Fabian's Shadow

Claudia opened her eyes, fully expecting another bout of indescribable pain but none came. She spat out what tasted like blood and slowly pushed herself up to sitting, before looking around the dungeon-

"Did you have to be so mouthy?" Peter hissed the moment Claudia's eyes landed on him. "Why wouldn't you just tell them the truth?"

"Grow a spine-" she growled and dropped her head back against the wall and sighed. Her ears were still ringing. "Take it you told them everything?"

"No! How could I? I don't know anything."

"Well, neither do I, and that didn't stop them torturing me." Claudia's throat was so dry, her voice sounded hoarse. She tried to spit out more of the blood residue, but nothing came. Her mouth was parched.

Peter put his arms across his chest. "They're treating me like I don't exist… Like everyone else."

Claudia gritted her teeth. It took everything she had not to jump at Peter and beat his insecurities out of him. "What happened since I've been out?"

"Nothing. They went upstairs and haven't been back since."

With a scoff, Claudia looked outside through the tiny window. It was now dark. Almost as dark and blank as Claudia's mind. She tried to think about a way out, about what the Death Eaters were up to, but she could not hold a thought for more than a few seconds. Her mind kept resetting back to the overwhelming pain she experienced under the Crutiatus Curse. It was still there whenever she remembered. Every muscle in her body contracted at the mere thought of it, causing yet more suffering.

After a few hours of absent-minded staring at the stars, Claudia managed to forget about how thirsty she felt, and how much pain she was in, and fell asleep for a few hours on the cold, hard floor.

When she woke up again, it was due to sharp pain in her legs. For a split second she thought she was being tortured again, but she was not. It was the hard floor that made her joints feel like they were on fire. The dehydration that made her head pound. And the aftereffects of the Crutiatus Curse felt like they would never stop.

And so, the hours went past. It was impossible to maintain a sense of time. And Peter was either asleep or pretending to be and provided neither help, nor entertainment.

It must have been just around noon. Claudia was not quite sure what day it was, as her mind still struggled to hold a coherent thought. And it was beginning to frustrate her- She forced herself to get up and began pacing around the cell. The movement strangely helped to relieve the pain, but not the frustration…

"Are any of you fuckers here?" she yelled from the top of her lungs.

But the hoarse scream was only met with silence.

Claudia swung her hands towards her hips but shrieked with pain. Slowly, she lifted her top to reveal a huge bruise. Must be from the blast, she thought and dropped to sit down against the wall again.

A draught engulfed her, and she shivered. It was suddenly cold and the overcoat she reached for was soaked in mud. Claudia's lip trembled. For the first time since she was locked in here, she was beginning to feel like she might not get out of this.

But she did not have long to feel sorry for herself for she heard a commotion on the stairs. A wave of nausea came over her. "No more torture," she whispered quietly enough that Peter did not hear her. "No more torture."

When she saw a familiar shape running down the stairs, she blinked. It could not have been. She blinked again. This was delirium. Wishful thinking. She was seeing things.

So, she sat by the wall, watching and unable to move.

But then she felt a shockwave across her face. They blasted a hole through the cage… If this was delirium, it was all too real.

It could not have been real-

Sirius dropped to his knees in front of Claudia and scooped her up in his arms. "Are you alright?" he hurled out, running his fingers through Claudia's hair. "Did they hurt you?"

Claudia finally began to believe this may have been happening. "Just a-" but her voice gave in.

"I felt it…" he whispered urgently and pressed Claudia's head against his chest. "I felt it… Through the tattoo. Like someone was stabbing me with a knife." He paused and planted a kiss on the top of Claudia's head. "Was it-" he stuttered. "Was it Crucio?"

Claudia nodded but before she could try to speak, Sirius squeezed her in his arms again. "You're safe-"

"Ouch-" she hissed. "Hurts…"

Sirius kissed her head again. "Never letting go off you again."

"Water-"

Sirius looked over his shoulder, prompting Claudia to look up also. Moody and Oscar were also in the dungeon. Oscar was helping Peter up, and Moody was casting all kinds of spells around him.

"Either of you have water?" Sirius barked.

Oscar took a flask out of his pocket and threw it in Sirius' direction. He unscrewed the lid and gently lifted the flask to his girlfriend's lips.

Claudia took a few long sips, then cleared her throat. "How did you get here?"

"Tip off."

"Did you kill them?"

"No one was guarding you."

