Chapter 21

Back in her rooms, Lucy sat on the couch glaring at Sirius while he paced back and forth.

"You shouldn't have interfered."

"What was I supposed to do? Let you two blast each other to bits?"

He didn't answer just kept pacing.

"Sirius? Did you mean what you said? About being stuck in the house?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You said he had no idea what it was like for you being stuck in that damn house. It couldn't have been all bad. Could it?"

"Yes, it was. You were there, you should know."

"Yeah," she said quietly, standing and walking to her bedroom door, "I guess I should." She closed the door, barely making a sound, leaving Sirius standing on the other side gaping.

She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall. Really, he could be rather insensitive at times. It didn't take long for him to start knocking at her door though. "Lucy? I'm sorry. Can I come in?"

"It's not locked." She was sure she didn't sound enthusiastic about him joining her but she wasn't up to faking that everything was okay at the moment.

"You're mad."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

She turned and looked at him, sitting next to her on the bed, "Why are you sorry?"

"I did something to make you mad."

"So, you have no idea what in the world you could have done to make me mad?"

He shook his head, "Not this time."

"Was it really so horrible being forced to stay at Grimmauld Place all the time?"

"Oh," he said, finally seeming to get what she was referring to, "Well, no it wasn't bad all the time. Just, it would have been nice to go out occasionally. I would have liked to take you out to dinner or something."

"Yes," she nodded, "Going out once in awhile would have been nice, but I had plenty of fun just being with you. I didn't care where we were."

"Please don't take this the wrong way," he said, putting his hand on her back, pulling her close to him, "but you at least had the opportunity to leave the house. If you got bored you could go out the front door and take a walk. I couldn't."

"I understand how that could be frustrating but could you please next time think about what you're saying?"

"One does not need to think when in the presence of that git."

"Actually I think one does but can we at least try to avoid anymore confrontations like that?"

"Mmm," Sirius said, lifting her hair and kissing the back of her neck, "I will if he will."

Lucy turned to look at him, a sly smile on her face, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm doing the one thing he can't."

"And that is?"

"Get the girl."

Lucy laughed, "Sirius, I think he's got a girl."

"Maybe, but I'm positive he doesn't know what to do with her."

"Oh, well I wouldn't know about that," Lucy said, her thoughts consumed by Sirius and not the other couple.

Lucy took a deep breath and walked into the great hall. She'd been in Hogsmeade earlier with Sirius but had come back for the Halloween feast. It was important that all the professors attend the feasts. She and Sirius had decided it was best for him not to attend this feast but she'd be going back to Hogsmeade when she was ready to leave.

She milled around a bit, talking to a few of the students and professors. She noticed Dinah and Severus come in together and smiled sheepishly. She seen Dinah a few times since the confrontation last week but she'd yet to see Professor Snape. "Happy Halloween," Dinah said, "Oh, I like your dress robes, they're a nice color."

Lucy blushed and looked down at herself. She'd been unsure about the purple robes. Sirius hadn't seen them yet, she'd ordered them special from Diagon Alley and they fit more closely than she was used to. "Thanks. I wasn't sure about them. You look nice too. You both do." She ducked her head again before looking up at Snape, "I'm sorry about last week. I didn't think…"

She thought that perhaps both Dinah and Severus looked amused at her words. The couple looked at each other for a moment before Professor Snape turned to Lucy, "You did nothing wrong."

"Perhaps not, but if I'd been using my training I'd have known better than to enter the school the way we did," she looked at both of her colleagues for a moment before continuing, "I know you probably don't care about this Professor Snape but I'd appreciate it if neither of you told anyone about…well, the dog thing." She had Sirius had had a small conversation about that yesterday. Lucy was pretty sure Dinah wouldn't say anything but she still felt it needed to be said.

"Oh, I haven't," Dinah said. "I didn't even tell you that I knew. Well, I didn't think Severus should have told me either..."

"I've told no one else," Severus said. "I really don't know why I told her," he gestured to Dinah, "But I did. Anyone else and Dumbledore would have something to say about it if he found out."

"He probably didn't want you to tell me, either," Dinah whispered.

"I don't mind you knowing Dinah, it's a relief actually. That time we had lunch together and he came by…it was hard to remember to speak to him like I would an animal. It's just that if the wrong person finds out he could be in a lot of trouble."

She nodded, "I understand. So, um... he's not here then?"

Lucy snorted, "No. I didn't think that would be such a good idea. He's back in Hogsmeade anxiously awaiting my return. Probably gearing himself up to give me another lecture about stepping in the middle of it last week. Apparently I'm lucky not to have had my head blown off. I disagree, but," she shrugged.

