Author's note: The happy couple meets. Enjoy. MNF

Chapter 3:

Lunch

Sirius was already there when Junie walked into The Leaky Cauldron. It was mostly empty as it was near freezing and raining buckets outside, and few people needed to be out just after the holiday rush. The first thing she noticed was how his robes were perfectly tailored and fit him well. He wore a tie of the same grey as his eyes, which stood out against the pale blue shirt he wore beneath. Sirius had tied his hair back, and she decided it wasn't fair that his hair fell in better waves than hers did. No man should have hair that good.

Sirius stood as soon as he saw Junie. She had a vibrant purple cape wrapped around her, partially covering her face. The colour did something to her skin and made it look like ivory. How had he never noticed how pretty she was? Her brown hair surrounded her face and neck in soft curls, and she had a lovely comb holding her hair back on the left side.

He'd requested a table in the back and away from the entrance to Diagon Alley. The last thing he'd needed was to have every magical person walking though feel the need to stop and say hello. He helped her remove her cape and hung it next to his cloak. He then pulled out her chair for her. Finally, he handed her the bouquet of white daisies he had for her. Junie smiled at them.

"Did Lily tell you they're my favourite?" she asked.

"I had no idea," Sirius confessed. "I bought them because they represent hope. I also wanted to make a peace offering of sorts, hence the white."

"Then, the bouquet is accepted in the spirit it's been given," Junie said resolutely. "I'll be honest, though; it was a shock this morning when I found your name on me. How long have you known about this?"

Sirius sighed. "Two months and three days," he answered, "since my birthday in November."

"You saw me last week and the week before at Lily's, and you didn't think to warn me?" Junie asked with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"I considered it," he confessed, "but I didn't think you'd believe me. So, I waited until there was irrefutable proof." Junie couldn't disagree with that. She would have either laughed at him or possibly slapped him. "Didn't seem like something to share over the champagne punch."

"Well, that's probably true. Anyway, Lily was worried enough about having the Weasleys there last week that if you'd told me then and it distracted me from my helping in the kitchen, she might have hexed you right out of the house."

"She was rather tense," Sirius said with a smile. Junie nodded in agreement as she drank down half her glass of water. Her mouth had become parched suddenly.

"She saw Molly as some sort of perfect entertainer and was afraid she wouldn't live up to it. The wedding reception for Harry and Ginny this summer was marvellous, and it unnerved her. Marlene and I tried to dissuade her of this notion, but once Lily believes something, it's hard to convince her she's wrong."

"Too true," Sirius agreed with a rakish grin. "When she awoke on her birthday with James' name on her, I thought she might destroy our dorm. She still thought he was a show-off, know-it-all brat."

"He was. By the time his birthday rolled around, he'd become a bit more mature, and Lily had lost her burning ire at The Source for pairing them." Junie downed the rest of her water when the atmosphere between them became chilly and dry. They were, blessedly, interrupted by the new cook's assistant coming over to get their orders. Junie hadn't really looked at the menu but chose the chicken pie as it was hard to get one wrong. Sirius had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes for his date, even though she was on time because he was concerned she'd show early and leave at not seeing him. He'd nearly memorized the menu in that time. His choice was the Shepherd's Pie and a glass of Firewhisky. Following his lead, Junie ordered a glass of elf-made wine.

"You don't normally drink alcohol, do you?" he asked after the girl named Hannah had left.

"It's not like I never drink, but it's usually just one glass of wine. I'm hoping it helps calm my nerves," she confessed. Sirius laughed.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one." He paused and looked at her and saw her hands shaking. "Junie, we've known each other for almost thirty years. Can't we just consider this a lunch between friends?"

"We have never been friends, Sirius Black," she said flatly. "We've moved in the same circles, but we're not friends with each other. I don't think I can name five things about you that anyone who reads The Daily Prophet couldn't also say." She saw him staring at her trembling hands and swiftly put them into her lap. "This all might just be the folly of a middle-aged woman," she finally whispered. She kept her eyes on her lap because she didn't want him to see the tear hanging on her lashes.

"One, you're a wonderful friend and godmother. Two, I wouldn't want to meet you in a duel because you're exceptionally quick with your Defence spells. Three, you used to play chess with James every day at lunch; even when I'd asked him to meet me, he'd say no because you were expecting him. Four, Hogwarts is lucky to have you as a teacher, and five, you look beautiful, and the colour of your dress brings out the blue flecks in your eyes." Sirius had spoken truthfully, and without any of the flirtatious inflection he was infamous for. She looked up at him, surprised to see vulnerability in his eyes.

"No one ever says I have pretty eyes," she confessed. "It's hard to see the blue in them; they're just so brown."

"No, they remind me of Blackbird eggs."

"How do you know what Blackbird eggs look like?"

"Because I have Blackbirds that nest in a tree behind my house," he said. "When I razed the old house, I protected the tree, so the nest wasn't disturbed. While they don't use the same nest from year to year, they love the tree. I enjoy the songs they sing."

"That's remarkably sweet, Sirius Black."

"I'm not a complete ponce, Juniper Meadows." Junie blushed and looked away.

"I knew you weren't. You couldn't be and have cherished Harry the way you did while he was growing up. No, you weren't ever a ponce, as you say, but I never thought birds nesting in the trees behind your house would have been important to you. Politics seem to occupy most of your life now, soon-to-be Chief Warlock."

"Please, don't say that too loudly," Sirius asked, routed. "Everyone thinks it's a foregone conclusion. I do not believe that."

"The Wizengamot would be fools not to elect you," Junie said conviction, surprising Sirius. "You've led them through a difficult period without a single fight breaking out in chambers. Even Dumbledore couldn't do that."

