Halloween

"Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!" The sound of my voice melds with a dozen others as we pound on the table and chant Lucy's name over and over again, trying to convince her to have just one more shot. With expert precession despite having more than enough alcohol long before this, she licks the salt off her hand, downs the shot, and quickly sucks the juice from the wedge of lime. Pulling the fruit from her teeth, she smiles drunkenly at me. "I do love the Mexican drink."

She tilts sideways a little in her chair and is about to topple over when Remus makes his arrival. "So, my lovely Lucy, do you think it is time to thank Sirius for the smashing party and get to bed?"

Lucy's bright smile turns to him and then back to me. "Doesn't he have the cutest nose you have ever seen?"

She is pointing at his left eye, but I nod. "It is the most adorable nose in the entire universe."

Lucy's head bobs up and down. I think she is in time with the music, before she frowns and points at me. "You aren't drunk enough. Your words had more than two syl-syl-"

"Syllables, honey." Moony's head shakes, and his sandy blonde hair mixes in with hers.

"Yeah, those things."

"Why do I need to be drunk, you are the birthday girl?" I ask, afraid of her answer. It is the reason why I brought out the tequila; I wanted her to forget.

"Becaaauuse you are going to sing for me." She waves her arm across the air, and Remus has to catch her before she falls out of her chair.

I take a long drink for the half-empty bottle on the table. "And, what my dear am I going to be singing?"

With a tired drunken laugh, she smiles at me. "You know the one, the 'Luuucy in the skyyy wit diaaamonds' one. Yeah, that one."

I take another swing. "Please, God, don't let me remember this in the morning. Or anyone else for that matter." Lucy giggles, and I lose all sense of sanity.

O

My head is pounding, and all I can see is a red and gold blur. I think I am sick. Okay, so I know it's just a hangover. Yawning, I stretch my arms above my head, and I hear an annoyed squeak beside me. Blinking my eyes into focus, I stare down at a sandy blonde head. Oh, shit. How much did I drink last night? Carefully, I sniff the girl's hair praying it isn't who I think it is. Oh, God. Licorice. Shit. I slept with Lucy again. Oh fucking hell, she is dating Remus. Dear God, I swear never to drink again.

Pressing the heel of my hands against my eyes, I fall back onto my pillow. How the hell do I get out of this one? As I am thinking of all the horrible outcomes of this, Lucy mumbles something in her sleep, turns, and snuggles into me. Fuck.

Okay, my plan of action is: sneak out of bed, go down stairs, and pray that everyone thinks I passed out on the couch. Easy enough, right? Slowly, I inch away from Lucy, attempting to crawl over her and climb out of the bed. Lucy obviously has other plans, because she latches onto my arm.

I feel like I am playing a game of Twister; only the consequences of losing are much worse than giving into one of James' twisted dares. The consequences of losing this match are breaking up my friends' relationship, crushing Lucy, and ruining any thoughts of them ever being with anyone, ever again. Oh, holy fuck. God, I despise you. This is a cruel, cruel prank.

While I am contemplating the best way out of this mess, the curtains to my bed are carefully pulled open. The light blinds me, but not quickly enough to prevent me from seeing the face of Remus Lupin. His voice is cheery as he whispers, "Oh, good. She is still asleep." Huh?

I squint to make out his features; he is smiling brightly as he pries Lucy's death like grip from my arm. "Thanks, so much for this Sirius. I never would have finished if you hadn't agreed."

Wait! He wanted me to screw his girlfriend? Oh, I am so confused. Why does this stuff always happen in the morning after a long night of alcohol?

I frown at him as I finally crawl out of the bed. "What?"

He looks at me curiously. "You don't remember?" He is forcing down chuckles and his eyes shine brightly. I hate people who are so f'ing happy in the morning.

"No, I bloody well don't remember! I was wasted as hell last night. Would you care to explain to me why you wanted me to sleep with your girlfriend?" I shout out in a whisper. The last thing on earth I need is for Lucy to wake up.

Remus begins to chuckle silently. After a moment or two, he pulls himself together. "You idiot. Today is Lucy birthday; I had to finish my shopping this morning because you decided to throw a surprise party last night. Lucy crashed in my bed, and I was afraid she would wake up if she found me missing. So I asked you to pretend to be me for a bit."

