animagus for a moment before Sirius lazily sent a Tripping Jinx and Incarcerous towards her.
She shielded against the spells with an easy flick of her wrist, but it still forced her attention away from determining Peter's reaction to the remark about Death Eaters.
Sirius kept up with his arrogant commentary. "By the time we get to Auror training, dueling will be a breeze. I bet we'll be top of the class, eh, Prongs?" His tone was too enthusiastic.
Ava barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Just what she needed to worry about. An overconfident Sirius Black and James Potter facing down Death Eaters who definitely weren't afraid of using dark magic, or even killing, to evade capture. She clenched her jaw. How could he be so arrogant?
Sirius continued on with his optimistic vision of the future, "I'd track those bastards down, one by one and lock them up. Straight to Azkaban," he announced with a haughty lift of his chin.
Ava froze, mid-spell, her wand half raised. An image of a gaunt Sirius Black with wide, crazed eyes flashed in her mind. Her chest tightened as all of the air left her body. No. NO. Nonononono. Sirius always acted like he was so invincible—no wonder he chased after Peter in the original time line.
Not gonna happen. Never. Ava's skin began to flush, her anger rising to the surface at the thought of Sirius falsely imprisoned in the horrible wizarding jail. But besides that gut-wrenching vision, his absolutely cavalier attitude about the Death Eaters infuriated her. Did he ever listen to her? They had spoken several times about the behavior of the dark wizards who chose to follow Voldemort, and here he was, bragging about chasing them down as if it would be child's play. He could die for his arrogance.
Ava's heart stuttered to a stop. Sirius could die.
Enough is enough. She growled, shaking herself from her thoughts and refocused on the duel, determined to give the ridiculous boy a stern talking to.
But as Ava raised her wand once more and took in her surroundings, all she could see was smoke. Finally, a real challenge, she thought with a smile, though she was annoyed with herself for letting Sirius get the drop on her during an emotional moment.
Ava pushed her distracting thoughts aside and took a calming breath, priming her muscles and mind for a true duel. Sirius needed to be taught a lesson. He needed to know that he wasn't ready to take on the world, one Death Eater at a time.
Ava stretched out her wand hand as she peered around cautiously. The smoke screen was much less dense on the edge of the dueling mat and she could see Remus, James, and Peter.
The werewolf stared at her with concern etched onto his face.
She tossed Remus a grin and turned back to the thickest section of the smoke screen before stepping into the dense fog, anticipation tingling down her spine. Sirius wouldn't be able to see her either, given how the smoke accumulated around her.
If Sirius was smart, which he was—for the most part—he would've Disillusioned himself. And while Ava could've used Homenum Revelio to find him, she wanted to try something new. Her magic was already beginning to reach out, tentatively searching for Sirius, so she gave it a little push. The magic expanded, stretching from her chest, gradually gaining distance from her body and curiously perused the space around her.
She slowly spun in a circle, knees bent, fingers gripped tightly around her Blackthorn. "You may be nearly invisible, Sirius, but remember, as soon as you cast anything, I'll know exactly where you are."
Silence met her words.
Even the other three Marauders on the sideline kept quiet, watching the duel with intrigue, no doubt. Not that she could see them any longer.
Ava wasn't too worried about her voice revealing her location. She trusted her instincts enough to know that she'd be able to shield against any spell from Sirius before it landed on her.
Her magic startled as it brushed against Sirius, sending a jolt through her body. Gotcha. Ava whirled on her heel to face him. "Besides, I was only letting you win." INCARCEROUS! she shouted in her mind, not giving her opponent any chance of knowing what spell was coming his way.
There was an immediate "Ooph" and a thunk that echoed throughout the smoke-filled room.
"Ventus," Remus called from somewhere in the fog.
Within moments, the classroom was clear again. Sirius was squirming on the floor, bound in ropes that he was desperately trying to get out of while his wand rested a couple of feet away from him.