Before Claudia could point out how weird that was, Oscar spoke: "Fabian and Gideon?"

Claudia froze. She nearly forgot. Any joy that she felt upon her rescue drained right out of her. She swallowed dry. "Dead."

Moody interrupted the stone-cold silence that followed. "Save the questions for later. Let's go."

Sirius grabbed Claudia's hand and lifted her up to standing. "Can you walk?" he whispered.

Claudia nodded and, hand-in-hand, they walked up the stairs. The moment they reached the top step Claudia could feel her head spinning. Maybe the steps were too much… She should have walked slower… She tried grabbing onto Sirius, but his jacket slipped in between her fingers, and she tumbled into darkness.

When Claudia woke up, she noticed brightness. She was no longer in the dungeon. Sirius' concerned face was leaning over her.

"Where-" She coughed. "Wh-" But her throat was not cooperating.

Sirius slid his hand under Claudia's head and lifted her just enough so she could drink from the water glass he brought to her lips. "St Mungo's."

Claudia drained the glass and then dropped back in the pillow. "I thought it wasn't safe…"

"You need to get better. That's all that matters."

Claudia lifted her hand and pointed towards the water glass again, and Sirius obliged.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.

Claudia swallowed the last of the water and sunk back into the pillow. She could not feel any pain- Or anything else in fact. Her brain was all hazy. "Like I'm full of potions," she said with a yawn.

"Go back to sleep."

"You should have a rest too."

"Once we're home."

But she was too tired, or full of sleeping draught, to argue with him and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next time she woke up, it was evening again, and the healers forced her to eat soup and toast. She tied to make conversation with Sirius, but his eyes were fixed on the window.

"What's on your mind?" Claudia sighed. The potions were wearing off and she was beginning to feel her bruises again. And not just that, her brain was slowly returning too. Her mind was sharper. And she was beginning to remember.

She had been tortured. Fabian was dead. Fabian- She could not help but pinch the top of her nose. She did not want to cry. Not here. Not now.

Sirius finally looked at her. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, you know. But…" He took a deep breath. "But the Crutiatus Curse."

Claudia gave him a feeble smile, somewhat relieved that he did not ask her about Fabian. "I don't mind talking about it."

"Do you know who it was? Who hurt you?"

Claudia bit her lip. "Yes-" she took a deep breath. There was no way Sirius was going to take this well. But she had to tell him. "Bellatrix…"

She was half-expecting Sirius to jump to his feet and dart out of the hospital to avenge her, but he did not. He dropped his head into his hands and gripped his hair firmly between his fingers. "That makes two of my family members who tried to kill you," he hissed, rocking back and forth.

Claudia shuffled to the edge of the bed, slowly lowered her legs and sat up, so that she could reach Sirius' head. "Please don't make a big deal out of it. It doesn't matter who it was. If she wasn't there, the next one would've done the same," she whispered and squeezed her boyfriend's hands until he let go off his hair and looked at her. "Besides, if your family isn't going to kill me, mine will…"

"I'm not so sure," he sighed and folded his hands into Claudia's lap. "I think being an Avery saved you in there…"

"Do you think they let us go because of my father?"

"I don't see why else they would." He nodded towards a curtain behind him. "It's not like they have a reason to keep Peter alive."

That remark was met with a scoff from the neighbouring bed.

"You alright, Peter?" Claudia said loudly, hoping her voice was strong enough to carry over the curtain.

"Never better."

"He's fine," Sirius interjected. "But yeah-" he sighed again. "I think your father let you go."

Claudia paused for a second. "I wonder what he's up to."

"Is it possible he cares about you enough to spare you?"

"No…" Claudia shook her head. That thought was ridiculous. "He's up to something."

Peter and Claudia were released from St Mungo's the following morning. And just in time, as Claudia began to crave real food, and Sirius was slowly reaching the limit of how long he could stay awake, for he refused to sleep until Claudia was safely home.

"Before we go in-" Sirius mumbled when they were standing on the threshold of the flat. "It's a bit of a mess in there-"

"You can't surprise me. We've lived together for three years-" she said with a smirk and pushed the door open. "I know how much mess-" She froze the moment she looked around the flat. "What the fuck's happened here…" Their dining chairs were smashed into pieces. A trail of broken plates was leading into the kitchen.

Sirius growled. "Can we just say I lost my shit when you went missing, and leave it at that?"

Claudia crossed the living room to touch a large brown stain on the wall. It was moist and reeking of firewhiskey. "I'll help you clean it up."

