A/N: Potential Trigger Warning: Beth finds out about Sirius' home life with his parents. I don't go into it very much at all, but it is blatantly addressed by an outside party that he was verbally abused. I want you all to be happy and healthy, so if this is an issue for you, skip the part when someone goes to get someone else food (vague, I know, but I don't want to spoil anything!)

Happy reading!

Beth sat across the street holding the address in her hand, simply watching people enter the venue. It was here, the day that had been the entire purpose of her visit, and she was sitting away from it all in a small moment of worry.

They didn't look much different from her, all these people entering. Then again, neither did James or Sirius, or anyone she knew who had these abilities—which, she'd realized last night as she'd talked to James, was more than she would have thought. They'd picked out a bottle of wine in minutes, but their conversation had lasted much longer. It was well into the early signs of morning before they finally bid each other goodnight, friendship renewed and past hurts forgiven.

But now it was more than simply talking to James. Now, there was person after person entering this building that might as well be another world, and she was alone. The only friends she had were certainly going to be busy the entire time. Objectively, she knew that she'd be in this situation regardless, but at least then she'd assumed she could blend in. Would it be obvious now that she was different?

Taking a breath, she slowly edged closer, willing herself to have a good time like it was a mantra. James would have said if he thought she'd feel uncomfortable. He would have warned her if there was something to worry about. She would have fun.

Worst comes to worst, she could always just leave early.

"Oh, thank God," Remus said when he saw her, pulling her into his arms for a hug.

She laughed as she returned it. "Honestly, Remus, you think I'm going to miss the only reason I decided to come?"

"We weren't sure, but now," he pulled back and grasped her cheeks, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, "It's Christmas." He bent slightly further down, making sure she met his eyes directly. "And you're all right? No secret desire to kill us all?"

"It's still a little weird," she admitted, glancing over to watch a couple enlarge a small box with a wand and place it on the gift table. "And I can only assume it'll get weirder as the day goes on, but James said that I'm hardly the first person to be surprised by this, so that helps."

Remus nodded. "The way I understand it, my mother left my father when he told her. Came back the next day though, and then nine months later I was born, so she apparently took it pretty well."

Beth laughed again at his candidness. He was in a far greater mood than he had been yesterday, and it was refreshing to see his smiling face again.

"So listen," he said, still with a hint of a smile on his face. "I have to stand up front and act all orderly and such, but I can have you sit next to somebody if you'd like. I have a couple of options—"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. "I'll just sit wherever."

His brow furrowed. "Do you want me to escort you, at least?"

"You're a dear," she said, grasping his arm. "But no, I'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay," he responded, glancing at his watch. "I don't need to be there until—well, actually no, it starts in five minutes, but I'll see you after, yeah? Come check up on you, see how things are going?"

"I'd like that," she smiled.

"Fantastic," he replied, kissing her hand before turning to walk away. "You look lovely, you are lovely, I'm really glad you're here," he called out, then disappeared into the crowd.

She took a deep breath as she glanced at the people surrounding her, almost expecting to see a familiar face popping up out of nowhere. The chances were slim to none, she knew, but the thought was too appealing to altogether forget. Luckily, no one seemed to give her any particular notice other than an older woman, who smiled gently at her as she passed by. This is good, she thought, thinking to herself that she just might be able to blend in with the crowd.

She began to head into the ceremony space, her eye-catching a flower blooming on a large piece of ribbon as she did. Beth stopped and stared at it incredulously, finding herself absolutely enraptured as she watched it continue on with each embellished flower.

Which, of course, made someone run directly into her.

"I'm so sorry," she began apologizing immediately, turning around to face the person behind her. "I got distracted by the—"

His mouth was slightly ajar, his eyes wide and shining with surprise. "Hi."

"Hi," she said, finding herself suddenly short of breath.

Of course it was him.

They stared at each other for a long, uncomfortable moment. "I'm sorry," Sirius said, taking her completely in. "I didn't realize it was you."

"Well, it's the same dress I wore to Caitlin's wedding," she laughed quietly. "Shouldn't have been a big surprise."

A small smile came to his face, and she was surprised to see that it reached his eyes. "Oh yes, our first date."

Beth's heart tightened. "It wasn't a date."

"I think it was."

He looks so wonderfully amazing in that suit.

Wait, what? She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Yeah, you would."

"Well, this situation's nearly the same," he said, looking around the room. "Perhaps I could have the opportunity to try again?"

Beth stared at him incredulously in response, forcing down words that she knew would only make the situation worse but that so desperately wanted to be said. He read her expression correctly, though, and immediately the teasing smile that had accompanied the question raced away.

"Perhaps not," he whispered, standing there blankly for a brief moment before turning to walk away. "Forgive me, I believe I'm needed elsewhere."

"Sirius," she called out.