"Oh." Well, that makes perfect sense.

He rolls his eyes. "Man, it's not like you haven't slept with her before." His nose wrinkles at his choice of words. "I mean, beside her. I just didn't want her to know I was out shopping for her. You know how weird she gets."

"How weird who gets?" Lucy mutters sleepily, her head peeking out between the bed curtains.

Moony grins charmingly at her and kisses her forehead. "Lily, my dear. We were talking about how weird she gets after a night of booze."

Lucy smiles with her eyes still closed. "Yeah, I love Lily," she murmurs before her head droops to the side. A sure sign that she has fallen back asleep.

"You won't be thinking that after she discovers she has over slept on Halloween." Remus pulls the curtain open a little wider and guides her back down to the bed. She mutters some random Quidditch facts and tries to grab a hold of Remus' hand. He is smarter than I am, though, and quickly slips a pillow in front of her, which she happily snuggles into.

"So, do you have any hangover cure left? Or did you drink it all to make yourself a happy camper this morning?"

Remus chuckles, handing over the bottle of lime green potion. "Save some for Luce. The last thing she needs is to be all hungover on her birthday."

After downing about half of the vile liquid, I replace the cork and leave it on Moony's bedside table. With a wave of my wand, a little tag appears with the words "drink me, babe" on it. Now, I will get the credit for Remus' potion. Yay me! "Okay, so what did you get her?" I ask smiling rather cheerfully myself.

"You shall see."

Damn him and his secrets. He smirks wickedly before telling me to get dressed, because he needs help setting up some stuff for Lucy before Lily catches us and forces us to help with turning the Common Room into a haunted house.

O

"Babe, no, come on. I already told you I don't want anything for my birthday. The party was enough." Lucy whines as I pull her out of the closet, her hiding place from that slave driver Lily.

"I already bought it, so you have to open it. Now, up!"

Sighing heavily, she stands and pouts. I love the way that her eyebrows scrunch together and her bottom just barely sticks out when she is pouting. "But, Sirius… What if Lily catches us?"

I smile widely. "Not gonna happen, love. I have devised a super sneaky way around the lovely future Mrs. Potter."

She almost chuckles. "When did Lily become the future Mrs. Potter?"

I glance at her messy state. Jeez, she is worst than Peter. Okay, so nobody is worse than Peter, but still, she is wearing a pair of tattered old jeans, a faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt, no shoes, and a lime green ball cap with her hair sloppily thrown underneath it. My God, it is her birthday; she knows people will be looking at her today. Well, I guess she was hiding in a closet. Maybe she hadn't planned on anyone seeing her. "When James proposed last night, and she said yes," I mutter, frowning at her before I start adjusting her outfit to make her at least presentable. She doesn't even notice.

"When did that happen! Damn it, I knew I should have stayed away from the tequila…" She shakes her head and looks at the ground. I ignore her question, pull off her hat, and throw it on a nearby bed. "Hey! I need that; I didn't brush my hair." She tries to walk around me, but I step in front of her. She changes direction only to be blocked by me, again. "Stop it! And you didn't answer my question."

"I am not taking you out like this. You are a complete disaster." Remus and I went through too much trouble to set this whole thing up for her to show up without her hair brushed. She looks up at me as I transfigure her Quidditch book into a brush. Her eyes are calm and cool telling me to answer her. "Alright, she was drunk and so was he, but everyone had a good laugh about it. They aren't engaged… Yet." I sigh, placing my hands on her shoulders and turning her around so that I can do something about the dreadlocks that are forming in her hair.

"I can brush my own hair, you know," she mutters but makes no move to take the brush from me.

"Yes, I know you can brush it yourself, but if I give the brush to you, you will turn it back into a book. Or, hit me with it and then turn back into a book." Her small shoulders bounce up in a shrug as she makes a noise of agreement.

Once a have her groomed to a socially acceptable state, I pull her pea coat, hat, and gloves out of my pocket and enlarge them. As I rid them of wrinkles, her exasperated voice sounds in my ear. "Dude, you made me get all cleaned up so you could cover me up?"