"Thank you, but if it's all the same to you, could we not discuss politics, please? I don't have many people who talk with me about anything else." Junie smiled.

"Fine, but if you want to discuss Quidditch, I am not going to be much of a conversationalist. I only check in on the Wimbourne Wisps to make sure Harry hasn't killed himself doing something far too dangerous."

Sirius laughed. "That's absolutely true," he agreed. "Did you know Lily insists on going to the matches but then can't look at the pitch? James purchased a box, so they'd be comfortable watching, but she turns away."

It was Junie's chance to laugh now. "That sounds like her. She spent the Gryffindor matches in my office. Charlie is as dangerous as his older brother."

"Speaking of Charlie, didn't you want to laugh when Charlie Weasley and Charlie Potter were in the same room last week, and neither knew who was being called?"

"When Lily and James named their Charlus, they hardly could have expected Harry's wife to have an older brother named the same thing. Still, it was comical."

Hannah returned with their drinks, and each quickly took a sip. She then tipped her wand at Junie's water glass to refill it.

"So, if politics and Quidditch aren't on the docket for conversations, what shall it be?" Junie asked. "The weather? Holiday gifts? Our godchildren?" Sirius chuckled.

"Well, Eddie gave me a painted tie for Christmas. He apparently made it himself. I can't see myself ever wearing it." Eddie was the youngest of the Potter children and was not quite eight.

Junie smiled and laughed. "He made me a pair of earrings out of curling ribbon and glitter. I'm afraid if I wore them, my blouse would be covered in the stuff." They both had a good laugh. "I used to do similar things when I was a child. My parents stressed the importance of handmade things, even when I was little."

"Apparently, Lily stresses the same things too," Sirius said. "There were never projects with glitter and ribbons when I was a boy." Junie knew from James that he'd had a tough, traditionally pureblood childhood that knew more pain and punishment than love and laughter. Junie reached across the table and took his hand.

"I'm sorry that something which happened so long ago still haunts you," she said softly. Sirius gave her hand a squeeze and waited a moment before he could speak. When he looked at their conjoined hands, he noticed she was wearing the bracelet he'd given her.

"That looks lovely there," he said. "Ginny wasn't sure you would wear it."

"Really, Ginny Potter was your shopping partner?"

"Oh no, she did not go shopping with me," Sirius said, the melancholy gone. "She told me that this morning when I camped out in their kitchen waiting for my owl to return."

"Why were you at Harry and Ginny's?"

"Because my friends all found my nerves hilarious. At least Harry and Ginny don't openly mock me much. No, I woke Harry up at six today, sent the owl at seven, and then waited. They finally sent me home around ten because they wanted to go back to bed." They continued to hold hands over the table as they talked as if they forgot they were doing so.

"Ah, well, I was up for breakfast today – something I am loath to do on a Saturday because it's my only day for a lay-in. After breakfast, I Floo-called Lily and made her go dress shopping with me. I didn't think I should show up in the dress I'd worn on Christmas and New Year's Days."

"You didn't wear the same dress. I would have noticed something like that."

"Ah, but it was the same black dress; on Christmas, I wore the red cardigan with it, and then on New Year's, I had an embroidered jacket over it. Same dress, worn two different ways. I grew up on a bit of a shoestring budget, so I learned some tricks for stretching my wardrobe. Lily and I both excelled at it when we were in school."

"You certainly have enough gold now to buy more than one dress," Sirius said incredulously.

"I do, but I don't wear dresses or even dress robes very often. Why should I buy clothes I won't wear?"

"Well, this dress is beautiful," he said sincerely. "Thank you for buying a dress just for this occasion and for wearing my bracelet." Junie blushed. "Your blush is beautiful too."

"There's the rake from school and the pages of Witch Weekly."

"Don't start," he warned her. "One day, I will explain anything you want to know, but not right now. I will say I haven't been out on anything more than a casual date in nearly five years, and those occur far more infrequently than they used to." Junie nodded, but before she could comment further, Hannah returned with their food. She slid her hand away from his, needing it to eat. Surprise registered within them both that they missed the connection.

Junie regaled Sirius with Hogwarts students' stories and some of the strange things her students believed about the Muggle world. He told her stories of Remus and Marlene's children, who he was godfather to their younger son. George would be coming to Hogwarts in the fall.

When they'd finished their meal, shared a slice of treacle tart and coffees, they stood to end their first 'date.' It was apparent they didn't know exactly what to do next, or even who should leave first.

"Are you going to Disapparate to Hogsmeade?" he asked.

"I can Floo into my quarters."

"Right. So, we're not yelling at one another, so I'd call our date a success." He said hopefully.

"We've shared many a meal without resorting to yelling, but yes, this was…pleasant." The pair stood looking at each other in an uneasy and growing silence. "I go with my father to church in the morning, but if you'd like to come to my house tomorrow night, I could make you dinner." It was sounded more like a question than a statement.

"How do you cook at Hogwarts?"

"No, not at school, at my house. My mother's childhood home was left to me when she passed. It's near Sunderland. We need to discuss more of this Heart-Binding and if we even buy into it." It hurt a little for her to say it.

"That sounds perfect," Sirius answered, ignoring her last few words. "The perfect thing to set me up for a week that will undoubtedly be chaotic."

"I'll open my Floo at say, seven? We can eat at eight. I need to be back at Hogwarts by midnight. The house is named Sanden Shores. Sanden was my mother's maiden name, and the house is across the street from the beach."

"I'll be there," Sirius promised before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Tomorrow then." Then he bowed his head in goodbye. Junie stood there, a bit gobsmacked before she returned to her wits and went to the Floo.