He paused his walking and looked at her once more. She had so many questions, craved so many answers, and for the life of her, not a single one came to mind as she stared deep into his eyes. She couldn't stand him, she reminded herself. She was hurt and upset with him. But he was right. The situation was nearly the same as all those weeks ago when she'd found herself enraptured by the flirtatious audacity he exuded when he'd swept her onto the dance floor and made her laugh uncontrollably, when he'd taken her back and stood by the doorway and pressed—

"Don't worry," he said. "You're just as beautiful now as you were that day."

God, she hated him.

"Molly, Arthur, this is James' friend Beth," Peter said as he pulled her seat out for her. "She's new to all of this, so please do try and make her feel less awkward."

"Wow, thanks Peter," Beth laughed as she sat down.

"You certainly could have singled her out a bit more," Molly teased, pressing her hand onto Beth's. "Don't worry, dear, you'll know more about all of us than you'd care to admit by the time the night is over."

"Just as long as it's not me you're talking about, Molly," Peter retorted. "I need her to remember at least some good about me."

"No promises."

Peter leaned down slightly closer to Beth as Molly and Arthur laughed. "You'll come get one of us if you need anything?"

"I will," she smiled brightly at him, patting his arm. "Thank you. Tell James he looks beautiful."

"Will do."

The wedding was stunning. Breathtaking, honestly, was probably the better word for it. Absolutely enrapturing, gorgeous, and so heartfelt that she, along with many others, was crying within moments. James hadn't even tried to contain himself when Lily began walking down the aisle, and Lily smiled so wide during the entire ceremony that Beth was sure her cheeks were killing her.

And now they were married. Mr. and Mrs. James and Lilly Potter, tied together for life, and so obviously happy that it couldn't help but spread to even the most unpleasant looking guests. They had laughed and smiled and looked so adoringly at each other for the entire ceremony, and Beth was overwhelmed with happiness when the officiant finally declared that the two could kiss. After years and years of pining, wishing, and writing her over and over and over about how desperately in love with her he was, they were now as paired together as they legally could be, and it was wonderful.

Now they were sitting amongst a large table with the other members of the bridal party, Peter taking his seat next to Remus. There were conversations going on between every person there, laughter coming from nearly everyone, but James and Lily sat there in blissful ignorance of everyone else, gazing at each other with more love than Beth had ever seen. Her heart nearly exploded with joy when he brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it. This, she realized, would be her definition of happiness for the rest of her life, for what could possibly compare to the serenity of love?

Her eyes darted across to Sirius, his proximity to James making him impossible to ignore. To absolutely no surprise of hers, he met her gaze at that exact moment, because of course it had to happen that way. He didn't look away, though, instead raising his glass to her and taking a big drink of his champagne.

Despite herself, Beth returned the gesture.

"So Beth," Arthur said, leaning in closer and bringing her attention away from Sirius, "I understand that you have a great amount of intelligence about the muggle world."

Beth laughed. "I guess you could say that."

"Tell me, what exactly is the purpose of a rolling chair?"

"Arthur, dear, would you be an angel and get me some food? I'd go myself but," Molly placed a hand over her rounded stomach, "I'm feeling a bit queasy."

Immediately he stood and kissed the top of her head. "Anything for you, my dear. We'll discuss more when I get back, Beth."

Molly smiled her thanks and watched him head towards the opposite side of the room. As soon as he was out of sight, she turned quickly towards Beth. "My dear husband is planning on asking you an obscene amount of questions. He was beside himself when we were told that you came from the muggle world."

Beth laughed nervously, reaching for her cup. "I don't mind him asking."

"You're the first," Molly said, leaning in towards her. "I'm sure you were warned about us before you sat down."

Beth shook her head vehemently as she swallowed her drink. "No, no, not warned," she protested. "I was simply told that he would be very easy to talk to."

"Well, that's a good mindset to give to you, I suppose," Molly chuckled. "Arthur's one of the greatest men in the world. A terrific husband, an even better father, but dangerously curious about anything and everything. He's a car hidden on our property that he's convinced he can get to fly." She nodded towards the table next to them. "Of course, he got the idea from Sirius. Still need to have a word with him about that."

Beth's heart sped up at his name, and she chanced a look towards the man in question. He was laughing with James wholeheartedly about something. She quickly turned her head away from him, doing everything in her power to keep her focus on Molly. "From Sirius?"

Molly nodded. "Him and his blasted flying motorbike. Did he ever introduce you to that thing?"

Beth thought of that first night watching the sunset, the day before her internship started. "A couple of times," she said absently. "But I didn't know it could fly."

"No?" Molly asked incredulously. "I find that surprising. I'd have thought for sure he would have shown you the second you found out about this whole other world. You must ask him to show you before you leave. He's much too proud of it to keep it hidden forever."

Beth smiled softly and looked back at him. "It's the only thing he loves more than sex and James."

Molly nearly spat her drink out at the statement. "That's the most accurate thing I've ever heard," she laughed. "Although I guess you would know, wouldn't you?"

