Wednesday, May 25, 1977
Mary gazed out the window at the sun-drenched grounds and cloudless sky, a blissful smile on her face. Despite the exams that were getting closer and closer, despite the looming obligation to return home for the summer, despite the troublesome events of the world outside of Hogwarts, Mary could not help feeling cheerful on a day like today.
"It's too nice out to do homework," she announced, crossing the room to lean against Sirius's armchair. "I simply cannot focus when the sun is shining like that."
"All right," Sirius said, setting down his book without hesitation. "Want to sneak into Hogsmeade, then?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Mary said. "Hang on, I'll just run up and change."
While Mary changed her clothes, Sirius retrieved the Invisibility Cloak from James's trunk. Rather than taking the secret passage into Hogsmeade, it would be more pleasant to walk along the road so they could enjoy the sunshine, and the Cloak would be useful to have if they happened to pass any teachers. Sirius hastily scrawled a note for James and left it on top of his trunk: Borrowed the Cloak to go into Hogsmeade. Don't worry, won't do anything disgusting on/under it. -Padfoot
He tucked the Cloak into his pocket and set off for the common room, taking the stairs two at a time. When he reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, he spotted Mary waiting for him, leaning against the back of an armchair and clad in a snug t-shirt and very short shorts.
"Looking good, Macdonald," Sirius said, looking her up and down and not making an effort to hide it. "But I'd just like to know, are you wearing those ridiculously short shorts to try to draw attention away from whatever's going on with your hair?" He reached over and ran a hand through her curls, which were even frizzier and wilder than usual.
"Shut up, Black," she said, swatting his hand away. "I'm out of bloody Sleekeazy's." She raked a hand through her curls, trying in vain to tame it, but if anything, she only succeeded in making it look even puffier.
"Well, good thing we've decided to go into Hogsmeade, then," Sirius said, heading for the portrait hole. "You can buy the village's entire stock of Sleekeazy's. Should be enough for at least a week's supply, right?"
"Don't have a go at me, just because you were born with the world's most naturally gorgeous hair," Mary protested as she followed him. "Some of us have to work hard to make our hair look somewhat respectable, while you literally roll out of bed looking like that." She gestured at his sleek, dark hair that fell into his eyes.
"Merlin, Macdonald, why do you continue to feed my already inflated ego?" Sirius asked, tossing his head to showcase his hair. "And thank you, by the way. It's one of the only Black family traits I actually like."
As they walked through the corridors, they caught snatches of lecture and conversation as they passed various classrooms. Sirius always enjoyed the feeling of knowing other students were stuck in class while he was free to roam the castle and grounds. When they reached the Entrance Hall and stepped out into the almost blinding sunlight, Sirius's spirits soared even higher. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, pulling out two and handing one to Mary before lighting his own.
"What a fucking day, Macdonald," he said, taking a deep drag on his cigarette and letting the pleasant feeling of the smoke in his lungs and the sun on his face wash over him. "I feel bad for those sorry sods who are stuck inside learning."
"Ugh, me too," Mary agreed, throwing back her hair and turning her face up to the sun. "This weather is perfect. We should have skived off all our classes and just lounged outside all day." She looked at him, squinting against the bright sunlight. "I wish I brought sunglasses."
"I think I have an extra pair," Sirius said, rummaging in his undetectably extended pocket and pulling out two pairs of sunglasses. He put one pair on, then handed the other to Mary. "Never be caught without shades, Macdonald. That's a rookie mistake."
"Cheers," she said, placing the sunglasses on her face and grinning up at him. "How do I look?"
"Extremely cool," he assured her, nodding in approval.
Feeling no need to hurry, they strolled along the path to Hogsmeade, smoking in companionable silence. When they reached the village, Sirius put out his cigarette and looked at Mary.
"Where should we go first?"
She dropped her cigarette onto the ground and ground it out with her foot, then shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Should we stop into Honeydukes? I think we owe Remus at least ten chocolate bars at this point."
