Chapter Six: Mind, Body, Heart and Soul…

During the next few weeks, Taryn spent most of her time in the attic that was her bedroom. It was huge and was equipped with everything she would need—including a bathroom with a working toilet and shower and a miniature kitchen. She spent Christmas locked in her room, silently opening the gifts from her friends, sisters and grandparents. Cora sent her a new black scarf she had knitted herself, embroidering the word Love on it in brilliantly emerald green. Colleen sent her a new watch that Taryn knew Colleen knew she had been eyeing for a while. James sent her a broomstick servicing kit. Peter sent her a box of Chocolate Frogs and a few boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans; she kept the Chocolate Frogs, but let the House-Elves devour the Beans. Sirius sent her a full pound of Honeydukes chocolate fudge, which she stashed in her secret hiding place in her room to eat slowly and save forever. Both sets of her grandparents sent her things she knew she would never use—the reason: they were pink.

But it was Remus' gift that sent her into peals of giddy giggling and mad jumping on the bed. He had sent her the one thing that she had wanted above all else—the Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, fully typed up exactly as the originals written by the famed author himself and annotated by the Heads of the British Literature Department of Oxford University. As the extremely large two-volume set fell onto her lap from the Christmas wrapping, she gasped quite audibly, took up the heavy books, stood on her bed and began jumping for sheer joy. "Godric! I love him!" she cried out, clutching the beloved books to her chest.

"Who is it you love, Miss?" Sine asked, entering the room and beginning to collect the discarded wrapping.

"Remus!" Taryn replied, without realising she probably had to explain more to the Elf. She flopped onto her back, the impact of the books on her chest forcing the air out of her lungs in a whoosh!

Sine raised an eyebrow as she gathered up the paper. "Why is it you love Master Remus, Miss?" she asked innocently.

Taryn sighed and smiling, replied, "He's my best friend in the entire existence of wizard and man kind. He knows exactly how to make me happy and… He got me the one thing that I've wanted for most of my life but no one has ever gotten for me until today. He's known I've wanted them since we were eight. I think he didn't have enough gold to actually buy them until this year…" She sighed, content. "He's so good to me. I don't deserve it…"

"Well, if he asks for your hand, you ought to be gentle with him, Miss," Sine said absently. "I know you love him as your cousin and your best friend, but he has a gentle heart. And they say that wolves mate for life."

Taryn sat up suddenly and stared at her Elf. "Say that again," she said slowly, setting the books aside.

"He has a gentle heart," Sine said hesitantly. "They say wolves mate for life? Is that it?"

"Partly," Taryn said. "What was the first thing you said? About I ought to be gentle with him."

Sine thought for a moment and replied, "If he asks for your hand, you ought to be gentle with him, Miss. He has a gentle heart and wolves mate for life."

"What do you mean by that?" Taryn demanded as Aibhlin and Dougal entered, carrying covered trays containing her Christmas dinner. "Sine, explain yourself!"

The little House-Elf looked worried that she might have upset her Miss. "I was only being conversational, Miss," she said, staring down at her feet. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just noticed the way he looks at you, Miss, that's all. He's far more gentler with you than he is with Miss Colleen or Miss Cora."

Taryn looked at the other Elves who had set the trays down beside the bed. "What is she talking about?" Taryn demanded of them. "Aibhlin?"

Aibhlin looked quickly at Dougal and Sine before answering. "We've been watching Master Remus when he comes here, Miss," she said softly. "He speaks softer to you. He looks at you longer than he should. He seems to comfort you more than he comforts Miss Colleen though he's seen her cry more than he's seen you cry, Miss."

"I did some reading while you were away at Hogwarts, Miss," Dougal said, climbing onto the bed. "I read about Wolves and Werewolves. The Werewolf takes on similar behavioural tendencies the Wolf has. The way they chose their mates is nearly exactly the same. Wolves will choose mates within their own pack and they mate for life. Some wizards speculate that this may also be true with Werewolves, though they have yet to see a Werewolf choose a mate from his or her own family. But, we believe, Miss, that Master Remus might possibly have chosen you for his mate."

