A New Definition of Family
Chapter 17: Misbehavin’
Disclaimer: I do not own any of JK Rowling’s characters or any portion of the Harry Potter universe. Sigh. Any characters, places, little shops in Knockturn Alley, situations, or spells that you don’t find in her fabulous books, well now, they belong to me!
Author note: I would say that up until this point, my story would be rated for teens only (mostly for language and the occasional romantic scene). Well, our dear Rinna and Sirius have forced me to assign a mature rating for this chapter! (At least, for the last third of the chapter, anyway.) Rated for… how can I euphemistically put it? Ah yes, for “adult situations.” If you wouldn’t be allowed into an R rated movie on your own, you probably shouldn’t be reading this. You have been warned. (No skipping over to the last part of the chapter now, you hear?!)
As it turned out, the "Snake Incident," as it was being called by the Hogwarts staff, was the first of many episodes of misbehavior that began to crop up. Mischief and general bad behavior was at an all-time high for so early in the term.
Rinna had just broken up one such occurrence on her way to the Staff Meeting. A group of Sixth Years (she was not in the least bit surprised to find Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan the ringleaders) had decided to create a skating rink in the main hall outside the Charms classroom by flooding the area with water from the nearby boys lavatory and applying a impressively well executed freezing charm. After handing out detentions to all involved, Rinna shooed away the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor girls who had been skating in their stocking feet (first allowing them to dry their socks), and turned to dispatch the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw boys who were using their Care of Magical Creatures books in some sort of weird version of curling. She was duly impressed with the level of creativity they had achieved: they had even transfigured their quills into little brooms to sweep the ice in front of the books.
“You three,” she commanded, pointing at one dread-locked and two ginger-haired perpetrators, “demonstrate your magical skills by cleaning this up, now.” While the boys were doing so, Madam Hooch happened onto the scene, and stood by Rinna, watching the proceedings with interest. When the lads were done, Rinna sent them away with double detentions and a sincere, “Well done, all of it.”
The two women began walking toward the Staff Room. Madam Hooch said, “It won’t be long before these harmless pranks begin to get worse.”
“I hardly would call a hallway writhing with a hundred snakes harmless,” Rinna noted dryly.
The flying instructor brushed her comment aside. “Exactly what I mean. Pretty soon, someone will get hurt, badly. It’s because of the cancellation of Quidditch, you know. The students have no organized sanctioned outlet for their restless energy.”
Rinna agreed and added, “And, we still have almost four weeks to go before the other schools arrive, don’t forget.”
Madam Hooch paused. “Would you agree that something must be done, Arinna?” Her tone was conspiratorial.
“What did you have in mind, Rolanda?” Rinna grinned collaboratively.
----- -----
The din of clamoring voices struck Rinna and her companion as they opened the Staff Room door, the last ones to arrive. Minerva McGonagall’s eyes narrowed as she saw Rinna hand Hooch a quill, and hastily roll up a scroll and shrink it into her palm.
Professor Sinistra had unofficially started the meeting, her voice loud with concern. “It’s getting out of hand, Albus! Why, Minerva is having to assign each staff member a third and even fourth night of detention duty to accommodate all the punishments being handed out!”
Rinna politely cleared her throat. “And unfortunately, I just gave out twenty-six detentions and three doubles on my way over here…”
“WHAT?” Sprout, Flitwick, and Sinistra all rounded on her.
She shrugged apologetically. The Snake Incident had awarded Rinna the dubious honor of giving the most detentions for a single act of mischief so far this year (twenty-nine of them to be exact) and now she had topped herself. “An ice skating rink outside the Charms classrooms,” she explained. “Sixth Years.” She looked at McGonagall and Flitwick. “It’s really too bad you didn’t get to see it, Minerva, Filius, because it was a brilliant display of skilled transfiguration and charms work…”
But none of Rinna’s colleagues were amused; everyone turned to the Headmaster and began talking at once. Sinistra protested her loss of personal time. Moody suggested this was all the work of dark wizards who had infiltrated the school and were controlling the students’ behavior with the Imperius Curse. Argus Filch whined that if he was allowed to discipline the students his way, this problem wouldn’t be happening. Even Snape calmly pointed out that additional nights of detention duty would disrupt his work on many of the delicate potions he was brewing, especially the potions that Poppy Pomfrey relied on daily in the infirmary. As other staff opened mouths to lodge their complaints, Dumbledore raised his hands for silence.
Everyone quieted and found a seat except Sybill Trelawney, who had actually ventured down from her tower to attend the meeting. She quavered, “I knew great turmoil was on the horizon! My Inner Eye foresaw these troubling times!”
Snape looked at her with an expression of sour distaste. “And yet, you did not deem it troubling enough to enlighten the rest of the staff…” he noted acerbically. Trelawney glared at him, and sat down huffily.
The Headmaster cleared his throat. “I am aware that mischief and mayhem has reached unprecedented heights for so early in the term. And our good Deputy Headmistress has informed me that we have enough detentions to last well into mid-November if we use the normal detention-duty roster.” He stopped. “And thanks to our Sixth Years, probably to the end of November.” He chuckled to himself. “Skating rinks in the hallways. What will they think of next?” He was met with silence. Cheerfully, he added, “And that is, of course, assuming that from this moment on, no more students earn a detention. The chances of that happening, as I’m sure you are all aware, are not very likely.” The man looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. “My, my. This is a most interesting situation… Yes, Rolanda?”
“I believe that most of our troubles are a result of pent up energy that has no properly approved physical outlet, Albus,” stated Madam Hooch. “After all, in a normal school year, the Houses would have had at least three weeks of Quidditch practice under their belts by now and would be zealously preparing for the first match of the year. All of their restless energy would be channeled into flying, strategizing, or cheering. With the canceling of Quidditch, the students are finding much more, er, creative ways to let off steam.” She looked around. “We simply must arrange for Quidditch to be played.”
Voices again rose all at once. Someone cried, “We can’t start Quidditch now! The Triwizard Tournament is beginning soon!” Others nodded in emphasis. “There is no time to have team try-outs now!” shouted Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House. “Quidditch is quite out of the question,” came another protest.