"Make it eleven," Sirius said, grinning. "I took one this morning." He laughed at the amused expression on her face. "What? I like to bring a snack to Muggle Studies! The Hufflepuff girl I sit next to is always high off her arse and starving, so I share."
"We should honestly just buy their entire stock of chocolate bars, that should get us through the rest of the term," Mary remarked, setting off towards Honeydukes.
"That's not a bad idea," Sirius said as he followed after her.
Upon entering the store, he selected a basket from a stack near the door and began filling it with assorted chocolate bars.
"You know you have a problem when you need a basket," Mary said, adding several boxes of Bertie Botts to their haul.
"Ooh, better add another box of Bertie Botts," Sirius said, grabbing one off the shelf and tossing it into the basket. "I wasted most of Peter's the other day trying to catch them while doing a cartwheel."
"Were you successful?" Mary asked.
"Eventually. It took most of the box before I could catch one, though. I think I still need a bit more practice to fully master it. You can help me if you like."
He added one more box of Bertie Botts to their pile for good measure, then brought the basket up to the counter. Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of coins, but Sirius pushed her hand away.
"Don't be stupid," she protested. "I ate just as much of that chocolate as you did. I'm not letting you pay for all of this."
"It's my pleasure," he replied, handing the coins to the Honeydukes employee. He accepted the bulging bag of candy from the clerk and stepped out of the shop and back into the blinding sunshine.
"Careful, Black," Mary said, following Sirius and letting the Honeydukes door swing shut behind her. "You can't go around paying for things for me. It's a very boyfriendy thing to do. That seems like a clear violation of the spirit of our arrangement, even if there isn't a specific rule prohibiting it."
"Boyfriendy is not a word," Sirius pointed out. "But if it makes you feel better, you can buy me something when you get your Sleekeazy's."
He pointed at the shop a little ways down the road that sold all manner of beauty potions, and they both set off in that direction. They had just reached the front of the shop and Mary had her hand on the door to pull it open when Sirius grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an alley beside the shop.
"What are you doing?" she asked, but then her eyes widened in realization as Dumbledore strode out of the shop clutching a large bottle of Bodacious Beard beard oil and headed towards The Three Broomsticks. "Good save. I would have walked straight into him, probably." "I'm a professional rule breaker, Macdonald. I can sense teachers. It's like a little alarm starts going off in my head when there's a teacher within a certain radius." He peered out of the alley and looked up and down the street, but saw no sign of Dumbledore. "It looks like the coast is clear. Come on."
The two of them stepped into the shop and were immediately greeted by the scent of various
perfumes mingled together. The effect was overwhelming enough to give Sirius an instant headache.
"Hello love," said the blonde witch arranging a display of nail polish that changed color based on the wearer's mood. "I haven't seen you in here in a while." She smiled at Mary and held up a bottle of the nail polish. "I just got this in. It turns 12 different colors, depending on your mood."
"Ooh, really?" Mary took the tiny bottle and examined it. "Wait, it's scented, too? Well, I absolutely have to have this." She wandered slowly around the shop, stopping to gaze longingly at a display of glittery eyeshadow before her eyes fell on the price tag and she moved along to the next display.
"Try this!" she said, picking up a bottle of perfume and spritzing Sirius with it before he had time to reply.
"Thanks a lot, Macdonald," he complained, waving a hand in front of his face to try to dispel the scent. "Now I'm going to smell like a bloody girl."
"No you won't." She sprayed the perfume on her own wrist and dabbed it on her neck, then set the bottle back down on the shelf. "It's supposed to mimic the way Amortentia smells like what attracts you." She sniffed her wrist and frowned. "Well that doesn't smell like anything."
"I think you're supposed to smell it on me, dumb dumb," Sirius said.
"Shut up," she replied, leaning in and breathing deeply. "You're right!" Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she took another deep breath. "It smells like freshly-brewed coffee, and the way the air smells right before it rains, and chocolate, and…" She took another breath, then continued. "Well, it smells like that soap you use, and leather, with a hint of cigarette smoke, but that's just how you normally smell and not the perfume, I suppose. What do you smell?" She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Nothing but bacon, probably. Or maybe the delightful aroma of James after Quidditch practice?"
