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xxiv. CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
JAMES BOND.
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LILY AND BRIAR woke up late the next morning. They trudged sleepily down the stairs after breakfast, having stayed up most of the night chatting. Mrs. Evans seemed a little annoyed when she saw them.
"Really? Is this the time to be getting up?" she scolded. She didn't sound particularly angry; just a little frustrated. "I've been cleaning up all morning, and those boys are coming for dinner; I'll have to cook for them, goodness knows how much they eat! I know teenage boys; their stomachs are bottomless pits! And the garden is in desperate need of a weeding..." Mrs. Evans sat down with as sigh, one arm on her back. "I'm getting too old for this."
Briar looked at Mrs. Evans, suddenly feeling guilty. She felt awful for making her do so much work. It was different at her own home; house elves did everything, but Briar couldn't even imagine how much there would be to do around the house if they didn't have them.
"Mum, you're not getting too old," Lily told her, with a comforting smile. "Why don't you go up to bed? You look tired."
"And who'll cook for tonight?"
Briar smiled at Lily. "We will."
Briar was almost like an excited child around the kitchen. She found everything so fascinating that Lily couldn't help but laugh at her. Briar had never cooked in her life, and although Lily was a little better, she'd never cooked for seven people. But they had a huge recipe book that Mrs. Evans had instructed them to follow precisely.
"No, wait. I need more flour, it's too sticky," Briar complained, her hands up the elbows in batter. "Where's the flour?"
"To your right," Lily instructed. She was stirring a dark red sauce on the stove, and she paused for a second, leaning over to hand Briar another packet of flour. Briar tore it open, and started measuring it into a cup. "Briar, do you remember how much butter goes into this?"
"About a stick, I suppose. I don't think it really matters. Have you finished with the tomatoes?"
Lily's eyes widened. "The tomatoes! No, I knew I was forgetting something. Oh no, I need a knife, I need a knife..."
"There's one on the counter."
"Don't be silly, that's a bread knife, I can't use that to chop vegetables!"
"The tomato is actually a fruit."
"I don't care whether it's a vegetable or a fruit, the pasta sauce will taste awful without it...."
The two girls worked in silence for a few moments, Lily desperately chopping up tomatoes while Briar tried to make the batter resemble the nice, brown, sticky substance that the recipe book described. Mr. and Mrs. Evans came down a few moments later, and looked surprised.
"Aren't you girls done yet? It's just gone six. I thought your guests were coming at half past."
Both Lily and Briar stared at Mrs. Evans, wide-eyed. "It's six already? But I'm not even dressed!" Lily cried, horrified. "There must be something wrong with my watch! Oh no, Briar, what are we going to do?"
Briar frowned, biting her lip. "It's all right. The pasta's almost done, we just need to mix it in with the sauce. And I'll just need two more minutes and I can shove the cake in the oven. We're done with the bread, and the potatoes should be done cooking any minute..."
Lily nodded, slightly comforted. "All right. Ten minutes. I'll mix in the pasta, you shove that cake in the oven, and we'll both get dressed all right?"
"Got it."
Lily finished the pasta and ran to gather plates and cutlery, while Briar scooped all the cake batter into a mould. It was stuck everywhere; her arms, her face and even her hair, but she couldn't help it. It didn't matter if she looked a mess, as long as the cake turned out edible.
The doorbell rang.
Lily cursed. "Shit. They're early. That's just like him to turn up even before-"
"Mind your language, young lady," Mrs. Evans scolded. She smiled, and turned to her husband. "Come on Patrick, let's go meet these boys."
"Dad, don't let them into the kitchen!" Lily cried frantically, trying to fix her hair. "What if he sees me like this, what if-"
Mr. Evans laughed. "I'll do my best."
Briar shoved the cake into the oven, and was just setting the timer when she heard the familiar voices drifting in from the living room. She couldn't tell what they were saying, but they slowly got louder.
"... smells amazing." Briar heard James's voice say, a little more loudly. It was clear that they were very close. A few seconds later, they entered the kitchen through the doorway. James Potter and Sirius Black stood there and stopped abruptly at the sight of the two messy girls in the kitchen.