Rinna popped out of her seat rather suddenly, drawing the attention of the others (who were all old enough that they never moved that abruptly anymore unless absolutely necessary, with the exception of Snape who was spry enough but would never deign to behave in so indecorous a manner). “May I suggest something?” she asked politely. Taking the disapproving silence as an affirmative, she said, “I think we should seize this opportunity to enhance the students’ education. We could start up an intramural program of Muggle sports: say rugby, or maybe that crazy American football. It would be very cross-cultural, you know, promote understanding… it would be a precursor to the Triwizard Tournament itself.” Rinna wished she had a camera to capture the expressions of her colleagues. As it was, she had to stifle a snort; she needed to be convincing, after all.
Severus Snape looked as if he’d just smelled something very unpleasant. “Really, Arinna! Are you daft? The idea of Slytherin House playing Muggle games is absolutely preposterous…” his voice trailed off as he noted an amused glint in Rinna’s eyes and her attempt to hide a smug quirk of her lips. He snapped his mouth shut, and eyed her warily. He had a sudden suspicion that he, and the rest of the staff, was in the process of being conned by the red-headed upstart.
“My dear,” said Professor Sprout in a tone that was a cross between pity and exasperation, “You of all people should know that Quidditch is a time-honored tradition here at Hogwarts. Why, it is the oldest wizarding sport, and as such, is Hogwarts official sport.” Heads began to nod again in agreement.
“Exactly!” Professor Sinistra interjected. “Even in the spirit of cross-cultural understanding, it simply would be unseemly for this school to play host to Muggle games.” She turned to Dumbledore. “If there are to be any intramural games, they must be Quidditch!”
The Headmaster was stroking his beard to hide the smile on his lips. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, “I have always tried to heed the good advice of my staff, particularly when it comes to the well being of this school. Is this the general consensus? That we should begin intramural Quidditch as soon as possible?” He looked around the room and took in the enthusiastic nods, noting that only Snape looked rather put out.
Dumbledore turned to Madam Hooch. “Well, Rolanda, the recommendation of the staff is that we initiate intramural Quidditch games immediately. Is this feasible?”
“We might be able to work something out,” Hooch replied drolly. “In fact, I believe I will let Professor Dunlevy explain how.”
“Certainly, Rolanda,” said Rinna smartly, stepping forward and appropriating the attention of everyone in the room. She produced a small scroll from her palm and enlarged it. “As you can see, here is a rotation of use times for the pitch that will allow not only the House Teams to play, but other organized pick-up teams as well. We have also set up a duty roster to provide adult supervision. And if I may direct your attention…”
Professor Flitwick was sputtering. “What? Why, Arinna, I thought you wanted Muggle sports…” his voice trailed off as he saw Rinna grin.
“Really, Filius. Me? Not want Quidditch? In exchange for American football, of all things? Did you know that the ball used for that isn’t even round?” Rinna laughed at the expression on the Charms professor’s face.
Flitwick pointed his finger at Rinna and Hooch in turn. “You, both of you, set us up!” he squeaked. The room began to fill with chuckles.
Taking command again, Rinna raised her voice. “And, I suspect that you all will find this to your satisfaction.” She turned the oversized parchment over. “In order to get the pitch and stadium ready for play, there is a great deal of work to be done. Enough work for, oh, say seventy students to tackle as they serve their detentions on the next Saturday morning…” The room swelled with approving murmurs.
“I daresay that should get the detention duty roster down to a manageable level again, eh Minerva?” noted Professor Sinistra as she peered at the parchment. Rinna observed Argus Filch turn a rather unhealthy shade of red at the thought of all those students getting off so easily, in his opinion, and she secretly was pleased that his latest plans for tortuously miserable detentions had been foiled.
The room was filled with the pleasant buzz of discussion for a few more minutes, with Rinna and Hooch fielding questions until all were satisfied with the solution (at least, all except Filch) and the meeting began to break up. Rinna rolled up the parchment and gave it to McGonagall.
When she turned around, she found Severus Snape standing in front of her, scrutinizing her charily. She raised her eyebrow in inquiry. He raised an eyebrow in return and drawled softly, “Well played, Arinna. How very Slytherin of you.”
One side of her mouth quirked upward impudently. “Indeed, Severus. That sounded suspiciously like a compliment, coming from you.”
He gave her a curt nod. “Interpret it as you see fit. Goodnight.”
Rinna’s eyes followed Snape as he stalked out of the room. Professor Trelawney was standing near the door, still wringing her hands. The silly woman looked genuinely distressed. Rinna turned back to Dumbledore and McGonagall and gave them a nod before crossing the room to take the Divination Professor by the arm. “Sybill, dear, did you not some time ago foresee that you and I would spend a pleasant evening drinking hot toddies?”
Trelawney squinted at the younger woman through her thick glasses. “I did?” she asked tremulously.
“I’m quite sure you did,” Rinna said firmly. “And isn’t it convenient that the kitchens are between us and your tower?” She gently led the woman out the door.
Minerva watched the two women leave and sighed. “I am glad to see that in spite of everything she’s been through, our Arinna is still a kind and compassionate girl.”
Dumbledore chuckled. He knew that even though as a schoolgirl Rinna had tested and tried the Deputy Headmistress’ patience many times, Minerva had always had a soft spot for the Titian-haired spitfire. As did he; she had taken every brutal, tragic card life had handed her and built herself a formidable hand. Dumbledore was rather pleased to have the opportunity to see how she would play that hand now that she’d finally grown up. “And she’s turning out to be a rather useful girl, as well. Just as I predicted, all those years ago, if you recall, Minerva.”
McGonagall tossed him a sour look. “Did you foresee that with your Inner Eye, Albus?” she asked mockingly.
He blithely ignored her comment. “The mark of a good educator, my dear Professor, is finding constructive ways to divert a potential troublemaker’s precocious, swotty, know-it-all energy and turn it to the school’s advantage. That is why I made her a prefect, you know.”
She nodded. “And now, you have made her a teacher.”