Ava couldn't help herself as she stood, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face, as she gazed down at the struggling Animagus.
Though Sirius continued to wriggle on the floor, cursing effusively under his breath, he looked up at Ava. And if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under from the force of Sirius's piercing glare.
Her grin faltered and she dropped her arms at her sides. Uh oh. She didn't mean to actually piss him off. But Sirius couldn't skate through the upcoming war thinking he was hot shit only to get himself killed. She stepped towards him, "Sirius, I'm sor—"
"Ava!" James shouted, joining her and Sirius in the middle of the dueling mat. "That was absolutely brilliant!" He laughed loudly and turned to Peter, who was making his way over as well. "I told you she was the best in our year! Nonverbal magic! Ha!" He spun back to Ava and gave her a quick squeeze before ruffling her hair.
She huffed, but allowed James to step away unscathed. Ava couldn't stop a smile from forming at his exuberance.
James was practically vibrating with excitement as he continued, "It was amazing to watch—well, not watch, because of the smoke, you know—but still! How did you even know where he was?"
His infectious enthusiasm shriveled inside Ava at the reminder, but thankfully James couldn't seem to stop talking.
"I've got to practice nonverbal spells more often," James said, before looking down at Sirius on the floor. "Right, Padfoot? That'd surely get us some attention with the Auror recruiters."
Sirius had his lips pressed together, still staring at Ava, but a moment later his entire body relaxed. "Ava," he crooned softly. "Would you be a dear and get me out of these bloody ropes?"
She swallowed. "Sure, Sirius," she said quickly before casting Finite.
With his bindings gone, Sirius slowly stood and brushed himself off, then locked eyes with Ava. He took a step towards her.
She immediately retreated.
Sirius smirked.
Ava gulped. Oh no. She took another step backwards, causing his smile to widen.
"Ava," he whispered in an admonishing tone even though his grin remained.
Without warning, Sirius lunged and Ava found herself engulfed in his arms, scooped up into a tight hug as he twirled around. "That. Was. Brilliant," he yelled before setting her down.
She let out a relieved laugh.
Sirius held onto her shoulders as he pulled away. He was beaming. "James's is right," he said, "you're definitely the best in our year. I can't wait until you're in Defense with us."
She returned his smile. "Thanks, Sirius." Ava ducked her head as she continued in a low voice, hoping the others wouldn't hear but keeping her wording nonspecific just in case. "I'm sorry if I upset you, but you can't become an Auror if you're not prepared for the real world."
"Hm, you're right about that."
Her head whipped up in shock.
His grin had morphed into a frown, but he shook himself and clapped her on the shoulder. "Good job."
Sirius moved out of arm's reach, and Remus filled Ava's vision and senses as he threw an arm around her, pulling her into his chest.
Ava took a slow breath, basking in her werewolf's calming and reassuring scent. Everything will be fine. Sirius even seemed to understand the point I was trying to make.
But Remus's reaction to the duel was much more subdued than James or Sirius's, throwing her for a loop at first. She thought he'd be proud or at least a little excited. But mainly a strong concern and a hint of curiosity pulsed through their bond.
Of course. Remus would've felt her panicked moment when Sirius mentioned Azkaban.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
Ava hugged Remus and nodded against his chest. "I'll be fine." And she would be. Everything would be fine. James and Sirius would become better fighters before facing any Death Eaters—if facing any at all. Sirius wouldn't go to Azkaban. And Peter…
She pulled away from Remus's chest, but remained in his arms as she spun around to face the boys, her eyes landing on Peter.
The blond Animagus looked entirely too intense as he gazed at Ava, momentarily reminding her of Dumbledore after she had dueled with Moody at the first Order meeting.
But a second later, the gleam of interest in Peter's eyes vanished. "Looks like I should practice more with you for Defense since you clearly know what you're doing." He tossed a friendly smile her way and turned to the other Marauders. "You guys certainly need more practice too."
