EUPHEMIA POTTER AND SIOBHÁN Parten were cooking up breakfast in the kitchen. She was mixing the batter as Euphemia was making the eggs. The two had multi-tasked between each other to make a delicious breakfast for the other three people in the house.
"Is the batter ready?" asked Euphemia, glancing up from the pan of eggs. Siobhán nodded while wiping her sweat away with her forearm.
"Do you think they'll like this?" implored Siobhán, anxious about what the men would think. She was especially nervous about James trying her cooking. She didn't know why, but it just riled her up. She wanted everything to be perfect so he would be proud of how good of a cook she and his mother were.
"They'll adore this," Euphemia reassured. "Especially James," she added. "He's a sucker for a good breakfast."
Siobhán sighed, putting her hands on the counter. Euphemia placed the batter on the pan and started making pancakes.
"Are you alright Siobhán?" came a soft voice from the kitchen. Fleamont Potter had entered the kitchen. He had been following the delicious smell of pancakes and eggs. Euphemia quickly glanced back from her pan and saw Siobhán had her hands on the counter.
"Yes, I'm fine." Siobhán quickly responded. "Just a bit nervous is all."
"Why is that?"
"I guess I haven't really cooked for anyone else other than my family." she gazed around at the kitchen. "I just want to impress you all with my skills."
"Everything will be fine, dear." Euphemia gave her a small smile. "Breakfast can be made multiple times. Just practice is all that's needed."
"James will love your cooking," Fleamont said coolly. His wife glared at him as he talked about James.
"You think so?" Siobhán gazed at Fleamont who gave her a big thumbs up. He quickly walked out of the kitchen. Euphemia started taking out the pancakes from the pan. Siobhán ran to the cabinet and grabbed the plates. Since she wasn't of age yet that meant she couldn't use her wand outside of Hogwarts.
"Mia, these plates?" she carried the plates and put them next to Euphemia who nodded.
"Sweetie, why do you get so nervous making food for James?" she asked abruptly. Siobhán halted as she was about to get the strawberries from the bowl.
"He's just my — my friend that I don't want to disappoint." she began, trying to find words to say. "He's done so much for me so I just want to make this as perfect as it can get."
Euphemia smiled as she could tell she wasn't aware of how love actually was or how it felt. "I see the way James looks at you." she placed pancakes on the plates. "He looks at you like you're the light of his world."
Siobhán grabbed a knife from the drawer and started cutting up strawberries. "That's not true, James and I just look at each other with admiration as friends."
"Everything is 'as friends' with you two," Euphemia stated, grabbing syrup and whip cream from the cabinets. "I know you two are young and not so mature to know about love, but I know James better than anyone."
"Many years ago he came to me with a confession." she put the many plates next to Siobhán. "He told me about this pretty little redhead who he was in love with. He talked about her so passionately, just like how he talks about now." Euphemia declared, going to the sink to wash the dirty dishes.
"I know you two haven't figured out your emotions yet, but I'm sure he loves you." she began. "Platonically or not."
Siobhán put the strawberries on the plates as she thought about Euphemia's words.
"The sudden revelation may come sooner or later, but I just want you to know that it doesn't matter if it's true or not. I just wanted to say that my son looks at you as if you were the only person in this world," she reassured, trying not to make this sound extra.
"It's fine Mia," Siobhán reassured. "Everyone thinks of us as a couple, but I've never really taken it seriously."
"I've never really even thought about it that way," she added. "So, I thank you for finally making me think about my feelings towards him."
"But as of now, I don't feel anything romantic for him, and certainly don't plan to." she smiled finally placing all the strawberries in place.
"Life is full of surprises." Euphemia grabbed two plates and went towards the dining room. Siobhán followed the same movements and headed towards the dining room as well. There was James Potter, Sirius Black, and Fleamont Potter all sitting in the chairs.
When James saw Siobhán come into the dining room sporting a big smile, he immediately lightened up. She looked like a mother bringing food to her family. He thought she looked absolutely adorable.
Her apron was white and blue as she was still wearing her pajamas. Her messy bun was quite messier than ever as she had been cooking with Euphemia. Setting the plates down in the selected places, she dusted her hands off and stood back. James smiled as she gazed at him. He grabbed his fork and started taking bites from the food in front of him.
The nerves were killing her as James chewed. He glanced down at the food and then back up at her. She bit down on her lip, fiddling with her hands as she awaited his answer.
"It's really good." he beamed at Siobhán and his mother. Siobhán let out a sigh of relief as he started eating some more. Euphemia glanced over at Siobhán who looked as if a whole weight was lifted off her.
"You know Little Red." James chimed in. She hummed while tilting her head. "You'd make a fantastic wife one day."
She flashed him a small smile as Euphemia and Fleamont watched. Sirius was just eating, not caring about the other four people next to him.
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London was bustling with people going left, right, backward, forward, you name it. Siobhán had her leather jacket held tightly as she saw tons of cars going around the roads. James Potter and Sirius Black were right behind her as she walked through the sidewalk filled with people.