“Yet another brilliant move on my part, as you saw tonight.” The look on his face was pure cunning. “And now that I have her on staff, I am quite eager to keep her here.”
“Well, it’s obvious she enjoys teaching, and has a gift for it. What subject do you have in mind for her next year, then?”
“Why, we will need a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, of course. We will have a vacancy when Moody leaves in June. It is not unreasonable to drop the ‘Associate’ from the title she now carries, is it?”
McGonagall looked at him a bit incredulously. “Do you honestly think that something as simple as a change in job title will break the curse on the D.A.D.A. position?”
Dumbledore smiled serenely. “Sometimes, the best solutions to problems are simple ones, my dear.”
McGonagall remained thoughtfully quiet before adding, “I suppose it would certainly be absurdly fitting if she was the one to break the curse, now wouldn’t it?”
“I assure you that I would appreciate the irony of it, Minerva.” With a nod, Dumbledore took his leave.
Rinna stood at the entrance to the Quidditch stadium and scowled as she reviewed the reasons why she hated this very moment. First and foremost, the sun was not quite above the horizon yet; never a happy observation for a non-morning person. Secondly, she had gotten to bed late the night before; planning and organizing this day had taken them well into the evening, but it was a certain blue-eyed Marauder who had kept her up past her bedtime. A smile almost made it to her lips because that thought implied things much more naughty than what had actually happened; they had spent a good two hours talking, punctuated by some cuddling and handholding with an occasional kiss, on the chaise on her back porch. Entirely her fault, really, that she was barely able to keep her eyes open this morning, but, then again, they did have years of catching up to do.
Snapping out of her reverie, she noted the third reason for her cantankerousness; it looked to her that the castle was vomiting out thousands of students, who were trudging, bleary-eyed, toward the Quidditch field, grumbling loudly. The largest group-detention in the history of Hogwarts was about to begin.
“Here, you look like you could use this.”
A large mug of steaming liquid was thrust into her hands. She peered up at Madam Hooch. “What is this?” She bent to sniff it.
“Espresso. A potent version of coffee. It will get you going! Are you much of a coffee drinker, Arinna?”
“I am now!” Rinna stated fervently as she cautiously sipped. Even the smell of it was invigorating. “Thanks.”
Rolanda Hooch grinned. “Here come the hordes. I hope you are ready for this.”
Rinna groaned. “Tell me why we have to do this, again?”
“Because we were the conniving witches who came up with this plan in order to save the school from utter destruction, not to mention have a little Quidditch fun,” the older woman answered in a hearty tone.
Rinna scrubbed at her face with her hand and gave herself a few smart pats on her cheek in an attempt to perk up. “Right. Remind me to never do any secret plotting with you again,” she grumbled.
Hooch laughed. “Drink up, dear.”
----- -----
All in all, the morning was going rather smoothly, Rinna thought with satisfaction as she circled above the pitch on her broom, observing the controlled chaos that she and Rolanda had orchestrated. Which suited her just fine; there would be time for lunch before the first pick-up game that afternoon. And after a few hours serving as referee, Rinna would be able to floo home to a supposedly home-cooked meal… she smiled, knowing that Dorrie had managed to browbeat Remus and Sirius into some kind of dinner party. Congratulations on the “Quidditch victory,” Dunnie dear, she had written, No doubt by the end of Saturday, you are going to be completely knackered. I’ll sweet-talk Remus into playing chef, and we’ll have everything ready for you when you get here.
Rinna sighed. One of these days she was going to have to demand an entire weekend off. It was utterly frustrating to only be able to squeeze in a few hours here and there with Sirius. Everyone at the school assumed she had a beau, an idea that had probably germinated from the rather frequent morning posts she received that consisted of a rose and a letter. And yet, it hadn’t struck anyone as strange that she had not yet spent a night away from Hogwarts since the term started.
Of course, she was the one who’d volunteered to help make this “Quidditch victory” happen, thus, of her own free will, giving up a chance to spend the day with her… her what? Her lover? Well he certainly wasn’t that yet, damn it. Her fiancé? He wasn’t that really, anymore, either. Her boyfriend? Her suitor? Inamorato? Swain? Flame? She heaved an exasperated sigh. Okay, so their situation was a bit unique. Renegade paramour? Come on, Rinna girl, focus now. You are supposed to be supervising… clearly the buzz from the espresso Hooch had handed her was wearing off.
She heard shouting below and glanced down and swore. If there ever was a time for artificial stimulants in her system, it was now, for she saw an altercation underway; a blond-headed boy with balled up fists was heading for a flame-haired boy and his brunet mate. Time for a little intervention with my favorite Fourth Years, she thought grimly as she angled her broom downward.
The situation had only escalated to a bit of finger-jabbing in the chest when Rinna landed, but Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan were already loping over from the Gryffindor group, and Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were treading a number of yards behind Draco. One baleful glare from Professor Dunlevy sent each pair of back-up players hastening rearward to their respective housemates.
“Well, gentlemen, mind telling me what seems to be the problem here?” Rinna fixed each boy with a stern eye.
Harry and Ron glanced at each other, then shrugged. Draco, it seemed, decided to be on his best behavior when the professor who’d recently been elevated from ‘not worth thinking about’ to ‘intriguing’ in his estimation suddenly appeared. He smiled charmingly and said, “Oh, there’s no problem here, Professor Dunlevy.”
Rinna’s eyes made the round of each boy again. “Uh huh,” she said, unconvinced. “That is good to hear, because it would be a shame for you all to have put in so much hard work to get the pitch and the stadium ready, only to not be able to play today…” Her voice trailed off warningly. The three caught her drift, for they nodded. “So unless there is something I can do for you lads…”
Draco was seized with a sudden desire to prolong this encounter with the Associate D.A.D.A. Professor. After all, this was the closest he had ever been to having her undivided attention, and besides, the longer he talked to her, the less work he would have to do. Now what could he say to keep Dunlevy from sending him back?
