The Art of An Ending

Chapter Five: Sweet Sixteen

"Erica!" A voice called, and she groaned as she rolled over, burying her face further into the warm stomach of the person next to her as idle fingers carded through her hair.

"Erica!" the voice said again, and she recognised it vaguely as Avery, just as she recognised Pansy telling him where to shove it as she yawned against a bare stomach and rubbed her cheek against the soft skin, eyes fluttering open and closed as she fought against wakefulness.

"I know you can hear me, you ignorant- little-" the voice cut off abruptly, and there was a very unmanly yelp followed by a dull thump and then a groan.

Erica lifted her head from Draco's stomach, which she had been using as a pillow, and peered over his side blearily, leaning into his hand as he stroked her hair. Pansy was sat cross-legged on Avery's chest, his wrists pinned in her hands and a rather large red bump forming on his forehead.

"Yeah?" she asked, yawning widely as she forced herself into a proper sitting position, blinking heavily as Draco sat up next to her. "You called?"

"I don't recall us having guests," Avery groaned, sitting up as well, dislodging Pansy from his chest so she fell to one side before scrambling up and away, glaring at Avery as he climbed to his feet as well. "What time did you even get home last night?"

"Early hours this morning, actually," Erica corrected with a yawn, standing up and stretching her arms over her head, feeling more than seeing Avery's eyes follow the movement. She was still wearing the robes from the night before, though her hair had come down in tumbled waves around her shoulders. "There was a Ministry thing, and then some ward tampering, and I'm fairly certain we slipped Yaxley and ended up in Muggle London at some point."

"That sounds absolutely fascinating," Avery deadpanned, "but it still doesn't explain why there are two extra teenagers in my bed than should be."

"That sounded wrong," Erica informed him with another yawn as she pulled her trunk out from under the bed and began rummaging through it for some clothes for the day. "And they're here because it's my birthday and I want them to be."

She picked out some lighter, simpler robes in  varying shades of grey and headed to the bathroom to chance, vaguely aware of the sound of voices outside the door as Draco and Pansy got up as well, still dressed in their dress robes as they followed Avery out to the living room.

She changed quickly, wiping the makeup from her face with  warm water and then brushing her fingers through her hair a few times and brushing her teeth before deeming herself ready.

By the time she entered the living room Avery had set up the little foldable table and chairs he usually kept in the kitchen up in one corner of the room and Draco and Pansy were sat buttering toast and watching the traffic through the window.

"This is so domestic that it kills me inside," Erica informed them bluntly as she poked her head around the doorway into the poxy little kitchen and accepted the plate of toast and eggs Avery handed her without looking before returning to the hob, where he seemed to be frying bacon.

"You love it, really," Draco said, equally bluntly, handing her the jar of apricot jam without her even having to ask as she took the seat opposite him and next to Pansy, leaving only the chair closest to the window, though she doubted Avery could squeeze into it.

"We should be getting our OWL results today," Pansy informed them, taking a bite of her own toast as Erica set about slathering jam on her own after shifting the eggs to one side for later.

"Bet Hermione's in a panic," Erica snorted, before falling silent. She, Draco and Pansy shared uncomfortable looks. "Damn, that is going to take some getting used to."