"Is this really how London is?" James implored, going a bit down so Siobhán could hear him. She rolled her eyes as he was asking another oblivious question.
"Yes." she bluntly stated. "This is how London is."
"I've lived near muggles, but never in my lifetime have I seen something so packed," Sirius exclaimed, quite enthusiastic about blending in with the crowd. "Not even when I lived with the wicked witch of the west had I seen this much people."
"The wicked witch of the west?!" blurted out James, trying his best to not let out his laughter.
"Of course." he piped in. "She's mental." Sirius shook his head. "I'm so glad your parents let me live with you guys."
"That's what family is for." James gave him a grin before glancing around for Siobhán. They had lost her when they were both joking around about Sirius's mother. "Where in the world did she go?"
Sirius shrugged his shoulders as he gazed around above the people. He tried to find Siobhán through the crowd, but it was quite impossible to differentiate all the browns, blondes, and reds.
"I can't even see where she is because she blends in so well." Sirius trailed off, glancing around to where James was supposed to have been. James had already been sprinting around trying to find Siobhán. Sirius just sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"A little thrill would never hurt anyone," Sirius smirked while running towards James.
James Potter was searching everywhere. He couldn't find the girl with the black leather jacket and it was driving him insane. He ran a hand through his hair frantically. "Siobhán — Little Red." he trailed off.
He saw a glimpse of a girl with a leather jacket and brown hair. He ran towards them and grabbed their arm. James gazed at the girl who gave him a strange look.
"Can I help you?" she implored, an eyebrow raised. He quickly let go of the unfamiliar woman who wasn't Siobhán Parten.
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I thought you were someone else, my mistake." he hung his head low as she gave him a strange look.
"Already trying to charm women?" came a playful voice behind him. He smirked and turned around to see Siobhán grinning at him.
"You gave me a heart attack when I saw you were gone," he mumbled while gazing at the ground. She shook her head, gripping her leather jacket quite hard.
"I just had to use the bathroom." she grabbed onto his arm and dragged him towards Sirius who was sitting on a bench. He saw the two walking his way and he just rolled his eyes.
"Finally found the lost card of the deck?" Sirius asked, grinning from his joke. Siobhán let go of James and grabbed her bag to hit Sirius with it. She smacked him on the shoulder. "Alright, no need to get violent!" he raised his hands in defense.
Siobhán stopped hitting him. Her eyes lit up as she had come up with an idea that her mother would hate if she found out.
"What's with that mischievous look?" James gazed at her, confused by the smirk that was now plastered on her face.
"Let's go to a tattoo shop," she informed them. Sirius gave her a huge smile while standing up from the bench.
"Exactly what I was thinking." he placed an arm over her shoulder as she gazed up at him enthusiastically. James watched the two walk away warily but quickly ran after them.
The tattoo shop was in view as they went down an alley filled with shops. Siobhán gazed around the dirty pathway. She was quite disgusted with all the trash that was piled up. Rats were running around squeaking like they were being attacked. She shivered slightly as they opened the door of the tattoo shop. The bell rang as they stepped inside.
"Hey, Mel." Sirius waved at the woman who was sitting in front of the counter. She gave him a grin before turning to the man that was sitting on a chair.
"Sirius!" she whispered towards the man. He immediately stood up and observed the trio. Siobhán and James were standing there awkwardly as Sirius greeted the pair in front of them.
"Dan." he nodded, patting him in the back. The man hugged him tightly. It seemed as if they had known each other for years. "These are my friends." he gestured towards Siobhán and James who waved at the man and woman.
"Are you here to get tattoos?" inquired Mel, gazing over at the trio. Sirius nodded as he glanced back at Siobhán who was fiddling with her hands.
"Little Red, you wanted to come here," James whispered. She nodded. "I know that Loverboy, but the needle seems painful." she whisper-yelled back.
"Grab all the bravery that you have and do it." he encouraged. "You're a Gryffindor! You were born to be brave despite the challenges you were destined to overcome." he insisted. She let out a deep breath and stood next to Sirius who placed his elbow on her head.
"Alright, flip through the book and see what you'd like." Mel pointed at the black case that was filled with plastic. Sirius went towards the book and flipped through it. He hummed as he observed the different designs. Siobhán glanced down with him and saw a small butterfly design that she liked.
"This." she pointed at the design. The woman smiled warmly as she saw the butterfly design Siobhán had chosen.
"I'll get a couple of designs," Sirius told Dan from where he was standing. Dan nodded. "So, I want a star on the side of my middle finger," he announced firmly. "And then I want a stag, a dog, a werewolf, and a rat on the side of my rib cage." Sirius lifted his shirt to show the area he wanted the tattoo on.
"Okay, get on the chair." Dan pointed at the chair that was laid out for him. Sirius sat down and gave the man his right hand.
"Come with me." Mel gestured towards Siobhán. She nodded and followed the girl to her area. It had a chair just like where Sirius was sitting.
