Chapter 10

The world outside seemed quieter than usual. Another heavy snowfall the past week and an half had muffled or muted any outside sound. Skye woke up to the smell of bacon and bread. She sighed contentedly as she rolled onto her side and rubbed her eyes. Sirius entered the room carrying a plate of breakfast, some of the bacon still sizzling; he kissed her hair as he handed it to her.

'Happy Christmas, gorgeous.'

Skye yawned, 'Mmm, hap- Oh! Happy Christmas.' She hoped her sheepish feeling wasn't apparent on her features. How could she have forgotten? She hadn't thought to get him anything, but as she ate and grew more cognizant, she had a brilliant idea to cover for her lack of a tangible gift.

After they'd eaten, Sirius leaped onto the foot of the bed, a small parcel in his hands, his eyes wide. He sat cross-legged and handed it to her. Its gold wrapping paper was covered with silver eight-point stars. 'I hope you like it,' he said, bouncing happily with anticipation.

Skye grinned at him in a confused sort of way as she tore off the paper. One of her favourite parts about the tradition of gifts was ripping the paper and making a royal mess of it. It had contained a small, rectangular box. Her heart skipped a beat as she opened it, revealing a necklace of white gold and sapphires, intricately designed into the flowing outline of a butterfly. Sirius had a goofy sort of smile on his face, looking quickly between her and the necklace.

'It's beautiful!' she breathed. 'How in the world did you-?' Her face fell. 'How did you?' Her voice had grown stern, but he shook his head.

'Mail order. I had that cat take the order to the post office saying to charge it to my vault…'

Skye lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck, the necklace still in her hand, and pulled him onto her in a passionate kiss. The initial surprise Sirius had felt was quickly shoved aside by an almost primal desire to feel every inch of her; he deepened the kiss, moaning into her mouth, hands roving her body. He whimpered when she pushed him off of her to place the necklace on the bedside table. He made to grab her and pull her back to him, but she grabbed his wrist and flipped him onto his back, holding his hand above his head, her other hand clawing down his bare chest.

He was sure she'd drawn blood from the warm sensation spreading over his torso, but his vision was too blurred from lust that he couldn't tell and didn't really care as she pushed her hand underneath the elastic band of his pyjama pants and started rubbing his cock.

'We'll have to compare gifts, darling.' Her voice was deep with desire as she threw her head back, flinging her hair behind her. All Sirius could manage was a breathy moan. She kissed her way down his body, starting at the corner of his jaw, working her way down his neck and chest, and trailing kisses along the top of his pant line.

The butterflies in his stomach felt like they were the size of the one the necklace depicted, and he arched his back. 'You're being cruel, love,' he growled, grasping her hair with both hands.

She was slowly crawling up his body, dragging her tongue over his tattoos. She bit his neck, making his whole body tremble. 'It's only fair,' she whispered carnally, straddling him so that her back was to him. She ripped her black-lace nightie off over her head and ground her wet core against him, sighing when she felt him grow even harder. She forced his hands onto her hips, pulling his pants down enough to release his erection. She didn't give him time to think as she slammed down around him, but his hands soon met her rhythm, supporting her as she bounced, her hair reaching his stomach.

Her screams, gradually becoming louder and needier, were sure to wake the people down the hill. Skye dug her nails into Sirius's forearms as she clenched around him, sending him whirling over the edge, but she continued riding him relentlessly for another twenty minutes before her entire body quivered and she slumped forward, convulsing slightly. He sat up to wrap his arms around her body, kissing her shoulders and breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.

'I love you,' he said, squeezing her. He felt her tense and gasp sharply.

Nathaira,

I hope you'll excuse the lack of pleasantries. He said it. Expect me some time in the following week.

S.

Beloved Daughter,

Your presence is requested at the Levereaux Maison in London at your EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.

Praying for your safety,

Your loving father

Miss Levereaux,

You may have heard of me from one of the other professors. I was a friend of Sirius Black's during our time at Hogwarts. He may not have told you of his crimes, but surely even someone like you has heard or read the paper. As much as you may believe otherwise, you are in danger as long as you are with him, given what he has shown himself to be capable of.

I may not be one to point blame, but even your presence in such proximity to the village and school are a danger. If you cared for anyone but yourself, you would leave the area and go where you will.

Prof. R. Lupin

Skye had made sure Sirius was sleeping before hiding the letters from her father and Remus amongst her things in the bottom of the wardrobe. She straightened the butterfly necklace, picked up her travel bag, and placed a hastily scribbled note on the bedside table (I'll be back in a couple days. Don't leave the house. There are some pre-made recipes in the kitchen. -Skye) before kissing his cheek and walking as quietly as she could out of the Shack.

