Chapter 10- From the Ashes
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Somewhere after midnight, Sirius decided to forgive Rosmerta. Firewhisky that initially fanned the flames of anger eventually numbed the sting of her rejection and reminded him of the intensity of their attraction. Compassion took the place of resentment as the memory of lovely, stricken features filled his mind. Rosmerta had obviously regretted her harshness. She might even be crying herself to sleep!
While the other patrons of the Hog's Head talked in furtive whispers or hunched sullenly over their drinks, the cloaked boy sat up straight and grinned beneath his hood. He'd just had the most brilliant idea. He would go and offer Rosmerta his forgiveness in person. Dry her tears.
There was one pressing need he had to take care of first.
Carefully making his way to the men's lavatory, Sirius braced himself in the doorway. The lav was filthy. He shrugged. It didn't smell half as bad as it looked. He walked forward and peered at the walls more closely. Was that blood? Sirius' gaze transferred to the spattered floor. A beetle darted across tile and scurried underneath the lone stall. He grimaced when a crunching sound was heard, followed by the sound of chewing.
He took care of business as quickly as possible, wishing he'd gone outside in the bushes. Not wanting to meet whoever or whatever found beetles tasty; he backed out of the lavatory and headed for the exit.
Outside, Sirius looked up at the stars and saluted his counterpart, the brightest star in the Northern sky. He squinted. At least he thought the star he was contemplating was the Dog Star. He raised a hand to help trace the outlines of Canis Major with his outstretched finger. Didn't look much like one of Orion's hunting dogs to him, but his vision was a tad blurry from all the tavern smoke.
He strolled leisurely through deserted streets. Although Sirius wanted to see Rosmerta badly, he didn't have enough energy to jog, much less transform and run. A song drifted through his mind, causing him to snicker before altering the words to suit.
"Rosmerta, you got me on my knees, Rosmerta..."
In the back garden of a nearby cottage, a dog barked. Sirius flashed a vulgar hand gesture. "Ev'rybody's a critic." He snickered before crooning softly, "Rosmerta, won't you ease my worried mind."
Whistling the tune, he continued on, thinking the problem had been her foolish pride. She'd been too proud to admit she fancied him, but his generous pardon was sure to ease her fears about what the villagers would say. He chuckled. Wouldn't he love to hear her begging darling please?
He'd even do some begging of his own. The image of them pleading each other for more kisses kept Sirius humming contentedly until he reached the Broomsticks. He tried to check the time and scowled. His watch was a goblin knock-off, but he'd never had a problem engaging the luminescence button before. He decided the time didn't matter.
Sirius went round the back.
The thought that Rosmerta might be asleep never occurred to him. Sirius was sure she was crying into her pillow, in need of comfort. He picked up some gravel and waved his wand over it to send it seeking her window. It made an impressive clatter.
She didn't throw up the sash. Instead, he caught a glimpse of a pale face through the closed pane. He frowned. Did she think he'd mind a pink nose and puffy eyes?
He used a Sonorous charm to call, "Ros-mer-ta…Ros-mer-ta!"
Up went the sash. Rosmerta leaned out. "Shhh…What are you doing here?"
Sirius was enjoying the view of creamy skin exposed by a camisole. Mischievously, he held a hand up to his ear. As he'd hoped, she leaned down to say in a spell-amplified voice, "I know you can hear me. Why aren't you at school?"
"I need to talk to you."
She shook her head. "No you don't. Go back to Hogwarts."
"Not until you talk to me. I can stand here all night."
"Then stand there!"
Sirius blinked in disbelief as she ducked back inside and shut the window. His voice was less persuasive and more indignant when he called, "Ros-mer-ta!"
The sash was lifted so quickly, she must've been standing right beside it. He grinned when Rosmerta said, "Fine! I'll come down, but you have to say whatever it is you came to say and then leave. Deal?"
The hand he'd meant to put on his heart ended up on his collarbone. "Deal!"
She sighed audibly and withdrew into her bedroom once more. Waiting for her to let him into the kitchen, Sirius decided to check his breath. The smell made him frown. He dug into his pocket and withdrew a couple of brushing/flossing mints. After chewing , he breathed into his cupped palm and smiled at the scent of minty freshness.
The sound of a door opening brought his gaze to the woman standing beneath the torchlight. Rosmerta looked so pretty with her hair down, wearing a silky robe. Sirius forgot what he'd come there to say. All he could remember was how much he wanted to be with her.
Her eyes widened as he strode eagerly into the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee, or a sober-up potion?"
He laughed. "What makes you think I'm plastered?"
A delicate eyebrow rose. He reached out and traced it with a fingertip. She said, "Besides throwing rocks at a woman's window in the middle of the night? You smell like a tavern."