"No," Sirius wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Go take a shower. I'll have it sorted before you come back. Then, we eat something."

"Alright."

"Do you need help?"

"I'm strong enough to take a shower."

Sirius sighed. "Alright."

However, when in the shower, and out of sight of Sirius' watchful eye, it finally dawned on Claudia. This could have been the end of it. She did not know how she got out of there. And Sirius' reaction – She could only imagine how she would feel if she was the one left alone in their flat, not knowing if he was ever coming back. And having the reminder of his pain- She gripped her forearm and slid to the ground.

Not even the water coming out of the shower head could hide her tears. This should have been it. She should have never made it out of there. Just like Gideon. Just like Fabian-

She wrapped her arms around her knees. Fabian deserved so much better. She drew in a sob. He should not have died there. All alone…

Claudia did not even know when Sirius came into the bathroom. She only noticed once the water was turned off. He wrapped her into a towel and helped her on her feet.

"Go get some rest," he said in a voice that trembled. She did not dare look at him.

In attempt to think about anything other than Fabian, Claudia ignored his suggestion. "I need a new wand."

"We can go to Ollivanders after dark," Sirius said and gripped Claudia's shoulder.

She shivered.

Sirius' touch did not make her feel warm and calm as usual.

It made her feel nauseous.

"Sorry," she whispered and withdrew. "I might be jumpy for a while yet…"

"Go have a rest. I'll wake you up for dinner."

Once the darkness fell on London's streets, Sirius and Claudia apparated to Diagon Alley and, their faces covered under hooded cloaks, scuttered towards Ollivanders wand shop.

Sirius, with his wand drawn, banged on the door and they waited.

The front door creaked open, and an angry face of Mr Ollivander appeared in the crack. "What do you want?"

"I need a new wand," Claudia said

"Come back tomorrow. I open at nine."

"Not really an option," Sirius hissed.

"Please, we won't be long," Claudia tried to keep the conversation civil.

Ollivander's eyes narrowed. "Avery, is that right? The younger daughter. I remember you-" he jabbed his finger in her face. "Cedar with dragon heartstring."

"That was mine."

"Was?"

"Lost it..."

"Lost it how?"

"The Death Eaters took it when they captured me…"

The mention of being captured by Death Eaters made Ollivander open the door. "Come on in, then…" he showed them both inside his shop. "Ah, Mr Black-" she smiled when he recognised Sirius. "How's that Sycamore beauty treating you? Hope you haven't let her get bored."

"Definitely not bored..." Sirius sighed and shut the door behind them. Claudia could tell he was being anxious. Out and about like this, in the middle of the night. Normally, he would have relished it. But not this time. She doubted whether he would ever get to enjoy it again-

"What do you do?" Ollivander said without making eye contact. His head was buried in a thick ledger.

"I'm an auror."

"Have you ever? The unforgettable curses-?" Ollivander trailed off.

"Yeah..."

"So, no unicorn hair."

"No unicorn hair…"

Ollivander took all the cedar wands with dragon heartstring core from his shelves, but they all felt a little underwhelming.

"I feel like you've outgrown cedar, my dear," Ollivander said. "Let's try Ebony."

The Ebony wands were beautiful, shiny and jet-black. "That's better," Claudia said with a smile when she gripped the first wand Ollivander handed her. She could feel the magic running through her veins.

"Ebony wands recognise a strong character," Ollivander said. "Someone who charts their own path."

"I'll take it." But just as those words left Claudia's lips, a box flew out of one of the high shelves and landed at Claudia's feet. "Did I do this?" she said with a chuckle and picked it up. Even through the box, she could feel the warmth. She was drawn to whatever was inside.

But before she could open it, the box burst into flames. They were cold, blue flames, and Claudia stared at them with her mouth ajar. Eventually, the box burned off, and Claudia found herself holding an elegant, dark brown wand.

Instinctively, she gripped it in her palm. Never had she felt anything like it. She could not explain it. It was like they were one. Like a long-lost piece of her soul had slotted into place. "What wand is this?" she whispered.

"Walnut with dragon heartstring," Ollivander said so quietly she could barely hear him. "Eleven and a half inches, unyielding. I've been trying to shift this wand since nineteen-thirty-five. It never shown any interest in anyone."

"I think it likes me."

"That's one way to put it," Ollivander whispered.

Claudia cast a protective charm, and it just felt different. It held so much more raw power than her cedar wand. She finally tore her eyes off her new wand and looked up. Ollivander and Sirius were both staring at her.

