Hogsmeade, as always, was far colder than London, and covered in a thick layer of snow. Eleanor and James found Regulus tucked into a dark corner of The Hogs Head, hunched around his glass of something that was undoubtedly far stronger than butterbeer.
"El!" Regulus said in a relieved yet excited whisper. He hugged her tightly, she could feel the underlying tension in his body.
James eyed the scene with a clenched jaw, stepping closer to El when the hug parted. "Black," he greeted through gritted teeth, sending Regulus a threatening look.
"Potter," Regulus nodded, if he noticed the message James was trying to convey, he did not show it.
They sat at a booth, Regulus on one side, James and El on the other, his arm round the back of her seat as it always was. Looking down at his cup awkwardly, Regulus cleared his throat, clearly thinking what to say first.
"So umm. . .how have you been?"
"Small talk, Black? Really?" James leant forward, "whatever you wanted to tell her, get it over with."
El kicked James' ankle.
"I—" he paused, "the dark lord is recruiting people, not just Sacred Twenty Eight families now. He has a spy in The Order, someone who's relaying information to him, he's five steps ahead of you, all the time."
"But no one in The Order would—" James began
"Well someone is. I don't know who it is, The Dark Lord is hiding them from everyone, but every mission The Order go on, he already knows about."
An old man walked over to the table, "order or leave," he grunted.
James, who was closest, spoke but didn't look up at the man, "two firewhiskeys."
They waited for the man to walk far enough away before continuing the conversation. "But why would anyone betray The Order?"
"Fear. Threats. He has people everywhere. It would take one word for someone's entire family to be slaughtered."
El and James shared a glance, he stroked her arm gently as a form of comfort. Neither knew what to say.
"It's too dangerous for you to stay there, Reg."
Regulus shook his head just as the barman placed the two glasses of amber liquid on the table. He held his hand out expectantly until James placed several coins in it, then walking away without a word.
Regulus' voice diminished in volume. "I'm fine while at Hogwarts, i don't know what will happen when i leave."
El tossed back a sip of her firewhiskey, enjoying the burn down her throat as she thought. "There must be somewhere you can go, somewhere you can hide."
Regulus shook his head, "no, no he'll kill me."
"Not if you went to Potter manor," James suggested casually, "no one lives there since. . ." he never finished the sentence, but they all knew what the rest of it was. "We can put up protection charms, no one will know you're there, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to get in."
El and Regulus were both silent for a moment, "that's actually a really good idea," El said finally.
James shrugged, "i have those sometimes, y'know. You can go straight after you leave Hogwarts."
"Is it safe?" Regulus asked, his eyes back on the glass in his hands.
"I wouldn't suggest you move in if it wasn't."
"But what if—?"
"Black, as much as i don't like you, El does. I don't want you dead. I promise it is safe," James said firmly, holding eye contact with Regulus so he would trust his words.
Regulus' shoulders relaxed—not fully, but it was a noticeable change. He nodded, jaw clenched, "Okay, after Hogwarts."
El squeezed James' thigh under the table and gave him a subtle, yet grateful smile.
"I should go," Regulus said, his shoulder's placed back in their aristocratic position, "thank you for coming here."
The three stood from their table, Regulus embraced El again, nodding at James when they parted, before striding out the door. James took El's hand and pulled her out the door into the snow, then apparated them back to London.
***
By Christmas eve, Remus was back in England, and all members of The Order were trying their best to feel as festive as possible—despite everything. Remus and Sirius were hosting this year, no one wanted to spend Christmas at Potter Manor without Euphemia or Monty there to host.
Since her injury, El's missions had been limited to less dangerous, more boring tasks, and on each one she had been accompanied by James. He was also insistent on helping her with everyday tasks, but it got annoying fast, so after a short argument about it, he stopped. The wound had healed quickly and had formed a dark scar in her side that James had insisted many times wasn't ugly.
Christmas had never been a time of year El had reason to look forward to, she had almost died last year, and Christmas at the Burke household had never been a joyous occasion the years before that.
El woke late on Christmas morning to James bringing her a cup of tea in bed, as he often did, then placing a stack of presents at the foot of their bed.
"Merry Christmas," he placed her cup of tea on the bedside table, then walked to his side of the bed, keeping his own mug in his hands. Even on Christmas morning he didn't bother to dress himself in anything other than his underwear.
He kissed her soundly, separating the kiss with a few shorter ones. "Merry Christmas," her eyes drifted from James' down his exposed torso then back up to his eyes. "What're all these?" she waved towards the pile of parcels, all wrapped in the same gold paper.
"Presents."
"Yes i can see that, but from who? I only have like five friends," El picked up the package closest to her and inspected it, yet didn't remove it's paper.
"They're all from me, i have an obscene amount of money, what better to spend it on?"