Aibhlin and Sine climbed onto the bed beside Dougal and the three looked intently at their Miss. Sine hesitantly stepped forward. "Miss?" she said softly. "Miss, are you all right?"

Taryn didn't answer. She was staring at the wall beyond them and thinking. Remus was the one that was always there when she needed to cry. Except that once when it was Sirius. Remus was the one that always brought her in from the rain. He always was there when she needed someone to talk to. He was always there to bring her out of the slumps. He was always there to make her laugh. He was always there when she needed to vent about how hateful the other Slytherins were. He was always there… He was always there…

A tapping at the window brought her out of her reverie. Dougal jumped over to the smallish window and opened it, allowing Remus' small ochre owl, Puck, to hop in and deliver a rather thick letter. Dougal took it from him and Puck flew away. As Dougal handed the letter to Taryn, Aibhlin shut the window. Taryn looked at the familiar handwriting on the letter and sighed. "Aibhlin, Dougal, take the food and put it in the icebox in my little kitchen. Then all of you please leave. I have a feeling this letter is going to tell me more than I want to share with you." The House-Elves bowed and obeyed, quickly leaving when their tasks were completed.

Taryn slit open the parchment envelope and slid the letter out, unfolding the two-foot-long letter. "Oh, Godric," she muttered as she discovered that he had written in a minute size. "Well, Taryn, ol' girl. You have to read it. Whether or not you have to respond is another question to consider at a later date." She took a deep breath and held the letter under the candle beside her and began to read.

Dearest Nightfall—she chuckled at seeing his shaky hand on her nickname—I found that I couldn't sleep, for knowing you were spending this Christmas alone and lonely. I've discovered as of late that you have been at the foremost of my thoughts and I couldn't think of anything else to do but write to you.

You know as well as I that I am far from being perfect. Why you claim I am, I will possibly never know. There are so many flaws to my character that I can scarce count them all. Far be it from me to proclaim myself as 'perfect'. But for you to say it… For a reason unknown to me, when you yelled at me for being 'so perfect,' I could feel all the hateful words you had ever utter in my direction forcing themselves back into my memory and the pain they brought me forced itself into my heart. I wish to know, therefore, why you said it.

There is a great deal that I must tell you. However, before I continue on, Grandpa Lupin is requiring me to spread to you the Christmas message he spews at us every year. By now, you must have it memorised. But, I must do as he commands.

Taryn skimmed the Christmas message that she already knew would be coming to her in the long letter from their Grandpa Lupin, then continued reading.

Forgive the interruption, as I said, Grandpa Lupin is not to be trifled with. Of course, you already know this.

Love, you were honest with me, so it holds fair that Ibe honest with you. What you overheard from that night in the Room of Requirement, I'm sure, was the first argument between Padfoot and myself with many such like it to come. I don't wish to argue with him, but you know Padfoot as well as I do, and he may insist on it.

However, you have the right to know what I am about to tell you. And this is probably harder for me to confess than it was for you to do the same. You see, the damning thing is that you and I are far too clever to allow the other to date those that would only hurt us. As much as I don't approve of Sirius for you, I'm sure you will disapprove my choice even further.

But, she is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. She is intelligent in ways I know not. She is unafraid to defend her friends or herself in any given situation. She, not unlike yourself, adores the rain and tends to go out and play in it. If I could earn her good will, I know that she could make me happy and I could watch over her properly.

As you said, it is difficult to tell you this. But, I cannot hide it from you anymore, dear heart. You would discover it in time, anyway. Yes, Sirius and I were arguing in the Room of Requirement about a girl. You know her better than you think… Godric, I didn't think it would be so difficult to tell you the truth, Taryn. You, of all people, I should be able to tell anything.

The girl he and I were arguing about is you.

There, I told you. I love you, Taryn. I love you more than words can adequately describe. You are in my whole being. You are in my heart deeper than any other person I know. You are in my soul. You are what gives me strength to carry on every day. You are my constant. You are my one true love.

And yet, I know I cannot force you into anything. If you do not wish it, you only need tell me so and I will let the matter drop.

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas.

