Chapter 23 - - - Mistakes and Declarations
~ * ~ * ~
Sirius tore up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, startling the few students who were up late studying. He threw open the sixth year door, yelling, "Maria!!"
Noel and Lily looked up.
"Sirius, what-" Lily started.
"Lils! Noel! Where's Maria!?"
"She borrowed James' Invisibility cloak and went to the Quidditch pitch to fly around for a while," Noel answered. "By the way, have you seen Remus and James?"
"Dorm!!" Sirius yelled as he dashed off again.
"Jeez, I wonder what that was all about," Noel said as she and Lily left the room.
Remus and James were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh, we were just gonna get you," James said. "Didn't think you wanted to be alone after..."
Remus cleared his throat. "Have you seen Maria?"
Noel crossed her arms, looking hurt, and Remus realized his mistake at once. "I mean, to apologize, I-"
Lily and James shook their heads.
"Smooth move, Ace," Lily said.
"Ah...Noel, walk with me..."
~ * ~ * ~
Sirius ran to the Quidditch pitch, screaming Maria's name at the top of his lungs. "Where are you!? Maria!?" He spotted a dark shape lying on the ground a little ways ahead, and ran to it. "Maria!"
Maria raised her head. "Sirius?"
He knelt in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "Oh, Maria, you're okay! I-I was so worried! It was just a dream and I..." And, then, he burst into tears.
Maria was at a loss for words. Here she was, sitting on the cold ground of the Quidditch pitch with a sobbing Sirius Black in front of her. Biting her lip, she put her arms around his neck and pulled his forehead to her own, lightly kissing away his salty tears. 'They taste of him,' Maria thought, the wolfish part of her mind getting the better of her. She suppressed a smile.
Sirius was startled when he felt Maria's soft lips on his cheeks. Tilting his head back, he drew them to his own. He felt her tense, and remembered that she sometimes had problems with human contact. Remus had told him, just in case he ever wanted to date her...and, oh, how he did...he pulled away.
Maria touched the side of Sirius' face. "It's alright...for some reason, I don't mind your touch. Must be that animal part of you, huh?" She laughed lightly, and then grew serious. "Siri, tell me why you cry."
"I...I had a dream," Sirius closed his blue eyes. "I, I held you in my arms...as you...stopped breathing..." He didn't mention the part about marrying. "I was so scared! I had to make sure you were alright."
Now, it was Maria's turn to cry, tears flowing swiftly from her emerald eyes.
"Maria!? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry...!"
"No, it's alright..."
"But...?"
Maria shook her head, tears slipping off her face and onto the cold ground. "I...I...Sirius Black, I think I love you!"
~ * ~ * ~
Remus and Noel snuck through the halls with the Marauders' Map, since Maria and Sirius had the cloak. They were heading for the Astronomy Tower.
Once inside, Noel turned to Remus. "Well?"
Remus sure has a way with words. Let's watch him screw up.
"Noel...you know I care about you, that I love you, but I'm worried about my sister. I mean, she's next to die."
"Remus, Maria is a young woman. She can look out for herself. Besides, she has Sirius to care for her now."
Ouch. Poor Remus. Strike one.
"Noel, you...you don't understand. Maria's my twin. I, I'm bound to her!" Remus tried.
Noel smirked. "As bound as I am to James."
"Wha...what?"
"We are also fraternal twins."
"Oh."
Strike two. Better make a quick save, Remus.
'Noel's right. Maria can take care of herself, and Sirius is there for her. It's not like I'll be gone. Besides...Maria may not want me with her anymore, not after I yelled at her like that...'
Noel sighed and started braiding her knee-length black hair. This may take a while...
She's getting impatient. Hurry up, Remus, we don't have all eternity. We aren't vampires, we're werewolves.
Stepping forward, Remus pulled Noel closer to him. "I'm sorry. You're right, Noel. I have just as much responsibility to you as I do Maria, just like James does to you and Lily, and Maria to me and Sirius. I understand what you mean."
Noel smiled, wrapping her arms around Remus' neck and kissing the corner of his mouth. "It's alright. I remember James acting the same way with Lily and me."
Remus chuckled. "Shall we go back down, then?"
"Sure."
~ * ~ * ~
a/n: Haha, left a cliffhanger with Sirius and Maria, didn't I? I am so, so, so, so...*goes on for about an hour* ...so, so, so sorry that I never update! I will honestly TRY harder to update frequently. But see, we're going into finals week, and there's this hot guy always on my mind, and...I'm just making up excuses, aren't I? Still, I'm so sorry, I love all my reviewers! Thanks so much for reviewing; it means a lot to me! Cheers, darlings!
