A Sliver of Change | S. Black

Part 2: Chapter 44

Part 2:

Chapter 44 –

October 18th, 1978

Lia picked the last of the flowers out in the Manors Garden, her dress flowing around her calves as she raised to stand from her knees and the basket hanging off her arm. Smiling at the various different colours of roses she was able to pick, she thought about how good the past three months had been since their induction into the Order.

There had been less attack on public areas from death eaters, instead the Order was working together to infiltrate their basis undercover and destroy them from the inside. Sirius had already gone on a few missions, having passed his auror training with flying colours. She couldn't be prouder of how fast and hard he had worked towards his goal.

Gideon, Alice, and Frank were also now officially aurors and the three of them had only gone on one mission collectively, but she knew that they were in the running for more. They had all tried to convince her to join and become an auror, including mad-eye moody after he witnessed her duelling with James for fun, but Lia had no intention of doing that. She didn't even want to be a part of the Ministry anymore and instead enjoyed her time helping Mellie around the house and going on missions for the Order when she could.

Well, that's a little white lie, she did enjoy the missions. She enjoyed the thrill of them so much that she had to sit on her hands each break she got from them. And she knew that being an auror wouldn't be much different, would just give her the title and deem her as a citizen of the law but she wasn't excited at the idea.

Her end goal was to still become a professor, but she didn't see that happening until Voldemort was defeated.

James and Lily were doing well, along with Remus and the five of them were getting along perfectly in the house. Lia and Lily had to eventually put down a rule that the boys had to clean up after themselves and not leave everything for Mellie. It took a while but eventually they learned their lesson after Lia had set all their clothes on fire.

She laughed at the memory as she walked towards the Manor, her basket full of flowers swaying on her arm. She loved the weather of the fall and basked in the chills that coursed through her bare arms, it originally being too hot to wear a jumper this morning. She wondered what the weather was like for Marlene and Fabian as they spent their time in Paris.

They had only left a week ago, deciding that they needed a break after almost dying on the last mission they went on and Lia fully agreed with them. Mary and Dorcas had said that they loved Paris when they went, and Marlene had always wanted to go there.

Lia opened the door and smiled at Mellie as she passed the basket over to her.

"Mellie, please set these out at dinner if you could," she asked softly, a smile on her face.

Mellie smiled back with a nod.

"Of course, mistress," she responded, "Master Black asked if we could have meat pies for dinner tonight so I will go and make that."

Lia shook her head. Sirius had asked for Mellie's meat pies every night since their return to the Manor. He had gotten an obsession with the food and craved it almost every moment of the day, including when they were shagging.

"Alright, but no more making them for him after today," Lia demanded, her finger waving in the air.

Mellie smirked at her before disappearing and Lia knew that as much as the house elf loved her, she had taken a soft spot for Sirius, one that was reciprocated. She moved to walk to the stairs, her dress now too cold and wanting to change into her night clothes and settle by the fire with a book before it was dinner time.