Poppy's POV

I woke up slowly, my head hurting a little from the alcohol last night but apart from that I woke up with a strong feeling of happiness. I felt Sirius's arm wrapped around me, his body curled around mine and could hear his breathing. I couldn't help but smile, thinking this was definitely one of the better ways to wake up. I laid there quietly, just enjoying being here, in Sirius's bed with him and found myself almost absent-mindedly stroking his arm as I waited for him to wake up.

"That's a really nice way to wake up" I heard his low voice from behind me a few minutes later before I felt him press a kiss to my neck, making my eyes shut and my heart flutter.

"Sorry did I wake you up?" I asked him as he turned me round so that I was facing him. He rolled onto his back, bringing me to his chest and one hand slipping up my top so he could gently stroke my back.

"I don't think so" he said, eyes still shut and not looking fully awake. We simply laid there, wrapped up in each other as the sun got stronger outside and I could feel myself getting warmer and warmer to a point where I eventually had to shrug out of the covers. Sirius seemed to find this amusing as he chuckled, head turning towards me now and opening his eyes, a cheeky smile on his face. He said nothing but moved to kiss me, hands pulling me flush against him as he deepened it quickly, gently rolling me onto my back so he could move on top of me. My heart fluttered at the memories of last night, his hand creeping up my top, touching me everywhere. His lips left mine, kissing me along my jaw, moving towards the spot he had discovered I so liked between my ear and jaw when we were pulled from it with a knock on the door. We both jumped, although Sirius stayed where he was, evidently reluctant to call it quits just yet.

"Pad? Pop?" we heard James call through. Sirius sighed, looking down at me and giving me a soft kiss before rolling off me.

"He's being polite. Give it a moment and he'll just barge in" he told me, and he was right; a few seconds later James peeped in, large grin on his face. Sirius was propped lazily on an elbow and I knew he was grinning as I sat up, turning towards James.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything?" James asked cheekily as he stepped in, chest bare with just shorts on. I didn't reply but knew my face was flushed enough from our previous activities to give the game away. He sauntered into Sirius's room like he owned the place, flopping down on a chair as he ruffled his hair and looked at us curiously.

"I think I'll leave you two to it" I said before he could start teasing, moving to the edge of Sirius's bed. James laughed at this, a surprisingly happy laugh as I got out and stretched, feeling them both watch me. "Do you know where the girls are?" I asked James, thinking he looked like he'd been awake for a while.

"Fiona will be in her room. Next door but one" he told me, gesturing to the left of Sirius's room. I nodded and left but it seemed James couldn't wait for me to shut the door.

"Merlin, how on earth did you keep your hands off her looking like that?" I heard him ask Sirius. He was whispering but his voice carried, making me blush and feeling thankful they couldn't see me as I quietly pulled the door to a close, not before I could hear Sirius's reply:

"Quit perving on my girlfriend" and the thump of a cushion which I assumed was aimed at James. I shook my head as I moved towards Fiona's door, not hesitating but walked straight in; there were certain things you got used to when you all shared a dormitory. Fiona's curtains were half open, letting the sunlight stream in as I moved over to her bed, seeing she had an arm thrown over her face.

"I know that's you Poppy" she called out, and I saw her poke her head out to me, looking most upset. She didn't say anything else but threw the duvet cover up as though inviting me in and I moved over towards the bed, getting in as she turned to me. "Please tell me it's a reasonable hour" was the first thing she said when I was in, making me laugh.

"I honestly don't have a clue" I told her, glancing towards the window and thinking it looked fairly late.

"So, tell me, how was your night?" she asked, grinning widely and I couldn't help but blush, now making her laugh. "Did you two…?" she trailed off and I quickly shook my head.

"No, we talked about it" I said, and she looked like she wanted more detail. "I told him I wasn't ready for that and he said the same. So, we're both clear on where we stand" I explained, and she smiled at this.

"And I'll bet you feel better now that you've talked to him?" she questioned, and I nodded, smiling.

"Much, so thanks for encouraging me to talk to him" I told her, genuinely feeling very thankful.

"What are friends for huh?" she asked me rhetorically. "So, nothing happened last night?" she questioned now, and the implications had me blushing again. She was watching me closely, clearly waiting for me to say something.

"I wouldn't say nothing…" I admitted and her eyes widened as she looked excited.

"Merlin tell me EVERYTHING!" she demanded, making me laugh as I settled in for a morning of gossiping.