"Sod off, Macdonald," Sirius said, taking hold of Mary's wrist and bending over it to breathe in the scent of the perfume. "It smells like the sea, and the way the Great Hall smells during a feast, and like leather, too, and maybe vanilla?" He leaned in so that his lips almost brushed her neck. "Definitely vanilla, and a bit of peppermint." He drew back and grinned.
"That's what Sleekeazy's smells like," Mary said. "Except I haven't used any today, so that's interesting."
"Did you say you need Sleekeazy's love?" the blonde witch asked, pulling a large bottle from a nearby shelf and handing it to her. "We have the jumbo size now."
"Brilliant," Mary said, taking the bottle of potion. "It's a level three hair emergency, if you couldn't tell." She gestured at her frizzy mane of hair. "Maybe I'd better get two bottles, so I have enough to last through the summer." She set down her items on the counter, then went to get a second jumbo bottle of Sleekeazy's. "Muggle hair products don't work nearly as well."
"No, they really don't," the witch agreed, ringing up Mary's purchases. "Oh, here, you get a free comb with the Sleekeazy's." She pulled a bucket of little combs shaped like broomsticks from underneath the counter. "Which team would you like?"
"Oh, hang on, what's the team with the ugly orange uniforms?" Mary said, glancing sideways at Sirius and pretending to look thoughtful. "You know, the team that hasn't won the league since the 1800s?"
"It was 1892, barely even still the 1800s," Sirius muttered, selecting a Chudley Cannons comb from the bucket. "And you know perfectly well that they're called the Cannons, don't you?"
"Of course I do, you hardly ever shut up about them," Mary replied as she paid for her purchases. "I just enjoy teasing you."
"Thanks for stopping in, love," the blonde witch said, smiling at Mary and Sirius as she handed Mary a hot pink shopping bag. "And can I just say, you two make such a cute couple."
Sirius, busy admiring his new Chudley Cannons comb, did not seem to notice the witch's incorrect assumption, and Mary did not bother to correct her, but simply thanked her and left the shop. The issue seemed, as Sirius would say, like a matter of mere semantics.
"Should we stop anywhere else?" Sirius asked, glancing at his watch. "Or should we head back?"
Mary considered this. "Well, I'd like a butterbeer, but do you think it's too risky? What if Dumbledore is in there?" She directed her gaze down the road at The Three Broomsticks, frowning.
"I have a workaround," Sirius said, setting off for The Three Broomsticks and nodding his head to indicate Mary should follow. When they reached the pub he did not approach the front door, but headed instead to the alley that led to a little fenced in area behind The Three Broomsticks. Mary hesitated, unsure if they were allowed back there, but Sirius strode confidently up to a back door and pressed a doorbell shaped like a broomstick. After a minute, the door opened to reveal Rosmerta, wearing a confused expression that transformed into a friendly smile when she saw Sirius.
"Hello, Black. And you've brought your lovely friend." She raised her eyebrows at Sirius. "Are you back for another case of firewhisky already?"
"No, I'll be good for a bit," Sirius replied. "We saw Dumbledore heading this way, so we thought we'd better check and see if it's safe to come inside."
"Oh, no, you'd better not, he's sitting right at the bar," Rosmerta said. She placed her hands on her hips and gave them a disapproving look. "I don't know how you haven't been caught yet, Black, sneaking down here all the time when you're not supposed to, buying more firewhisky than any one person has any right to be buying, and I don't know what else. And now you've dragged your lady friend into your disreputable ways. "
"Don't give me that rubbish," Sirius replied, grinning. "Now that I'm of age I could buy firewhisky anywhere, so you could stop selling to me if you're really that opposed, but I know you won't, because then you wouldn't be blessed with my presence nearly as often. And I'll have you know, this is much more reputable than how we normally spend Wednesday afternoons, isn't it, Macdonald?"
