A New Definition of Family
Chapter 11: Coping
Disclaimer: Here’s a big surprise: I don’t own any of JK Rowling’s characters. They do, however, seem to want to play around in my head, take me hostage and make me write about them: hence this story. I also do not own Jack Daniels; believe me, I checked my cupboard. Oh, and I don’t own the brand names Jack Daniels or Guinness, either. Any characters or places you see here that you don’t find in her books, well, they are products of my wild little imagination.
The cemetery was washed with the warm late-afternoon light that gave an orangey-yellow glow to the white marble grave markers. Had her thoughts not been completely jumbled, she would have been grateful for all those emergency apparition drills she’d been subjected to long ago. Each Order member had to have a spot they could apparate to under any circumstances, whether exhausted, injured, threatened, or whatever. It was that ingrained skill that had brought her here; and it was a good thing, for in the state of mind she’d been when she left the Weasleys’ so unceremoniously, she could have easily splinched herself.
But Rinna was not thinking about these things when she arrived in the northwest corner of the cemetery. In fact, she barely registered the marble markers she stood in front of. Her mind played the scene she’d just been part of over and over, and it didn’t matter if she shut her eyes or not, she could not make her brain stop. She shook her head with a sound that was something of a cross between an exclamation of frustration and a sob, and crouched down, unconsciously spreading her hand on the cool marble in front of her. Her hand made circles on the smooth stone in time to the words chanting mockingly in her head: You. Broke. My. Heart. You. Broke. My. Heart. You…
Suddenly, her fingers slipped into a cut in the marble, startling her back to the present. Her eyes opened to find her fingertips in the “A” of the first name on the marker to the left: Albert Lau Loong. Her eyes jerked to the right: Avril Dunlevy Lau. Her breath hitched as she looked at the headstones, cheerily bathed in creamy warm light. If she had been looking for a place to soothe her tumultuous emotions, this was the last place she should have come.
She stood up resolutely, but her eyes flickered down once more to the names on the marble. Merlin, how she missed them. She wanted to feel her mother’s arms around her, and hear her gentle cultured voice telling her everything would be all right. She wanted to hear her stepfather’s lilting speech imparting wise words to her in his accented English… “Mum, Ah Loong, I miss you…” she whispered.
She felt the familiar twitch: the urge for physical release from the intense emotions she was experiencing. Her legs wanted to move, to run, to run away fast and hard until the muscles in her thighs and calves burned with exertion and she was so exhausted she couldn’t think or listen to her thoughts anymore…
She looked down at her feet: bah! Sandals were not suitable. She would have to go home and change. Yes. That’s what she would do. There was nothing for her in this place, save painful reminders of tragic loss to further endanger her fragile state of mind. Trainers… she needed her trainers. She closed her eyes, blocking out the image of the cemetery, and disappeared with a pop.
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Usually the pounding of her feet on the path would take on a rhythm that seemed to soothe away any seething, anxious thoughts and helped rein in her emotions. Tonight, however, as the sun started to set, her footfalls seemed to taunt her: You. Broke. My. Heart. You. Broke. My. Heart. You…
She picked up her pace and changed her stride, hoping the new cadence would cancel the tormenting chant, or that she might at least get a nice piercing stitch in her side to distract her. Oh, she got the stitch, alright, but Sirius’ words continued to echo through her head. This is no help. She shook her head as a horse might shake off an offending fly, trying to dislodge the voice in her mind, but only succeeded in throwing herself off balance.
She landed on the side of the park path, hard. Her eyes closed in reaction to the pain of her scraped hands and knees and she immediately saw a pair of indigo eyes filled with hurt and confusion. Damn! It was no use. She picked herself up and began to make her way home.
She shoved her way through the door, and went immediately to the kitchen. She knew what she needed: something that would drown out the words and pictures looping through her mind over and over. She needed to just NOT think for a while, NOT feel for a while. Part of her hated herself even as she reached into the cupboard: this is another sign of weakness, you know.
She determinedly pulled down the fire whiskey decanter. It was nearly empty. What the hell? And what happened to the top? Then she remembered drinking the whiskey with Remus, and that she had shattered the top just a few days ago. Was it really a few days? It seems like so long ago. Never mind. There is bound to be another bottle… But her search through the back of the cupboard brought up only a half-used bottle of cooking sherry. Damn.
