'Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning: Perhaps a few suggestive thoughts (High time given we're 26 chapters in!)
Chapter 26 – Covert Activities & Secret Rendezvous
Sirius took great care to keep his footsteps as silent as possible as he crept across the highly polished wooden floors of the library. He snickered to himself as he walked. Sirius Black, in the library on a Saturday! Who would believe it! As he made his way toward their normal study spot – a highly visible table near the middle of the room - Sirius was relieved to reach the open space and see Ofelia's blonde head bent over a rather large book. With his typical effortless grace, the wizard dropped into the seat opposite hers and waited quietly for her to notice his presence. If I'm going to convince her I'm sorry for what I said about Snape, I can't irritate her right from the off, he reasoned.
Ofelia looked up as she closed her book. She raised one eyebrow. "I think this is the longest I've ever seen you sit still. Whatever you have on your mind must be important."
Sirius smiled and leaned toward her. "I think…wait, could it be? I thought I detected a sense of humor, Ms. Bullstrode."
Ofelia smiled and shook her head. "Idiot," she said quietly but without any malice. "I'd have to have a sense of humor in this place, wouldn't you agree?"
"Mmm," he agreed. "But not about everything. Look, I'm sorry I made you angry because of what I said about Snape. I can't help how I feel about him but I shouldn't have questioned you. If you get along with him – even though I'll never understand how you can – then that's none of my business."
Ofelia watched him while he spoke, her expression wary. Finally, she sighed and shook her head again. "Thank you. I don't understand why there's so much animosity between you, but he's been kind to me and I think you and I should just leave it at that, yes?"
Sirius nodded. "I'll do my best to bite my tongue when you're around, then." He considered her for a minute longer then added, "So, are we ok, now?"
"Yes, Sirius, we're ok now." She smiled indulgently. He cannot bear anyone to be at odds with him; well – practically anyone, Ofelia mused, thinking of Snape. "Surely, this isn't the only reason you've come looking for me."
Sirius shook his head. "No, actually. We've worked out the plan for you and," Sirius looked around to make certain no one was within earshot, "for you and Michael."
Ofelia felt the blood rush to her face. "Really? Sirius, how…"
"Not here. Too public – and Pince has been pacing the stacks for the last 10 minutes, glaring daggers at us," Sirius replied. "Come on; the rest of them are waiting for us in the Room of Requirement."
Ofelia gathered her things and soon the two students were walking through the doorway of the Room of Requirement. Upon entering, Ofelia noted that in place of scrolls, inkbottles and quills, the oval table bore three silver pots of steaming hot chocolate and a platter of warm, sweet biscuits.
"Elevenses," a hoarse voice sounded from behind her and Ofelia turned to find a smiling Remus extending her a mug filled with the aromatic chocolate. As she accepted the drink, Ofelia was taken aback by how pale the young wizard appeared and by the deep circles that ringed his tired eyes. As she took the mug from his long fingers, the cuff of his shirt shifted slightly and Ofelia was certain she could see what appeared to be a rather fresh, angry looking red scar on his wrist. Still smiling benignly, Remus dropped his arm by his side.
"Remus, forgive me, but are you quite well?" Ofelia felt compelled to ask.
He nodded. "I think I caught a bit of a chill a couple of nights ago on the Astronomy Tower. I think the practical lessons should only be scheduled during the warmer months," Remus said. "Muscles are a bit sore and my throat's been a bit scratchy since, but I'll be fine."
Ofelia nodded, but couldn't help feeling that he wasn't being completely honest with her. She hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong with the young Gryffindor. Since meeting Sirius' friends, Ofelia had gotten to know Remus by virtue of their "public sightings", as Sirius laughingly called them. Remus and Dorcas had frequently joined the couple in the Gryffindor Common Room, the kitchens and walking to and from class. She liked his quiet intelligence and kind manner and was delighted to learn that he possessed a keen sense of humor. Ofelia thought he and Dorcas were admirably well suited to each other. She hated to think that he might be suffering from some sort of illness.
"If it persists, you must promise that you'll see Madam Pomfrey. I understand that she can cure almost anything," Ofelia smiled and moved toward an empty chair at the table.
Remus' smile slipped a bit as he followed her. "Almost," he murmured, thinking of the full moon that had occurred two nights prior. He greeted Sirius with a warm pat on the back and took his own seat, next to Ofelia as he waited for everyone else to settle down.
"James?" Sirius nodded toward his friend. "Why don't you lay out the details, mate? After all, between you and Remus, you're the key strategists of our little group and I wouldn't dream of asking Remus to neglect his chocolate long enough to take the floor!"