Draco’s eyes caught the glare reflected off the finish on her broom handle. “Professor, what kind of broom is that?” he asked. He remembered Madam Hooch mentioning a Silver Arrow once, and Professor Dunlevy’s broom sure looked silver. He vaguely recalled something about the Arrow being one of the fastest brooms of its time. He was sure Dunlevy would be impressed with his knowledge of brooms. “That is a Silver Arrow, isn’t it?” he added with a knowing air.
Ron, who had poured over the book on broomsticks Rinna had given Harry for his birthday, turned to him and scowled. “Malfoy, you dolt; the Silver Arrow was one of the first racing brooms of the twentieth century. If she had one of those in that kind of condition,” indicating the sparkling gleam on Rinna’s broom, “she’d have it in a glass case with fifty unbreakable charms on it!”
Harry snickered, and Draco looked furious. Rinna smoothly interjected, “I don’t know much about any brooms that came out before the seventies, to be honest. This one,” she held it out to Draco, much to Harry’s annoyance, “is a Silver Dart; a 1001 LE, to be exact.”
Draco took the broom, inwardly pleased as he recognized the name. Now he was on track! He gave a low whistle as he hefted the broom in his hand, testing its balance. “Of course! The Silver Dart was the Slytherin Team broom for quite a few years.”
Rinna gave him an inscrutable look. “I was the first person at Hogwarts to ever own one.” She added, wryly, “I didn’t realize I had started a trend.” She took the broom back as Draco offered it to her and affectionately brushed her fingers along the handle. “But then, she was a flashy piece of work in her day.”
“She’s still a fine looking broom, Professor.” Draco smirked over at Potter, pleased to have commanded so much of Professor Dunlevy’s attention so far.
Privately, Harry had to agree; the Dart was gorgeous. Although, he was sure that Malfoy only thought so because of the silver and green coloring. Harry had listened to the conversation with a deep scowl on his face. Trust Malfoy to try to suck up to Rinna! He was just trying to get first crack at the pitch once play began, Harry was sure. Harry smirked when he remembered that he knew just how good that broom was. “Those Silver Darts fly really well, too,” he commented offhandedly. He glanced at Ron and the two boys shared a knowing grin.
Draco sneered, clearly thinking such talk was all bravado on Harry’s part. “How would you know, Potter? It’s not like you’ve ever flown one before.”
“Actually, I have.” Harry retorted in a challenging tone.
“You know, gentlemen,” Rinna cut in quickly before Ron could open his mouth and join the posturing, “I’d be happy to talk brooms with you another time. Right now, however, I believe you have work to do. And the sooner it is done, the sooner some Quidditch can be played.” She jutted her chin toward the group of Slytherins Draco should have been with, and gave him a meaningful look. He glared at the two Gryffindors before nodding politely to the Professor, and left.
Rinna turned to Ron and Harry. “No more slacking off for you two swaggerers, either. And can’t you just try to avoid Malfoy and his cronies? It would make my life a lot easier.” She smiled to take the edge off her comment.
“He started it,” Harry said sullenly.
Rinna’s smile faded. “I didn’t ask who started it. I asked if you could avoid confrontations with him if at all possible.”
“Honestly, Professor, he goes out of his way to provoke us,” Ron protested.
Rinna studied the two of them, her arms crossed. “I know. I saw it. I just don’t want a repeat of the Snake Incident.”
Ron smirked. “Don’t like snakes?” he asked impudently.
“No, cheeky boy. As a matter of fact, I don’t mind snakes at all. I just prefer not to tangle with more than, oh, a dozen at a time!” She grinned at them.
Harry looked at her, his expression still cross. “Malfoy was just sucking up to you, you know,” he told his godmother.
Rinna mentally rolled her eyes. “Thank you for pointing that out, Harry. But as one who spent many an opportunity sucking up to teachers myself, I think I can recognize the maneuver,” was her droll reply. She saw, of course, that Harry was jealous of the attention she’d given Draco. To him, the Slytherin boy would never be anything but a thorn in his side. She cocked her head thoughtfully. “I suppose it is a good thing that you don’t have to resort to that with me, now isn’t it? You know that you can stop by and talk brooms with me anytime, right?”
Thankfully, the megawatt smile made a come-back. “Just brooms?” he asked mischievously.
She grinned again. “Brooms, Quidditch, girls… whatever. I’d say any topic is fair game.”
“Thanks, Rinna,” he said, blushing a bit at her mention of girls before taking Ron’s elbow and heading back to his task.
Rinna sighed in relief and wondered if Hooch had any more of that espresso. She decided to investigate.
Rinna was on her pre-curfew rounds when she heard the rabble that was the Gryffindor Quidditch team making its way into the castle after a Friday evening practice. She wound her way down the marble staircase, smiling at the flushed and happy faces. The last two weekends of intramural Quidditch and informal matches between the house teams had been just what was needed to curb the restlessness of the teenaged population of Hogwarts.
“Hi, Professor Dunlevy!”
“Well, well, it looks like the Lions will be ready to roar tomorrow against Ravenclaw, I dare say!” she responded. There were boisterous shouts and cheers to the affirmative. “Unfortunately, I won’t be there to see the action, I’m afraid,” she added regretfully.
“What?” demanded George Weasley. “Why not?”
“Well, I have the weekend off, you see,” she explained. At the loud protests, she placed her hands on her hips. “As hard as this may be to believe, there is such a thing as needing a break from all of you!”
Fred grasped at his chest dramatically. “What a cruel thing to say! You have wounded us deeply.”
“I’m sure you’ll get over it,” was Rinna’s dry reply. The Gryffindors laughed and began moving up the stairs to their dorms, but Harry hung back a bit.
“Are you really not going to be there tomorrow?” he asked quietly. He’d been looking forward to discussing the matches with her again, like they’d done last week.
“I’m afraid so, Harry. I’m sorry, but I have other plans.”
Harry grinned cheekily. “Your plans wouldn’t include my godfather, now would they?”
She narrowed her eyes at him in a mock scowl. “You’re a nosy thing, aren’t you? As a matter of fact, they just might.”
“You’ve been seeing him, haven’t you?” he asked eagerly.
