Anya, Remus, Harry, Hermione and Ron all used Floo Powder to get back to
Lupin's. Hearing a loud thump, Sirius came out to investigate, and he was a
bit surprised to see 3 children and a man and a woman tumble out of the
chimney. When the soot settled, he could make out Hermione and Ron as well
as Remus and Harry, but he was a bit unsure as to whom the woman was. Then
he heard her speak.
"Hello Sirius," Anya said softly, worried about his reaction. The other 4
people in the room looked on with a mixture of emotions. Curiousness, worry
and dread. Nobody knew how Sirius would react, and Harry was a bit scared.
He had seen Sirius get angry before, but the look on his face was lethal.
"What is she doing here?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice, speaking only to Remus.
"She's here to help with the trial," Remus answered, smiling at Anya to reassure her. She looked upset at the way Sirius was treating her.
"Look Sirius...." she began.
"I don't want to hear it!" now Sirius was yelling, his face contorted with pain.
"I'm just trying to help," she said quietly, before bursting into tears and running from the room.
Remus could remember them having a very similar argument in their 6th year at Hogwarts.
Hermione followed Anya into the kitchen, and Remus stormed after a fuming Sirius, out the door. Harry and Ron remained in the living room. They looked at each other but remained silent. Finally, Remus came back into the house.
"Sirius will be back soon," he said to Anya. Ron and Harry were now sitting at the kitchen table. Anya just nodded her head, and sniffled. Sirius walked into the kitchen, his movement's stiff.
"Anya, you know that you are not my favourite person, but I'm willing to put this behind us for the time period of the trial. The only reason I'm allowing you to help with the trial, is for Harry's sake," Sirius's words were wooden, except for his last sentence.
"I don't have to do this you know," Anya sniffled into a hankie.
"I'm only doing this for Harry," she said again, but she knew that wasn't true. Deep in her heart, she knew that she wanted to help Sirius, and she knew that Sirius wanted to be helped. Remus was also aware of this predicament, but he was also aware of how stubborn both parties could be. "Right well, give me a minute to get my things together and we'll start then. OK?" Anya didn't wait for an answer, she just started retrieving files of parchment from her briefcase. There was an awkward silence, and Ron saw it as his duty to break it.
"Oh Harry, I forgot to tell you. Do you remember Penelope Clearwater? Yeah, well, she and Percy are getting married soon, and they both want you and Hermione at the wedding," Ron said the word 'wedding' like it was dirty. He didn't like getting dressed up. Hermione on the other hand looked thrilled at the idea.
"Oh, I love weddings!" she said, obviously ecstatic.
"Do you know what she's wearing Ron? Oh and what colour are the bridesmaid's dresses? And the flowers, what kind will they be?" Hermione carried on with a plethora of questions for Ron, who was doing his best to answer them as correctly as possible.
Anya was still shuffling papers around, but she heard all the wedding talk, and it made her smile. She adored weddings, and she fondly remembered James and Lily's.
Many years earlier....
"What colour do you think the pageboy's buitonnaire should be James?" Lily asked in a completely serious voice. James looked up from the game of Wizard chess he was playing with Sirius. He looked at her like he couldn't believe she was even asking.
"Well Lily dear, first off, you'll have to inform me who our pageboy is, then tell me what they do, then tell me exactly what the heck a buitonnaire is!" James said in a silly voice.
"I think it should be yellow," Anya chimed in, looking up from the Witch Wedding magazine she was reading.
"This magazine says that children in witch weddings should wear yellow flowers, as it promotes good fertility luck in the marrying couple!" Anya read aloud a passage from the magazine. Sirius heard her, and tried unsuccessfully to muffle his laughter at the deep look of thought on Lily's face.
"Yes, I think you're right Anya!" lily said in a defiant voice, sticking her tongue out at the boys.
"Oh, very mature for a 19 year old who's going to be married in 3 months!" Sirius called back at her.
"3 monthes," Lily and Anya both said dreamily, before turning to each other in a fit of giggles. Sirius and James turned to each other with mock looks of disgust.
"See what this wedding stuff reduces girls into my friend? That's why me and Anya aren't getting married!" Sirius said to James. Anya stopped her giggling and turned to Sirius.
"We aren't getting married?" she asked in a cold voice.
"When were you going to tell me this? Have I been wasting my life living here, waiting for you to propose. I want to do a wizard law degree you know!" Anya was going off her head now. Sirius cowered back.
"I was just kidding sweetie. Calm down!" Sirius was trying to soothe her.
"Why should I calm down, it's not like you're not going to marry if I don't! If I calm down are you going to marry me? No! Why? Because you don't marry!" Anya's tirade was continuing. Sirius still looked a bit frightened at the look on Anya's face.
"Calm down!" he said again.
"Why should I?" she retorted, folding her arms.
"Because if you don't calm down, I can't do this..." and with that Sirius pulled a ring box out of his back pocket, knelt down before Anya, and took her hand in his. "Anya Williamson, will you marry me?" he asked, deadly serious. Lily let out a little squeak, and James covered her mouth with his hand. Anya looked like she was either going to faint, or slap Sirius out of pure frustration. Finally the look of frustration subsided to a look of elation.
"Of course!" she said, wrapping her arms around the back of Sirius's neck. He stood up, pulling her off the ground in the process. Then their lips met in a long kiss, which almost had Lily blushing!
3 monthes later.........
James was standing, waiting nervously at the alter. Dressed in smart, black tuxedo, James looked very handsome. Sirius was wearing a similar outfit, and when he caught Anya's eye, he did a little eyebrow waggle. She smiled back, and rearranged her way of holding her gardenia and yellow-rose bouquet. The church where James and Lily were getting married was decked out with elegant white and yellow flowers. The congregation in the church looked thrilled, as everyone's favourite couple were finally getting married.