Remus made a face at his friend, not missing the flash of concern he saw in the other boy's blue eyes. "Cheers, mate," he replied with a smile. He held the other wizard's gaze for a second. I'm fine, Pads. Don't call attention to it, right? When Sirius' head tipped slightly toward him, Remus felt certain that he had, at least, read some degree of the message in Remus' eyes.
"Right," James was speaking. "The next Hogsmeade visit is next Saturday, as you know. Now, Ofelia, Michael knows about Floo travel, yes?" At her nod, he continued.
"Excellent," James replied. "You need to send Michael an owl – you can use mine – telling him to go to The Leaky Cauldron, in London, at approximately 11:00 AM on Saturday morning. Once there, he's to tell Tom – he's the manager – that he's expected in Hogsmeade village immediately on business relating to Hogwarts. He'll let him use the Floo without asking any questions if he says that. Michael's destination will be The Three Broomsticks."
"But James, the students don't leave the school for Hogsmeade until 12:00," Ofelia protested. "How can I meet him at 11?"
James smiled. "Sirius?"
"Right. James has this amazing thing called an Invisibility Cloak that he'll lend to us to make certain we're not seen," Sirius began.
"We?"
"Mm-hmm," Sirius continued, "'we'. Once we've finished breakfast, you and I will meet in that empty classroom just down from the Great Hall. We'll get under the cloak and then we'll take a passageway I know about that will get us to Hogsmeade without anyone knowing."
"Does this passageway go directly into this Three Broomsticks place?"
"No. Honeyduke's basement; but there will be so many students there by then that we should be fine," Sirius.
Ofelia glanced around the table at the others. "And assuming that we actually manage to sneak out of the basement and into the street – without being caught, of course - what then?"
"We'll head over to the Three Broomsticks, where, hopefully, Michael will be waiting. Madam Rosmerta has agreed to help us and to keep things quiet afterward. You've got some time together before we all have to leave to head back up to the castle. I'll hide out until James and the others get to the village. I'll be back to pick you up around 4 pm, so be sure you're ready. We'll head back to the castle the same way we left. What do you think?" Sirius looked at the girl.
"I think you've all gone to a great deal of trouble for someone you hardly know and I'm very grateful," Ofelia said quietly. "It doesn't seem that there are any holes in the plan at all."
"You said earlier that sending Michael an owl was out of the question, though," Lily said with a frown as she suddenly remembered Ofelia's statement from the meeting before.
Ofelia shook her head. "If I had sent him an owl from my own home, I believe his reaction would have been disastrous." She paused, smiling wryly. "He would most likely have stormed my family's home, demanding my release from a barbaric, outdated situation. By doing so now, with a plan to meet, his reaction will be far less volatile."
"Do his parents know about you?" Lily asked.
Ofelia nodded. "I've met them, and they were very kind, but there was no discussion of the nature of our relationship; Michael introduced me only as a friend. I am sure they suspect, although neither of his parents pursued the subject."
"If things work out…" Lily began, but was quickly interrupted.
"Let's not jinx it, shall we?" Ofelia smiled at the other girl. "There is so much that could go wrong with all of this, after all." The blonde turned toward Sirius. "Have you reconnected with Delilah yet?"
Sirius flushed and shook his head. "We have been a bit busy pulling together your meeting with Michael, after all." His demeanor and voice were defensive.
"But the planning has been accomplished, now. We must ensure that everything we've plotted is executed properly," Kate – silent until this moment – pointed out. "Arturo has seen you and Ofelia together and his frustration is peaking at having nothing to report about you. It's time to rekindle your relationship with Delilah, Sirius."
"I know, Kate. I know," Sirius muttered. "I just…"
"All right, everyone," Remus cut in, seeking to spare his friend a public re-hash of this particular conversation. "We all know what we need to do. May I suggest that we adjourn, allowing Ofelia to get on with sending her message? I intend to use the rest of today to do some revising for OWLs. I daresay some of the rest of us could benefit from the same activity." His gaze rested on the other Marauders, who nodded glumly and rose from their seats.
"Kate, could I have a word?" Sirius beckoned to Kate before retreating a distance away from the others. She nodded in response and made her way to where he stood.
"I'll be along directly," Sirius called over to his mates, inclining his head toward the door as a signal that they should not wait for him. The boys nodded and joined the others as they walked out of the Room.
"What is it?" Kate asked. "Is everything alright?"
Sirius nodded, "I'm fine. I just …" He stopped and exhaled sharply.