"I'd say so, yeah," Mary agreed. "Although we do usually start with homework, so maybe that counteracts the disreputable behavior that usually follows?" "I think it depends how much homework we do," Sirius said. "Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Do you think you could bring us two Butterbeers, Rosie? And then we'll be on our way and won't darken your doorway with our disreputable ways?"
She laughed. "I suppose I could do that." She accepted the coins Sirius held out to her, then retreated through the door.
"Hang on, I was supposed to buy you something to pay you back for the candy!" Mary protested.
"It's all right, you got me the Chudley Cannons comb," Sirius said.
"Technically, I didn't buy that because it came with my purchase."
"Technically, you're a pain in the arse. Now shut up and let me buy you a damn Butterbeer."
Mary opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment Rosmerta opened the door, clutching two Butterbeers. "Here you are. I'd hurry back to the castle, and keep your wits about you, because I think Dumbledore is going to leave soon." She waved, then turned and hustled back through the door.
"I suppose we'd better go, then," Sirius said, after uncapping his Butterbeer and taking a sip. "We can drink these as we walk."
They strolled along at a leisurely pace, sipping their Butterbeer and basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Occasional whiffs of Mary's intoxicating perfume reached Sirius's nostrils when the breeze blew, and he found himself sneaking glances at her when she wasn't looking.
"Are you staring at my arse, Black?" she demanded when he failed to pull his gaze away fast enough.
"If you didn't want me staring, you shouldn't have worn such tiny shorts," Sirius said, grinning. They had almost reached the castle. "Want to go back to the common room?"
"No, let's stay out here for a bit. I thought you were going to practice your Bertie Botts cartwheel move."
"Oh, right. Let's go over here, then." He led the way to a flat, grassy area by the lake, then pulled a box of Bertie Botts from the Honeydukes bag. "All right, you're going to want to throw it so I catch it right as I come out of the cartwheel. I tried catching it when I was in the middle of the cartwheel, but it was a terrible fucking idea, I nearly choked." He removed his jacket and folded it carefully, then set it down on the grass out of the way.
"What, you can't cartwheel in a leather jacket?" Mary asked, amused.
"No, it restricts my movement too much," Sirius replied, as if this should have been obvious. "Ready?"
Mary nodded, and Sirius took a step back, then launched into a perfect cartwheel. Mary selected a bean and tossed it to Sirius, but aimed too high and ended up hitting him squarely in the middle of the forehead.
"Shit, sorry," she said, grinning. "That was impressive, though. How'd you get so good at cartwheels?"
"I am a man of many talents," Sirius said, giving a dramatic bow. "Now let's try again, but this time get the timing right, yeah?"
They tried five more times before Mary managed to land the Bertie Botts in his mouth.
"That was brilliant!" she squealed, surprised at her own excitement.
"I know," Sirius said, sprawling out on the grass next to her. "Sometimes I'm so talented, I astound myself."
She rolled her eyes and lay down next to him, enjoying the feeling of the breeze softly blowing the tendrils of her hair around and rustling the leaves in the tree above them. She felt sleepy and content, and happier than she had been in a long time.
"You didn't correct the witch in the beauty potion shop," Sirius remarked. He plucked a blade of grass and used it to gently tickle her thigh. "When she said we were dating, I mean."
Mary giggled and snatched the grass out of his hand, then glanced over at him when she realized what he had said. "I didn't think you were listening," she admitted. "I notice you didn't correct her either."
"I couldn't see the point," Sirius replied. "What does it bloody matter if the witch who owns the beauty store thinks we're dating? I'm a catch, and you're, well, you're not bad yourself." He grinned and pulled her towards him. "Now I'm going to snog you, because that fucking perfume is driving me mad, and honestly, whoever invented it is a genius."