The almost desperate look on his face made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. She had quite forgotten that Harry had been so hopeful for her and Sirius to make up. She could sense how important it still was to him. “To be honest, Harry, not nearly enough.” She chuckled when his eyes grew wide at her confession. “That’s why I’m so keen to have this weekend off; I just haven’t had the time lately to spend with him, short of grabbing a few hours here and there…”
“But you are back together, aren’t you?” Harry’s voice was full of hope.
Rinna put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. “We’ve agreed to give it a go. There, are you happy now?”
Rinna was surprised to see one of those looks that made the wearer appear older and wiser than his years cross Harry’s features, as he nodded sagely before asking, dead serious, “Are you?” His expectant eyes searched Rinna’s face.
Her smile softened as she returned his gaze steadily, her brows creasing pensively. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Harry, I am.”
The audacious grin returned. “And I’ll bet that S--, uh, Snuffles is, too!”
She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. “Off with you, insolent scamp, before I take points for being out after curfew!”
Harry could hear the suppressed laughter in her voice. “Well, have a nice weekend!” He waved cheerily and took the steps two at a time in an attempt to catch up to his teammates.
“You see, Sirius?” said Remus Lupin as he heard the whoosh that indicated someone had flooed in. “I told you not to expect her before noon. The woman keeps abominable hours.”
“Ha ha. You are hilarious, Lupin,” retorted the red-head who walked into the kitchen. “I’ll have you know that I was out shopping.” She set her shopping bags on the counter after applying the un-shrinking charm, and started to put the groceries away.
Sirius got up from the table, where he’d been leaning lazily back in his chair watching Remus prepare lunch, to help. “What’s this?” he asked, taking some odd packets out.
Rinna seized them from his hand with a yelp, “Careful with those! They’re some rather delicate potions ingredients!”
“Darklings & Grimm? Never heard of them. They must be new to Diagon Alley, I suppose,” commented Sirius.
Remus looked over his shoulder from where he stood at the counter, giving Rinna the raised eyebrow before asking her casually, “Doing more brewing than just the Wolfsbane, I take it?”
“I have another private commission,” she answered evasively.
Sirius was surprised by the defensiveness in her tone, and he looked curiously from one to the other. “What’s wrong with that?” he asked Remus.
“Nothing,” Remus replied evenly. “I’m just curious as to what kind of potion requires you to shop for ingredients in Knockturn Alley, that’s all.”
Sirius’ eyebrows went up. “You went to Knockturn Alley?” he asked Rinna disapprovingly.
Rinna turned around to lean against the counter with an exasperated huff. “Oh, don’t get your knickers all in a twist, you two! I can take care of myself, you know. I’ve been in far more dodgy places than Knockturn Alley when I was in Eastern Europe.” All right, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that. She saw the nearly identical looks of fierce protectiveness on their faces; except that Sirius’ also wore a trace of wariness. “I’m working on something for Dumbledore, if you must know,” she sighed. “Does that make you feel any better?”
“Only slightly,” Remus noted dryly.
Rinna looked at Sirius. “Come on, Blackie. Do you picture me nipping off to Knockturn on a regular basis for my weekly shopping spree of Hands of Glory and Pentacruxes?” she cajoled.
Sirius studied her, his arms crossed, frown on his face. “No, Rinna,” he said quietly. “My overactive imagination pictures you being kidnapped by dark wizards and mistreated while I am completely unaware…”
Rinna’s eyes grew round. “Oh,” she whispered. “You know about that…” She turned not-quite-accusing eyes on Remus, who shrugged apologetically.
“You can’t blame us for being concerned, Rinna,” Remus commented. “Even if we know you can take care of yourself, we can’t help it. It’s a guy-thing.”
“It’s a territorial-canis-lupis-thing, more likely,” she said flippantly, desperately covering the wealth of emotions that Sirius had just evoked. “Besides,” she turned to Sirius, pulling out a long package from one of the bags and handing it to him, “if I hadn’t gone there, I wouldn’t have been able to get you this.”
Sirius stared at the box in his hands; it was long and thin, the perfect size for a… “Is this a wand?” he asked incredulously. He opened it. Sure enough, nestled carefully in dark blue satin was a wand. “How did…”
Rinna gently pushed him into a chair, and sat next to him. “Look, the fact is that there are plenty of shops that won’t keep records of who buys their wands. And there are plenty of excellent wand-crafters that just can’t break into the market that Ollivander and Gregorovitch have cornered. This one,” she took the wand from the box and twirled it, causing it to emit coppery sparks, “happened to be made by a first-rate craftsman in the Czech Republic. I’ve used his wands before; the quality is exceptional.”
“And why would you need more than one wand, anyway?” Sirius questioned.
“For my research on my dissertation. It was on potions to counter dark curses, and I certainly couldn’t use my own wand to cast any…” Her voice drifted off at the look on Sirius’ face. This was a mistake. He doesn’t trust me.
Sirius stared at Rinna in dismay. Not at the idea that she had actually cast dark curses, although that was something they would certainly need to add to the list of “things to talk over,” nor even the knowledge that she knew how to get black-market wands, but at the thought that she was, to all intents and purposes, arming a wanted man. “You, you’re…” his words jumbled up on his tongue.
Huge mistake, Rinna girl, she thought as she misinterpreted his reaction. “I’m sorry…” She stood up, slammed the wand into the box, and tried to pull it out of Sirius’ hands.
“Rinna, wait!” He rose, but held onto it tightly. “Just wait, please?” She let go of the box. “It’s just that…” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s just that, you realize what a risk you are taking, don’t you? It’s one thing to harbor a fugitive, and you’ll be in enough trouble for that… but arming one? You jeopardize everything you’ve worked for!”
She glared at him; her chin tilted stubbornly, her eyes nearly shooting sparks in her defiance. “I DON”T CARE! Don’t you see?” Her eyes flicked to the wand in his hands and back. “Sod the law! I love you!”
There was a beat of silence before Sirius took the one step necessary to close the distance between them, and swept her into his arms, crushing his lips to hers in a fierce kiss. “If anything happened to you because of me…” he began gruffly, only to be cut off by her mouth covering his once again.