Ava brushed off Peter's inquisitive gaze as a mere realization that he could practice with her if he wanted to improve his skills enough to get into the Auror program. Now understanding that Peter was yet just another teenage boy trying to find his path in world post-graduation, she was determined to double down on her effort to help him. To keep him from joining the Death Eaters, to keep him from feeling like he needed to be a mere follower. Whatever it took.
As soon as humanly possible, Ava made her escape from the Marauders once they began dueling again, hoping to dodge the question of how exactly she was able to find Sirius amidst the smoke. She cited returning to the library as her excuse, but it was true. She needed a couple of books for her Defense homework and wanted to double check if a certain textbook about the witch trials had been returned. She mentally rolled her eyes, not understanding why there weren't multiple copies of the books in the Hogwarts library. But there was no way she'd take the risk that Madame Pince would find out she had cast Geminio on a school book.
The witch trials text was for History of Magic and a groan nearly left Ava's lips at the reminder of the tedious class, but she managed to keep it in for fear of looking like a lunatic in the corridor as fellow students passed her. She took a fortifying breath as she entered the library, determined to see the history class through to the end and pass the O.W.L. so she could finally focus on more important stuff, like actual spell-casting.
Heading straight towards the History section, Ava mused, At least I don't have to go to the class anymore. Now, she'd be able to set her own pace, and she could blast through the material.
Passing by a group of tables, Ava noticed that Lucius was still studying, but thankfully the other three Slytherins had left. But erring on the side of caution, she strode past him without a backwards glance.
Ava's eyes roved over the bookshelves, hoping to spot the tome she required, when a throat cleared, startling her from the search.
Lucius stood just a few feet behind her, glancing up and down the aisle in a casual manner. But Ava noticed the tightening around his eyes, giving away his apprehension.
She turned towards him, opening her mouth to ask what he was so nervous about, but snapped it shut when her magic perked up. It filled her with a pleasant hum and seemed to reach out towards the Slytherin. Huh. Her magic hadn't really noticed Lucius much before, but now it appeared to lump him in along with Regulus and Rabastan.
Ava mentally grimaced, hoping there'd never be a day where her magic demanded that she scent the other wizards, just like it did with Severus. Though Regulus knew she had a bit of a wolfy side to her, due to her bond with Remus, he didn't know the full extent of it. Plus, she had no idea how Rabastan or Lucius would react to her snuggling up to them and taking a big ol' whiff.
"Miss—Ava," Lucius began. "I wanted to inquire about your well-being. I'm assuming you're settling in well after the return from the holiday break?"
Her brows furrowed. "Yes?" Why is he asking such a banal question?
He nodded. "Good, good. And could I ask you about the apparent tension between yourself and my housemates? Do you foresee any issues there?" His inflection over the word "foresee", hinted at his real question.
Ava smothered a grin and whispered, "Lucius, are you asking if I can take care of myself?"
His gray eyes widened slightly, but then narrowed as he lifted his chin. "Hardly." His gaze darted away, but returned almost immediately. "Well? Is it just the typical house rivalries between you and the others?"
Since Lucius didn't mention her altercation with McNair in the library from the day before, Ava assumed that the three Slytherins had kept their mouths shut as to why McNair had earned himself a detention. Relief trickled through her body, grateful that word wouldn't get out to the entire Slytherin student body, causing even more animosity between their houses.
An errant thought caused dread to pool in her stomach. What if McNair, Nott, and Avery are just keeping the incident to themselves because they plan on taking revenge somehow? She winced internally. It definitely wasn't a good idea to provoke McNair. Even if he did start shit with me first.
Ava cursed herself for acting so childish and like such a typical, foolish Gryffindor. Though, that last part sounded an awful lot like Severus. I'll just have to be the bigger person. Ava resolved to take the highroad in the future if she had any more run-ins with the baby Death Eaters. There was no sense in riling them up, and she'd just have to face whatever sort of detention payback or god awful prank comes her way from McNair. Though, she knew it wouldn't be anything nice coming from that particular Slytherin.