I grin and place her hat on her head. "Yes, and you really didn't do anything. I did it all. " I have decided Lucy needs to wear red lipstick more often. I hear her harrumph as I help her into her coat.

"Well, this better be worth it."

"It is, love. Now, come on hurry up," I say as I push her toward the window.

"What about your jacket, and why are we leaving through the window?"

"I won't need it, and for question two, Lily will catch us if we go down stairs." I roll my eyes and grab my broom. Lucy simply watches me fly out of the room. I float beside the window for a bit waiting for her to hop on, but she doesn't. I turn around and look at her. She is staring at her gloved fingers and chewing on her bottom lip. She's nervous. "What's up, duck?"

Her head pops up, and she smiles brightly. "Oh, nothing! I just got lost in thought, I guess." Her smile falters at 'I guess.'

"I swear it's not bad, Luce."

"I know." A fake grin is pasted on her face as she starts to climb out the window.

"Lucy?" I ask.

"It's just…"

I frown as her voice trails away, and then I remember. "Presents. It's fine, Lucy." Damn it, I forgot. Last Christmas, someone cursed half of the presents in Gryffindor; seven students were severally injured. Keith Bailey is still in St. Mongo's. Lucy was the only one of us here. She woke up late to find all of the other students in varying states of pain. Presents have put her on edge ever since. "It's from me. It has been under my protection for weeks, and I checked it for curses thirty minutes ago."

"I'm sorry," she whispers with a half-smile.

"I should have remembered. Next time nothing with bows, I swear." I wink at her and turn the broom so she can climb on behind me. Thank God, I was too drunk to force her to open gifts last night.

With her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, I circle the castle, slowly gaining more and more height. "So where are we going?" she asks, her cheek pressed against my back.

"You shall see." Her grip tightens around me, and I smirk. "Are you afraid of my flying skills?"

"No, you can't be any worse than Remus. I just hate not being in control."

I chuckle slightly before landing on the roof of the Great Hall. Lucy glances down at her feet as she climbs off my broom. "Hey! That's cool. I didn't know that the roof was enchanted, too." She has not even noticed Remus standing next to a checkered picnic blanket.

"Yeah," I comment, "you should see it at night."

Grinning wickedly up at me, she says, "Maybe I will bring Moony up here tonight then. You'd better stay clear with whatever girl you are trying to impress this week."

I laugh at the surprised look on her face when Remus grabs her around the middle and twirls her around. "You won't have to wait 'til tonight." He kisses her quickly and looks up at me. "Dude, hurry up with the gifting, so I can get to mine," he practically whines before placing her back on her feet.

Lucy giggles and pecks his cheek. "I'll be there in less than two minutes, I swear."

"You'd better be." With another quick kiss, he is gone.

"So, now are you happy I made you pretty?" I grin.

Her brown eyes roll to the left as she pretends to think about it. "Maybe."

"You mean, 'Yes, Sirius, I am so thankful to you for making me pretty that I am going to take over whatever duties Lily has assigned you tonight.'"

"Hell, no, but you do deserve a thank you." She gives me a quick hug. "So, thank you."

"Alright, your present." I hand her a small yellow box with a purple bow.

She holds it in the palm of her hand and stares at it. "What is it?"

I roll my eyes. "Open it and find out."

It's a necklace that she saw a while back when we were on a licorice run. I caught her looking at it, and she told me, "Nobody ever thinks to get me girl stuff, you know? Not even Lily. I don't think I have received anything remotely girly from anyone. 'Cept, maybe my parents, but who in their right mind would wear all that…puffy stuff?"

She gently unties the box and peeks inside. Snapping the lid closed, she looks at me with wide eyes. "Sirius, you didn't." I grin mischievously and watch her open the box again. "Aw, shit, Sirius, I can't believe you."

She jumps and wraps me in a giant hug, well as giant as Lucy can give anyway. I laugh. "So, I did good?"

"Yes, you little fucker."

Smiling, I ask her, "Should you be using that kind of language?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. You're too cute to say that word. Now, go." I raise my eyebrows in Remus' direction. He is sitting cross-legged on the blanket, bouncing his head from side to side in boredom.