"Wow," James muttered. He was staring at Lily, who quickly tugged off the red apron she was wearing in embarrassment. Briar rolled her eyes. What was Lily embarrassed about? She was the one covered in flour and cake batter.
"You're early," Lily commented, smiling. She approached James, kissed him on the cheek and shoved the apron under the counter forcefully. "You weren't supposed to see that."
James laughed. "I don't know, I'm sort of glad I did. I had no idea you could cook, Lily."
Lily shrugged and smiled at Sirius, who was looking rather stony-faced. He forced a smile back at her. "Hi Sirius. It's nice to see you too. Where's my Dad?"
James smiled. "Your parents are in the living room. Your dad said that we'd find a surprise in the kitchen and he sent us in here."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Dad..."
Briar spun the timer on the oven, and quickly closed the door. She couldn't help but notice Sirius staring at her. She took a deep breath. She wouldn't let him make her feel uncomfortable. He was only here as James's friend, and James' friend only. Briar smiled, and approached them.
"D'Alessio," James greeted. "You look like you've been working harder than Lily."
Briar smiled and rolled her eyes. "It's only because I'm so new to the kitchen. Sorry, I'd shake hands with you both, but um..." She held up her flour covered hands apologetically. James shrugged.
"That's all right."
"Well, we're going to go get dressed," Lily decided, grabbing Briar's arm. "Just give us about ten minutes, all right?"
"Are you done?" Lily asked, quickly slipping on her shoes. She'd put on a pretty maroon colored dress that suited her very well. "We should go down, I can't even imagine what my father must be saying to James..."
"Just a second," Briar muttered as she adjusted her baby pink turtleneck, She'd wanted to shower and get all the flour out of her hair, but there wasn't enough time. She couldn't use magic to get it out, and she was starting to get frustrated. Irritably, she tried dusting her hair off.
"Oh, we don't have time... Just tie it back somehow!" Lily rummaged through Briar's things, and pulled out a hairpin. "Here, this matches your shirt! Just pull your hair back and nobody will notice the flour."
Briar turned, and saw that Lily was holding up the hairpin that Sirius had gifted her. She stared at it, sparkling in the light as the flowers swayed. "What on earth is that doing here?" she demanded. "I didn't pack that with my things!"
"Does it matter? Just put it on, quick!"
Briar grabbed the hairpin and yanked the slightly flour-covered hair back with it, hiding it under her crown plait. She couldn't help but feel bewildered. How was it that the hairpin always seemed to turn up wherever she went? Annoyed, she simply pulled her shoes on and followed Lily downstairs.
Dinner was pleasant. It seemed that Briar was the only one who felt uncomfortable. She'd somehow ended up sitting right opposite Sirius, and he'd managed to keep his eyes on her the entire meal, the intense starting at her made her lose her appetite. It was difficult to enjoy the food, despite the fact that she'd cooked it herself. Everyone had complimented the cake, though. That was at least some consolation.
"I don't think I can move," James commented, once dinner was over. Everyone laughed but Petunia, who muttered something irritably. Nobody paid her any mind. "That was an amazing dinner. I'd compliment Lily, but I'm sure the recipes were all yours, Mrs. Evans."
Mrs. Evans smiled. She seemed to quite like James; he'd been free with his compliments all evening. It was clear that he was flattering her, but she didn't mind.
"That's so sweet, dear," she gushed. "But tonight's credit goes entirely to Lily and Briar, I'm afraid. Especially Briar, she's never even used an oven before and look at how wonderfully that cake turned out!"
Briar felt slightly shy as all attention turned to her. She'd managed to stay rather invisible all evening. She stood up quickly and helped Mrs. Evans clear the table as Mr. Evans gestured for the boys and his daughters to shift to the living room.
"All the dishes have been scraped clean," Briar commented, smiling as she put them in the sink. Mrs. Evans nodded.
"Well, the food was lovely. Do you know if that boy Sirius was all right?" Mrs. Evans asked, looking concerned. Briar froze, and turned to the older woman.
"Pardon?"
"Well, Lily told me that he was quite the prankster; loud and made a lot of jokes, but that wasn't the impression I got today. He was pleasant, of course, but he seemed rather quiet. I couldn't help but notice that he was staring at you for most of the evening."