Lucius softly calling her name snagged her attention.
"Sorry," she blurted. "I got lost in thought."
"I see that," he said, worry sneaking onto his face, but he shook his head. "So?"
She frowned momentarily before recalling his earlier question. "No, I shouldn't have any problems with your housemates." She gave him a small smile. "Nothing more than the usual."
The blond wizard nodded. "Good. With that out of the way, I wanted to express my appreciation for your treatment of Severus."
"My treatment—what are you talking about?"
"His birthday, Ava."
"Oh." She still wasn't sure what Lucius meant.
He chuckled. "'Oh'? Witch, surely you know that baking the man a cake was meaningful? And the fact that Severus allowed you to celebrate his birthday with him."
She waved him off. "That's what friends do."
Lucius stared at her blankly for a second. "I suppose."
Ava opened her mouth to ask what on earth that meant, but he continued.
"I must admit, little lion, I'm rather envious of the chocolate cake Severus has been indulging in these past few days." Lucius was nearly pouting as he said these words.
She grinned, despite his use of the annoying nickname. Wait, what? "What do you mean? When has he been eating it?" She could've sworn he was eating the cake the other day at dinner, but she'd thought her eyes must've been playing tricks on her.
Lucius rose an elegant brow. "In the Great Hall, of course."
The house elves must've been keeping Severus's cake for him. Duh. Just like her request for the shots of espresso—the elves are always listening and rather thoughtful. I've seriously got to start saying thank you more often. Ava's expression must've revealed her surprise.
"Surely, you know that you can ask the house elves for anything?" Lucius asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, so I've gathered."
His lips twitched. "Don't be so prickly, Ava dearest."
Without a thought, she playfully shoved his arm. "Don't be so obnoxious, Lucius dear," she said in a mocking tone. Her hand snapped back to her side at once, realizing what she'd just done might not have been welcomed.
Lucius gazed down at her with a frown for a long moment.
Ava thought for sure that he'd try to use Legilimency on her again, his stare was so intense, but his expression softened.
"You are indeed quite something else, little lion," Lucius whispered, tone almost fond.
She decided to let the nickname slide this time and merely shrugged in response.
He cleared his throat. "Narcissa is looking forward to having tea with you next weekend. I trust you'll be on your best behavior?" Lucius gave her a pointed look, as though Ava could somehow infect his betrothed with her Gryffindor tendencies.
Ava pulled out her wand and cast Muffliato, ignoring Lucius's questioning eyes. She whispered, still reluctant to speak at a normal volume, even with the privacy spell. "How much does Narcissa know about the organization you've found yourself involved with?"
If possible, Lucius's face paled even further than it's usual appearance. "Narcissa is not to be bothered with any affairs of Malfoy business," he said in a stern voice.
She raised her hands in supplication. "If you say so." Ava wasn't sure that Narcissa was the sort of woman to let these kinds of secrets lie. She mentally scoffed. Hell, even Barty knows there's something going on with the older Slytherin boys.
"Speaking of Malfoy business," Lucius continued, "I plan to contact you in the coming weeks about some further investment insights you may have regarding the industries you previously mentioned."
"Oh?" she asked with a smile. "Did I suggest anything useful?"
Lucius actually grinned. "Supremely. There are Muggle markets completely untapped, just ripe for the taking."
Ava giggled at his tone. You would've thought the Malfoy heir was perched in a high-back chair, stroking a white cat with how devious he sounded. She shook the image from her mind and said, "I'm glad I could help out." As long as she provided good "Seer" intel to Lucius, he'd continue to trust her.
He patted her head. "You've done well, little lion."
She grumbled under her breath and swiped at his hand, but was too slow. Not only was the gesture from the blond wizard condescending, but her magic hummed in contentment at the contact from Lucius, which only fueled her annoyance. We should not be so accepting of his rude nonsense, Ava scolded her magic.
