Amici ed Amanti

Amici ed Amanti

With Friends Like These Part 4

Move yourself
You always live your life
Never thinking of the future
Prove yourself
You are the move you make
Take your chances win or loser
--"Owner of a Lonely Heart" - Yes

~*~

Liam stood outside his youngest sister's bedroom door bracing himself for the temper tantrum that he was sent to quell. His mum had tried unsuccessfully for the past hour to get Ava into her dress for Murphy and Mere's party and she was at her wit's end. He was sent to see what he could do the moment he arrived at the house.

"Squirt?" he called as he pushed opened the door cautiously.

She regarded him with a pouty look from her position in front of the fireplace where she was quietly playing with Gigi. From what he could tell she was wearing just her knickers and an oversized Puddlemere United jumper. "I'm not putting it on. You can't make me."

He picked up the cornflower blue silk dress that was lying crumpled on the floor. "You mean to tell me that you don't want to wear this pretty little dress?"

Ava nodded emphatically. "That's what I'm saying."

"Why not?"

"I don't like dresses!"

"Don't you want to be a beautiful princess?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because Rauri's the princess. I'm the Quidditch player!"

"Even Quidditch players have to dress up occasionally. Just look at me." He made a show of modeling his deep charcoal trimmed with silver formal robes for her to see. "We don't always like it, but we do it because we have to in order to make Mum happy."

She eyed him shrewdly. "You're trying to trick me, aren't you?"

"Now, why would I want to do that?"

"Because you want me to put on that dress."

"Yes," he answered honestly figuring it was the best policy. "I do want you to put on the dress and be the pretty little girl I know you are."

She brushed her tangled blond hair out of her face. "No," she replied determinedly. "I'm not gonna change my mind either. I'm wearing my jumper!"

It was all he could do not to sneer at the Wood jumper she was wearing. Liam had no idea how his own flesh and blood could fathom rooting for a team other than the Falmouth Falcons. And to add insult to injury, she just had to go and have a crush on Tavish Wood after the Lucy Ann fiasco. Life really wasn't fair.

"I bet Murphy and Mere would like to see you in your dress," he said, opting for a different tactic.

"Fifi said he likes my jumper."

Liam rolled his eyes as his patience was quickly starting to run out. "I'm sure he does, but I don't think he'd like you to wear it to his party."

"I don't care. I'm wearing my jumper!"

"All right then," he smiled. He knew what he was about do was unfair, but this was apparently war. "I'll have to just go to the Puddlemere United game by myself next week."

"Wha?" she shuttered, blinking owlishly at the mention of her favorite team.

"Yes, I have a couple top box tickets to a match next week, but little girls who don't do as they're told aren't allowed to go. It's Puddlemere policy."

Her little nose wrinkled distastefully at the dress he held out for her. "All right, I'll put it on, but I'm not wearing the tights!"

"All of it and your hair fixed properly or I'll tell Puddlemere you were a naughty girl."

"No!" she begged, snatching the proffered garments, "don't do that! I'm a good girl!"

Five minutes later and much struggling with the white tights, Ava was dressed like a proper young witch befitting her age. She stood before the mirror staring at her reflection as Liam tied the sash into a pretty bow behind her. He had to retie it four times before she deemed it perfect.

"See? That wasn't so bad now was it?"

"No," she conceded softly.
He patted the top of her head. "I'll get Mum so she can fix your hair."

"I want you to do it," she whined, latching on to his hand to keep him with her.

"I don't know anything about fixing a little girl's hair, Squirt."

She bolted across the room to retrieve her hairbrush and numerous clips, dumping them in his lap upon her return. "You can do it! Make it pretty!"

Liam carefully brushed the tangles from her baby fine pale blond hair so it fell straight down to the middle of her back. He tried various styles and clips, but nothing he could come up with was to her liking. He had to smile at her fussing over her hair though. Who would have guessed that once Ava got into a dress, she'd turn into a princess that would rival her sister's princess status. She finally gave up on the notion of a fancy hair-do after he had pulled her hair one too many times and settled on a hair band he'd charmed to match her dress. They walked hand in hand downstairs in search of their mother.

