CHAPTER 3

Drunken Depravity

Aurelia had downed three drinks before the dancing began. The server—William—had thankfully kept a close eye on her glass after her speech. Even the servers were feeling sorry for her. What a foolish mistake, to let her feelings cloud her judgement so much so that they overtook her mouth. Lily was never going to forgive her for making a mockery of her wedding reception. Every time she glanced over at her best friend, she refused to meet Aurelia's gaze.

William was a good lad. Her glass was full once again. She grabbed for the wine when a hand rested on her wrist. She looked up and Lily was staring at her, eyes filled with concern. "You've had enough, Lia."

Her hand quickly retreated from the glass, but her eyes were downcast. She saw what this was. Lily didn't want her embarrassing them any more than she already had. Well, she could take a hint. "I shan't make a scene again."

"Lia," Lily called after her as she made her way down from the dais and into the back corridors of the manor.

Sirius watched her leave the table, and he couldn't bear to look at her as she passed by him. Their toasts had been… unconventional, and both of them had drank quite a bit of wine afterwards. It had been an awkward fifteen minutes.

Lily looked around for someone at his side of the table. "Remus," she said, her eyes pleading. "Go find her."

Sirius slid his napkin onto the table and as Remus got up from his seat, Sirius got up with him.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked James.

"I'm going to help Remus," Sirius said, as if it were obvious.

Remus put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back in his seat. "You've done quite enough, Sirius."

He brushed Remus' hand off and made to get up again. This time James held him down.

"What is Remus going to do that I can't?" Sirius asked, angry now that he had been thwarted twice.

"Speak civilly to a friend," said Remus.

Sirius was starting to feel the eyes baring into him. He knew he was a little tipsy, but he was certain that if he found Lia he would be able to make her see reason. He just needed to formulate a plan… And that plan was… impossible to formulate without another glass of wine.

"Fine, but can I at least go to the loo?" Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "Man's gotta take a—"

A hand went over his mouth, the hand of Remus.

"Just go," said James, his head in his hand. "And if you come across Lia, do not engage."

"You got it, Jamsie." He lifted himself from his seat and made his way to the john in the back of the main hall. When he came out, he wandered aimlessly for a little while, whistling an Irish lullaby Aurelia had taught him. She had taught him the words at some point, too. He wondered if he remembered them. He started humming and singing the words aloud.

"Éisteacht le amhrán seo cailín, aisling bog agus a bheith sásta, lig an… something… a chanadh tú a chodladh, mar an timpiste dtonnta, ar tránna…"

"Uisce."

Sirius spun around. Aurelia was standing there, watching him carefully. "What?" he asked.

"Uisce," she repeated. "Water. You always forgot that one."

He didn't know what to say. He hadn't really expected to find her back here, especially before Remus. James' words went off in his head like a gong: do not engage. But he was drunk; what did he care if things got ugly?

"I did not always forget," he said. "You just weren't a great teacher."

"ISH-ka. It's really not that hard to pronounce, Sirius. You're just a bad student."

"Yeah, well… if you had worn some kind of outfit to help the bit along, maybe we would've gotten somewhere."

Aurelia stared at him unblinking for a moment, before she giggled like a schoolgirl. "You're absolutely ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact!"

"Well, good, I'm glad we're on the same page."

"It's never happened before, but there's a first time for everything."

"I'm glad we can agree on the fact that you're a git."

"HEY!"

Sirius and Aurelia looked down the hall at Remus, who was heading straight for them. Sirius stepped back from Aurelia and she did the same. Somehow in the thick of it, they had gotten so close they were almost touching.

"What you are two doing?"

"Arguing, obviously, Remus," she said hotly.

Her irises were flashing hints of a vibrant blue, almost like a scorching flame. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling with every inhalation. Merlin, she looked incredible.

"You do realize that you two have been the only thing that has made this wedding a disaster, right?"

Aurelia waved her hand in a placating gesture. "You're embellishing just a bit, don't you think, Remus? I mean, the dancing went off without a hitch."

"That's because," Remus said, his teeth grit, "you both were drinking so much you were too preoccupied to do any verbal sparring until after it had started."

She was very much over this whole charade. She wanted to go home and recuperate from a terrible day. It felt as though the last twenty-eight hours were the longest of her life. And there was no getting through to him. There had been a moment when, after they had left the manor when the wedding was over, she had thought, Maybe. Maybe I can break through his defenses this time, get him to see the truth. But there was nothing there to be honest about. Sirius was obviously completely over her.

"I'm sorry, Remus," they both said at the same time. They looked at each other briefly before sending their gazes back to Remus.

"I don't want you to be sorry; I want you to change your ways."

Aurelia balked. "What do you want us to change?"

"Aurelia, you've been upset with Sirius since you two called it quits. That decision was mutual, if you remember."