"I must return to my studies," Lucius said, "but I'll be sending you a letter shortly." His gaze darted up and down the aisle of bookshelves and he lowered his voice to a whisper, "To be delivered by my personal elf."
She gave him an uneasy smile. "Paranoid much?"
He nodded. "I am much paranoid, Miss McGonagall. One can never be too careful in this political climate."
Ava gulped. "True." Curious, she asked, "What's your house elf's name?"
"Pippy."
"Not Dobby?" she blurted without thinking.
Lucius seemed to stop breathing as he stood frozen in place. "No," he whispered. "Not Dobby. He stays at the Manor during the school year."
That was not at all the kind of reaction she would've expected Lucius to have at the mere mention of Dobby. He didn't even ask Ava how she knew about that particular house elf. Hesitant, she asked, "Lucius, are you alright?"
The Slytherin squeezed his eyes shut. "Dob—Dobby and I don't get along anymore."
"Why not?" Ava asked with a tilt of her head, wondering how he came to despise the elf so vehemently.
Eyes still closed, Lucius mumbled, "He and I used to be friends, of sorts. My father witnessed the camaraderie between the house elf and I, so he forbade me from spending time with Dobby, as he is a mere servant and I am the Malfoy heir." He swallowed deeply and peeked at Ava. "I didn't listen, of course." His voice lowered to a whisper once more, "I was only eight years old."
Trepidation swirled in her gut. "What happened, Lucius?" she asked softly, barely restraining herself from reaching out to him.
"My father—he—he demanded that I beat Dobby. That I remind the house elf of his place and exercise my authority as heir. I didn't—not at first." Lucius appeared on the brink of tears as he broke her gaze to look at the floor. "Did you know that the Malfoy family grimoire has some rather inventful spells regarding punishment? There's an entire section titled 'Child Rearing' that my father favored."
Horror seeped into Ava's bones at the picture Lucius's words painted. She couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say.
Head still down, averting his eyes, the blond wizard sniffed and said, "I held out as long as I could, but the pain was too much." Lucius sucked in a breath. "Please understand," he begged in a whisper. "I regretted my choice immediately. But that didn't help. Dobby had already suffered because of my actions."
Ava bit her lip in concentration, taking steadying breaths through her nose. Her magic was rioting inside her chest, demanding she take action. Hug Lucius. Protect Lucius. Save Dobby. Hurt Abraxas Malfoy.
Lucius let out a humorless chuckle. "My father thought it fitting to pose us against each other. He ordered the elf to shadow me, reporting back every time I did something 'not befitting of a Malfoy'. Like sneaking into the kitchens after dinner or going for a ride on my broom without asking. Fortunately, only I endured the consequences those times." He heaved a sigh. "I know it wasn't Dobby's fault, but I'll admit that I've come to resent the little bastard. So, now, I stay as far from him as I possibly can and he does the same in return."
They stood in silence for several moments.
Still regulating her breathing and magic, Ava swallowed and turned her attention to Lucius. She ever so slowly reached out and placed her hand on his arm.
He startled and looked at her with wide eyes, wiping away a couple of stray tears hurriedly. "I apologize, that was completely uncalled for." He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out rough. "Again, Ava, I'm sorry for—for lambasting you with such drivel."
Her mouth hung open. Drivel? Childhood trauma is not drivel. Ava's magic prodded at her once more, and this time she gave in and launched herself at Lucius, wrapping him in a fierce hug. I can't believe his own father did that to him! Who the hell orders a child to abuse their own friend like that?! At eight years old!
Lucius stood stiffly in her arms at first, but relaxed minutely and patted Ava's back a few times before she pulled away. His hug was very reminiscent of Severus's at the start of their friendship.
His eyes still had a slight sheen to them. "I haven't thought about that in some time," he whispered, frowning down at her.
