Chapter 11
As the sunlight came into the room, Sirius began to stir under the slight weight of Aurora leaned against him. She was still sleeping peacefully and he smiled at the way she was curled up in the covers. Willing all of his resolve, he resisted pulling her closer. After a night of holding her, so many walls had fallen down. He could no longer lie to himself that he didn't still care about her. Nor could he stop himself from moving on from forgiving her for running away.
But he knew deep down that she could not still love him. There was so much that Aurora had faced without him. In fact, she faced much of it because of him. Yet, she was still in anguish over her memory of him being taken away to Azkaban. He watched as the light washed over her face, illuminating her features. The long lashes grazed her cheeks and her pink lips seemed to form a pout as she breathed softly. She was still as beautiful as she was when he met her, even more beautiful now. Sirius realized that he would be stuck in the house with this woman without distraction. He feared that he would not be able to control what his very soul wanted most at this moment.
As he pondered his situation, he felt Aurora stirring in her sleep. He glanced down to find her eyes squinting in the morning light. A look of confusion crossed her face when she noticed Sirius in bed with her.
"Sirius?" she asked groggily. "Did you stay here the whole night?"
"Yes," he responded as he brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"Thanks," she whispered. "Sorry I was such a basket case last night. Didn't mean to burden everyone and cause such a drama."
"Do not be sorry," Sirius told her. "I've been too hard on you. I been selfish enough to ignore that you might feel pain as much as I had. You were left alone and I don't blame you for running away. I had to hear your screams last night to realize what you ran from." She bit her lower lip and looked as if she was going to cry. Sirius pulled her to him and held her close. Aurora leaned into him and soaked up the warmth he was giving her. For so long she had fought against wanting to be held by him again.
A knock on the door made her break away. Remus entered the room and gave his pair of friends a smile. Seeing Aurora and Sirius together like that brought back so many memories of a time when everyone was happy. A time when all of his friends still had the innocence of youth.
"Feeling better?" he asked Aurora. She nodded and smiled at her friend. It amazed Remus that after all of the drama that had ensued when Aurora came to the headquarters, Sirius still sat there with her in his arms. He sat there holding her as if the last 15 years had never happened. It was a bit awkward but he could not decide how was the best way to break away from her. Actually, he didn't want to let go of her.
Remus crossed the room and pulled up a chair beside the bed. Obviously he did not fear the he was intruding because he showed no signs of leaving.
"I want to talk to you about Harry," Remus began. "About him knowing who you are, Aurora. Are you even remotely considering telling him that you are his godmother?"
"Yes, but Remus, I have got to find the right time. I can't just go and spring this on him," she explained. "Merlin knows that Harry has been through enough without this shock."
"But when, Aurora, when exactly are you going to break it to Harry?" Sirius asked.
"I had considered going to Hogsmeade one weekend. You know, when the students get to visit there. I just want to let him get adjusted back to school and find a time when it can be just Harry and myself," she explained.
"I think that is a fine idea. I will talk to the headmaster and get a list of when the students are going and you can choose from that," Lupin said. "Well, Sirius, we should be getting downstairs. Molly has been looking for us all morning. There is something that she needs us to do this morning."
"Oh, well, yes," the dark haired wizard replied as he reluctantly stood up to leave. "I'll see you downstairs, Aurora."
"Ill be down in a moment," she told him softly. She seemed almost embarrassed and shy around him this morning. As he walked out the door, he pulled it shut behind him and turned to find Remus looking at him with a smug expression on his face.
"Smugness never suited you, Moony," Sirius growled.
"You love her," Remus stated quietly.
"I have always loved her, since we were eleven," Sirius dismissed him.
"Let me rephrase," Lupin corrected. "You are still madly IN love with her."
"I am not," he replied looking downward.
"At least look me in the eye when you lie to me Sirius," Remus told him. "I would bet a thousand galleons that this love goes both ways. I have seen how she still looks at you."
"She wouldn't want me, Remus," Sirius said with a laugh. "Aurora's remained beautiful, unchanged. Look at me, I'm haggard, hardened, and aged. I am a fugitive on the run from the Ministry, for god's sake Remus!"
"But you are Sirius," he explained. "And it was Sirius that she always loved." With that, Professor Lupin walked down the stairs, leaving Sirius to ponder his own thoughts.
After Sirius walked out of the room, Aurora collapsed against the pillows. How could she have let herself be so weak? She had given into all the temptation and let him hold her the whole night. The feeling had been so delicious but, for Merlin's sake, she could not have it happen again. She could not let him make her feel like a fourteen-year old school girl ever again. The time for that had past.