Sirius brought a fold of his cloak up for a sniff and grimaced. "You're right. Pipe smoke is foul!" He tossed the offending garment onto the back of a chair, waving his wand to neutralise the scent. "I learnt this one after McGonagall gave me detention for smoking when I don't even like the smell of cigars, much less the taste."
"I didn't think this was your first jaunt to the Hog's Head."
He snickered at her dry tone before lifting his arm to take a whiff. Not bad, but not elf-laundered either.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice sounded funny, high and thin. He chuckled and began to lift the hem of his tee.
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Why had she gone to the window? Once there, why had she attempted to reason with a charming drunk instead of firmly ordering him to stagger back to school? Rosmerta sighed. For the same reason she allowed him to take off his shirt. Sirius was hard to resist.
She tried not to stare at his chest. It wasn't overly muscular, but Merlin it was finely sculpted! Dark eyes glinted with knowing amusement as she said, "Put that right back on."
Sirius grinned, wilfully misunderstanding. "Don't worry, I'm not cold."
No, you're hot… Rosmerta tried not to let the thought show on her face while she said, "I refuse to hold a conversation with an undressed man, so hurry up and complete that spell."
He said laughingly, "I'm not undressed! I'm wearing trousers. Boxers too…or maybe briefs… Hold on, I'll check."
Pulse spiking alarmingly, Rosmerta pried Sirius' fingers away from his belt. "No! I'll take your word."
His hand clasped hers. "You can take a lot more than that."
She laughed nervously. Pulling away, Rosmerta said, "You need coffee or tea or…" Me… She shook her head. No, she was not on offer, and why hadn't he put his shirt back on?
"Okay."
"Okay, what?"
"Okay I'll have a drink."
He was standing too close. She said, "Which?"
"Which, what?"
"Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?"
Sirius asked smilingly, "Which tastes better to you?"
"Tea, but…"
"Tea it is, then."
Rosmerta moved toward the Aga, engaging the charm to heat the kettle. She fumbled with the tea canister. Sirius sauntered over to watch her, making her even more jumpy. His tone of voice, when he'd asked her which drink tasted better, kept echoing in her mind. It insinuated he wanted to make sure she enjoyed the flavour of his kisses.
She stiffened. There was going to be no kissing! She glanced sideways while pouring hot water onto the leaves. No seventeen-year-old boy should look so mature. It wasn't fair to twenty-one-year-old women! Distracted, Rosmerta splashed hot water onto her hand.
Sirius grabbed the kettle and set it aside, steering her to the kitchen sink. "Cold water's what you need. Here you go."
He stood behind her, arms around her to hold her hand beneath the stream of water. Rosmerta closed her eyes. Without a shirt, the heat of his body sank into hers. Even after her skin stopped hurting, she stayed where she was, telling herself the cold water would cool heated thoughts.
"Better now?"
He sounded on the verge of laughter. She stepped sideways, reaching for a cloth to dry her hands. "Yes, thank you. I hope your tea isn't too…erm…"
"Cold?" he said teasingly. Sirius took a sip, reached for the sugar and added another cube, smiling, as he said, "No, its fine."
He looked far too at home leaning a hip against her counter, sipping tea, shirtless. She had to take charge of the situation. Marching over to the table, Rosmerta picked up his tee and extended it. "For the last time, get dressed."
He put it on, asking, "Why so upset about a little skin?"
It wasn't fair that he could smirk and look adorable. She said, "You know why."
"Because you're older than me and think you shouldn't be attracted to a schoolboy?"
Stars and stones he was blunt. She decided to be direct too. "Yes."
Long strands of hair fell into his face as he shook his head. "Pardon my French, but that's shite. You're only a few years older, and I won't be in school much longer."
Rosmerta put her hands on her hips. "Fine, chat me up next July."
He grinned. "You'd go out with me then?"
She stared. Her quip had been sarcastic, but the more she thought about it… "Well, I wouldn't be dating a boy from Hogwarts, so my father wouldn't die of shame from my scandalising the village yet again," Rosmerta said with forced lightness. "It wouldn't send the message that I'm available for any boy to try his luck, either."
"Is that a yes?"
Only Grimmy had a more soulful look. "Yes, but…" She tried to say she didn't expect him to wait, that he should find someone at school, but the words wouldn't come. Her stomach felt tied in knots. Oh Hades, she didn't want him to be with someone else!
His smile widened into one of such charm, she couldn't help smiling back until Sirius said, "I can't let you miss out on months of my company." He took a step toward her. "We'll just have to sneak around 'till then."
Silly heroines in novels were always forgetting to breathe, as if they had some kind of romantic apnea. Rosmerta had never felt her breath catch and hold…before now. She exhaled harshly, repeating, "Sneak around?"
"Yeah."
"Sirius, you're drunk."