"I'm sorry, Lucius," Ava said, squeezing his hand. "I'm sorry I brought it up—that I made you think about all of—of that. I'm sorry for what your father did. It wasn't right."
"I find it remarkably easy to speak to you about such things, Ava," he told her in a soft voice, glossing over her apologies. "Whether I meant to or not." He gripped her hand tightly then released it, stepping back from her.
He cleared his throat. "As I said, I'll contact you soon. Have a good rest of your day, Miss McGonagall." He gave her a tiny nod and turned on his heel, vacating the aisle quickly, disappearing around the corner of the bookshelf.
Ava's knees buckled and she slid to the floor, a sob ripping from her chest. Her mind kept circulating between the treatment Lucius received from his father, Barty's appearance as the Glamour Charm faded away—revealing bruises and cuts, Severus limping his way into the Great Hall, Sirius behind bars in Azkaban—withering away into madness.
I can't protect them. I can't protect them. Useless. I'm useless.
The phrases echoed through Ava's head on repeat. She bent her forehead to rest on her knees as the tears poured from her eyes. Her magic howled, as if it was grieving, but there was nothing to be done. These events had already happened. She couldn't have stopped them. I should have stopped them. I'm completely useless.
Ava wasn't sure how long she'd sat on the floor, crumpled in despair, before Remus found her.
"Love, what's wrong? Please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded, smoothing her hair as he crouched in front of her.
But she couldn't form words. Every time she tried, her throat clogged up. I can't protect them. Ava threw herself at Remus and clung to him, desperate for the wretched feeling to go away. What good was she if the people around her continued to get hurt, regardless of her presence?
She continued to sob into Remus's chest, unable to calm herself down, but she felt him pick her up and carry her somewhere. Hopefully, somewhere more private than the library where anyone could've stumbled upon her having a breakdown.
He sat down with her, somewhere dark—maybe behind a tapestry. She didn't know. She didn't care. She couldn't think beyond the fact that her friends were hurting and she'd done nothing. A tiny voice in the back of mind whispered that there was nothing she could've done, that she couldn't have known. Hell, she hadn't even been in this world when Lucius Malfoy was eight years old and Sirius hadn't yet been sentenced to serving life in Azkaban.
But it didn't matter. Her magic snarled in response to the little voice and lashed out, ricocheting painfully in her chest. She whimpered and folded in on herself.
"Please, Ava, you have to tell me what's going on. What can I do?" Remus begged as he held her in his lap, gently rubbing her back.
"Use—less," she managed to breathe out amidst all her tears.
"What's that mean, love? What's useless?" he asked, voice still panicked.
Ava laced her fingers with his and heaved everything she was feeling across their bond, hoping that he'd understand.
He gasped. "Oh, sweetheart." He hugged her tightly. "You are not useless. Your pack is safe. We'll keep them safe, I promise."
She stilled in his arms. Pack? Another whimper escaped her lips. "My pack? They're safe? We'll keep them safe?" Ava heard herself asking these questions, but it took another few moments for the implication to sink in.
"Of course, Ava. I promise," Remus murmured soothingly, still keeping her close.
My pack is safe. They're safe. I'll protect them. Remus will help protect them. They're safe. Ava repeated this information to herself until her crying subsided and her breaths evened out, with only the occasional sniffle.
And the entire time, Remus kept a loving hold on her, whispering reassuring words in her ear, talking her off the jagged edge of a cliff she hadn't known she was on. In theory, Ava recognized that her magic was fond of her friends and saw them as a pack of sorts. She hadn't realized how serious this pack business was though. Ava had felt like she was dying at the mere thought of her packmates being hurt. How devastated would she be if she truly wasn't able to save them?
Ava clenched her jaw and focused on her werewolf's voice and words. We'll keep them safe. We'll keep them all safe. I'll protect them. It's my job. My responsibility. I just have to be better. They'll be safe. I'll protect them. I'll do better. I swear on my magic, I'll do better.