Beth stiffened at the implication. "What?"

"Well I'm sure he was around, wasn't he?" Molly asked. "You must have had plenty of opportunities to get to know him."

She doesn't know, Beth realized with a start. She must not have been told her about their relationship. Or no, she thought, their fling. For the best, probably. "Lily told me that, actually."

"Ah," Molly said. "My mistake. But certainly, you know him fairly well, at least? Would you say it's true?"

"I think so," she responded.

Molly shrugged. "I certainly wouldn't know," she said, reaching for her water again. "I was done and gone from Hogwarts when he started. Of course, you always hear stories. Whether people choose to believe it or not, the wizarding world isn't as vast as they like to make it appear to be. Word always gets around. I still remember finding out about him."

Finding out about him? she thought. What was there to find out? She glanced back at him again, finding him now talking intensely with Peter. "About what?"

"Oh, you know," she said. "The whole scandal of him being sorted into Gryffindor. His entire family disowning him and whatnot. I'm surprised it didn't make the front page of The Prophet with how much people were talking about it. Would have been a much better exposé than the usual drabble they make up."

His family what? She turned back to Molly, trying to find a question that gave her the information she desired without letting on that she had no idea what Molly was talking about. "People were talking about it?"

"Certainly," Molly nodded. "It's not often that a family switches houses. Usually, you follow the line of whatever your parents were sorted into, and they're all Slytherin on his side, or at least they were. Now he's the black sheep, so to speak. His brother being sorted into Slytherin rather sealed the deal on that one. And then, of course, there was the whole fiasco with him leaving. I don't know what he would have done if the Potter's hadn't been willing to take him in."

"James told me about him moving in," she whispered. But he didn't tell me why.

"He did tell you, then? Of course, he'd have to, wouldn't he? You being such close friends and all." Molly looked at him and sighed, and Beth found herself looking at him too. "Poor dear. Nearly broke my heart when word got out about how awful they'd been to him. Never physically abusive, or at least he didn't let on that they were, but certainly verbally. His mother was the worst, from what I heard. She was the one who actually disowned him. Blasted him off the family tree and everything. Now whenever they're mentioned in the papers, they're listed as only having one son." Molly shrugged and placed a hand over her stomach protectively. "Simply cannot imagine. Must be why he carries on the way that he does. He's got to be desperate for love. Anyway, here I am monologuing about the person you've just spent the entire summer with. Certainly, you know all of this already."

She shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"He didn't tell you?" Molly chuckled lightly to herself. "Well then, I just doled out an unnecessary amount of personal information. Shows how starved I am of adult conversation, I'll tell you that. Oh," she said, reaching out to her husband, "Arthur, darling, thank you."

The husband and wife immediately broke off into a separate conversation, leaving Beth alone to deal with all of the new information she had to sort through. It certainly … explained a lot, she thought, was the nicest way to put it. Explained why he had those flirtatious tendencies. Explained his strong attachment to James. Explained why he never wanted to speak about his family. Everything about him suddenly made sense, and yet at the same time, she was still so confused.

She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sort it out any time soon.

Making her excuses, Beth walked outside, desperately craving fresh air. As soon as the fresh air hit her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Slowly, she felt everything melt away. Everything Molly had just told her, every encounter she'd had, every thought plaguing her mind vanished with each breath she took, and she felt herself reach a normalcy that had been missing since yesterday.

There was so much. So much she did not know, so much she did not understand. She tried to remind herself that she was leaving in less than 48 hours and that it wouldn't matter after that; it did little to calm her nerves. So instead, she focused on the fact that, at least for now, she had this moment away from every unfamiliar thing that was begging to make her acquaintance, this moment to remember that despite everything, she was still herself. That would not change.

Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. A man was standing by a lampost not too far from her, staring at her in curiosity. Smiling back, she gave a short nod in greeting. The man did not return it but simply turned his focus onto the doors leading to the reception.

Beth shifted, growing slightly uneasy at being around this mysterious looking man. She turned back to head inside, deciding that she'd had a long enough moment to herself before Remus would begin to worry. She hoped desperately that sense of peace she'd had only moments ago would follow.

"You need not leave."

Beth turned her head towards the man. He spoke deliberately, enunciating each syllable with certainty, but made no move to come closer. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest and stared at her again. She went to respond that she was just leaving anyway, but he interrupted her.

"I did not think I would be in anyone's company when I came."

She froze, keeping herself at a distance from him. "I'm sorry to bother you."

He shook his head. "You are not."

The man intrigued her. Dressed in as much black as he was, she couldn't imagine he'd feel comfortable in the August weather. His eyes were piercing and cold and were just as dark as the hair that framed his thin face. Surely, she would have noticed him inside, would have been introduced to him when Peter had escorted her around. She walked towards him slowly, and while she maintained her distance, her curiosity was piqued.