Briar cleared her throat uncomfortably as she turned the tap on and filled the sink up. "Oh."
"Do you know him very well?"
Briar shook her head. "Not well enough."
"Maybe you should," Mrs. Evans commented, smiling. She wiped her hands on a dishcloth, before waving Briar away. "Now go on, go outside with them. I'll finish off here."
Briar allowed Mrs. Evans to finish the dishes and entered the sitting room. She saw that James and Sirius were standing near the door, and both of them were buttoning up their coats. She looked at them, surprised. "Are you leaving already?"
"We all are," Lily said, handing Briar a coat. The platinum blonde took it, confused. "We're going to go watch a film, at a theatre nearby. I asked Dad, he said we could both go as long as we're not out too late."
James nodded. "We'd better hurry up. We don't want to miss it."
Briar nodded, feeling rather excited. She'd never seen a Muggle film before, only heard of them. Smiling, she followed Lily out of the front door, closing it behind her. They walked out onto the front porch. "What's the coat for?" Briar demanded, realizing she was still holding it. "It's mid-July."
Sirius turned to give her an incredulous look. "That's down here. When the wind's hitting you up there, you'll be glad you brought one, trust me."
Briar stared at him. "Sorry? Up where?"
Briar watched in silence as both Sirius and James fished out brooms from under a bush in Lily's front garden. There were four of them, one of which James handed to Lily and then he threw the other one to Briar. She caught it, staggering under it's weight. Lily frowned slightly.
"I don't see how this will work. It's a Muggle town. We can't land in front of the cinema on broomsticks. Why don't we walk? The weather's pleasant outside," Lily pointed out.
"You intend to walk almost 30 miles?" Sirius asked.
"Thirty miles? thought we were going to the cinema in the next town! That's what I told my Dad!"
James smiled. "That's what I wanted you to tell him. It's not like he'll ever know. Besides, the cinema in the next town is small and smells awful. I'd rather go somewhere better. Don't worry; we'll land in a deserted area and then walk to the theatre. Come on."
James and Sirius both mounted their brooms, followed by Lily hesitantly doing the same thing with hers. They waited for Briar, who simply stood still with the broom in her hands. Lily frowned.
"Briar? Aren't you coming?"
Briar took a deep breath. "I can't ride a broom."
There was a shocked silence. Sirius was the first to react.
"You can't ride a broom?" His tone was anything but polite or understanding. Briar glared at him.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I can't! The last time I got on a broom was first year. I crashed headfirst into the Whomping Willow and spent three days in the Hospital Wing," Briar admitted. "Can't we just... take the bus or something?"
"We'll never get there in time," James muttered, looking thoughtful. "I suppose it's my fault; I never thought to ask if you girls were comfortable with brooms."
Briar shook her head, feeling a little ashamed. "It's all right, you lot go. I'd rather stay at home than cause an accident."
Lily frowned. "But you kept saying how much you wanted to see a Muggle film! And besides, I'd feel awful leaving you at home alone. I wish I could ride with you, but I'm not all that good on a broom myself. I don't think I can carry us both."
"Sirius can," James commented. "Peter's sat behind him before."
There was silence. Sirius made a face, and for some reason, Briar felt hurt and embarrassed. She dropped the broom, and started to walk back to the house. Sirius's hand reached out and grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? Get on."
Briar turned to look at him. He was staring at her intently, his mouth pulled into a thin line. "It's all right. I can tell when I'm not wanted."
"Just get on. Please."
Briar felt hesitant, but she slowly mounted the broom as Sirius hovered about the ground. She tried to ensure that her legs didn't touch his, but it was difficult. She grasped the broom behind her with one hand, and gingerly placed another on his shoulder. "You'll have to hold on tighter than that."
"I'm fine."
"If you say so."
All three brooms lifted off the ground, and Briar almost yelped as she started to slide off. Her hands grasped both of Sirius's shoulders tightly. His coat was the only thing protecting him from being scratched by her nails. They quickly soared into the sky, and Briar found herself moving closer to Sirius. Her legs were touching his, and his messy black hair occasionally blew into her face.