The doorbell rang, and Remus leapt for the kitchen door with alacrity. “Talk about being saved by the bell,” he muttered. Sirius and Rinna broke apart with a laugh.
“Who could it be?” Rinna wondered.
“My chameleon cousin, here to join us for lunch, of course,” Sirius grinned.
----- -----
“So, Remus,” said Nymphadora Tonks as the four left the kitchen, “I was wondering… I have a case that I could use your expertise on…”
“Really?” said Remus, as if this was news to him. “I’d be happy to lend my assistance.”
“Brilliant!” Tonks grinned before her expression turned thoughtful. “But I’m afraid I’ve left the files on my table at home.”
“Oh. Oh well, I suppose I could come by there to help you out…” Remus offered, glancing at Tonks and holding her gaze meaningfully before striding to the closet to fetch his coat.
Tonks beamed, color high in her cheeks. “Would you? That’d be ace! And for your trouble, I’m going to take you to see that folk quartet I was telling you about. They are playing at the little Muggle pub down the street tonight.”
Remus took her coat and draped it over his on his arm. “That sounds like an excellent plan to me.” He placed his hand on the small of her back, causing her blush to deepen. He gently led her to the fireplace, and with a quick wave, the two were gone to Tonks’ flat in a flare of green flame.
Rinna turned to Sirius who was leaning with his arms crossed against the doorframe to the kitchen. “That was rather odd… I suppose they were discreetly trying to give us some time alone?” Her eyebrows pulled together quizzically.
A smile played at his lips. “I suppose so. But I think it more likely they were trying to give themselves some time alone.” Sirius saw an incredulous look take over her face as her mouth dropped open, and he made a little choking cough. “You mean to tell me that you didn’t know that Remus was spending no small amount of time in the company of my little cousin?”
“What?” Rinna glanced at him suspiciously. “Really? Dorrie failed to mention that…” She saw that Sirius was not pulling her leg. “You’re not joking.” He shook his head. “Oh.” She tried to recover her composure. “Well… That’s just… well…”
Sirius started chuckling. Rinna frowned at him. “You’re laughing at me because I was a little slow on the uptake, aren’t you?” His bark-like laughter rang out. “All right, I’ll admit you caught me by surprise. Although I’m not sure why I should be surprised, really. After all, they went together to the Quidditch World Cup… and Dorrie has fancied him for ages… And sweet Merlin, that excuse she just used sounded remarkably like the old ‘I left my textbook back on the Astronomy Tower and I need your help to go find it’ line.”
Sirius chortled a few more moments before he flicked his gaze back to her. He saw several emotions play across her face, all too quickly for him to read. “Are you sure you’re okay about this?” he asked.
“About my two best friends possibly, uh…” She clamped down on the sudden twinge in her heart. Jealous, are you, you selfish thing? You yourself said that Remus deserves the love of a good woman, and Dorrie is… “Dorrie is one of the best people I know. As is Remus. And besides, people who are in love have that silly desire for everyone around them to be in love, too. So…” She paused to tell her heart that she really meant what she was about to say. “I’m happy for them.”
A roguish grin crossed his face. “Are you saying you are in love, Ruby-Red?” he asked softly, still leaning indolently in the doorway. A subtle undertone in his voice seemed to charge the air in the room. His blue eyes held her gaze.
The twinge Rinna felt this time was different; oh, her heart could play its fickle little games, but it could not escape the fact that this man was truly the one who held it captive. She had gladly surrendered it many years ago, and she would gladly do so again.
“Why yes I am, Blackie,” she answered with a sultry smile. “And isn’t it convenient that I find I am completely by myself with the object of my affection?” She stepped forward, moving dangerously close to him.
His voice was husky. “Rather convenient, indeed,” he agreed. “So tell me, what do you intend to do with me, now that you have me all alone, Ruby-Red?”
She looked at him appraisingly. The hair was long, well, it looks good on him that way, but needed trimming; the beard, still not sure how I feel about that, unkempt. Might be sexy if it was trimmed…except it hides the angle of his jaw. She had always loved his jaw line. He was thin, so thin. No longer the muscular young man she had known. Azkaban had seen to that. The thought stabbed her heart.
“You need cosseting, love.” She took his hand and gently tugged him towards her bedroom. He shook his head with a quizzical smile, taken off guard by her unexpected response, but followed her. She led him into her bathroom.
Sirius watched her as she pulled towels from the cabinet and turned. It was an unnerving feeling; she seemed familiar and yet so strange to him. He knew her so well, and yet, didn’t really know her at all. Not anymore. That much was made obvious by their scene in the kitchen earlier. He drank her in, wanting her and apprehensive at the same time.
“I believe you already know where the shower is,” she said with an impish smile, handing him the towels. “Make it hot, lots of steam. You need to soften up all the hair on your face.”
“Hang on. What are you planning?”
She grinned, raised an eyebrow and cocked her head toward the alcove with the shower. “Move it, Blackie.”
She listened to the water run as she made her preparations. She set up a chair near the vanity, and conjured all the items she needed. He’s not ten feet from me, water running down his body, hair slicked back… Her pulse quickened. She felt an odd pressure in her chest, like her heart was straining against her ribs in a mad attempt to escape. Escape what? She froze. Very gently, her mind told her: Escape the prison you built around it.
She took a deep breath and nodded. This was right, this was what was supposed to be, and no walls, no amount of time away, not even the hurt or pain could make her heart stop feeling what it was now. Sirius… he was real, he was here and she was blessedly being given a second chance, one that she would NOT let pass her by...
Clouds of steam billowed like fog on a cold morning. The water shut off. Sirius emerged with a towel slung around his waist and with another he was drying his hair. He stopped when he saw the set up, and raised an eyebrow.
“Just shut it and get over here,” she smirked.
“What--? I didn’t say anything…”
“I hope for your sake, Mr. Black, that you do not plan on being contrary.”
“Depends on what you have in mind...”
“First we modify your hirsute appearance.” She nudged him into the chair.
“Mmmm. You know I love it when you use big words, Professor. S’matter, not attracted to the shaggy look?”