Fiona and I only grudgingly got up when Sirius and James bounded into the room, telling us they were hungry. Both looked far too happy and Fiona had grumbled about it but I was pleased to see it. Sirius had attempted to physically pick me up from the bed and I used maybe a tiny, little, bit of magic to get him to drop me, his eyes widening in surprise. I just grinned at him before getting up myself, seeing him watch me as I breezed from the room and made my way downstairs, hearing him trail after me, James and Fiona laughing.

"Pad you're living up to your name" James called at him down the stairs and as I stepped foot in the hallway I felt Sirius on me, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder as he strode through the house, making us all laugh.

"You are one hell of a woman Poppy Turner" he told me, making me smile in spite of the fact I was currently being held upside down. He only righted me when we were in the kitchen, his grin large as he made sure I was okay before kissing me, holding me tight against him.

"Far too early for that" I heard Peter's voice, pulling me from Sirius, only now realising we weren't alone. Him, Remus and Frank were all watching us with amused expressions from the table, all looking surprisingly fresh. My eyes found Remus, seeing how he tensed as soon as James stepped foot in the room. An awkward silence fell, nobody apparently daring so much as to move which meant Sirius's hand remained up my top.

"Prongs can I speak to you?" Remus asked, beginning to get up. My eyes darted to James who stood just to the right behind Sirius which meant I could just see his replying curt nod before striding out of the room. Nobody said anything until we could no longer hear their footsteps and I felt like everybody let out a collective breath, Sirius only now letting me go. As the others discussed possible outcomes of the conversation I moved around the kitchen, making some tea for everybody to keep myself busy. I should probably go and find the other girls once I had finished this and was just handing out mugs to everybody when all three appeared, all three looking exceptionally hungover.

"Please nobody say anything" Alice held a hand out as she came in, white as a sheet and moving gingerly. Obviously, the guys all laughed as I took pity on them, making them all a cup of tea and getting brief smiles in thanks.

"My mum is going to murder me. We've got a family thing today" Lily mumbled, head in her hands. I saw the way the guys looked at her, all of them seeming curious but apparently none of them wishing to risk her hungover wrath today.

"Me too. My dad is guna go ballistic" Suze groaned, gently banging her head on the table. "What time is it?" she asked, her voice muffled against the wood.

"Eleven" Sirius told her and both her and Lily jumped.

"Fuck I said I'd be home by now" Lily got out before moving with a surprising amount of speed for somebody so hungover, Suze hot on her heels.

"Are you guys hanging about today?" Sirius asked, eyes now on Fiona, Alice and me. I turned to Fiona who nodded,

"I told mum and dad I'd be here until tomorrow" she told them, glancing between me and Alice.

"My parents aren't expecting me to be back until tomorrow either" Alice said, eyes on Sirius. "Reckon I'll be okay to stay another night?" she asked him, and he nodded quickly, smiling widely.

"Of course!" he told her enthusiastically and she smiled, seeming happy. His eyes now found mine and I nodded before he bounded over to me, giving me a hug. "Gives us a chance to try this morning properly again" he whispered to me so nobody else could hear although I obviously blushed and saw them grinning at us. The butterflies surged at the thought of another night with Sirius all to myself and found that I was already looking forward to bed.


Lily and Suze had departed not long after they had left the kitchen, Remus and James coming back after they'd gone, looking perfectly normal and natural around one another again. Evidently, things had been patched up and figured Sirius would give me the details later. James was ecstatic that we were all staying another night and the guys quickly decided upon an afternoon of quidditch, Fiona happily going with them. Alice and I lounged in the sun in the garden whilst they played before we experimented with making some cocktails and by the time the rest of them had finished, we were both tipsy on the patio. They had all laughed at us before quickly joining in with the drinking, Remus and James disappearing for a bit before coming back with a load of food from somewhere and we dug in, Alice and I sobering up a little with some sustenance in us.

It was a beautifully mild April evening, the sun keeping us warm until late. At eight, we were surprised to see Olivia show up (James and Sirius weren't surprised to see her) and I saw how her and James sat closely, touching each other at every given opportunity. We sat around talking and laughing until the guys started daring each other and they seemingly got very drunk very quick. I watched Sirius closely and thought I could see him acting as though he was drinking but I was pretty sure he was limiting his alcohol. When he saw me looking, he leaned towards me, hand on my thigh as he whispered in my ear,

"I don't want to get too drunk on our last night together" he admitted, and I felt myself smile and I too then stopped drinking, thinking he was right. It wasn't long until Remus and Peter were wrestling each other, Frank, Alice and Fiona all egging them on. James and Olivia had slipped away half an hour ago and now Sirius turned to me.