Anya's heart swelled with happiness. Her best friends were finally getting married, and she herself would be Mrs Sirius Black in almost 2 years.
"What is she doing here?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice, speaking only to Remus.
"She's here to help with the trial," Remus answered, smiling at Anya to reassure her. She looked upset at the way Sirius was treating her.
"Look Sirius...." she began.
"I don't want to hear it!" now Sirius was yelling, his face contorted with pain.
"I'm just trying to help," she said quietly, before bursting into tears and running from the room.
Remus could remember them having a very similar argument in their 6th year at Hogwarts.
Hermione followed Anya into the kitchen, and Remus stormed after a fuming Sirius, out the door. Harry and Ron remained in the living room. They looked at each other but remained silent. Finally, Remus came back into the house.
"Sirius will be back soon," he said to Anya. Ron and Harry were now sitting at the kitchen table. Anya just nodded her head, and sniffled. Sirius walked into the kitchen, his movement's stiff.
"Anya, you know that you are not my favourite person, but I'm willing to put this behind us for the time period of the trial. The only reason I'm allowing you to help with the trial, is for Harry's sake," Sirius's words were wooden, except for his last sentence.
"I don't have to do this you know," Anya sniffled into a hankie.
"I'm only doing this for Harry," she said again, but she knew that wasn't true. Deep in her heart, she knew that she wanted to help Sirius, and she knew that Sirius wanted to be helped. Remus was also aware of this predicament, but he was also aware of how stubborn both parties could be. "Right well, give me a minute to get my things together and we'll start then. OK?" Anya didn't wait for an answer, she just started retrieving files of parchment from her briefcase. There was an awkward silence, and Ron saw it as his duty to break it.
"Oh Harry, I forgot to tell you. Do you remember Penelope Clearwater? Yeah, well, she and Percy are getting married soon, and they both want you and Hermione at the wedding," Ron said the word 'wedding' like it was dirty. He didn't like getting dressed up. Hermione on the other hand looked thrilled at the idea.
"Oh, I love weddings!" she said, obviously ecstatic.
"Do you know what she's wearing Ron? Oh and what colour are the bridesmaid's dresses? And the flowers, what kind will they be?" Hermione carried on with a plethora of questions for Ron, who was doing his best to answer them as correctly as possible.
Anya was still shuffling papers around, but she heard all the wedding talk, and it made her smile. She adored weddings, and she fondly remembered James and Lily's.
Many years earlier....
"What colour do you think the pageboy's buitonnaire should be James?" Lily asked in a completely serious voice. James looked up from the game of Wizard chess he was playing with Sirius. He looked at her like he couldn't believe she was even asking.
"Well Lily dear, first off, you'll have to inform me who our pageboy is, then tell me what they do, then tell me exactly what the heck a buitonnaire is!" James said in a silly voice.
"I think it should be yellow," Anya chimed in, looking up from the Witch Wedding magazine she was reading.
"This magazine says that children in witch weddings should wear yellow flowers, as it promotes good fertility luck in the marrying couple!" Anya read aloud a passage from the magazine. Sirius heard her, and tried unsuccessfully to muffle his laughter at the deep look of thought on Lily's face.
"Yes, I think you're right Anya!" lily said in a defiant voice, sticking her tongue out at the boys.
"Oh, very mature for a 19 year old who's going to be married in 3 months!" Sirius called back at her.
"3 monthes," Lily and Anya both said dreamily, before turning to each other in a fit of giggles. Sirius and James turned to each other with mock looks of disgust.
"See what this wedding stuff reduces girls into my friend? That's why me and Anya aren't getting married!" Sirius said to James. Anya stopped her giggling and turned to Sirius.
"We aren't getting married?" she asked in a cold voice.
"When were you going to tell me this? Have I been wasting my life living here, waiting for you to propose. I want to do a wizard law degree you know!" Anya was going off her head now. Sirius cowered back.
"I was just kidding sweetie. Calm down!" Sirius was trying to soothe her.
"Why should I calm down, it's not like you're not going to marry if I don't! If I calm down are you going to marry me? No! Why? Because you don't marry!" Anya's tirade was continuing. Sirius still looked a bit frightened at the look on Anya's face.
"Calm down!" he said again.
"Why should I?" she retorted, folding her arms.
"Because if you don't calm down, I can't do this..." and with that Sirius pulled a ring box out of his back pocket, knelt down before Anya, and took her hand in his. "Anya Williamson, will you marry me?" he asked, deadly serious. Lily let out a little squeak, and James covered her mouth with his hand. Anya looked like she was either going to faint, or slap Sirius out of pure frustration. Finally the look of frustration subsided to a look of elation.
"Of course!" she said, wrapping her arms around the back of Sirius's neck. He stood up, pulling her off the ground in the process. Then their lips met in a long kiss, which almost had Lily blushing!
3 monthes later.........
James was standing, waiting nervously at the alter. Dressed in smart, black tuxedo, James looked very handsome. Sirius was wearing a similar outfit, and when he caught Anya's eye, he did a little eyebrow waggle. She smiled back, and rearranged her way of holding her gardenia and yellow-rose bouquet. The church where James and Lily were getting married was decked out with elegant white and yellow flowers. The congregation in the church looked thrilled, as everyone's favourite couple were finally getting married.
Anya's heart swelled with happiness. Her best friends were finally getting married, and she herself would be Mrs Sirius Black in almost 2 years.