The fifth marauder

Chapter 10

"Padfoot! Where have you been?" James called as he saw his friend walk down the stairs to the common room.

"Upstairs. Have you been drinking?" He asked, walking over to where they were sat, seeing Remus and Peter passed out on the floor and James flopped on the sofa with his shoe on his hand. He knew that the Gryffindors had a party to celebrate their win, but he forgot that one of the seventh years always managed to sneak alcohol in.

"Maybe a little!" He replied, smiling widely.

"Go to sleep Prongs." He said with a laugh, heading towards the portrait hole.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He froze and turned slowly to see Lily behind him, her hands on her hips.

"I was going for a walk." He replied, edging slowly away from the red haired witch. She studied him for a moment, her eyes narrow before smiling slightly.

"Astronomy tower is a good place to sit and think. And prefect rounds don't go up there." She said before turning and starting to deal with the intoxicated James.

Sirius quickly left the common room before anyone could stop him and made his way to the astronomy tower, walking at a slower pace than he normally would. He thought about Nixie, and how cold she had been with him. He knew that if he wanted to make things right with her, he needed to prove to her that he still cared, that he could still be trusted.

As he reached the astronomy tower, he headed straight for the railings at the top, looking down at the grounds below in wonder, without noticing what was around him. He closed his eyes as he felt the wind blow through his hair, feeling at peace for the first time since the incident happened during the last full moon.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He jumped and spun around to see Nixie behind him, sat on the bench.

"Did you follow me?" He asked, frowning.

"That's kinda hard to do when I was here first." She snapped, standing up.

"Then why are you here?" He asked, following her every move.

"I always come up here. It's my favourite place in the castle." She replied, moving to stand next to him at the railings. "The wind blowing through my hair, the sound of the birds…. It feels like I'm flying. I can almost feel my wings behind me, brushing against the clouds as I glide through the air." Sirius looked over to see that Nixie had her eyes closed and a small smile on her face as the wind blew her hair. "When I'm up here, and when I'm flying, I just feel…. So…."

"Free?" Sirius suggested, making her open her eyes and look at him.

"Yeah. Free. It's the best feeling in the world." She said, looking him in the eyes before sighing. "Look Sirius, I'm sorry I've been so harsh towards you since…. You know."

"Don't apologise. I deserved it." He said, looking down and leaning over the railing.

"No you didn't." She replied, mirroring his position. "You didn't deserve any of it. I was wrong. I know you would never hurt me or Remus intentionally. And I know how much Snape winds you up. You were just trying to stick up for us."

"How do you know that?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Remus told me. I just, didn't process it at the time. I thought he was trying to make up an excuse for you." She said.

"What changed your mind?" He asked, making her pause for a moment.

"I guess I always knew. A part of me knew that you wouldn't betray us and that you acted on impulse. Plus, Remus' secret was much bigger than mine, and if he can forgive you, then so can I." She smiled at him, making him smile back at her.

"Thanks Nix. That means a lot." They fell into a few moments of silence before Nixie decided to say what was on her mind.

"No offence or anything, but you look like shit." He let out a barking laugh, reminding her of his animagus form. "James said something about going home being a punishment for you, and that you suffered enough there. What did he mean?" She asked, making him sigh and look down again.

"How much do you know about my family?" He asked, not making eye contact.

"I know that they're very proud purebloods, but that's about it." She replied, making him scoff.

"They're not just proud, they're very prejudiced about blood status. They very much believe that anyone who is not a pureblood is beneath them." He snapped. "They're not good people."

"They can't be that bad." She said, making him look at her with an amused look.

"Trust me, they are. They practically disowned me when I was sorted into Gryffindor." He laughed without humour. "Since then, they have made my life a living hell. They're very dark people. The only decent one is my uncle Alphard."

"I'm assuming you're included in that." She replied, making him smile at her. "So, your family hate you. That doesn't explain why you've come back looking like death."

"The only times I ate these 2 weeks, were when everyone was in bed and I could sneak into the kitchen, which is very hard to do with a house elf who I'm sure my darling mother told to make my life miserable."

"You're parent's sound horrible." Nixie remarked, making him laugh.

"That's the nicest word ever used to describe them." He said, looking away as his smile faded. "That feeling you have up here, feeling free. I don't know what that feels like. I never feel free knowing that I have to go back to that dreaded house." Nixie frowned for a moment, before smiling and pulling out her wand.

"Yes you can." She said, flicking her wand as he frowned at her, getting more confused when his broom flew over to him. "Come on." She said, transforming into her fairy form and flying over the railing, turning back to look at him. "Come on!"

"We'll get caught if we're out flying." He said, making her smile even wider.

"Since when is Sirius Black, Marauder extraordinaire, the great Padfoot and all round bad guy, afraid of getting caught out after curfew? Has your little break caused you to become, dare I say it, a goody goody?" She teased, putting her hands on her hips as she hovered just out of reach of the tower. He smirked before mounting his broom and flying over to her, grinning widely. "That's better. I thought we'd lost a Marauder for a moment there."

"Never." He replied, smiling gently at her. She smiled, before holding her hand out.