~ * ~ * ~
Sirius tore up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, startling the few students who were up late studying. He threw open the sixth year door, yelling, "Maria!!"
Noel and Lily looked up.
"Sirius, what-" Lily started.
"Lils! Noel! Where's Maria!?"
"She borrowed James' Invisibility cloak and went to the Quidditch pitch to fly around for a while," Noel answered. "By the way, have you seen Remus and James?"
"Dorm!!" Sirius yelled as he dashed off again.
"Jeez, I wonder what that was all about," Noel said as she and Lily left the room.
Remus and James were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
"Oh, we were just gonna get you," James said. "Didn't think you wanted to be alone after..."
Remus cleared his throat. "Have you seen Maria?"
Noel crossed her arms, looking hurt, and Remus realized his mistake at once. "I mean, to apologize, I-"
Lily and James shook their heads.
"Smooth move, Ace," Lily said.
"Ah...Noel, walk with me..."
~ * ~ * ~
Sirius ran to the Quidditch pitch, screaming Maria's name at the top of his lungs. "Where are you!? Maria!?" He spotted a dark shape lying on the ground a little ways ahead, and ran to it. "Maria!"
Maria raised her head. "Sirius?"
He knelt in front of her, hands on her shoulders. "Oh, Maria, you're okay! I-I was so worried! It was just a dream and I..." And, then, he burst into tears.
Maria was at a loss for words. Here she was, sitting on the cold ground of the Quidditch pitch with a sobbing Sirius Black in front of her. Biting her lip, she put her arms around his neck and pulled his forehead to her own, lightly kissing away his salty tears. 'They taste of him,' Maria thought, the wolfish part of her mind getting the better of her. She suppressed a smile.
Sirius was startled when he felt Maria's soft lips on his cheeks. Tilting his head back, he drew them to his own. He felt her tense, and remembered that she sometimes had problems with human contact. Remus had told him, just in case he ever wanted to date her...and, oh, how he did...he pulled away.
Maria touched the side of Sirius' face. "It's alright...for some reason, I don't mind your touch. Must be that animal part of you, huh?" She laughed lightly, and then grew serious. "Siri, tell me why you cry."
"I...I had a dream," Sirius closed his blue eyes. "I, I held you in my arms...as you...stopped breathing..." He didn't mention the part about marrying. "I was so scared! I had to make sure you were alright."
Now, it was Maria's turn to cry, tears flowing swiftly from her emerald eyes.
"Maria!? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry...!"
"No, it's alright..."
"But...?"
Maria shook her head, tears slipping off her face and onto the cold ground. "I...I...Sirius Black, I think I love you!"
~ * ~ * ~
Remus and Noel snuck through the halls with the Marauders' Map, since Maria and Sirius had the cloak. They were heading for the Astronomy Tower.
Once inside, Noel turned to Remus. "Well?"
Remus sure has a way with words. Let's watch him screw up.
"Noel...you know I care about you, that I love you, but I'm worried about my sister. I mean, she's next to die."
"Remus, Maria is a young woman. She can look out for herself. Besides, she has Sirius to care for her now."
Ouch. Poor Remus. Strike one.
"Noel, you...you don't understand. Maria's my twin. I, I'm bound to her!" Remus tried.
Noel smirked. "As bound as I am to James."
"Wha...what?"
"We are also fraternal twins."
"Oh."
Strike two. Better make a quick save, Remus.
'Noel's right. Maria can take care of herself, and Sirius is there for her. It's not like I'll be gone. Besides...Maria may not want me with her anymore, not after I yelled at her like that...'
Noel sighed and started braiding her knee-length black hair. This may take a while...
She's getting impatient. Hurry up, Remus, we don't have all eternity. We aren't vampires, we're werewolves.
Stepping forward, Remus pulled Noel closer to him. "I'm sorry. You're right, Noel. I have just as much responsibility to you as I do Maria, just like James does to you and Lily, and Maria to me and Sirius. I understand what you mean."
Noel smiled, wrapping her arms around Remus' neck and kissing the corner of his mouth. "It's alright. I remember James acting the same way with Lily and me."
Remus chuckled. "Shall we go back down, then?"
"Sure."
~ * ~ * ~
a/n: Haha, left a cliffhanger with Sirius and Maria, didn't I? I am so, so, so, so...*goes on for about an hour* ...so, so, so sorry that I never update! I will honestly TRY harder to update frequently. But see, we're going into finals week, and there's this hot guy always on my mind, and...I'm just making up excuses, aren't I? Still, I'm so sorry, I love all my reviewers! Thanks so much for reviewing; it means a lot to me! Cheers, darlings!