"Can't keep your hands off me, can you Rosie?" Sirius asked cheekily. It was difficult to hear him over the wind, but Briar couldn't help but smile. He'd been cold and distant all evening; it was almost a relief to hear him flirting with her again.
"Of course, you'd think I'm trying to grope you," she retorted. He turned his head to the side slightly, and she could see the hint of a smile on his face. It made her feel warm, somehow. Still smiling to herself, and relieved that he couldn't see her, Briar made herself comfortable on the broom. Flying had always worried her, but she felt safe with Sirius controlling.
"Sirius! Left a little further down!" James called, yelling to be heard over the wind. Sirius nodded to him, and made a sharp left that Briar hadn't been expecting. She dug her nails into his shoulder further.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"No but if you don't loosen your grip, I won't have any skin left on my shoulders!"
"Sorry!"
They landed sooner than Briar would have liked. She was getting used to the feel of Sirius's warm body against hers, and she was almost reluctant to get off the broom. They landed in a deserted street a mile or so away from the theatre. Briar got off the broom, and found that her feet were wobbling.
"Careful there," Sirius said, grabbing her arm to steady her. He was standing too close, and Briar found herself taking a deep breath. He didn't move back, his hand instead reaching up to run his fingers through her hair and flatten it. "It's a mess... the wind blew it everywhere."
"So is yours," She retorted weakly, but it was a feeble argument. The rush that went though her as his hands played with her hair was all too familiar. She'd felt it before; it happened whenever he was near her. "Merlin, you've still got flour in your hair, and..." he trailed off, his fingers gently brushing over the familiar hairpin. His grey eyes widened in surprise, and he looked down at her, almost as though he was waiting for an explanation.
"Are you two quite finished?" James was standing nearby, watching them both with a cheeky grin on his face. Briar stepped away from Sirius, embarrassed as she noticed that Lily was staring at them too. She let Sirius hide the broom along with the other ones, and the group began to walk towards the theatre. It was quite a walk, and it took them about fifteen minutes.
"So, erm, what film are we watching?" Briar asked, as they approached the theatre. There were bright lights outside, and it was quite crowded. James turned to smile at her.
"You'll see. I rather like this one, for obvious reasons...."
They managed to get tickets easily enough, and they quickly joined the line for snacks. James stared at the display, seemingly unable to make up his mind about which type of popcorn he wanted. There were so many options. Butter, cheese, caramel...
"He's going to take forever," Lily groaned. She wrenched two of the tickets from his hand, and gave them to Briar. "Here, you two go get seats. I hate sitting in the front rows, my neck hurts when I have to look up at the screen all the time..."
Briar nodded, and let Sirius lead her into the actual theatre. It was unexpectedly dark, and she found herself stumbling on the steps. Sirius gripped her arm again, steadying her so that she wouldn't land on the people in front of them. She blushed, relieved that he couldn't see her bright red cheeks in the dark.
"Thank you."
"It's all right. Shall we go back there?"
Briar squinted to see where Sirius was pointing, and nodded. It was far back enough that they would be able to see the screen comfortably, and nobody else was around there. Sirius led the way, and they quickly plopped down into the seats.
"These are comfortable," Briar muttered, as she sank into the cushiony seats. She dropped her arm on the armrest, only to realize that Sirius's was already there. Embarrassed, she pulled her hand away. "Oh, sorry."
"It's all right," Sirius muttered. It was hard to see his face in the almost non-existent light, but she knew that he was looking at her. "Can I ask you something?"
"Um, I don't see why not."
"Why did you come tonight? You've been avoiding me for months at school because you made your choice. So what are you doing here?"
Briar froze. "I don't know what choice you're talking about-"
"Don't act innocent. You told me that you had to choose between me and your family, and you chose your family. Why doesn't that same choice apply to your friendship with Lily?"
Briar's throat closed up, and she didn't know what to say. He was right, she knew he was. Yet how could she even begin to explain how she was feeling? Biting her lip, she forced herself to speak. "Maybe I made the wrong choice."
There was a pause. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know."