"Are you here for the bride or the groom?" she offered.

His eyes flashed, then focused back on the doors. "I was not invited."

"Oh," Beth said apologetically.

"It's no matter," he said, a tinge of sadness stinging his voice. "I knew I would not be."

She remained silent for a long moment, unsure of how to respond. The man was still staring ahead at the doors, looking at them as if they contained water as he died of thirst. He so obviously longed to enter, and yet would not move to try. When a great burst of laughter came from inside, his eyes squinted and his brow furrowed, as if in disappointment.

"Is she happy?" he asked.

Beth glanced back towards the doors and somehow knew exactly who he was thinking of. She thought of the ceremony, and the overwhelmingly joyful smile on her face as she walked down the aisle. "Yes," she replied.

When she looked back at him, his eyes were closed, and Beth had the feeling that this was not the answer he wanted to hear. She regarded him for a moment more, and then he opened his eyes.

"Is she beautiful?"

Beth was taken back by the innocence of the question and paused a moment before responding. When she went to speak though, he shook his head.

"What a simple question," he murmured. "Of course she is, she always has been."

The man stood straight, clasping his hands behind his back, and stepped closer. Beth immediately backed away, unsure of what he was going to do. She thought for a brief moment that he was about to enter, invitation or not, and worried that she would not be able to find the strength to try to hold him back. Instead, however, he stood before the doors and simply regarded them, noticing every detail there was to see.

"You do not know who I am." It was not a question.

She shook her head. "No."

The man nodded. "She will. They all will. The second you tell them someone is standing outside, they will know." He turned his head, not fully so as to see her, but just enough that she could see his eyes shining. "Do not tell her today."

Beth nodded, unsure of how else to respond. The man, content, looked back towards the doors, his hands still firmly grasped behind his back. "She deserves today," he said. "Though he does not deserve her."

She thought of James' tears when he saw her walking down the aisle and the sheer emotion that choked his voice as he said his vows to her. She thought of how warmly he held her hand throughout the ceremony, and how tender and loving that first kiss had been. Didn't deserve her? She could think of no better match.

"But then again," he mumbled, almost whispering, "neither do I."

This time he turned towards her fully, staring so fully into her eyes that Beth felt he could almost read her mind. His face softened, though not entirely, and somehow she knew it was done to make her feel more at ease.

"If you ever find an opportunity to love as I have, do not be like me." He hung his head low, and this time did whisper. "A coward. It is only at this moment that I would admit it."

He looked back into her eyes. "Please," he said calmly. "Do not tell her today."

Beth stared back at him for a long moment, trying to piece together who this man could be. Instead of asking, she simply nodded, too frightened to want to hear the answer. "I won't."

She thought she saw the corners of his mouth slightly turn up, but they were back in the thin line before she could blink. Finally, he nodded his head to her. "I am in your debt."

And with that, the man walked away.

Beth didn't tell anyone anything when she walked back in. No one seemed to particularly notice that she was gone, which was relieving for her. The last thing she needed was more attention to the apparently obvious fact that she didn't belong here.

She returned to her table and talked with Molly and Arthur some more, managing to steer all topics of Sirius away. They were a lovely and willing distraction from everything, and Beth quickly realized why everyone had been so insistent on seating her here. They were calm and fun and easy to talk to, and Arthur was so greatly intrigued by the way that she grew up that she could not have denied him a question if she wanted to.

Remus stopped by later and whisked her off onto the floor, insisting that she spend some time dancing. The band was absolutely incredible, playing many more of the "muggle" songs that she was accustomed to than she would have thought. She twirled around and laughed with Remus easily, and were soon met by James and Lily.

"You look happy," she told James as he whisked her off into a lively, upbeat dance.

"Of course I am," he shouted at her as they tried to keep in time. "Have you seen my wife? She's bloody marvelous!"

They danced and danced, and Beth was so quickly distracted by how happy her life was at that moment that she didn't think about anything else. After several songs passed by, she went to get something to drink, basking in the moment to simply catch her breath.

And that was when the song came on.

As soon as the band announced that they were going to start slowing things down, Beth knew what song they were going to play. Call it intuition or psychic powers, but when Unforgettable started playing, she couldn't say she was surprised. Because of course it would play at a wedding, and of course it would be the first transition song, and of course the bandleader would say to find a partner, and of course the person that would come to her would be—

"Hello."

She nodded at him, still wanting to hate him, desperately wanting to hate him, and not focusing on how amazing that suit fit him. She still had questions, but she couldn't help but look at him with an overwhelming sense of curiosity. She had known so little about him. The person standing there now was someone completely different, and she hated it.

"Hi," she responded.

He cleared his throat and held out his hand to her. "I know things are quite horrid right now between us, but may I dance with you?"

What else could she say but yes?

He led her to a small spot on the floor and pulled her in close. It was almost an exact parallel of that night at Caitlin's wedding, and if she didn't think about it too hard, she could almost pretend like it was.

