Chapter 20:

Manor

Juniper Meadows had been to all manner of manor houses in her early school years for field trips, but the Black family holding had to be one of the ugliest she'd ever seen. "What did he do, slap a whole other building on the back?"

"Essentially, yes," Sirius answered. "The fire that had destroyed the rear wing meant there was little left to work with. So, with the debris removed, my darling ancestor just built this ugly-arse, tower-like structure onto the back of the house. Wait until you see the inside. I've been restoring things to their original state where I can, but…well, the tower is an abomination inside. Thank goodness the Muggles think it's just a historic building owned by a private investor and not mine."

The original house was a stately manor made of sandstone. The door was framed on either side by tall, thin windows that would provide loads of light during the day. Sirius pointed out the dining room to their left, although he said they would not be dining in there tonight. The table seated a very bespoke twenty. The cabinets were filled with more china with the Black's motto and family crest on it and a much larger cabinet filled with more silver tableware than Junie had ever seen.

"My goodness, how much is all of it worth?" she absentmindedly asked as she drifted toward the glass front of the storage unit built into the wall.

"I've no idea," Sirius said honestly. "Some of it is museum-worthy, but I don't know how to donate it. I can't exactly show up one day with a crate full of it and say here, please take this."

"No, but you could contact a dealer or a solicitor and have it done through them," Junie said. "I can tell by the change in crests here that some must be from the family who originally had the house, or perhaps it's from France?"

"There are pieces which came over from France," Sirius confirmed. "Come on, there's much more for you to ogle around the place." He took her hand and led her across the hall to the drawing-room. The room was ringed with bookshelves that held all manner of books and even a few deep shelves with scrolls on them. Junie was immediately intrigued.

"Those are some of the books the family brought with them from France. To save space, they removed the binding and sewed the pages together. My ability to read them isn't as good as I'd like. While I can still speak French well, my skill at reading and translating isn't as refined as it should be."

"I wish I could read French at all," she said wistfully. She moved around the room, looking at the different portraits on the walls until she realized they weren't magical ones.

"Sirius, are these all done by Muggles?"

"No, I've had them frozen. As I said, it is a historic building, although not on the registry. I do have a few tours a year, and I open it in the summer so the gardens can be toured. For that reason, the people talking and moving about in the portraits would be an issue. I don't have a clue who any of these people are anyway, save that chap there," he said, pointing at the picture over the fireplace. The man had on a powdered wig, rouge, and a bright red lip tint. He was wearing a bright royal blue satin suit with lace ruffles at his neck and the wrist, pointing at something not included in the picture. On his head was a small velvet cap in a bright red with several ostrich feathers poking out. "He's the one who built the addition on the back."

"Oh, he's a bit foppish, isn't he? Sort of reminds me a preening male peacock," Junie said.

"That is the best description of him I've heard in years. Meet Antares Black, son of Lucifer and the idiot who ruined this home. Come on, you need to see what he's done to it." Sirius took her hand and gently led her away from the picture, which continued to make her giggle. They passed the butler's pantry, the back stairs which led to the kitchens below, and the morning room, which Sirius said was one of the best rooms in the house. It had a smaller dining table, only seating eight and three walls of windows that looked out over the gardens. Junie could see why he opened the house for tours of the rows of plants, trees, and a sculpture garden beyond.

They crossed the threshold between the warm wood floors of the 'old' section and into the new with its marble floors. Junie looked up and saw a stone spiral staircase and laughed again.

"Why? It would appear to have plenty of space for a normal staircase."

"Because he could," Sirius answered. "He considered himself a great architectural designer."

"Yes, well..." Junie trailed off.

"Exactly my thoughts." Sirius showed her the office in the back of the house before climbing the somewhat perilous back stairs to the first floor. He showed her the numerous bedrooms on this floor and the next, although they climbed the front stairs, made of wood, and carpeted with a thick pile rug, making it easier for her in her heels. Finally, Sirius Disapparated them to the third floor and the observatory. Here star charts dating back hundreds of years and two large telescopes; one looked to be Victorian and the other much more modern.

Junie was so captivated by the charts and diagrams on the wall that she didn't notice Sirius fiddling with something across the spacious area. She hadn't realized there was another room attached to this one.

"Juniper," Sirius said softly, and she looked diagonally across both rooms and found the area bathed in candlelight and Sirius down on one knee. Junie gasped softly as she came closer.