"This is the one," she said with a smile.

"Walnut wands are powerful, very powerful," Ollivander said. "But make no mistake. They respond to a brilliant hand, intelligent mind. They have no loyalty or qualms about-" he paused. "Well, about anything." He turned to Sirius. "In fact, I've sold a very similar one to one of your cousins."

"Let me guess." Sirius face twisted into an unpleasant grimace. "Bellatrix..."

"Yes," Ollivander said with a nod. "The oldest of the Black girls," he added absentmindedly and began to tidy.

Claudia squeezed Sirius' hand. "Just because Bellatrix and I have the same wand, doesn't mean I'm going to turn into her."

"I know. Just could've done without the reminder," he whispered in a poisonous tone.

"One more thing," Ollivander interjected. "Walnut wands can be hard to break in. So, if you have any issues, please come back.

"I'm sure we'll get on just fine."

But Claudia could not have been more wrong about her wand. Despite the initial connection, the wand was being temperamental. It refused to perform the simplest of household spells, and it made its new owner increasingly more frustrated.

However, the disobedient wand was not the only reason for Claudia's deteriorating mood. She was not cleared to go back to work yet, and Sirius was still looking at her in a way that made it clear he would tie her up if she suggested she went back anyway. But those memories were not going to sort themselves. And it felt like her father's case was slipping through her fingers.

"I don't think you should go tomorrow," Sirius mumbled as he sat down next to his brooding girlfriend on the sofa.

"I'm not going to work. We have the-"

"I wasn't talking about work. I was talking about the funeral."

Claudia stared at him in disbelief. How could he be asking her to skip Fabian's funeral? Was it jealousy? "I have to go."

"It's too dangerous."

"I have to go!" Claudia yelled out of nowhere and jumped to her feet. "He died-" She almost said he died to keep her safe, but manage to swallow that sentence. She knew she would blurt out all her suspicions about Fabian's feelings otherwise… "I just have to go."

"Claudia, I know what you're going through." Sirius remained calm.

"No, you don't," she snapped. "I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep." She marched into their bedroom, turned off the lights and hid herself under the duvet.

She bit her lip, but it did not help. Nothing was going to stop her tears.

Eventually, Sirius made his own way to bed. He tried to hug his girlfriend, but his mere touch made Claudia want to jump out of her skin.

"Sorry, I just need a bit of space," she muttered, got up and went to the living room to spend the rest of the night crying on the sofa with a glass of firewhiskey.

She woke up in the morning, covered in a duvet she definitely did not remember bringing with her.

"There is your coffee," Sirius whispered and placed a mug in front of her.

"Thanks."

"Claude-" Sirius took a deep breath. "I know you need space. I understand. I will give you space. But please don't take it as far as I did. I'm begging you."

She gave him a fleeting smile. "I need to shower. I must look like a ghost."

"No," Sirius shook his head. "At worst, you look like a poltergeist."

Claudia playfully slapped his wrist. "Thanks for the compliment."

But the shower did not help. When Claudia looked into the mirror, she could barely recognise what she saw. Her skin was nearly translucent, her eyes were red and swollen. It was moments like this she wished she knew how to put on make up.

But this was no time to feel sorry for herself. She had a funeral to go to.

The moment Claudia stepped through the door to the tiny room where Fabian's and Gideon's memorial was being held – a room that Claudia instantly remembered as a secret location for a previous Order meeting – she saw their sister. And before she had a chance to react, Molly was clutching Claudia in her arms and sobbing on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" Claudia mumbled, trying to free herself from Molly's grip.

"I'm sorry too," Molly replied and let go. Then, she reached into her bag and produced a black box. "Fabian would want you to have this."

Claudia tentatively took the box out of Molly's hands and opened it.

As she did, tears flew out of her eyes. The clockface of Fabian's watch was gleaming at her from the middle of the black velvet box. She held it between her fingers and turned it over. The dent…

The dent was still there.

Claudia bit her lip and dropped into a chair. She was the one who put the dent in there. When the watch got tangled in her hair. It reminded her of all the times they were together. The burning forest flashed in front of her eyes, as did Fabian's face full of lust.

Before Claudia had a chance to respond to Molly, Fabian's sister continued. "He talked about you all the time. I'm sure he was going to marry you one day."

It was as if someone punched Claudia in the gut. But Molly had not noticed; she moved on to receiving condolences from someone else.

