Chapter 7
One day, during Easter break, Willow was sitting alone, leaning against a tree by the lake. Eyes closed, she appeared to be sleeping. She heard someone approach and the clearing of a throat. Opening one eye, she saw Sirius standing beside her. Groaning, she closed her eye again.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked.
She shrugged, "Plenty of room, no one's going to stop you."
He sat down beside her, leaving a little space between them. Not saying anything, they both stared off in the distance. Sirius spoke, "Why do you hate me so much?" he asked.
"I don't hate you, Sirius. I just don't understand why you can't take things more seriously, be more responsible." She answered.
"Why not live life to the fullest? Take things as they come, be flexible." He stated.
"Well, there is a way to do both. There is a time for fun and a time for work." She replied, looking over at him. 'He really has grown up. He looks more manly now. If only he would tame that wild hair of his.' She thought.
"Well, James, Remus and I like to have fun more than we like to work, but we do work. Nothing wrong with that, all work and no play makes Willow a dull girl." He said with a smile.
"I seem to remember a snowball fight in which this dull girl whipped your sorry butt." Willow reminded him.
Silence followed for a while. Both lost in their thoughts. "So, which one of you is it?" Willow asked, breaking the silence.
"Excuse me?" he said, shaking his head, confused.
"Who's the werewolf?" she asked, watching his expression.
His confusion turned to shock as he realized what she was saying. "How did you know?"
"It's not hard to figure out. You 4 disappear just before nightfall on a full moon and don't return until the full moon phase has passed. Who is it? Remus?" she said.
"Yeah. He'll kill me that I told you. He thinks everyone will shy away from him if they know." Sirius answered. "James, Peter, and I figured out a way to stay with him when he turns, to help keep him from attacking. We sneak over to the Shrieking Shack and spend the nights talking." Laughing slightly he added, "You know, this is the first real conversation we've had in the 5 years we've known each other."
Willow nodded, "Tell Remus not to worry, his secret is safe with me. I won't treat him any differently. He's still the same Remus."
Standing, Sirius offered his hand to her to help her up, knowing that they needed to head back to the castle for dinner. She looked at his extended hand a long minute before taking it and standing. Sirius watched her as she brushed the dirt and grass off her bottom. She leaned against the tree for a moment, and he placed a hand on the tree on either side of her face. Leaning closer, he kissed her.
Willow pushed at his chest, pushing him away from her. "What did you do that for?" she said and ducked under his arm, practically running to the castle.
In the Gryffindor common room, she barged in, looking wildly around. Lily and James were sitting by the window talking. She looked up and saw Willow and the wild look in her eyes. Jumping up, she ran over to her and put her arm around her. "What's wrong?" she asked her friend.
Willow looked at her as if seeing her for the first time, "He kissed me. Why would he do that?" she asked. James chuckled from the corner and stood to leave at Lily's murderous glare. "He had no right to do that. Who says I wanted him to kiss me?" she continued.
"Maybe he thought you'd be okay with it." Lily responded.
"Well, he was wrong." Willow blurted out and ran up the stairs to the dorm room. Shaking with rage and anger, she threw herself on the bed and gathered the pillow to her face. Lying there, she slowly calmed down. Truth be told, she really liked it when he kissed her. She wanted him to do it again, but was afraid that he wouldn't want to. She was afraid of the feelings that kiss had stirred up inside her. Lily quietly came in the room and sat on the bed beside her. Stroking her friends back, she let Willow have her time to think. "Oh, Lily, what have I done? I wanted him to kiss me. I want him to kiss me more. I want to be with him, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I'm not good enough for him. He'll get bored with me so quickly. I mean, how many girls has he dated in just the past year? Dozens. I don't want to be just one of the number. I want to be the only one." She said, crying slightly.
"I think, maybe you should tell him this. You are perfect for him. You would keep him grounded. Don't ever think you aren't good enough, because if anything, you are too good for him." Lily said quietly.
Willow cried for a while before drying her eyes, hugging Lily for being a good friend and making her way down to dinner. The guys were already seated and eating when Willow and Lily arrived. Knowing her eyes were red and puffy from crying, Willow stared at her plate. Sirius watched her with a concerned expression on his face. He looked over at James who shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no idea why she had been crying. Lily kept quiet, preferring to stay neutral, she liked both of her friends and wanted them to be happy. After dinner, in the common room, a tense silence reigned in the group. Peter decided to retire to bed along with the rest of the house. Remus stood and placing a hand on James' shoulder, indicating that he should follow. Lily followed them out, leaving Sirius and Willow alone to talk.