She turned to the refrigerator. There should be a bottle of wine chilling… but no, that was consumed the other night with Remus and Dorrie. Sure enough, she pulled the bottle out of the waste bin, and set it on the table where it mocked her with its emptiness. She returned to the fridge, and her hand reached further back, encountering a bottle. What? She pulled it out, and found herself holding a bottle of Guinness. Ugh. Where did that come from? Then she remembered that Dumbledore was rather fond of the thick Muggle beer and she had bought some for the strategy meetings earlier that summer.
She laid out her meager stock on the table. Unfortunately, it would not be sufficient and none of the bottles had refilling charms on them. But maybe if she drank them fast enough… My stars, I’m pathetic and desperate. And yet, her newfound obsession with alcohol was taking her mind off her larger problem somewhat. She sighed and reached for the beer. Couldn’t hurt to try.
She set down the now-empty whiskey bottle (next to the now-empty sherry bottle), annoyed that she and Remus had drunk so much of it last month. She froze. Oh sweet Merlin. REMUS. Her heart gave a little spasm. She groaned as a sandy-haired, hazel-eyed face moved to join the other desultory images that had suddenly sprung again to the forefront of her mind. Her stomach chose that moment to reject the horrid concoction of alcohol she’d poured into it. With a strangled sob, she sprinted for the loo.
Nymphadora Tonks stepped out of the fireplace into Rinna’s living room and surveyed the premises. She had been alarmed enough by Remus’ words that she was determined to do more than poke her head into the fireplace this time, respect for her friend’s privacy be damned. Nothing seemed amiss here, so she stepped into the kitchen and froze.
Oh no! Remus was right, she thought as she inventoried the contents of the kitchen table: a decanter of fire whiskey, a bottle of wine, a funny stout bottle of that Muggle beer and a bottle of Fat Friar’s Cooking Sherry. All were completely empty. Bloody hell! Had she drunk all of that? Tonks shook her head; she thought she knew her friend very well, but apparently not. Well, better find her and assess the damage.
Rinna’s house appeared empty, even her bedroom. Then Tonks heard a muffled moan coming from the bathroom, and she moved toward the door, pushing it open gently, fearing the worst. It was not a pretty sight. Her red-headed friend was lying down with her face on the floor in front of the toilet, one hand still resting on the rim of the bowl, eyes closed and breathing erratically. Tonks frantically tried to remember the spell to counter the effects of alcohol poisoning. “Oh shit.”
Rinna’s eyes snapped open and she rolled onto her back, squinting up at Tonks through tear-swollen eyes. “What?”
“You’re drunk.”
Rinna groaned and sat up. “I wish.” She heaved herself up to standing, and went to the sink for her toothbrush.
She was walking awfully well for someone completely pissed. Tonks was confused. “You’re not drunk?”
Rinna looked at Tonks’ reflection in the mirror. “Sadly, unfortunately, distressingly, no. Not for lack of trying, mind you.”
“But, but, what about all those bottles on the table?”
Rinna snorted and finished brushing her teeth. She turned and ticked her points on her fingers. “The wine: empty from the other night. The sherry: half-full. The Guinness, nasty stuff, that: all right, that was full. And the whiskey: only one and a quarter jiggers. None of which lingered in my stomach for even five minutes before I honked it up into the toilet.”
“Well I should say. Disgusting combination, that. Any self-respecting stomach would reject that out of hand,” Tonks replied, a slight smile playing at her mouth now that she was over her fright. She turned in the doorway as Rinna walked past her and into the bedroom. “Well, if you haven’t been on a bender these last few hours, where have you been?”
Rinna arched an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t they teach you the fine art of observation in Auror Training, Dorrie?” she asked, dramatically waving her hand down her body. Tonks took in the track pants, t-shirt and trainers. “I’ve been running.”
Tonks flopped dramatically onto the comfy armchair in the corner and sighed. “Give me a break, Dunnie. I’ve spent the last few hours dealing with an anxious werewolf who was pacing around my flat worried to death that you were drinking yourself into oblivion, and I’m feeling a bit frazzled after that fright you just gave me on your bathroom floor.” She felt it was wise to avoid mentioning that her renegade cousin was also staying in her flat at that moment.
“So that’s where Remus is, then,” Rinna whispered. She sat on the bed and leaned forward, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. “I just completely left him and ran when Sirius showed up.”
