Drawing near to the end, my darlings! Happy Thanksgiving!
Sirius looked around as he walked towards the final obstacle standing between himself and his goal. The mist seemed to be closing in on him as he drew closer to the final river- Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness.
He reached the edge and knelt to gaze into the placid water of the slow-moving river. His face was reflected back to him, smooth and still. He remembered the story of the vain boy, Narcissus, who was turned into a flower for staring at his reflection too long, and sat back, chuckling to himself.
Suddenly, a ripple in the water caught his attention. He looked up, his eyes widening as a naked woman rose from the middle of the water, much as Styx had. However, where Styx had been terrifying in her looks, this woman was stunningly beautiful. Her dark hair, like the other naiad's, was dripping wet, and reached to her ankles. She made no move to cover her porcelain skin as she moved closer to Sirius, her footsteps sending more ripples along the surface of the water.
Sirius swallowed as he took in her full, pouting lips, and her dark eyes, framed by long lashes. He shifted his weight as he tried to ignore the attraction he felt. The dark beauty smiled at him. "Welcome, Sirius Black. I wondered when you would visit me."
He took a small step backwards. "What?"
The nymph set foot on the green grass that grew all along the embankment. She smiled at him indulgently. "All who set foot in Elysium must visit me, Sirius." When he didn't answer, she drew closer. "This river is sacred to me- all who drink of its depths will forget what they left behind."
Sirius scratched the back of his head. "I- that's just it, really. I don't want to forget what I left behind. I want to go back, you see."
The naiad shook her head, tiny water droplets sliding down her naked skin between her breasts. Sirius stared, mesmerized, as she spoke. "That's nonsense. Who wouldn't want to stay here?"
Sirius swallowed, trying desperately to remember his own name, much less Natalie's. The naiad slid closer, reaching out to stroke his cheek. "Don't you want to stay, Sirius?"
"I-" Sirius had quite forgotten where he was, or what had brought him there. He was, however, deeply aware of her closeness- and her naked body.
Lethe smiled. "Stay with me, Sirius," she pleaded, licking her lips and pressing her face close to his. "Let me show you what you could have if you stayed…" She ran a finger along the side of his face. Right before her lips met his, she whispered, "Stay here, Sirius. It's all right to forget…"
"Are you kidding me?"
The sit-down conversation she and Remus had with Harry the next evening went just as badly as Natalie had feared. Harry was red in the face and close to tears. He looked imploringly at her. "You don't mean this," he pleaded. "Didn't you care about him at all?"
"Of course I did, Harry," she said soothingly. "I loved him with all I had. But he's gone. There's nothing you nor I can do about it, love."
Harry glared at Remus. "Just because he's dead doesn't mean you have to walk in and take everything that was his."
Remus, whose jaw was clenched, answered him, trying to keep his voice calm. "That is not what I'm doing, Harry," he told him. "I don't want to take his place. I know Natalie loved him. I know I am not James' father. But I have loved Natalie for a very long time, and I believe that I can make her happy. And little Jamie needs a father figure in his life. As his godfather, that's my responsibility."
"Can't you just take care of them?" Harry sounded exhausted, and Natalie could tell the fight had gone out of him. Now he just looked- sad. "Do you have to marry her?" he pushed.
"Marrying her gives me legal rights to James," Remus explained patiently. "And it keeps Natalie an honest woman. I promise you, it has nothing to do with Sirius."
"It has everything to do with Sirius," Harry contradicted.
Natalie sighed, reaching out for Harry's hand. "Harry-"
"It just doesn't seem right!"
Remus ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what else to tell you," he said finally. "I am trying to do Sirius a favor and take care of his family now that he is gone. I think even you can agree that's what he would have wanted."
"Yeah, but he wouldn't have wanted you sleeping in his bed," Harry said rudely.
Remus closed his eyes. "Harry, please try to understand," he pleaded. "I am not trying to disrespect Sirius' memory-"
"Then don't marry her!"
