I Should've Been After You
Summary: I hope you know it by now.
Disclaimer: Lia's mine. That's it really, besides the plot and such. JK Rowling has laid claim to the rest of them.
Author's Note: Ok finals are over, so now the writing can begin. This chapter will have some background info about Lia's mom, as requested by Supahcoo4LYFE. Hope everyone enjoys.
Chapter 10
Go With the Flow
The next few weeks passed without incident. It seemed as if the group of friends had worn out their insane luck for crazy events over the holidays. While the Marauders continued with their usual string of pranks and mischief, their respective female companions were absorbed in analyzing all that had happened over break, in comforting Lia in her grief and confusion, and in studying for their NEWTs in the spring.
Sirius had made no attempt to win Lia's heart since their New Year's sleepover. He had been gone from her bed when she awoke the next morning and had hardly spoken to her the rest of the day. She could only attribute his odd behavior to two possibilities: that he remembered what he had said and was afraid to act on it or address her because of it or that he could not remember what had brought him to her bed and was embarrassed and confused.
For her part, she could not bring herself to talk to him about what he had confessed in his drunkenness. Lia feared that he would deny any feelings that he may feel for her if she confronted him about them. So they continued for the rest of the vacation to avoid one another as much as possible.
The group's return to Hogwarts included the return of the natural, friendly companionship between Lia and Sirius. The two friends became seemingly inseparable, starting many new rumors of romance between the two and innumerable cases of jealousy amongst the Sirius Black Fan Club members. The friends enjoyed snow ball fights and fireside games of "Have You Ever?"–a game of confessions–afterwards. It was always enjoyable to exert themselves outside and then to relax and warm up by the warm fire in the Gryffindor Common room, with everyone's jealous eyes continually staring or glancing at the happy group.
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After just such an evening of happy activities, Lia and Sirius were left alone in the Common Room. The friends had stayed up quite later than every other Gryffindor, Lia and Sirius were the last of the group to depart for bed. They stayed together in the common room, continuing the conversation that had at one point included all of their friends. Now they were left to reminisce about the "old days" alone. The two friends laughed over past pranks and curious incidents, which they had never been officially connected with, for many hours, and were only awakened to the late hour by the chiming of a clock on the opposite wall of the room.
"Oh dear," muttered Lia, "Is it really so late? I lost track of the time. It's entirely your fault you know." Lia stood and stretched, turning away from Sirius to hide her grin.
"My fault? You were the one who kept jabbering on about my brilliant pranks," Sirius fired back.
"I never said they were brilliant," Lia continued to stretch, but flashed a cruelly playful smirk over her shoulder at her friend. A low, entirely non-intimidating growl rose from somewhere deep in Sirius' chest. Lia ignored his attempt to scare her and exaggerated a yawn. She was expecting the attack, but shrieked just the same when Sirius' strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her from the floor. He cradled her in his arms and spun around several times. Despite her dizziness, Lia remembered that it was late at night, or rather early in the morning, and refrained from screaming.
Satisfied that he had made her regret insulting his genius, Sirius returned Lia's feet the floor and even supported her while she regained her balance. After a moment's hesitation, Lia proceeded in smacking Sirius' chest, which led to his bark-like laugh filling the common room. Lia shhh-ed him and went around the room turning out the lamps that were still on. She returned to the circle of couches and armchairs in front of the fireplace where Sirius was waiting for her. He was smiling in a sort of off-in-another-world-way, which made her grin and snap her fingers in front of his face when she reached him.
He shook his head and his smile grew when he realized what she had been doing. Lia ruffled his hair, then patted his head, and finally wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm hug. Sirius pulled her close, surprising Lia in a pleasant way. She rested her head on his shoulder, and Sirius took this opportunity to rest his chin atop her head. After an immeasurable amount of time, the two stepped away from each other. Lia regained her voice first and wished Sirius sweet dreams before heading towards the girls' stairs.
Sirius struggled for a moment, trying to decide if now was the right time to say something, before calling out to Lia, "I meant what I said you know."
Lia paused on the first step and turned to face him before asking, "What do you mean?"
"What I said on New Year's Eve, about Juliet. I meant it," he explained as he approached the stairs.
"Oh, refresh my memory. What did you say that night in your drunken state of confession?" Lia replied with an amused air.
"I've given up on her ever revealing herself to me. I figured it out. If it was meant to be we would have told each other who we were Halloween night. I'm over it now," he concluded as he reached the stairs and leaned against the archway.
"Well, that's quite a resolution, Sirius. I hope you gave it a lot of thought."
"I did."
"Oh, well…good."
"Really? Oh, I thought you might be mad. I couldn't remember your reaction from New Year's," he chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Well, good night then."
"Good night, Sirius." Lia watched him walk to the stairs, and spoke again only when he was out of sight. "I meant what I said, too." Never in a million years would she have said this if she had known that a certain young man had paused up the stairs, waiting to hear a confirmation of the fuzzy memory of a confession that had sparked hope in his romantic heart.