“Dunnie,” Tonks groaned, getting up and moving to sit next to her on the bed, “Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk?”
Rinna flopped backward onto the mattress. “No. I don’t want to talk about it. I just want it all to go away.” Tonks joined her on her back on the bed. Rinna turned to look at her. “I’m hoping you brought some of my favorite Muggle stuff…”
Tonks turned on her side and propped her head up on her hand, eyebrows raised. “That American whiskey? Jack Daniels? Well, no. Sorry, luv; there will be no fling with Captain Jack for you tonight.”
Rinna eyed her grumpily. “What happened to the Nymphadora Tonks’ Method of Coping: Alcohol…Hmmm?”
“No. It is the Nymphadora Tonks’ Formula for Coping, and you are forgetting the formula: Alcohol, Dancing and Men.” She cracked a grin. “You should know, Dunnie, as an excellent potions maker yourself, that ingredients must be combined to be effective…especially ingredients that are potentially lethal on their own…”
Rinna let out a rueful snort. “Well, that explains why my pathetic attempt at drowning my sorrows failed,” she said dryly. She grew quiet, staring at the ceiling.
“Sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Tonks inquired softly.
Rinna let out a long sigh, but didn’t answer. Finally, she rolled over and grabbed the pillows from the head of the bed, offering one to Tonks, and hugging the other to herself as she rolled on her side. “It was awful,” she whispered as tears filled her eyes. “It was bad enough knowing I had broken his heart, but to hear the words come from his own mouth…” She trailed off. She looked into Tonks’ sympathetic eyes, caramel brown today, and was suddenly grateful that her young friend had come over. Her words began pouring out, like dogs loosed before the hunt.
“He said I hadn’t trusted him enough, and he’s right. I was such an idiot. I believed I had everything under control and it was just a huge illusion. I played right into the enemy’s hands. DAMNIT!” She slammed her fist into the bed. “I shattered our lives and for nothing. I don’t think he will ever be able to forgive me for that.”
“You don’t think so?” asked Tonks, thinking of Sirius’ words to Remus.
“Well…there was a moment, Dorrie, when I was running out of the Weasleys’ yard, when I thought I heard…no, I must have imagined it.” She shook her head.
Tonks took her arm and shook it gently. “Imagined what? Tell me.”
Rinna took a deep breath, afraid of voicing the one thin gossamer strand of hope she’d held on to these last few hours lest it snap and float away. She suspected this was the only tenuous barrier standing between her and another mental breakdown. She closed her eyes and murmured, “I thought I heard him say ‘Ruby, wait!’ Then I think he said it again as I apparated.”
“Ruby?” Tonks queried, puzzled.
“It was his pet name for me.” She rolled onto her back again. “Why would he call me that? Why ask me to wait?” She sat up and turned her anguished gaze to her friend.
Tonks looked at Rinna as she sat up too, and prayed she would say the right thing. She had never dreamed once in a million years that she would be the one playing the big sister role. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was at least fairly certain that Rinna had heard what she thought Sirius had called out as she fled; it made sense with what she had overheard in her apartment. “Why indeed? Perhaps you left the conversation too soon.”
Tears flowed from Rinna’s eyes as she spoke, hushed and hesitant. “I had to leave, I had to. All these years, I’ve been able to take any errant memory of him, any stray thought, and lock it away so it wouldn’t burn away at my heart. But when I saw him, face to face, when I looked into his eyes…oh Merlin, his eyes,” she sobbed. Tonks put an arm around her reassuringly. She sniffled loudly and continued, “I couldn’t hide any of it away any more. It was like, like trying to contain a whirlwind…impossible. It all came rushing in on me, all of it. How I had betrayed him, betrayed us…” She tried to catch her shuddering breath. “How I would never have him again because of what I did… I had to go, I had to, I couldn’t take it anymore, it hurt too much…” She was crying so hard now that she could no longer speak.
Tonks pulled her into her arms and stroked her back. “Shhh, shush now. Let it out.” Tonks rocked her anguished friend back and forth and held her as she cried. She had never in the time she’d known her seen Rinna cry like this.
Finally, the sobbing ceased. “Sorry,” came Rinna’s apology, muffled by Tonks’ shoulder.
