Hi! I hope you'll like this one-shot, there's nothing to say: just Sirius, Remus's sister Emma Lupin (my OC) and the war, supposing he didn't die in the fifth book... Please, let me know what you think :)
Last night in the world
The Last night in the world. Sometimes, you find yourself thinking about it, but never seriously. You can ask yourself how you would spend the last hours before dying, but when you really have to live them, you never know what to do, because few things are important in front of death. And those few then, you silly think that you can still put them off, because there's an absurd feeling typical of the human soul that consumes him until ironic despair: and that's hope. In the end, when that night is over, when even the world is over, maybe you can still be there. In short, you could die, or maybe not.
Sirius Black hadn't thought to spend the last night in the world sitting on his bed, on his own, loosing his mind in certain philosophic thoughts, but that's exactly what Destiny seemed to have reserved him. Or maybe he was the one to want it that way. Next day would have been the great battle against Voldemort, everyone knew that, there would have been a lot of dead people, and he was sure he would have been among them. Because you die for sure when you don't feel like fighting for life, not for your at least, because after all he was already dead.
"So you are here, awful dog…"
The door opened suddenly and a mischievous smile appeared along with that greeting.
"Emma" he answered, smiling too, but his smile was a sad one.
"What are you doing here all alone, while the others are downstairs?" she asked sitting beside him, without asking permission.
"What are you doing here instead, while the others are downstairs?" Sirius said turning the question and giving her an eloquent look.
Normally they would have both burst into laughter , but not this time. Not that night.
"Sirius… Let's make love" she suddenly whispered, after moments of silence.
The animagus whirled round and stared at her for a while, unable to speak, as if the girl in front of him, the one that since two years by then had become his best friend, had suddenly become crazy. He asked her to repeat the question , not because he hadn't listened, but because he wanted to give her a chance to change her words.
"I said I want to make love to you" she repeated stubbornly, returning the gaze.
"Your brother will kill us" he murmured, saying the first impediment that came into his mind. And there were a lot of impediments, as fifteen years between them or the war.
Details in front of love.
"Tomorrow we'll die anyway, Sirius" she answered bitterly, curving the lips in what seemed everything but a smile.
Details in front of death.
So sarcastic the witch was, no doubt now about the reason she ended up in Slytherin. Slowly he approached her and held her in his arms, delicately, as if she could have broken, because she was falling down to pieces indeed, he could read it in her eyes.
"We won't do anything, Emma…" he whispered in her ear, caressing gently her hair.
"I didn't say it because I just wanted to spend some time, you know" she replied with the same typical irony "But because it's the only thing I want to do in the little time that's left and I want to do it with you!" she added then, looking him in the eyes.
"We won't do anything…" he repeated taking her face into his hand "But I promise that if we'll both survive the war it will be the first thing I'll do" he promised then giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"This is nonsense…" she whispered giggling.
"No, it isn't… I need a reason that's worth the fight" he whispered back, laying down.
She immediately followed him and put her head on his chest. They spent this way the last night in the world.
Voldemort had died in an Avada Kedavra and Harry Potter had saved everyone: this is the way the last night in the world went, the last night in a homeless world, and yet Emma didn't stop to hold that breathe she didn't even know she had taken. Peace had come yes, but at what price? How many lives had been lost? Too many and she was scared to see a last name added to the list.
"Emma, darling, you must eat something" Tonks whispered putting a hand on her shoulder.
The witch looked up at that touch and gave a quick look to her sister-in-law from the chair she was sitting: she had eyes full of tars but a smile on her lips and even the pink strand in the black hair seemed to reflect that dualism.
"I'm not hungry Dora" she answered looking again at the bed in front of her and the man apparently asleep on it.
"But you must eat!" the metamorfomaga repeated apprehensively "How much is it since the last time you ate? It's nearly midday…." Tried again giving a quick look to the clock.
"How is my broche?" Emma asked instead interrupting her and ignoring that umpteenth try to dissuade her from the duty she had to carry on.
"Remus is fine, he only has some wounds, nothing more" Tonks answered while the smile widened on her lips.
The Slytherin only nodded and the room fell silent for a while.
"You know… He could not wake up anymore" the HupplePuff with a sudden sob, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Don't even say it!" the other girl immediately admonished her, not even looking at her.
She hadn't cried yet, maybe because she believed there wasn't a reason to do it yet. She took delicately one of Sirius's hand between hers and continued to stare at him, hoping to see him open again his grey eyes.
And yet he kept on sleeping, and yet she kept on hoping.
Because there was a thing Emma Lupin knew more than any others: they had survived the last night in the world still alive, now he couldn't die in just a simple day.
The party had just finished and the slam of the door was a sign of the exit of the last guest who was taking away with him the last laughtr for the last jokes. The house full in the silence, broken only by Mrs Black's screams that neither of the two persons left seemed to care about anyway. They stared at each other for a while: he leaned on the table in the living room, she seated on the sofa in front of it; after his awakening in the hospital, after the was indeed, they hadn't found a moment to talk alone and both of them didn't do anything but wait for that moment, even if now they didn't seem to care more for words.
"How are you?" Emma asked finally without interrupting the eye contact.
"I'm dying…" he answered sighing almost resigned.
"What are you saying?" she interrupt him raising an eyebrow "They said you are completely recovered" added then, trying to send away the worry that was eating half of her.
The other half felt the strange want to laugh instead.
"Let me finish!" Sirius exclaimed leaving the table and slowly moving some steps towards her "I mean that I'm dying… to make to with you" finished making the most mischievous smile he could do.
Emma didn't say anything, just took his hand and pull him on the sofa beside her.
That night could have been the last in the world, and they couldn't have cared less.