"Where do you want the butterfly?" she quired while putting on her gloves. Siobhán thought quite long about where she wanted it.
"On my shoulder." she chimed. "On the left side if that's alright," she added. Mel nodded and placed a thin layer of vaseline on the area she wanted. Placing the drawing she made onto her skin, she turned on the ink gun and started drawing over the stencil.
Siobhán winced at the pain as Mel worked hard on the small tattoo. James quickly came to her side and observed the woman work. Sirius on the other hand was having a field day watching Siobhán getting her first tattoo. He was now on his side as Dan was tattooing the rib design he wanted.
"It's quite painful, but it's not that bad," she told James who gazed at her concerned. He gave her a tight smile, grabbing her free hand in support.
"This London trip is going to get us all in trouble." he confided. James seemed quite afraid of how his mother would take on the fact that Sirius had gotten more tattoos. "It surely won't end well."
"Indeed." Siobhán nodded, still grabbing his hand tightly. "My mother is going to wreak havoc on me when she sees this." she pointed at the tattoo that was slowly coming together.
He smirked down at her, kissing her hand softly. Sirius still observed with a disgusting look on his face.
"Stop flirting with each other!" he yelled from across the room. "Especially in a tattoo shop." Sirius rolled his eyes as the two gave him a pointed look.
"There." Mel wiped away the last ink residue and put vaseline once again on her shoulder. She grabbed a plastic wrap and put it over her freshly new tattoo so it wouldn't mess up.
Siobhán gazed at her shoulder and gasped in awe. This was now on her shoulder permanently. She couldn't remove it or anything. Overall, the experience wasn't bad and she would do it again.
"Looks lovely on you." James complimented while gazing at the tattoo-covered in plastic wrap. She flashed him a small smile before glancing at Sirius who was already getting his tattoo wrapped.
"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Siobhán teased, nudging him on the side with her bare shoulder. He winced as she nudged him on the rib.
"You're welcome?" he gazed around confused. Sirius was now standing next to James. He had placed his shirt back on and was beaming like a brand new constellation.
"I'll pay," Siobhán said while standing up. She took out her money and handed it to the man who gave her a small thank you.
"We'll make sure to come back someday," Sirius yelled loudly for the pair to hear from where they were standing.
"Make sure to take good care of the tattoo!" Mel shouted at the trio. They nodded as they walked outside the door of the shop.
"Okay, let's go home." James piped in, quite wary about the ally they had entered once again.
"Mia is gonna kill me," Sirius muttered with a conflicted tone. Siobhán snickered at the thought of Euphemia bring angry at Sirius.
"Bloody right." she started walking out of the ally.
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The trio entered the Potter manor quietly, trying not to make noise from the plastic wrap still on. James shushed them all while putting a finger up to his lips. He gazed around with eyes wide open. James couldn't let his mother know where they went.
"James?" the voice of Euphemia Potter bellowed from the hallway. James halted making Siobhán and Sirius stop right behind him.
"Mum!" he smiled enthusiastically while giving Sirius and Siobhán a nervous gaze. Euphemia walked towards the trio, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Sirius moved slightly, the plastic wrap rustling against his clothes. Euphemia tilted her head at the sound and eventually shifted her gaze towards Sirius.
"Lift your shirt, Sirius," she stated firmly. He lifted his shirt at the command and revealed the freshly wrapped tattoo. She shook her in disappointment as she glanced over at James once again.
"James Fleamont Potter and Sirius Orion Black." Euphemia clicked her tongue. James hung his head low as his mother said his full name. "I am thoroughly disappointed in you both for going into a tattoo shop, especially getting one!"
She shifted her gaze towards Siobhán who flinched at her piercing stare. "Did you get one too?" she asked, arms crossed. Siobhán slowly nodded in guilt.
"I'll have to tell your mother about this when you go back home." Euphemia dictated. "All in time, of course."
"Carry on." she flicked her hand and went back into the hallway she came from. Sirius sighed of relief as James looked like he wanted to jump through a window.
"I told you Mum would go insane," he told Sirius, clearly upset with him. "It wasn't just my idea you big buffoon. Siobhán had a part in this situation as well."
"You know what?" Siobhán raised her hands. "I'm not going to argue so I'm going into my room." she gave them both a tight smile and ran up the stairs.
"Great going." James grumbled. Sirius scoffed at his tone.
"Great going?" Sirius laughed. "Don't flatter me. You clearly have no sense accusing me alone for this whole thing."
James growled slightly as Sirius spoke harshly. "You made her go into her room, Padfoot!"
"Well, why don't you go check up on her?!" he huffed. "Since you're so worried about her going into her room."
Sirius curled his lip, nudging him in the shoulder as he went up the stairs to go to his room.
"This summer break was worse than I had expected," mumbled James to himself.
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A/N
This was messy and quite rushed as I tried to make it long, but anyway Siobhán got her first tattoo which will have meaning later on in the story. Also, next chapter I think I'll start 6th year so we can get more into the plot. Thank you guys so much for 1K view. I'm beyond grateful. More tomorrow.