“What the hell do you have to be sorry for? After all the times I cried on your shoulder about stupid men…”
Rinna snorted a quick subdued laugh and pulled away.
Tonks reached out to Rinna’s face with the edge of a pillow case, drying her tears. “Hey, Rinna luv, I don’t think the main question is whether or not Sirius can forgive you for what you did.”
Rinna looked at her in surprise. “What? What do you mean?”
“I think the question is: can you forgive yourself?”
Arinna Dunlevy stood nervously at the base of the steps leading up to the front porch of the Burrow, a box of biscuits from her favorite bakery in her hand, anxiously shifting her weight from one leg to the other. She looked up at the front door with trepidation. She was sure that she was not emotionally ready to go in and face the interrogation that was sure to come from Molly after that little performance in the backyard yesterday afternoon. However, she had been raised in a very proper wizarding home, and good manners had been drilled into her from an early age, and her conscience demanded that she apologize for the appalling breach of social etiquette she had perpetrated when she ran away yesterday.
She sighed. If she was smart, she would turn and leave now. She was under the assault of many different emotions swirling around in her mind, and really, she was no better off than she had been last night. Try as she might to take each memory captive and tamp it down into the recesses of her heart, her mind refused to have any part of that old method of survival. It was ironic, that just when she needed it the most, the coping mechanism she had relied on, since childhood, really, if she was honest with herself, had failed her. And so she stood there, thoughts of Sirius and Remus making her heart ache, angry with herself, and full of shame for her behavior.
She climbed up the steps, hissing at the discomfort she was already feeling in her body from the Quidditch game yesterday. But the aching in her muscles was nothing compared to the aching she felt in her heart. She was too raw. I should leave.
Numbly, she knocked on the door. Suddenly she found herself caught up in Molly’s embrace. “Oh, thank heavens you are all right! I was very worried about you, luv!” She was pulled into the kitchen. “I have the teakettle going. We’ll have a spot of tea.” Rinna silently handed her the bakery box. “Oh, splendid. These will go nicely.”
As she bustled about with the preparations, Molly glanced and saw that Rinna was still standing in the middle of the kitchen. “Come, sit, sit! Don’t just stand there. Let’s drink our tea and then I will find your things that you left here yesterday.”
“Molly, I am so sorry for running off like that.” Rinna said miserably.
Molly waved her off. “Rinna, it was understandable, after the shock you had. Now, sit.”
Rinna sat. “How much of that debacle did you witness, anyway?” she asked.
Molly poured the tea. “Pretty much all of it, I’d say. Enough to get the gist of what had happened between you and Sirius.”
Rinna groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “I had no idea that he would show up like that. I’m so sorry that you, that everybody had to witness that scene,” she said with what sounded suspiciously like a sob.
Molly put a sympathetic hand on Rinna’s shoulder. “Are you all right, Dearie?” Rinna shook her head. “Do you want to talk about it?” Rinna shook her head again. Molly sighed and made a moue of frustration. “Well, have you had anything to eat?”
Rinna shook her head once more. “I’m not terribly hungry,” she said dully. Her stomach was feeling the effects of her emotional turmoil.
Whatever Molly was going to say in reply was interrupted by the banging of the back door as four teenaged bodies flung it open and plowed inside, flushed and sweaty from being outdoors and talking animatedly. The chatter died out when they saw the kitchen was occupied.
Rinna hastily stood up. “Hullo, Harry.”
“Uh, hi,” came Harry’s hesitant reply. He was surprised to see her there.
“I, uh, came to tell you I’m sorry. For running off like I did yesterday,” she said uncomfortably.
“Oh. Okay.”
The awkward silence pressed in on her. She turned to Molly. “Right. Well, I need to get home, so I’ll just get my things and…”
“Just a minute, dear, I’ll go get them,” Molly assured her, sensing Rinna’s discomfort. Rinna hastily followed Molly out of the kitchen.
“Wait, Rinna!” called Harry as he ran after her, causing his godmother to jump, she was so wound up. She turned to him, puzzled. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Sirius was coming.”
Rinna’s brows furrowed into a frown. “Hang on. You knew he was coming?” Harry nodded, shamefaced. “How could you have possibly known that?” she asked carefully.
Harry stammered, “Oh, uh, the first night I met you, I wrote him a letter, asking about you.”
“You wrote him a letter about me,” she repeated faintly.