“On Snuffles, maybe…”
She had him hold a warm, moist towel to his face while she cut his hair. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her hands in his hair. Then she took the towel away, and applied cream to his face. Her touch was slow and gentle.
He heard her murmur an incantation and opened his eyes to see her holding an old-fashioned straight razor. His eyes locked onto hers in the mirror. She smirked again and said “I charmed it so it will cut only hair, not skin. Don’t know how steady my hands will be around you.”
“Wouldn’t this be easier with magic?” He eyed the razor warily.
“Easier, yes. But trust me; this will be far more enjoyable. You’ll see. Now shut it.”
Wisely, he said no more. She stood behind him, leaned his head back against her belly and carefully scraped the razor across his face, wiping away shaving cream with gentle caresses of the towel, or her hand. Sirius lost himself in the pleasure of her ministrations.
“Huh.” Rinna grunted in satisfaction at her handiwork. He lifted his head and looked in the mirror. His face looked painfully thin, no longer hidden in whiskers. His hand unconsciously went to his chin.
“Very smooth,” he complimented.
She rubbed her knuckles across his cheek and smiled. “Flattery is always appreciated, Blackie,” she said in a husky voice.
He made to grasp her hand, but she pulled it away. “Ah ah ah…I am not done with you yet!” she said saucily. His eyebrows went up. She poured some lotion in her hands and warmed it. She stood behind him again and placed her hands on his shoulders and proceeded to massage every taut muscle. Her hands found each tender spot and meticulously pressed and prodded, rubbed and glided until the tension melted away. She moved on to his shoulder blades, spending many minutes there, then his upper chest, then his neck, and his arms. Finally, she took each hand and caressed the pressure points that she knew would bring relaxation.
Sirius felt his thoughts and emotions dissolve into mist as his awareness narrowed to only the perception of her hands on his skin. How long had it been since someone had really touched him? He had had no human contact in Azkaban, and really none since his escape. Well, except for occasional hugs and claps on the back, of course, not to mention some satisfying, albeit brief, snogging with the woman whose talented hands were now touching him. But all of those were fleeting contacts compared to this constancy of skin on skin. He reveled in the sheer sensuality of it; not in a carnal way, but in an even deeper consciousness of the human need for nurture and connection with another human being.
Rinna let go of his hand, and trailed her fingers up his arm, along his shoulder blades and across his collar bone never breaking contact with him as she circled around in front of him. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful. She felt her heart stutter in her chest. He looks beautiful.
She placed a hand on each side of his neck where it met the collar bones and straddled him, sitting on his lap. Blue eyes flew open, startled, and looked into green. “What are you doing?” It came out more high-pitched than he intended it. She leaned her forehead against his, her hand caressing his smooth cheek. His breath hitched. She is so close, smells so good.
“I’m trying to seduce you,” she said, her voice deep and sultry.
Of their own volition, one of his hands moved to the small of her back, the other to her face. The base of his thumb rested at the corner of her mouth, his index and middle finger held her earlobe, while the last two fingers rested on her neck. She turned into his hand, grazing her lips back and forth against his palm where the thumb joined his hand. He swallowed hard.
“How am I doing so far?” Her breath brushed his lips.
“Brilliantly,” he sighed, and their lips met.
In that instant, coherent thought dissipated like smoke in the wind. The kiss was sweet and tender, and almost…reverent. It seared Rinna to her soul, and burned away any awareness other than his mouth on hers. It was as if they had never kissed before; lips hesitant, testing, assessing. Soon, though, their bodies began to respond to the memory of kisses past. The tentativeness disappeared, and Sirius took her face in his hands and peppered her lips with gently insistent kisses, simultaneously sweet and demanding.
She opened her mouth, teasing his lips with her tongue, pleading for entrance to his alluring mouth. He complied eagerly. The reverence was gone, replaced by fiery kisses that implied desire and longing, decadence and ardor. Their world had been reduced to clashing tongues, passionate glances and roaming hands. Rinna felt like she was flying, and yet at the same time, she was drowning in the heat of his mouth, his gaze and his touch. She willed it to never end.
The inevitable need for oxygen finally exerted itself and they pulled away from each other, breaths raggedy and frantic and only millimeters apart. “Rinna,” Sirius gasped, “we need to get up…from this chair…legs are going numb.”
She grinned and said with mock-incredulity, “Are you saying my kisses leave you numb?”
“Oh no, m’lady,” a flirtatious smile played at his lips, “your kisses electrify me like lightning.”
She leaned forward and pulled at his bottom lip with hers. “Well they had…” she kissed his top lip, “ruddy well…” and tugged at it with her teeth, “better, mister!” Her tongue ran across his bottom lip as she stood up, eliciting a groan from him, and he followed her mouth upwards. The towel, which was, fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, charmed to stay wrapped around his hips, did nothing to hide just how electrified he was.
Sirius quickly hooked one arm around Rinna’s waist and pulled her against him while his other hand grasped her jaw and drew her mouth to his. Rinna slid her hands up his chest and around his neck and deepened the kiss.
She began maneuvering him toward the bedroom, walking him backwards while keeping his mouth captive, but somehow missed the door and ended up knocking Sirius against the door frame, wrenching their lips apart. He let out a startled huff of breath. She started to giggle. Sirius mock-scowled at her, “Merlin’s knickers, woman, is this your idea of seduction? Braining me on a door frame?”
She attempted a smirk through her laughter. “If it will keep you from being so mouthy…”
“Mouthy?” he growled, “I’ll show you mouthy!” He swiftly spun Rinna around, grabbed her wrists with one hand and pulled them up over her head, pinning her to the door frame. He pressed his hips against her body and held her there, cupping the back of her head with the other hand. He proceeded to thoroughly ravage her mouth with his. Rinna moaned appreciatively and parted her lips, allowing his tongue to dance with hers.
The heat from her mouth, the softness of her lips, the sounds she was making deep in her throat lit every nerve in Sirius’ body with desire. He traced her jaw line with kisses, nibbling and licking at her earlobe. He let go of her wrists and slipped his hand to the small of her back, under the hem of her shirt. Her skin was soft and hot under his hand. She threaded her fingers through his hair and hungrily pulled his mouth back to hers. He groaned and pulled her closer against him and let out a hiss when he felt her hips rock against his. Her knees turned to jelly when he growled against her ear, “Keep that up, Ruby, and I’m not gonna last much longer.”