"Shall we escape whilst they're preoccupied?" he asked quietly and I nodded, allowing him to take my hand and pull me up as we crept up and through the house to his bedroom. Once in he turned to kiss me, but I stopped him, and I saw his surprise.

"Now that I have my bag, I want to get ready for bed properly tonight" I told him, making him laugh but he nodded, giving me the time and space to clean my face and brush my teeth. I shrugged into Sirius's quidditch top and shorts from the night before, seeing how wide his smile was when I came back into the room. He leapt off the bed, coming to kiss me before disappearing, to do his own teeth I assumed, and I snuggled down into his bed, excited for the night ahead.


My night and morning with Sirius left me in a dizzily good mood, despite knowing how much I was going to miss this in the future. He had told me we'd find a way with that cheeky smile of his and I left it with him, hoping that such a trivial thing as school wouldn't stop us. The next day I left early, needing to get some revision in seeing as I'd missed a whole day which just made the others laugh. I think Sirius only let me go because he was seeing me Friday and I could tell he was nervous. I reassured him best as I could, reminding him that Sara and Phil didn't know about us so he could relax, not having any pressure on his shoulders. I don't think it worked but it was all I could do before I floo'd back to mine, finding Sara in the kitchen looking as though she were already planning for meeting my friends.

The next few days passed quickly in a haze of revision as I worked hard, my only respite being when Phil would train me, apparently determined to send me back to school much improved. On the Friday I woke up early, feeling a little nervous and tried to pass away the morning by helping Sara out in the kitchen, preparing a proper feast for everybody for lunch. Just before eleven I heard the floo go, Sara and Phil nudging me out of the kitchen to go and greet my guests. Wondering who would be first, I couldn't say I was too surprised when it turned out to be Lily, looking happy and excited. She hugged me and I led her through to the kitchen to introduce her, feeling happy with how easily she conversed with the both of them. From that point on I was busy bringing my guests through, Sara and Phil looking very happy as they chatted to everybody. Soon enough I was just waiting on two guests and obviously it would have to be James and Sirius. They arrived one after each other, James grinning, Sirius smiling but seeming nervous.

"Hiya Pop" James greeted me happily, pulling me in for an almost bone crushing hug. Honestly, since him and Olivia had taken to hooking up, he was a very happy man.

"Hi James" I managed to breath out, making him laugh as he finally released me. "Best behaviour okay?" I asked him sternly and he nodded, pretending to zip and lock his mouth. I had briefed everybody, letting them know I hadn't said anything to my family about Sirius and me, and I would very much like it to stay that way until I decided otherwise. They had all promised to not let anything slip but it was James I was most worried about, knowing what he was like with his teasing. "No comments, no hints, no suggestions, nothing" I reminded him, and he nodded, giving me the thumbs up. I gave him one last look before I moved to Sirius who gave me a tight hug, daring to give me a quick kiss when we pulled away.

"Come on through, you're obviously the last to arrive" I told them, finding it difficult to not take Sirius's hand as I led them through.

"Oh, you know we love to make an entrance Pop" James told me cockily, making me shake my head as we made it to the kitchen where everybody was gathered. Everybody turned to us when we came in, our friends grinning and I gave them a pointed look, and they thankfully got the gist, beginning to chat again.

"Sara, Phil this is James and Sirius" I introduced them. James stepped forward straight away, all smiles and I think surprising them both by shaking their hands and making them laugh straight away.

"Well I have to say it is nice to meet you James. We've heard a lot about you of course" Sara told him and he grinned at her.

"All good I hope" he told her, and Phil laughed at this, eyes twinkling.

"Naturally" was all he said in his rough accent. I saw now how their eyes flickered to Sirius who stepped forward and also offered them his hand. This was the one I was most apprehensive about and I did my best to not let it reflect in my eyes, instead trying to think about how nice it was to have all my friends here.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr and Mrs Marais" he told them in his most polite, charming voice which made me smile.

"And you Sirius. We've heard a lot about you, so it's nice to put a face to a name at last" Sara told him, and I noticed her eyes darting between Sirius and me. I tried to act as casual as possible, feeling glad that James had lingered with us.

"We hear that you've been looking after our Poppy, so you have our thanks" Phil told him, and I saw him look surprised at this before he smiled.