"Right." She rolls her eyes and then grins at Remus. "I promise not to do anything you wouldn't." Smiling happily, she starts to skip off toward Remus. Suddenly, she stops and faces me. "Wait, you gotta put it on me."

"Of course." I smile. I did okay this with Moony, but still it feel weird to put a necklace on someone else's girl. I guess it's just Lucy, though.

Once the necklace is clasped, she looks at me with an expression that reminds me a lot of a little kid. "Thanks." She smiles and bites her lip.

"Now, you can never say people don't think to get you girly gifts anymore."

"Nope." Chipped fingernail-polished hands twirl the small silver pendent before she looks up at me again. "Okay, I have gone way over my two minutes."

I bend down and whisper in her ear, "He already knew you would."

Playfully, she slaps my shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Maybe…" I say before grabbing my broom and diving off the roof. I hear her laugh, and Remus say in mock exasperation "Finally!" before I return to the common room where Lily will give me the worse job for being late. I will probably end up scrubbing the floors with a toothbrush or something.

O

I am on my way down to ask Cole if she and Hunter would like to join the Gryffindors for Remus' annual scary story. Every year after the Halloween Feast, he gathers up the younger students and scares them shitless. Okay, so his stories are not that scary, but the kids like it and so does he. Anyway, Lily, damn her, thought it would be a good idea if I invited Cole and Hunter to join us. I said yes, of course. After all, she is Lily, and I cannot say no to Lily. In addition, I am rather fond of the idea of Cole curling up next to me on the sofa. Okay, so that probably won't happen, but I can dream, right?

And please, do not ask why Lily has decided that Cole isn't the scum of the earth anymore. To Hell if I know. Lily does whatever she pleases and expects the rest of us to accept her decisions.

After swiftly knocking on the door, I wait patiently for an answer. It never comes. She is ignoring me. Me! Sirius Black! You cannot ignore Sirius Black! Does she think she is going to get away with it? I knock on the door a little louder this time. Still, no answer, so I turn the knob. It's open!

I silently push the door ajar and slip inside to find Cole sitting on the ottoman near the fireplace. Two shimmering wings hang from her shoulders, and she is fiddling with the knot holding her green halter-top dress up. I stealthy walk up behind her. She knows I am here, after my first step her wings jumped to alertness and her fingers stopped moving. Damn. "Need some help?" I ask cheerfully.

A relieved sigh escapes her lips, and her wings relax at the sound of my voice. "It's not a good idea to sneak up on me, you know," she says, and her fingers go back to work at undoing the knot.

"You're right, but it's probably not a good idea to leave your door unlocked, either," I say as I kneel on the ottoman behind her and nudge her hands away so I can untie the knot. I am totally amazed when her hands fall away.

My amazement turns to disappointment as she quickly stands and runs to the door. "Holy fuck!" she exclaims before warding the door. Sighing heavily, she mutters to herself, "What kind of fucking idiot forgets to lock the doors?"

I am about to tell her that it's okay when a little voice interrupts me. "You owe me a Knut."

Hunter is standing in the doorway of what appears to be his room in a pair of green pants and a bright blue t-shirt, his hair messy with a few leaves scattered in it.

"That I do. I'm sorry, I know better." Rebecca smiles at him. "Aren't you supposed to be putting on your pajamas?"

With a grin that lights up his eyes, he answers, "Yeah, but I couldn't untie my strings."

"Ah, I see. Well, come here then." She sits back down in front of me, and he comes to stand in front of her.

As she unties the string that is holding his pants up, he grins at me. "Miss Poppy said you are a prat."

Rebecca snorts as she tries to hold back laughter. "Hunter, it's not nice to call people prats."

He looks up at her with confusion written all over his face. "I didn't call him a prat; Miss Poppy did, and you called him a prat, too."

"Okay, I owe you two Knuts. Now, from now on, you don't call people names–" Hunter starts to say something, but she cuts him off. "Even if you are just repeating what someone else said."

"Otay. You make lots of rules, Becca." He shrugs.