Sirius did not say a word as he sat down next to Claudia. She was glad. She would have no idea what to say to him.

The funeral began but Claudia could not pay any attention. She kept staring at the watch. She watched the stars moving across the clockface. How were they still moving while Fabian was dead? It was unfair! It was grotesque!

Claudia glanced at Sirius. How would she feel if- She could not even finish that thought. With a sigh, she dropped her head onto Sirius' shoulder and to her eternal relief, she felt the warmth of his arm as he hugged her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

Claudia found Molly after the funeral. "Sorry, I can't take the watch. It wasn't like that. He was a great person. But it wasn't like that."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked, her eyes as red as Claudia's.

"We had a brief relationship a year ago. It was not serious. We were never going to get-" she trailed off, unable to finish.

"You and Fabian weren't getting married?"

Claudia shook her head. "I'm with someone else-" Claudia watched Molly's eyes dart to Sirius, full of disgust. "Fabian knew all this and was happy for us."

"But why would he lie to me?"

The man on Molly's shoulder, who Claudia assumed to be her husband, cleared his throat. "Molly, dear, you know what he was like. He probably just said all that to get you off his back."

Without another word, Molly snatched the watch back from Claudia's hands and stormed off.

"Let's go home," Sirius mumbled, steered Claudia towards the exit, and apparated them both back to their flat.

Claudia walked through the door of the apartment and all her resolve to keep it together just abandoned her. In an instant, she was a weeping mess on the sofa.

Sirius sat down next to her and tried to put his arm around Claudia's shoulders, but she flinched and pulled away again.

"I don't know why I did that," she mumbled. "But it just felt wrong. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. He was a good guy."

"He was…" she sighed. "When he broke up with me, he as much as told me that I should forgive you, because we were meant to be together. Who does that?"

Sirius made an instinctive move to get hold of Claudia's hand but stopped abruptly, then pulled his hand back.

"I'll get you some dinner."

"No," she drew in a sob. "I have to get out of here."

"Where? You can't- It's dangerous."

"I can't stay here! I'm going crazy!" She got up.

"It's nearly dark!"

"I'm sorry." Before Sirius could protest any further, Claudia was out of the door and apparated to the Ministry.

But before she landed firmly on the ground in the atrium, unspeakable pain shot down her arm. "How the fuck did I get splinched?" she mumbled when she materialised at the Ministry and examined her arm. She apparated to this place hundreds of times before. How crappy was this new wand?

Clutching her slightly bleeding arm, Claudia walked to the Department of Mysteries. Luckily, Agrippa was still there.

"Good evening," Claudia said and leaned against the door.

"Claudia!" He exclaimed and jumped to his feet. "You are back!"

She nodded. "Got released from St Mungo's."

"With a bleeding arm?" Agrippa pointed at Claudia.

"That got splinched on the way here."

Agrippa walked over to Claudia and waved his wand to heal her wound.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," Agrippa smirked. "I saved the best till last." He walked over to his bookshelf and took out a box. When he placed it on the table, Claudia saw it was full if little jars filled with memories.

"You sorted them?"

"Not all of them." He picked up a jar and placed it on the table. "But I have something. Come and have a look."

Claudia took out her Legilimency wand from her sleeve and pointed it at the first jar. It was a blurry memory. All Claudia could see was a hooded figure in a dark alley way. The junior official passed them a piece of parchment.

"It's the itinerary," he said in a hollow voice.

The hooded figure nodded. "And the credentials?"

There was a long pause. "I will bring those tomorrow," the junior official finally said.

"And they will give us access to the secure area?"

"Yes," the junior official said in the same flat tone.

With that, the memory ended.

"Was he under Imperio?" she asked. "He seems off."

"Looks like it."

"Was there anything else?"

Agrippa shook his head. "Not as yet. But we'll keep working on it."

Claudia dropped onto Agrippa's sofa.

He sat down next to her. "Is everything alright?"

She shook her head. "Nothing is alright. My ex-boyfriend just died, I nearly died, and I'm trying to get my father to Azkaban! How fucked up is that?"

"What did you say about Azkaban?"

Claudia looked at him, realising that she never told Agrippa why she was looking into those memories. What it was she was actually working on.

"I shouldn't have said anything. Moody will kill me."

"It's alright. You're father is a-"

"I have to go home," Claudia mumbled and stood up. "I'm sorry."

