Sunday, August 22, 2010
Title: *Working*
Author: Gyn Plata-Connor (as silver ink and whitewash)
Rating: E
Parts: One-shot
Pairing: Lae – Sirius
Summary:
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. The rest is mine; you might want to back off now.
Notes: Piece in progress. Tweaking needed.

~ ♥ ~

“I think that’s baking powder.”
“Sifter?”
“Can’t we just ask Kreacher to do this?” Sirius’s voice rebelled from the pile of parchment and books. “I’ll just give him the exploding powder. Maybe I can even ask him to through some of his spells.”
“Now, Sirius - ”
“He’ll make – he won’t even make a mess if you let him do - ”
“Wasn’t this your idea, Riu?”
“Don’t Reggie!”
A racket loud enough to undo the Protection Spells outside the Manor shook the kitchen.”
“I didn’t mean to -” Reggie was covered in confectioner’s sugar.
“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!”

“Is there a Dark Lord in the House?” Professor Keidara Wildfire’s voice stilled the bustling crowd in the kitchen. “Well, well, well. I hope you’re holding up… complying to the rules of School during the summer.” The Professor smiled at her students.
“So far, Professor.” Gyn smiled cheekily behind the box of Chocolate Frogs.
“You’ll make it. Two more weeks and you’ll be whipping your wands out and waving them around again.” Professor Wildfire was helping Kreacher clean the kitchen with hers.
Regulus, Sirius and Genevieve were working on the eggs and sugar for their third attempt of a Sachertorte. “Not too much sugar this time.” Their first cake’s center sank. The second one was of unspeakable error.

“Didn’t you guys consider ordering?” Professor Wildfire teased.
“Are you trying to insult me?”
“I don’t even have to try.”
“Why are we doing this again?”
“To test our discipline and ability to resist temptation?”
“Fair enough.”
Gyn licked icing off her thumb. “Besides, she’s most likely to appreciate the gesture. Great way to bond with your mum, Riu. If she’d get off the Floo…”

“Waste, you mean.” Sirius crossed his arms, leaned against the counter and started to jiggle his foot.
“Calm down, Sirius, it’s barely two.”
“But JK said they’ll be here by half past five.”
“If we’re not done by three, we’ll order.”
“Shit!” The milk seemed to have come to life.
“Now can we order?”
“NO!”

They gave up on making Sachertorte and after the fourth attempt of a sponge cake, things finally seem to go up. At least, they thought so.
“It says scant.” Professor Wildfire reread the book.
“But it’s vanilla essence!” Sirius argued.
“Just dump it, Sirius.” Gyn pushed the bottle.
“How come it’s not white.”
“Just dump it!”

“Where are the eggs?”
“I thought you were going to take care of them!”
“You told me not to touch them!”
“You’re supposed to make yourself useful, you-”

“Children!” Professor Ebony pushed the door open a swarm of streamers flying behind her. “You’re almost done?”
“Erm. Half way.” Gyn whipped around to look at the clock.
“That’s not funny, Gyn.” Sirius was getting impatient.
“How’s the east garden?” Professor Wildfire was quite curious.
“Half way done.” Professor Ebony winked at the lot.

“That’s not funny!” Sirius shot out of the kitchen to check on the grounds.

“Right.” Gyn looked at her reflection unblinkingly. “Well, you’re late already.” The mirror reacted haughtily. “Right.” She huffed back and whipped around in time. Kei-sama just walked in the receiving hall. “Ready!”

“Hai!”

“Just in time, then.” Professor Wildfire led the way to the east patio. “They’re just landing.”
A flying carpet brought down Liam Bevin unto the grounds with his blindfolded daughter. “Finished already?”

Sirius was nervously pacing back and forth. When he spotted JK, he immediately pulled her to the cake’s table. “Whaddya think?”
“Happy… L? As in Loser? Or Lupin? Or Lynch?” JK seemed to have more up her sleeve but Lae was already being greeted.
“I ran out of space and icing.” Sirius shrugged sheepishly. Nightfall was becoming quite helpful as it helped conceal the flush that flared upon Sirius’s face.

“Mm. I hope it tastes better than it looks.” JK lifted it and handed the cake to Sirius. “Don’t worry,” the Marauder smiled down at JK. “I have a few trick up my sleeve.”

“We’re not allowed to use our wands, Sirius.” JK hissed at him as they approached the partying throng.
“I know, I know. But we’re not restricted from using our creativity, now, are we?” Sirius winked at JK and didn’t fail to trip over the mound of marble pathway. The cake ended up on Lae.

“The pink icing looks quite nice on your hair.” Somebody passed Lae some napkins.
“S’not so bad. Actually snot’s better than this.” Lae laughed and hurled a huge, irregular wedge across the lawn and hit somebody by the fountain. “Oi!” James’s glasses were covered with icing.
“Hug me!” Lae jumped on Rhine and Gyn.
Even the adults were on it. Ebony and Wildfire were the first ones to use the vanilla beehives. James Potter chucked a handful of icing unto a Hogwarts teacher? This was really good blackmail material.
“Great plan Riu!” JK made a softball out of the vanilla beehives and pitched it to Riu.
“Out with the ketchup!”
“No banana!”
“Aaargh, not ice cream!”

Butterbeer jetted out of bottles and Chocolate Frogs were jumping out of their boxes.

“The icing’s irresistible.” Remus mashed a beehive on Gyn’s cheek. “Well, not only the icing. Was there something written on the cake?”
“I don’t think she was able to read it, though, was she?” Gyn hollered.
“Not all’s lost.” Riu sprayed them with whipped cream.
“How do you mean?”
“Wait ‘til it’s dark enough to see the lights.”
“What?”
“I said wait for - ” Sirius’s words were drowned by ketchup.
“Wait for what?”
“Wait for now!”
“For what!?”
“Merlin’s balls!”
“Good Lord!”
“How’d you do it?”
Sirius surprised the lot. “I got some help from Kreacher.”
“It’s…” And Lae was rendered speechless.
The spectacle was composed of sea green, sky blue and lavender lights, whistling then sighing as they glittered in the sky forming a screaming “Happy Half Birthday, Lae!”
The fireworks lasted for ten whole minutes. Not bad, considering that it was truly Sirius who asked Kreacher to do it.

“Didn’t need to worry about space and icing then.”
“But you don’t get to eat it.”
“You can eat other stuff.”

“Thank you. I can barely wait for my real birthday” She also received gifts like half of a Quaffle, half of a football and, the most intriguing, half of a locket given anonymously.
“Curious.” JK smiled as Lae’s half of the pendant glimmered in the moonlight. “We plan to kidnap Lily next year, by the way.”
“I’ll owl her and ask about identification charms.” Gyn watched the pendant twirl in the summer breeze. They were sitting under the Elder tree. “I swear I have no idea whom it’s from.” Lae had cocked an eyebrow at her friends. Sirius came into her periphery, remnants of the icing and ice cream clung to his hair, jumper and jeans. She was by his side like a shot.

“Thanks again, Sirius.”
“Thanks? This is just a clever ploy to get you to put your guard down.” He was grinning at her though.
Lae laughed to that. “Not clever enough.” And stuffed a vanilla beehive down his jumper.

~ ♥ ~

Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? Constructive criticisms are welcome.

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posted at 5:02 PM |

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