[  this is, quite literally, one of my favorite chapters, and the next one is gonna be too. and so i'm gonna give a few facts about this book to celebrate its arrival:

- I wrote the first 12 chapters of this YEARS ago. like 4/5 years ago

- Ivy's original name was Kitty Worthington, two names I've since gone on to use, as we know

- it really was meant to just be a smut book but since rewriting it, I've added plot. It's kind of gotten out of control in my mind. like Peter was never supposed to escape. everyone really was meant to be happy, so I wasn't lying at the start of this book!

- Val used to not exist and there was gonna be some slight Sirius/Remus/Ivy at the same time

- even though it wasn't planned, I think it's really interesting to think about what the Death Eaters would do in a world where Voldemort is really gone, which is why a lot of stuff from the books is still happening — like Crouch, Pettigrew, Bellatrix, etc. are still out there and they've got plans

- even though I've got the plot pretty set in stone in my mind, I'm open to things you guys would like to see!  ]

| | |

WHAT'D YOU DO, SIRIUS?

"I DESERVED TO KNOW, SIRIUS!"

"We had our reasons!"

"Where the hell were you, Remus?"

"I did my best!"

The tent shared by Sirius, Remus, Ivy, and Harry was in chaos, all of them shouting over each other. Okay, well, Ivy wasn't shouting. She was sitting on one of the beds, her head in her hands.

Harry was mad at Sirius for keeping Peter's escape a secret, and Sirius was mad at Remus for losing Ivy.

"Harry, we will talk about this in a second," Sirius promised the boy.

"No, now," Harry said, putting his foot down. "How long has Pettigrew been missing?"

Remus was the one to reply, avoiding looking at his best friend. "A week and a half. They've been hiding the Prophet every morning."

Harry looked between Ivy and Sirius, more hurt than ever. "After everything that's been hidden from me my whole life, you know I deserved to know."

"We were going to tell you, Harry," Ivy said softly. She got off the bed and went over to him, and even though Harry was upset with her, he let her smooth his messy hair back comfortingly. "We just... you've had such a perfect summer — the kind you've always deserved. It was my idea, not Sirius'. I wanted you to have a few extra happy days."

The younger boy looked up at her with shining eyes, hating that her reasoning made sense — hating that it was impossible to be mad at Ivy Arora. He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "It's alright," he mumbled. "I'm just glad neither of us is hurt — well, very hurt."

Several scratches adorned Ivy's skin from being trampled, and she was covered in dirt and soot from the fires. And Harry mentioning that just had Sirius' rage bubbling over once again.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, turning to Remus. "I told you to watch over Ivy."

"We got separated," Remus insisted. "Same as Harry. I tried to find her — Ethan got to her first."

"And if it hadn't been? If it had been Peter?" he asked, fearing the worst. "You know better than to get separated."

"Sirius," Ivy whispered, touching his elbow. Sirius swiveled his head toward her, and his glare softened when he saw the scratches and grime covering her face. "I'm fine. I know you're frustrated—"

"I'm more than frustrated. We can't lose anyone else," he said desperately. "If anything had happened, it would've been Remus' fault, and he knows it."

"Pads, that's not fair," Remus said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry we got separated, but you know as well as I do how out of control these things can get in seconds. We've done this all before—"

"Yeah, I fucking know!" he shouted, glaring at him. "James, Lily, Marlene, my brother — I can't lose another person that I love. Not you, not Ivy, not Harry. So, I thought I could trust you with her."

"You can, Siri," Ivy said gently. "Stop yelling at him. It's not a big deal."

"You don't get it!" Sirius snapped. "You know nothing of what's happening again. You're a child, Ivy — far too young to understand."

Ivy flinched as if he'd struck her, tears welling in her eyes. Sirius recognized his mistake in an instant, knowing she was just as self-conscious about her age in their relationship as he was about his own.

