A/N: thanks for the reviews! One of them was really strange, someone had two opinions about the fic…. Weird…

Chapter 9

"For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings"

It was December 15th 6AM, Sirius woke up, he was lying in his bed, next to Anne, who would be his wife in about six hours. God, what was he nervous. He turned his head and looked at Anne's sleeping form, wondering how nervous she would be, it was commonly known she wasn't very quickly nervous, but if she was nervous, she could drive herself mad. Then suddenly the first time he saw her popped up in is head.

Sirius was in his seventh year at Hogwarts, sitting at the Gryffindor table with his friends, Remus, James and Lily, discussing who he would ask to go with him to the Ball, when she came walking into the Great Hall. She was beautiful, had almost black hair and dark eyes. Sirius was interrupted by Remus tapping on his shoulder.

"Get lost, Moony!" he spat at his friend.

"I thought you would like to know who she is," replied Remus.

"You know who she is then?"

"Yes, she's a Muggle-born seventh year Gryffindor. Her name is Anne Zwarts, her roots lay in the Netherlands, but she came to live here in Scotland when she was six years old. She likes to read and draw," his friend said. Sirius was surprised.

"How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.

"I've got my sources, Padfoot," replied Remus. "And I think you'd like to know she's single too."

Sirius hadn't removed his eyes from the girl, his gaze following her when she sat down next to her friend, and began eating breakfast. Her friend glanced in the boys' direction, muttered something to Anne, who looked up and stared a moment in Sirius' eyes, before answering her friends' mutter.

After all these years Sirius could still remember he feeling he had at that moment in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. A place where they would return later this day, to get married.

He again looked at Anne's sleeping form, she slowly opened her eyes and saw that Sirius was already awake, she murmured with a hoarse voice: "Good morning." Sirius smiled.

"Good morning, love. How are you today? Had a good night?

"Couldn't've been any better," she replied. Suddenly she remembered that afternoon he asked her to go to the Yule Ball with him…

Anne was walking with her – also Dutch – friend, Linda Lupos. She was also a Gryffindor. They were friends since their first year at Hogwarts. Then James and Sirius came to them.

"Hi James, hello Sirius," she greeted them. Sirius just nodded.

"Hi Anne, Sirius here wants to ask you something, bye!" Said James and immediately turned on his heels and strode away.

"Well, I guess I see you after this class, I'm going to the library. Bye Anne and Sirius," and with these words Linda left Anne alone with a very nervous Sirius. Together they walked up the corridor towards the history of Magic classroom.

"So, you wanted to ask me something, Sirius?" Anne asked Sirius, who came back to earth from his thoughts about hoe to lead the conversation in the right direction.

"Well… er… you know about the Yule Ball, don't you?" he asked nervously. Anne grinned, she had never seen him nervous before.

"Yes, I do, why?"

"Well, it… er… it would be quite embarrassing to… er… to come there and… er… not having someone to dance with, wouldn't it?"

"It would, yes. What are you suggesting then?" she asked, already knowing the answer his answer.

"Would you… er… like to go to the Ball with me, Anne?" he asked her. Anne stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, Sirius turned around to face her. They looked straight into each other's eyes. Sirius couldn't make out what the look in her eyes meant. God, she's beautiful and an actress… he thought.

"Are you serious, Sirius?" she asked.

"Er… yes…" he replied, even more nervous than before, even more afraid she would reject him. But then she smiled the happiest smile he'd ever seen.

"Of course I want to come with you!" and she hugged him and kissed him on his cheek.

"I think we'd better go to history of magic, because Professor Binns won't take his as an excuse…" and they walked on to the classroom, hand in hand.

"What were you thinking of, love?" Sirius asked her. Anne awoke from her daydreams.

"I was thinking about the afternoon you asked me come to the Yule Ball in our seventh year. How 'bout you?" she replied.

"I was thinking of he first time I saw you in the Great Hall, a few days before I asked you to the Ball…"

"I think it's time to go up."

"Yes, I don't think Dumbledore'd take this as an excuse to come to late at our own wedding." Anne grinned.

"Oh no, he won't indeed!"

A/N: oops, this chapter was a bit longer than it was meant to be… ah well, sometimes you have to tell much, don't you? I guess some of you are thinking: 'that chapter looks awfully familiar to me!' That's right. As I have said before, this fanfict is inspired by fics I've read or written myself, and this chapter is almost literally copied from Linda Lupos' story Remus Lupin. And as she's a friend of mine, I offered her a part in a part she wrote herself, but which I have rewritten in my own story… complicated, isn't it? Next chapter: the Wedding…