But it wasn't. They both knew that. Everything was different.

Sirius took a deep breath. "James said you wanted to talk to me."

Beth nodded. "I do."

"I suppose now's as good a time as ever."

Beth glanced towards the band, memories of the first time they'd danced to this sweeping through her mind. "Is that why you picked the song? So that I would talk to you?"

He paused all movement, causing her to focus back on him. "I thought you requested the song so that I would come talk to you," he said.

"No," Beth chuckled nervously.

"Then who requested it?"

The two of them turned in perfect sync towards the newly married couple dancing a small distance away. James' goofy grin met them, and he quickly gave them both a thumbs-up.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Not if I get to him first," she retorted.

Sirius looked back at her, mischief suddenly gleaming in his eyes. "A double effort, then."

"We can sabotage the honeymoon."

"There's the Beth I remember."

The smile that had been decorated on was suddenly wiped clean, and his expression changed into one of solemn understanding immediately after. Swallowing hard, she let him guide them back into their dancing, letting the movement set her at ease.

"Why did you have to?" she asked quietly, not bothering to look into his eyes. "James said that you had to, that he would have done the same thing. Why was that the only option?"

He was silent for a moment and made no effort to move other than to continue swaying slightly. "I didn't want to."

"But you did."

"I didn't know what else to do."

"Why?"

He sighed heavily. "Because you had seen magic and you weren't supposed to. I didn't want you to remember."

At that, she pulled back, forcing her gaze onto his. "Why? What happened?"

He quickly averted his face from hers, staring at off at the wall behind her. "I was careless," he said. "I wasn't thinking and I just reacted the way I normally would, and then you were confused and angry and I didn't want you to remember it so—"

"Wait, what?"

At her interruption, he finally looked back down at her. "You reacted similar to the way you did last night and I didn't want you to have to remember—"

"You didn't want me to remember?" she repeated, stopping their movement altogether. "What for, to make up for the fact that this," she indicated between them, "didn't work?"

"Beth, no—"

"You didn't want me to have some sort of tarnished memory of you, did you?" she asked, dropping her hands from his. "Thought that because you'd goofed up that you could make it all better? Then why didn't you just do that for the rest of our 'relationship'? You could have gotten as many do-overs as you wanted and it wouldn't have ended the way that it did."

"Beth, I didn't want to do it."

"Yeah, somehow, I'm having a hard time believing that."

She quickly walked away, wanting air, wanting peace, wanting home. Wanting away from here. She could hear him following quickly behind her, calling after her, and she picked up the pace slightly, wanting to just leave. It was too much, it was all too much, and it was stupid and pointless, and it hurt. It was a mistake, it was all a mistake, and now she was reaping the rewards.

"Beth," Sirius called again, and she stopped walking, knowing she couldn't pretend to keep ignoring him. "I never meant to hurt you."

She laughed, frustration and anger and hurt seeping through every sound. "That's all you ended up doing." She turned around. "If you didn't mean to, you wouldn't have."

"I have been tormented by that memory ever since it happened," he defended. "Do you honestly think that I wanted to hurt you?"

"No, I think that you were careless and not thinking and just reacting the way you normally would," she spat, throwing his words back into his face. "And I think right now, you're still trying to salvage whatever scraps of good memories you think I still have about you. For the loved of God, Sirius, just tell me what happened. Tell me the truth."

Her breath was heavy. Her cheeks were definitely red, though she couldn't see them. She was angry and hurt, and he was simply staring at her with an intensity that she hadn't seen since the night they'd ended things. It read of the same emotions she was feeling, the same hopelessness and hurt and anger. If it had only been a couple of weeks earlier, she would have done everything in her power to rid his face of it. Now it only angered her more, and she felt it rise into her expression quickly.

"That's the same face you made at me that night," he whispered. "That's why I did it: because I couldn't stand the thought of you looking at me like this every time you saw me."

She rolled her eyes. "What a load of good it did you."

She walked back inside, determined to find Remus and leave. He was calling after her again, but he did not follow, nor did she turn back.

It was time to leave.

He needed a drink. He needed a drink bad.

He saw himself over at the bar before he felt himself move, and had already ordered by the time he sat down. Everything was messy. Messy and weird and awkward and all his fault. He'd wanted to chase after her, make it just like a fairytale and sweep her off her feet. Then he'd get to have her in his arms again and kiss every inch of her and enthrall her the way he'd wanted to since the moment he'd laid eyes on her.

But who was he kidding? That opportunity was long gone.

He took a long swig of his drink the second it was brought down, nearly downing it in one gulp. The bartender eyed him cautiously before refilling the glass. Sirius didn't even bother to look up, simply grunted his thanks and took another drink. It wasn't helping.

"That didn't look good."

Sirius simply stared ahead instead of responding as Peter sat down next to him. "Did you tell her everything?" Peter asked.