"I know, but we will both be better people for it or you will be rich and I will be mute."

"That sounds good." He smiles widely before heading back to his room.

"Was that a hint that I talk too much?" she laughs at his retreating form.

"I think he just liked the him being rich bit. So, what's up with the wings and the leaves?" I move to untie her top again. She does not say anything so I continue to work it out.

"Oh, I took him trick-or-treating during the feast. He wanted to be Peter Pan so, naturally, I had to be Tinkerbelle."

"Did he score a lot of candy?

"Yeah, I still have to check it tonight." Her wings droop tiredly.

I finally get the knot undone and am tempted to kiss her bare neck, but I don't. I am not sure how she will react to it, and for the first time, she is being moderately friendly. "All done."

She holds up the dress as she stands. "Thanks, I'm just going to change. I'll be right back."

I nod and watch her walk from the room. Moving to the couch, I sit and take in the room. It is much cozier than I expected. Everything is done in deep, earthy tones; there are already pictures of the two of them on the mantle over the fireplace. Toys and books in bright colors are spilling out of a wooden box in the corner. Her bag and books are lying haphazardly across the coffee table. A small piano sits in the far corner of the living room; it does not seem like it has been used, yet. It reminds me of a smaller version of the Potter home. It is the kind of place you feel at ease in.

As I stand to continue my observations, Cole comes back in. She kicks the door to her room closed pulling a grey sweater over her head. "So what are you here for? Did our loving Headmaster think I needed a babysitter tonight?"

I give her my most charming smile and sit back down. "No, not at all. Moony reads scary stories to all the younger students on Halloween. I thought you and Hunter might like to join us."

She stares at me oddly for a moment before answering. "No, we can't. We–"

"Why not, Becca? I want to go!" My head turns to the sound of the little voice. Hunter is standing with his hands on his hips in a very Lily-like fashion. His eyebrows are furrowed causing little wrinkles to appear on his forehead.

Rebecca sighs and runs a hand through her short hair. "You want to go?"

"Yes." He smiles and nods.

"What about your candy?"

"It will be here when we get back," he answers in a 'duh' tone.

"We won't get back until late, which means no candy until tomorrow."

He rolls his eyes. "Like you were gonna let me have any tonight anyway."

She looks down at him. Everything about her screams that they will not be going, but she just sighs and says, "Go get your coat, then." Hunter grins widely before trotting off to his room.

Cole watches before turning her gaze to me. Her eyes are narrowed slightly but not enough to make me cringe. "I am only going for him." I chuckle slightly but do not say anything.

Hunter comes tottering out of his room a few moments later in a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, plaid pajama bottoms, and slippers. "All ready."

Her eyes soften at the sight of him. "Lead on, Mr. Black."

I smile and offer her my arm. "Of course, Ms. Cole. Right this way." She looks at me as if she would rather hurl but with a quick glance at the child, she smiles and loops her arm through mine.

O

Hunter is in Rebecca's arms the moment that we enter the common room. The majority of the students are already gathering near the fireplace, whispering in calm anticipation, and waiting for Moony to appear. As soon as Cole is noticed, the whispering turns frantic. She quirks an eyebrow and grins coolly. Hunter smiles cheerfully and waves at the group. Rebecca's grip on him tightens slightly. "Stay close, okay?"

He rolls his eyes. "I know, Becca."

Before I can find us a seat or even tell everyone to mind their own business, I am attacked head on. "Sirius, babe, oh my God! Guess what!" Lucy has her arms and legs wrapped around me as she grins ear to ear.

"Lucy, my dear, what on earth could have you so excited?" I ask knowing perfectly well, what she is going on about.

"I am going to jump off of this!" she exclaims, waving a picture of a giant cliff in my face. "Remus and I are going to climb up this thing the muggle way, and then we will dive off and depend on little blankets to catch us! How fucking cool is that?"

"It's pretty freaking awesome if you want to die." I smile at her as I place her back on the ground.

"What a way to go, huh? Just… whoosh and splat." A smile lights up her face before she notices Cole. It falters a little; but she catches herself quickly, and her smile is back in place. "Cole, I'm glad you came. Oh my goodness, you must be Hunter. Gods, you are adorable."