Severus growled and Dinah didn't look too pleased either. "So he was really planning for it to go that far, was he?" she asked, sounding a little cold.

"Oh," Lucy said biting her lip. That had probably been the wrong thing to say, but her nerves were starting to get the better of her and she was beginning to babble. "No. I-I-I doubt it. I think I scared him when I did that more than anything. That and I turned my back on you two. I knew he wouldn't try anything with me standing in front of him though. And I'd hoped you wouldn't either, Professor."

"I can't harm Dumbledore's prized dog," Severus sneered. "I was reaching for my wand for incapacitation and defensive purposes only. Come," he pulled Dinah's arm, dragging her away from Lucy. "We're eating."

"All right, all right," she drew back a moment and said to Lucy; "I'm sorry."

Lucy hoped she didn't look a little teary eyed as she said, "I know. I'll see you later." She picked her way over to her side of the table and for once enthusiastically ate her food. She hadn't eaten much that day in anticipation of having to wear her dress robes, plus her eating had the added benefit of making Professor Slughorn reluctant to talk to her. Not that he didn't still talk; it was more that he expected her to respond less.

Lucy was still feeling down after the feast and rather than taking her broom or aparating to Hogsmeade she decided to walk. It was turning colder out and as she left Hogwarts grounds it began to snow. Part of her wanted to transform into her fox self, but she'd really wanted Sirius to see her all done up for the feast and she couldn't guarantee that she'd stay all nice and neat if she changed.

Professor Snape seemed to think Sirius was no more than an animal. Well, he might be a bit irrational where Severus Snape was concerned but Sirius had never once raised a hand or a wand to her. He wasn't as bad as they thought. That wasn't to say they never fought or he hadn't inadvertently hurt her, they weren't the perfect couple after all, but he always, always tried to make her smile. Right now his main concern was making sure Lucy felt safe and secure. In his arms she felt that way. He was not Dumbledore's prized pooch…he was hers.

An hour after she'd left Hogwarts she finally entered Sirius's rooms above the Three Broomsticks. Her hair was dusted with snow and she was freezing.

"Where have you been?" Sirius practically pounced on her when she entered.

She shrugged, "I walked back."

"You walked…Lucy I hate to be one of those over bearing, over protective boyfriends, but what where you thinking?"

She shrugged again, "I didn't have the greatest time and I wanted to think about it okay?"

"You wanted to think? Lucy you can't just go walking in the dark when you want to think! Something could happen to you, you could have been attacked."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "I think I would have been okay, even if that unlikely event were to occur."

"That's not the point, Lu. You keep putting yourself in these reckless situations lately…"

"He wasn't going to harm me and neither were you. I was doing my job like I was taught. I was listening to my instincts."

"Except that's not your job. You're not an Auror anymore."

"Just because that's not what I do for a living anymore doesn't mean I should act like I never had those experiences. Besides it also happens that my current job requires me to stop two pig-headed children from harming each other and those around them."

"He started it," Sirius said, not for the first time.

Lucy stomped her foot, "That doesn't mean you have to finish it. Or reach for your wand just because he did."

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to defend myself?"

Lucy sighed and sat on the bed. "Apparently you both think you have to defend yourselves from the other. That's more or less what Professor Snape said to me when I talk to him earlier."

"Is that why you had a bad time at the feast?"

"No," she said emphatically, "yes. It's just…he called you a dog."

"I hate to break it to you Luce but that's what I am."

"That's not all of who you are. And it's not so much what he said but how he said it. 'I can't harm Dumbledore's prized dog' as if that was the only thing keeping him from harming you. Actually it probably is, but that's not the point." Her impression of Snape had been a rather good one she thought, looking up at Sirius standing in front of her. "He says dog as if it's a bad thing. Like it makes a difference what animal you turn into. I don't know. Maybe he'd like you better if you turned into a butterfly."

"He'd likely squash me."

"I'm not asking him to be your best friend. I just wish he'd take my feelings into account before he opens his mouth. What he says about you in private, when I'm not around is one thing but to do it right in front of me is another."

Sirius sighed, "Lucy?"

"Hmm."

"Could you do me a favor?"

"What?" she looked up at him again and found him much closer than before. In fact she had to lean back on the bed to look at him comfortably.

"Stop thinking about Snivellus and start thinking about your favorite hound. He's beginning to feel rather neglected."