Love, Midnight

Taryn dropped the letter and fell back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Oh… Godric," she muttered, rubbing a hand over her face. "Godric!"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Taryn."

She sat up quickly and looked over at the stairs leading up from her door. Sirius was standing at the top of them. She got off her bed and stormed over. Pushing him down the stairs, she growled, "You bastard son of a bitch!"

He stumbled backward down the stairs. "Bloody hell, wench!" he said as he nearly found his death on the stairs. He climbed back up and walked towards her, backing her into a wall. "What the hell is your problem, Taryn? Every time you're upset, you try to kill me! What did I ever do to you?"

Her back hit the wall of her bedroom. She glared up at him. "It's because you're you," she spat. "If you would just leave my family alone, I would greatly appreciate it! You've been nothing but grief to us—all of us! Remus too! Godric, you can't seem to let us live in peace, can you?"

"What are you on about?" Sirius demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"You've lied to my sister to get me to notice you!" she screamed. "You're arguing with Remus over a stupid girl! And you're constantly tormenting me when all I've ever done is like you—maybe even love you! But, now, I can see that I've hoped too much from you. You will never be anything more than a selfish, self-centred, egotistical, arrogant, trouble-making ass! You will never give my family peace! You will constantly serve as a reminder that all the women in the family of Love will forever be bound by the curse of Magic and Love! Godric! Will you just leave me alone?"

Sirius stared at her. "What?" he asked loudly. He took Taryn by the shoulders and shoved her onto her bed. "Explain to me what you just said."

"I don't see why I should," Taryn muttered, folding her arms and looking out the window. "Maybe the Elves were right. Maybe it would be better if I was with Remus instead of waiting for you to wake up to what's going on around you."

"Taryn, what are you talking about?" he asked, turning her to face him. He took her hands in his tight grip. "What are you saying? That you're in love with me?"

"Get a grip, Sirius," she muttered. He smirked. She read the smirk properly, grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the bed underneath her. With her free hand, she rummaged in the secret cupboards in the walls next to her bed. "Don't get any ideas, Black. Aha! Here it is!" She pulled a small vial containing a clear liquid in it out of the cupboard. She smiled, bit the cork and pulled it out, dropping it on his chest.

"What is that?" he asked warily.

"Veritaserum," she said brightly. He gave her a strange look. "Oh, don't give me that look. You know I'm good at potion brewing. Open your mouth." He obeyed, begrudgingly. She dropped three drops into his mouth and made him swallow. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes…"

"Good," she said, returning the cork to the vial. "Who were you arguing with Remus about in the Room of Requirement?"

"Taryn Love…"

"Why?"

"Because he was sneaking glances at her when she wasn't looking and I didn't like it…"

"Surely you don't care if he's attracted to her?"

"No, I care a great deal…"

"Why?"

"I love her…"

This news took Taryn aback. Sirius Black just said, under influence of a strong truth potion, that he loved her. Time to test the waters a bit, she thought. "How much do you love her?"

"With all my mind, body, heart and soul…"

"Would you ask her to marry you?"

"If I knew she loved me in return, then yes…"

"Okay, I've heard enough," she said, getting off of Sirius. She pulled another vial out of a secret cupboard and poured a bit of its contents into his mouth. "Sirius, wake up."

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "What did you force out of me?" he asked.

"Only that you'll love me until the end of eternity," she said casually.

His face turned bright red. "Godric," he muttered. "I was going to save that for the next Hogsmeade trip."

"It's all right, Sirius," she said. "But the question now remains: will you be able to tolerate having me for the rest of eternity? Because I'm more than willing to let you."

"Taryn, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"In my family, the Love women are under a curse," she said. "The first man we ever kiss as a woman will be the man we will spend the rest of eternity with. Say, I kiss you. You and I would be together until the end of time. If we get in a fight, break up and date other people, we will still come back to each other. Does that make sense?"

"Yes…" he said slowly. "You would let me give you your first kiss?"

"Hell no," she said. "I'd take it from you."

"What are you t—" but he didn't finish his sentence. Because at that instant, Taryn pulled him to her and kissed him.

……