"Sirius," Kate said softly, reaching for his hand. Giving it a soft squeeze, she continued. "What's wrong?"
Sirius' blue eyes snapped up to capture her gaze. "I miss you," he whispered, returning the pressure on her hand while his eyes searched her face.
"But I…" she began, but Sirius shook his head.
"I miss us."
When Kate didn't immediately respond, he continued. "When Ofelia was talking about this guy, Michael, I couldn't miss the way she looked – the way she sounded. She loves him and she might never see him again after next weekend. All because of some bloody family tradition. And then I – I think about you and – and me and how we barely even got started before it all…" Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, never relinquishing Kate's hand as he did so. Finally, he opened his eyes again, to find her calmly watching him. "There's so much at stake, here, Katie," he whispered. "I don't want to be like Michael – separated from you because my blasted family makes me be with someone else. And my family does not enjoy being disagreed with. Awful things happen to people who stand in their way. I'm afraid of what they'll do – not to me, really, but …" He stopped, seemingly realizing that he was approaching topics best left unexplored at the moment. "Right. I don't like pretending and I've got to go back to Delilah and do whatever it takes to make her believe I want her when all I ever really want is … you; just you." He paused and shook his head. "But even if all this scheming works out, even though you've forgiven me, I know there's a chance that I hurt you badly enough that you won't trust me enough for us to … to…"
Kate brought her hand up to cup his cheek and gently ran her thumb over the flushed skin. "You need to stop," she said quietly. "We all know what's at stake and what must be done to get the two of you out of this arrangement. That should be the only thing we're focused on at the moment." At her words, some of the despair left Sirius' face and he calmed somewhat. "And as far as you and I are concerned," Kate's voice dropped to a whisper and she leaned closer to the now wide-eyed wizard, "and the trust issues we've had; I think I might have a better understanding of why you behaved as you did when we returned this term. You trusted me enough to confide in me about your family; you told me the truth about what you live with at home. I know that you hate pretending with Delilah because it makes you feel like you did before; when you were with her because of that foolish plan of yours. But it's not the same now, is it? I know that everything with Delilah is an act; I know that you don't want her. Sirius, I hate this, too. And I'm really going to hate watching you with that witch, but I can handle it this time around. What I hate more is not being with you out in the open – like James and Lily or Remus and Dorcas. But I'm not going anywhere, either. When all of this is over, Sirius, and you're finally rid of this fiancée of yours, I'll still be here. Ok?"
Sirius nodded slowly. "More than ok," he said quietly. "Katie?"
"Yes?"
"I would really like to kiss you. May I?"
"Please," Katie breathed and in the next moment, she experienced the achingly familiar feeling of Sirius' lips on hers, gentle, a bit tentative, but definitely Sirius. She leaned closer into the kiss and was thrilled when Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist and nibbled on her lower lip. They kissed until the need to breathe became too great to ignore. Standing close together, foreheads touching, they breathed deeply then Sirius placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He was quiet for a long moment then his arms tightened around Kate again. Nothing held back, he reminded himself. Sirius drew a deep breath.
"I love you."
Kate stiffened in surprise and before she could recover, Sirius spoke again. "You don't have to say it back. I just wanted to tell you; I don't expect…"
Kate tightened her hold on him. "'Expect'", she whispered back. "I love you, too."
Sirius stepped back to look at her. Kate caught her breath at the look on his face. It had been far too long since she had seen him truly happy. In the past weeks he had been better; he had been more at ease but this was the Sirius of old. Blue eyes suspiciously bright despite the incredulous smile that lit his features, Sirius stared at her silently for several very long moments. "Yeah? Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
"You do realize that this will make it much more difficult to stay away from you, now," Sirius smiled softly. "It's rather counterproductive to what we're trying to accomplish."
Kate nodded. "I know. But it also gives us more motivation to do this properly so we can be together more quickly." She paused for a moment. "But perhaps we can find the odd occasion to spend time together – unseen."
Sirius' smile intensified again. "We'll sort something out. We can do it; Marauders are involved, after all."
Kate laughed quietly then sobered. "We should go," she said reluctantly.
"Don't want to," Sirius pulled her against him once again.
Kate gently ran her fingers through his hair. "They'll be looking for us back in the Common Room."
"Don't care," Sirius whispered into Kate's ear, smiling at the shiver it produced from her. Delighted by her response, Sirius kissed her ear then the sensitive spot just beneath it.
"Sirius," Kate whispered.
'Mmm?" he responded, kissing her neck again.