"Juniper Elizabeth Meadows, I was beginning to think that I'd need to live my life alone, surrounded by the families of my friends but never being allowed to have one of my one. Then your name appeared over my heart, and I was elated. My next thought was that I wouldn't be allowed into your life because of the things I did when I was young. You surprised me and let me love you, and then you loved me back. I have never been as happy as I have been in these last few months. You make me want to be a better man, and I cannot imagine my life without you. Will you make me deliriously happy and consent to become my wife and partner in life?"

Junie could barely see due to the tears in her eyes, but she continued to move closer to Sirius. Her breathing was erratic, but he understood her whispered "yes" as if she'd screamed it aloud. He stood and scooped her into his arms and kissed her with all his passion.

"You said yes," he stated as he looked into her eyes when they needed to break their kiss.

"You asked me," Junie breathlessly replied.

"I did. You told me romantic, so I hope this was acceptable." The pair were rocking back and forth with each other, their bodies needing a way to expel their excitement.

"Sirius, it's beautiful. I do need to ask why in your observatory?"

"Ah, come here," he said as he led her to the modern telescope. He peered into the eyepiece and then asked her to look in. When he was sure she was settled onto the viewer, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "That, there in the centre, is a star named Juniper Meadows." Junie's head popped up.

"How is there a star named Juniper Meadows?"

"There is a group you can pay to name a star, and I thought with you marrying into the Black family, you should have a star name too. Since changing your name would be problematic, I decided this was better." Sirius was a bit nervous about the gesture. He'd not discussed it with his mates, but he did talk with Harry. His godson loved the idea and helped him use the computer to make the purchase.

"You remarkable, wonderful man," Junie said as she turned herself in his arms. "That's so romantic, Sirius." They snogged again, long, hard, and passionate.

"Junie, sweetheart, would you like to see your ring?" Sirius whispered, even while she was unbuttoning his waistcoat.

"Oh, yes, of course," she said softly. He took her hand and led her back to the pillows. He sat down and had her sit between his legs, leaning back against him. He then removed the small red leather box from his coat pocket, opened it, and held it before her.

The ring was like nothing Juniper had ever seen before. In the centre was a large diamond, probably a full three carats, and around the sides were five smaller, pear-shaped stones, each with a distinct colour. Together they created a star.

"Oh, I've never seen anything like it," Junie gushed. Sirius removed it from the box, took her hand, and slid it on. He then tightened his arms around her. Junie held it up, marvelling at how the candlelight played within the stones.

"There was only one other one like this, and it belonged to my great-aunt, Cedrella. Her husband was Septimus Weasley, and when he proposed, he had a ring like this made for her," Sirius explained.

"Wasn't she disowned for marrying him?" Junie was attempting to remember the stories Sirius had told her while he spent time repairing the family tapestry.

"Yes, and it's probably the last truly loving marriage the Black family produced. Oh, my cousin, Andi, is happily married, but I don't see them often. Anyway," Sirius said, "the colours have meanings. Red represents fire and our fiery passion for each other. The green is for living things, to remind us that our love is a living thing, too. The yellow is for magic, our magic individually, and the magic we will one day share. Blue is for the air, just like it is constantly changing, we need to remember love is ever-changing. Finally, purple is for the waters which cleanse and renew. When we fight, we need to forgive and renew."

"Sirius, that is…Goddess, how did I not know you were the one who would make me feel alive. All those years we wasted –"

"Don't think of them as wasted, Luv," he said, kissing her temple. "Think of it as the two of us growing into the people we needed to be to make one another happy."

Junie twisted herself so she was facing Sirius. "I had no idea I could feel like this. I was like you, I always assumed that I'd be alone, and I was resigned to it. I was prepared for teaching to be my life's work and purpose, but with you, I see another life, and it is glorious." Emboldened by her words, Sirius pulled Junie to him and began by kissing her forehead, then her eyelids, her cheeks, down her neck, and then up again. Junie was squirming, desperate for him to kiss her properly.

"Sirius, take me to bed. Make love to me," she panted breathlessly. With a flick of his wand, the candles were out, and a moment later, they found themselves in the master suite of Grimmauld Place. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly to Junie, Sirius undressed her and kissed her exposed flesh, then he hastily removed his own clothing.

When they were finally united as one, she had tears in her eyes.

"Am I hurting you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"No, not at all," she whispered back. "It's just so marvellous."

"That it is, my love."

Later, after they'd shared themselves again, Junie stared at her ring until she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer. The couple fell asleep that night satiated and elated.