"Let's go." He held onto his broom with one hand, placing his other in hers and allowed her to pull him along, steering as best as he could as they flew over the forest, admiring the way her wings shimmered in the moonlight and the light blue dress floated around her, seeming unaffected by the wind. They flew for a few minutes, before Nixie stopped them so that they were high above the centre of the forbidden forest and turned to face him, letting go of his hand while he looked around. "Do you trust me?" She asked, making him look at her.

"Of course." He replied. She flew closer and held out both of her hands. He looked into her eyes, seeing the sparkle in those green orbs he adored so much, and placed both of his hands in hers, using her strength and his legs to keep his broom steady.

"Close your eyes." He did as he was told, not even thinking for a second about what he was doing. "Just listen. Listen to the wind rustling the trees. Listen to all of the animals." He did as she asked, listening to the variety of sounds coming from the forest below, the chirp of the birds, the beating hooves of the centaurs, the scurrying of the insects and many more.

"Now feel. Feel how light you feel in the air. Feel the wind against your body and in your hair. Feel how the air seems to move around you and with you, instead of against you." Again, he did as he was asked and smiled at how amazing it felt to have the wind blowing his hair and brushing his skin, how it felt like the air bended around him, making him feel as if he was in a cocoon of air.

"Now open your eyes, and look up." As he did this, he allowed a small gasp to leave his mouth as he saw what she wanted him to. The starts glittered in the sky and seemed to be set into the black night sky, shining brighter than he ever thought possible. The moon looked as if it had been painted into the sky, and he smiled at how amazing it looked.

"It's amazing." He said, looking at Nixie, who still held his hands. "I feel…."

"Free?" She smiled.

"Yeah, free." He replied, looking into her eyes. He noticed that her wings seemed to emit a soft light that surrounded them as they gazed into each other's eyes. Sirius didn't notice how close they were until her felt her breath on his face, and smelt the aroma of flowers and trees that always seemed to envelop her. He gently moved his head forward slightly, letting their lips barely touch, while looking into her eyes for any sign of hesitation or disgust. When he found none, he moved the rest of the way, gently pressing their lips together for a moment, closing his eyes as he did. He pulled away slightly, opening his eyes to see hers flutter open. A small smile graced her lips before she pressed them to his again, moving her hands to the back of his neck as he moved one of his to her back, and the other to her hair.

Xxx

The next morning, three of the Marauders found themselves at the Gryffindor table, trying to eat their breakfast without throwing up, when Lily marched over to them. "Have you seen Nixie?" She asked, making them frown.

"Not this morning. Why?" James asked, ignoring the way Peter groaned at the noise.

"Because she's not in the dorm, and she wasn't there when I went to bed last night." She said, sitting down opposite them and grabbing some pancakes.

"I haven't seen her. Or Sirius for that matter." Remus muttered, barely able to hold his head up properly.

"How much did you guys drink last night?" Lily asked, noticing the slightly sick look on their faces, as was the same with a lot of the Gryffindor students.

"Too much." Peter grumbled.

"Morning everyone." Nixie said brightly as she and Sirius strolled over to them and sat down, smiling as they looked at the three boys. "You guys look like death."

"I feel like it." James muttered.

"Here, these might help." Sirius said, passing a vial to each of the boys, who quickly downed them, perking up almost instantly. "Hangover cures. Nixie and I brewed them this morning. Figured you'd need them."

"And we greatly appreciate it!" Remus said, finally able to hold his head up long enough to eat.

"Just don't expect it again." Nixie laughed, piling her plate with food.

"Where were you two last night anyway?" Lily asked, making Nixie and Sirius share a look and smile.

"Just out flying." Sirius said with a smirk. Everyone looked at them with frowns, before James realised that Sirius had his arm around Nixie's shoulders.

"Oh my god. You two kissed!" He exclaimed, making the others gasp.

"A little louder, Prongs. I don't think the Slytherins heard you." Nixie commented, making Sirius chuckle.

"So, are you guys a thing now?" Lily asked, grinning widely.

"I don't know. Are we?" Sirius asked, looking down at Nixie.

"That depends on if I get asked a certain question." She replied, a small smirk on her face.

"Nixie, will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, making James and Remus lean forward dramatically.

"Hmmm… Let me think about that one…" She said, turning her head slightly. She looked at Sirius out of the corner of her eye to see a worried look on his face, making her laugh. "Yes. I will." Sirius' smile was bigger than anyone thought possible as he leant forward and gave her a quick kiss.

"EW! Too much PDA!" James said, throwing a piece of toast at them.

"Grow up Potter. I think it's sweet." Lily said, smiling at her friend.

"Well, then maybe you and I should kiss like that." He replied, leaning over the table with a grin.

"In your dreams Potter." She snapped, standing up and walking away.

"Every night!" He called after her, before letting his head fall onto the table. "I'm gonna die alone."

"Just because Lily says no now, doesn't mean you're going to die alone." Remus said, trying not to laugh.

"But if she doesn't want me, then why should I carry on?" He dramatically sighed, making Nixie smirk.

"Prongs is getting depressed again. You guys know what that means." She said with a smirk, making James' head snap up.

"Prank?" He asked, his voice full of hope.

"What else?" Sirius asked as they all stood up and headed to their first lessons. "After all, we are the Marauders."