"But he—"

"Told everyone about you two having sex. Yes, I remember quite clearly. Sirius may be a git—" Sirius made an indignant sound "—but he would have never betrayed your trust like that. He was under the influence of a hex."

"Who would have hexed him?"

"Does it even matter at this point? You broke up over something that was obviously an accident."

"We broke up," Sirius put in, "because she wouldn't grasp that he father was using her as a punching bag."

"Fuck you, Black," Aurelia spit.

"Right back at ya, baby."

Remus held up his arms and whispered fiercely, "Enough! Sirius, since we left Hogwarts, Aurelia has moved from her father's house, she's helped him wean off liquor altogether, and she hasn't been harmed since. Do you both understand how childish you're being by having it out in the middle of a wedding? Especially when you are fighting over nothing. Now you can keep bickering like an old divorced couple or you can start acting civilly. It's your choice, but we would all benefit from the latter."

Suddenly, Remus was walking away from them back towards the main hall. In the distance, Aurelia could hear slow dance music. She looked up at Sirius, who was watching her with a cautious expression on his face.

"So… do you want to try acting like adults?" asked Sirius warily.

"Remus made some solid arguments for that case."

"But are you willing?"

"I am if you are."

Sirius held out his hand in what looked like a gesture of good faith. Aurelia hesitated. How was this going to work? Suddenly, they would be friends again and would talk to each other at normal octaves? She was skeptical only because she knew him, but she had said she was willing.

Aurelia shook Sirius' hand. The firm grasp made her hand hurt slightly, and they were shaking hands for entirely too long, but she felt it—his pulse quickening—through the contact of their skin. And suddenly, she was pressed up against the wall of the corridor and her mouth was closed over his. His tongue was gently caressing hers, and it was sending butterflies down toward her stomach. Her hands rested on his hips, while his were everywhere—exploring the curves of her body. It had been so long since they'd felt each other like this, she'd almost forgotten what his naked body looked like.

He started to slide his hand up her dress, but she slapped it away. Sirius looked up in confusion until she said, "We're in a hallway, Seer."

They searched quickly for an abandoned room and happened upon the library. Thankfully, there was a lock on the door, even though she wasn't certain why a library needed a locked door (except for these special occasions).

She was trying hard not to overthink this. She just wanted it to happen—needed it, more like. She hadn't had a shag in at least six months, but she couldn't help feeling like this was either a pity shag or extended breakup sex. Either way, if that were the case, she didn't want it, however badly her body was saying otherwise.

Sirius sat her down in an armchair by the historical section. Fitting. He picked up the hem of her dress and, with his teeth and free hand, slowly pulled her knickers down and let them drop to her heals. He let her dress fall back down and then he grabbed her hand and hoisted her up off the chair. She stepped out from around her knickers and was led to the geographical section. He gently nudged her against the bookcase with his pelvis, holding her hands above her head with one of his own. He placed kisses along her jawline, the shell of her ear, the crook of her neck. Aurelia was trembling, but her legs were steady. His free hand was brushing the fabric of her dress, cupping her breast. She moaned softly, urging him to continue, but then he pulled away with a grin on his face.

He led her, all the while holding one of her hands, to the loveseat near the fireplace. She laid down on the couch while he shrugged off his suitcoat, unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie. He positioned himself on top of her where he proceeded to kiss her collarbone and use his dexterous fingers to roam her body. They played like this for a long while before Sirius looked up to gaze at her.

Aurelia squeezed his sides, where she had been tickling him softly. Her face slipped into a puzzled expression.

"I've said it once already," Sirius said gently, "but you said to own it."

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"I love you," he said.

A single tear slid down her cheek, and he caught it with two of his fingers.

"I love you, too," she said.

Sirius' mouth formed a genuine smile before slipping his hand into her hair and kissing her fervently on the lips with such hunger she was taken aback by it. But by no means did she resist.

This was exactly where she wanted to be.

James was not willing to dance unless Lily would let him wrap his tie around his head. Unfortunately, she had just stared at him when he'd made the suggestion. Now he was sitting—sulking, more like—at the head table while Lily was dancing with her eight-year-old cousin.

"No, Sirius," said a voice a little ways down the hall.

"But I'm not asking." Two voices, and they were getting louder.

"It's not your decision to make."

"Can I have a little input?"

"No."

"But—"

"Oh, do shut up, Seer."

Sirius and Lia were at the head table now, bickering and—Seer? James shook his head and looked up at the two of them. Aurelia had her hand on her hips, and Sirius was looking irritated, but she had said "Seer," hadn't she? She hadn't called him that since…

All of a sudden, Sirius' expression wavered and he looked… affectionate. And just like that, he was holding out his hand and she was taking it, and they were heading for the dance floor. The music had changed from fist-pumping wrock by The Weird Sisters to a slow, sweet melody by The Looking Glass. Sirius twirled Aurelia around once and they landed in perfect sync into a classic closed position. They had their bodies pressed close, and they were both smiling.