Willow stared down at her hands clasped in her lap. Sirius watched her, not really knowing how to begin to apologize. "Willow, I…" he started, tripping over his words. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know that you would react that way. I only wanted to show you how I'm feeling. I find it hard to put these things into words. I didn't mean to frighten you or hurt you. I only wanted to let you know that I like you, a lot." He finished.
Willow looked up at him, "I'm so sorry, Sirius. It did frighten me when you kissed me. I wasn't expecting it. I don't want to be just a number in the long line of girls you date. I don't want to be just another notch for you. I can't be that. I'm not a clingy person, I'm not going to beg. I like you, too. I just don't want to be just another girl to you. I want to mean something to you. I want to…. I don't know. I just want to stand out, be the one girl that you can't forget." She admitted to him.
Sirius reached over slowly to take her hand, "I don't know what the future holds, but I can tell you one thing. While I'm with you, I'm there 100%, there are no others. I'm not a cheater. I don't string girls along. Yes, I've dated a lot of girls, but that's because I haven't found the right one. I can't promise you forever, but I can promise you that I will be true as long as we are together." Lacing his fingers in hers, he brought her hand up to his lips. "I won't rush you into anything you aren't ready for. If you don't want me to kiss you, then I won't."
Willow laughed, "Of course I want you to kiss me again. It's all I've thought about since you kissed me the first time. After all that's happened to me, I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready for anything more, though."
"You will be, when the time is right for you, you will be ready. I won't push that. I would like for that to be with me, but if it's not, then that's okay." Sirius said. He put one hand on the side of her face, cupping her cheek. She looked into his eyes as he lowered his head and put his lips to hers. His kiss was gentle and sweet. Not demanding of anything, just her enjoyment. She sighed against his lips and placed her hand on his chest, not pushing him away, just to feel his heartbeat.
Pulling apart, they both smiled and sat there holding hands for a while, talking. Willow rose to head up to her bed, he stood with her and kissed her again. They went their separate ways looking back over their shoulders to watch the other. Lily was waiting for Willow when she got upstairs. "So?" she finally said.
"We talked. I told him everything I told you and he understands. I think we may have just became a couple." Willow said with a smile. Lily squealed and drew her friend into a hug.
"See, I told you it would work out." She said and then went to her own bed to sleep.
James and Remus were waiting for Sirius. Peter was already snoring away, not having the stamina to stay up late most nights. Sirius entered the room dreamily. Never had he felt like this. Not even with any of the girls he had dated in the past. He saw the guys sitting up waiting for him. "What?" he asked, when he saw them looking at him.
"So, how'd it go?" Remus was the first to speak.
Sirius sighed and flopped down on his bed. "She likes me, and I got to kiss her again." He smiled, looking over at them, "What?"
James and Remus shared a look, "Looks like somebody's in love." They said in unison.
"NO! Not love. Just like, a lot." Sirius said sitting up sharply. Sirius Black did not fall in love. He didn't have time for all of that.
James and Remus shared another look and nodded their head to each other. They could tell that this time was different. They knew their friend, he was never this way with any of the others. Chuckling, they got ready for bed.
The next day, Sirius waited for Willow to come down for breakfast. When she walked down the stairs, his heart leaped in his chest and a smile spread over his face, reaching his eyes and beyond. 'She really is beautiful.' He said to himself. Willow smiled shyly at him and stopped. Lily brushed passed, laughing and shaking her head, joining James and Remus at the door. "What have we done to them?" she whispered to James. James just shrugged and opened the portrait door.
Laughing at the look on Willow's face, Sirius crossed to her in two steps. Draping his arm around her shoulders, he steered her to the door and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She didn't know how to act. Never having gotten this much attention before, unless she was being tortured. Wishing she could forget about those 6 years, she berated herself for bringing it up.
From that moment on, Sirius and Willow were nearly inseparable. They were always together, holding hands. Dumbledore watched with trepidation. Is she ready for a relationship like this? Is she rushing in to something?