At this point Lucy was laying flat on the bed. Sirius had his hands on either side of her head and was bracing himself with them. Slowly, he bent his arms and pressed his lips against hers. It was a few minutes before anything besides their lips began to touch. "My hair," Lucy murmured.

"Leave it," he responded, tugging her robes off her shoulder for better access.

"But it…" she didn't get a chance to finish as his lips found hers again.

"I like it," he said, "I'm going to like it more later." They didn't speak again until late the next morning.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Sirius said, pulling her down the street, the weekend after that Halloween fiasco with Snape.

Lucy laughed and let herself be dragged along. She'd been feeling a little down all week and it was nice to laugh. She hadn't spoken to Dinah since their confrontation and she got the impression they were on the outs for some reason. She'd even spent today's quidditch match sitting with Professor Flitwick rather than with her friend. "You can be such a child at times," she told Sirius laughing, "What could possibly be so important that I have to run?"

"You'll see when we get there. Now, come on!" he said, tugging her arm. He pulled her all the way through the town out to the edges where the buildings were father apart and there were more houses than businesses.

When he reached the last house on the street he didn't stop, just went right in the door. "Sirius, what?" She didn't get to finish her thought as she found, inside the house, two of her formerly dead friends, "Remus, Tonks! What are you doing here?"

"Lucy!" Tonks said, embracing her friend, though it was kind of awkward since Sirius still had hold of her hand. "Welcome home!"

"Welcome…" she let go of her friend and turned to Sirius her eyes wide, "Sirius?"

"It's ours. I bought it two weeks ago," he told her grinning.

"Two weeks ago? And you didn't tell me?"

"It needed some work. I didn't want to tell you until I could show you."

"He's had us up here helping him work on it," Remus told her, standing back from the group. He didn't look well, but Lucy thought the full moon hadn't been that long ago. "We left Teddy with Andromeda," Remus added when Lucy started looking around for her favorite little boy.

Sirius pulled her farther in so they stood in the center of the large, empty front room, "There's three bedrooms, two baths, and the kitchen's right through there. There's no furniture yet, but Tonks insisted that even if you didn't want to spend your weekends fixing up the place you'd like to pick out the furniture yourself."

"We did pick out two beds, but I won't be offended if you want to get different ones. We needed a place to sleep after all," Tonks said.

Lucy put her hands on either side of Sirius's face and pulled him down to her, "I love you."

He grinned, "You said it first this time."

"Hmmm, so I did," she murmured, closing the gap between them for a kiss.

"I think we should leave them alone," Tonks said to her husband, "According to Madam Rosmerta they start that and don't stop."

Lucy pulled away when she heard that, "Oh, we aren't that bad."

Sirius laughed, "Yes, we are."

"Well," she said, looping her arms around his neck, "we've got lots of lost time to make up for."

Sirius groaned, "I hope that's a sturdy bed."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "You haven't slept in it yet?"

He grinned, "No, I was waiting for you."

Tonks grabbed her cousin, "Come on, let's go get some food before you two make me throw up."

Remus chuckled as his wife led his best friend out of the house and Lucy turned to look at him. "How are you doing?" she asked him.

He shrugged and began walking slowly towards her, "Oh, I've been worse." They stood in silence for awhile before Remus continued, "Arthur told me Sirius came by the Burrow."

"Yes," she said quietly, "he asked them about…that time."

"Indeed, that is what he said. Do you think it might be time to tell him?"

Lucy sighed, "Remus, do often you go around telling people about your condition?"

"No, but I do tell the people I'm close to, the woman I'm involved with."

"Tonks already knew, you didn't have to tell her. This isn't easy. You should understand that. People look at you differently when they find out what you are. You know they do. I can't have him looking at me differently. I can't."

"I don't think he will."

"Yes, he will," she insisted, "Everyone did."

"No, they didn't. It's normal for you perceive them as doing so, but I'm sure none of us did that."

"Don't tell me I didn't see things right. Maybe you didn't perceive yourself as looking at me different, but you did. Even now, that comment you made, it makes you sound like you think I'm fragile, like I didn't know what was going on after I came out and I did. I may not have been in the best shape, but I know what I saw. I'm not inept at reading people."

"I'm not suggesting that you are. I'm saying that perhaps you feared people were going to perceive you differently and so that's how you saw them seeing you."

"Is that your experience? Do you think you're only thinking people treat you differently after they learn about you? Because I don't see much difference between the two issues."

Remus sighed, "No, they do treat me differently. You are right about that, but the people who matter don't."

Lucy shook her head and was about to respond when Sirius and Tonks returned from getting food. "Everything okay?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah. Great," Lucy told them.