She looked up at him, pure mischief on her face, as her hand undid the towel. His breath hitched at her touch. “You are trying to push me over the edge, aren’t you, you minx!”
“Blackie, Blackie,” she chided teasingly, “you are too far gone for anything to last more that a few seconds, and I’ll be damned if the first time we make love in thirteen years is nothing but a quickie!” She led him back to the chair where it all started. “Let me take care of you, baby,” she said in a husky whisper, and proceeded to put action to her words.
----- -----
When Sirius’ higher cognitive functions began working again, he opened his eyes and came face to face with the button of Rinna’s jeans. With a cheeky grin he looked up at her and murmured “There appears to be a problem with these jeans.”
She arched an eyebrow at him and played along, grinning, “Oh, really? What seems to be the problem?”
“The problem is…they are still on you!” Fortunately, he was happy to gallantly remedy the situation for her. He undid the button and zipper, and then slipped his hands inside the waistband and slowly began to slide them down over her hips. She did a provocative little wriggle to help shimmy the denims off her body, and stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. Sirius ran his hands along the smooth skin that was exposed below her shirt, reveling in the texture and warmth of it. Seeing no reason to deny himself any longer, Sirius began kissing her belly, her navel, moving down her body...
His mouth moved over her, enchanting her body, ensnaring her senses with his own brand of magic. She felt the warmth coiling deep within her like a serpent ready to strike, and moaned. He stood and claimed her mouth with his, lifting her right leg and wrapping it around his waist. She gasped at the intimate contact, and pulled her face away, looking into his sapphire eyes that were almost black with desire. She felt like molten lava, hot and pliable in his hands. This was comfortingly familiar: this spell he wove over her with just a touch of his lips and fingers, and just a look from his eyes. It had been far, far too long since she’d been under this particular ensorcellment.
She returned to his lips, voraciously kissing them as if she was speaking in a language only he could understand, leaving no doubt in his mind as to how much she wanted him. He reached for her knickers, and with a guttural sound, he tore them off her.
“Mmmm. Feeling a bit randy, are we?” she panted.
“Yes, damn it, Rinna;” he said heatedly, “I need you.”
With one wave of his arm he swept the items from her vanity and lifted her there. She pulled him to her and again she kissed him deeply, pouring all she was feeling into the kiss. Her passion was met by his, and they were consumed by desperate, willful desire.
Their first coupling was heated, frantic, passionate…
----- -----
Rinna rested her forehead against his as her breathing finally returned to a somewhat normal rate. “Damn!” was all she could say.
He grinned and kissed her gently. “Damn,” he agreed.
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly, and burying his face in her hair. Her hands moved to his waist, then slid up his back as she pressed herself to him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. Now that he was her lover again, she would be damned if she didn’t take every opportunity she had to hold him close. She began to nibble on his neck. Her lips found his pulse point, and she flicked it with her tongue. She spent the next few minutes lavishing attention on his neck, his shoulders, his chest.
Desire stirred in him again; she felt the tell-tale sign and smiled in anticipation, taking his hand. “Come on,” she whispered, her hand trembling a little as he grasped hers firmly.
“Where are we going?” He asked innocently, but the effect was ruined by the wicked gleam in his eye.
“Sirius Black, we are not in school anymore. There is no reason to be shagging desperately against a broom closet wall or on a bathroom sink when I have a perfectly good bed in the next room!”
He leered at her, enjoying the memories her words had summoned to his mind. “Yes ma’am!” He swung her up in his arms, marching them into her bedroom. Sirius carefully set her on the side of her bed and promptly tumbled in with her as she pulled him down. He grumbled, “I was going to take off your shirt, you wanton hussy!”
“Call me names, will you?” she growled, “You’ll pay for that, you know!” She rolled him onto his back, climbed on top of him and enticingly removed her shirt and bra. He groaned his approval. She proceeded to kiss him thoroughly all over his body again. He retaliated decisively by reversing their positions and kissing her in kind. She finally reached for his head and pulled his lips back up to hers. He sighed, and stretched out next to her, skin against skin, and buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent.
“Sirius,” she breathed. He knew from experience that when she used his given name he should attend closely. “I haven’t been complete without you.”
Her endearing words flooded him with passion far deeper than any of the flirtatious banter had.
The second time they made love was slow and tender and sweet…
------ ------
Sirius stirred into wakefulness and, sensing darkness, unfamiliar surroundings and hot weight pressing him down, stiffened momentarily in panic. Rinna moved against him and murmured, “You all right?”
He felt her warm skin against his, her leg thrown possessively over him, her hand on his upper arm, her head on his chest, soft short hair tickling his chin. For a terrifying moment he thought, this isn’t happening. This is a fantasy you have invoked with your mind. She will never be yours again.
“Are you real?” he whispered. “If I open my eyes, will you still be here?”
“Always…” she breathed as she pressed her lips and body to his.
A/N: Woo hoo! My story is over 100,000 words now! Help me celebrate by leaving a review!
Don’t ask me what a “pentacrux” actually is (even though I made it up). All I know is it isn’t quite as evil as a horcrux. I asked Rinna to explain it to me, but she was somewhat, ahem, occupied with a certain sexy outlaw and completely ignored me!
Big smooches and hugs to all the people who reviewed my last chapter.
You, too, can garner a few hugs and kisses and my undying affection (not to mention invoke loud squeals of glee) if you would kindly leave a review for this chapter! Thanks!
A New Definition of Family by RahNee
Chapter Notes: Conniving Hogwarts professors, group detentions, encounters with our favorite ferret-y Slytherin and a misunderstanding... and then...
It took me 17 chapters (that's seventeen, folks!) but I FINALLY got our lovebirds together. As in: together between the sheets. Well, they eventually get between the sheets, but you know that they have a penchant for romantic encounters in the bathroom...