"No."

He saw Peter nod his head out of the corner of his eye. "It's for the best."

It's for the best. It's for the best. It's for the—

"No," Sirius said firmly, turning to look towards where he knew she was standing. "No, I don't think it is." The drink was clouding his judgment, but as he watched Remus usher Beth out of the doorway, he found himself unable to care any more. "I'm going to tell her."

"Padfoot—"

"No," he said, moving to stand up. She wasn't going to leave hating him. "Don't try to stop me," he demanded. This would end the way it was supposed to if it killed him.

"Sirius, it's dangerous."

"Telling her about this whole bloody thing was dangerous," he argued. "This is nothing."

"This is stupid," Peter said, pulling him back. "She's leaving in two days. What do you expect to happen?"

"What do you expect to happen?" he said, reaching his full height again in a pointless attempt to scare his friend into submission. "You honestly think Voldemort's going to show up mid-shag?"

Peter stood his ground though, staring at him directly in his eyes. "So that's what you expect to happen?" he asked, revulsion absolutely filling his voice. "One good shag before she's off, huh? And you think that will make it better? That will help you clear your conscience?"

Sirius shrunk into his seat, guilt hitting him like a punch.

"You're disgusting, mate."

Sirius sighed, rubbing his hands over his face as Peter walked away. "I know," he whispered to himself.

I know.

He took another drink.

It had been Remus' idea to take the tube instead of walking back. His reasoning was that it would be faster, but all Beth could think about was how desperately she wanted him to stay with her. She knew it was unfair of her to want that, especially when the wedding reception was still going on, but it felt nice to have him near. He was so much less chaotic and rambunctious than others, and she felt at ease around him. Selfish, she knew, but after everything, she wanted a bit of selfishness.

"Did Arthur talk to you much?"

Beth nodded, doing her best to smile. "Yeah, he was nice."

"Isn't he?" Remus asked. "And what did you think of Molly?"

"She's delightful. I really liked her."

"Did she talk about her children the entire time?"

She stared out the window across from her, seeing the city race by just as quickly as her thoughts. She took a deep breath, doing her best not to think about all that Molly had told her about Sirius. "Only a little bit."

"Really? That surprises me. That's usually all she talks about. I'm fairly certain that if they didn't have so many kids, they'd be in the Order too. Her brothers are the ones that introduced us to them."

"Oh yeah, Fabian and Gideon, right?"

Remus nodded. "They sold us on them pretty quick. Then, of course, Sirius and Arthur bonded over their flying automobiles and now they come over for tea close to monthly."

She'd tensed over hearing Sirius' name. She knew Remus could tell, too. He sat there, silent for a moment, before saying, "I saw you talking to him."

"A lot of good that did," she mumbled.

"He really was torn up about that day."

"Yeah, he seemed it," she said dryly.

"Beth, with all due respect, you don't know what he went through afterward," he scolded her softly. "He lamented it for days, weeks. He's still quite upset about it all. Course you can't blame him for that, can you? It's not the poor bloke's fault his brother ended up being a death eater."

Beth sat up quickly at that, every ounce of attention she had now completely directed towards her friend.

"And finding out the way that he did, what with a death eater attacking him and you, who still didn't know that any of this exists?" Confusion overwhelmed her senses. "I'd wipe you clean too."

She focused on the last thing he said first, turning to face him more fully. "We were attacked?"

Remus regarded her and seemed to have the same amount of confusion sweep over him. "I thought he talked to you about it."

"He just said that I'd seen magic and that I wasn't supposed to," she clarified. "Is that really what happened? We were attacked?"

"Yes. He was terrified that someone would find out about you after that. He kept having nightmares about his brother being charged to kill you. Did he not tell you any of this?"

Beth shook her head. "No."

And suddenly, the truth was out.

Remus explained everything that had happened that day, from what had actually occurred to how Sirius had responded, telling her about the countless times he'd woken up in a panic and went to Remus for help and the endless worrying he'd done each and every day that followed. How he'd begged Remus to check up on her so that he didn't seem like he was trying to overwhelm her. How he'd gone to him the day they'd broken up, relieved out of his mind, and how quickly terror began to settle in after he realized that she could still have been in danger. He told her about the death eater, how they still hadn't identified him, and how they'd put in countless of charms surrounding the flat to make sure that no one found out about her.

And it all made sense. All of the wondering and questioning about why things panned out the way they did, what had happened that day, and why Sirius had been so quiet to hide it made sense. It was still manipulative and horrible and awful, and she still hadn't heard the truth from the horse's mouth, but it was there.

"I know he didn't go about it the right way," Remus said as he walked her inside James' flat. "We told him that from the beginning. Him trying to control you the way that he did wasn't the best idea around, even if it was out of a misguided sense of protection. But it was just your protection that he was after, nothing more."

Beth nodded solemnly. "But why didn't he tell me?"