Harry hung his head a little and nodded. “And he wrote me back.”
“He wrote you back?” she asked incredulously. “And he told you he was coming to the Burrow?”
Harry scuffed his trainer on the floor. He cleared his throat and glanced at Ron and Hermione, who were pointedly looking anywhere but at Rinna. He was regretting opening his big mouth. “Well, not exactly…”
Rinna didn’t miss the furtive exchange of glances. “What do you mean by ‘not exactly?’” she inquired dubiously. Harry developed a sudden fascination with his trainers. Rinna’s eyes narrowed. “May I see this letter?” she said with disconcerting calm. Harry fidgeted nervously. “You still have the letter, don’t you?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not sure where it is,” he hedged.
Rinna sighed and closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples with her fingertips. Her tone held more than a hint of impatience. “Do you suppose you could find it for me?”
Harry looked at his friends again. They stared at him wide-eyed, no help whatsoever. “Uh, I guess so. I’ll go try to find it,” Harry replied reluctantly. He turned and slowly went up the stairs. Rinna huffed in exasperation. She’d seen flobberworms move faster than he did. Ginny, Hermione and Ron, deciding they might be safer if they followed Harry, carefully avoided Rinna’s gaze and slunk off after their friend.
Molly had returned and caught the end of the exchange. She looked at Rinna curiously, but didn’t say anything. She simply set Rinna’s things down and watched as Rinna nervously paced, obviously on tenterhooks. Harry seemed to take a long time.
Finally, he returned, Ron, Hermione and Ginny behind him. Rinna gestured impatiently to him, hand outstretched and fingers wriggling, and he slowly walked to her to grudgingly hand her the letter. Harry knew the letter was less than flattering. He wished he had lied and told her he didn’t have it anymore.
As she opened the letter, Rinna felt a pang at seeing the familiar handwriting after so long. She began to read, and let out a snort at the first line. She continued to read, her lips moving ever so slightly, when she suddenly stopped. “What? He had doubts about where my loyalties lie?” she muttered.
Harry looked at her nervously. The pale skin of her face was beginning to turn red, and her mouth was pressed into a thin, hard line. He saw the movement of her eyes as she scanned the next line.
“What?! ‘I wish I could tell you that you can trust her?’ He doesn’t think I’m trustworthy?” Her indignation was mounting, and her ears were now flushing pink. Harry took a cautious step backwards. “‘Be careful?!’ Who the hell does he…” Rinna felt like a spring being stretched too far.
Harry jumped when Rinna’s eyes snapped from the letter to his face. “How long have you had this letter?” she barked.
“Uh, not long. I got it a couple of days ago…”
She had already returned to reading the rest of the contents of the letter, and began to mutter more angrily, “Remus didn’t say anything about this. I need to talk to Remus.” She heard a roaring in her ears as her anger began to mount. The last little rational part of her mind really wished she had not come to the Burrow today, as she was incapable of controlling the fury that suddenly consumed her at reading Sirius’ hurtful assessment of her. She crumpled the letter in her hand and swore. Everyone flinched.
She threw the letter down in her temper and strode swiftly into the living room to stand at the fireplace. Molly quickly followed her. “Rinna dear, calm down! I’m sure there is a good explanation.”
Hermione leaned over to Harry and murmured, “Well, here’s proof that the Weasleys don’t hold exclusive rights to that red-headed temper.”
Harry cast her a flabbergasted look. His godmother looked like she was going to burst a blood vessel, and Hermione was joking? Couldn’t she see that this was all his fault? Stupid, wretched letter! Writing it had been one of his most idiotic blunders ever. He moved toward the living room, and the others followed.
The four teens crowded through the living room door right as Rinna pulled out her wand and pointed it at the fireplace. “Incendio!” she bit out. Flinging some floo powder in, she crouched down and thrust her face in the fire.
Rinna’s head appeared in the fireplace at Tonks’ flat. “Dorrie? Dorrie! Is Remus still there? I need to talk to him!” Rinna’s voice was shrill.
Remus was so startled that he immediately stood up and strode to the fireplace. “What is it, Rin”“ His voice died as he took in the expression on her face. Uh oh. Big trouble. He hadn’t seen her this livid in quite some time.