"I do actually have a daughter under all those Quidditch jumpers?" she said obviously surprised at her youngest child's transformation. "You're so pretty, sweetheart!"

Ava rolled her eyes. "Mother!"

"Well, you are!"

"I'm going to go find Da!" She marched off in a very unladylike fashion, her prized stuffed animal firmly tucked under her arm.

"Thank you," his mum said, slipping her arm through his. "It's a miracle!"

"Sorry about Gigi. She wouldn't give up the cat."

"I can live with Gigi as long as Ava's in a dress."

"She does clean up quite nicely if I say so myself."

"Yes," Ginny said sly, steering him toward the atrium. "Why don't you come with me? Guests have started to arrive. I do believe Lucy Ann is here all ready."

"Mother," he hissed, trying to pull away from her without causing a scene. She wasn't letting go.

"Now, Liam sweetheart, don't be so rude."

They made a circuit around the room, greeting various family members and friends. He was bored out of his skull listening to her prattle on about the gardens, his sisters, the latest charity events and the social organizations she belonged to. His mind began to wander when the small talk with Aunt Pansy turned to a deep discussion about everlasting rosebushes. He wondered how in the world his father had put up with this for over twenty years without dying of boredom. Then his eyes lit on the love of his life and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. He came to the realization that he could stand around forever talking about inconsequential things as long as she was the one hanging on his arm.

His mum was slowly moving them toward where she stood by the large windows overlooking the garden. He wasn't ready to face her, not here, not now, not in front of all these people. The last time they had been in the same room she'd completely dismissed him in favor of Tavish Wood. It still stung. And now she was with this Dmitri character.

Liam desperately wanted to speak to her, to find out where they'd gone wrong. He missed not being to share everything with her. She was one of the reasons he finally returned home from his self-imposed exile aboard. He had no idea if she'd even to speak to him, especially now after learning what had been written about him in the papers while he was in Australia. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do and he didn't even want to think about her not believing him. He'd make her understand, he just had to. Things between them needed to be settled one way or another before he went completely mad.

His mum was greeting her before he even realized they were standing in front of her and unfortunately his Mum had a firm grip on his arm so he couldn't make a graceful escape.

"Lucy Ann," his mother said with a brilliant smile before hugging the other woman tightly. "Don't you look lovely this evening!"

His mother was correct in her assessment, Liam thought. His friend did indeed look lovely in her deep blue dress robes. He had always thought that color suited her with her chestnut colored hair, dark blue eyes and creamy skin. She had her hair done up in some fancy knot that he supposed was the height of fashion, but he always preferred it down - it was too pretty to hide in his opinion.

"Look who found his way home," his mum continued. "Won't it be so nice to have Liam home for good?"

"Yes," Lucy Ann replied a little tightly. "I'm sure Rauri and Ava are thrilled."

"They are! Especially Ava. He even got her into a dress for this evening."

"She showed me."

His mum smiled warmly. "Please excuse me. I need to go check on Rauri. I fear she may be in the kitchen trying to oversee the caterers again. You know how she is - every inch her Grandmother Weasley."

Liam and Lucy Ann watched her leave them in her wake as she made her way to 'check on Ruari' before they finally hazarded looking at one another.

"It's true," Liam said, trying to squash the uneasy feeling between them. "She's a lot like Grandmum."

"I know," she said, shifting uneasily.

"Mum was right about you too," he started. "You do look lovely this evening."

"Liam, please, just stop."

"Just stop what? Can't I give an old friend a compliment?"

Lucy Ann huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, you may not."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said softly, looking down. This wasn't going well at all - much worse than he ever imagined. He took a deep breath before glancing around the room while contemplating his next move when his eyes meet a pair of blue eyes boring holes into him. Stephie was watching them intently over her husband's shoulder. "I've decided to make a go of it here in England."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

"I'm going to see about fixing up the manor..."

She gave a very unladylike snort, cutting him off. "Your Mum will just love that."

"And try out for Quidditch in a couple weeks during open trails."