"Hmm, i like presents," El leant up to James and kissed him again, smiling against his lips. He pulled her in with one hand, holding her tight against him and kissing her slowly.
El pulled back, then positioned herself to sit between James' legs, her back against his chest, one of his hands rested on her thigh, the other on his cup of tea.
James had been excessive with his gifts, he had got her multiple pairs of heels, three new dresses, a bottle of expensive firewhiskey, lingerie ("i don't know why you bothered, you'll just rip it," El had said, rolling her eyes.
"That's why i got you several sets," James had winked) a Led Zeppelin album and a necklace, almost identical to the antler one El had gotten him last year.
El had got him a silver ring with the head of a lion on it, it was heavy and expensive, beautifully engraved with intricate detail. Her second present for him technically hadn't cost her any money, but she knew James would love it.
"Close your eyes and hold out your hand," El said with a pleased smile.
James looked at her sceptically, but obliged, holding both hands out in front of him. El placed the small golden ball in his outstretched palm, his eyebrows furrowed but his eyes remained closed.
"You can open your eyes now."
James stared at his palm, rolling the golden ball around. Wings spurted from either side, it flew up a few inches before James caught it again. "You got me a snitch?"
"It's the one from the last match, the match that completed the list."
"You stole this from Hogwarts? How'd you manage that? I tried to steal this at least five times, and Mcgonagall found out every time," James said, impressed.
"Yeah, well i'm smarter than you," El shrugged with a smirk.
"So you've had this for the past six months and never told me?"
"Seven months," El corrected, "i stole it in May. I wasn't gonna just give it to you, it's a good present."
James rolled the snitch over in his hand again, "it is a good present," he confirmed, "i love it, thank you," he pulled her towards him, placing a kiss on her temple.
The snitch flew out James' hand, hovering a foot above his head, he used the now free hand to pull El even closer by her waist. As he kissed her, he rolled them over so she was underneath him, bucking his clothed hips against hers. El sighed in content against his lips, parting her legs so James could lie between them.
His kisses trailed along her jaw, then down her neck, leaving faint bruises and bite marks to leave evidence of his journey. After pulling the shirt she had slept in over her head, James took her nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it, then sucking harshly.
El gasped, but the sound was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, the knocks repeated over and over, echoing through the previously quiet flat.
James huffed in frustration, resting his forehead against El's sternum with a clenched jaw. "Whoever that is better begin praying for their life," he grumbled through gritted teeth.
He begrudgingly stood up, tugging on a pair of joggers before trudging to the door. "Alright, alright, stop fucking knocking," James shouted.
From the bedroom, El heard James pull the door open so hard it almost flew off its hinges. "McKinnon!" she heard him shout, "what the fuck are you doing here?!"
"It's Christmas, i wanted to see El," Marlene answered, considerably calmer than James.
At the sound of Marlene's voice, El tugged her shirt back on a walked out to greet her. Marlene eyed the pair of them, both half dressed with scruffy hair. "Didn't interrupt anything did i?"
"A little," El bit back her frustration, "come back in an hour."
"Two," James amended, moving to shut the door.
"Oi!" Marlene placed a hand on the door to prevent it from shutting, pushing it back open so she could step inside, "you've had all morning for that, it's Christmas, i've come here to give you both presents, you ungrateful sods, then you need to get ready to go to Remus and Sirius', they want everyone there at two, and it's nearly one o'clock."
El and James both groaned, El leaned towards James, "can we just not go?" she asked quietly, though loud enough for Marlene to still hear her.
"That's not an option," Marlene pointed at El as if she were a teacher scolding a student, "Peter's girlfriend and her friend are coming, you have to meet them." Neither El or James spoke, but they both rolled their eyes. "Stop being miserable, you two, now go get ready!"
***
Surprisingly, they ended up being ready in time, Marlene apparated back to her flat so she could arrive with Dorcas, giving El and James a sharp warning as to what would happen if they didn't arrive on time.
Eleanor adjusted her dress in the mirror—it was one of the ones James had gave her that day—dark green satin, paired with tall, white heels (also from James).
He stood a few feet away, leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom. "I knew you'd look good in that dress," James commented, "maybe i won't rip this one later."
"Don't, i look far too good to have you break it," El turned, taking a few strides towards James.
His eyes roamed along her body, following the movement of her hips as she walked, then finally finding their way to meet hers. He made a low hum of agreement.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she leant forward to play with the end of his tie.
"I look amazing, darling," James smirked, arms going to their natural place around her waist.
"I wouldn't go that far," she deadpanned, but let a small smile break through a moment later. "C'mon, let's go," she walked past him, grabbed her wand and handbag off the kitchen counter then allowed James to take her waist to apparate them to Camden.
***
a/n: word count 2k
i'm excited to write the next chapter ;))