James looked over at Remus and Peter, who looked absolutely baffled. He was certain he didn't look much different.

Sirius wrestled with himself. She was leaving the country and wouldn't be back for a year. An entire year. They had just said 'I love you' to each other for the first time, and they had shagged like there was no tomorrow because there wasn't a tomorrow. Lia had only put off her retreat for the wedding, and she was leaving tomorrow. How was he supposed to compete with a year-long trip to Italy?

"Just… don't go," he whispered in her ear. They had needed a place to think, but the library was out. No thinking in there. The back rooms had been locked and the only quiet-ish area available was the dance floor. As long as slow songs played in the background, Sirius would be able to have a nice, normal conversation with her.

"I'll lose my job if I don't go," she replied.

"And I appreciate and respect you for having a… what was it called? Job?" Aurelia smiled and let a sweet, honeyed laugh escape her. She was so beautiful. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm well off."

"No!" Lia replied, feigning surprise.

"You don't need a job."

"I want my job."

He let out a frustrated noise that startled the couple next to them, which just so happened to be Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

"All right, Sirius?" Edwin asked carefully.

Sirius smiled in their direction. "Everything's peachy," he said, gliding him and Aurelia away quickly. He looked up at her to see her smiling sadly.

"I don't want to do this, Seer," Aurelia said, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I don't have a choice."

Lia spent the rest of the song lying her head on Sirius' shoulder while they swayed slightly.

At the end of the night, James and Lily left in the same carriage they had rode around in between the wedding and reception, but not before Lily had pulled Aurelia beside.

"Are you and Sirius back together?" she whispered, a small smile forming on her lips.

"I don't know," Aurelia replied.

"Did you—make up?"

A slight smirk caused Lily to squeal quietly.

"What about your trip?"

Aurelia's smirk was suddenly wiped off her face, and she said, "I'm still going."

Lily stared her straight in the eye. "You might not have him when you get back."

"It's one year," said Aurelia. "He loves me, Lily. And I love him."

"Finally, she gets it," Lily said, kissing her friend on the cheek. "Never say 'never'."

But Aurelia wasn't done explaining things. She had to tell James, Remus, Peter and then the girls wanted to know, as well. All of them had the same question: will you both wait?

When she finally got back to the head table after most of the attendants had left, Sirius was the only one sitting there, sulking. She went over to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing the top of his head.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, you're still leaving."

"Don't think of it like that," said Aurelia, smiling. "Think of it as a temporary moratorium on our relationship."

"Don't say 'moratorium.' It sounds too much like 'morgue,' and the death of our relationship doesn't really appeal to me."

"Fine, deferment. Call it whatever you like. I'm just saying that, if you truly love me, which I believe you do, then when I return from Italy, you'll be there. I don't care what you do in between, but be there. I'll be waiting. It's like in all the great love stories… our story is anything but ordinary, granted, but the novel we write will span a longer length of time than you or I realize. We are in love, Sirius, and you are the only person I want to spend my days fighting, shagging, and loving."

He was quiet for a moment when suddenly he said, "All right."

"All right, what?"

Sirius smiled. "I'll be there."

Tears threatened to escape her eyes, but she held them back. "I'll be waiting."

They were the last two in the main hall. Everyone else had gone, except the servers who were using an inordinate amount of Scogify spells to clean up the mess they had all made.

They were standing in the archway of the hall so close they were almost touching. Aurelia put a hand on Sirius' elbow. He looked down at her, his expression content, lowering his head to kiss her lips. She had always been such a good kisser.

When they pulled apart, Sirius was slightly out of breath. They made their way out the doors and into the chilly night air.

Sirius smirked.

"What are you smirking at?" Aurelia asked, smiling a little at the joke she knew nothing about.

"Nothing," he replied.

"It isn't nothing. You usually have that dazed and confused look when you're not thinking."

"Is that so?"

"It is so."

His narrowed eyes suddenly softened and his mouth again formed into a smirk.

"Now why are you smirking?" She sounded exasperated. He loved it when she sounded that way.

Sirius couldn't lie to her, so he said, "I'm remembering you naked."

Lia's cheeks reddened. She quickly turned on her heels and muttered a barely audible Ugh! He caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. "I'm not ready to… moratorize our relationship."

"Defer," she corrected.

He waved her off. "Lia," he said, his eyes beseeching. "Come back to my place tonight."

"I have to leave at 4 o'clock," she said, but her eyes were determined, seeking a plan of action. She wanted to come with, didn't she?

"Then bring your bag and stay the night."

Aurelia looked up at him and grinned. "I still wouldn't get any sleep."

It took Sirius a moment to register that statement, and his fears were alleviated. She wasn't trying to escape, she just needed a reason to stay.

"Merlin, I love you," he said.

And Sirius gave her one.

If anyone is interested, that lullaby is made up and the words in English are…

listen to this song, girl
dream softly and be happy
let the water sing you to sleep
as the waves crash
on the beach