“Remus,” she snapped, eyes flashing with angry fire, or was it just the flames? Please just let it be the flames… Remus remembered the few times Rinna had been in a snit like this one, and he’d been grateful he had never been on the receiving end of it. It would seem his luck had run out today. Not that that wouldn’t be in keeping with the theme of the last two days anyway…
“Remus!”
His eyes snapped back to hers. No, it definitely wasn’t the light from the fireplace. Damn. His voice was calm, belying the very unsettled feeling that was descending on him at the moment, “I’m right here, Rinna.” He could see the Weasley living room behind her, and he noticed Harry there, looking very upset and guilty.
“Were you aware that Harry wrote a letter to Sirius?” she demanded.
Remus watched as Harry winced and began slinking his way toward the living room door with Ron and Hermione in tow. “Not until yesterday afternoon when Harry and Sirius told me,” he answered, still calmly.
“And that Sirius wrote him back?”
“Uh, no… I wasn’t aware of that,” he replied, wondering where this was going. He turned to look at Sirius, who was out of the line of sight of the fireplace, and mouthed, “What the bloody hell did you write to rile her up like that?”
Sirius merely shrugged. He was enjoying the scene so far; he remembered the few times Rinna had been in a snit like this one. Most of them had been directed at him. Those had always ended very satisfactorily with some kind of snogging, heavy groping or make-up sex. He felt a small flame of hope kindle in his chest.
“He wrote, oh by all the bloody moons of Jupiter, I can’t believe what he wrote, Remus,” she shrilled. “He bloody wrote ‘I had my doubts about where her loyalties lie.’ He questioned my effing loyalty, Remus!” She was in full-blown tirade mode now, and there was no stopping her. Remus just winced and braced for the blast from the storm. “What the hell does he mean by questioning my loyalty? Since when did Sirius ever question my loyalty?” she cried.
Now Remus noted that Molly was rounding the kids up, most likely to get them away from all the swearing. “Well,” Remus said very carefully, “when you broke your engagement with him...” He looked very uncomfortable.
Rinna looked at him with deceptive calm. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and dangerous. “I thought you said Sirius thought you and I were having an affair…” She ignored the surprised gasps behind her. In fact, for all she was aware, the Burrow no longer existed.
Remus glanced at Sirius, who had an amused expression. This made Remus very disgruntled. “Well, that was one of the theories he had come up with, yes…” he said defensively.
Rinna glared at him. “You failed to mention that he’d come up with a nice ‘turning to the dark side’ hypothesis as well,” she said icily.
Sirius chuckled. “I thought you said she had changed, Moony.”
Remus turned and glared at him. “Shut it, you! You are not helping!”
“What did you say?” came Rinna’s sharp voice.
“Uh, look Rinna…” he began.
“How could he have thought that? That me, ME of all people, would join Voldemort? Was he barmy?” she said furiously.
“She’s a right spitfire, just like old times,” Sirius commented. “Tell me, Moony, does she look as sexy as she used to, all fired up like that?”
Remus cocked his head around and fixed Sirius with a withering scowl. “I told you to SHUT IT!”
“I beg your pardon?” Rinna said indignantly, completely offended.
“No, no, not you,” he said, turning back to the fireplace.
“What?” she shrieked. “Is HE there?” The look on Remus’ face must have given him away, because she began to climb through the fireplace. “That’s it. I’m coming over there!” Without so much as a by your leave to the Weasleys or Harry, she flooed into Tonks’ flat.
“What? No! Rinna, wait!” Remus began frantically, but it was too late. She was there, brushing soot off her shoulders and searching the room for one Sirius Black.
Her thunderstorm eyes locked onto his as he stood to face her. “How could you?” she challenged. “How could you ever think I would go to that bastard’s side?” She advanced on him, her fury blistering the air.
Remus was quite convinced that she had crossed over the demarcation of rationality, and he got his wand ready to disarm the situation. He was surprised when she stopped in front of Sirius, instead of doing him bodily harm, and stood with her hands on her hips, sparks of anger almost visibly snapping off of her.
“Well?” she inquired wrathfully.
Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and studied her impassively. There was no trace of mischief on his face now. “Well…” he drawled sardonically, “may I point out that you thought I was a mass murderer, and that I had gone over to his side?”
“Oh.” The air rushed out of her lungs as the anger flowed out of her body and she visibly wilted. Sirius’ hand reached out to catch her elbow as she swayed, and he solicitously walked her to the nearest armchair. “Oh,” she said again in a quiet, shamed voice as she sat down. She leaned back and closed her eyes, a pained look on her face.