"Oh, that's no problem" he replied quickly. I then dragged them both over to the table where everybody else was and as we sat, I felt Sirius slowly take my hand. I gave it a reassuring squeeze, turning to give him a small smile and see him smile in return before dropping his hand, not sure I could fully trust myself to act naturally whilst holding it. Well, that had all gone very well.


The rest of the day had gone brilliantly. Phil and Sara had joined us for lunch, conveniently sitting at the same end as Sirius, and I saw him making an active effort to talk to the pair of them. It seemed that he and James were telling them about the pranks they pulled on the Potters judging from the laughter coming from that end of the table.

"That looks like it's going well" Fiona murmured from beside me and I saw that she had been looking in the same direction as me. I nodded, trying not to stare but finding it difficult, doing my best to contribute to conversation around me.

After a busy lunch I herded the others into the garden before heading back inside to clear up with Sara and Phil, feeling startled to see Sirius in there already. He was happily chatting away to the pair of them and I stopped for a moment, just observing until his eyes darted to me, giving me that crooked smile which made me smile in return. It was then that I noticed Sara watching, a wry smile on her face which made me jump as though I'd been caught doing something I shouldn't and quickly scurried about helping. Afterwards, Sara and Phil gave us some breathing space as we lounged in the garden, the guys all 'exploring' (keeping themselves entertained) as I sat with the girls, happily chatting away. It was nice to have this time to relax with each other and I was glad to see Lily looking happy, having evidently done well with getting over Luke.

At six thirty, Sara called me in and said they'd ordered us some food in, letting me know they were going to go out for a few hours so we could have some space. They had then popped their head out and said goodbye to everybody before leaving us to it. I had just headed in to get some more drinks for people when I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, making me smile.

"It has been torturous not being able to touch you" Sirius growled low in my ear, giving me butterflies and making me smile. I could feel him wanting to turn me so put the glasses I'd been carrying down allowing him to do so before he kissed me, quickly and deeply, and as so often happened, I forgot where we were. Thankfully, our friends gave us some space and I relished the chance to have him to myself.

"I think they liked you, you know" I told him when we finally pulled apart and I saw his eyes light up, that cheeky smile back.

"Well I should hope so, I was my most charming self" he replied cockily, making me laugh.

"So full of yourself" I said, and he winked at me.

"You love it" he retorted, making me laugh again and shake my head. Just then the doorbell went, and I beckoned Sirius with me and saw, upon opening, a guy with several huge bags of food.

"Now that smells good" Sirius said, making me smile as we took it in and started laying it out on the table, everybody else slowly wandering in with the smell of food.


We had a great evening and by ten we wrapped everything up, everybody needing to head home. We'd be seeing each other on Sunday anyway when we had to get the train back and it was nice to know it would only be another day. Naturally, Sirius was the last to go, James giving us a wink before he disappeared in the floo and Sirius made the most of it, pulling me flush against him and kissing me.

"I'll see you Sunday" I told him when we pulled away and he nodded, one hand slipping cheekily up my top as he grinned.

"I think I've sorted our problem" he said, and I looked at him to go on, but he didn't say anything else. "You'll see" was all he said before he kissed me again.

"Right you, get before Sara and Phil come back" I told him, managing to exert some semblance of self-control and lightly push him. He laughed, swooping in to give me another kiss before he grabbed some floo powder.

"I'll see you soon beautiful" he said softly, giving me a wink and making me blush before disappearing in a whirl of green flame. I collapsed onto the sofa, a smile on my face and a feeling of contentment just as Sara and Phil came through the door.

"Poppy?" I heard Sara call and saw her a moment later. "Oh, there you are sweetheart. Everybody gone?" she asked as she came through, sitting in the armchair as I heard Phil in the kitchen.

"Yes, just. Thanks so much for letting them all come over" I told her, seeing her smile widely at me.

"It was lovely to meet them all. You seem like a tight group of friends" she remarked, and I nodded happily. "And it's lovely to see you so happy" she added on, making me smile.

"I feel really happy" I told her happily.

"We know" was all she said, and I hoped that I wasn't shining too much.

"Right, I'm going to get an early night so I can have a full day of revision" I said, yawning and getting up. She wished me goodnight and I popped my head into the kitchen to say goodnight to Phil before heading up, thinking that it had actually been an excellent Easter holiday.


A/N: That was the penultimate chapter folks! Last one up Saturday :) Thanks everybody for reading :)