"Am I?" he mused, before smiling roguishly. "Drunk from drinking in your beauty and grace…"
"Rubbish," she interjected with a reluctant smile. "Drunk from cheap firewhisky."
Unabashed, he grinned. "How could you tell?" Sirius pointed to the table. "M'cloak? Did I spill some?" He answered his own question. "Probably happened when I toasted you for the fifth time…with a flourish..." He demonstrated. It was quite elaborate. She could imagine whisky sloshing out.
"Sirius, I don't think…"
"Don't think," he said, stepping closer. "Don't be sensible."
"That's easy for you to say."
His smile faded. "No it isn't. My mates and I keep a lot of secrets, but not from each other. I'd have to sneak around as much as you."
"That's why we shouldn't do it. We'd have to lie…"
"Lies of omission…hurting no one…and we'd tell them in July," said Sirius.
His tone and expression were so persuasive. She closed her eyes. "I'm not giving in just because you turn puppy-dog-eyes on me, Sirius Black."
"Do you like dogs?"
"Yes."
"More than cats?"
She opened her eyes to see his hopeful expression. "Yes, why?"
He grinned. "You could say I'm a dog person."
Rosmerta shook her head. "So we both like dogs. That doesn't mean we should be together, and besides…" She looked away, so it would be easier to admit, "I've made too many mistakes when comes to men. I can't afford to make another one."
Sirius' fingers brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. "Give us a chance. It won't be a mistake."
She looked him in eyes to ask, "How can you possibly know that?"
His smile was slow and sweet. "I feel it."
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Sirius wasn't exactly sober, but he knew when a girl had changed her no to a yes. It was the way Rosmerta's face and eyes softened and relaxed. She had stopped fighting her feelings. His only problem was deciding what to do about it.
"What are we going to do?"
Funny she asked that, he'd just thought the same thing. Sirius saw an envelope on the kitchen table and said, "We could write each other."
"What? Be pen friends?"
He nodded earnestly. The idea was inspired. "I can find out all about you, and you can ask me anything."
She looked sceptical. "Anything?"
"Anything. I might not tell you the answer, but you can always ask." He laughed heartily at his joke.
Rosmerta put her fingers to his lips. "Be quiet. I put a muting charm on the room, but I don't know how long it will last." He kissed her fingers. She pulled them back and said, "I wouldn't want to sign my name on a letter."
"So don't put your name on it, and I won't either." He smiled widely. "We'll each know who they're from."
She smiled almost shyly. "You do make quite an impression."
He wanted to impress her with his snogging technique, but was afraid to push for too much, too soon. Instead, he replied. "So do you."
Her cheeks were turning pink. "Erm…it's getting late."
Sirius joked, "No, it's early…in the morning."
Rosmerta said, "You should get back to school. I'll write soon."
He watched her walk towards the back door and asked, "May I have a kiss goodnight?"
She bit her lip. "It's morning."
He admired her big blue eyes, but wished she didn't act so nervous. Sirius was beginning to feel tense too. He moved nearer. "A kiss good morning, then?" When she hesitated, he said, "A little one?"
Sirius edged closer until he was directly facing Rosmerta. She whispered, "What do you mean by a little one?"
He gave her what she'd called puppy-dog-eyes. "Lips only."
"No touching?"
Sirius raised his hands to cradle her face. "A little."
"All right."
His heart pounded to see her lips part. Resisting the urge to kiss her the way he had in fantasies, Sirius kissed Rosmerta the way Wilkes likely never had- tenderly. He brushed his lips against hers before softly rubbing and parting her mouth. Her lips moved against his slowly, as if it had been a long time since she'd been kissed.
Sirius vowed to kiss her well and often, but right now; he was determined to make this kiss, their first kiss, unforgettable. Although he wanted to explore her mouth, Sirius restrained himself to her lips, enjoying the feel of her skin beneath his fingers, her mouth pressed to his. Every time he was tempted to deepen the kiss, he imagined her pulling back, and kept his kisses gentle.
Eventually, his restraint snapped. Wayward fingers slid into her hair while his tongue traced her bottom lip. When she pulled back, he let her go. With a rueful smile, he said, "Technically, that was lips only."
Rosmerta's cheekbones were tinted pink and her eyes were shining. She said, "If you didn't need to get back to school, I'd be returning the favour."
He knew he was grinning like a bloody fool and didn't care. "Really?"
She walked over to the kitchen table and picked up his cloak. "Yes, really, now go."
Sirius chuckled. "Here's your cloak, what's your hurry?"
Rosmerta's smile made him feel like he could float back to school. When he told her so, she laughed softly. "Thank you, I feel the same way. When you drift out the door, I'll float upstairs."
He snickered over the mental image of them walking on air. Sighing deeply, he walked to the door. She kissed him on the cheek. "If you stop turning sad puppy-dog eyes on me, I promise to send an owl before I go to bed."