Remus sprang into action, bringing a bottle and a glass from the cabinet over to Rinna. “Here.” He poured it and handed her the glass. She eyed it warily. “It’s your favorite Muggle stuff,” he added, showing her the bottle.
She noted the familiar black label, then glared up at him. “I beg your pardon, but aren’t you the one who seems to think I have a drinking problem?” she asked sarcastically.
Remus gave her a measuring look. “In this case, I’m here to monitor your intake.”
“Right. And we both know how that turned out the last time, don’t we?” she pointed out scathingly.
“Don’t…” he began, nervously flicking his gaze to Sirius, who had sat down and was watching the exchange with much interest.
“I won’t. I’m not a complete idiot, I’ll have you know,” she interrupted acerbically. She snorted. “Although, I will admit you could argue the credibility of my last statement based on my behavior today.” She contemplated the glass in her hand, swirling the liquid a few times, and considered handing it back to Remus. “Ah, bugger it!” She knocked it back.
Remus looked at her coolly. “I’m willing to settle for ‘half-wit’ and call it even,” he deadpanned.
Rinna’s mouth hung open in indignant shock for a few seconds before she huffed out a laugh. She hurled a small decorative pillow she seized from the armchair, smirking and cackling in triumph as it connected soundly with Remus’ midsection.
Sirius felt a pang of jealousy at being excluded from the easy, albeit tense at the moment, camaraderie between the two of them. He was impressed with the skill Remus used to disarm the clearly hacked off Rinna. He’s probably had lots of practice, he surmised. His eyes wandered back to Rinna as Remus sat on the couch, making a deliberate show of using the pillow Rinna had thrown as a headrest. Sirius was startled to find green eyes studying him carefully.
“You look like you could use a drink, too,” she observed.
“Well,” he stated mildly, “it’s been a while.”
She reached toward Remus, flexing her fingers to indicate he should hand over the bottle. She poured more into the glass she held and got up to walk it over to Sirius.
Rinna handed him the glass and turned, but Sirius quickly took her hand in his. She turned back to him in surprise. He caught her gaze with his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Somehow she knew he was talking about his outburst in the Weasley garden yesterday. He saw a change flicker in her emerald eyes as they softened.
She took in his bedraggled appearance, his hollow cheeks and the dark circles under his eyes that one mere night of sleep could not yet erase. Even though he’d cleaned himself up, he still looked like he had been through hell. And he has. “I’m sorry, too,” was her soft reply. Somehow he knew she was talking about more than her tantrum earlier. He nodded.
She pulled her hand from his and returned to her chair to watch him sip the whiskey. He grimaced and gave a little shudder. “What is this stuff?”
“American whiskey. Muggle liquor.” She chuckled ruefully. “I’ve picked up a few bad habits over the years.” Remus snorted and she turned to glare at him. “As I’m sure Remus can tell you.”
Remus snorted again. “Really, Rinna, thirteen years’ worth of bad habits…It could take days to cover…”
She searched for another pillow, but at the sound of Sirius’ chuckle, she whipped her head around to include him in her glare. He tipped the glass of whiskey at her in a cheeky salute and tossed it back.
When he put the glass down, he found Rinna looking at him gravely. “Why did you come back, Sirius?”
“You don’t know?” he said gently. Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I came back because of you.”
A/N: I really, really, really love to hear from my readers…hint, hint. Please, won’t you take a minute or two and leave me a review?
A little note about Chinese names: according to my research, the Chinese use their family name first, then their given name. If a Western name is given to a child, or an adult adopts a Western name, he or she will follow the Western convention of listing that name first. Hence, Rinna’s stepfather’s name at the beginning of the chapter follows this sequence: Western name, family name, given name. Rinna’s mother’s name follows the sequence we are most familiar with. Also, the diminutive or familiar form of the Chinese given name has “Ah” in front of it. I just found that interesting, and I hope you did, too. (Now if I have really gotten this all wrong, will someone please let me know?)
A New Definition of Family by RahNee
Chapter Notes: How Harry's godmother copes with the confrontation and shock after seeing his godfather for the first time in 13 years. Warning: characters use alcohol inappropriately to cope; please do not follow their example.