Remus sighed and drew her into a hug, holding her tight against him. "I don't know," he said. "I don't know. He should have."

Beth nodded against his chest.

"But Beth, don't ignore all of the good just because of the bad. It's hard to do, and trust me, I am not perfect at it." He drew her back, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But we have to try, yes? You don't have to like him, but try not to hate him. He's a good man, even if it's impossible to see."

And with that, Remus left her, alone with too much information and too many questions.

So Sirius was from a pureblooded family. His family hated him for being sorted into a different house, and his brother was sorted into the right one. His brother decided to fight against Sirius, and a death eater was sent to tell him that. She saw a fight between the death eater and Sirius, and that was why he erased her memory. Not because he was careless and not thinking, but because he was trying to protect her. That then led into the annoying babysitting she felt she was going through with him.

It made sense. She didn't like it, but it made sense.

But it still wasn't from Sirius.

She sat down on the couch, unable to move as she sorted through the abundance of information she'd learned tonight. Thought after thought, idea after idea was, in the best way she knew how, organized to make the most logical reasoning. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, maybe minutes, maybe hours, but her organizing quickly stopped when she heard three knocks on the door.

She kicked off her heels, only then realizing that they were still on, and opened the door.

Of course.

"Hi."

"Hi," he said, looking at her as if he didn't know what to do. He averted his gaze after a moment, handing her her jacket. "You forgot your—"

"Oh yes, thank you," she said, grabbing it quickly. "Forgot about that."

"Yes."

He was standing right there and she knew everything. He hadn't told her anything, but he was here, and everything made sense, and she wanted to talk but she didn't know how to force her mouth to speak.

Luckily for her, he cleared his throat.

"Can I come in for a moment?" he asked.

She nodded, opening the door a little wider for him. He eased his tie from his neck, letting it drape around him floppily. If it had been another time, she would have found it attractive.

Who was she kidding? It was hot, and she hated it.

Did she still hate him?

"I want to tell you something," he began.

She didn't give him a chance to explain anything. "About your brother? Or the fact that we were attacked?" His eyes became wide with shock, and he stood there frozen. She nearly laughed at his befuddlement. " Or are you going to try to make up some good excuse why you didn't tell me about either of those things?"

He was silent for a moment. "Remus told you."

She wanted to be happy he was here, wanted to say that everything was fine, and yet she couldn't. "You certainly didn't."

"Beth, I didn't know how."

"Remus didn't seem to have any issues with it."

"Remus wasn't directly involved in the situation."

"Well that seems to be the best option for finding out things, doesn't it?"

"I was going to tell you."

There it was. There was her issue.

"When?"

"That's why I'm here, that's why I came here."

"So I should be happy that at some point you were going to tell me and just ingore the fact that you were still lying to me about what happened."

"I was protecting you."

"I don't need your protection!" she yelled.

"Yes you do!" he shouted back. "You don't understand, there's a war going on, Beth. Not a fight, not an argument, a war. People are dying every single day. It could very bloody well be me tomorrow. Of course you needed protection. Forgive me for trying to keep you safe, and yes, lying to you to do it, but I wasn't very keen on the idea of seeing you die."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I had a white knight standing in front of me," she spat. People were always trying to shield her, always trying to protect her, and she was tired. "I don't know how I possibly made it without you. Please, continue protecting me from the world and the very unlikely possibility that I could die."

He threw his hands up. "You almost did! Does that mean nothing to you?"

"No, it doesn't, and you know why? Because I don't have any memory of it!"

He rolled his eyes. "Use a different argument, Beth. That one's getting old."

God, she hated him so much. Hated his smug face, hated him for trying to make things right, hated his tie for just lazing upon his neck, hated how his eyes were on fire now and how badly she'd missed that look.

"No, I won't," she stated, walking slightly closer to him. "And you know why? Because all I remember is you suffocating me and trying to 'keep me safe' and then lying to me again when you no longer had a reason to hide the truth from me."

His entire countenance steeled over at that, and a shiver went down her spine. "You want the truth, Beth?" he prodded, walking closer to her in what she was sure was an attempt to intimidate her.

It didn't work.

"Fine," he stated. "I showed up to our first date drunk out of my mind because one of my friends died that day trying to protect his family. I left the next day because I was in charge of the mission to find his body. I had Remus lie to you and tell you that I was nervous because I couldn't stomach the idea of having to tell you the real reason why.

"When we were attacked, it was by a person sent, I belive, solely to tell me that my brother had officially joined arms against me. He didn't hurt you, but he would have if he had the opportunity, and my family wouldn't hesitate to finish you off if they had found out about you. So I wiped his memory and then yours, because I was careless and not thinking and reacting the way I normally would, which was to protect you. Then, sure, I got a little paranoid, because I'd watched a person terrify you beyond comprehension and was scared to death that it would happen again. I had nightmares every night of my brother seeking you out and killing you.