He was all smiles again. "Yeah? Ace!" Immediately, he wished he'd sounded less like a second year. Not up for thinking more eloquently, Sirius kissed her soundly on the lips and backed away, grinning. She shook her head, smiling, and shut the door. He waited, and when he saw Rosmerta's face at the window, he blew her a kiss.
Once he'd walked down the road and out of eyesight, Sirius, energised by the kiss, transformed and ran back to Hogwarts. After sneaking through the shadowy corridors, he approached the Fat Lady. "Artem experientia fecit."
"Wh…what? Who goes there?" the painting stammered, awakened from her 'slumber.'
He repeated the password, adding, "If practice makes perfect, one day your voice will ring to the heavens."
The painted lady, whose voice was less than melodic, preened. "What a fine ear you have, young man. Scamper off to bed, now. You wouldn't want a black mark against you in Professor McGonagall's books."
He chuckled. "No, fair lady, I would not."
Giggling, she allowed him to enter.
Inside the common room, he saw a lumpish figure on the sofa nearest the main fireplace and strolled over to shake the sleeper's shoulder. "Peter, wake up."
"Huh? Wha? Sirius? Is that you?" the boy said blearily, sitting up.
"Yes. Why are you down here? Did you draw the short quill?"
Peter nodded. "I always draw the short quill."
Sirius pulled his friend to his feet and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're the only one I'd want to wait up, so thanks, mate."
"Really?" asked Peter, as they walked upstairs.
"Of course- you're the only one who doesn't give me hell."
The boys snickered together, with Peter whispering as they approached the room, "I wish I had your nerve."
"Maybe I'll give you a remedial course in serious boldness," said Sirius, laughing at the pun.
"Shhh! We don't want to wake them," said Peter. He looked at his friend more closely. "Have you been drinking? James said he'd bet a galleon you went straight to the Hog's Head, but Remus wouldn't do it- said the odds were against him."
Sirius heard the despondent tone. He shook his head. "Damn, Peter, you took the bet?"
"Yeh."
"Well, don't do it again, and I'll pay, since you waited up."
"Thanks Sirius!"
Sirius said laughingly, "Shhh! Remember, we don't want to wake them!"
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He awoke the next day to a pounding head and queasy stomach.
"Here, take a dose of your own medicine."
Sirius cracked open an eye to see the flagon Remus offered. "How bad does that stuff taste?" he asked.
"Can't be worse than the inside of your mouth right now," said Remus.
"That bad? I don't give a toss. Give it here." Sirius took the potion and pulled the stopper. He chugged the contents and then fell back against the pillows, both hands at his throat. "Aaahhh!"
"Drink this," said James.
Sirius took the goblet and drank the fizzy, lemony-smelling water. The first potion's acidic burn settled instantly. Sighing in relief, he said, "Thanks." He looked at Remus and said, "How did you manage to smile after taking that?"
"We gave you a double dose."
"Thanks again…you bastards."
His friends laughed. Peter asked, "Does anyone want to go have breakfast in the Hall?"
"I will," said Sirius. He could hardly wait to read Rosmerta's letter.
James stared incredulously. "You never leave the dorm before noon on Sundays."
"Never say never," Sirius said with a grin. "Didn't you think Evans would never call you by your first name again?"
A goofy smile spread across James' face. "Yeah." He said, "You should've stayed. We had a great time."
"Good. You can tell me all about it on the way to the Hall, but right now, I need a shower." Sirius bounded out of bed and went to his trunk to gather clothes. Beneath the spray, he sang, "Please don't say, we'll never find a way…"
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A/N: The title came from a song in the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- From the ashes of disaster, grow the roses of success!Anyone imagining Sirius singing like Eric Clapton- I salute your taste in music and your imagination! Rosmerta, Layla, both women who turned their guys' worlds upside down, LOL. If any readers of my R/T fic noted a similarity in inebriated behaviour between cousins, yay, I hoped you would, and tip my hat. (a Musketeer one, with a big feather!) The reviewers who made my week even better were…...♥ 40/16 ♥ AAMLrox ♥ alix33 ♥ cupcakeswirl ♥ Elspeth Bates ♥ FNP ♥ Freja Lercke-Falkenborg ♥ GraceRichie ♥ Hurley's Belial ♥ ishandtwofourths ♥ jq93 ♥ ladyofthebookworms ♥ Libeku Taganashi ♥ MagicalMischiefMakersInc ♥ MollyCoddles ♥ Mrs. SIrius Black ♥ RahNee ♥ Sivaroobini Lupin-Black ♥ Slipknot-3113♥ Sophia Loren ♥ sunny9847 ♥ Watch out for Yellow Moon ♥ Writer-In-Disguise ♥ and ♥ Writer Merrin ♥