"I - I didn't—"

Sirius stepped toward her to comfort her, but she stepped back and toward the exit of the tent. "I'm gonna go," she whispered. "Um, Ethan is out there looking for Val."

"She's not been found?" Remus asked, his eyes wide.

Sirius tried again. "Ivy—"

"I'm gonna go," she repeated before running away, tears streaming down her face, leaving Sirius feeling like an asshole in the tent. Harry was glaring at him while Remus just looked disappointed.

"I told you not to hurt her, Sirius," Harry said, shaking his head.

"I didn't mean to, obviously," he said, taking in deep breaths to fight off a panic attack. "But it's just — I can't, with everything — it's all happening again. Merlin, she'll never forgive me for saying that—"

"Breathe," Remus told him, grabbing his shoulders. "I know, Padfoot, more than anyone. You want to protect her from something that's already coming after her. They have been since her parents. But she's alright and she'll forgive you. Ivy is the most forgiving person in the world and she loves you. But you can't go and patch things up with your girlfriend until you've gathered yourself and calmed down."

Harry peered at the two men before looking at the exit of the tent where Ivy had disappeared. "Girlfriend?"

"Harry," Remus said, the corners of his lips turning up. "That girl hasn't used an actual chair in weeks. Always prefers Sirius' lap. It's been obvious that they're together."

"Not obvious now what with her running away in tears from you," Harry said, unknowingly saying something that his father would've in the situation. "Aren't you supposed to be good with women?"

Harry's attempt at humor did somewhat calm Sirius down, who laughed a bit and then rubbed his tired eyes. "Fuck, I've ruined it."

"No, you haven't," Remus insisted.

"How've you ruined things, Grandpa?"

All of them turned to see Val at the entrance of the tent. She looked worse for ware, covered in gashes and blood — her own blood, unfortunately. She was barely standing on her feet, leaning against one of the poles keeping the tent up.

And much to their surprise, Viktor Krum was three steps behind her, clenching his wand tightly.

Remus went pale and ran to her side, helping her stand. "What happened, Val?"

"That pesky third Marauder of yours," she admitted, grimacing a bit. She felt like one of her ribs was cracked. "He's got a quick draw. Saved Krum — turns out the bloke doesn't speak much English."

"So it was him that I saw," Harry said with a deep frown. "Was there another man with him?"

"No, just the rat, and he scurried off," she muttered. "I've got to get Krum back to a safe place, but needed to check on you all." Val set her sights on Sirius, surprised that Ivy wasn't tucked into his side. "Where's your little bunny rabbit? She okay?"

"She's out with Ethan looking for you," Sirius said stiffly, avoiding eye contact.

Val narrowed her eyes at him. "What'd you do, Sirius?"

When he was silent, Harry was the one to tell on him. "He called her a child — said she couldn't understand the importance of what's going on."

"Good going," she scoffed, pushing off of Remus. "She was up at night, terrified you'd think she was too young — thought she was being ridiculous for weeks. And how dare you say she doesn't understand? Her parents were murdered for turning their backs on You-Know-Who. She knows perfectly well the danger she and everyone else is in."

"I know that," he muttered. "I just — I wasn't thinking. I was scared and worried about the Death Eaters. I'll fix it."

"You'd better," Val said darkly. "And you better pray to that Muggle god that she forgives you or I'll make your life hell."

| | |

Ivy got back to the manor before the others — Remus ended up taking Val to her flat so that she could heal. When Ethan came to the tent, telling them that Ivy went home, he made sure to glare at Sirius, meaning she'd told him all about what Sirius said while they were looking.

Her bedroom door was shut and locked, Sirius learned as he walked down the hallway. He knocked on it repeatedly. "I know you're in there, love. I'm so sorry. Please, let me in," he begged.

Kreacher appeared suddenly, nearly startling Sirius after the exhausting day he'd had. "Mistress Ivette has requested to be left alone for the remainder of the night."

"Oh, sod off, Kreach," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

Once the House Elf was gone, Sirius focused back on the door, knowing good and well that Ivy could hear him through it.