Kate felt as if a dozen butterflies had been freed in her stomach. The sensations the young wizard evoked in her were new – and thrilling. Her logic wrestled with her desire – and lost – as Kate turned her face toward Sirius. As she did so, her lips met his once again and this time, passion flared at their first touch.
Sirius sought to deepen their kiss and Kate immediately responded. Lost in the moment, lost in each other, the couple put all of their newly realized feelings and emotions into this one, amazing kiss. Tongues caressed, embraces grew impossibly close and Kate soon began to feel slightly lightheaded. As she shifted slightly in Sirius' arms, Kate became aware of something firm pressing against her stomach. She might not have been a vastly experienced witch, but even Kate recognized the undeniable evidence of Sirius' arousal. Gently, she broke the kiss and took a half step backward.
The loss of close contact prompted a groan of frustration from Sirius' throat. As he came back to himself and recognized the impact Kate was having on him, embarrassment kicked in and Sirius leaned forward and rested his face on Kate's shoulder.
"Katie, I'm sorry," he mumbled against the fabric of her robes. "It's just that you … I …"
"We got a bit carried away," Kate interrupted. "I'm not upset with you. After all, I'm partly responsible."
Sirius lifted his head. "I know that you're not ready for … well, for …" his face flushed and he struggled to find the right words.
Kate rescued him from the awkwardness. "No, I'm not," she agreed and brought her hands up to cup his face as she continued softly. "But when I am ready, I know that I want it to be you."
"Katie," Sirius breathed and leaned forward to kiss her lips gently.
Kate smiled shyly. "I love you, but we need to go."
He nodded. "I love you – and I know."
"I'll leave first," Kate said. "Give me ten minutes or so, then follow – right?"
"Right," Sirius replied. "I'll spend my time wisely; I'll sit on the sofa over there and picture McGonagall in her knickers; Dumbledore in his drawers."
Kate stared at him blankly than blushed and began to giggle as she caught his meaning. Moving swiftly toward the door, she called over her shoulder. "Don't picture anything too outrageous; it will be difficult to see them at dinner later on."
Sirius waved her through the door with what he realized must have been an idiotic smile on his face. Once Kate had made good her escape, he settled onto the sofa to wait out the promised ten minutes. As he sat, Sirius' mind returned to all that had occurred between the two of them that afternoon. Katie loves me; she loves me. In spite of everything I told her about my family, she actually stood here and said the words. As the memory replayed in his mind, a feeling of enormous peace came over Sirius. The usual frantic play of thoughts and emotions that coursed through the boy were notably absent. The warmth he felt spread throughout his chest had nothing to do with the crackling fire before him; he knew it came from the undeniable fact that he was loved for who he truly was. And it only took 16 years for that to happen, he thought, rising. Sirius glanced at his watch and was glad to see that it was time for him to head back up to the Common Room. Even though it might have to be from a distance, Sirius suddenly wanted nothing more than to see Kate's face.
********
Fists jammed into his robes' pockets, Sirius walked briskly through the winding corridors of the castle, intent on his destination. He passed comparatively few students but knew that even in the cold weather, most of the castle's inhabitants fled the confines of the school for the brighter, more open spaces of the grounds.
As Sirius turned down the corridor that would lead to the main staircases, he heard a door close to his right and glanced over in that direction. To his dismay, there stood Delilah, her expression clearly reflecting her surprise at running into him.
Right. "Hullo, Delilah," Sirius said.
"Sirius," she managed.
"How've you been?" he asked, hoping his expression exhibited more interest than he actually felt.
Delilah's gaze was cynical. "You actually care? After what you did to me, I can't believe you have the gall to speak to me."
Sirius bit back the first response that came to mind. "I know I hurt you and I'm sorry for that, Delilah," he said instead and was gratified to see her lessen her glare, albeit marginally.
"So, you're with Kate Morgan now?"
Sirius shook his head. "No. Things are a bit complicated right now, but I am not with Kate."
"But, I thought you wanted …" Delilah had traded "cynical" for "confused".
"Yeah, well, things don't always work out, do they? She doesn't want me, alright? She doesn't want me." Sirius thrust away the mental image of he and Kate together earlier and focused on how he had felt after returning to Hogwarts from London.
Delilah took a step toward him. "She doesn't want you? She must be mad."
Sirius looked away from the now gullible witch for a moment and swallowed hard. Go in for the kill, he thought. Remember the goal. "No, Kate's not mad, Delilah; she just doesn't fancy getting involved with a wizard who doesn't want to settle in with just one witch."
"Wants you all to herself, does she?"
"I'm afraid so," Sirius half-smiled. "And you know I'm not a one-witch sort of wizard."