"When I left for Edinburgh, I realized that my father and mother were supporting the same cause my brother was fighting for, which meant that not only did I have to worry about my brother killing you, but now I had to worry about my parents encouraging him to do so. Then you kept on disappearing for hours on end, and I didn't know if you were all right, I only knew that for some reason I couldn't see you and just hoped against all odds that you were fine.

"The night that we went dancing, I saw a known death eater enter the building, and I panicked. I took you home, and you were livid, and it was fine because you were home and safe, and I was protecting you. And I was protecting you when I ended things, and I was protecting you by keeping you at a distance, and I was protecting you by not telling you everything tonight. And no, that doesn't change the fact that I lied to you or whatever nonsense you're going to throw back in my face for trying to keep you safe.

"But you want the truth, Beth?" he asked, standing so close to her that she could almost feel the heat coming off of his body. "The truth is I was selfish, because I treasured every second I had with you, and I loved the fact that you didn't know my tragic backstory, that all you knew was that I was a friend of James and that not once did you feel the need to look at me with that pathetic sadness in your eyes. Not once did you feel the need to treat me differently because my family was fighting against me. You were innocent to our world, and it was a relief I didn't know I needed until I met you. So there, Beth. There's the truth. All of it. I hope you're happy, and I hope you look at me differently from now on, and I hope that you know that nothing tormented me more these past few months than the thought of losing you."

Tears were pricking her eyes, and she refused to acknowledge them. They appeared to be glistening in his, too, though she was sure he'd deny it. They stood there, both breathing heavily in an act of defiance and willpower, both refusing to back down. There was something incredibly different about being this close than there had been while they were dancing. Then, they'd had a reason to touch. Now, she was certain that if he even grazed a finger down her arm, she'd be done for.

She took a deep breath in. "All I ever wanted from you was the truth," she whispered.

"And now you have it," he said back just as quietly. "All of it. What are you going to do with it?"

She went to pat his chest, to lightly push him away from her, and she would testify that until the day she died. But instead, she found herself grabbing him by the undid tie around his neck and slamming her lips against his.

She felt his hand move to cup her face, but it quickly dropped. He pulled away, breathing heavily. "Beth, we shouldn't."

"Sirius—"

"We should stop."

"Sirius, for once, stop trying to protect me."

She was angry. She was mad. She was hurt. She was upset.

He was exhausted. He was broken. He was desperate. He was demanding.

She wanted to hate him.

He was tired of her.

And yet.

Sirius responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her back with more passion and intensity than she had ever felt in her life. The careful and playful certainty that had encompassed that first kiss at that first wedding was nothing compared to the absolute fire that was overwhelming them now. They were starved, feeding off of each other with an animal-like hunger, desperate to right the wrongs of the past, and Beth felt herself nearly crumble at the moan he made when she pressed him even closer to her. It was intoxicating, it was messy, and it was everything.

She felt herself being pushed against the door with a thud that must have been inappropriate at such a late hour. He tore his lips away from hers forcefully, forgoing the usual playfulness of small kisses down her neck and instead biting hard at the spot just above her collarbone. Beth grabbed his head, tugging on his hair hard as he continued to attack that spot, leaving a mark that she was sure would last her for months.

She hoped to every form of deity she could think of that it would.

She tugged his head back up to hers and found his lips again, wasting no time in devouring every taste of him that she could get. He was pressing against every curve that she had, grasping and kneading and pulling relentlessly, hands never staying in one spot for long. She brought her head back and sighed loudly when she felt his teeth clench around her ear, squeezing his arms tight when he bit it again, this time harder. It was too much, it was all too much, and yet there wasn't enough.

Pushing him away from her, she shoved his suit jacket off of his shoulders and pulled the tie off. "A bit anxious, are we?" he teased before slanting his mouth back onto hers, the curve of a smile still playing at his lips. Beth didn't even attempt to put up a fight, simply surrendered to his control as she ran her hands over the expanse of his chest, reveling in the moan he made when she ran her hands down to his waist, tugging his shirt out of his trousers. In response, Sirius lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he all but ran towards her small room.

It was bold. It was rash. It was impulsive. There were more reasons to stop than to keep going, and truth be told, it never should have happened. But as Beth heard the door shut behind them, she knew that both of them simply did. Not. Care.

A/N: This is it. This is the chapter. This is the chapter that started this idea, and I can't believe it's already here. I've been crafting this and recrafting this for over a year. I hope it delivered everything I wanted it to. Please, please, please tell me what you thought of it!

To everyone who has been waiting for my schedule to fit in me being able to write a chapter, I hope this extra long one delivered for you. I know where this story is going. It is nowhere close to over yet. It may take a while, but stick with me! I'm not abandoning you guys.

A special thanks to nimblescrivener for helping me piece together this chapter. A special thanks to all of you for convincing me to keep going.

Up next, Beth says her goodbyes. How do you think it'll go with a certain someone?