Soon it was time for the kids to make their way to King's Cross to return to Hogwarts. Aurora was busy helping Harry squeeze all of his belongings into a trunk that seemed to have shrunk since the beginning of his stay. She turned to see Sirius standing in the doorway.
"Everything coming along well?" he asked.
"It's bloody well not," she snapped. "I cannot get this stupid sneakoscope to stop going off while I pack this trunk." Sirius gave a bark of laughter and came over to where Aurora was trying to get the trunk to shut so that she could latch it shut.
"Move," he told her simply. Then with a swish of his wand, the trunk closed and latched itself. "Magic a little rusty there, Aurora?" Aurora reached out and smacked him in the chest. Harry began to laugh as he watched them bicker. Sirius grabbed him and flung him over his shoulder.
"Sirius, stop it," Aurora squealed. "You're going to hurt him." As the two males began to wrestle, she began to pray that they would not break anything. She grabbed for her wand while their backs were turned. "Freeze it." Both of them stopped and turned to find her wand pointing directly at them. "I said to stop it and be good little boys."
"Yeah, cause we are really afraid of your rusty magic," Sirius gloated. "You can't even pack a trunk properly."
"Really?" she asked. Sirius nodded and nudged Harry. "Would you like to see what I can do with my rusty magic?" She pointed at Sirius's head and spoke an incantation so softly that only she could hear it. As soon as she finished the words, "folicullus severus," Sirius felt a breeze surround his head. Reaching up to touch his neck, he turned in a fury on Aurora. "That is how rusty my magic is, Sirius Black. Be sure to clean up the mess in the floor, my magic probably won't be able to do that."
Sirius slowly turned around and found that all of the hair that had once framed his face was gone. Now his hair resembled that which Harry had seen in his parent's wedding pictures. Sirius looked about ten years younger. Harry stood there grinning like an idiot.
"What?" his godfather snapped.
"Looks nice," Harry assured him. "Guess her magic wasn't so bloody rusty, eh?" The look on Sirius's face promised that he could commit one of the many murders of which he had been. Harry ran downstairs with a laugh to get away from the threats Sirius was directing at he and Aurora. Despite all of this, for once in his life, he had the strange feeling of not being an orphan. He suddenly felt as if he had a family.
As the sunlight came into the room, Sirius began to stir under the slight weight of Aurora leaned against him. She was still sleeping peacefully and he smiled at the way she was curled up in the covers. Willing all of his resolve, he resisted pulling her closer. After a night of holding her, so many walls had fallen down. He could no longer lie to himself that he didn't still care about her. Nor could he stop himself from moving on from forgiving her for running away.
But he knew deep down that she could not still love him. There was so much that Aurora had faced without him. In fact, she faced much of it because of him. Yet, she was still in anguish over her memory of him being taken away to Azkaban. He watched as the light washed over her face, illuminating her features. The long lashes grazed her cheeks and her pink lips seemed to form a pout as she breathed softly. She was still as beautiful as she was when he met her, even more beautiful now. Sirius realized that he would be stuck in the house with this woman without distraction. He feared that he would not be able to control what his very soul wanted most at this moment.
As he pondered his situation, he felt Aurora stirring in her sleep. He glanced down to find her eyes squinting in the morning light. A look of confusion crossed her face when she noticed Sirius in bed with her.
"Sirius?" she asked groggily. "Did you stay here the whole night?"
"Yes," he responded as he brushed the hair out of her eyes.
"Thanks," she whispered. "Sorry I was such a basket case last night. Didn't mean to burden everyone and cause such a drama."
"Do not be sorry," Sirius told her. "I've been too hard on you. I been selfish enough to ignore that you might feel pain as much as I had. You were left alone and I don't blame you for running away. I had to hear your screams last night to realize what you ran from." She bit her lower lip and looked as if she was going to cry. Sirius pulled her to him and held her close. Aurora leaned into him and soaked up the warmth he was giving her. For so long she had fought against wanting to be held by him again.
A knock on the door made her break away. Remus entered the room and gave his pair of friends a smile. Seeing Aurora and Sirius together like that brought back so many memories of a time when everyone was happy. A time when all of his friends still had the innocence of youth.
"Feeling better?" he asked Aurora. She nodded and smiled at her friend. It amazed Remus that after all of the drama that had ensued when Aurora came to the headquarters, Sirius still sat there with her in his arms. He sat there holding her as if the last 15 years had never happened. It was a bit awkward but he could not decide how was the best way to break away from her. Actually, he didn't want to let go of her.