Sirius looked annoyed. "You don't know? How the bloody hell can you not know? Merlin, Briar, I don't want this anymore, all right? You can't just keep hanging on the door, you tell me that you're staying away from me because you can't betray your parents and then I find you spending the summer at a Muggle-born's house. I know Lily is your best friend, and she's great. But if you can lie to your parents about her, why couldn't you do the same about me?"
Briar didn't know what to say. Her words were stuck in her throat and nothing was coming out. Sirius stared at her for a few moments, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't, he turned his head away from her. She took a deep breath and finally spoke.
"Maybe I didn't want to go to all the efforts simply to get hurt."
He whirled around to face her. "Who said that you would get hurt?"
"Please. You have a reputation with girls, Black. I wasn't going to lie to my parents and betray their trust for something that would have lasted for barely a few weeks. It's not worth it."
Sirius frowned. "Is that what you think of me?"
Briar turned to face him completely. There was no way that he was going to get off acting innocent and looking like the better person. She glared at him. "Yes, that's what I think of you. Have you ever been in a serious relationship? I'm sorry, Black, but I'm not interested in a quick shag. If that was what you wanted, you've been wasting your time."
He gave her a long, hard look. "You know what? I think I have been wasting my time."
Briar turned away from him, biting the inside of her cheek to control her feelings. She spotted Lily and James enter the theatre, and waved to them so that they would see her and Sirius. The couple came and joined them a few moments later, Lily sitting down beside Briar with James on her other side.
"Oh, these seats are wonderful!" Lily said, smiling at both Briar and Sirius. When neither of them responded, she frowned and noticed their stony expressions. There was a slight pause, and Sirius got out of his seat and moved to the other end so he could sit beside James. Lily watched him, confused. "Did something happen?" she asked Briar quietly.
But Briar and Sirius remained quiet, leaving James and Lily sitting in awkward silence.
Briar tried to enjoy the movie as best as she could. Lily managed to tell her a bit about the main hero, whose name was James Bond. Now she understood why Potter was so eager to watch the movie. Lily tried to explain the Muggle government and MI-6 and secret agents the best she could, but most of it was still muddled up in Briar's brain. Although she didn't quite understand most of it, Briar found herself intrigued.
"I thought it was brilliant!" James insisted, as they walked out of the theatre. He stopped in front of Lily, and held his hand out to her. "The name is Potter. James Potter."
Lily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling all the same. "Do that again and I'll smack you."
They all laughed, as James continued to act stupid. Lily held his hand, and Sirius fell behind slightly, walking beside Briar. She turned to look at him, and he lowered his voice.
"I think they want some time alone."
Briar stared at Sirius, not understanding. He nodded his head towards Lily and James, who were walking in front of them, hand-in-hand and gazing at each other. Briar blushed as she realized what he was trying to say. "Oh. Erm... what do we do, then?"
"I don't know," he muttered. He raised his voice to get his friend's attention. "James, Lily! We're going to take the long way back. I'm feeling a bit peckish and I saw a bakery down by the bridge."
Both James and Lily turned. James grinned widely, but Lily only looked doubtful.
"What? Are you sure?" she asked, looking at Briar. The girl looked uncomfortable, but nodded firmly. "Why don't we all go, then?"
"No need. It's a long walk, you two head to where we put the brooms. We'll meet you there soon enough," Sirius assured her. Lily frowned but nodded, and started walking away with James.
As soon as they were gone, Briar felt uncomfortable. Why had she agreed to this? She had no idea how long the walk was, or which direction to go in. And now she was entirely dependent on a boy who, if his actions were to be believed, hated her.? What if he got mad and decided to leave her in the middle of nowhere? She didn't even have her wand... Briar decided that she would make safe small talk.
"Have a nice time, tonight?" Briar asked lightly. He gave her a bitter look in response.
"I suppose," Sirius muttered.
"Had you ever seen a Muggle film before?"
"Once."
Briar frowned at his curt and uninterested responses. She picked up her pace slightly so that she was walking beside him instead of behind him. "This was your idea. Can't you at least make an effort to be civil?"
"I don't see why I should. You're the one that hasn't spoken to me in over three months. Why change that now?"
Briar shook her head, he's so infuriating she thought as she simply continued walking. The streets were small and narrow, and there weren't many people around. Briar caught sight of a small stone bridge up ahead. She ignored Sirius, until he grabbed her hand.
