Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

chapter 79

Getting home for winter break feels so much more thrilling than usual. For one, I get to see Everliah again after months of being away from her, and the other reason being my cousin Elliot coming in from America.

James and I bustle around my room trying to make the place look as presentable as possible for our guest. Benjamin comes to a halt outside my door and sticks his head inside wearing a frown, "This is so unfair! How come James gets to help you clean your room while I have to do it all by myself?"

I exchange a look with James before smugly retaliating back at my brother, "Benja, at this point this room is as much his as it is mine."

Benjamin stomps off, grumbling under his breath and feeling sorry for himself.

We continue the reorganization of our room until James dangles one of my bras up to my face with a smirk, "Is this mine or yours?"

I burst into a fit of giggles, "Yours."

"Thought so." He muses and I roll my eyes. He gets up off the floor to put the item into one of my drawers.

A knock sounding from downstairs momentarily distracts us from our tasks but we quickly get back to work until Mum calls up the stairs announcing Everliah's arrival. "Oh Merlin!" I drop everything and whiz straight out of the room, far too excited to see my sister again.

She doesn't even have time to take her coat off before I find myself in her arms. Everliah laughs and coos, "Aww, Chiara!" I have my arms and legs wrapped around her torso so she walks us over to sit on the couch.

I pull back a little to get a better look at her. She looks older but just as beautiful, and she's gotten her hair cut up to her shoulders. "Your new hair suits you, Ev."

"Thank you!" She smiles. "I wasn't sure about it at first but now I'm really happy."

"How are you liking your work?"

"It's great." Her blue eyes are lit up and she looks so happy. "Everyone listens to me, which you know I enjoy. I even started casually seeing someone there. He isn't a soulmate but he's been nice to be around."

"You'll have to tell me all about him later, yeah?" I grin, still holding onto her tight.

"You're so needy with me today." She giggles. "What happened? You were never like this at Hogwarts."

"Well you were always just a short walk away. Now when I want to go see you...I can't." I frown a little. "Our age difference never really bothered me until now."

"I know. I've missed you a whole lot." She hugs me again. "Say, where's Ben?"

"In his room. He's upset." I smile deviously.

"Why?"

"Mum's making us clean our rooms for Elliot, and he's cross that James is helping me and not him."

"I should have known that James is here." She smiles contentedly. "It's comforting to know nothing's changed while I've been gone. It's also good to know that MY OWN BROTHER DIDN'T MISS ME!" She yells pointedly.

Benjamin soon comes trudging down the stairs, "I did miss you, Evy, I was just cleaning...without cheating. Unlike some!"

I pull away completely from Everliah and slap my palms against my thighs in frustration. "It isn't cheating if James made half my mess himself!" I exclaim.

"I heard my name!" James says, coming down the stairs now too. "Ever! Good to see you."

"James! Still here, are you?" She jokes.

James laughs at her friendly banter. "Obviously." He drops himself beside me on the couch and drapes his legs over mine.

"I trust you two are still running Hogwarts." Everliah says.

"Everyday of our lives." I say proudly.

"Good." She smiles but it quickly fades. "Hang on...something is different here." She looks between the three of us suspiciously, until her eyes settle on Benji. "You. Something's changed in your life. What is it?"

Everliah probably knows Benjamin better than anyone, so it doesn't at all surprise me that she can sense some change in him. "M-Me?" He stutters out nervously, pointing a finger to his chest. "No! Nothing!"

He's acting all squirrelly and it isn't exactly helping his case. "Come on, you can tell us." I smile encouragingly.

He swallows nervously. "Fine, the truth is I –"

Another loud knock at the door makes us all forget whatever Benjamin was about to disclose, and instead rush excitedly to the door. Mum and Dad beat us there. "Elliot, darling! Come in, come in! You must be freezing."

Elliot steps inside and I take the time to give him a once-over. He looks so different to the last time I saw him. He's a slim boy of a bit above average height. His brown hair's grown out up to his eyebrows and he's parted it down the middle. He's dressed in a graphic t-shirt featuring some wizarding band, and a pair of cuffed straight cut jeans.

I shove Mum aside to greet my cousin with open arms, "Elli!"

"Oh boy, not these nicknames again." He whines, but his unwavering smile tells me he isn't at all upset about it. After a quick hug, he moves on to greet everyone else.

"Wow! I almost forgot you've got an American accent!" I gasp in fascination. "Say the word shenanigan." He says the word and I go on, "Brilliant, now say I accidentally dropped my cookies off at school and put my kids in the oven."

"I acc – what?!" Elliot squeaks, causing the rest of us to break into laughter.

"Chiara!" Mum scolds me, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "Let the poor boy breathe. I'm sorry, Elliot, you'll have to get used to her."

I frown.

"It isn't as if he doesn't know her, Stace." Dad laughs, "Chiara baby, please, act as you like." I smile up at him gratefully.

I feel tugging on my sleeve and turn around to find an awkward-looking James standing there. "Oh! Oh, sorry Jamie! Elliot, this here is my best friend James Potter."

"It's nice to meet you, dude." Elliot smiles, holding a hand out.

James smiles back kindly and shakes his hand. "You too! Keeks has told me great things."

"Keeks?" Elliot repeats in amusement. "Oh, I am so using that." James grins proudly at that.

"Alright!" Dad claps his hands together to gain the room's attention. "Here's the plan for the night. Your mother and I have saved the tree decorating for you kids, and then how about we all sit down in front of the television for a Disney movie and hot cocoa?"

Dad has got himself stuck in a bit of a Muggle obsession. It's sweet, really. He often takes trips around small villages just to add to his collection of Muggle knickknacks. The most recent item being our television."

James leans down to my ear to whisper, "What's a television?"