Delilah moved closer to Sirius, a sly smile forming on her lips. "Well, I won't deny that I'd like to convert you into that 'sort of wizard', but that's where the stuffy Miss Morgan and I differ. You see, I'll take what I can get now and hope for better futures."
Delilah was now standing directly in front of Sirius, so close that he prayed she could not see the clench of his jaw at her catty comment about Kate. "Mmm," he hummed, uncertain that he could keep the derision from his voice if he attempted a full sentence.
He needn't have worried; Delilah wasn't really interested in intellectual conversation. She leaned in as if to kiss him and Sirius' mind fed him an image of a very different witch, in a very similar – very recent – situation. He turned his face so her kiss landed sloppily on his cheek.
"What are you …?" Delilah's voice started to rise in her indignation.
Sirius made a great show of stepping back and looking around. Turning back to Delilah he finally spoke. "Not here."
He almost sniggered as Delilah took an exaggerated step backward, head twisting and turning as if she expected the entire school faculty to come down upon them. While it suited his purposes to have them seen together and he knew they would be seen at some point in the very near future, he did not want quite yet to surrender the feel of Kate's lips beneath his. Sirius wanted to hang onto that feeling without compromise for just a bit longer.
"Later then," the anxious witch whispered, fingers sliding up and down Sirius' arm in what she thought was a seductive manner. For his part, Sirius found himself wondering at the notion that this dozy young woman could ever have turned him on.
"Yes, later," he managed.
"Tonight. The Astronomy Tower," she leaned in and swiped her tongue over the rim of his ear. "Nine o'clock. Don't keep me waiting, handsome." And with that, she turned and sashayed down the corridor in the direction of her own Common Room.
Sirius shrugged his fist up inside the sleeve of his robes and wiped the moisture from his ear. Bint. Thus sorted, he straightened his clothing and continued along the corridor, more anxious than before to reach the Common Room and his friends.
XXXXXXXX
The Common Room was empty of all but his friends when Sirius climbed through the portrait hole a short while later.
"Padfoot! We thought you'd gone to lunch without us," James called from his position on the floor at Lily's feet.
Sirius scanned the room and smiled softly when his eyes alighted on Kate, sitting in a large wing backed chair before the fire. She returned his smile and the young wizard dropped to a spot on the floor in front of Kate's chair, offering James a more cheeky smile, once settled.
"As a matter of fact, I ran into one Delilah Hornsby in my travels," he announced and felt Kate's hand squeeze his shoulder. "Afraid I can't help you with your Arithmancy homework tonight, Petey; sorry mate."
"Got a date, have you?" Remus asked.
"Astronomy Tower. Nine o'clock." Sirius leaned back against Kate's legs after another glance around the room to make sure they were well and truly alone. "First time in a long while I've dreaded going out with a bird."
"Brilliant plan execution, though," Kate said quietly and returned her hand to Sirius' shoulder when she saw him tense slightly. "Which is exactly what's needed, isn't it?"
"I wonder if you two will be alone up there," James wondered aloud, the beginnings of a truly evil grin appearing on his lips. He twisted his head to look at Ofelia, sitting next to Lily on the sofa.
"Are you suggesting that I should walk in on them?" she asked, her brow furrowing.
James shook his head. "Perhaps not you, exactly. Didn't you say that Arturo was boasting about Delilah's enhanced availability now that she and Sirius were no longer an item?"
Ofelia's brow cleared and she returned James' smile. "Why yes, I believe I did. Sirius, you did say that you were meeting her there at 9 o'clock this evening, yes?" At his nod, continued. "I believe I'll have dinner with my brother this evening. Perhaps I'll have an opportunity to ask him about his secret rendezvous with Delilah this evening."
It was Peter's turn to look confused. "But Ofelia, she's meeting Sirius tonight. Weren't you listening?"
Kate smiled at Ofelia. "May I?" she asked the other witch, who nodded.
"I believe, Peter, that Ofelia intends her comments to tweak Arturo's ego enough to send him to the Astronomy Tower this evening. While she will innocently mention her assumption that the rumor involves a tryst with Arturo, he, of course, will know the truth."
Remus looked over at Sirius. "Keep your wand at the ready, Padfoot. If he snaps, it could get ugly."
Ofelia shook her head. "He won't. If there's anything that matters to my brother, it's his ego. He won't risk letting the whole school realize that he's been bested by none other than Sirius Black!"
"Forewarned is forearmed," Remus said. "I'd still be cautious, just in case."
"Yes, Mother," Sirius returned. "You know, this could be one of my most memorable dates yet!"