The train station was much emptier and quieter than usual; the students hadn't returned from their holiday and all the villagers seemed to be huddled inside against the biting cold, keeping close to their hearths. Skye boarded the train to London and tried to form a compelling argument. She debated whether or not to take the necklace off before she got there and put it back on after she left. Maybe it will help my case, she thought. Even her family couldn't avoid conceding to a union where both parties had exorbitant amounts of money.

Alas, as she had expected, her father, sisters, aunt, Nathaira and her sisters, and various other relations from France had failed to see the reason in her proposal. They'd called it preposterous, unheard of, unreasonable, unrealistic. She cried nearly all the way back to Hogsmeade, dreading facing Sirius after leaving so abruptly and completely at a loss for what she should do. She thought she could make them more amenable to the idea of her eventually settling down. Such a strong man, one fully capable of handling her and all her gifts and flaws, was certainly worth the risk. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face as the train slowed to a stop at the platform, the image of her family collectively shaking their heads solemnly swimming before her eyes.

Her mood wasn't helped by spotting who she knew to be Remus waiting on the platform. It wasn't time for the students to return yet, so he could only be waiting for her. She stalked resolutely passed him towards the path to the main road, but he jogged to catch up and cut her off.

'Lilin.' His eyes were uncharacteristically hard.

Skye scoffed and put her nose in the air as she pushed him out of her way.

'Have you drained him completely, yet?' he called after her, condescension seeping from every word.

Skye stopped dead and turned on her heel, returning his gaze with a glare that could kill a giant. 'No, I haven't, wolf boy. And you'd do well to keep your little snout out of business that doesn't concern you.'

He winced. 'What are you playing at?'

She took a few menacing steps towards him. 'You know perfectly well.' Her eyes narrowed, her jaw clenched. If he was going to start pointing fingers, she would shove the rhetorical mirror right back in his face. 'How do you know I won't drain your magic?'

The threat in his eyes mingled for a moment with apprehension. 'You can only drain a man's magic during sex, and you wouldn't touch me if your life depended on it. Admit it. I terrify you.'

'I fear no man,' she retorted, but he knew he saw fear flash across her face and her hand clenched and unclenched the handle of her bag.

He started walking towards her and, on instinct, her hand twitched, sending him flying backwards into a lamp post, resulting in a large goose egg swelling on his head and a lump of snow falling into his lap. He watched her run through town and up the hill, disappearing into the Shack.

Sirius was sitting at the dressing table staring through the mirror, pouting, when she came into the room, tossing her bag at the wardrobe in a huff.

'Have fun?' he asked, not bothering to look at her.

Skye sighed. She wasn't in the mood for his sarcasm. 'I had a family emergency, Sirius. I wasn't out lighting up the town.'

'Of course not.' There was mock understanding in his voice now. 'I'll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs like a good little boy while you go gallivanting off to London and Peter is up in the school, no doubt sleeping in the same dorm as my godson!' He put his head in his hands. 'I'm sorry.' His voice was muffled but he sounded genuine. 'I hope your family's okay.' He rubbed his face, trying to get out the frustration of it all, the fury. It almost melted away when she put his arms around him and kissed the top of his head before resting her chin there.

'They're not, but thank you.' She kissed him again. 'I love you, too,' she whispered.

She let him take his time with her that night, practically worshipping her as he fully explored her body. His warm hands brushing over her skin sent waves of pleasure through her muscles; for those three wondrous hours nothing else mattered.

They lay in each other's arms afterwards, too tired to sleep. 'When your cousin was here…' Sirius began nervously.

'Hmm?' Skye looked up at him as best she could, dreading what he was about to say.

'…She said that no one in your family falls in love. Sounds like some kind of lonely I hope I never have to face.' He kissed her temple thoughtfully.

Her apprehension dissipated. 'It is terribly lonely, thinking that way.'

'Arranged marriages, having to procreate with someone you barely know - I never went in for that kind of thing. Drove my parents completely daft. Mind you, they were already pretty much there. I just filled in the gaps.' He laughed a bit.

She wanted to explain everything to him right then and there. Tell him what she was, who her family was, where they came from, and everything they had told her during her recent trip. She settled for cuddling.

A/N: Curse these short chapters, but my I've run into some writer's block again. Hopefully it'll leave me alone and let me get on with the next chapter, but I'm fairly confident it will. This chapter is dedicated to highlander348, who helps me get over the bigger roadblocks with excellent suggestions for this and later chapters. :) -SIMP