Several minutes later, Mary pulled away, breathing heavily. "Hang on, we can't just do this here, out in the open like this." She grabbed Sirius's hand as he toyed at the waistband of her shorts. "Knock it off, Black. Hagrid or Dumbledore or someone is going to walk by and I'll never recover from the bloody embarrassment if they see me shagging you in the middle of the grounds. Let's go up to the dormitory."
"But it's so far away," Sirius complained. "Nobody will see." He leaned in to kiss her, then stopped, a smile spreading over his face. "Wait, I have an idea." He reached over and grabbed his leather jacket, fumbling around until he found the extended pocket. He reached in and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and tossed it over them. "Now nobody can see us. Just try not to move around too much, because it only just covers our feet."
"James is going to be furious," Mary said, not managing to sound the least bit concerned.
"Probably," Sirius agreed, reaching over to unzip her shorts and tug them down, careful not to disarrange the Invisibility Cloak. "But he'll get over it."
Afterwards they lay curled against each other under the Cloak, too relaxed and lazy to even consider returning to the common room. The Cloak's finely woven material was surprisingly breathable, allowing the light breeze to drift through, keeping them cool and comfortable.
"What an excellent Wednesday," Mary murmured, breathing in the faint scent of the perfume on Sirius's skin. She ran a finger up and down his arm slowly,
"Best Wednesday I've had in a while," Sirius agreed. He felt cozy and secure hidden under the Cloak, and he let his heavy eyes close as he breathed a sigh of contentment. After a minute, his breathing became slow and rhythmic as he slipped into a doze, and Mary rested her head against his chest and let herself drift off to sleep as well.
"Sirius Orion Black, tell me you're not naked underneath my bloody Cloak!" James's voice, loud and jarring in the otherwise quiet afternoon, roused Sirius from his sleep. "Where are you? Show yourself, because I feel weird shouting at the empty air."
"Hullo, Prongs," Sirius said, pulling the Invisibility Cloak down to reveal his face. "Hello, Moony, Wormtail, Evans."
"Is Mary under there with you?" Lily asked.
"No, Evans, I'm laying naked by the lake under the Invisibility Cloak by myself," Sirius said, pulling back the Cloak to show Mary's face. "Hi," Mary said, grinning sheepishly. "Ooh, check out what I got from the beauty shop. They have this new perfume that smells like Amortentia." She pulled her arm out from under the Cloak and pointed at the pink shopping bag, then hastily adjusted the Cloak to ensure she was covered.
"Really?" Lily retrieved the perfume from the bag and spritzed herself liberally with it, then sniffed her wrist.
"No, you have to smell it on someone else," Mary explained.
Lily brought the perfume over to James and applied some to his neck before leaning in to smell him. "Wow, that's really impressive!" she said, taking another deep breath. "It smells exactly like the Amortentia Slughorn showed us in class."
"Bloody hell, this stuff shouldn't be legal," James remarked, breathing in the perfume cloud emanating from Lily.
"What does it smell like to you?" Lily asked, taking a step closer to James, then catching herself and stepping back quickly, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Broom polish, and the sort of crisp fall day that's perfect for Quidditch, and my mum's treacle tart, and that bubble bath in the prefects' bathroom you like," James replied without a trace of embarrassment. "What does it smell like to you?"
She ignored his question. "I didn't use any bubble bath today," she replied. "That must be just the perfume." She smirked.
"Well, big shocker, James is attracted to you," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, if anyone's surprised by that, they've been living under a rock."
"Does the phrase 'my mum's treacle tart' sound dirty to anyone else?" Remus asked.
"A bit," Peter agreed.
"Gross," James said, grinning at Remus and Peter before turning to Sirius. "So, you borrowed my Invisibility Cloak to have sex out in the open in the middle of the afternoon?"
"Well, that wasn't the original reason I borrowed it, but that's just the way the day went," Sirius replied.
James blinked several times. "I don't know whether to be angry, proud, or jealous," he admitted.
"Go with proud and jealous," Sirius advised him. "Moony, will you be a pal and hand me my pants? Somehow they ended up all the way over there. If you do it, there's a shit load of Honeydukes in it for you."