"Don't mind her," Sirius told their guests, "Lucy's a bit moody since her friend hasn't been talking to her."

"She's not not talking to me. We've both been busy. It's only been a week. I can't be sure she's actually avoiding me yet."

"Need me to go knock some sense into her?" Tonks asked, her hair going from its usual pink to a dark red.

Lucy laughed, "No, really. Dinah's not that bad. Really, there wouldn't even be an issue if her boyfriend didn't loathe mine."

"Dinah's the new Muggle Studies professor," Sirius informed them setting the food on the floor and spreading it out, while they all settled themselves into comfortable positions. "You'll get a kick out of this Remus. She's dating Snivell—"

"Sirius! I really wish you'd quit saying that. You're not sixteen anymore," She turned to look at her friends, "Dinah and Severus Snape are sort of dating."

"Sort of dating?" Tonks asked, "How are they sort of dating?"

"I don't think you can call it dating when they don't do anything. The git's positively paranoid that the students will find out apparently."

Lucy swatted at her boyfriend, "It's not like we did all that much when we first got together either."

"That was different. I was under strict orders not to leave the house. A fact which Dinah's boyfriend took great pleasure in reminding me of as often as he could, by the way."

"Can we not get into that now, please? He did mention something about you though, Remus. Professor Snape that is."

"Oh?" Remus replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes. He said he had more reason than Sirius to be bitter and to ask you about it. Well, actually \he told Sirius to ask you about it, but I'm bringing it up."

"I don't know what he's talking about," Remus quickly told her.

"Oh, all right. I just thought that maybe if you knew it would help the situation. I mean I like Dinah and it would be nice to have someone to talk to in the school besides Slughorn, but if the men we're seeing can't even tolerate each other for a few minutes I doubt we'll be seeing much of each other in the future."

Sirius put his arm around her shoulders, "Leave it be, Lu. If Dinah is really your friend she won't let a little thing like me stand in the way."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Yes, Mother."

Later that evening both couples lay on the sitting room floor, listening to the rain. Sirius and Lucy had spent a lot of time like this when he'd been stuck in Grimmauld Place. The difference was, before they kept a careful distance apart and now Lucy had one of her legs draped over his and they touched from shoulder to hip.

"Let's not get furniture," Lucy suddenly stated.

Sirius looked at her and laughed, "Why not?"

"We used to do this all the time. I liked it. I missed it."

"We can still do this with furniture in the room."

"Yes, please do get furniture. You're guests would appreciate it," Remus added.

Lucy sighed, "Fine, we'll get furniture. It's just too impractical not to."

Sirius laughed again and rolled over to kiss Lucy, "And your rational nature comes forth."

"That's not such a bad thing you know."

Tonks, who had been suspiciously quiet up until that moment, snored.

"I guess that means it's time for bed?" Lucy asked.

Early the next morning Lucy re-entered her home carrying a cup of coffee, three more floating behind her. She found Tonks sitting the middle of the sitting room, glaring at her and half asleep. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"Your bed squeaks," was all Tonks said.

Lucy giggled, her face flushing, "Oh, sorry."

Tonks shrugged, "So I guess that no sex before marriage thing you always talked about went right out the window, huh?"

She grinned at her friend, "Yeah, like two months ago."

"Two months!" Tonks was wide awake now and grabbed one of the floating coffees, "Has it been that long since we've talked?"

Lucy shook her head, "Not really. We just haven't spoken in person in at least that long and this isn't something you want to put in a letter. It's kind of weird to even be talking about it."

Tonks snorted, "I had no problem telling you about it."

"Yeah, and it was weird," Lucy settled herself down next to Tonks, leaning her head on the other girls shoulder, "I miss you."

"I haven't gone anywhere. You're the one who quit, moved, and got a new job," Tonks teased.

"Oh, hush. You wish you had my job. I think you'd love it."

Tonks shoved her and Lucy made sure to keep the coffee from spilling, "And what would I teach?"

"Transfiguration?" Lucy suggested before the two burst out in laughter. The thought of Tonks teaching any sort of class was rather hilarious. She was good at what she did but she definitely wasn't teacher material.

She really enjoyed having her old friend around, especially now that she and Dinah seemed to be going through an awkward period. The last couple years had been rough for them with everything that had been going on. Lucy was happy that Sirius had thought to ask the other couple up here to fix up the house and that he'd remembered she hadn't wanted to spend her weekends working on a house. It was good to know no matter what she and Tonks were going to remain friends.