"What?" she demanded.
"Bakery. Or did you forget?"
She allowed him to pull her into the small store that smelled strongly of melted sugar and baking bread. The scent was heavenly, and Briar closed her eyes for a few moments while Sirius walked up to the counter. He glanced at the different options spread out in front of them.
"What do you want?" Sirius asked, not turning to look at her. He scratched his chin as he contemplated the different options.
Briar sighed. "I'm fine, thanks."
He gave her an odd look, and then gestured to the man behind the counter. He pointed at a pile of what looked like chocolate-coated eclairs. "Can I have two of those, please?"
Briar frowned, as Sirius paid the man and tried to give her one of the éclairs. "I said I was fine."
"You did," he replied simply, shoving the éclair into her hand forcefully as they exited the warm store. "But you looked like you wanted one. Don't worry about putting on any weight; we have a long walk ahead of us."
Briar raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me fat?"
The corner of Sirius's mouth turned up slightly, against his will. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Briar bit into the éclair as they walked, relishing the warm chocolate that gushed into her mouth. It felt wonderful, and she wiped her mouth quickly with a tissue. Glancing over at Sirius, she realized that he was eating it a lot more messily; the way he shoved it into his mouth made him look like a child. Briar couldn't resist a giggle. Sirius stopped suddenly, and turned to look at her.
"What?" she asked, feeling self-conscious.
Sirius shook his head. "Nothing. I haven't heard you laugh in while." Briar could swear she heard an I've missed it at the end of his sentence, but she convinced herself otherwise. She wondered if she'd been imagining the look in his eyes. "Maybe you should do it more."
"Maybe I would if you hadn't been acting so rude all night."
"Rude?" Sirius demanded, anger flashing in his eyes. "I'm acting rude? Bloody hell, woman! you haven't even spoken to me for three months! I hate to break it to you, but I think ignoring someone after they tell you they care about you is pretty bloody rude!"
Briar frowned. Who was he to yell at her like that? "You never made any effort to talk to me after that, did you? I don't see how you can just make everything out to be my fault!"
"Because it is your fault!" he snapped. "You were the one who told me that you chose your parents and then you were just standing in Lily'skitchen with that stupid flour all over your face, and I just wanted to bloody kiss you right there!"
Briar froze for a moment, and stared at him. They'd both stopped walking. "Why didn't you?" she asked softly.
Sirius gave her a bitter look. "Because I wasn't going to force myself on a girl who thinks I'm some blood traitorous shit. Don't worry, Briar; I got the message loud and clear. I know when I'm not wanted."
Briar felt something lurch in her stomach. "I don't think that."
"I know perfectly well what you think of me. I'd rather not hear it again from you. Can we just hurry up and walk back?"
"I don't think that about you though!" Briar snapped, stepping in front of him so that he couldn't walk away from her. "Merlin, Black, I don't just say what comes to my mind! I meant it when I told you that I understood what you did. How could I not? I thought about doing the same thing the other night, I was this close to just walking away from my family!"
Sirius blinked at her, the confession seeming to shock him. He stepped closer to Briar, putting a hand on her cheek so that she was looking straight at him. Briar didn't try to pull away. "Would you do it?"
"What?"
Sirius took a deep breath, and pulled Briar closer to him. "Would you do it, Rosie? Would you leave them? I'm not asking you to do it for me, or for Lily or anyone else. I'm asking you to do it for yourself. Is there even the slightest chance that you would leave your family one day?"
Briar looked into those intense grey eyes. They were pleading with her to say yes. Briar didn't know if Sirius Black meant a word he said. She didn't know if he was being genuine, and she didn't know if she could trust him.
But she wanted to. She wanted to trust him so badly.
She opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by screams and yells coming from below the bridge that they were standing near. She pulled away from Sirius, and turned to see that there were jets of light flashing down below near the river. The screams became louder, and Briar's breath caught in her throat as she saw a group of ominous figures wearing large, dark, masks.
"Death Eaters," Sirius whispered.
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heyyy, sorry for the long wait but i've been really busy lately but we are back, thanks for all the love and feedback ily.
━━ sel 💖💘💕💓