"You are aware I'm not longer seeing Tavish aren't you? There is no need for your silly little boy posturing anymore."

"Yes, I'm completely aware of that fact. Did it ever occur to you that I might be doing this for myself?"

She gave him a sickly sweet smile. "You do everything for yourself, Liam. Always have."

"That isn't true," he said defensively.

"If you say so."

"I'm not going to argue with you," he conceded. "Now isn't the time."

"You're right about that."

"All I ask, Lucy Ann, is that you tell what I did to make you so angry with me?" He knew he was hedging by asking the question directly, but since honesty seemed to have worked with Ava earlier it couldn't possibly hurt with his friend.

"You've got to be joking? You've no idea why I'm so angry?"

"You don't have to tell me now, but sometime soon. I can't stand this," he motioned with his hands, "between us. I want us to be friends again."

"Your father told me you were thick. I refused to believe him, but now..." she trailed off.

Liam had been so distracted by how pretty her anger redden cheeks looked that he failed to notice the tall, dark haired wizard making his way towards them until the intruder gathered her in his arms and kissed her cheek.

"Everything all right here?" the other wizard asked in a heavy Russian accent. "Sorry I'm late."

"Everything here is perfectly fine." She emphasized the last couple words by sending a pointed look at Liam that dared him to say otherwise. "I'm glad you're here."

The intruder nuzzled her neck a moment, eliciting a giggle from Lucy Ann. "So who's your friend here?"

She sighed heavily. "Liam, Liam Malfoy. I've told you about him."

"Yes, you have." His arm around her waist tightened before extending his right hand out. "I'm Dmitri Aleksandrov."

Knowing that she was dating this bloke was one thing, but actually witness them together was some else completely. An intense and immediate dislike for this the prat overwhelmed him. A musician? What was she thinking? Couldn't anyone else see just how wrong this Dmitri character was for her? If he had his way, she'd still be with Tavish Wood. At least then he knew where he stood.

Liam ignored the proffered hand. "I'll owl you later this week, Lucy Ann," he said stiffly before walking away before either could respond.

He disappeared through a small door hidden behind a large Ming vase on a pedestal just outside the atrium before anyone could notice him. He took the steep stairs to the right that led upwards two at the time until he came upon the door that exited into his parents' wardrobe. He knew the secret passageways and tunnels in Agecroft Hall like the back of hand from hours of playing where he wasn't supposed to when he was a little boy. Ava's room had the best view of the gardens and atrium from the balcony, so that was where he went to watch and brood. He was positive no one would think to look for him there while he tried to get a hold of himself.

"Have you seen Mum and Da?" Gareth asked as soon as he rejoined the gathering nearly an hour later. He was holding the hand of a lovely dark haired witch. "I want to introduce Maeve to them."

Liam shrugged. "I haven't seen them for a while."

"I dare you to check your Da's study, Liam," Murphy said with a wolfish grin as he wandered into the conversation.

That little remark earned his best friend a very hard punch in arm. "That's not even funny."

"Come now, not afraid of what you might find, are you?" Murphy rubbed his arm gingerly.

He watched as his little brother sent his girlfriend off with his best friend to dance after the good natured ribbing they were giving each other finally petered out. "What is it you so desperately want to talk to me about that you can't do it in front of them?"

Gareth looked down at the floor and his cheeks flushed scarlet. "I was hoping you could stay here tonight..."

"Why on earth would I want to stay at Mum and Da's?"

"Liam," his brother whined, giving him the look. "Please."

Then it dawned on him and it was his turn to grin wolfishly. "Oooh I see, little brother. You want me out of the flat so you can shag your little girlfriend senseless."

"Ssssshhhh! Not so loud! Mum might overhear you."

"What? You don't want Mum to know you're planning on shagging Maeve Finnigan?" Liam teased, his voice steadily getting louder with each word.

"Stop before I have to hurt you!" Gareth threatened.

He snorted. "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the youngest male Malfoy stated before shoving his older brother hard.

Liam stared open mouthed at his baby brother a moment before shoving back. "No you just did not!"