Natalie jumped at his tone, but Remus' jaw had set, and she knew he was finished being kind to the boy. "Harry, the decision is made," he told him firmly. "Natalie and I are trying to make things easier for you by talking about this beforehand. I'm sorry you don't agree with us. But we will do what we think is right, and you can choose to accept it or not."
Harry slumped in his chair. He looked at Natalie, tears forming in his eyes. "Do you really love Professor Lupin?" he asked her softly.
She glanced at Remus, who was watching Harry intently. "I do, Harry."
The boy looked defeated. "You'll take good care of her, then?" he shot at Remus, who nodded. Harry looked down at his lap. "I guess I can't argue with that," he muttered.
Natalie squeezed his hand. "It will be all right, Harry, I promise."
He didn't respond, only nodding at her words. At a look from Remus, she rose and followed him out of the drawing room, leaving Harry alone in the armchair.
When they got out into the hallway, Natalie turned to face her fiance. "Do you think he'll be all right?" she asked, biting her lip.
Remus pulled her into a hug. "Things will work out, darling," he assured her. "We have each other, and Jamie. Everything will turn out for the best."
Natalie nodded into his shoulder, knowing that he was right. She no longer had to face her trials alone.
Sirius laid back on the soft grass, closing his eyes as the nymph Lethe's soft hands caressed his body. She was teasing him on purpose- not that he minded. As she slowly undressed him, kissing each newly exposed inch of skin, his mind turned as grey and cloudy as the mist that enveloped them. What had he come here for? He couldn't remember.
The nymph slid her naked body alongside his, and he felt a shudder of lust. He wrapped his hands in her dripping wet hair and breathed deeply as she crawled on top of him. She kissed his lips. "Drink," she murmured.
"Hmm?" Sirius didn't want to open his eyes, but he did, and found himself scrambling to sit up in surprise. "What are you doing?"
She smiled seductively. She was cradling river water in her hands, holding it up to his lips like an offering. "Drink, Sirius. I know you are thirsty."
Sirius eyed her warily, his senses slowly coming back to him. "Wait," he protested, his mind foggy. There was something about that water- he couldn't remember. He wasn't supposed to drink it, but why?
Suddenly, he remembered. He crawled backwards through the grass, trying to get as far from the naiad as possible. She followed determinedly, her rosy lips pouting as he refused her. "Come, Sirius," she begged. "For me? I promise, it will be worth it."
"No." Sirius stood to his feet, shaking his head to clear it of the last foggy thoughts. "I don't want that. Thanks, though."
Lethe rose to her feet, looking disappointed. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm telling you to drink, Sirius," she insisted, and he noticed that her eyes had flared red, not unlike those of the other nymph he had come across. "Do as I say."
He backed up, snatching his clothes from where they lay on the grass. "I'm just going to leave, then, I think."
"You step into that river, and you will drown." Her voice was matter-of-fact.
Sirius glared at her. "Look, sweetheart, twenty years ago, I would have had no problem whatsoever shagging a pretty little thing like you here in the grass. The difference now is that I am married. And I love my wife. Enough to do everything I can to get home to her. And you won't stop me."
To his surprise, her eyes filled with tears at his words. "I was in love, too, once," she whispered. "With a mortal. I wish he had been as devoted as you are." She sniffled. "Is she good to you?"
Sirius eyed her nervously, not entirely sure that her tears weren't just a ploy. "She is," he affirmed. "And I love her. And I'm leaving." He stepped carefully into the river, wading backwards across the water as he kept his gaze trained on the crying nymph. "Well, thanks," he said awkwardly, when he reached the other side. "I….guess I'll be going, then."
He turned to walk away, and immediately tripped over something solid. Looking down, he had to grind his teeth in frustration at what he saw. It was the sphinx. "Dammit it all to hell, what do you want now?" he cried.