"Ivy, I didn't mean it," he said, his forehead on the door. "Darling, please. Just let me see you. You've cuts all over you. I need to make sure you're cleaned up."

He was met with only silence, and tears welled in his eyes. He was terrified he'd ruined one of the few good things in his life — a great thing.

"I don't think you're too young. I think you're perfect — so smart and kind. And I love you, so, I'm not leaving until you let me in, yeah? You take as long as you need to be mad at me, and I'll be here in case you'd like to hear an apology to your face instead of through the door."

Harry watched from around the corner as Sirius slid his back against the door, looking exhausted and crushed as Ivy refused to let him into her room. Though he knew Sirius deserved the treatment, he hated seeing him in pain.

And on the other side of the door, Ivy was sitting in bed, a pillow clutched to her chest as she cried, fighting every instinct that told her to open the door.

| | |

"Mother fucker!" Val hissed as Remus cleaned some of the blood off her face. He'd accidentally brushed one of her larger bruises. "What happened to your gentle touch?"

Remus rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm sorry. You'd think I'd be better at this given what I am."

"Honestly, healing spells shouldn't be so hard," she claimed. "Fucking Krum didn't know any to help me either."

The pair were in Val's kitchen, and Remus was taking care of her many wounds. In the dim lighting, all Val could think about was the last time they'd been in the kitchen together, which dampened her mood more than the cracked rib did.

"I just hope these don't scar," Remus muttered, studying her bandaged face. "No one needs to look like I do."

She let out an annoyed scoff. "If you recall, I quite liked how you look — scars and all. You're beautiful, Rem."

"Don't humor me, Val," he said bitterly, refusing to believe anyone could find him beautiful in his state.

"Right," she muttered, putting her walls back up. "You're a monster incapable of receiving love from ex-students. And I'm just like Ivy — a child."

"You're not being fair," Remus said, giving her a knowing look.

"You weren't being fair that morning either," she said honestly, both knowing the morning she was talking about. "Sorry. I shouldn't bring it up. It's dead and buried."

"I am sorry, Val," he whispered. "I wish things were different."

"No, you don't, Remus," she said, shaking her head sadly. "Because you'd do something about it if you did. But I'm not hanging around until you realize how ridiculous you're being — when you realize none of those things will matter in ten years."

"You don't understand, Val," he said in a nearly pained voice. Didn't she know he wanted nothing more than to hold her? To relive their night tangled in the sheets again? To duck down and kiss her every time they crossed paths? But he couldn't, at least in his mind.

"I understand that you've been through more than a person like you deserves," Val told him in a gentle tone — it was rare she was gentle. "But so has Sirius, and he's never been so happy now that he's with Ivy — fuck ups aside. You deserve to be happy, Rem, so stop getting in your own way."

He studied her face sadly. "I suppose I don't know where to even start with that — being happy."

"I could help if you want," she said softly. "I kinda knocked it out of the park with the whole Sirius and Ivy situation."

"It took both of them ages to—"

"I knocked it out of the park."

"That's an American Muggle phrase. Where'd you hear—"

"I knocked it out of the park!" she said louder, making him smile a little.

"Fine, Val," he gave in. "How do I start being happy?"

"Well, I have a few ideas," she said, leaning forward, eyes falling on his lips.

Remus shook his head. "I can't let you kiss me, Valerie."

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Because I don't think I'd let you stop."

Val hummed and leaned back, deciding to respect Remus' wishes. "Maybe the first step can be fixing you."

"There's a lot wrong with me, Val—"

"Not fix you in that way," she rolled her eyes. "But you proved my point. We're gonna fix this whole self-esteem situation you've got going on. It's not sexy."

Remus couldn't help but snort. "I'm not exactly a naturally sexy person, Val."

"There you go again," she sighed. Merlin, didn't he know he'd rocked her world in their one night together? "Man, I have my work cut out for me."