Claudia run out of the Ministry but was out of breath even before she reached the street. She gripped her wand tight, pulled her hood into her face and set off home. She did not dare to apparate again but the walk was uncomfortable. Every passer by looked like a Death Eater, every alleyway looked like the place where Claudia was going to die. And then, it began to rain. None of that made it a comfortable journey.

When Claudia got home, she was drenched. She walked past Sirius, who was still somehow holding his tongue, and went to change. Once she did, she slumped onto the bed. It was impossible for her to come back to the living room and face Sirius, this time more out of embarrassment than anger. But she did not have to do anything-

"I made you tea-" Sirius whispered and passed her a hot mug. "With a splash of firewhiskey."

"I'm sorry-" Claudia mumbled, overwhelmed with guilt.

"Listen," Sirius continued. "You said I don't know what you're going through. Just remember I've been here. I understand that guilt. I felt it. It nearly consumed me."

Claudia stayed silent and sipped her tea. This was nothing like what Sirius went through with Tony. She could not quite put it into words, but it was not the same.

"I don't want to lose you," Sirius whispered. "And I feel like I'm losing you."

She looked at him, a fresh wave of tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't know what to do."

Sirius sighed, jumped to his feet and started to pace around their bedroom. "I hate this war," he growled. "I hate your father. I feel so-" he stopped and kicked a pile of laundry that had accumulated in the corner – "I feel so powerless. I can't stop them from hurting you." He was shouting now. "I can't protect you. I just- fucking can't do anything on my own terms anymore."

Seeing him like that was breaking Claudia's heart. She stood up and placed both of her hands on his chest. "You aren't losing me. I love you… I just can't-"

Sirius lowered his head until their foreheads touched. "We can't go on like this. I feel like we're drifting in a storm. Unable to grip anything. I just need to-" he stopped abruptly.

"Just need to do what?"

Sirius broke into a smile and led Claudia towards the bed. He sat her down, grabbed her hands in his and stared at her, his eyes twinkling.

"You had a crazy idea," Claudia whispered once she could no longer take the suspense. "I can tell."

"Let's get married."

"What?"

"Let's get married."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not," Sirius mumbled. "I want to control this one thing in my life. I want to have that memory. One day to forget everything and just be happy. Like we were at James' and Lily's wedding… I want to feel like that one more time before I die."

"Sirius…" That was all Claudia could say.

"What do you say?"

She freed her hands from Sirius' and shuffled a little, hoping to buy enough time to summon courage to say what she needed to say. "I have to tell you something," she whispered finally. "I was the last person to talk to Fabian, before he-" she trailed off to wipe her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued. "He told me to go. He told me that he will hold them off. I think he did it because he had feelings for me."

"Claude…"

She shook her head. "Let me finish. There was a moment there, I was sure he wanted to kiss me. And for a split second, I was sure I was going to let him."

Without a word, Sirius pulled his girlfriend into a hug.

"Aren't you mad?" she whispered.

"Is this why you are so guilt-ridden about it?"

"I'm not guilt-ridden," she lied.

"Claude, of course I'm not mad." He squeezed her even tighter. "How could you not feel like that in that moment… He was about to die. And if he really had feelings for you, he would not want you to feel like this. He wanted you to be happy, remember?"

"You're right," she said with a sigh and melted into Sirius' embrace. Saying these things about Fabian finally made her comfortable in Sirius' arms. They sat like that in silence for a long time, while Sirius run his finger up and down Claudia's neck.

Finally, he spoke again. "So, what do you say?"

"About what?"

"About getting married…"

"Really?"

"I wasn't kidding."

Claudia gave him a feeble smile. "How would it even work? You'd ask my father for permission? He'd walk me down the aisle? Our mothers would plan the party together?"

"That's what they always wanted," Sirius smirked.

Claudia could not help but laugh. It was true. That was what her mother always wanted. But not like this.

"See?" Sirius quipped. "It's helping already. This is the first time I've seen you laugh in weeks."

Claudia bit her lip. There was no one in the world she could love more than Sirius. She would bet her life on that. The whole idea of them getting married was utterly ridiculous. But then again, who cared anymore? If it helped them forget the war, even for an hour.

"But I'm not wearing some stupid big dress," she said. "Have you seen what the muggle princess was wearing in the summer? It was ghastly!"

"Is that a 'yes'?"

Claudia smiled at Sirius. "I think so."

"I will need a clearer answer," Sirius whispered, but he was already holding her head in his hands, about to kiss her.

"Yes."