Cole nods, but before she can speak, Hunter interrupts, "You owe me a Knut."

Lucy's smile is replaced by a look of confusion. "What? Why?"

"You said a bad word. You owe me a Knut."

"Oh, that's cool. Dude, you are going to be one rich little kid." As she digs in her pocket, I notice her hair. It is in a ponytail. I spent a lot of time on her hair, and she puts it in a ponytail. She comes up empty handed. "Hey, Sirius, give the kid a Knut. I left my damned money in my jacket."

"You owe me another Knut."

"Right, two Knuts, Sirius." Lucy smiles. A loud thump sounds in the direction of the Heads Dorm. "Aw, shit. Lily is trying to kill James again. I'll be back." She gives a little wave before sprinting away.

Frowning, I dig into my pocket and pull out a handful on coins. I place a large Galleon in his hand. He grins widely before dropping the coin into his pocket. "That should cover her for the rest of the night if I am lucky."

"She's funny," he laughs.

"Yeah, she is," I agree before leading Cole to the couch in the back center of the room. It is James' and my usual spot for the show.

It is two nights before full moon, and Remus looks like hell. Everyone who looks at him thinks Lily did one hell of a job with the make-up. The truth is, however, that his pallid skin and the dark rings around his eyes are a common occurrence; he simply just didn't bother with covering it up today.

He is sitting tensely in a chair near the fireplace, the flames making his skin glow eerily. He voice is jumpy and high as he begins his tale. "TRUE! Nervous– very, very, dreadfully nervous I had been and am, but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses, not destroyed or dulled them. Above all, my sense of hearing was implausible. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in Hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily, how calmly I can tell you the whole story." With that, he has the entire room's undivided attention, except for mine.

My eyes travel around the room to find Lucy sitting front and center nervously chewing on her thumbnail. Lily is sitting beside her listening intently. James is leaning against the wall near the portrait hole pouting slightly but still hanging onto Moony's every word. Peter is sitting on the floor to my right, his eyes wide as saucers. Cole is sitting calmly beside me, her arms loosely wrapped around Hunter's middle, keeping him in place. Hunter is leaning forward in her lap trying to get a better view.

After a few moments hear him whisper, "Becca, can I go sit by Lucy?"

Cole's fingers unconsciously tighten around him. "Oh, honey, I don't think that's a good idea."

I glance up at her. "Come on, Cole. Let him go. It's twenty feet in front of you. Lucy will keep an eye on him."

She glares at me. "No, I don't–"

"Bee, please," he whines, and she flinches slightly. He notices and drops his gaze, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Becca. I didn't–"

"No, honey, it's fine. You go ahead. Ask her if it's okay; if it's not, you come straight back, okay?" He nods happily before sliding down from the couch and wading through the crowd to Lucy. Lucy's face beams when she sees him, and she pats the floor beside her, telling him to have a seat. She smiles back at Cole, and I watch as Rebecca gives her a smile laced with anger.

As soon has Lucy's eyes are back on Remus, Cole drops her head to her hands and releases a shuddering sigh. She sniffs and looks up at me. "It would be much appreciated if you would keep your nose out of my business, especially where Hunter is concerned. Do not– do not undermine my authority, again." Her eyes are so cold that I have an insane urge to hide. I simply nod before turning my gaze back to Remus.

O

I did not think she would allow me to walk her back, but she did. I thought she was the kind of person who risked everything for her pride, but obviously, I was wrong. Before Moony even finished, Hunter fell asleep along with Lucy. Now, his head is resting against Cole's shoulder, and she has him clutched tightly to her as we descend the steps. I glance over at her and cannot help but think that he is too big for her to be carrying. Slightly afraid, I ask, "Do you want me to carry him?" They are the first words either of us has said since she snapped at me.

Her eyes flick to meet mine. Her voice is hard, and I know she is going to tell me to go fuck myself. "I–" She stops and sighs before closing her eyes. "I would really appreciate it. Thank you." As I lift him from her arms, I notice he is lighter than I would have expected him to be, still too heavy for her to be carrying around the castle, but he is definitely underweight. She catches the look on my face. "We are working on that." A hint of anger flashes through her eyes, but she gives me a half smile.