The ensuing scuffle attracted the attention of the one person they were both hoping to avoid. "What has gotten into you two tonight?" their Mum asked sternly as she deftly separated them. "You're embarrassing your father and me. Am I going to have to take my wand to the two of you?"

"No, ma'am," they answered in unison.

"That is what I thought. Now what is all this about?" She had her hands on her hips and the I-know-you-two-are-up-to-something look on her face.

"Nothing," Liam lied smoothly, never even batting an eye. "We were fussing over who gets the last bit of cake."

"Mmm," she purred catlike. "I just know you two are up to no good"

"How could we possibly be up to no good, Mum? We're right under your nose," Gareth blithely pointed out.

"Trust me, I will figure this out and when I do..." She allowed the threat to hang in the air as she returned across the ballroom to her husband's side in a swish of bronze silk. They both knew it was not an idle threat.

"So," Gareth drawled once she was safely out of earshot. "You're going to do this for me right?"

"Of course." And now he was stuck for a place to stay for the night. Staying at Agecroft was definitely out now that his Mum's suspicions had been aroused. He really wasn't up for staying at the cottage with Murphy because he was almost sure to bring Mere home. His options were really limited.

"Hullo Puss," Stephie said as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Rough night?"

Liam hugged her tight and brushed a light kiss atop her head. "You don't know the half of it."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Nope. I just need a place to stay the night."

"Well, you know you're always welcome to come home with me. We could have a threesome later if Ash is feeling up to it. If not, I'm sure would get into some trouble by ourselves," she suggested wickedly causing Liam to snort with laughter.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to have to pass on the threesome no matter how tempting it sounds. Besides, I wouldn't feel comfortable staying with you while I have this thing with Lucy Ann going on," he admitted.

"Why not?"

"You're her sister-in-law for starters and it's her parent's house."

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

He nodded. "Positive. I'll just get a room at the Leaky Cauldron. It's just tonight."

"You definitely need a place of your own."

"I know. I'm working on it."

"The Manor?"

"Yes."

"Have you broken the news to your Mum yet?"

"Not yet."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Good luck with that."

"You'd best to get back to Ashton before he kills me for trying to steal you," he said, patting her bum has he directed her towards her husband.

"He's too afraid of Lucy Ann hurting him if he touches you so you're safe," she said with a saucy wink.

Liam sighed. "I think Lucy Ann would like to see me dead right about now."

"I have my doubts about that."

"I don't."

She gave him one more kiss on the cheek before departing. "Just remember things aren't always as they seem."

He was left to ponder just what the bloody hell she meant about 'things aren't always as they seem'. Things seemed pretty dire to him right now. Lucy Ann had made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. It nearly ripped his heart out to see her with Aleksandrov.

Couldn't she see how wrong that Russian git was for her?

In hindsight, he shouldn't have invited her to Italy. That was where everything went wrong. They should have remained friends who Flooed and owled often but rarely saw each other in person. Then they wouldn't be in this mess. No, he corrected himself; if he'd been able to keep his hands to himself that night then they wouldn't be in this mess.

It was his fault. He knew that now, not that it did him any good to know such a thing. Not if she wasn't talking to him and he desperately wanted to try to explain his actions.

Liam pulled himself from his musings long enough to survey the gathering of friends and family in honor of Murphy and Mere. It was then that he realized that he was the only unattached adult there. Most of his friends were married, about to be married or in serious relationships and here he was completely unattached, living at his younger brother's flat. It would only be a matter of time before his Mum would start pestering him about settling down. Australia never looked so good...

A tug on his sleeve caught his attention. "Li Li, would you like to dance?"

He looked down to see Rauri at his side looking just like a princess in her dusty pink dress and her long russet curls tamed with ropes of pearls and ribbons. "Yes, I think I would."

She took his hand and walked out to the middle of the dance floor before stepping up on his feet so he could twirl her around the room.

For the first time that night, Liam felt like things might be all right. He had his family and they loved him. That's all he really needed.

Everything else would manage to work itself out on its own somehow.

~*~