Remus crossed the room and pulled up a chair beside the bed. Obviously he did not fear the he was intruding because he showed no signs of leaving.
"I want to talk to you about Harry," Remus began. "About him knowing who you are, Aurora. Are you even remotely considering telling him that you are his godmother?"
"Yes, but Remus, I have got to find the right time. I can't just go and spring this on him," she explained. "Merlin knows that Harry has been through enough without this shock."
"But when, Aurora, when exactly are you going to break it to Harry?" Sirius asked.
"I had considered going to Hogsmeade one weekend. You know, when the students get to visit there. I just want to let him get adjusted back to school and find a time when it can be just Harry and myself," she explained.
"I think that is a fine idea. I will talk to the headmaster and get a list of when the students are going and you can choose from that," Lupin said. "Well, Sirius, we should be getting downstairs. Molly has been looking for us all morning. There is something that she needs us to do this morning."
"Oh, well, yes," the dark haired wizard replied as he reluctantly stood up to leave. "I'll see you downstairs, Aurora."
"Ill be down in a moment," she told him softly. She seemed almost embarrassed and shy around him this morning. As he walked out the door, he pulled it shut behind him and turned to find Remus looking at him with a smug expression on his face.
"Smugness never suited you, Moony," Sirius growled.
"You love her," Remus stated quietly.
"I have always loved her, since we were eleven," Sirius dismissed him.
"Let me rephrase," Lupin corrected. "You are still madly IN love with her."
"I am not," he replied looking downward.
"At least look me in the eye when you lie to me Sirius," Remus told him. "I would bet a thousand galleons that this love goes both ways. I have seen how she still looks at you."
"She wouldn't want me, Remus," Sirius said with a laugh. "Aurora's remained beautiful, unchanged. Look at me, I'm haggard, hardened, and aged. I am a fugitive on the run from the Ministry, for god's sake Remus!"
"But you are Sirius," he explained. "And it was Sirius that she always loved." With that, Professor Lupin walked down the stairs, leaving Sirius to ponder his own thoughts.
After Sirius walked out of the room, Aurora collapsed against the pillows. How could she have let herself be so weak? She had given into all the temptation and let him hold her the whole night. The feeling had been so delicious but, for Merlin's sake, she could not have it happen again. She could not let him make her feel like a fourteen-year old school girl ever again. The time for that had past.
Soon it was time for the kids to make their way to King's Cross to return to Hogwarts. Aurora was busy helping Harry squeeze all of his belongings into a trunk that seemed to have shrunk since the beginning of his stay. She turned to see Sirius standing in the doorway.
"Everything coming along well?" he asked.
"It's bloody well not," she snapped. "I cannot get this stupid sneakoscope to stop going off while I pack this trunk." Sirius gave a bark of laughter and came over to where Aurora was trying to get the trunk to shut so that she could latch it shut.
"Move," he told her simply. Then with a swish of his wand, the trunk closed and latched itself. "Magic a little rusty there, Aurora?" Aurora reached out and smacked him in the chest. Harry began to laugh as he watched them bicker. Sirius grabbed him and flung him over his shoulder.
"Sirius, stop it," Aurora squealed. "You're going to hurt him." As the two males began to wrestle, she began to pray that they would not break anything. She grabbed for her wand while their backs were turned. "Freeze it." Both of them stopped and turned to find her wand pointing directly at them. "I said to stop it and be good little boys."
"Yeah, cause we are really afraid of your rusty magic," Sirius gloated. "You can't even pack a trunk properly."
"Really?" she asked. Sirius nodded and nudged Harry. "Would you like to see what I can do with my rusty magic?" She pointed at Sirius's head and spoke an incantation so softly that only she could hear it. As soon as she finished the words, "folicullus severus," Sirius felt a breeze surround his head. Reaching up to touch his neck, he turned in a fury on Aurora. "That is how rusty my magic is, Sirius Black. Be sure to clean up the mess in the floor, my magic probably won't be able to do that."
Sirius slowly turned around and found that all of the hair that had once framed his face was gone. Now his hair resembled that which Harry had seen in his parent's wedding pictures. Sirius looked about ten years younger. Harry stood there grinning like an idiot.
"What?" his godfather snapped.
"Looks nice," Harry assured him. "Guess her magic wasn't so bloody rusty, eh?" The look on Sirius's face promised that he could commit one of the many murders of which he had been. Harry ran downstairs with a laugh to get away from the threats Sirius was directing at he and Aurora. Despite all of this, for once in his life, he had the strange feeling of not being an orphan. He suddenly felt as if he had a family.