We walk in silence for a few moments before I stop and face her. She halts along side me and looks up at me anxiously. "Rebecca, I am sorry. I should not have intervened earlier. He isn't mine; I really shouldn't have said anything."

She smiles weakly. "I… Thank you. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just…" Her dark eyes close, and she takes a deep breath. "I'm not any good at playing nice. I stopped being nice too long ago. It's hard to go back."

Her eyes look for understanding in my own. I know what it is like to be one thing, be forced to be something else, and then try to change back. I did grow up in the House of Black after all. "It's okay. I know what you mean." She nods and wraps her arms around herself before continuing down the hall.

The rest of our journey is traveled in silence; only the sounds of our footsteps on the cold floor fill the void. When we reach the door, I expect her to take him from me and send me back to Gryffindor Tower, but she does not. With a few whispered words and a complicated little wave of her wand, the door clicks open. "Wait here, please." It is not a request. She disappears behind the door and shuts it firmly, leaving me in the hallway with Hunter still cradled in my arms. After about five minutes of me tapping my toes in the darkness, she returns and waves me in. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure it was all clear."

She leads me to Hunter's room, and I place him down gently on his bed. Cole softly edges around me and slips off his shoes and sweater before tucking him into his superman sheets. I back away and watch as she presses her lips to his forehead and whispers, "Sweet dreams."

I feel her small hand on my arm as we exit his room. I turn to face her as the door clicks closed. Her fingers trail down my arm before coming to rest near my wrist. She is studying the door as if there is some hidden meaning in the grain of the wood, refusing to look at me. "Stay. Stay here, tonight," she whispers faintly.

Her eyes continue to decipher the meaningless words written on the door. I place my hand under her chin and tilt her head up at me. Her eyes close for an infinite moment before the smoky grey orbs stare into me. I run my thumb across her cheek, and her eyelids flutter closed as she refuses to lean into my caress. "Are you sure?" Her eyes open at the sound of my voice, and she holds my gaze as her head inclines a fraction of an inch. My hand moves to the back of her neck, my fingers lightly running up into her hair as I drop my lips down to hers. She sighs against my lips, her body moving ever closer to mine.

Our tongues swirl around each other. My left hand at the base of her neck, my fingers extending into her soft hair, the other on the small of her back pressing her to me. She has one hand rested on my shoulder to keep her balance, and her other arm hooked around my neck pulling me down to her. She pulls away slightly and rests her head on my shoulder. Her hands slide down to my chest as she breathes heavily against my neck. My head spins each time she breathes. I bend my head to kiss the creamy white skin of her neck. Just before I reach her, she lifts her head and whispers. "He is having a bad dream. I'll be right back."

I am left standing alone as the door to his room clicks shut. I have my doubts about whether she will come back. She does, though. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and her face is pale. Her chin quivers slightly before she pulls me down to her for a kiss. She is trying to distract me from her tears, but I can feel them on my face. I shake my head slightly and step back from her. She tries to take a step forward, but I place my hands on her shoulders. Before I can say anything she speaks, her voice cracked with tears. "Please, don't go just because I'm upset. I will be fine in a minute. I just– I just don't want to be alone."

I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her waist in a tight hug. "It's okay. You don't– we don't– I will just stay. I can just stay." She fiercely shakes her head, so I gently stoke her hair and press her cheek against my chest. "It's okay." She is so tiny that I feel like I am only holding a doll.

Carefully, I take her hands and wrap them around my neck before gently scooping her up. She buries her head into my neck and starts to hiccup. "Shush, it's alright." I do not even know what is wrong, but I will be damned if I cannot fix it.

I enter her bedroom and bless the house elves when I find the bed turned down. I have to pry her hands from around me before I can lay her down. I slip off her shoes and then my own. Crawling in beside her, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close. She entwines our fingers as I pull the blanket up and around us. As her body shakes with unreleased tears, I continue to hold her tightly to me, my lips pressed against her hair whispering words even I do not understand. It takes a while, but she eventually fades off into sleep.

O

thank you for reading