She undressed and fell into bed, climbing under the covers as quickly as possible to escape the freezing air of the dorm room. Lia stared up at the scarlet canopy above her, contemplating the events of tonight and New Year's. She drifted to sleep at some point, no doubt thinking once again of how close she had come to simply wrapping her arms around Sirius' neck, confessing her true feelings, and kissing him as she had longed to for so long.
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Sirius gasped as he woke from a nightmare. He grasped at the edges of it for a moment before it drifted away, and he could no longer remember what had frightened him from his sleep. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He held his head in his hands as he caught his breath, his heart still beating too quickly. A sudden desire to see Lia forced him from his bed. He pulled on a sweatshirt, slipped on his moccasins and headed down to the common room.
Sirius had expected to have to bypass the girls' dorms' security system, and was shocked to find the reason for his escapade lying on the couch in front of the dimly glowing fire. He moved slowly and quietly around the couch, where he knelt on the carpet in front of her. The dim light was enough to highlight tears laying gracefully on her lashes and the trails they had left on the smooth, dark apples of her cheeks. A pained sigh escaped Sirius' lips as he gently wiped a falling tear from her face.
Lia's eyes fluttered open at his touch. The bright blue of her orbs was full of fear and pain as she quickly searched for what had disturbed her sleep. As her gaze fell on Sirius, she sighed and closed her eyes, a choked sob shaking her body. Sirius moved to the couch, shifting Lia so that he could lie next to her. He wrapped his arms around her but kept quiet and waited for her to speak, hoping that she would explain so that he could help if it was possible.
Moments passed, possibly minutes, even hours, before Sirius felt the tension keeping Lia together being released in a deep sigh. Ignoring the awkwardness of their position on the too small couch, Lia turned her slight frame so that she faced Sirius. She rested her arms on his chest, and moved as close to him as was possible. Time seemed endless as Sirius waited for her to confide in him.
"I—" her voice broke the silence suddenly, surprising them both. Sirius waited, and surely enough, Lia began again. Her voice was quiet, but steady with the knowledge that she could trust the man whose arms held her with such care and strength.
"It was happening all over again. And even though I knew what was happening, I still couldn't do anything. I just watched, crouched on the landing above them. I saw her so clearly. The way her hair fell around her face and her eyes met mine again. I still couldn't move. I fought it. I just couldn't. I didn't understand why. I still don't. She was so much more powerful than him. She could have stopped him. I believe she could have, but he would have died. She wasn't a killer, so she was killed. Is that the lesson I was supposed to learn?" Lia's voice finally broke in a sob.
Sirius tenderly held her close to him as she cried. He had no words that would comfort her. He had learned after five years, that the only way to help was to simply hold her. That was what she missed, what she craved, was the arms of someone who loved her holding her like they would never let go.
He could count the times she had broken down on one hand, but each time it got a little worse. She hadn't cried at the funeral. She had held in her tears at the trial, where she had to testify. It wasn't until months after her father was in jail and her mother was buried in the plot next to Lia's grandparents that Lia finally showed any sign of pain or grief. Both she and Sirius had been staying at the Potters' for the Christmas holidays since they were twelve. It was that first year when Lia first broke down, and she found solace in Sirius' arms.
Sirius returned to the present as Lia raised her eyes to his. They were red with tears, but the calm blue was bright with a waiting smile. Sirius slowly moved his hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face. He tucked the curl behind her ear before cupping her chin in his hand and tilting her face toward his.
Lia's eyes flickered closed as Sirius brought his face closer to hers. His lips lightly brushed across her tear-stained cheeks, her weary eyes, and her slightly furrowed brow before meeting her lips in a tender but firm kiss. Two hearts leapt at the sudden electric shock that ran through their bodies.
Sirius pulled back to gauge Lia's reaction. A small smile crossed his eager lips as he took in her surprised but joyful expression. She had barely registered that his lips had left hers before they had returned. The kiss deepened, its passion burned in their souls; finally, they were being truthful about how they felt. The words were murmured several times by each between fervent kisses.
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The sun was well over the horizon by the time Lia and Sirius found sleep still wrapped in each others' arms. Mid-morning passed before any of their friends entered the common room and the sight that met them was completely surprising, but somehow expected and familiar.
When the couple awoke, the first thing they saw was each other, but the first thing they heard was a ridiculously loud round of applause and cheers. They focused their gazes on their friends, each clapping and yelling or whistling or whooping their approval. A furious blush colored both lovers' cheeks, but bright smiles filled with happiness overtook their embarrassment.
Several minutes passed this way. When one wave of cheers began to die someone would start another one. Lia and Sirius finally sat up, still holding tightly to each other, which started yet another round of applause. At some point James demanded a kiss, for proof he said.
"My dear Prongs, you will get no where in this life without a little faith," Sirius replied. A series of boos erupted from his friends at this reply. Lia's laugh drowned out the boos. She met his shocked gaze with a look that said nothing less than "I dare you." Sirius smiled and pulled her to him, kissing her with much more drama, but no less sincerity.
A/N: Oh my goodness. I had no idea that this was going to be the end, but I don't suppose I have anywhere else to go from here. Gee. That was abrupt, yes? But all the secrets are out and such and they are together. What more could you ask for?